Now that the Conclave was founded the idea was that it would become a democracy. A democracy you say? Yes. Most clans are based upon a leader (usually the founder of the clan) and he makes all the decisions. The Founders of the Conclave wanted her to be different from all the rest.
The idea was that three separate Houses would be created. Each House would have a specific theme and a direct representative, a Senator. One House had a military theme, another was fantasy based and one in honour of LSF a sci-fi/Star Wars based. This was the most evident when it concerned our avatars, which are House related.
The idea was that every six months the members of the Houses would elect a Senator (their direct representative) in a Senate. This Senate could then discuss with themselves and the Founders and propose stuff to happen within the Conclave. E.G; the formation of guilds (basic translation a normal "clan"), form competitions within and between the Houses and rules members should abide by.
Although great in theory, most members couldn’t be arsed with these finer elements of the Conclave. That however shouldn’t come as a surprise as members join up to play games and not to have other stuff happen. So the first parts of this demise of the Houses could be felt when the Star Wars based House was eventually replaced with a more general sci-fi House. They have stood the test of time though, so there may be hope for them yet. As I am a sentimental old fool I couldn't live without them. But I'm old. And sentimental.
Meanwhile the Guilds did their thing. They were formed when a demand was made and a certain game was played. Some guilds were dissolved as the games they supported lost popularity while others have been here from the start (Desert Foxes, the Battlefield 1942 guild).
In the beginning of 2004 the Conclave has grown from a fledgling community to over 100 members and a need for chance is heard from its members. Multiple members gather around and try to write up a more formal agreement on how to run the Conclave. The (in)famous Constitution has been born. New titles were created and general guidelines for acting within the Conclave, our Code of Conduct, were formed and implemented.
Outside of the virtual life, members were starting to meet each other in real life as well. Beer meets were organized in various places all over Europe (London, Groningen, Utrecht, Warsaw) and Conclave members started attending LAN parties in England and the Netherlands. This even led to a real conclave baby. Who says the Internet can’t help you meet people.
As it seems the Conclave isn’t only an online community but a meeting ground for friends who share the same interests, namely gaming and having fun at the same time.
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A typical case of us trying to please as many people as possible but then finding out that a more streamlined model works better.
I think the current system works much better as decision making is rarely slowed down. In the last year I think we maybe had to postpone or cancel 3-4 Directors' meetings so our presence percentage lies somewhere around 90-95% :)
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