You’re not here by accident.
You’re looking for an org worth staying in. Here’s who we are — and what your first month actually looks like.
The Org
Eight years, two founders, one bet on retention
The Origin
How we got here.
Vanguard was founded in September 2018 by DrakoHardt and Randrik. They'd watched enough orgs promise structure and deliver a dead Discord. Their pitch was different: an org that treats its members like adults, runs ops that people show up to, and never confuses a big roster with a real community.
The early days were scrappy — a handful of pilots, one server, and the conviction that most orgs were solving the wrong problem. Other orgs optimized for headcount. DrakoHardt and Randrik optimized for retention. That distinction shaped everything that followed.
Growth came through word of mouth. One pilot tells another. That pilot shows up, stays, brings two more. No recruitment drives. No mass DMs. Just the kind of reputation you earn by being consistently good to people over years, not weeks.
Eight years later: daily operations, a training pipeline, and organizational infrastructure that most gaming communities spend years planning. Vanguard built it while they were still planning.
Doctrine tested at fleet scale
Founded September 2018
Security · Industries · Frontier · Science · Command
Events, training, and operations every day of the week
Your Questions
Doctrine, values, standards
“Is this another org that dies in three months?"
Founded September 2018. Eight years of daily operations later, the bet on retention still holds.
Last quarter alone: Idris boarding exercises, multi-fleet capital engagements, and a two-month org-wide campaign that earned a Wikelo Polaris.
“Lawful org — so, boring?”
We act when Vanguard's interests call for it — holds, interdictions, sanctioned operations — and we do it under rules that never bend. You get hailed before it's over. Surrender ends the fight. Yielding crews keep their lives and fly home.
We don't hunt people for sport and we don't grief, ever.
Inside that line: smuggling runs, covert insertions, tactical deception, and the kind of creative problem-solving that keeps the verse interesting. We bring order to our corner of it. We're just not precious about how.
“Am I going to get ordered around?”
Wings are about passion, not restriction. A Security pilot who wants to mine can mine. A Science pilot who wants to dogfight gets in the cockpit. Certifications apply during org ops only — how you spend your own time is your business.
And rule one, since 2018: real life comes first.
“What’s expected of me?”
Wear the tag well — how you show up is how Vanguard is seen. Honest disagreement is welcomed, not tolerated — dissent goes through the front door, and it doesn’t cost you your rank. And leadership is a promise you keep — or the seat moves.
Same standard, all the way up.
How We Hold Ourselves
The full standard — four commitments
Four commitments.
The standard every Vanguardian signs up for — leadership included. Expand each one.
Your First 30 Days
What actually happens after you apply
Your Wing
Five wings — pick your kind of night
The Long Game
2018 → today
In Memoriam
Those we carry with us.
Over eight years, we've lost members of our community — people who were part of this before they were gone. We remember Splatterhead, Lady SolarA Solarwind, TotenKopf, moonclaw, and SOLHieLUS. Their contributions to Vanguard are part of our history, and they are not forgotten.
Splatterhead
Lady SolarA Solarwind
TotenKopf
moonclaw
SOLHieLUS
Day 1 starts whenever you do.
Pilots, miners, medics, explorers, builders — we're always looking. Five minutes to apply. Onboarding team is standing by. Your crew is already running ops tonight.
