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Question Recruiting Strategies

FatehpurSikri

Alchemist
I'm transitioning to become AM in one of my FS's and am now recruiting. I've read that posting for new members on the forum is the least effective way to recruit new members. This week I've been sending out loads of invite messages daily to individuals and sending notes to AM's asking if they're interested in a merger. No replies yet. Have also send messages to team members in my other FS's letting them know of vacancies in my other team. I also have two others sending out feelers.

Does anyone have any strategies for successful recruiting? Or is recruiting just a long term, patience game? I've been at it for 4 days so far.
 
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Jake65

Sage
In my experience (not an AM) it can take weeks of chatting by message before a players joins.
Some of our members first check a player on elvenstats to see if they're active, how many fellowships they've been in, etc.
The Facebook group (the official one) has quite a few posts looking for members, could be worth a try.
But, yes, a patience game.
If all else fails, try luring players with dwarf beer :)
 

SkyRider99

Mentor
.... first check a player on elvenstats to see if they're active, how many fellowships they've been in, etc.
Players that change FS often can indicate someone who may not be desirable.

I get much better results if a new aspirant is known to others in my FS. For example, are they friendly, polite, active, and considerate. A good size city and player score is nice too, but is not always an indication of a good team player. I have had small city players join, and then grow and help in tournaments, spire, and events. Some others not so much though.

I suggest also to not give away too many runeshards and KPs and trades until the new fellow has proved they want to really be part of the team. Some players bounce around between fellowships just to take advantage of the friendliness and generosity of FS members. It is normal good nature to feel like you want to help out a new fellow by donating a lot of stuff in the early days, just to make them feel welcome. And then they can bail-out and go to another FS to do it all again. Thankfully these types are uncommon.
 

Larryary

Seeker
I AM LOOKING TO START A FS. IVE BEEN AM IN ANOTHER TOP 10 TEAM FOR QUITE A WHILE
I WANT ACTIVE PLAYERS WITH LOTS OF DESIRE TO EVENTUALLY CHALLENGE THE TOP SIDES. PLAYERS WITHOUT ALTS OR MOTIVES THAT PROVE DISRUPTIVE. I AM WILLING TO TAKE OVER A FS WHERE A AM IS RETIRING, AND NOONE WANTS THE JOB.
THANKX
larryary
 

Herodite

Forum mod extraordinaire
Elvenar Team
@Larryary Please remember to involve some lower case in your next missive. Some Players have sensitive ears :D

Good Luck in your Quest to start a new FS!!

Kind Regards

Herodite.
 

Pauly7

Magus
There is no one method that will definitely work. It's all about putting in the effort and sending out nice messages to lots of active unattached players.

Forum messages can be useful, but it's a fellow's market. It's very difficult to get noticed there by players you want. It gets slightly easier the more attractive your FS is for players to join. If you are advertising 10 tournament chests and Spire gold medals, it gets easier. Until you have those credentials you would be well served just making sure that you have a full team, populated by only active players who are contributing to your goals. Potential team members will check your FS and it is a big red flag if they see multiple inactive players on your roster.
 

SkyRider99

Mentor
It gets slightly easier the more attractive your FS is for players to join.
I think you hit the nail on the head @Pauly7.

A well written FS profile certainly also helps to advertise a fellowship's good features. The ten tournament chests are a good draw-card. I'm not so sure about the gold spire. Some good players are also looking for a low stress environment, with friendly and active members.
 

FatehpurSikri

Alchemist
We don't take 10 chests any more because we've had too many inactive members for the last six months and the AM has been preoccupied with RL. Hopefully we'll start taking 10 chests again soon once we get new players. I did rewrite the FS profile as soon as I was made mage.

I've seen it said here on the forum several times that it's hard to recruit individual players, and for me that was true. I received no replies to any messages written to individual players.

I got lucky and may have all my spots soon filled with a merger. How I did it was this. I looked at the FS rankings list and worked my way down, starting with the FS's ranked below my own. I looked into teams which had 19 players or less, whether or not they said they were recruiting, thinking there'd likely be several inactive players among them. Checked them out on Elvenstats, and that was always true. Also, I looked for teams whose profile was similar to my own FS. In this case, I was looking for active players but offering a no-pressure environment. I wouldn't have sent messages to teams describing themselves as super competitive. Their players might not have been interested in a laid back team. Sent out 5 or 6 messages each day to the AMs of those teams asking if they were interested in a merger. On day 3, I got a positive reply.

Thanks, everyone, for all the responses. There's been some good info shared here. I found it very useful.
 
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schadenfreude

Enchanter
I'm transitioning to become AM in one of my FS's and am now recruiting. I've read that posting for new members on the forum is the least effective way to recruit new members.
Welcome to the Archmage's Club and congrats on a successful merger!
The forum is a tiny tiny tiny microcosm of the Elvenar player base and the active people who find their way here are generally are already in fellowships. Therefore, it is not so great for recruiting unless they manage to drive traffic here and get new eyes in the Game Worlds section. In 2yrs with 2 cities in 2 markets, I've only successfully recruited 3 players total from the forums. Most of it is pounding pavements and knocking on doors. What I've noticed more common on the EN server is people not even willing to respond with a simple "no thanks". More inquiries just get sent into the empty void to never hear from again. On the US server, people are more willing to take the time to decline.

I started my FS with 3 people. Me, a friend, and a chap 3 city from our old FS who wanted to leave with us. Then we just started taking baby cities and new players since we have no chests to offer starting from scratch. Took in cities with fresh plastic wraps still on them and taught them the ropes to prepare for the Chap 3 Spire. It took 2 months of patiently tending to the seedlings to get to 22 players where everyone finally made it to Chapter 3 with Spire access. Then we made our first Gold Push. After that, we got 2 recruits who joined us because they thought there was a bug in the rankings as our tiny FS ranked in the 500s can't possibly be in the top Spire rankings for the server. As we are 4 months away from the 1yr anniversary of our existence, a well-established fellowship comes along and decides to blanket cover my FS trying to poach just about everyone that's not a mage away. Now, I don't own any of my players and they are free to come and go as they please, but I'm sorry, that is just super lazy recruiting! A gold FS that's just going to poach the entire roster of another gold FS just because we're the new kids on the block? So. Lame. The good news is none of my players left and we've also made friends with other established FS who cheered us on and sent congratulatory messages when we did join them as regulars in the Gold Spire rankings. Similar thing happened when we made our first FA push. I'm now hoping we make alliances with one of the friendlier established FS that welcomed us. We have less stringent tourney requirements than them so if I have an opening, I'll let them come hang out with us if they need a break to avoid burnout. They'll still get their 275 weekly diamonds. Win-win for everyone. That's how you work together and share players, not poach an entire roster. :rolleyes:
 

Larryary

Seeker
I gave up a fs 4 yrs ago to merge.
You may have sensitive ears, but it caught your eye (re original thread)
 

Autumn Breeze

Adventurer
I AM LOOKING TO START A FS. IVE BEEN AM IN ANOTHER TOP 10 TEAM FOR QUITE A WHILE
I WANT ACTIVE PLAYERS WITH LOTS OF DESIRE TO EVENTUALLY CHALLENGE THE TOP SIDES. PLAYERS WITHOUT ALTS OR MOTIVES THAT PROVE DISRUPTIVE. I AM WILLING TO TAKE OVER A FS WHERE A AM IS RETIRING, AND NOONE WANTS THE JOB.
THANKX
larryary
Larry, if this is why you have come to join our Fellowship temporarily, then I'll tell you now, you are barking up the wrong tree...
Do NOT try poaching members from our Fellowship!
Also, perhaps you should have stayed with your old Fellowship, and simply replaced individual players as they retired?
Also, just saying, you don't get anywhere as a leader by shouting at people...
 
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