How to write your Application for The Spine (Mark 2) (The G.R.E.A.T System Mrk2)

~
Somewhere in the middle of the ocean…

Geriand sat quietly at his desk within his forsaken vessel. He slowly scratched his chin as he read the numerous correspondence he had received concerning applications to join "The Spine". He despised whoever knew where he was for sending him these letters. Why when he was in hiding, did he still have to deal with all of the useless cretins that thought themselves worthy? Some of the applications showed promise, they always do. They had been well written, he could understand them. Gutterspeak appeared to be a language they were well versed in writing. Others...
Other applicants had refused to listen to his words when he warned them of the difficulties in joining. They had merely written the bare minimum required. These Forsaken would never stand a chance of being a member of The "glorious" Spine! As Geriand shuffled through more and more applications it became clear. People were still making mistakes. Someone had to help them. It was going to have to be him again.
~

Introduction
Hello, and welcome to Geriand's Reasonably Exciting and Attractive Tutorial (Mark 2) (G.R.E.A.T Mrk2) on how to successfully apply to The Spine. It’s almost been a year since I wrote the original great, and so I’ve decided to go back through it and makes any necessary changes and additions.

Let's say you're a Level 40 Forsaken Priest. You've been playing WoW for a couple of years now and you really want to get into roleplaying? Perhaps you're an experienced roleplayer, you've seen us in action and you want to be a part of it? What if you don't even have a character on The Sha'tar but are considering moving your main from a PvE/PvP/other RP server? This guide will work, suit and fit all of your needs as it allows you to successfully fill out this form without any major errors. All of the questions will have detailed explanations beneath them as well as links to internet resources which can help you if required. The questions below will be in white while my guidance will be written in an olive green.
Now without further delay, let us begin.

PLAYER INFORMATION
How long (approximately) have you been playing World of Warcraft? [color=olive]This question is actually fairly easy to answer and has the fewest mistakes possible available to it. As long as you answer in correct and well structured English this question is perhaps impossible to make a mistake on. Just in case though, I'll provide a few tips below on what you can include.
- Month and Year you started playing.
- Which expansion and/or patch you started playing with.
- How long you have been playing ( X Years)
color]

How confident would you say you are with the English language?
This question can provide laughable responses when someone says:
"i am graet at using the englihs language. i was born in ingland and know exactly wut I am doing."
While I haven't seen a reply like that yet I am waiting for it to happen. To make a spelling or grammar mistake in this question is to ask for a rejection. The most important tip I can offer to you for this one is to be as honest as you can. If you have dyslexia, say so! If English isn't your first language, say so! If I don't know then I'm going to assume that you just can't spell. This applies to all of the questions but perhaps more so here; the more you tell us, the more likely you are going to be accepted.


What experience do you have with roleplaying in the past?
- This does not have to have been within WoW.
This question can either be answered correctly, or with a single word. I'll leave it up to you which way you choose. Please remember the question is. "What experience..?" not "Do you have experience..?” If you just say "Yes" how am I supposed to know of your ability? We're perfectly willing to accept someone who doesn't have any roleplaying experience at all just as we are perfectly willing to accept a hardcore role-player. List any past activities or hobbies you've taken part in which can be related to role-play and let us know how widely educated you are in the art of writing. This question is more of a general answer and can be responded to with a list; while detail is appreciated it isn't required.
Examples:
- Tabletop Roleplaying Games
~ Dungeons and Dragons
~ Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
- Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks
- Forum Roleplay
- MMORPG Roleplay
~ Warhammer Online
~ Lord of the Rings Online
~ World of Warcraft
It's up to you to tell us what you have done before. However, it should be stressed here that The Spine is not a learning environment. Competent knowledge of Warcraft Lore and basic role-playing etiquette are essential for any applicant to The Spine.
With this question; just like the others, honesty is the best policy.

What experience do you have within the World of Warcraft?
-This can be PvE, PvP and RP.
For this question I do not want to see a single, "Yes, all of them." or even a, "Yes, I have raided, role-played and done battlegrounds." Believe it or not; I know, I struggled to believe it too, but most of the applicants are going to have done these three things. It isn't going to make you stand out and nor is it going to tell me what experience you have. If you've raided, tell me what instances and how many bosses you've killed. Tell your favourite boss, what role you played. If you're a PvPer what is your favourite battleground? Were you in an arena team? What was your ranking? What was your team composition? Have you roleplayed previously? If so; What guilds? What characters? Did you enjoy it? Do you prefer Event based or Random RP?
I need to be able to build a picture of you in my mind. I cannot stress how important it is that you give me as much information as possible.
Below is a model answer for this question:

"PvEwise I've been raiding since The Burning Crusade. I successfully progressed and completed all of the content up to The Black Temple and managed to make it to Kalecgos in Sunwell Plateau before Wrath of the Lich King hit and my guild moved on. My favourite raid boss has definitely got to be Prince Kael'thas in The Eye. I felt the mechanics of the fight were well thought out and I loved the new legendary weapons you had to use to defeat him. As well as PvE I have also been in a 3v3 arena team consisting of a Priest, Mage and a Rogue. We managed to achieve a ranking of about 1200 and maintained that position for a while. My favourite battleground is Warsong Gulch as I am a fan of Capture the Flag style encounters. In terms of RP experience I have been in several notable Roleplaying guilds on The Sha'tar such as <Dagger and Totem> as well as <The Scarlet Sigil>. I've enjoyed the roleplaying styles these guilds have offered and find my play style fits the event based template best. I usually roleplay as good neutral characters as this allows me to maintain a balanced presence amongst my guild members while still allowing me to act on my own accord with my own beliefs on what is considered to be right and wrong."

If you were to join the guild, what would you bring to the strong OOC community the guild shares?
This is a fairly open question and can be answered in whatever manner you wish. Perhaps you feel you have a witty sense of humour? Do you have the age and experience of a veteran who can help the new players in the guild? Are you someone who likes to quietly in the corner and soak up the experience? All of these and more are acceptable. We pretty much want to see here what you're going to add to Guild Chat. Please, no Chuck Norris jokes.

If you were to join the guild, how often would you be able to play?
This question is a matter of interest. The Spine is looking for members who will be able to maintain a strong play schedule and be able to attend as many events as possible. Obviously real life is going to get in the way and sometimes you just don't feel like playing. They are of course suitable excuses though your level of commitment and the time you are willing to put into the guild will determine whether your character will be a long or short term member.

If you were to join the guild what would be your priority when online?
I'll be honest. This question wasn't one of my own so I'm not too sure how he wanted it to be answered. I do however suggest that something along the lines of; "If the guild is running an event or needs me I will place this before any ICC25HC PuGs which are doomed to fail." A response like that is probably what we need right now.

Why do you wish to join the guild?
Probably one of the only questions I can't help you with. If you're writing this application and you don't know why. You likely need to reconsider even applying.

CHARACTER INFORMATION
For this section we assume you already have a character up and running, ready to join The Spine at a moments notice. Applicants must be Level20+ (70+ For Death Knights) and show genuine commitment to their character. We'd also like to as that no one tries to pull a lorelol and be the son of Illidan and Arthas. While yes, it is both cool and manly to have the most loved Warcraft characters ever as your fathers. It isn't biologically possible or imaginable. Though, if you would like to try and describe this image, brownie points for you!
Name:
Your characters name should be fairly simple. If however your characters ingame name is something along the lines of "Deathblade" it is fairly obvious that this cannot be your characters First Name. As such it is important that you tell us your characters Full Name here. A full name consists of every single name in your characters long arsenal of names. For example, if you were Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter you would reply:
Name: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
While if you were Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog you would write your name as:
Name: Miles "Tails" Prower
Notice how the nickname is within speech marks?

Gender:
I'm not even going to bother explaining this one.
Male/Female/Undefined.
Take your pick.

Title (if applicable):
This is if your character has an external title such as: Plaguebringer, Apothecary, Father, Cleric... etc. Only use this if you have to.

Current Occupation:
What occupation does your character currently hold? Is he a member of the dreaded Deathguard? Perhaps he's a mere Junior Apothecary? Whatever niche your character currently fills within the ranks of the Forsaken. We want to know.
Age:
I knew we were going to get to this one eventually. When leaving us your age preferably leave two different ages. Your age when you died, and the number of years since you have been reanimated. Preferably your age of death should be 18+ if you're a Human and something around or above 100 if you're an Elf. Please remember that you cannot have been born a Blood Elf yet, enough time hasn't past, and that Elven births are rare. If you are an Undead Elf you are likely to have been experienced and as such would be at a respectable age.

On the subject of age, it is important to know how old you are in relation to your death. If you are one of the first Forsaken; those freed by Sylvanas during The Lordaeron Civil War, you are your age of death +10. If you are one of the new Forsaken then this can vary; and I’ll be leaving this to your judgement.

Race:
-Undead Human
-Undead Elf
This is again, another simple question in life were you a Human or a High Elf?

Level:
You shouldn’t need help here.

In-game Class & Spec': Nor Here.
IC Class: Nor Here.

Hair Colour: Nor Here
Eye Colour: Nor Here
Height: http://www.wowwiki.com/Height

Of the three Forsaken factions the guild represents: The Royal Apothecary Society, The Deathguard and The Deathstalkers. Which do you feel your character would fit in with best and why?
Below we can find three WoWwiki links which will explain what each of the factions is about and how they operate. At the end of the day it comes down to whether your character is a Soldier, a Spy or a Researcher.
http://www.wowpedia.org/Royal_Apothecary_Society
http://www.wowpedia.org/Deathguard
http://www.wowpedia.org /Deathstalkers

How does your character feel about the place of the Forsaken in the Horde? And how does he/she react to other races within the Horde?
This question is open for your interpretation and your character’s view points. Is your character hostile to the other races of the Horde? Is your character under the view that the relationship with the Horde is one which benefits both parties? Tell us!

How does your character feel about the Wrathgate incident?
Ideally they should openly oppose it as the Wrathgate was an act of utter treachery. Secretly though, they could marvel at the power the Forsaken showed on that day. Again, this is entirely up to your character.

How does your character feel about the current state of the Horde?
A new addition to the application form to suit the latest changes in the story. What with Garrosh taking over the helm of Warchief and Sylvanas essentially committing first degree betrayal to her sworn allies through her actions, what does your Forsaken think of it all? Please be aware that The Spine is a loyalist faction. We do not tolerate anti-Sylvanas propaganda. This is not to say your character cannot disagree with her, but that ICly, you shouldn’t be running around spouting comments about how you’d like to see her head on a platter.

Family:
- Please only explore immediate family.
Nothing too major here. Just some names and minor details. This section is important if for instance if your has a sibling or parent which is particularly close to them and further background information on the family member would help us to understand your character better.

Character History:
-For Undead Human characters you can cover their life from birth through to their death and up to their current activities.
-For Undead Elven characters please only cover their life from the beginning or just before Warcraft 3. By all means briefly cover their early lives but due to the long life expectancy of Elves, and the rare occasion of an Elven birth, there is no need to go into full detail concerning any events before Warcraft 3.

This is the most important part of the application bar the test of ability below. It is in this section I will judge your roleplaying ability and the skills you possess which allow you to tell a story. I need to see a coherent piece of prose which describes your characters life and experiences to the extent that you can build a picture of who they are. Miss the unimportant details, events which have not shaped your character, and expand upon those which truly matter. This section will also provide an opportunity for me to see how much of Warcraft Lore you’ve grasped.
Common mistakes which should be avoided include:
- Being born a Blood Elf.
- Being a Young Elf, anything below 50 is very unlikely.
- Being made a Forsaken at any point which is not
A) When Illidan attacked The Lich King with The Orb of Kil’jaeden and Sylvanas broke free.
B) Recently upon the death of The Lich King.
- An ignorance of the timeline. The Forsaken first appeared 10 years ago as of Cataclysm. For the Timeline see: http://www.wowpedia.org/Timeline_%28from_official_site,_2007%29
- You were not born as a Forsaken, you were alive before you became undead.
- The history of the Scourge, Arthas, The Forsaken and The High Elves please see:
http://www.wowpedia.org/The_Lich_King
http://www.wowpedia.org/Scourge
http://www.wowpedia.org/Forsaken
http://www.wowpedia.org/Lordaeron
http://www.wowpedia.org/High_Elves

Why does your character want to join the guild?
This is again for you to expand upon. Why is it your character wishes to join a group of Elite Forsaken Operatives?

What skill set could your character bring to the guild?
This is your characters RP skill set. Are they a Technician? An Alchemist? A Priest? A Warrior? What abilities and techniques does your character know which he can add to The Spine’s arsenal.

How does your character respond to authority?
This question is similarly important. If your character were to be given a direct order from a superior, how would they respond?

TEST OF ABILITY
Please write a short response (300 - 600 words) discussing one of the statements below, research is allowed but copying is not, you are encouraged to add your own thoughts and theories to the answer.

This test is designed to evaluate your use of the English language, your commitment to joining and your ability to present a reasoned and clear argument; it is NOT a test of raw knowledge.

i) The Forsaken are evil. There are no good Forsaken.
ii) The Forgotten Shadow is an entirely selfish belief system.
iii) Relations between the Horde and the Forsaken are improving.
iv) The Royal Apothecary Society is the most powerful of the Forsaken organisations.
v) Grand Apothecary Putress should be considered a traitor to the cause.
vi) With the Lich King dead, the Forsaken lack a purpose.

For this question there is little guidance I can give you apart from a selection of WoWwiki Links which I feel will benefit you. Good luck writing your essay and make sure to watch for spelling and grammar errors. This essay is as stated above a test of your ability. Now do your best and make us proud!
http://www.wowpedia.org/The_Lich_King
http://www.wowpedia.org/Scourge
http://www.wowpedia.org/Forsaken
http://www.wowpedia.org/Lordaeron
http://www.wowpedia.org/High_Elves
http://www.wowpedia.org/Sylvanas
http://www.wowpedia.org/Putress
http://www.wowpedia.org/Horde
http://www.wowpedia.org/Cult_of_the_Forgotten_Shadow

So you've battled your way through G.R.E.A.T Mrk2 now what?
You need to get started writing your own application of course! However I will give you a secret hint. If you include this picture below:



Then I will know that you've taken the time to sit down and read through G.R.E.A.T Mrk2
All applications which have this stamp of approval will be given a more careful analysis as it shows you have tried to write the best application you can.

Please find below a template you can copy into your application topic to keep the formatting etc.

Code:

[b][u]PLAYER INFORMATION[/u][/b]
How long (approximately) have you been playing World of Warcraft?

How confident would you say you are with the English language?

What experience do you have with roleplaying in the past?
- This does not have to have been within WoW.

What experience do you have within the World of Warcraft?

If you were to join the guild, what would you bring to the strong OOC community the guild shares?

If you were to join the guild, how often would you be able to play?

If you were to join the guild what would be your priority when online?

Why do you wish to join the guild?

[u]CHARACTER INFORMATION[/u]
Name:
Gender:

Title (if applicable):
Current Occupation:

Age:
Race:
-Undead Human
-Undead Elf

Level:

In-game Class & Spec':
IC Class:

Hair Colour:
Eye Colour:
Height: 

Of the three Forsaken factions the guild represents: The Royal Apothecary Society, The Deathguard and The Deathstalkers. Which do you feel your character would fit in with best and why?

How does your character feel about the place of the Forsaken in the Horde? And how does he/she react to other races within the Horde?

How does your character feel about the Wrathgate incident?

How does your character feel about the current state of the Horde?

Family:
-   Please only explore immediate family.

Character History:
-For Undead Human characters you can cover their life from birth through to their death and up to their current activities.
-For Undead Elven characters please only cover their life from the beginning or just before Warcraft 3. By all means briefly cover their early lives but due to the long life expectancy of Elves, and the rare occasion of an Elven birth, there is no need to go into full detail concerning any events before Warcraft 3.

What skill set could your character bring to the guild?

How does your character respond to authority?

TEST OF ABILITY
Please write a short response (300 - 600 words) discussing [size=18][b]one[/b][/size] of the statements below, research is allowed but copying is not, you are encouraged to add your own thoughts and theories to the answer.

This test is designed to evaluate your use of the English language, your commitment to joining and your ability to present a reasoned and clear argument; it is NOT a test of raw knowledge.

i) The Forsaken are evil. There are no good Forsaken.
ii) The Forgotten Shadow is an entirely selfish belief system.
iii) Relations between the Horde and the Forsaken are improving.
iv) The Royal Apothecary Society is the most powerful of the Forsaken organisations.
v) Grand Apothecary Putress should be considered a traitor to the cause.
vi) With the Lich King dead, the Forsaken lack a purpose.