Company Member

> *"A well trained army that respects its leader... Committing genocide to the premiums."*
>
>

> — ***cyclone\_43, 7th June 2015.***
>
>

The **Company Member** once nicknamed as "*Miller*" in the Company's early days, is the professional full-time member of the UNKNOWN [?] Trading Company after the June Reforms and as such serves as the backbone for all of the Company's armies. Members have to be accepted into the Company by acquiring three vouches from already established members, a practice that stemmed from the early friendship-based recruitment system of the UTC. They could be enlisted in under a regiment, or operated solo - but the common bond between all Company members is that they are loyal to the UTC as a whole.

The Company Member comes from all classes and groups in Shotbow, from bandits, anti-bandits, healers, traders, regulars, premiums, YouTubers and Shotbow Staff(provided they have no in-game powers in MineZ). Membership to the organization is at times both valued and reviled in the community, with membership and UTC members being generally more popular with the average MineZ players who play on the public servers and association with the Company more detested by the elitist premium-admins in reddit and the forums. Some former staff members such as boogaert of Shotbow's PR Team was kicked for even considering the option of joining the Company.

## Requirements

The first Company members were [?] Clan Members, who largely make up the Directory. Subsequent members were found from friends in MineZ who met during the Company's first trade runs. Eventually, entering the Company was made into being friendship-based, but a large influx of premiums who took interest in the UTC showed a practical flaw that was corrected during the June Reforms. The practice evolved into acquiring three vouches from other members before becoming full-time UTC members.

There were no formal requirements to join the Company, but some factors played into whether you were to be accepted or even given the chance for review.

* May have little or no history of hacking or cheating.
* May have left their previous clans with honor intact(i.e. no clanwhoring).

## Duties and Responsibilities

The main mission of the Company Member is to ensure the production, protection and delivery of goods, whether they be trade runs, delivering items, producing the items or even defending them. To ensure a smooth and steady operation, Company Members are obliged to mutually support each other and obey their officers, whether they be in battle, dungeoneering or looting. However, it is generally encouraged by the superiors themselves that they may deviate from the orders if it is in the best interest of the Company as a whole.

Individual initiative and intelligence is a much sought after skill in the Company, which prides itself as having the best officers of any clan in the Network. As such, to function efficiently and with the best chances of operational success, all members are encouraged to report truth and facts to each other and their superiors. Accurate intelligence is a valued asset from which the officers and the Directory make tactical and strategic decision and giving false intelligence or lying in general is a grave offense.

The Company Member must also be ready to fill in any role when asked for by the Company itself. If the Company Member is inadequate, other Company Members are obliged to teach the member until they have gained confidence in executing their tasks.

### **Privileges**

Initially as part of a way to attract recruits, Company Members were given training and material support for their services and, it became a right that they could demand from their officers if the member's conduct was deemed good by his peers. This later was expanded to being allowed to lead and officer non-UTC members and regiments whose officers were absent. They have also been given the right to start their own regiments.

In return, the Company Member was expected to faithfully answer the call to duty and they can only be excused from duties and responsibilities with good reasons that were provided with sincerity and honesty

## In Popular View.

The Company Member is given a romanticized view by people who have heard of the UTC. It is generally understood that though some paint the Company Member as an evil tyrant out to destroy Shotbow and killing off the premiums, others view them as the honorable soldiers who *fight against the evil*(who in their eyes are the premiums). Some have once considered membership in the UTC as being part of a cult, with the many responsibilities, commitments, code of conduct and way of life that come with it.

Generally, it's been said by even the premiums - who the Company frequently butts heads with - that membership in the Company "*makes you a little more popular*".

The Company Members have even been romanticized within the clan itself as dogged, PTSD-plagued veterans who know of nothing but war and the fight against the premiums and admins. This is reinforced by the fact that the Directory constantly jokes about defeating and striking blows at their premium and admin enemies, though many sometimes do not get the joke and take it seriously.

## Misc Images

UTC Eksbawks Kid.UTC Dragoons at Consilio, 2015
## references

1. ↑ https://shotbow.net/forum/threads/why-are-90-of-donators-total-jerks.315355/#post-2563459