In the universe of Club Penguin Armies, a strong High Command is key to an army’s success. They steer strategy, make crucial choices, and maintain smooth operations behind the scenes. An army’s future on and off the battlefield is shaped by a dedicated and well-run HCOM, which also promotes unity and raises morale.
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THE ROLE OF AN HCOM IN AN ARMY’S SUCCESS
High Commands are the link between leaders and the day-to-day troop. They perform day-to-day activities such as training new members, planning events, and maintaining high morale levels. Leaders create the vision, while HCOM’s brings it into action, being the glue that holds everything together.
A good HCOM doesn’t simply take orders, they provide ideas, plan for fights, and fill in when leadership is lacking. Whether an army stays steady or disintegrates into nothingness depends on their ability to keep things running.
But the most overlooked of all is the impact on retention. Troops identify more with their HCOM’s than they do with their Leaders. If an HCOM is engaged, interactive, and supportive, troops feel more a part of the army. Feeling part of the army instills loyalty and long-term commitment, preventing armies from losing troops to inactivity or to other armies.
THE IMPACT OF A WEAK HCOM IN AN ARMY
Just as a strong HCOM can elevate an army, a weak one can bring it crashing down. If HCOM lacks coordination, motivation, or clear responsibilities, cracks begin to form. Events become disorganized, troops feel disconnected, and leaders are forced to micromanage, leading to a burnout at the highest levels.
We’ve seen armies with strong leaders collapse simply because their HCOM couldn’t handle the workload. When leaders have to juggle too many responsibilities alone, they eventually lose the energy to sustain their vision. Without a reliable team to delegate tasks to, maintaining consistency becomes impossible.
A dysfunctional HCOM also leads to power struggles. Without a defined chain of command, there are possibilities of intra-party conflict leading to instability. Instead of its success, its members are given to personal quarrels, reducing morale and general performance.
BUILDING A STRONG AND EFFECTIVE HCOM
So what does a successful HCOM look like? It’s not rank or experience, it’s more of the attitude. Below are some of the key things that define a successful HCOM.
- Proactivity: The best HCOM members don’t wait to be directed what to do; they take action. Whether spontaneously hosting recruiting sessions or scheduling impromptu events, proactive HCOM’s thus take pressure off leaders and stabilize their respective army.
- Communication: Sustained and clear communication keeps everyone on the same page. A good HCOM is able to function well with the internal structure, and with the lower ranks to prevent confusion and mismanagement.
- Commitment to Troops: The role of an HCOM is not just following orders—it’s creating a community fit for the army. Communicating with troops, mentoring them, and keeping them valued also strengthens the army’s foundation.
- Adaptability: The landscape of Club Penguin armies is constantly changing. A good HCOM must adapt strategies, cope with circumstances beyond their control, and cover when leadership is lacking or unavailable.
Club Penguin Armies reached out to one HCOM from each major army for an exclusive interview regarding this topic.
What do you think is the most important responsibility of being an HCOM?
Madz, Rebel Penguin Federation HCOM: I think the most important responsibility of being an HCOM is to uphold the standards of not only the foundational principles the army was built on, but also the standards that we want to see the army run with years from now!
Megha, Doritos of Club Penguin HCOM: As a HCOM, making sure our new troops are being welcomed at all time and teaching our new staff members when they are struggling, not understanding a situation
Sanya, Army of Club Penguin HCOM: Being able to communicate with your team and knowing the ins and outs of your army, as it is your job to know everything, as you’re basically one of the people administrating this army and knowing your own troops, as they’re the ones who look up to you.
Geolonut, Help Force HCOM: In my opinion, the most important responsibility for an HCOM is rational and mature thinking. If you have that kind of mindset, it’s almost impossible to make a wrong decision. Thanks to this mindset, you can also provide effective leadership in crisis situations. At the same time, you can resolve various conflicts that may arise within the army, support your own troops, and much more.
Elsa/Fulcrum, Templars of Club Penguin HCOM: The most important responsibility of being an HCOM is to attend events, stay loyal to the army, recruit and register and to make sure new people feel welcomed in the army!
Oreo, Water Vikings HCOM: I think that one of the most important responsibilities is obviously working with the leaders and training to eventually be a leader, so things like leading events and strengthening the army both community wise and in size
Lucki7, Aliens HCOM: I would say there isnt just one thing that is important because all of it is. I would say that Listening, being approachable, communication, team building, supporting everyone, and recognition are all key factors that play an important part og having a thrivinh army.
How does an HCOM influence the army’s long-term success and stability?
Madz: HCOM sets the tone of the server, and continuously sets precedents that will be followed later on, when an entirely new set of HCOM is responsible. If they pass down the torch correctly, and to the right people, the army continues to thrive. The biggest impact they have in the long term has to do with the examples they set, and choosing properly the people that will follow that example and act with the same priorities/goals in mind.
Megha: HCOM plays a huge factor in the armies right under leaders. Being able to assist when needed for anything. As well able to help out often if its from creating events, help leading to create a stable team. Having a good hcom system and team that works together along side with leaders and the army growing. It can create a drive by making troops to become active and engaged.
Sanya: 3 words competence, experience, and passion. If an HCOM has all those 3, then the army is bound to do well, and as the administrators of the army, important decisions are made by you, and in the long run, if you do a great job at it and transition your army to the next generation of HCOM by helping train them, then the army is bound to have a relatively stable period as the decisions you made clearly influence the people that succeed you
Geolonut: An HCOM influences the army’s long-term success and stability due to the discipline that an HCOM has, fairness towards everyone, strategic planning and as I said above, by making mature and rational decisions
Elsa/Fulcrum: An HCOM has to be super duper active by influencing the army’s long term success and stability by registering and recruiting people.
Oreo: Well, being an HCOM requires a lot of dedication and responsibility. For an army to really be successful, having a good team of HCOM that work well with the leadership is a necessity
Lucki7: If you are maintaining the things i mentioned above you would see successful results as well as keeping long term people in the server as well as coaching and training several people in each role it would give you more people the chance for breaks which we all know we need from time to time and doesnt make people get burned out.
What’s the biggest challenge you face as an HCOM, and how do you handle it?
Madz: For me, my greatest challenge is to remember that change and positive impact takes time. It’s easy to look at the server and have all these big, grand ideas for how to make a difference, how to create new and exciting ways for the army to thrive. But, taking things a day at a time and remembering that the littlest things can make an impact too, and they add up to something great.
Megha: The times while being hcom it comes with major challenges, even little ones. Most important one is maintaining the chat, breaking up arguments. Talking to each person in Dms regarding the situation, try and find a better solution of the problem
Sanya: Timezone. It’s a big challenge for me as I’m still a student, and my timezone is GMT+8, and I admit important things like events usually happen when I’m either asleep or at school, and my presence isn’t really there, and I tend to be quite late to the party, so what I usually do to handle it is I try to stay up longer at times to help out; when it’s my break at lunchtime (which is around 11pm at EST times), I try to check in on Discord to help out with whatever I can by sharing my thoughts and opinions on the matter.
Geolonut: I haven’t really faced any major challenges at the moment, but if I had to mention one challenge, I think it would be a fight between 2 people with totally different opinions. I managed to resolve this fight by listening to each opinion, analyzing it, and then coming up with a solution that was accepted by both people.
Elsa/Fulcrum: Oh Gheez. My biggest challenge is trying to recruit people, but I can handle it by using my alt account on discord, or by going onto club penguin journey to get people!
Oreo: For me personally, it’s the amount of work and responsibility i struggle with. I am a full time uni student so sometimes it’s difficult to be able to put in as much work into the army as i would like. I handle it by being fully dedicated at planning my schedule well and good time management so I’ll have time for both
Lucki7: Trying to build relationships with everyone in the server is a challenge because there are so many people. When i see someone i haven’t talked to before i try to dm them and get to know them a little so i can show them that i am a nice approachable person that they can come talk to at any point for anything.
Final Thoughts
It was a thought provoking exercise to write this article, as it brought to the forefront the importance of having an HCOM to an army’s success. The interviews brought forth varied insights, ranging from mentorship and communication to resolving conflicts and guiding the future of the army. Many stressed that the role of HCOM is not just merely about performing duties but also the fact that it’s about creating a good, supportive community.
Dilemmas like keeping duties in balance, managing disagreements, and guaranteeing morale were quite the common themes, but the bottom line was undoubtedly clear that: a strong HCOM keeps an army prosperous. My hope is this article will prompt more conversations about the role of HCOM and the importance of HCOM’s for an army to be successful over the long way.
While leaders take the spotlight, HCOM’s are the foundation that keeps an army running. They manage logistics, support troops, and ensure smooth operations. Even the best leader can’t succeed without them. Armies that invest in a capable, structured HCOM will thrive, while those that overlook it will struggle to keep up. How crucial do you think HCOM’s are to an army’s success? Share your thoughts below!
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The content on this page was last updated on March 13th, 2025 (3:24 am)
