The Guild Counsel: Time to pack your bags?

With the arrival of beta for games like Rift and Star Wars: The Old Republic, and several big games due to launch next year, it's inevitable that some guilds will choose to leave their current game for the green pastures of a newer one. But moving a guild from one game to another can be as challenging as a real-life move. Sure, you might not need to deal with trucks and heavy-handed movers, but you certainly have a lot of baggage to handle!

Thanks to some terrific questions sent in by Starseeker, I take a look at the difficult task of moving your guild to a new game. Read on to learn how to transition as smoothly as possible and start your guild off on the right foot in your new surroundings.

1. How do you move an established casual raid guild (30-40 people) from one game to another and keep the momentum of the guild going? What do you do with people who don't want to move?

First of all, really think it through and make sure you're making the right move. Research the game as much as you can and make sure to look beyond the enticing screenshots and glitzy trailers. Think about what your current game has going for it and compare it to your possible new home. It's just like screening an applicant to your guild -- make sure that your game matches the playstyle of your guild as much as possible. Make sure to look at the little things in your game -- features that you might overlook but would definitely miss if they were gone. A new game might have wonderful scenery and amazingly large shoulderpads compared to your current game, but what if it doesn't have an in-game mail system or the UI is clunky and hard to use? Look over any differences and carefully decide whether your guild will still enjoy that new game or not. It's a big decision, and once you make the move, you can't really take it back. At the end of the day, though, the biggest factor is your enjoyment. If you aren't happy in your current game and are ready for a change, that needs to be the deciding factor.

If you've made the decision to move, it's important to make it clear what your intentions are and to do it as cleanly as possible. A couple of years ago, Revelry and Honor moved from Vanguard to EverQuest II. As much as I wanted to continue to be there for those remaining in Vanguard, I knew that trying to split my time between two games meant that I'd actually be doing both guilds a disservice, and that wasn't fair to any of the members. I turned over leadership of Vanguard's Revelry and Honor to a trusted officer and focused my attention on managing RnH in EQII. Since most of those in the guild were moving to EverQuest II, I made sure that everyone staying in Vanguard understood that RnH would now be a much more casual guild, and I offered names of well-established, active Vanguard guilds to those who were seeking something more organized. It wasn't easy, but in the end, I think the transition went about as smoothly as possible.

2. If your guild includes a variety of playstyles, and you only want to take one type of playstyle to the new game, how do you break it to your guild?

Moving to a new game is actually a nice opportunity for a guild leader to have a second chance at screening members and getting everyone on the same page with your guild's philosophy. You shouldn't tell someone he can't make the move with you, but you can certainly make your guild goals and playstyle clear to the guild and give the members ample warning of what to expect in your new game.

Setting up shop in a new game usually means that your guild goals will be different from the ones in your previous game. If you're a level-capped raid guild, it's going to be an adjustment for members to suddenly start over. Your guild focus might shift from farming raid content to farming crafting materials for newbie armor. Instead of raid nights, you might be organizing group leveling nights. Most important, it's inevitable that some in your guild will outpace others in the level grind. Your job is to set an acceptable pace and make sure people understand what level they need to be in order to participate in planned guild events. Periodically adjust the bar higher, but give people advance notice any time you do. Starting over can be a challenge for a guild, but with a little guidance from you, it can actually be a refreshing change for all.

3. If there are players you do not want to take with you to the new game, how do you handle that?

Hopefully you've been doing some solid pre-screening, and you don't have too many players that you'd prefer to leave behind. Unless someone in your guild is blatantly misbehaving or causing trouble, it's hard to justify leaving someone behind when moving. It would resemble that quote from Austin Powers -- "Not you, Scottie. Not you, Number 2. Not you, Frau. Not you, Goldmember. Not you, guys back there. Not you, henchman holding wrench. Not you, henchman arbitrarily turning knobs, making it seem like you're doing something." And all the time, Mini-Me is feeling more and more dejected at being left out.

However, as you prepare to move the guild, take the opportunity to pull someone aside and have a heart to heart. The move can actually be helpful, because it gives you a pause in the action to talk with certain members and make sure they will be on the same page as you going into the new game. An honest conversation can be a good thing for both sides, as each tries to figure out if this will be a good match going forward.

4. Lastly, if the game does not work out, do you recommend going back to your old guild or starting a new one since your old guild now has a new leader?

Hopefully this doesn't happen, but if it turns out that the grass isn't actually greener, I'd recommend being very careful about trying to return to your old guild. There are lots of factors that come into play. How long have you been away? How did old members feel about the initial break up? Is the old guild's focus different from before? How different is the roster from when you left? How well would the two guilds get along?

Because it can be such a sensitive issue, the decision actually should be up to the leader of the old guild. Even if the name of the guild was your creation, and even though you used to run the show, you essentially gave those up when you moved on to a new game. Returning to your old guild is the equivalent of a guild merger. Both guilds may share a name, but you would still have all of the challenges that come with trying to take two separate guilds and combine them into one. While that's not impossible, it's extremely difficult to do successfully, so caution is the best advice.

In short, it's natural for a guild to move to a new game, but it needs to be done carefully and thoughtfully. Despite your best efforts, any time you move it's a disruption to all the members. If you overdo it, you will quickly lose the trust of those following you. But if you do your homework and plan your transition well, moving to a new game can be an exciting and satisfying experience for all. Just watch the paint... it's not quite dry yet.

Do you have a guild problem that you just can't seem to resolve? Have a guild issue that you'd like to discuss? Every week, Karen Bryan takes on reader questions about guild management right here in The Guild Counsel column. She'll offer advice, give practical tips, and even provide a shoulder to lean on for those who are taking up the challenging task of running a guild.