Sponsorship is a way for cities and guilds to use their accumulated reputation (or globe power) to "sponsor" citizens or members so there is no need for subscription. Sponsorship covers subscription needs totally and automatically ticks on, month after month, while the player is active. Check out HELP SPONSORSHIP for a new player overview into being sponsored.
It is most likely to come into play with the sponsoring of promising - genuine - novices by a city (usually through its Public Relations Minister or Cardinal) or apprentices with great potential in a guild by the Guildmaster or Head Tutor or Elders with Deputy Guildmaster rank.
For the sake of determining how much "globe power" or "reputation" is required to sponsor a month or multiple months 'as if subscribed', Avalonians are divided into three simple categories:
1. the novice/LW or junior/MW
2. the returnee in transition
3. the senior player or post-novice
Each of the three categories are likely to be assessed on individual merit; a selection process we hope will ensure no time-wasters or influx of loudly detrimental types. Bear in mind it is possible to profit from a sponsorship if the player is particularly active and dynamic, e..g. a sponsored guildmember might manage to earn more reputation for his/her guild than the cost of the monthly subscription. Thus it is hoped the "sponsorship system" will not only allow worthy players - young and old - access to Avalon where otherwise they might be forced to stop playing but will also act as a spur to action; to pro-activity; to getting busy earning reputation to 'repay' the sponsoring city or guild.
Each city or guild can only sponsor a certain number and this number is defined for cities by the power of their divine globe and for guilds by the reputation accumulated by all members over the last full Avalon year.
Syntax: SPONSORING <city>/<guild> or SPONSORING on its own.
Shows you a list of all players being sponsored by the city or guild specified (providing you have privilege of review) or, typing SPONSORSHIP on its own, lets you know all those sponsored by your homeland city and the guild of which you are a member. This command is doubly useful insofar as it lets you know the reputation / globe-power accumulations available and the 'cost' of sponsoring any of the aforementioned player categories.
Syntax: SPONSOR <persona>
Checks up on the sponsorship status of the specific player, including his/her stature (junior, senior, etc), in-Avalon play times for the past two weeks, overall hours played, progress in guild/profession etc; and of course lets you know who may be sponsoring and how many months subscription have been entrusted.
Syntax: SPONSOR CITY/GUILD <player> <number of subscription months>.
Should you be sufficiently impressed by a young player or keen to bring back an older dormant figure of renown, use the above command to allocate city globe-power or guild reputation and bring live a sponsorship subscription for the specified player. The more months you designate, the more costly it will be and the more risk you are taking should the sponsored player fail in his/her potential. Conversely, the mark of trust is a great motivator and is likely to engender trust/loyalty to the city or to the guild.
NOTE: If the player sponsored leaves the city or guild responsible for sponsorship he or she will lose / waste excess months but will retain outstanding days (i..e. to the end of the current sponsorship month). This is by way of encouraging loyalty and mutual trust. The sponsor who defects must seek support from his/her new city or guild (whichever was responsible for sponsoring in the first place).
Syntax: SPONSORED CITY/GUILD/MYSELF/ORDER/<deity>
Shows you the logs of your city, guild, Order or personal sponsorships - how those you have sponsored are doing; what restitution they have made in terms of gaining reputation for city and guild and indeed their progress in "skill" and "fight/knowledge" worth. Indeed a quality sponsorship has the potential to make a profit on reputation for the sponsoring guild or a net gain in globe-power across an Avalon year when all guild-members and citizens are assessed for their activity over the past two "RL" weeks. Sponsor an idle or short-lived novices and it will be a loss to the guild or city. Sponsor an active, intelligent and developing junior and it will be of benefit to both sides.
Needless to say it is hoped many sponsored players, once they realise the uniquely challenging environment Avalon offers, will (if able to afford it) naturally elect to subscribe and relieve their city or guild of the burden of sponsorship support. It will be entirely up to the individual city and guild to define its policy on sponsorship and it is not mandatory to use ANY globe-power or guild reputation for young, returning or senior players. Guild sponsorships are solely decided by Guildmaster and Head Tutor; city sponsorships by PR Minister, Prince, Prime Minister and Cardinal with his/her temple myrmidons (since the latter are responsible for tending the city's divine globe).
See also HELP SECONDS and HELP WORTHY for commands useful in determining whether a player deserves to be entrusted with one of the finite number of city/guild sponsorships. Typing SPONSORING on its own will tell you how many your city or guild can sponsor based on current globe-power or reputation.
