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What is the "Gotei 13"?
--Literally, The Gotei 13 (13 Division Imperial Guards, or 13 Court Guard Squads) is the organization which most Shinigami join, and one of the three main branches of military in Soul Society. It is split into thirteen divisions (hence the name), with several divisions having certain specializations. The Gotei 13 is subservient to the edicts of the Central 46 Chambers. They also have no jurisdiction over any of the noble families. The symbol of the Gotei 13 is a rhombus, all the 13 Divisions symbols are placed within the rhombus on the back of the Captains haori. The Kido Corps, not officially considered as part of the Gotei 13, is still under the authority of the Central 46, and works together with Soul Society, it is why it is actually here, but officially, both Kido Corps and Omnitsukido are not part of the Gotei 13.


What is this Guild, the "Gotei 13"?
--This Guild is a relaxed, literate role-play for moderate-to-experienced players which takes place in the universe of the anime/manga Bleach. In addition, a specific focus in this Guild will be what happens in the realm of the after-life, in particular the interactions between and the development of the members of the 13 Protection Squads. Action in this Guild will center around the daily lives of the shinigami who are members of the Protection Squads as they train, defend Soul Society and Earth from hollows, Arrancar, and other enemies, and develop friendships, relationships, and connections with the people around them. Members can join as non-shinigami as well, but doing so, one must expect to have a slightly reduced focus on their character's home and/or lives compared to the shinigami that will see most of the action and Guild-related incidents.

What is there to do? What will I do with my character?
--Training - Your character will act according to the happenings of their daily life. As a shinigami, this may include training your strength for one of many reasons...including achieving higher release levels for your Zanpaktou (main weapon), learning new spells and skills to use in battle, becoming a masterful martial artist, all of which you can use in battle to overcome enemies that come your way. You can also earn promotions if you train hard enough...provided that you have a strong enough relationship with your superiors to warrant a look.

--Relationships - An important part of what you will be doing in your daily life will be making friends, developing trust and bonds between you and your superior officers, and also with those around you. By doing this, you can gain allies to push you to become stronger, and offer recommendations when promotion opportunities arise. On top of that, the stronger your relationships become, the more enriched your role playing experience will be. In some cases, this might even develop into a romantic interest for your character. The more you meet people and get to know them, the more opportunities will become available to you.

--Missions - In some cases, a Guild-run mission may occur in which you and/or your colleagues will be required to complete a task assigned to you by the Captain Commander. This can include but is certainly not limited to fighting enemies, defending important places and/or people, and capturing criminals who betray the laws of Soul Society. Performing these tasks can raise your notoriety, and make you more likely to become stronger and to receive promotions and commendations. Not all missions are equal, however, but all will be taken into account for your permanent record.

What is Spirit Pressure? What does it do? What does it mean?
--When starting out, you will be assigned a spiritual pressure. This will merely be a measure of how your skills stack against other characters. As you play in the Guild, you may earn or arbitrarily be given points to improve this rating. Your spirit pressure will be divided into four main categories which make up what kind of fighter you are. Kido is a measure of magic or spiritual power, and outlines how devastating you are with magic attacks, defenses, binding spells, etc. Magician-types will have a high Kido rating. Hoho refers to agility and movement speed, and masters of this will be the faster characters in the Guild. Those who rely to heavily on speed, however, chance giving up on more powerful attacks and will be more inaccurate with their spells. Zanjutsu refers to combat with a weapon, particularly the Zanpaktou and a race's main spiritual power. The ability to master one's weapon and engage in weapons-based combat is vital to a shinigami, but over-reliance on the weapon can lead to a dangerous weakness against foes who are particularly skilled in martial arts and with Hakuda, or hand-to-hand combat. Warriors with high Hakuda ratings will be especially gifted when fighting in close quarters, without weapons, and can even take down gifted swordsmen without ever unleashing their Zanpaktou. Hakuda specialists usually benefit from a high Hoho rating, but sacrifice precious skill in Kido and Zanjutsu. All four of these areas will be filled in with your spirit pressure based on your stated Fighting Style and Affinities, which you will talk about in your profile. They will also upgrade every now and then based on the style of training you take on. Every dimension (Soul Society, Earth, etc.) has several Training Grounds where you can develop your powers. But don't forget to rest! Training isn't everything, and interaction is the name of the game. But if you can master all aspects of your life...then you have the chance to be truly special!

Choosing a Race and Gaining Rank
-Upon entry to the Guild, you may be a shinigami in the Protection Squads, an Academy Student, a Hollow (any rank but Menos), an Arrancar, a Quincy, a Bount, a Human, or a Mod-Soul. For shinigami and students, you will begin playing in Soul Society in the Academy or your Division. In the beginning, you will likely want to build up your relationships to pave the way for your eventual promotions, and train to become stronger. For Quincy, Humans, Bount, and Mod-Souls, you will begin on Earth and may build relationships, ward off hollow attacks on Karakura Town, and train to become stronger. For hollows, you will do the same in Hueco Mundo, but instead of earning ranks you will seek to evolve into higher levels. Arrancar may become executioners or Espada. Hollows may become Menos Grande. And so on. What you do will likely dictate who your friends are and how you evolve. Maintaining activity and interaction is the quickest path not just to popularity, but to power.

Asking Questions and Talking Out-of-Character
-For Out-of-Character discussion, visit the OoC Forum. There, you can discuss the day's events, your ideas for your character, and other things not pertaining to the RP. Remember that RP Forums should only be used to role play, and the OoC Forum is the place to interact on a personal level. Cut loose in the OoC and just have fun getting to know your Guild Mates.

Becoming a Canon Character (Ichigo, Toshiro Hitsugaya, etc.)
-To become a canon character and play them, you must first let the Captain (Arena Emperor) know that you are interested in a character. After this, you will likely be asked to submit a request to him explaining why you want to play them, how much you know about them (demonstrating you knowledge of the character's history, personality, relationships), and submit a sample paragraph or two displaying how you would play the character. If this request is acceptable, you will receive a notice soon after from the Captain telling you that you have been assigned to that character. You must play your canon character regularly, or at least when approached by others! If you do not, you will lose permission to play them!

Creating an Original Character
-To create an original character, there is a Profile Sheets Forum on the front page of the Guild in a Sticky. Click on that Forum and copy the Code for the race that you wish to be a part of, then fill out the form and PM it to the Captain or another Moderator. Descriptions of the fields are in the Profile Outlines there, and will answer further questions about what the character will entail. If you wish to receive a ranked office with your original character, include that in your PM and if you are qualified, you will be assigned to that or another office. If you do not receive the office you desire, it is likely because you either do not have an adequate level of trust with your Division's superiors, or you did not initially start with a high enough spirit pressure to qualify for that rank!

Creating my Zanpaktou
-To create your Zanpaktou or primary weapon, there is a Zanpaktou Discussion Forum on the front page of the Guild. You can go there and fill out the form there to suggest ideas for your weapon, and to get moderator opinions on whether or not they are acceptable (not overpowered). You must receive your Zanpaktou through training or development in-character, and if you do not get an approval from a moderator who has seen your weapon in the forum, you cannot use it!

Learning Skills, Becoming Stronger
-To become stronger you need to visit the training forums on each dimension, depending on your race. There, you can spend a little time training each day, or whenever you have time, for your weapons, skills, spells, etc. Learning them is arbitrary, based on your affinities. Check your profile regularly to see if you have mastered a skill! If you have mastered a skill, a "Captain" will approve and add it to your profile in the Profiles Sub-Forum. Remember that it will take varying times to learn certain skills. Members with low Hoho Affinity may not learn Shunpo as fast, for example. Be sure to use balance your training wisely with interaction and rest. If you do not interact and rest, and train non-stop, you will not learn abilities very fast, if at all! Even a Captain can't train all day without resting and learn anything of value!

Question: Can I please play (insert canon character here)? Pretty please?
--Answer: NO! It's not that the characters aren't open to be played. It's the way you asked. In multiple places in this Guild (front page, earlier in this Guide) it states that you must earn the right to play a canon character by proving your knowledge of them and ability to play them. If you just message me begging to play a certain character because you love them, because you "know" them, or because they're your favorite character/BFF/obsession...then the answer will just be 'No.' Please follow directions, all right?

Question: How do I become a higher ranked officer than my initial ranking? Can I become Captain or Vice-Captain?
--Answer: Be active! Whether or not you can become a Captain, Vice-Captain, or gain a promotion at all depends on your activity in the Guild. If you never sign on and post, there is no way that you can become stronger and raise your spirit pressure. And with a low spirit pressure, you cannot become Captain, Vice-Captain, or any comparable office. You need to post regularly, even if it is just in interaction with other members of your squad, the Protection Squads, or simply training in one of the facilities. The more you do, the more likely you are to catch someone's eye and gain more spirit pressure, and in turn, higher rankings. And with higher rank, yes, you are more likely to be considered for any Captain/Vice-Captain openings there may be at any given time. Completing missions is also a great way to raise your notoriety.