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Cadet
First up before you start reading, I haven't created a guild for HJ... yet. This is just a general discussion; a chance to shoot the breeze in general.
[I also don't want to see this hijacked by people with guilds, as this is a theoretical and hypothetical discussion, not recruiting opportunity. So feel free to talk about what you've done in past, or current, guilds... but let's not be too gauche and go naming them, and getting into a debate on the merits of actual guilds, eh? Plenty of other threads to promote your guild in. Thanks...]
Guilds are funny things, aren't they? The usually start with the best of intentions, but often end tied up in red tape and/or politics. Why is that?
I have a feeling that for every few people who just want to have a good time, and are happy to go along with "the group", there will be someone who wants to lead. Now, this could be for a number of reasons, ranging from the noble to the ignoble. Some people, for example, genuinely want to help others and believe they have the charisma and admin skills to do it. At the other end of the spectrum, some people just can't exist in a game without seeing their name on top of a list with an artificial title stuck next to it like, "Supreme Guild Leader" or some other nonsense.
I don't know about you, but it really seems to become problematic when a guild grows over, say, 10 or 20 members. Up to 20 members, I think a guild can feel very personable... very family-like... and it's big enough to be effective, yet small enough that no one starts getting ideas above their station and spending more time plotting the downfall of someone in a position they covet, rather than just getting on and playing the damn game.
I have had two ideas for guilds in HJ... one in which I build the guild within my current guild (which is a multi-game guild already) and would use its name, forums, resources, etc, or one where I start absolutely from scratch.
What do you find is the most important thing in a guild? I'd broadly define it as:
* Friendly and caring membership. And I really MEAN this. Sometimes guilds say that they're friendly, or even family-like, and when you get into them, they're just a bunch of people who don't REALLY care about you at all. Unfortunately some people use words like this as marketing tools. When I say it, though, I really mean it. I'd even go so far as to nudge someone out of the guild (by nudge, I mean, take them aside and ask if they're really fitting in with the group), if they were showing anti-social behaviour. Why be in a guild if you don't want to talk to, or group, with people? Seems stupid to me... yet I've seen people do it, time and time again.
* Very little bureaucracy. There are neccessary roles within a guild... guild leader, treasurer, recruiter... possibly an events co-ordinator, I will grant that. Some of the guilds out there, however, just invent all these stupid roles, and layers of management, that no one needs. It's ridiculous.
That reminds me of a story, actually. One of the things I loathe when I see guild recruiting is when they say stuff like, "SENIOR POSITIONS AVAILABLE!" and I just think, "Ugh..." I mean, the kind of person who would join a guild just so they could have a title, is SO NOT the kind of person you need in a position like that. It's like a recipe for failure before they even begin.
* A solid forum. Seems an odd thing to suggest, and I've actually gone head-to-head with my own guild mates over this, but I find forum communication an absolute essential in a good guild. People posting details of events... screenshots from past events... talking about the weather... talking about who's just had a baby or which of the younger members are doing it tough with exams... it all helps build family. Guild members who only appear in game, and ignore their guild forums annoy me BIGTIME. And they always have that smartass kind of answer, "But I'm in the game... and isn't that what the guild's all about?" and I just don't think they understand that, particularly because not everyone games simultaneously, forums are actually a very important way to keep everyone tied together. They're also great for writing RP stories, too!
And, you know what? That's about it! Probably those three things are my key ingredients for a good guild. In other words, I don't give a rat's ass what level people are... I don't care whether someone's an ace at the game, or is only just learning... I don't care whether someone is 15 or 85, so long as they're mature and treat others respectfully (I've met many a 20 year old who could run rings around 40 year olds when it comes to manners)... I don't care whether someone plays 10 hours a week or 50 hours a week (although I might take the latter aside and ask if they're not pushing themselves a bit too much)... I don't care about any of that stuff.
No, so long as people want to come together and have fun and, most important of all, support everyone - rather than just using their guild mates to level the hell out of their own character - I think a great guild awaits.
So... what do you think makes a great guild?
[I also don't want to see this hijacked by people with guilds, as this is a theoretical and hypothetical discussion, not recruiting opportunity. So feel free to talk about what you've done in past, or current, guilds... but let's not be too gauche and go naming them, and getting into a debate on the merits of actual guilds, eh? Plenty of other threads to promote your guild in. Thanks...]
Guilds are funny things, aren't they? The usually start with the best of intentions, but often end tied up in red tape and/or politics. Why is that?
I have a feeling that for every few people who just want to have a good time, and are happy to go along with "the group", there will be someone who wants to lead. Now, this could be for a number of reasons, ranging from the noble to the ignoble. Some people, for example, genuinely want to help others and believe they have the charisma and admin skills to do it. At the other end of the spectrum, some people just can't exist in a game without seeing their name on top of a list with an artificial title stuck next to it like, "Supreme Guild Leader" or some other nonsense.
I don't know about you, but it really seems to become problematic when a guild grows over, say, 10 or 20 members. Up to 20 members, I think a guild can feel very personable... very family-like... and it's big enough to be effective, yet small enough that no one starts getting ideas above their station and spending more time plotting the downfall of someone in a position they covet, rather than just getting on and playing the damn game.
I have had two ideas for guilds in HJ... one in which I build the guild within my current guild (which is a multi-game guild already) and would use its name, forums, resources, etc, or one where I start absolutely from scratch.
What do you find is the most important thing in a guild? I'd broadly define it as:
* Friendly and caring membership. And I really MEAN this. Sometimes guilds say that they're friendly, or even family-like, and when you get into them, they're just a bunch of people who don't REALLY care about you at all. Unfortunately some people use words like this as marketing tools. When I say it, though, I really mean it. I'd even go so far as to nudge someone out of the guild (by nudge, I mean, take them aside and ask if they're really fitting in with the group), if they were showing anti-social behaviour. Why be in a guild if you don't want to talk to, or group, with people? Seems stupid to me... yet I've seen people do it, time and time again.
* Very little bureaucracy. There are neccessary roles within a guild... guild leader, treasurer, recruiter... possibly an events co-ordinator, I will grant that. Some of the guilds out there, however, just invent all these stupid roles, and layers of management, that no one needs. It's ridiculous.
That reminds me of a story, actually. One of the things I loathe when I see guild recruiting is when they say stuff like, "SENIOR POSITIONS AVAILABLE!" and I just think, "Ugh..." I mean, the kind of person who would join a guild just so they could have a title, is SO NOT the kind of person you need in a position like that. It's like a recipe for failure before they even begin.
* A solid forum. Seems an odd thing to suggest, and I've actually gone head-to-head with my own guild mates over this, but I find forum communication an absolute essential in a good guild. People posting details of events... screenshots from past events... talking about the weather... talking about who's just had a baby or which of the younger members are doing it tough with exams... it all helps build family. Guild members who only appear in game, and ignore their guild forums annoy me BIGTIME. And they always have that smartass kind of answer, "But I'm in the game... and isn't that what the guild's all about?" and I just don't think they understand that, particularly because not everyone games simultaneously, forums are actually a very important way to keep everyone tied together. They're also great for writing RP stories, too!
And, you know what? That's about it! Probably those three things are my key ingredients for a good guild. In other words, I don't give a rat's ass what level people are... I don't care whether someone's an ace at the game, or is only just learning... I don't care whether someone is 15 or 85, so long as they're mature and treat others respectfully (I've met many a 20 year old who could run rings around 40 year olds when it comes to manners)... I don't care whether someone plays 10 hours a week or 50 hours a week (although I might take the latter aside and ask if they're not pushing themselves a bit too much)... I don't care about any of that stuff.
No, so long as people want to come together and have fun and, most important of all, support everyone - rather than just using their guild mates to level the hell out of their own character - I think a great guild awaits.
So... what do you think makes a great guild?
