Snapp Answers...

Snapp is famous for leading successful relic raids and his dedication in checking relic keep doors daily. Yet don't expect him to count backwards from 10 without a couple mistakes along the way - after all, he is a "dumb troll"! He slices, he dices, and he roleplays!
  1. What kind of leadership do you do in DAoC? (e.g., guild leadership? leading multi-group PvE or RvR raids? RvR gank groups? all of the above?)

    All of the above.

  2. Have you had any formal leadership training in RL? (e.g., military, leadership seminars, etc.)

    No. It just has come to me anyways.

  3. What background has helped you become the leader you are now? it>(e.g., raising kids, just plain leading raids in DAoC, having been a business leader, etc.)

    No kids. Haven't been a leader in Real Life, even though I know it wouldnt be a problem. It's just that I havent had oportunity.

  4. What background/experience (in and out of game) has helped you with the *tactics and strategies* of RvR?

    Driving taxi. Ok.. you might laugh... but this is true! :) If you drive taxi several years... you become to know how people are by just looking at them, how they act and how they perform. In game.... you get familiar responses through how people write in chat or behave.... i.e. jumping arround, repairing doors or not repairing doors etc etc. That is what I can come to think of. Maybe the fact that I like to think like chess also. If I do this... they will do this.... and when they have done that.... we will have to do that etc etc. And to think ahead like that and see that it works.... is a lot of fun. :) And that takes us to the fundamental part.... fun. It must be fun for all parts involved in DAoC.... since it is a game. :)

    I have also played chess and to think ahead as you have to do in chess, sure helps planning and laying out strategies.

  5. . What is your approximate age? (20-24, 25-29; or 20-29, 30-39, etc.)

    30-39

  6. Do you have or have you had your own family? (i.e., live(d) in your own household (not your parents') with at least one other person)

    yes

  7. What are your goal(s) and motivation(s) as a leader? (e.g., to win? to make sure everyone has a good time? RPs? fame & fortune?)

    I want all to have fun, including myself. But for myself it means that my tactics work. When they work as planned... It sure feels good. :) All other things are just things that comes anyways when you have fun.

  8. What are the most important traits of a good leader, and what, in your opinion, distinguishes a good leader from a *bad* leader?

    A good leader points out how long time it will take. He gives info of the plans so people know what to expect. If everything fails... he doesnt blame anyone, but just points out things that could have been better or such.... but said in a nice way, so people dont get offended. Just to make sure that those who ever did something wrong understands it, but dont get offended publicly about it. It is a game... and people should have fun. It only requires a bit of fantasy to come up with some encouraging sentences to the troups to get them motivated to try again.

    And that is also something... to say the right words at the right times. to not say too much to clutter the chat... but to give exakt and easy understandable orders in chat. People arent there to read a compendium before a raid. They want to know when to hit and how. they want to know who to have their AF on... and how long it will take. A leader provides that information in as understandable sentences as possible.

    example how not to say:
    "Moving out soon, so buff up and be prepared to move outside this portalkeep, and if you will fall off the horde while we run, please tell me as soon you can so I can stop and make it possible for you to catch up"

    Same example but better performed:
    FORM OUTSIDE

    /TARGET SNAPP... and /FOLLOW

    IF YOU FALL OFF.... SAY SO RIGHT AWAY.

    Small sentences... caps..... and all will easily understand what to do and how to do it.

    the most important thing for a leader in a game.... is to ask yourself.... will this be fun for all? cause leadership in real life... and in a game... is not very far from eachother. However.... when it comes to military leadership, I would be worried if leaders make sure soldiers are having fun while they are trained to kill. so not all kind of leadership is applied to how you perform in a game! :) A game is a game.... game is for having fun. Fun is the key word. Are people having fun? If not.... dont go through with it. "Kill your darlings" is a well known expression. It means... your very well thought out plan might not work only to the fact that people wont find it fun. So even how much you have spent time planning it and liking your own plans.... you shouldnt do it.... cause its just not fun for most people that are about to follow you. And if it wasnt fun... they wont follow you again.

    A good leader also knows how it is to follow a leader. A good leader must step down and let other people lead at times. cause when it comes to DAoC.... a realm will do very good if many good leaders are in it. And you wont let those potential leaders get a chanse to step up if you are the one who allways lead.

  9. What should an aspiring leader always keep in mind? What mistakes should he/she avoid? (Multple answers ok)

    again.... to have fun. the worst misstakes you can do as leader is to not provide information that might differ from normal tactics. Maybe you want all to hold in a keep for 30 min. Make sure people understand WHY they should spend 30 min of their life just looking at a screen. It must be worth it. If you dont provide that info... they will leave and do something else. To have fun and to provide information about what is going to happen, is two of the most important things. Sometimes you cant allways give information about everything, cause you are allready multiple tasking a lot of stuff. Then you have to think ahead and tell people to help out on certain info that has allready been told. Make macros perhaps to repeatedly provide vital information.

  10. What, in your opinion, makes a good follower?

    One who listens. One who doesnt question your tactics or plans. cause in the end... they will know if it was good or bad anyways, and they wont be so willing to follow you next time if it fails. However... a good follower also provides information. Its all about helping each other out for doing a task. I have been given info of how to kill the dragon several raids. What they didnt know was that I have been leading dragon raids 50+ times allready,, where most of the were successfull.

  11. Do you have a leader role-model, or someone whose style you emulate in whole or part?

    No.

  12. Who do you think are other good leaders (in game/out of game)?

    Delivis, Gisli, [also Candide], Durgan was a hell of a leader. Galroth. Crazy leader that allways makes raids fun in Albion lands or Hibernian lands. :) In albion I admire Vinas chess-thinking plans. He allways seam to be ahead. An apponent who I allways like to meet in battle and make his plans fail. :)

    Peroden, Odlaw, Sanger, Sloane (hib),,, hate him for beeing able to penetrate our defences!! :), Ravus (alb)... the zerg of ravus! :), Rosso (alb).. dedicated leader and seams to do things somewhat right many times.

    I admire leaders who step up in crisis every time. Even though it can be tidious. In real life.... I havent given it any thoughts really. Maybe [Mahatmas] Ghandi. How can a leader hold millions and millions of people in peace like he did... is beyond me.

  13. Any more comments on your own style of leadership (and/or "followship")?

    Have fun in game! :)

  14. Bonus question: Some of you role-play while leading. Any comments on the role of roleplaying with leadership?

    I try to role play, but not the the extent that it will ruin a raid. Cause role playing ... really role playing, would require me to speak more like a troll and with more words in the sentences, wich would totally ruin a raid. So what I try to do is to at least not go the other way. that is.... not using "d00d" speach or words. I do use info of how to use interface commands in game like /follow etc, so people know how to do it and when to do it. But I do roleplay somewhat to lighten up a tense moment.... coming up on a keep.... and I start to fart... just because Im a troll. I am allowed to fart! :)

  15. Do you think leadership in DAoC has had positive (or even negative) effects in you and your Real Life? If so, in what way?
    It has no effect on my RL at all more then a game has in genral. I mean... playing a game and succeeding with task/kill/quest you feel content. Leading and succeeding fills me with equal content. and equal part of having fun as beeing able to beat a enemies down in defence playing an alt. each thing you succeed in that is difficult in game, is fun and fills one with content. Leading in game is just one part of this.

  16. If you have alts that take up leadership, do you find that followers treat you differently when they don't know it's "you"?
    Yes. If they dont know that I am Snapp in game with my alt, it is harder. When they do get to know that its me, or when they see that my alts plans work and we win, then people starts to listen. And they will think they have yet another leader in midgard! :) A new chars name leading... is allways difficult. On a sidenote... I act differently with my characters in game. Snapp is one type of guy... and my alts are different. Even though they all can lead events.

    Hope my answears were to your likings. :)

    /salute

DAoC Leadership Resources