What we hope to Achieve :

Hi guys,

Well it has now been two or three days during which a lot of unpleasant and regrettable things have happened. I would like to express to you all that when I left TSS, I had no intention to to turn MNR into a proper guild. Basically, myself, moonie and to a lesser extent, Rashy have used this place as a haven for some alts as a place to get away from everything from time to time when we needed a little space to ourselves.

It has been very touching for us all concerned, the level of support and friendship you have shown us through this difficult time, even to the point of joining with us. Just as we thought our 'guild lives' were over, you guys have given myself, Moonie and Rashy a complete new focus and a determination to not let those of you who have shown incredible and unexpected loyalty to us, down.

Whilst Moonie has still been settling down and coming to terms with the new situation, I have spent a lot of time in discussion with Rashy as to what we should do next. It has become aparrent that we are both in total agreement that both our main concerns are now you guys. You have gone through the same upheaval that we have and we are anxious that you never regret your decision to put your trust in the Midnight Runners and what it represents. So what exactly does MNR represent?

Well the Midnight Runners were born in the year 2000 in Ultima Online following the amicable split of our very first online guild, The Fallen Angels. It remained as a small guild of around 12 friends who came together there, playing together until Moonie and Myselfs move to Vanguard last June. Also during that time, it spent a couple of years as a free to play online Ultima Online 'emulator' server, that had around 200 members from all over the world. Unfortunately this eventually ended as the time and costs involved in running and overseeing, scripting and gming simply became too much for us. We then brought the name with us to Vanguard, both as a place for us to have a little 'me time' and so any past members may one day find us if they played here.

The Midnight Runners has always been nothing more though that a banner, under which friends can come together. The name means nothing whatsoever, It is the people carrying that banner that are important ...... indeed if you guys wanted to rename us 'Punch and Judy's House of Danger', if it made everyone happy, it would be fine with us just so long as the long time ethics of the group never changed.

We have never had or needed rules. All we ask is that everyone recognises that behind every 'toon' is a real life person with feelings, and that everyones personality is very different. I guess tolerance has always been our key to success. By being careful with recruitment, we believe it gives everyone an opportunity to get to know and understand what makes each of their guildies tick, and maybe help to understand one another if and when problems do arrive, and hopefully all become....and most importantly remain firm friends.

I am sure that Wiseman will not mind me using him as an example here ...... if he does, tough its too late, ...... Players will always come and go, but he is the perfect example of someone who has done this, from his days known as 'Trident and Woody' in 1999, and despite long periods occasionally of separation, here he is with us now, almost ten years later. Hopefully as time goes by, others from our past will pop up too as they always have done.

So guys, please never feel obliged to do anything guild wise that you aren't in the mood for, we don't want to force anything onto anyone, more importantly, if anyone needs help, be there for one another and if something happens that you would like to join in with, don't be shy to shout out. Much better that you all decide how you fancy spending your playtime, than feeling obliged because you have been asked. Wether you fancy joining friends from another guild on a raid, or sitting naked for six hours in an empty cave meditating, its all good so long as you are having fun.

Loyalty comes from friendship, if we can achieve that and maintain it, always providing a place for absent friends to return, then anything more than that is a bonus. Try to think of The Midnight Runners as your safe place where you can always find a warm welcome and a shoulder to lean on in times of need.

I hope this all makes sense, now let's just enjoy ourselves eh?