Fill out three copies, cos one needs to go to the recycling bin, another to feed the dog, and another to be used as toilet paper
In all seriousness, its because they want extra copies in case they lose one copy or HR wants to file a written copy or w/e
Some other ideas from my own experiences with bureaucracy:
- Papers proving their last three years of income
- Signed declarations of my last three workplaces
- Copies of all my diplomas
- Copies of criminal record. Not having one is not an excuse
- Any and all identifying documents, including ones which are no longer valid
- Complete list of identifying physical characteristics
- A portrait with some very specific rules about where to face and how to look.
Long forms, with portions they AREN'T supposed to fill out. Names of party members, their residences and DoB, religious and non-religious club affiliations. Itemized documentation of gear, magical components, spell lists, and special techniques, along with any other combat or non-combat equipment. Release forms for insurance purposes, non-disclosure clauses, non-competition forms, liability waivers should you die on a mission, next of kin or other emergency contact information.
A separate application to adventure, after which the party receives a writer stating they have been approved, which would need to be returned to a specific department within the guild to actually allow the party to adventure on behalf of the guild.
A required 2 hour long orientation, teaching safety on the job and how to avoid hazards, and proper decorum when operating as agents for the adventuring guild. Included in the second portion is how to report all loot to the guild and how to divide said loot equally amongst party members, with the adequate deduction for the guild's dues. At this point make it absolutely clear that gear and loot cannot be used until it is reported to the guild.
Once this is complete, the party should be ready to adventure. They are given a log book, the cost of which is added to the dues required upon completion of their first mission, which they are required to fill out during the course of each mission. Included in the log are fields for time of day the mission starts, who in the party participates, any non-party members that accompany the party on the mission (with separate liability waivers for each, to be included in the log), the locations where the party goes, descriptions of any enemies and non-party non-combatants encountered, any items acquired that don't fit the loot description that were not part of the party 's inventory form, the length of time spent on each part of the job, and of course, all loot acquired in the course of the mission.
Trick them into joining the Axis Cult. If you have a Paladin they insta-fall due to swearing allegiance to another goddess.
If you make this please post the pdf I need a copy to abuse my party with
Three copies. Common practice back before computers; one copy used by the clerk to do the actual filing, one copy sent to the manager so he can ignore it, and one copy stored in the company archive as a backup.
Have lot of optional perks that you can sign up for, promising some service from the guild in exchange for progressively greater cuts of the loot they take, stuff like
>Advertising special to potential clients
>Free repair of nonmagical gear
>Standard starting kits of things like rations, bedrolls, simple tools
>Access to a standard library of spells
etc. Now make it so that in some of them, you have to check the box to be included in the service, and in others, you have to check the box to be excluded from the service. Make sure it's expressed in a way that's confusing and non-intuitive.
I'll make a first draft tonight.
Upon completing the mission, the party is required to report directly to the guild. At this point, all loot is turned over to the guild, along with the log book, to be copied for documentation purposes, then notarized by the guild notary. A separate mission report must be prepared, basically stating everything that was documented in the log book. Then the party must get examined by the guild's medical examiner, to document any and all injuries sustained during the course of a mission. Then the party attends a debriefing, at which time the party is interviewed by the guild's debriefing officer in the presence of a human resources representative, to go over the mission regarding its expedience, tactics, and procedures.
Finally, once this is finished, the party must fill out a brief form applying for the loot they acquired from the mission, to be delivered to the guild's treasury department. There, after the loot has been accurately assessed for value against what was listed in the log book and mission report, the party has the choice of either receiving the loot acquired and paying the guild's due percentage, or just receiving the cash equivalent of the party's share of the loot, to be divided equally amongst all members that participated. A final form stating the party's choice of compensation must be signed and dated by all members. The party is then paid, and the process can start again.
Or they can partake of a special category of missions that are described as "lucrative" and "less extensively covered with paperwork." If they feel like taking it up wherein the party is given a few sheets of paper that are completely blank, aside from the words "Health And Safety Information" and a few lines for signatures.
The bureaucrat, being what he or she is, has had people accept this alternate line of work before, but doesn't know anything about it due to being too busy with paperwork. If they sign it, they get another health checkup, this time in a room that's more central in the guildhall. The party will, during the course of the checkup, be offered grooming haircut, shave, etc, free of charge. Unfortunately, the contracted worker they have only does crew-cuts and clean-shaves whoever takes them up on the offer, regardless of requests.
The party is then charged a few coppers apiece for strange new clothing of varying solid colors with matching boots. Black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, white, one set of each color. Each party member may pick whichever they wish, but they may not go without taking at least one set. Once selected, the group is shuffled along to the next room, where an older gentlemen takes their names to confirm their appointments which they didn't make, of course and gives them the few details that he's aware of.
It's a scouting mission. There's a magic mirror in his desk that will send you to the location of the adventure. People have come back after being sent on this thing. He doesn't know where they're going, and he doesn't really care. It's not too late to back out, but doing so is going to be a lot more paperwork that has to be done by sundown or they're going to be heavily fined.