For my first clan interview i felt it was only appropriate that it should be the clan I'm in. Before i get to the interview i will share a little about myself.
My gaming name is z3r07w0 and i have been a part of PHX for 5 years. Unlike many of the clans I've played against and talked to, this clan isn't just about gaming. It's a community. We laugh, we fight and we help each other. I have been in alot of jams over the years with my computer and i couldn't have figured alot of those issues out without these PHX members. I personally feel this clan has accomplished something that most clans dream about in establishing a home for those of us that find ourselves drawn to the Internet.
I contacted Archangelus who is head of the Order of the Phoenix and asked him a few questions. Here is what he had to say....
Well, as I promised I am answering your request for an interview. I apologize that it has taken me so long to respond, but as John Lennon has been so famously attributed to saying "Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans". Whether he truly said it or not is not for me to care. I just like the quote...
Without further adieu....
Without further adieu....
LOL, OK. Where did the name Order of the Phoenix come from?
Contrary to popular belief, we aren't a bunch of teeny-bopper Harry Potter fans. It's really just a sad and bizarre coincidence. Many of the founding members of PHX were in a previous guild together called DarkWarriors Online. During the time of DWO, where we were really strong in Tribes and Ultima Online, there was a falling out between some of the more popular members and those that were in leadership at the time. During a conversation with DMIC (Dead Man in Corner, for those of you curious), I stated that I felt I could run a clan/guild better and that people would be happier in the long run. Little did I know that would start what is now PHX today. As we discussed what the name of our new venture would be, of course the discussion came up around using the "phoenix" reference as we were rising from the ashes of our previous clan. We tried numerous variations and The Order of the Phoenix is what stuck.
How long has the clan been active?
PHX was created in summer of 1998, but didn't start expanding beyond it's founding members until 2001 around the time of SOF2.
How many active members?
PHX treats most of its members as "family" instead of die-hard gamers. Unless you do something significantly stupid, evil, or against the basic rules, you're pretty much in for life. That is why we make candidates work so hard to get in. The people that get it, get in usually. Those that don't get it, move on. That being said, while we have 100+ members, only about 20 or so are actually active right now.
What are some of PHX's accomplishments?
PHX has competed in TWL and OGL in many games such as the Call of Duty Series, Soldier of Fortune 2, and the Battlefield Series. We have been ranked at or near the top in both ladders during our tenures, especially in the Call of Duty Series. Additionally, we have had significant notoriety in our MMO ventures in Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Shadowbane, and most recently EverQuest 2.
What leagues or groups are the Order of the Phoenix currently in?
We are currently competing in TWL in the Call of Duty Series. We are not currently planning on participating in any other leagues/ladders at this time.
Any Games or events PHX is looking forward to?
On the MMO front, PHX is highly anticipating the launch of Age of Conan and the avatar update to EVE. RTS is blatantly StarCraft 2. FPS doesn't have anything that we seem to have our eye fixed on. As far as events go, we try to get together about every 12-18 months, so I'm looking forward to trying to get a new PHX Meet-up scheduled.
If you had the chance to play a match vs any other clan who would it be? And why?
Since we enjoy competing against highly-skilled players and good sports, I would have enjoyed playing against the old zfz (Zero Five Zero) guys. When we used to scrim them as warm ups for CAL, we used to enjoy it alot even though we got schooled most of the time. The great thing with them was that they weren't complete asses about it and realized that there was a difference between them (lots of practice, specially recruited for skill) vs. us (not a lot of organized practice, recruited for personality).
List up to 3 other clans that you would like to see interviewed.
Allied Airborne Army (http://www.alliedairbornearmy.com/)
Zero Five Zero (http://teamzfz.com/)
The Black Hats (http://www.theblackhats.us/)
Thank you Arch for taking the time to respond to my questions. See you on the battlefield!
Honorable mentions go to I.D.O, DMIC and Dnasty for there contributions to a well organized clan.
PHX is currently recruiting. If your interested and your 18+ visit us at http://www.phoenixorder.com/ and leave a post.
Thanks for reading and if you want your clan to be interviewed just leave a post on our website or leave a link and a comment in the comments section on this blog.
