the-guild-counsel
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The Guild Counsel: Want to join my guild?
Out of all the issues involved with guild management, there's nothing more important to a long-lasting guild than a solid, time-tested process of screening potential members. Surprisingly, when you look at many of the traditional methods of filtering potential members, very few of them actually succeed in rooting out whether an applicant will be a good fit or not. Sure, a guild and its applicant both want to progress, they both want loot, and they both want to succeed. But when it comes to things like pace, behavior, playtimes, or guild culture, it suddenly becomes a lot harder to find that perfect match. I've seen many ways to screen applicants, and believe me, I've let some real stinkers into guilds I've led. Let's look at some of the more popular screening techniques and see why they're not always the best ways to evaluate applicants.
The Guild Counsel: The job you come home to
In the comments to my first column about guild management, I noticed that several readers referred to guilds as "work" and to guild leading as a "job." While some guilds do subscribe to (and thrive on) that philosophy, it's a big reason some players are turned off at the idea of joining a guild. In this week's Guild Counsel, I'd like to take a closer look at the idea of guilds as a second job. Are guilds really the job you come home to? And if so, should it be that way?
The Guild Counsel: A closer look at guild management
Ask an MMO player what he thinks of when you say the word "guild." The common image is that it's militaristic -- a highly structured organization with draconian by-laws, a rigorous recruitment process, and high demands. It can be, but today's guilds have evolved into many different forms, and in some cases, have a different name entirely (clans, corporations, etc.). Some guilds are more like a sports team, to which the guild leader is more of a motivational coach. There are set expectations, but members have a bit more room to freestyle. Still other guilds are similar to a book club, in which players gather to share their common appreciation for an MMO but aren't required to sweat blood for their guild. There are some basic minimal expectations (don't be a ninja raider), but you don't always have to do what the pack does. About nine months ago, I again jump-started my guild-themed podcast, called A View From the Top. It's a podcast that's focused on guild leadership and social networks in MMOs. Originally, my co-host and I focused on interviews with guild leaders, community managers, and game developers. But over time, we've found that what people really wanted was advice on guild issues. For the bulk of the past 10 years, I've been leading guilds in EverQuest, Vanguard, and EverQuest II. I've also gotten to know guild leaders in several other MMOs through the podcast and hear their stories of guild management. What I've learned is that no matter what the MMO, there are common issues that every guild deals with. Some issues are so big, that if not handled well, they can lead to guilds disbanding and players leaving the game entirely. Unfortunately, because MMOs tend to encourage competition among guilds, there really aren't any central hubs for guild leaders to get together and counsel each other on how to deal with some very difficult issues. I hope that this column will serve as a spot to seek advice about guild management and look at the variety of guilds across MMOs. Given all that, where should we begin?
