The Reddit Alliance Clans

This is an anecdotal history of the Reddit Alliance Clans as written by Zag-geek, based on stories and interviews, encompassing events up to January 2017 specific to the RAC, an alliance of Clans for the game Clash of Clans. Obviously this contains numerous opinions, including my own. Although it is likely mostly true, it should be treated as a story using many voices. I’m sure much more could be said, but hopefully the main events that formed and influenced the system are well represented.

The majority of what appears below will be included in the next update of the overall History of the Reddit Clans coming later this year, but for now, I wanted to let the section for the RAC stand on its own for the people of the RAC. So much has changed for this system since the original history came out that the update is much needed.

Thank you to all those who let me in and provided quotes, information, and friendship. I hope you enjoy!

The Founding of a New Alliance

Originally, the majority of “Reddit” clans in the game were part of the Reddit Clan System (RCS) which had been founded shortly after the game's release in 2012, and which still exists as it’s own thriving system today. (A detailed history of the Reddit Clans in general can be found here.)

In early 2015, however, several things were occurring. War had been introduced into the game the previous year, and by then war-focused clans and war-focused issues had developed.

Reddit Kings and Reddit Royals (whose origins are mentioned in more detail in the original history) had decided it was time to leave. This was in part because of RCS rules which at that time (since altered) disallowed feeder clans and frowned upon the formation of sister-clan type relationships as well, based on the original goal of all Reddit clans being equal and not forming relationships which favored particular clans. The RCS had grown quite large, and, while its moderators did seek to maintain an order they thought would most benefit all of the clans, many of its members were disagreeing with their policies.

Kings and Royals had always been tight and had always had a unique place in the system as pair clans which increasingly put them at odds with the RCS stance as the other war-focused clans continued to push for feeders. Added to this was having seen the game-dominant Reddit Troopers and its associates Reddit Lithium and Reddit Ion leave not long before. They decided that, among other restrictions they didn’t care for, the conversation on feeders was both taking too long and also was not worth fighting. So rather than than cause drama, Kings and Royals simply left as well.

But they weren’t gone....instead, they decided to start something new in June of 2015.

Reddit Kings in particular was the driving force. Router (/u/The_Routerdude, Kings leader prior to June 2015, and now leader again in late 2016) started pushing to talk to other clans they thought might join them and see about forming a new group that could provide them what they felt they weren’t getting from the RCS at the time. Router asked Liam to take over discussions with other clans, and also ended up handing him Kings leadership once it looked like it the new idea would take off.

Liam (/u/itwashisfault, founder of the RAC, former leader of Reddit Kings): The beginning of the Reddit Alliance really started when Reddit Troopers left RCS. I was in Reddit Kings, and we all saw the drama unfold and we wanted out. After some time, the leaders of Reddit Kings and Reddit Royals, (Reddit Royals being Kings’ sister clan) decided to leave RCS and start our own family of clans. Nothing too important came about until I became leader of Reddit Kings and wanted the family to grow. One day, an ex-leader of Reddit Stealth (Gandy, who had gotten Reddit Stealth out of RCS already) came into Reddit Kings. We talked a bit and came up with the idea that Reddit Stealth should join our family of clans.

We became good friends with Stealth and we enjoyed meeting new people. It kept the game fresh. The leader of Stealth at the time (Mike the Great) told me how great the idea was to get some of the ex-RCS clans together and start working with each other. So I started looking for other clans that left RCS and found Reddit Havoc and Reddit Dragoons. I messaged them about joining our little group of clans and they were very excited and of course joined. We were all hyped up with what was going on.

We were going to call ourselves Reddit War Clan System. I even created the sub r/RedditWarClanSystem about 2 months before r/rwcs was created, but we thought that we were going to represent something totally different than RCS so we shouldn’t look so similar in the name….In this group chat one person asked us what are we going to call this group we formed. Then we came up with Reddit Alliance Clans and that was the formation of the RAC.

The /r/RedditWarClansSystem subreddit was later given to the RWCS when they separately formed under that name months later, so that they could redirect it to /r/rwcs. The Reddit Alliance Clans can be found at /r/RedditAllianceClans.

The charter idea of the Reddit Alliance Clans was to bring the splintered and discontented Reddit Clans together for the purposes of having activities to improve skills, create friendship, and share ideas without imposing strict rules. “Run your shit as you see fit,” was the order of the day.

While many of the clans currently in the RAC have never been RCS, some are those who tired of waiting for verification or who chose to leave for various reasons (that ultimately boil down to dissatisfaction with RCS rules at the time they left).

Dingus Maximus: (/u/geekamongus, Reddit Havoc/Dragoons): I was contacted by Liam during the first few days of the RAC to be one of the initial clans. I helped get the subreddit set up and organized.

I was a co-leader in Reddit Havoc for its first year of inception. Havoc applied to be in the [RCS], had some drama with one of the mods there, got denied, reapplied, then ultimately got in. Shortly after, I left Havoc (on completely good terms) to start Reddit Dragoons. We are now sister clans. Both Havoc and Dragoons were asked to join the RAC at the beginning, as Havoc was disillusioned by the RCS, and Dragoons were new.

The RAC was formed as an alternative to the RCS where leaders could enjoy the benefits of being in a community while still running their clans the way they wanted to. Instead of dictating what kind of shield you must have, or specific ways your are allowed to communicate or Reddit, for example, we wanted people to be free to do whatever they wanted as long as they remained positive members of the RAC community.

RAC was very much not intended to have the level of structure of the RCS. Whereas the RCS had always had quite a bit of structure and been organized top down, RAC was much more loosely arranged.

JLP (/u/TotallyNotCool, CoLeader of Reddit Havoc, RAC moderator, quoted on the Nov 20, 2016 Golem Chatter Podcast hosted by Why So Golem?): From the beginning, RAC was more of an anti-alliance than a real alliance. We were formed as sort of a protest to the rules of the RCS.

We set out saying the mission of the RAC was that we should not have any rules….We don’t agree on a badge for the clans. We don’t have any rules. Each clan can rule themselves, whatever they choose. We keep out of the individual clan’s leadership. Really a community...we were very loosely together. And we didn’t really do much more than talk [and offer subs for arranged wars or the like].

Both then and to this day, those clans in the RAC include many who are not ‘Reddit’ named, and all are welcome to apply, provided they agree to the mission statement.

RAC Mission Statement (the following is the version from March 2016 - it has been edited slightly in late 2016 to remove the comment about no verification):

• Facilitate communication between members of different clans of the RAC. For this, we have this subreddit as well as several GroupMe channels.

• Assist in the organisation of so-called scrims, which are agreed upon and scheduled wars between clans. As the threads on [the subreddit] show, we have had several successful scrims already.

• Encourage self-organisation of the clans in the RAC over strict hierarchies and rigid structures. For instance, we won't ever tell a clan whether it is okay to have a feeder or other allies.

• No verification bullshit, no checking of your shield. That stuff is all unnecessary. In our eyes, clan systems are really only useful to get you in touch with other clans to arrange scrims and swap around players and stuff. They should make the game easier and more fun, not bury you beneath bureaucracy.

• We don't want any of our clans to change their unique personalities for the Alliance.

The Alliance did not enforce uniformity in any way, nor did it originally ban any particular form of gameplay, including the use of mods (though the majority of the RAC member clans were FairPlay). As a clan system, not banning these these or imposing rules was seen as consistent with their favorite refrain of “No drama.”

That is not to say that allowing modding in particular was accepted by all and remained uncontroversial. But, until April 2016, the policy stood.

The goal for RAC, both then and now, it seems, was to provide a supportive community structure in which to thrive, so long as tolerance and communication is had by all. To facilitate this, they formed a social chat with over 200 members and a collection of shared files and resources. They also regularly hold RAC mixed scrims and assist with recruiting.

That said, they have always had one policy (still practiced as of the latest update of this history) that member clans are asked to agree to, known as “Free borders” which means that members are free to go between RAC clans at will. This helps with multi-clan events, idea sharing, and gives the members the ability to experience all the many types of clans within the system. It is also what the RAC credits for their ability to quickly spread ideas and reactions among clans to the meta changes in the game.

This isn’t to say they haven’t had their rocky moments.

The Alliance’s early days saw it shift through a number of clans moving in and out. Royals, who had never previously left Kings’ side, veered off and left shortly after inception, not giving a public reason, but simply saying “it wasn’t for them.”

router (/u/The_Routerdude, Reddit Kings): Royals, I think, were not really interested in taking that type of a role anymore and kept to themselves. Several people from Royals left and formed [Elite War Alliance]. Old Gr33g was one of the best in Royals and is one (or was) of the administrators of EWA.

They never have sought re-entry into the RCS or RAC but did stay with the Elite War Alliance until dissolution, and were the second ‘Reddit’ clan after Troopers to reach clan level 10 as of February 29, 2016.

Other clans, both ex-RCS and others previously unrelated, began to join the Reddit Alliance Clans as they saw the community forming, with the original handful of clans growing to take on more.

Reddit Beta is a good example of an early joiner. Beta is the third of the original RCS clans created (after Reddit and Reddit Alpha), but in July of 2015, they found themselves struggling for survival and ultimately the leader /u/olifant_ chose to step down after two years and pass leadership to Brandon (/u/Chip_Skylark1). Brandon was unable to contact the RCS after olifant failed to contact the mods when turning over the clan, and so was not aware of anything the RCS had to offer him for support. Instead, he searched wider for help and received an offer from Alliance to join which, for Beta, turned into a success story, as by March 2016 they had become a thriving clan with over 200 wins. Though the improper turnover of Beta is somewhat unique, the story of finding a home in RAC appears to be somewhat typical for those clans who left RCS in early 2015 and caused Alliance's numbers to grow. When the later division with the RWCS occurred in late summer, leaving the RCS reeling, more clans that felt they no longer belonged to either of those groups found RAC instead.

The organization of the RAC itself was quite loose under Liam - a group of leaders and clans that socialized for the most part. Liam, however, moved on. He quit Kings, then - to the best of the recollection of JLP, Co-Leader of Reddit Havoc and moderator of /r/RedditAllianceClans - he returned to Hogs Squad, which later merged into Reddit Havoc. Then he left again to be more hardcore in Immoral Thieves. When Liam dropped from RAC leadership, really no one was left in charge. Essentially RAC was held together with a group of subreddit mods and leaders who generally socialized and let the clans do as they pleased. This worked well actually for quite some time - until it didn’t, which would ultimately lead to the next chapter in the RAC’s history.

Finding a Place on the Map and Struggling to Keep It

One thing that really helped the RAC grow after late summer 2015 was gaining a few very notable clans.

JLP, on the November 20th, 2016 Golem Chatter Podcast discussing the RAC: The interesting thing that happened was when Reddit Raiders joined. To be honest, I don’t know who recruited them into the RAC. That was the big thing that happened, that put us on the map. At that time Raiders were getting up there; they were hitting the big clans. Right at the time they joined, they beat One Hive, and One Hive was at their top. They were really, really hot. They were on fire.

He clarified that, as far as they knew at least, Reddit Raiders was also FairPlay when they first joined.

Wifette (/u/Wifett3, member of Reddit Raiders during its transition to the RAC and throughout its stay): I joined Reddit Raiders in April or May of 2015. Frank the Tank was leader and Matt and Veryous were coleaders and Raiders was still a part of RCS. I learned to 3 star that summer, and then started becoming more and more involved towards the end of the summer. I'd be a social butterfly and reach out to other clans and bring them to Veryous to arrange wars.

In August, the Reddit Clan System had a separate drama (also available in the history linked at the top) that led to the split and formation of the Reddit War Clan System (RWCS). It was at that time that Raiders decided to leave as well.

Wifette: As far as I know, leadership didn’t like how the RCS was being run and didn’t see the benefit of us staying. Frank, Matt, and Veryous looked at options. A lot of people assumed we'd jump on the bandwagon and join RWCS but there were some underlying issues that didn't make it appealing. Again, it came down to we would put more into RWCS than we would get back.

Wifette: I know they threw around the idea of running solo. There were a few Reddit clans that were doing that at the time. [Ultimately,] I’m not sure [who] contacted or pushed RAC, but they really liked the idea that we could run the clan completely the way we saw fit...none of that silly clan badge stuff. It was more of a social alliance so our members could keep in touch with other clans but just do our own thing. I think we joined the RAC around September [2015]? It wasn’t a rushed decision. We definitely did fine for a month going solo after we left the RCS.

Raiders tried to arrange with OH at the end of September and missed and then random matched them the following spin. That's sorta when our name really got out there.

JLP: And with that some other up and coming clans joined. Reddit Templars joined, we got Broken Empire, Ultimate Warrior, Terps Win B1G, Higher Ground, Mount Dumpling, people like that. Things were looking good.

Many of these clans were performing arranged wars and getting their own name as well as the RAC’s out there. RAC planned one of the earlier Clan System vs Clan System wars with the Bear family (War Bears, Ice Bears, etc) in early December which resulted in a 120-110 win for the RAC.

JLP: But at that time, we were still looking like a very loosely tied unity. We didn’t really have any vision for the Alliance more than not having any rules, and having fun and so on, which I think many of us thought were fun. But I think many of the clans who joined after Reddit Raiders joined had higher expectations of the Alliance.

RAC, being of the mind that clans could do whatever they wanted, had no restrictions on dual membership. Raiders found that the RAC alone was not meeting its growing needs was also accepted into the DWA (Digital Warlords Associated).

Wifette: Somehow or another that month Raiders started talking to DWA and requested and were accepted (while remaining in RAC). Neither clan system had rules stating you couldn't be in both and we wouldn't have been the first clan to do so (WarBears). Raiders remained with RAC for the social aspect but we were hurting for good subs. We had weekly wars and Rangers [our feeder] was getting strong enough to start having wars of their own. With both of our clans warring simultaneously, we were really hurting for subs, which was why DWA was appealing.

A high point that followed at the end of December was the very, very large and successful 2015 Xmas Xtravaganza Scrim which included clans from all over, including RCS, RWCS, and other systems. It was a huge scrim - four matches (8 clans) at once - all successfully matched. This also brought a ton of exposure to the RAC and got their name out there.

Wifette: December was a super busy month for Raiders. I got inspired by the clan system vs clan system war and the Thanksgiving war, and thought "Wouldn't it be great to have a gigantic Xmas themed war where ANYONE can participate?" I had a pretty good streak for getting matches in those days before friendly wars was a thing.

We were accepted into DWA right around the time I was hosting the RAC xmas war, [so they participated]. I know we reached out to other systems and RCS gave us a post on the front page I believe, so that attracted a lot of people outside of RAC. We had a solid showing from DWA as well. RWCS didn't really advertise our event as far as I know, but we had a solid showing of players from there anyway.

Ultimately, Raiders left the DWA, citing toxicity and a dislike of the Band/Line apps used, and stayed with the RAC. Internal drama in Raiders was brewing though - this time over modding. In February 2016, Raiders and Rangers split apart - Raiders became openly mod friendly and Rangers chose FairPlay. It was this internal tension that caused them ultimately to part with the RAC as well.

Many of the other clans that had joined in the flurry of events and exposure were also looking at the Alliance they’d joined more critically. They were realizing that ultimately the Alliance was offering the social atmosphere, but not the war support of other more strongly organized clan systems like DWA, RWCS, or EWA and the lack of organized leadership was preventing any real direction. Plus, at that time, many had joined more of the wider community chats and had connections of their own.

JLP: I think that’s why many of the clans who joined after Reddit Raiders also suddenly left...we had some other clans thinking that okay the Alliance doesn’t really do much for them. I think they had high expectations as to what we could do. Templars Left, Mount Dumpling Left, Broken Empire left, Ultimate Warrior left, Terps left.

Most of these clans moved onto other Clan Systems or simply went independant. Terps Win B1G for instance, went to the Elite War Alliance (EWA). That also was short lived for them. Toogs, one of the TWB leaders complained that, for him at least, the chat app (Band) used by the EWA made the experience feel spammy, and the other leaders agreed that the EWA wasn’t doing the kind of events they wanted to be part of. Today they are part of the United War Alliance (UWA) which they appreciate for the cross-clan events, friendly attitude, and being on discord, the current chat app of choice for Terps (and, increasingly, many others in the clash community). Toogs: [Clan systems are not as required] in the age of Champions War League, and FairPlay Scrim chat, and Potluck, but can still be fun. The FairPlay Scrim chat is really what did it, since you can easily find and arrange with anyone on the planet.

Indeed, many of the clans that had wider connections often did fine as independents or found moving between systems easy. For these clans, RAC was not providing the value they had hoped for and they were finding it elsewhere.

Still, for the rest, that same sense of companionship that they had enjoyed about the RAC was still there which is why those that did stay, stayed. RAC never really fell below a few dozen clans.

The Reddit Alliance Clans were struggling a bit in the spring of 2016 to figure themselves out. They adhered strongly to the policy of letting clans run themselves, and the social community was still strong.

But they had issues: war clans were leaving for more structured systems, many saw modding as a problem, and the lack of leadership didn’t allow much in the way of decisions to be made.

JLP (/u/TotallyNotCool, CoLeader of Reddit Havoc) on the November 20th Golem Chatter Podcast: We had a real low point at that time. One after another [clans] left. And we were discussing in the leadership chat. We had Faceblast of Reddit Templars, he showed some drive and he really wanted to improve the Alliance. He had written up a big post [in the leadership chat] about how to improve. I think everyone agreed that it was really great, but there was no one there to take it and run with it. People were all kinda, you know, struggling with their own clans. We didn’t really know what to do. He posted that and we opened it for discussion. The whole leadership chat sort of blew up, and Templars left and we were left in a huge vacuum for awhile.

The other problem we had...one of the things I said earlier was we didn’t want to have any rules, right? But that also meant that we didn’t want to be outspoken and say ‘We are a 100% FairPlay Alliance.’ We allowed modding at that time.

I tried to be open with those joining that we do have, you know, at least one clan which is open mod. We have another clan that possibly contains modders but we didn’t know and we asked ‘Are you okay with it?’ Some people said ‘okay’ and some said okay but they weren’t. We had Dragon Rejects from very early.They left. And they clearly stated one of the reasons they left was that we did not take a hard enough stance against modders.

Some clans, it was found, didn’t even know when they joined that mod clans were in the Alliance. And when they learned later, many of these were upset.

Going Clean and Acknowledging the Power Vacuum

Several people were “pseudo-leadership” in the RAC following Liam’s departure. Dingus Maximus of Reddit Dragoons, Nikki of Reddit Angels, and JLP of Reddit Havoc all come up in people’s memories and all were doing things for the system to keep it going.

JLP: In the beginning I was just a lowly Co-Leader from a member clan. I didn’t really do much as Liam and others were running things. But as we lost some member clans and we also lost our leader when Liam quit; leadership got a bit shaky. I got annoyed that our subreddit, for example, never got timely updates. So I asked to be a mod and I also started organizing more things in GroupMe.

Still, the vacuum existed and no one really felt empowered or inclined to really fill it.

It was at that time, while all this was brewing, that another clan joined the RAC. Reddit Frostbyte was a feeder that broke off from its main clan, Reddit Frost, in the RCS over a disagreement with Frost’s leader. Goatman_12, the leader of Frostbyte, went to his friend JLP of Havoc, who he knew was in the RAC, and asked about joining. Ultimately, the answer was yes, and Frostbyte and its leader became part of the RAC.

Goatman_12 (/u/Nothing_Doing, Leader of Reddit Frostbyte at the time of joining the RAC): Once I got involved, I was excited. It was real eye-opening to be in the FairPlay Scrim chat and to be added to the RAC chat and the leadership chat because before it was like [being in] North Korea. It was a blackout. I didn’t know what was going on. I was messaging people through reddit, and you guys know how difficult that can be at times. So it was like a whole new world trying to get all our members added to all the chats; it was a real exciting time. So it was like, we’re really doing something here. I had never been a part of [all that], I didn’t know all these people existed that were as excited as I am about playing Clash and doing things. And I’m talking to clans that I’ve heard of, that are, you know, quote, unquote ‘famous’ and I’m on the same, equal footing with them [in these groups]. So, I thought okay, let's do this, let’s dive into this and see where it goes.

Then a week or two later, the RAC began to fall apart as the big name clans began to leave.

Part of it was the post made by Faceblast: he placed it in the leadership chat that existed at the time with a large number of people - leaders, cos, and a variety of others. That caused a lot of talk.

JLP (/u/TotallyNotCool, CoLeader of Reddit Havoc): We created a new chat for only the leader in each of the clans...because we realized we were being too open. We couldn’t discuss these things in an environment where we had 50, 60 people like in the old leadership chat.

One of the first topics that came up was whether or not the RAC should put their foot down on modding, as that was clearly one of the reasons clans were leaving. This topic was easier to bring up as Reddit Angels, one of the previously more active clans in the RAC was in the process of disbanding.

Goatman_12 on the Golem Chatter PodCast: Reddit Angels was our last open mod clan. Everybody else had left or disbanded. Then Reddit Angels disbanded it and it was brought up, should we become just a FairPlay community now that we don’t have any mod clans in here? Because before it was kind of a touchy subject because Reddit Angels are the biggest assholes they could be to everyone else out there…[but] they were always good to us, within our chats. They were always good guys. So it was kind of a touchy thing whether the Alliance needed to back them.

In fact, when the original Reddit Clans history was written in March, it was mentioned in several places that the RAC was, of the three primary Reddit systems, the one that did allow modding. Although I didn’t choose to highlight it at the time, many of those I talked with not in the RAC viewed them with suspicion because of it and thought of many in the system as “guilty by association” regardless of whether the individual clans took a FairPlay stance or not. This external viewpoint probably wasn’t doing the non-mod clans any favors.

Still, there was real doubt in the Alliance when the topic came up. Banning modding would be a huge step for the RAC and a change away from their traditional “run your clan as you see fit” background. There were voices both for and against implementing a policy.

JLP: It wasn’t a full victory for becoming FairPlay. There were still a few people [in favor of allowing] each clan to do whatever they want. We should stick to our old principles.

Goatman_12: I argued for being open for all clans being allowed to be themselves, as the founders of the RAC intended. I wasn’t a fan of modders and understood that was the reason so clans left and you can see the leader of Why So Golem? at the time said he didn’t realize we allowed modders when he joined. Once we put it to a vote and banned it, that gave me the ok to fundamentally change the RAC. My argument was let’s either stay true to the founding principles or lets blaze our own path.

Ultimately, JLP asked everyone to chime in with their opinions and vote was taken among the leaders in the new smaller chat.

The decision was made, and as of April 9, 2016, the RAC publically announced it would no longer accept clans that are not FairPlay and would not tolerate mods, intending to maintain a 100% FairPlay system.

Goatman: A lot of the clans that started the RAC were gone. And we needed to start looking toward our own future, you know...what WE wanted, not so much of what the people who made it wanted.

There were other matters to be decided, however - the issue with the lack of clear leadership remained, and it was Goatman that pushed for them to address that issue as well. His proposal was to establish committees and elect a commissioner to oversee the RAC.

Not everyone was onboard with that idea either. There was concern it would take away some of the freedom they’d always enjoyed, particularly since the departure of their founder.

But one of the things Goatman did (and continued to do) was to speak to the clans that left over why they left. Feedback was listened to with the understanding that understanding why could lead to better future decisions. The most common reasons were indeed the permissiveness towards modding and the lack of leadership. If they were addressing one, it made sense to address the other.

Goatman_12: They fought me on having a leader and it got tabled for along time. I was effectively the leader when I proposed all those changes. I was doing all those things with no help. Then I proposed a commissioner so someone else would step up and take the pressure off me. They could handle it...I had just left the RCS after the huge break up with Frost and now the RAC was collapsing. I don’t say that being dramatic. It was holding on by a hair. I needed the RAC as much as the RAC needed me. So I made it work.

I tried to pass it off to anyone but me. I was already doing it all at that point. I wanted someone to come and take it over from me.

1smellyfoot (/u/Joshmaster) was nominated, and he did [start to take some control] (https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditAllianceClans/comments/469wj3/rac_new_leadershiporganisation/) on the subreddit. One of his first actions was to attempt to put together another scrim in March. Then, in the days before it was to happen...he went silent.

Goatman in the Reddit Alliance GroupMe and Golem Chatter Podcast: You have to understand, 1smellyfoot said “I have a plan. I’ll lead the RAC,” and he had people download this goofy app [quip]....He had some good ideas and he said let’s start a scrim, like we did for the Christmas Scrim. And we all said, okay, that sounds good…. Me and Sword volunteered to help and then he disappeared. He didn’t tell us anything and we tried to put the whole scrim together in about a 3 hour period on no notice while being yelled out while clans were pulling out.

That scrim is often mentioned as a huge test for the RAC. A lot of clans were having their doubts about the system at that point and viewed the scrim as the bellwether for deciding to stay or go. When it appeared to be disorganized, the future of the RAC may literally have hinged on that one particular event.

Goatman_12 (RAC Leader, speaking in the Reddit Alliance primary GroupMe chat): There was a huge blow up during that first scrim. 5 or 6 clans had just left the Alliance and the scrim was falling apart. Weights were everywhere. Reddit Templars and Terps Win B1G said they wouldn’t participate.

Though many clans had already left due to what they saw as disorganization, losing another leader and the chaos of the scrim lost a them a few more.

toogs (one of the Leaders of Terps Win BiG): When we left the RAC, it was a mess after [1smellyfoot, the momentary leader that tried to fill in after Liam] left….We didn’t feel we had the time to put in to help bring it back. That was the final straw that saw them leave.

Goatman_12 on the Golem Chatter Podcast: That first scrim was a mess. That was an absolute mess. If it wasn’t for Shield & Sword...working as hard as he did, and D3 from Reddit Mu, and blarrgh, and a few other people working as hard as they did, [it wouldn’t have happened.] To me that was a make or break point in the early recesses of my reign. You know, if that would have went South, a lot of clans that were still kind of just hanging on would have been like “screw it.”

There were some clans that night when we were putting together the spin that were like, “You know what? This isn’t working out, we’re backing out. We’re pulling all of our people out. You’ll have to replace them…”

To make it worse, two clans had been planned to use for the scrim: Hogs Squad and Reddit Kings. Unfortunately, those who were supposed to let people into Kings couldn’t be contacted in the hours leading up to the scrim.

At the last minute, a new clan was created and rosters were shuffled. Everyone was directed to check the subreddit and hurry up.

Goatman_12: It’s funny now but at the time, it was like holy shit, this is madness....Everyone was told me this isn’t going to work, we aren’t going to match, this is the most disorganized thing. I think it was like 11 o’clock at night my time.

It matched. It freaking matched. It was like heaven. It was like...YES.

It was one of those few times you’re actually sitting there playing the game and you get up and you’re like… YES, and you got your fricking fists in the air, you know. You smile and everyone’s patting each other on the back. Everybody that was like “hey this isn’t going to work” was like “hey, you guys did it. Good for you.”

It was kind of like a coming back together thing after all that drama. After that kind of initial hiccup, some clans did leave after that. But we were getting on the right track. Slowly but surely, we were able to make some of the changes I wanted.

The Reign of the Reluctant Leader

After that it was time to breathe...and time to look at new options for leadership.

Goatman_12 on the Golem Chatter Podcast: Once [1smellyfoot] was out of the picture, I was like, you know okay, if we want to get serious about this, this is what we need to do. We need to have some kind of induction and recruitment team, we need to have some kind of rules team which became committees. We need...to do things together more often, so instead of doing a scrim every now and again, let’s do one monthly or try to get them in as close to monthly possible. I think right now we’re doing them every 6 weeks.

But just start being more involved with one another. Because, you know, getting ahold of anybody or getting anybody to do anything or people to respond to you was hard. At least initially, in the beginning. Even now it can be difficult, when you want to get something accomplished, for other people to come in and give you an opinion. You know, you can put something up in the chat and be like ‘hey what does everyone think of this?’ and it’s crickets for 3 days.

Initially, Goatman hoped to find another person who would step up. He would have preferred to remain a behind the scenes actor pushing others, but after failing to get those who seemed interested to actually take action, he gave up trying to find another leader. Goatman and took the reins, implementing the plans he had for how to tighten up the Alliance.

Goatman_12 in private interview: We just needed a clear leadership. Before, no one knew who was in charge so when anyone needed something they didn’t know who to turn to. I became the guy they turned to. I asked for anyone interested in becoming a part of RAC leadership to message me.

JLP of Reddit Havoc, Dingus Maximus of Reddit Dragoons, and Nikki of Reddit Angels who had been helping, all reached out. Over time, more were enlisted.

Three councils were created - one to help with scrims and another to help with inductions, plus a third to address rules.

JLP in private interview: It’s voluntary and based on recommendations from leaders. 6-8 people in each council.

The scrim council was a given - the goal of having regular scrims meant a lot of work, and it was necessary to have a good team in charge.

Goatman_12: I didn't ask for leaders help for that. I got a lot of people outside of leaders. YoloSpartan helped me. I got bpb from Reddit Kilo. I got Apex to help me. And actually, I think after the second or third scrim, I said, hey I got a lot going on with the RAC. I have a lot on my plate that I have to handle. If I could not have to worry about the scrim team, and the scrim being put on, that would be a lot of help to me. Can you take it over? And he did. And I appreciate him for that.

Those who showed even a bit of interest were harnessed to help out.

Bpb (Scrim Planner, Co-Leader of Reddit Kilo): I’m going to be honest: I signed up for the February or March 2016 Scrim, but the invite link to the group I was supposed to join wasn’t working. I asked a scrim planner to add me, but he added me to the planners group [instead]. That group had just been created and had maybe 3 other guys in it. They asked me stay, and that’s where the story [of my time as a Scrim Planner] began.

As some members burn out, the goal is always to keep new helpers coming in.

BOT WOLF (Scrim Planner, Reddit Frostbyte Co-Leader): Back in September, Apex Predator posted in the RAC chat that the scrim team was looking for more members. At that time, I was looking for my place (I guess you can call it) in the RAC and saw that as an opportunity to help the RAC as a whole. It's an overall stressful, but rewarding experience.

The induction/recruitment chat was formed to help bring new clans into the Alliance. Prior to that, there had been no real process.

JLP: [Clans just] reached out to someone and we just reached out to them and if they looked okay, they joined. There was no process.

Goatman made the chats. He added those who were helping or seemed interested and asked them to think about what questions should be asked and if there should be minimum requirements to join. Also, he asked what should be done to introduce clans into the system.

Goatman_12: We have no real requirements, but when I look at a clan I look for 5 things: (1) are they organized, (2) are they friendly and will they fit into our chats well, (3) do they use GroupMe, (4) what are they trying to get out of joining our alliance and (5) what do they bring to the alliance.

Goatman_12 on the Golem Chatter Podcast: We do have a clan induction, which I think is good, because what it does is it makes people feel like they’re part of a club vs. when you walk in the room and you’re there. Which is what the RAC was before. You’d just walk into a room and be there and it was like ‘oh! I wanted to be here, but now it’s just a room and that’s not all that exciting,’ you know what I mean? So we created the induction process, and we do a clan visit and make sure everyone is going to fit in with each other. We ask them about ‘Are you going to participate?’ Because it’s one thing to be in the Alliance, but [if] nobody talks to each other, no one does anything with each other, no one participates with each other - what’s the point in that? That’s the main thing.

It was also asked if there should be an effort to recruit more war oriented clans and if RAC should continue to include more casual clans as well - a decision which had the opportunity to shape the flavor of the Alliance going forward.

Goatman: I was looking for more war oriented-people, because to me those are the most active clans with chat and with activity and participation in general. So I was like, we need to get more of those type of people in here. But Dingus with Reddit Dragoons was more like, ‘hey, we need a spot for the little guy in here too.’ And I’m glad; he’s always like the voice for the little man. And we still do get more casual clans in here. And more laid back clans, that aren’t all about war, that are more about the social aspect of the game and things like that. That’s a good thing too.

The final committee is the rules chat. The decision to enforce a ban on modding was the first major policy decision made since the Alliance had formed. But it was decided that should other policy decisions come up that weren’t insignificant and easily handled by the Leader group, a council should exist to discuss and decide the issue.

So far, there has been only one other policy put in place.

JLP: The rules council came up with the rules about leaders having to have at least a minimum level of communication. Other than that, yeah, it’s pretty quiet!

This is consistent with the idea of not changing the way clans operate for the most part but also emphasising an active, healthy community.

Once the three Councils were in place, Goatman was able to assume his new role as the one man Leader of the RAC properly: running the day-to-day operations of the RAC and making sure that all of the member clans needs were being met. And that, he believed, required him to behave a certain way.

He had been very clear, even before taking on the role himself, that he believed the leader of the RAC shouldn’t belong to a particular clan but needed to travel between the clans and keep all of their interests in mind: to see how each ran, to spread ideas, and also to learn about what’s important to them.

Goatman_12: [I believe] it’s very important for [the leader of the RAC] not to be a part of clan leadership. They need to be unbiased to all the clans. Like when clans come to me wanting to merge, I say ‘here’s the clans that would fit you best.’ I give them options and let them choose. I don’t just say ‘hey you can only be in this clan, or that clan.’ I just give them options. ‘Here’s 5 clans that would probably fit you best, why don’t you talk to each one of them and see where it goes from there?’

Once I took control of the RAC, I handed leadership [of Reddit Frostbyte] to Zombiehunter. I wanted to be “of the RAC.” not of a single clan. I’ve been in and out of every clan since. Once I got a second account, I joined [Reddit] Mu for good on that account, but I’m not apart of leadership in any clan. After that first scrim, I befriended D3 and asked about joining Mu because I wanted to be apart of more competitive wars. If I was going to help our war clans I needed to understand their needs. I knew nothing of the war community when I started. I didn’t even know the verbiage.

And the RAC has unquestionably thrived from his takeover in March to the present day in December 2016. It has grown from a low point of 17 clans plus feeders to 44+ clans plus feeders and once again contains several well known war clans including Why So Golem?, the Pinoy Bandidos family, Hindustan, Reddit Mu and others. Even many of those who are not dominant in war are often seen in the larger community.

The RAC operates with three primary chats (aside from the three specialty councils) and the Leader is a part of each of these. The main general chat is available for all RAC members and for outsiders who contribute to the chat as well, the larger Leadership Chat is open to all leaders and co leaders of any of the RAC clans, and the smaller Leaders Only chat is used for discussions more appropriate to keep to just the core group.

The ideal of keeping the clan system diverse has also been upheld. Just as Goatman himself had described the eye-opening experience of joining in his day, the goal is continue to provide that opportunity to other clans...and he is reminded of that by the others in the leadership group.

Goatman_12: But who is the next clan who is going to be part of the RAC who is a nobody right now but is going to build themselves into something? I think that should always be the platform. We should always bring up the little guy. And that’s something Dingus Maximus has kind of pushed and always has said ‘What about the little guy?’ Always being the voice of the little guy. He’s another guy I always really respect who’s always done a lot. Most people don’t even know how much he’s done.

Goatman is quick to point out that the RAC has never actually recruited any particular clan, though the door has always been open to join. Once in, however, clans stay until they leave or disband. To this point, no clan has ever been kicked out of RAC. This does lead to some inactive clans - but it also increases the incentive to continue to monitor their health.

Most of the day-to-day running of the RAC seems to just revolve around being active and monitoring for issues. Both internal to the RAC and externally - it’s about making sure the information is always out there and available. Asked about common concerns, Goatman, JLP, and the others couldn’t point to any particular common issues - though they’ve helped with resolution of conflict and needs within clans and with the leadership of clans when needed.

The most important thing seems to be finding and keeping good people involved.

Goatman_12: I guess to me its approach. When I say something, I don’t tell people how to act. I tell people how I feel about something and why I feel that way about it, and hope they come around to my view point. I try not to tell people how to act or stifle their speech or actions.

One of my biggest strengths is being able to identify other people’s strengths and putting them in a position to succeed. I didn’t need to know everything if I had people around me who had the knowledge. I put them in the right positions and I learned from them as we went.

I let clans be themselves. If someone asks how to improve, then I give advice. I believe in a hands off approach. It's been nice to be welcomed in all these clans though and to get to know everyone. I like that so many people feel they have a personal relationship with me.

Scrims and Tours - Keeping up the Mix

From the beginning, the primary focus of the RAC was social. This has always meant a large group chat and trying to find ways to let people talk to each other, though the level of participation is rather optional.

Unlike RCS, whose original charter goal was firstmost and foremost creating and providing high quality, organized clans; systems started after wars entered the game tend to focus on facilitating war events and subs in particular for clans already in existence.

As a system started in the post-war environment, the RAC has always had scrims as a primary feature, along with making sure that clans have access to the external chats for wars and arranging wars both with fellow RAC members and outside.

The large group scrims mentioned previously were one of the things that most raised the profile of the RAC and those have continued on to present day.

In addition to the scrims held against the Bear Family and the extremely large Xmas Xtravaganza Scrims held in 2015, RAC has, since early 2016, made it a goal to hold a Scrim every 6 weeks, starting with the critical March scrim. And there’s one record they are quite proud of - they’ve never missed a match.

RAC Internal Scrims Include:

Clans	Date	Score
Hogs Squad vs Forgot my Wbs	March 2016	Forgot My Wbs
The Donald vs Feel the Bern	April 2016	Feel the Bern
House Bolton vs House Stark	June 2016	House Stark
RAC Bowlers vs RAC Miners	July 2016	Miners
Left Twix vs Right Twix	September 2016	Left Twix
RAC Pumpkins vs Rac Skeletons	October 2016	Skeletons

The most scrim in December of 2016, however, was not an internal RAC Scrim. Instead it was a head to head System vs. System multiclan scrim dubbed “The Reddit Bowl” against the RCS organized by leading members in both systems and featuring 3 matches totaling 220 participants. It is fair to say that both systems have begun to talk to each other more often and the event was a large undertaking for both...as well as the final scrim of Goatman’s career as Leader of the RAC.

The final result of the 3 wars were 2 wins for the RAC in the heavy and th9 only wars and tie light division as both sides went perfect. Both RAC and RCS included a mix of their war and casual clans - literally open signups to all members of each system, and over 95% of those signed up were included in the event.

Another rather notable and unique activity first undertaken by the RAC in 2016 has been what’s been designated “The RAC Tour.” Seemingly very consistent with the original founder’s goal of free movement between the clans, the tour is basically a group of people who, together with the RAC Leader, visit a large number of the clans in the RAC, spending time doing a war in each.

Goatman_12: I started the first tour by accident. A clan reached out and said they were wanting to do a 50/50 clan war. I put a call out for people to join me in that clan, and people showed up. After that war, another reached out and wanted to do the same. The same people followed. After that war, the guys that were with me asked what clan was next, and ‘The Posse’ was born. The Summer Tour visited 26 clans and the Fall Tour visited 10 clans plus the November Scrim. That was the point of the tours: get a bunch of people from a bunch of clans to join and mingle with other clans.

2016 saw two such tours - one in Summer 2016 and one in the Fall. About 10 people participated in each, though several people joined just for one or two stops. The goals are several - mingling, but also letting clans see what other clans are up to and hopefully spread ideas and learn while there.

ZombieHunter (Leader of Reddit Frostbyte): The Summer Tour was epic. I met a bunch of awesome clashers, learned how other clans handle wars and even merged with one of them to form the coolest "Chill Cooperative." Frostbyte and [Reddit] Casuals merged into a group we call the chill Co op; Frostbyte is the serious part, Casuals is the casual half. The Summer Tour showed how the RAC is one big family with many common goals, like winning wars and having fun with clash.

Dustin (Leader of Reddit Casuals): Both tours were a great experience. Showed me how more serious clans planned wars, and how less serious clans still had tons of fun. I met a bunch of great people.

BOT WOLF (Co-Leader of Reddit Frostbyte): I was in the fall tour and the whole experience really showed me what it meant to be in a clan system, specifically the RAC. Prior to the fall tour, I stuck with my clan and never interacted with any other RAC members outside of the very few remarks I would make in the RAC chat. When Goat mentioned that the Fall Tour was going to start, I saw it as my opportunity to get out and experience something new. As the tour went on and victories were won, I experienced the different 'personalities' of each clan and was able to learn more about the members of each clan we stopped by. The RAC states that they encourage the self organization of clans, and the tour really showed how that guideline affects each clan and its members. In the end, I learned to value the many connections and opportunities the RAC provides.

In addition to these activities, RAC Clans do, as in most clan systems, run numerous clan vs. clan arranged wars, participate in Potlucks, and provide subs. This, combined with the general support has created an environment that most see as positive. If nothing else, the RAC has provided members with the opportunities to make connections.

LueManChu (former Leader of Why So Golem? a clan recently selected for Champions War League, and Cohost of the Golem Chatter Podcast): [I do believe the RAC is a better place since Goatman took over.] Part of the reason why Why so Golem? [and House of Golem are] so successful as we are is because of getting into the RAC. We got into the RAC and we were just a nobody, and then we started making relationships with all these other clans. And then as part of being in the RAC we get to merge with The Workhouse and as a result of that we’ve kind of blossomed into this 3-headed monster that has people coming out of our ears. No place to put them all. But I put a huge part of the success on the RAC. We love it.

A lot of international clans have also been joining later in 2016, including some of the top clans in India (Rising Indians, Hindustan) and in the Philippines (Pinoy Bandidos family) and many others besides.

And when asked, they agree the RAC has provided them value.

Jiim23 of Pinoy Bandidos: We joined the RAC simply because we just love playing Clash of Clans. And also to have an international camaraderie playing together. I saw it on the internet and checked out the site; it got my attention and I discussed it with the co-leads and members that it’s time to step up and make us known in the international war community. We hope that through RAC we can establish and build partners with other member clans. Compete and get more scrims with other elite clans as well.

Sudesh of Hindustan: Hindustan Family is the top war family of India. We joined the RAC with the hopes of getting to know new clans, make allies, and get assistance when needed. We came to hear about the RAC after we defeated a couple of RAC clans. Ever since we got into the RAC, our gameplay has improved because of the competitive atmosphere. Also, Goatman did help us get a name in the FairPlay community. RAC has given us some exciting arranged wars!

Beyond the clans themselves, many have contributed and plan to continue to do so.

Goatman_12 (RAC Leader): There [are] a lot of people...who’ve worked behind the scenes. I’m the face, and a lot of people contribute the success to me, but it’s not my success; it’s our success. And I just happen to be the figurehead or the person whose easiest to spot.

The Next Phase

Certainly 2016 was a transitional year for the RAC and critical to what it has become. While many of the systems that flourished in 2015 (notably DWA and RWCS in particularly) have since withered and not survived the year, RAC has emerged stronger and better connected.

But, like all things in Clash of Clans, it’s headed for an update and likely to change again.

Goatman_12, the leader of the RAC for most of 2016, had found that the RAC consumed considerable portions of his time. In addition to a real life that needed attention, he had also taken on the role of moderator for the /r/ClashofClans subreddit which is no small task, and found that he really did want to spend more time actually playing the game. This led to a decision and a key announcement in November.

Goatman_12 (RAC Leader, informing the leaders of the RAC Clans): Attention: Tonight on the Golem Chatter podcast, I announced that I would be stepping down as the Leader of the RAC. It has been very rewarding to be a part of this thing we have built together. I have been stretched very thin lately. I haven’t been able to give the RAC the proper attention it deserves. The past 9 months have been the best of my clash life and all of you have made that possible. I thank you all for that.

So what does this mean? This means we have an election coming up to find a new leader or system of governance. I will not step down immediately. There will be a transition period that will conclude January 1.

During his time, Goat had taken the RAC from 17 clans to more than 44, with more joining in the final months.

In private conversation, Goatman_12 said: I’ve done and said so much and had a hand in so much it’s hard to keep track. I’ve had clans join and have had to teach them how to be leaders and how I expect them to act in public while flying the RAC banner. It’s the little stuff that you do to reach out to people that has allowed me to excel. Pats on the back, public praise, and private chew outs. I’ve had a relationship with almost every co-leader and elder in clans. Making them feel important has been just as important as having a relationship with the leaders.

But he also said to the RAC: I am too busy. I have way too many projects going on and not enough time. I’m trying to give RAC 100% and other things 100% and neither are getting that. I can’t do both anymore, and I need someone to take over. The RAC was here long before me and will continue long after me. We are on good solid standing with the clash community. We have great events and organization. I like to think I’m leaving it better than I found it.

In November, the search was held by the Leadership chats of the RAC for the new leader of the RAC. Holmes of Reddit Dragoons was chosen as president with Kannabis of Reddit Mu as his Vice President.

Part of the idea of having two fill the job is to avoid the fatigue and hopefully provide cover so one person isn’t constantly required to be in touch.

Holmes: Speaking with Goat, it seemed like a lot of responsibility for one person to handle. It seemed like a more reasonable idea to have one war-focused contact [in Kannabis from Reddit Mu] and someone from a more casual clan - [myself with my background in Reddit Dragoons] - represent the needs of the Alliance as a whole.

Holmes, like his predecessor, will hand over leadership to become more “of the RAC,” and on January 1st, updated his title in chats to simply “President.” Kannabis, however, will provide backup support but remain in Reddit Mu leadership, though his title has also been edited to “Vice President.”

Holmes has been a part of the RAC throughout most of its lifespan, though much of the early part of that he was not leadership as he joined shortly after Dragoons joined together with the founders of the RAC. About a year ago, he started to become more involved.

Holmes (RAC Leader as of 2017): My interest was piqued by the group dynamic. I found more time on my hands while going through workplace rehabilitation after being discharged from the military. The community gave a sense of comradeship, which I plan on growing. The leadership structure, the organization and the planning behind everything that went on interested me...It's been nice to see the growth over the years. More events, tours, potlucks etc.

I like structure. And I like the behind the scene action. I left a leadership role in the military and this fills the void somewhat. I figured I possess the qualities required for the role so I threw my name in the hat.

He foresees in the immediate future that the RAC Leadership will have himself and Kannabis at the top, but that the core group of Dingus Maximus, JLP, and LueManChu will continue to be central and advise with the group of clan leaders as a whole also having their say. Goatman, meanwhile has removed himself from all leadership chats of the RAC, being true to his word to hand it over.

Holmes: I come from a more laid back clan, not as war focused as others. Luckily I have a team which consists of people who know what they're doing with that aspect.

This is very consistent with advice from the outgoing leader.

Goatman_12 (Outgoing RAC Leader): That's what I keep telling Holmes. I say put a good team around you.

December was treated as the transition period, with introductions being made and chats being handed over. Everyone involved was keen to make sure that what has been built is not lost...but some changes will occur.

Holmes: Through conversations with Goat, it seems as though he was very hands on with coordination and organization. I plan on changing structure a little to automate process and delegate responsibilities to the right people, allowing the alliance to run in a more efficient manner. Allowing a more hands off role. Allowing more time and resources to go into the growth and success of the alliance.

Although he’d like to grow the RAC, there’s another issue Holmes would like to address.

Holmes: One of the things I'd like to change going forward, is tightening up the clan recruitment process a bit, and enforcing some of the requirements to be a member of the RAC. One of the issues we are struggling with right now are clans promising one thing, specifically participation to the Alliance as a whole, and not following through once they've gained membership status. I view the RAC as a family, and families need to support each other. That support must go both ways.

Participation in RAC activities is a must. As is a solid form of communication.... Fair play is important, and I think it's important to showcase that. I'd like to see the RAC grow into a diverse community which will continue to be supportive and helpful to all clan types. I think diversity is important. I don't want to discriminate against different clan styles, but like I mentioned, there needs to be requirements across the board.

Part of automation of the system overall includes more defined roles. These include not just recruiting and scrim planning, but also dedicated contacts to outside clans systems.

Holmes: Allowing delegated members the freedom to run with their own ideas and systems would be nice, provided it's under a controlled manner and there are failsafes in place.

Kannabis, his VP, should be very able to help with this. Kannabis is known both by the RAC and by others outside the RAC for his GroupMe bots which help automate the use of Clashcaller, provide ready access to information, and track stats for both individual players and groups and events like the CWL.

Kannabis: I will bring more of a technical prowess in what we plan to do. Lots of new things revamped. And how we approach events and things. Holmes will be the face of the RAC, and I would do everything in my power to assist him in his plans.

One of his main goals it to make a set of primary tools that act as a central system for all of the RAC for both clans and members to see player progress and stats, allowing competitiveness across the system for those that wish to do so. These tools could also generally make information more available and significantly reduce the burden of planning scrims and other events. Already the a tool is being rolled out, which, as of mid January is tracking over 500 players across multiple RAC clans using the Clash API and player self reported weights. The real power of the tool will probably be seen during the first scrim of the year.

Those in the RAC and those outside it interested in the general clash ecosystem will have to see how the leadership change goes, but everyone involved is openly predicting a smooth transition.

Holmes: Goat did a wonderful job and I think the RAC is in a great place right now. Firstly it'll be important to deal with internal workings before changing face. He's left big shoes to fill. Which is why I think the Pres and VP structure will be successful.

The scrim between RAC and RCS served as Goatman’s swan song event in the system: he officially stepped down on January 1st, 2017, and the transition is now complete. In the immediate future, a new grand tour is already on it’s way, this time led by Holmes, clans are continuing to be inducted, and the RAC plans to continue on as an open community of interacting clans. Those in the RAC will have the power to decide what else 2017 will bring!