Team Special Forces is an online gaming community with members from around the world which plays in several multiplayer computer games. Our team was originally formed in the tank combat game of Tanarus in December 1997 and has been a part of the online gaming universe ever since. Our members use the [SF] tag at the beginning of their game names, a tag which we have used for the entire length of our existence. We proudly carry on the [SF] traditions of our past generations.

A team must work together to function properly; clans are a dime a dozen. We do not refer to ourselves as a "clan." In the many years that we have existed as a team, we have seen countless clans disintegrate and fail. We are not focused around a single leader and we do not engage in "clan politics." This makes us "different" in the eyes of many and we gratefully accept that.

We expect three things above all else from our members: character, honor, and professionalism. Our community's foundation rests upon the personal character of our members. Those who are deceitful, vindictive, crass, or unmotivated are poisonous to the atmosphere of our community. As people, we should be proud of who we are and not be a disgrace to ourselves or others. We must honor our commitments and stand by our words. We must act in a calm, focused, and professional manner so that others will look up to us and not spite us. We must be a step above the general internet population, which is driven by a false sense of anonymity into pathetic behavior unfitting of the great gaming environment we are privileged to have.

Our team is not interested simply in being "the best" team in any game. We do not judge our members by their kill-to-death ratios or their game statistics. We will not accept members simply based on any game skills they may be lucky enough to have, but by the total content of their character and personality. It is unfortunate that so many are willing to sacrifice their decency and their honor in the pursuit of accolades in high competitions, and we will not compromise our principles in any misguided attempt to follow their lead.

To those who would scoff at this notion and label us as a "noob clan," understand this: a player can be taught any skill with enough instruction, time, practice, motivation, and persistence. A player with a pathetic attitude will always be pathetic, no matter how many skills they may posses. High-level competition players whose social skills are so deficient that they cannot manage themselves as adult human beings will ultimately not be remembered for their success in competition, but their disgraceful disposition. The untrained, yet highly-motivated and respectful player will mature into a professional warrior who commands the respect of others by his demeanor, fairness, and rational actions.

This does not mean that we reject the concept of organized competition, far from it. Competitive matches help us to enjoy the games we play in ways that are unique and challenging. Being professional and honorable is not incompatible with striving to compete fiercely. We must be vigilant, however, that our competitive endeavors do not deviate from our principles and that they stay true to their stated purpose. Any member who participates in the preparations for a match is eligible to play, regardless of their skill level, but the final decision for who will play in what parts of each match is ultimately left up to the match leader.

We do not mandate any participation in competitive activities. Our members are free to only play for fun if that is what they desire. The games we play exist to give entertainment to their players, and we embrace the foundation that fun playing provides for our community.

For those who decide that they do want something more in terms of competition, we expect that they will be focused in their approach to preparing for matches. All members who wish to play in matches are to participate fully in practices and planning sessions, and to exhibit a level of seriousness commensurate with the effort required by our staff members to set up and run matches. Those who sign up to play in matches expect that each match will be a serious, organized game, and we want all of our members to understand that when people take time out of their lives to schedule their gaming, the result should be a focused and proper gaming experience. Losing is part of gaming, but sloppy and undedicated participation is damaging to morale and each player's motivation to continue to prepare for match play.

We are not primarily motivated by winning matches. We will not criticize or expel members who fail to win matches. However, members who are serious about competitive playing must be open to suggestions on how to improve their performance and make focused efforts to practice and prepare for the next time. Many more valuable lessons are learned in losing than in winning, and those lessons should not be discarded out of frustration or disappointment. Only through the process of learning from our mistakes will we improve and further our maturation.

The attitude of professionalism and honor that a member has must extend beyond the game itself. Our members are expected to refrain from using profanity and abusive language. This is an alien concept for some and will defy their ability to understand. We will not engage in protracted debates about whether or not this policy makes sense in our present society. It is unprofessional conduct, demonstrating a tendency towards improper emotional outbursts, and is incompatible with our principles.

Members are not to engage in any questionable behavior. Lying, cheating, rumor-spreading, contempt for fellow members, scandalizing, juvenile behavior, and harmful conduct bring shame not only onto the guilty person, but also onto the entire community. The way of the warrior is a difficult and distinct path, which for some will be impossible to follow.

In this spirit, we have no tolerance whatsoever for any cheating or hacking activities. This conduct is the scourge of online gaming and we must be directly opposed to it. No member may have any association to any of this activity, either presently or in the past. This is unacceptable to us.

With all of these things in mind, we openly recruit new members on an ongoing basis. Any active player who feels that they are a good match for us is welcomed to file an application to join our team. There is no fee to apply or to be a team member (our servers are supported by donations). We accept members from all over the world and do not restrict our recruitment by country, culture, belief system, or any other irrelevant factor.

The one restriction we do have is the minimum age of a team member. Presently, this minimum age requirement is 14. Most of our applicants are in their late teens or older. We do not specifically recruit young teenagers into the team because they are often unable to meet our conduct requirements. However, we are open-minded, and if a suitable applicant is out there who is mature for his age, we will give him a shot. On the other end of the age spectrum, there are, and have historically been, several team members who are a few decades older than the team average. We do not look down on older gamers; they are way ahead of the rest of their generation (and even some people of more recent generations) when it comes to technology!

Our recruitment process is highly structured. Each prospective member must file an application on our website in order to be considered. There is no way to get into the team without filing an application and going through the process. We perform game account background checks on all applicants. Following the staff review of the application, an interview is scheduled with the applicant. We meet with each applicant over voice chat to learn more about them in ways that can't be communicated well in an application. Simply being friends with an existing member is not enough to gain admittance, one must demonstrate that they meet our values and expectations.

Our team has persisted for as long as it has because of its strong structure and organization. A well-defined chain of command and empowered, yet responsible, leaders are key factors of the team organization. Our team is led by our Supreme Commander who oversees the conduct of the entire team. Each game that we play in has a division which is led by a Commanding Officer, who directs the day-to-day activities of the team in that game. Members are primarily responsible to their division's Commanding Officer. We use military-style ranks and titles, but these do not come with any inherent powers on their own. We do not "salute" each other or take things too seriously in terms of military ranks.

We actively seek to groom the next generation of leaders. Those members who wish to get involved in the operation of their division are invited to apply for any open staff positions. Whether it's leading a match, running a practice, helping new members to become acquainted with the team, producing content for our website, monitoring the forum, acting as moderators on our game servers, or any of the dozens of other tasks that a division is responsible for on a daily basis, members are encouraged to get involved and develop their leadership potential.

Our team structure is bottom-heavy. Most staff positions are close to the regular members, and many decisions are made at the lowest-possible level. This encourages member input and participation in the formation of policies. Commanding Officers have sufficient autonomy to run their divisions as they see fit without the need to pass many decisions up the chain of command. The result is a more responsive staff which is not completely dependent on the central team leadership.

Members and staff officers always have the right to appeal any decision which impacts them in private to the next-highest officer, all the way up to the Supreme Commander. Members are also encouraged to report any misconduct or administrative failings anonymously without fear of any reprisals. By having multiple pathways that a member can use to interact with the senior leadership, and our policy of open participation, the number of disciplinary issues we encounter on a regular basis is very low compared to many clans.

We are not a perfect team, and we never will be. We do have occasional growing pains and problems that need intervention to be solved. Not everyone is always pleased with every decision that is made. Our team's long history is a testament to the fact that our community is resilient, facing down challenges that would destroy many clans. We have the institutional experience and maturity to handle even extremely difficult crises and we have weathered many storms in the past. We're still here, and we think that means that we must be doing something right. Our team has outlasted governments, several world leaders, and even the lifetimes of a few games we once played.

Throughout it all, we have had our community, which is second to none. Our welcoming and fraternal atmosphere keeps our team going and makes gaming fun again. The bonds of friendship tie us together stronger than any structure. Although we may be a relatively large team now, nobody gets lost in the crowd.

We welcome you to get to know us more, whether it is merely by playing with us in a game server, talking to some of our members, having your organization scrimmage against us, or even by joining our team. Thank you for visiting, and enjoy the game!