On Guild Management By Faust Chapter 1 – Introduction & Chapter 2 - Does Size Matter?

Introduction: For the past 12 years I’ve been working within various aspects of Online Gaming Guild management and the interactive aspects of leadership with such groups. I spend a great deal of time working with my own guild and evaluating other guilds as an aspect of competitive intelligence. Most recently, upon the 5^th year anniversary of The Syndicate, I have become reflective about what I’ve seen and what I’ve learned about successful, and long term guild structures. What are the fundamentals of success for very large Online Gaming Guilds? What are the "secret sauce" items to ensure harmonious and longevity, viability, notoriety, and (above all) an enjoyable playing experience for the members of such a group? Well, everyone has a separate viewpoint. There are, however, a few things that seem to be pervasive in all success stories. And, ofcourse, I like to think of my own experiences at The Syndicate as an example of success. Some amount of chest beating and personal glorification is to be expected, as it is the paradigm in which I live and I helped build the structure to what it is today. (So pardon me if this sounds a bit propagandized, it is somewhat inevitable, but I will do my best not to be overly self-serving.)

Over the next few weeks I hope to write several articles that highlight some reflections on the creation and maintenance of a large and successful guild structure within the online gaming environment. I submit these reflections and personal opinions with two promises. The first, to Dragons the Guild Master of The Syndicate, who made me swear not to give away the "secret sauce" for Syndicate management. The second, and perhaps most important promise, is to the reader to whom I swear to do my utmost at discussion without constant reference to my own over inflated ego and my specific guilds brand of"wonderfulness". I do not want to recruit you with these articles. I want to share reflections and opinions on what works and what doesn’t, and by the time I’m finished, probably exhibit my over inflated ego whether I like it or not. ::wink::

And so, for today’s discussion: Does Size Matter?

Does Size Matter? Well, I would argue that it does, up to the point where the core leadership team becomes unable to manage and police its membership online (and those membershave to actually be online to count). Lets face it, guilds that report thousands of members but can only muster a hand full for an event are not really large or successful at anything but lying. Further, guilds that have hordes of members present in a game are bound to run into conflicts and issues within their own ranks and/or with other groups. Thereby a large and successful guild is one which can field massive numbers of members who all pretty much carry the party line on whatever the theme of the guild may be. This takes a great deal of time and effort to manage from a leadership standpoint, so if your thinking of putting together 400 to 500 of your pals in an Elite Fighting Force, you’d better devote a significant portion of your life to reading emails and writing impassioned novels designed to motivate and coordinate. Further, you’d better have a pretty devoted core leadership team to back you up in game because your not going to be everywhere at all times and these things go 24/7.

In an extensive study of the Ultima Online guild information, readily available on the UO web site, it can be determined that the average size of a UO guild is no more than 20 members. We’re all well aware that these "guilds" are often padded with Mule’s and secondary accounts. Is this an Online Guild or is it a gang of friends? The benefits of size do not make a significant impact until a group is significantly larger. The proof is in the pudding.

What do you want to do? If your guild is capable of achieving its goals it is successful and, in each game, this varies. In EverQuest, generally, success is determined by the ability to hold good "raids" which kill a big beasty and thus enable the members to get fat loot. This usually requires a fairly large group of higher level people equipped with nice toys they gained on previous raids… so size matters. In UO the goals are varied but I’ll say that maintaining and defending large pieces of property (size = resource gathering abilities) OR effectively killing large groups of other people are a measure of success. In the second UO case size may not be as important until your cost in dead outweighs the ability to equip the resurrected. In UO large guild size is probably successful more because the constant turn over of members is more rapid in smaller guilds which indicates more percent player satisfaction within larger guilds. In Asherons Call there is a fidelity system which, as it is explained to me, is rather like a Multi-Leveled Marketing Scheme due to the fact that founders of enormous groups milk their members for experience and etc. (Note:hence forth I should shut up about AC because I’ve very little practical experience in that game)

If your guild’s theme is to show up with a well coordinated 20 members, kill everyone and everything for an hour or two, and then log off without the need for defense, accountability, or preparation for the next foray (leveling,equipment, etc). Then you are paramount to a Quake Clan… which is success on its own terms… but a fairly limited gaming experience and, if I read correctly, not one that will get you to the top of the heap in Shadowbane.

If your reading this article, however, you are interested in Shadowbane. In Shadowbane we are told that Sieges will take 48 to 72 hours, resource gathering and taxation will be fundamental to successful nation building, and armor/weapons will come and go easily through multiple deaths and resurrection back at your guilds Tree of Life. I would suggest that size DOES matter with this in mind, particularly if you’re mind to "Build a Nation" or destroy and empire.

1. Distribution of members through the various time zones and in significant numbers.
2. Membership size to make taxation and resource gathering a relatively easy task.
3. Diversity of specialists to handle the possible "Rock/Paper/Scissors" issues in significant numbers.
4. 300 archers at level 30 are BOUND to make 20 attackers at level 50 wince a bit.
5. etc.

My take on guild size benefits in Shadowbane is this: On a macro scale the benefits of massive numbers of "pretty good" players within a nation will outweigh the benefits of an elite squad of bad-asses TO THE EXTENT that there will be a constant mental and propaganda battle for quality troops. This will be balanced by several factors which show the end game of Shadowbane to be one of the top positions within a nation. This will cordon uneasy alliances and promote inner-guild political maneuverings for power and dominance in a feudal society.

How will one excel in this climate? My bet is that it will be by effective, informed, and organized leadership of large guilds populated by mature and "professionally minded" gamers… somewhat of an oxymoron given the 733+K3w|_ D00dz within the forefront o four genre, isn’t it?

Next time we’ll talk about the apparent "success" associate with Longevity and perhaps multiple game presences. Are these measures of success or are they a sign of a churning membership base or defused focus?

Discuss: Your thoughts?