Guide : Recruiting

Recruiting is one of the most important group activities that the Sixth Column engages in as a whole. Not only is this the time when prospective members may decide to join our group, but it is also when most of the Virtue community first encounters us and forms their opinions of us. As such, it is extremely important that everybody knows what they’re doing.

Let’s start with the basic procedure of recruiting.

Though recruitments may sometimes be scheduled in advance, it is far more likely that an officer will decide that the time is right, and ask anyone who is not busy to come to Atlas Park or some other location for a brief recruiting drive.

Officers are required to attend recruiting gatherings, but soldats, though encouraged, are not required to. Soldats are, of course, always welcome at one of these; the bigger the group recruiting, the more impressive the Sixth Column will look.

After the officer announces that he is going to start recruiting, the group will gather at the specified recruiting station. This is usually in Atlas Park, under the statue of Atlas, due to the large population of new players and roleplayers who congregate there, but we have also been known to recruit in such places as Pocket D, Peregrine Island, and Siren’s Call.

Once gathered together, the officer in charge will decide how he wants to run the recruiting; the most common setup, however, is this:

Soldats and underofficers will line up, either in a straight line or a pyramidal shape according to rank, looking something like one of the following formations. All soldats will assume the ‘at ease’ position (/em atease) unless told otherwise.








Pay attention to the instructions of the officer running the recruitment. He will tell you where to go and how to stand.


Once everyone is in a formation that looks decent, the officer in charge will put out a message in Broadcast announcing that the Sixth Column is recruiting under Atlas.


Players will begin to gather around our formation and start asking questions. Questions may deal with a wide variety of subjects, from our appearance to our roleplaying practices to our assumed fascism.

Do not answer these questions unless an officer has given you permission to do so.

This is for two reasons: first, in a roleplaying sense, soldats are to be seen and not heard. Second, officers are specially trained to handle confrontational situations with tact and grace. They know what to do, and how to defuse the situation while keeping the Sixth Column’s reputation healthy as a good supergroup. This is not to say that you will never get a chance to field questions! But until you have proven yourself tactful, we need more experienced members to juggle questions.

Once someone has expressed an interest in joining the Sixth Column, they will be given the guidelines on how to properly make a Columnist. If an officer is busy fielding questions, he may ask you to inspect a new recruit’s uniform and name to make sure they are proper. This is simple to do; just make sure that the name is not offensive or crude, and check to see whether their uniform matches yours. Pay close attention to belt, boots, gloves, and goggles; these are the places most people make mistakes. If the uniform looks good, let the officer know so he can invite the new recruit. Make sure to welcome new recruits into the Column!

After a while, the officer in charge may decree that the recruitment drive is now a Sixth Column Dance Party. We in the Sixth Column are legendary for our dance parties, after all!

This marks the end of the official recruitment drive, and gives you the opportunity either to leave to pursue justice, or to stay and relax with your fellow Columnists and heroes. Feel free to dance, drop a boombox, break out a drum, or just lean back and chat.

While participating in recruitment, keep in mind that you are representing all of the Sixth Column, and always remain polite and deferential to players. Above all, keep a calm head on your shoulders, and always remember: the Nacht by your name and the uniform you wear mean you are more than just yourself; you are the face of the Sixth Column.