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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Have you tried your hand at running a guild?
by Aiden James Kosciesza 
Dec 5th 2010 at 8:00AM
It happens to all of us at one point or another. You're riding into Stormwind, perhaps admiring the dragon head that someone has strung up on the gates, and you're headed to the auction house when your eyes light upon the Visitor's Center. Inside, a bright-eyed young hero, very much like yourself, is speaking to Aldwin Laughlin, the Guild Master. Suddenly, you think, "That could be me. I could be in there, buying a guild charter and designing a tabard. I could found my own guild."
You dismount, take the first two steps at a bound -- but suddenly, you stop in your tracks. All at once, you stagger under the weight of responsibility. The trouble with starting a guild, you realize, is that once you do it, you actually have to run a guild.
Of course for some, this isn't a drawback -- it's a perk! There are plenty of aspiring guild masters out there who have a vision, execute it, and become great leaders. Then there are those of us who consider starting a guild but balk at the particulars; others who create small, friends-only or alt guilds just to have a fun guild name or a guild bank; and many more who are happy to leave the burden of leadership to someone else.
Have you thought about starting your own guild? If you went through with it, how did it turn out? Is the guild still around today? If you thought better of it, what stopped you? Or are you still making up your mind?
| Yes, I've been a GM. | |
|---|---|
| Yes, I've been a guild officer. | |
| No, but I'd like to get more involved some time. | |
| No way! I'd rather just play and have fun. |
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
Senju Dec 5th 2010 12:24PM
Yes I have, Never again.
Hob Dec 5th 2010 12:26PM
I did create a guild on my first real main, mostly as a way to keep people from inviting me to join their guilds, and also I liked the bank space. It was not fun deleting the guild when I changed servers, but in retrospect, totally worth it.
My current main has a guild that was just given away (Trade chat: "This server sucks, I'm leaving, anyone want a guild?"), and it, too, is pretty much "extra bank space" and a good way to avoid random, unsolicited guild invites. When the prospect of losing out on guild perks became worrisome, I made a few offers for other solo-players to join, with no takers. Then I remembered, "I've gone this long without guild perks, I'll probably survive without them, too." So I'm good with being the only character in my guild.
Until Blizzard decides that you can't have a guild with just one person. That's coming, right?
Pfooti Dec 5th 2010 12:47PM
I ran a guild in Vanilla days and the first six or so months of TBC. Back then, I didn't even know what a 'raid' was, really. The whole guild was really centered on a role-playing theme, and I was not just the Guild Master, I was the Game Master. I handed out quests and organized some significant story arcs.
Man, was that a lot of work. Burned out and stepped down.
mousethful Dec 5th 2010 12:58PM
I never intended to run a guild, but I am an officer and thanks to some tricky (though not at all bad) new changes, another officer and I are going to be running things for the time being. The leaders and other officers are still around on our website, but most of them no longer play WoW, so while they can offer advice, the two of us are pretty much on our own as far as managing things goes.
I really hope I have what it takes.
bldavis59 Dec 5th 2010 1:22PM
My very first guild, which i joined around the time my dwarf hunter main (and first toon) hit loch modan, had a rule that you could only be an officer once you had a lvl 60+ toon
i got my hunter to about 40, started playing my pally more. my GM kept bugging me to play on my main more and i couldnt figure out why, so i did
i got him to 55 and made a dk, got the dk to 62 and then was getting massive amounts of ribbing from my soon to be fellow officers about abandoning my main
i started playing Gleagh again, got him to 60 late one night, and when i logged in the next day i had a mail telling me to wsp our GM
when i did i was told i was the subject of a officer vote and if i wanted to, i could be an officer
i went from being a WoW virgin to a guild officer in about 4 months, and i was an officer in that guild for over a year
i was RL, Officer and basically the lore master for the guild
After i left that guild for undisclosed reasons, i became the RL of my next guild, but sadly after 2 weeks of good progress in ICC, we started having ppl not show up and 5 weeks after teh guild started i switched again to a more active guild that i am in now
I am one of the raid officers, pretty much share the hunter officer slot as well as the paladin. and the lore master (well 1of 3)
i think i have found my home for cata, and i have a feeling it wont be too long before i am a full blown officer (again)
Some strive for greatness, others have greatness thrust upon them
same goes for office in guilds, i have never TRIED to become one, but i have never shirked from the responsibility either
Juzelle Dec 5th 2010 1:27PM
I'm the GM of a tiny, adult guild made up entirely of haggard ex-raildleaders, ex-officers, or ex-class leaders. After years of working under poor leadership, listening to idiots, and dealing with wholly unnescesary drama, we're aiming to put something together that runs alot smoother. I'd like to reward people based on merit and skill, and run things via council & group decision. I aim to be less of a leader, and more of an arbitor working behind the scenes.
We're still in our early stages, but based off of 6 years of raiding experience and group play, I think we have a chance at doing something good. It is quite stressful, though, lol.
Aanye Dec 5th 2010 1:36PM
I attempted to GM a guild as a last-ditch effort to find or make a decent raiding group on our old server. We (my wife and I) are in Arizona, but were unfortunately recommended an east-coast server when we started playing. So raid times were always an issue--we never found a good group to raid with at the hours we needed.
Turns out we couldn't recruit a group, either.
We had two other members, one of whom was a friend and a serial guildie, and the other was an honest-to-god recruit. Fortunately, there were two tanks and two healers between us, so we had many of the key roles filled.
We pugged as we attempted to recruit. They were as successful as you would expect from pugs, which on that server was pretty bad. But despite a few wipefests, nearly everybody stuck with the group until we were ready to call it. Everybody seemed to enjoy the raids we led, and that was a good thing--one of our goals was to always keep it fun.
But the hours just killed our chances of recruiting. So we decided to abandon the guild and transfer servers. Haven't looked back--pugs on our new realm were as progressed as the "top guilds" on our old server. Wound up not raiding as much as we expected too, but the option was always there to get a decent group.
We are considering recruiting for our new guild on this server, just to try to build a nice, cozy little 10-man group. But we'll see.
Derick Dec 5th 2010 1:42PM
I've been amazed by how ignorant people are of changes to the game since I started playing and then I realized that people that go out of their way to learn what's happening and changing in game on a website like this, and people who listen to podcasts about WoW are the people who are good officer material. They are paying attention and have answers to guildmate's questions. If they don't have the answer, they probably know where to look for it.
Not everyone is paying that same amount of close attention that people who read this site are.
Ghrog Dec 5th 2010 2:03PM
I am currently the GM of a pretty good sized guild (we are in that multiple 10's maybe a 25 if were lucky kind of position sizewise). I got the position when the previous GM and nearly all the other officers server transfered because of the imbalance on our server (Horde is outnumbered 4-1 on Cenarius)
so immediately my first day as GM was trying to pull everything back together, patch up a guild that was about to collapse because half of our raiders up and bolted, and then recruid and rebuild us back into a successfull raiding guild.
Outside of my time in the millitary, it was one of the most stressfull times I can recall... but everytime those guys succeed, or some new group gets kingslayer or whatever... I can't help but swell with pride a bit. :-)
Tiqu Dec 5th 2010 4:05PM
I was given a guild when the founder realized that he spelled "Knights" Kights" The guild membership is just my pally and my priest. Funny thing is, no one has ever commented on the mis-spelled name.
Sally Bowls Dec 5th 2010 3:00PM
Cataclysm, withs its guild reward systems, is all about having larger guilds. So it pushes them to a size where the management will take more effort. The egos and interactions of managing 150 people who sort of know each other is much more intense than 15 who know each other quite well.
Dierna Dec 5th 2010 3:05PM
I am and have been the guild leader for Hordeland Security on Gorgonnash for about 2 years. Leading the guild has been pretty effortless but that is because we have some absolutely awesome people in the guild. There have been moments where I bang my head repeatedly against my desk but they are far and few between. Recruiting has been my biggest headache to tell you the truth. I can't wait to move into new content with all my awesome friends.
Rosemerta Dec 5th 2010 3:13PM
I"m currently running a guild, My second one actually. The first one I ran ended up being a trial and error kind of thing. I love running a guild so much that after being in several others after my first one kind of blew up due to mistakes I'd made, I decided to try again. This time I don't have too many officers since we are a small guild, my hubby is NOT a higher rank in the guild as proof I don't play favorites, and there is hardly any drama in my guild at all. The lack of drama in my guild is what I pride myself on the most. Yes running a guild has it's moments were I just want to scream but over all as a stay at home mom it gives me something to do when baby is off in her own world. I definitely love the experience and love the challenges it brings me. I also love the people I've found and brought into my guild. This second guild I'm running has been thriving for about 6 months now..maybe 8.
Nuhvok Dec 5th 2010 4:31PM
I was in a guild where suddenly the officers wanted to change servers. Not a mass migration just they didn't want to be here any more. They left and the guild was shattering into pieces with the leadership wanting to leave the guild as an alt guild and left an officer in charge. I payed the new GM 2,000g to pass the reins of leadership to me so I couls salvage the once great guild.
Long story short: I'm not leadership material. I was tired of forging the guild back together and having no fun in the game at all, felt like a job instead. I left the guild in the hands of a friend; and six months latter I rejoined that guild after the friend managed to retore the guild somehow.
Trisnics Dec 5th 2010 7:07PM
I've been running a 150 account guild for a year now and it is still a very stable and active guild. For me the ups weigh the downs but the downs can be a real strain at times. Examples of downs have been challenges on raid content and subsequently attendance, dealing with a guild split and a stretch where every officer disappeared leaving me by myself to handle everything (and find new officers).
Before running this guild I ran a business for 8 years. I also worked in customer service for 5 years. Running this guild is like running a business with no pay. Dealing with applications, scheduling, public relations, advertising and drama although my guild is very low drama intentionally because we weed out people.
I do it because I love doing this type of thing. If I didn't love it I wouldn't do it. I also think it teaches me some great skills on how to handle people. I do not do it for prestige or loot and I wouldn't recommend anyone else does it for those reasons either. It's work. I spend A LOT of my off time on my guild.
With that being said if I didn't have strong officers I wouldn't be able to do this. I'd recommend if you're in a good guild thanking your guild leader and officers for doing such a good job.
tannarl Dec 5th 2010 7:43PM
Been an officer and Gm in several guilds which formed in sucession of a major guild split and a few people wanting to stay together.
Never, ever will I do so again. I liked the people, after all its why we tried to stay together, but it got to the point of me not being able to log on and face them. Too many people wanting minor stuff sorted out for them instead of being mature and sorting it themselves, too hard to organise raids, some people resented beign made to turn up, others resented not being ready to start exactly on time. I personally dont get it, you pay to play, you agree to raid, and then you dont turn up on time? and bitch when you've been replaced by someone who does?
I'm now at a point where I want to play, and I do, but I cant bring myself to join a guild. It inevitably ends badly with people bitching and me in the middle trying to hold it together. I still speak to all my former guildmates, but I just cant face being in a guild again.
Oh well, with the push into guilds in cata, and the death of pugs with the new raid lock out system, maybe this time I'll have enough incentive to quit.
Marlhammer Dec 6th 2010 7:10AM
I created a guild solely for the purpose of being able to custom design my own tabard. The guild is just for my characters.
Panger2001 Dec 6th 2010 7:32AM
I am the Original Guild Leader for Dharma Initiative on Tanaris Server. The guild will be three years old in April. I have had drama queens attempt to force me out of my guild. They are the ones that left. I have been told that "your guild is JUST, a casual guild" Well we are a casual guild that raids 3 - 4 times a week with two raid teams. We have PVP teams and Achievement hounds. There are people who will say this it not possible and is just not the way things were done in Vanilla. Well fact is the Guild is what the people in it make it. A ton of patience, resilience and have a great sense of humor ( be willing to be laughed at).
Pangurrban of Dharma Initiative Tanaris