Company

Companies are organizations of human characters. There are temporary companies and permanent, flag companies.

Temporary Company
A temporary company is formed when a player joins a game using their human character's own ship independent of a flag company even if they also have membership in a flag company. At the end of a voyage with a temporary company, the company is completely disbanded unless the captain of the company chose to convert the company to a flag company prior to the end of the voyage.

Company Membership Tiers
Membership Tiers Include:


 * Ordinary Member: The standard position of ordinary membership into a company.
 * Powers:
 * Leave Company.
 * Request, from the captain, any eligible company position for their membership tier. See Company-assigned Duties in this page.
 * Captain:
 * Powers:
 * Leave Company.
 * Self-assign to any company position. See company-assigned Duties in this page.
 * Add human characters to the company as ordinary members.
 * Remove members from the company.
 * Transfer their captain tier as a promotion to any company member and leave company themselves.

Temporary Company Protocols
See also protocols of the company articles in a flag company which provide more description and context.


 * Governance: Autocracy.
 * Company Earnings: Shares as follows: Captain: 2 shares; Ordinary Members: 1 share.
 * In order to fulfill exact values of shares or fixed payments, the items/resources obtained during the voyage are automatically sold to convert their value to currency in order to make it is easier to divide among a temporary company (whereas a flag company has the choice whether or not to immediately sell).
 * Company Assets: There are no company assets since a temporary company distributes all company earnings immediately at the conclusion of the sea voyage (game session) and disbands.
 * Voyage Launch: Since a temporary company is disbanded at the conclusion of the sea voyage, there is not any opportunity to launch a voyage using a different vessel on behalf of the temporary company. Therefore, only the vessel(s) launched by the member at the tier of captain and vessels that are properly captured may be used on behalf of that temporary company only during the sea voyage (game session).

Flag Company
A flag company is an indefinitely permanent company that may be started by any player both in and out of game under their human character, who will automatically be assigned the membership tier of Captain. Powers and protocols are determined by both Company Membership Tiers and The Company's Articles.

Company Membership Tiers
Membership tiers determine the power company members have in relation to each other and the company's income. While powers differ depending on tier, all members have the power to:


 * Leave Company
 * Request or Self Assign to any eligible company position depending on their membership tier.

Membership Tiers Include:


 * Recruit: A temporary member with ordinary membership only for the duration of a sea voyage which ends upon docking, or defeat of the player's human character. However, only an officer or higher tier member may promote a recruit to a higher tier.
 * Powers:
 * Leave Company.
 * Request, from an officer, any eligible company position for their membership tier. See Company-assigned Duties in this page.
 * Ordinary Member: The standard position of ordinary membership into a company.
 * Powers:
 * Leave Company.
 * Request, from an officer, any eligible company position for their membership tier. See company-assigned Duties in this page.
 * Officer: A company member with additional powers than company members at lower tiers.
 * Powers:
 * Leave company.
 * Request, from a senior officer, any eligible company position for their membership tier. See company-assigned Duties in this page.
 * Invite human characters into the company as recruits.
 * Promote recruits to ordinary members.
 * Senior Officer: A company member with additional powers than company members at lower tiers.
 * Powers:
 * Leave company.
 * Request, from a vice captain, any eligible company position for their membership tier. See company-assigned Duties in this page.
 * Add human characters to the company as recruits.
 * Promote members (lower than officer) up to officer.
 * Remove members up to officer from the company.
 * Vice Captain: A company member with additional powers than company members at lower tiers.
 * Powers:
 * Leave company.
 * Self-assign to any company position. See company-assigned Duties in this page.
 * Add human characters to the company as recruits.
 * Promote members (lower than senior officer) up to senior officer.
 * Remove members up to their company membership tier, vice captain, from the company.
 * Captain: A company member with additional powers than company members at lower tiers.
 * Powers:
 * Leave company.
 * Self-assign to any company position. See company-assigned Duties in this page.
 * Add human characters to the company as recruits.
 * Promote members lower than their tier, captain, up to lieutenant captain.
 * Remove members up to lieutenant captain from the company.
 * Transfer their captain tier as a promotion to any company member and leave company themselves.
 * Remove members up to lieutenant captain from the company.
 * Transfer their captain tier as a promotion to any company member and leave company themselves.

The Company's Articles
The player, whose human character's company membership tier is captain, initially determine's the company's articles.

Protocols include:


 * Governance:
 * Autocracy: In Winds of Fortune, a system of government in which the company member at the tier of Captain has absolute power on the decision for all company protocols.
 * Oligarchy: In Winds of Fortune, a system of government in which the company members at the tier of Senior Officer or higher form a group of oligarchs with absolute power on the decision of all company protocols. Each oligarch has equal voting rights that may be used during a vote to decide on company protocols. The final decision is based on a more than half majority of supporting votes from the members of the oligarchy regardless of just the ones currently online.
 * Democracy: In Winds of Fortune, a system of government in which all company members at any tier have equal voting rights that may be used during a vote to decide on a company protocol. The final decision is based on a more than half majority of supporting votes from all company members in the company regardless just the ones currently online.
 * Company Earnings: The company earnings represent all items/resources the company obtained during a given sea voyage (or game session).
 * Shares: In Winds of Fortune, a share is an equal portion of a company's income. The sum of the total value of shares outstanding are equal to the entire company earnings.   Companies can choose to allocate Zero to an unlimited number of shares to the following groups, whose individual, human character, members each receive 1 share of their group's share(s) of the company earnings.
 * each of the membership tiers include:
 * (A) recruit
 * (B) ordinary member
 * (C) officer
 * (D) senior officer
 * (E) vice captain and captain
 * collective groups:
 * (F) the company's retained earnings: The value of the shares allocated to this group, the company's retained earnings, add to shared inventory of the Company Assets. If each group is allocated 0 shares, then by default, this group, the company's retained earnings, will receive a full (1 share) of (the entire) company earnings.
 * Fixed Payments: In Winds of Fortune, companies can choose to pay their members a fixed rate based on membership tier in an attempt to guarantee a certain amount of payment from the company earnings in combination or exclusive of shares. If there are any company earnings, company members receiving fixed payments will always be paid before any shares can yield dividends. If company earnings are greater than the total fixed payments to be paid to company members, shares will paid out to shareholders or the company's retained earnings as described in the shares section. If company earnings are less than the total fixed payments to be paid to company members, the difference will be subtracted from the company assets in an attempt to resolve deficit to the extent there are enough assets available.
 * In order to fulfill exact values of shares or fixed payments, the company is given the option, to be decided based on their governance, to immediately sell the items/resources obtained during the voyage to convert their value to currency in order to make it is easier to divide.




 * Company Assets: The shared inventory of resources owned by the company that have not yet been paid out as shares or fixed payments. They include all types of vessels and items, especially resources.
 * Deposit: Any member of the company may deposit their own (human character) assets into the company assets, thereby transferring ownership to the company at any time.
 * Withdrawal: Members must be granted access each time they want to withdraw assets from the company assets to their own (human character) assets, thereby transferring ownership to themselves (their human character). The way access is granted depends on the governance of the company.
 * In an autocracy, any member may request access to withdraw company assets but only the autocrat may officially grant such access. Therefore, the autocrat is the only member with automatically granted access to make withdrawals at anytime.
 * In an oligarchy, any member may request access to withdraw company assets but a vote must be held by all oligarchs in order to officially grant such access.
 * In a democracy, any member may request access to withdraw company assets but a vote must be held by all company members in order to officially grant such access.
 * Voyage Launch: The right to launch a vessel on behalf of the company such that all earnings are considered as company earnings.
 * In an autocracy, any member may request to launch their own vessel or a vessel in the company assets on behalf of the company but only the autocrat may officially grant such a request.
 * In an oligarchy, any member may request access to launch their own vessel or a vessel in the company assets on behalf of the company but a vote must be held by all oligarchs in order to officially grant such a request.
 * In a democracy, any member may request access to launch their own vessel or a vessel in the company assets on behalf of the company but a vote must be held by all company members in order to officially grant such access.
 * In a democracy, any member may request access to launch their own vessel or a vessel in the company assets on behalf of the company but a vote must be held by all company members in order to officially grant such access.

Company-assigned Positions

 * Naval Rankings and Positions
 * Marine Rankings and Positions

Naval Rankings and Positions
Company-assigned naval rankings and positions refer to jobs for operation of a ship with duty implications and can also determine level of access to access stations.


 * Enlisted
 * [Rank 1 (lowest)] Seaman
 * [Rank 2] Petty Officer. Specialties are either:
 * Sailing Master's Mate
 * Gunner's Mate
 * Quartermaster's Mate
 * Carpenter's Mate
 * Boatswain's Mate
 * Surgeon's Mate
 * Purser's Mate
 * Cook
 * Corporal
 * Warrant Officers
 * [Rank 3] Warrant Officer. Specialties are either:
 * Sailing Master
 * Quartermaster
 * Gunner
 * Carpenter
 * Boatswain
 * Surgeon
 * Purser
 * Steward
 * Master at Arms
 * Officer Candidates
 * [Rank 4] Midshipman
 * Commissioned Officers
 * [Rank 5] Second Lieutenant
 * [Rank 6] First Lieutenant
 * Commissioned Senior Officers
 * [Rank 7] Commander
 * [Rank 8] (highest)] Captain

Marine Rankings and Positions
Company-assigned marine rankings and positions refer to the hierarchical organization of marines, a naval infantry unit, who serve to fight aboard their company's vessel(s), participate in the boarding of other vessels, and facilitate amphibious missions on behalf of their company.


 * Enlisted
 * [Rank 1] Private
 * [Rank 2] Corporal
 * [Rank 3] Sergeant
 * Officer Candidates
 * [Rank 4] Second Lieutenant
 * Commissioned Officers
 * [Rank 5] First Lieutenant
 * [Rank 6] Captain
 * Commissioned Senior Officers
 * [Rank 7] Major
 * [Rank 8] Colonel