Creating Your Own Guild
 

I thought it would be kind of neat for Guildmasters to post their experiences and tips for running and making a successful guild to those who'd like or need advice. Members who often make guilds out of the blue may sometimes fail because either the members aren't cooperating or it's hard to guild people.

Any Guildmaster, Co-GM, Officer, or Member is welcome to come and post their tips, tricks, and hints for making a successful guild. I hope the information posted here is helpful and useful to those who wish to make one of their very own. But be warned, this be advice ye taking from a pirate, not all of them can be trusted. :Pirate9:

I posted this previously in my blog on here.

Well, the title means I need no first sentence. So, i'll jump right into this.

How do you judge a guild? Is it by size, guildmaster, age of members, or even member quality. The answer in my opinion, lies in none of these, but a combination of all. All of these play a part, but then again, none of them do. Not to be philosophical, but it's true.

A guild can be 500 members strong and be weak. It's easy to guild 499 people, just stand on Abassa for a few days. But, most of them, won't ever log on again, or they'll log on and sit there. But, you can have 500 members, and be the strongest guild in the game. So, size can be important or nonexistent in making a good guild.

The guildmaster you'd think would be the most important, eh? They have to click the create guild button, make people officers, run the guild. Yea, they do, and most of us a great job. But, on the flip side, if you have good officers, like the did in the TEC, the guild can run without a guildmaster, though for a finite time. Again, both sides show you can be a good guild with or without.

Age is a very very tricky subject. You need adults to run a guild, cause adults are mature and fair. Um... NO. My guild, myself included, is run by almost all teens. And, with 364 members as of 6/26/09, we're doing great. Though, I know guilds with all adults who run great.

Finally, member quality. I could cite reasons why this doesn't matter, but I think all of you who will read this are done hearing my contradictions. Member quality is similar to size. They need to be good people who will get active.

So, think about it. A good guild can meet all of these, none of them, or a few. Guild Quality, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

When I started the War Wenches it wasn't to build a huge guild. I was a lowly level 5 or 6. I had only been playing the game for less than a few days and wanted to make some friends. This was my first MMO and I had no clue what I was doing.

Well as I made a couple of friends who had no guild and were low levels as my self we played together for a long time and eventually those foew friends became The OW's. I still remember many details about them and one is today still my RL friend.

Well the 5 of us became 10 and before we knew it we were a sucessful yet small guild of 50. That was is. The infamous War Wenches only had 50 or so members. Yet even with the small numbers we hit the leaderboards a few times. 90% of our members were eventually officers.

With that said we all were less of a guils and more of a group of friends that played together. Remember people will come and go. It seemed as one of us left the game someone would join and become "one of us" As GM I felt that whom ever was active and fit in well should have the privy of officership.

Another Point, know when to step down. Being a GM takes A LOT of time and dedication. Just ask Basil of the DW.

This will sound... well ... Stupid but it seems to me, especially when I was without a Guild, That the name of the guild matters alot. You could come across 20 people in one day and no one would join, justt because the name was not "cool" enough. And that was not just my reasoning, Other people do that too. Also, there are what I call Guild hoppers, Who will Join any guild offered to them, check the numbers... and leave. So, some of the Most Usless things add up to Who Joins your Guild and Why. My tip: Give it a good name, that fits many people. Also If your planning on Joining a guild, Numbers don't matter, it will come with time. And the most annoying thing is guilding people that do not come on.

In my point of view, the key to a successful guild is officers. Officers should be able to stand in your place and speak on your behalf when not online. Officers should: enforce your guild rules, keep drama out of the guild, recruiting new members, and be kind and courteous [this also applies to the GM]

Any Guildmaster who tries to say "Do what I say or I'll kick out you" won't get anywhere except for giving him/herself a bad name. If you're a Lv40 Mastered, try to help them out. You were in their [the members] shoes at one point too.

For me, I have always been a responsible officer. I am a quiet person, I don't talk that much in-game. I started out in Sinful Pirates, and I simply got up to Officer because I was Lv. 30+, and she (my GM) wanted more members. I personally thought that it isn't a good thing just to recruit for new members at random, though I am not surprised with POTC dying down. We guilded a few bad members, and ended up merging with another guild from that and a few bad members recruited by other officers. Don't get me wrong, the GM was wonderful, as well as several of the officers though. When we merged with another guild (Coastal Pirates), the GM of that guild allowed me to be an officer as well. I myself don't go out recruiting, even when the GM says so. A good guild is one based off of active and friendly members, and if I have a friend, or I meet someone I think could benefit the guild (as well as want to join first of all), then I will recruit. I am not much of a talker though, which does put me at a disadvantage. To this day, I have only recruited 3 members, and all of them were up to my expectation; happy, friendly, social, and active. I actually am saddened though, because my second pirate joined BBK as a new member, and because of that, I have not been with my guild much, seeing how my main pirate is a fully mastered Lv. 40, and there's nothing to do on him besides help out on BBs, and SVS.

But for now, it would be nice if my internet troubles would be so kind as to let me online! lol

Hello, I created a guild for my son and close friends. After reading the posts here I am wondering how you can have a CO-GM or have a luetenant... I was told that making someone a luetenant used to be an option. Another qeuston I have is if I quit playing the game or drop my membership to basic does my guild disolve/ no longer exsist... or can one of my officers take the guild over? Any advice or help I would be very grateful for... thank you

The titles of Co-GM, Leutenant, et al are made by the guild itself (out game), they are not recognized by Disney (in game). Most GM's feel something other than just "Officer" is deserved by long time members or extremely active members.

As far as handing the guild over to an officer if you chose to leave, that's a no-can-do. I tried several times to reason with disney when the GM of our old guild went AWOL, see if there was any way to transfer the GM title to someone else in the guild. NOPE. They flat out told me the only way to make that happen was to have the GM give me their account information and take over the account. Not a very smart move IMO. We ended up packing off to Dueces, as after three months, a GM-less guild wasn't working anymore.

Best of Luck!

As Sarah said, the ranks of Co-GM, etc.. those are all given by the GM, but not recognized by Disney. In future updates, I hope they do implement some newer ranks.. or something other than, GM, Officer, Member.

As for the GM transferring, it IS possible. Anyone that wants to can transfer one pirate of their choosing to another account (given that both are unlimited), that pirate can only be transferred once every 90 days. If someone were to transfer their GM pirate over to another account, that pirate would still have the GM abilities. Plenty of people have done that, and I remember seeing a thread about it before. I just haven't seen people do this to save a guild (they've done it to play multiple pirates again), but you have to email Disney with the info for both accounts, a reason, etc... thats about all there is to that.

Good luck :)

It really doesn't matter. If you let the account go to basic, the GM is still the GM. You could build an entire guild with the requirement that no one has unlimited access, if you wanted to. The Guild name belongs to the pirate who creates it.

If you wanted to let your son's account go to basic, he will still be the GM.

guild GM
 

I am the GM of the guild, my son is a member of the guild... I made it for him so that he would have a safer enviornment online. My question was in regards to my membership status... Also how do I make it so that no one in the guild has to have membership... Thanks for the help so far!!!

You don't have to "Make it" so that no one has membership. You just guild who you want. What I was trying to say is, you could have aguild that way, just because of your own choosing. Guilds can set any rules that they want in regards to who they recruit. I've heard of a guild where, to join, you must live in Southern California, and I' ve also heard of a guild where every member owns horses.

It all depends on the GM and the goals of the guild.

Again, if you are the GM, and you go to basic status, you are still GM of the guild.

I have another question - if it is answered elsewhere, please direct me. As a GM I know you can check the numbers of a guild member ( number of ships sunk, number of enemies defeated, etc) on Dxd. My question is, where do you go on the player page to check these numbers? Do you just look them up using the leader board gadget or is it somewhere else?

Right now, and for the last 2 + weeks, DxD has been sporadic at best. Most days it doesn't show anything new. I checked it today, and it is still showing data from last Wednesday. Before then, there was a 10 day gap in the reporting.

Here's how I check it:

I log into the account that I know there is a pirate who was active yesterday. (I have 2 accounts.)

Once everything is loaded up, go to the leaderboards.

Select the "My Standings" tab.
It says "Compare __blank__ with __Blank__"
Select a pirate who you know was "active" yesterday, and compare with "guild".
Now, as you choose form the various lists, Notoriety, Enemies defeated, ships sunk, etc., you can see your standings, and those of your entire guild from the previous day. You can also toggle to the "Top Pirates" and "Top Guilds" lists, and also from "Daily Results" to "Overall Results".
If your pirate did not do a task yesterday, say they did not play poker, then you will not be able to get the compare stats for that task. On days when I know that I am going to want to check all stats the next day, I make sure that my pirate does at least one of eveything. I.E., defeat an enemy, sink a ship, win at Black Jack, Poker, etc.
Remember, today's DxD report should be results from yesterday, for individuals.
But for guilds, today's postings will be from 2 days ago.

Again, DxD hasn't worked properly for over 2+ weeks. It kicked out one days worth of info last Wednesday, but has essentially been down since the11th of August. I also believe that anything anyone has done during that time period has been lost. The one day it did update, the overall 100 rankings didn't compensate for the previous 10 days.


Lastly, you don't have to be a GM to do this, anyone can go to DxD. This is the direct link that I use: http://disney.go.com/dxd/index.html?...onlineplayers/

My tips for making and running a successful guild:

Define success. If success means lots of members, then recruit recruit recruit. If success means something else to you, then you need to figure that out.

Be organized. You cant just "BE" a GM. You have to work at it. The more organized you are, the better your guild will run.

Select only good, active players who can help your guild be successful to be your officers.

Be selective in who you recruit. Even if numbers are your measure of success, having 400 basic access members who are never on is actually the same as having NO members. Try out your prospects and if they fit, bring them in.

Lead, don't lord. What I mean is, some people want to be in charge, so they create a guild. Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about being in the front and demonstrating the right way to do things.

Understand this - If you want to run a guild, be prepared to spend more time on, but less time actually playing. This is NOT a bad thing, if you're expecting to spend a little more time answering questions, making announcements, settling disputes etc.

My own philosophy for the ETC has been - as FEW rules as possible. That's not to say no guidelines. At some point, a charter was set down and agreed to by the officers. It simply stated our recruiting requirements, which are minimal and the method to promote.

For officers, as you grow - they will be come critical. You should NEVER promise a recruit an instant promotion (NO MATTER WHAT LEVEL THEY ARE!). I have several 20-30 level officers who run rings around some 35+ level members as far as getting the job done. The job IS earned because it does involve extra effort.

Officers are your reputation, your recruitment force, your mentors and teachers and the first members to respond to a member in need - CHOOSE THEM WISELY. You do NOT need 50% of your guild to be officers. The ETC runs at 10% (Around 30 for 300 pirates), but they are guys and gals I trust implicitly.

To stem the tide of players wanting promotion - we created a virtual promotion for active members by granting them invite codes. Who they bring to the guild and how they manage their recruits will determine if they become an officer. And we vote - I don't declare. Though I do nudge.

You can't be a dictator. But, you have to be the guiding force. If you just say, 'I don't know what do you guys want to do?' - you will get dozens of conflicting answers and nothing gets done. Give options, but you have the last say.

And think about WHY you want the extra headaches? Just like being a boss? Like having a support system? Like being social? For me - I truly love watching a crew work together to accomplish something big. Taking down bosses or plundering ships enmasse is something I still find thrilling about this game.

Lastly - just a suggestion to ease stress on you and your officers. We had a problem with members crying for help but only a handful officers were responding and feeling burdened. We created an Officer of the Watch system. Like being on patrol duty, officers rotate being the first response for help or recruiting. They only do it for a short while, but it frees up others to actually be able to play - guilt-free and no one gets overworked.

The success of your guild isn't determined by what some if not many people believe in. A successful guild isn't a guild with the most members, it isn't a guild thats on the leaderboards every day, its not a guild that can be called part of the, "in-crowd." Now, I'm not saying these aren't good things, but it requires more than that to be a good guild.

First of, the Guildmaster. Being a Guildmaster is NOT an easy job, I can tell you that. But with its hardships, comes its many rewards. I applaud any and every Guildmaster that has ever sailed these seas, because only they can know how hard it is.

To be a good Guildmaster, first of all, you need to be able to handle stress. When your a Guildmaster, especially when your guild is starting out, you will have to deal with alot of trial and error on how your going to run your guild. Just remember, no matter what may happen, you need to keep your head up high and keep sailing towards that horizon.

Next, you need to make sure you are very delicate on how you treat your Officers and Members, as well as selecting them. I'll tell you this once, and this is very important. You NEED to make sure you completely, 100%, without a doubt trust every single one of your Officers. You NEVER want to rush somebody into Officership, no matter what level they are, how long you've known them, etc. The only exception that comes to mind is unless you are transfering members from and old guild, and you want the old members to keep their previous positions. If you automatically give somebody the role of Officer, the outcome could be disasterous. Also, you need to make sure your Officers can always set a good example for the guild, as well as uphold it in the Guildmaster's abscence. If something happens, and the Guildmaster is not present, the you need to make sure the Officers will be ready to act in your place. Your Officers are your backbone. They not only are there to aid the Members, and the guild, but the Guildmaster themself. They are you advisors. They are your support system. They are part of your team, and they all serve and extremely vital role.

Also, about the members. You need to make sure you treat every single one of your members with respect, dignity, and equality. You can't run a guild where a certain group of members can do this, but other can't just because you don't like them. No, that doesn't work. You need to make every single member as though they feel at home. Be their friend, help them if they need help, be there for them.

Next, we come to leadership. You need to show you are able to run your guild, yet your NOT power-mad. Be firm like a rock, yet soft like a pillow. Be wise like an elder, yet look for information, like a humble student. Instead of trying to lead the guild by yourself, and make all the decisions, why not try to look for advice, suggestions, etc. from your Officers? In PNC, and the old PIC, every once in a while we would have guild meetings where all the members, Officers, and Guildmaster could come together to talk about the guild, take in suggestions, etc. Also, in PNC, we have meetings that are Officers only, and then the Circle of Trust. Those are the kind of meetings where we share information and talk about topics that are very delicate, and require alot of discussion before we vote on them. What I'm saying is, you need to make sure you have grip on your guild where you still have a firm grip where everything is under control, yet not so much pressure as that you have absolute control.

And my last point.... make sure the guild is, of all things, fun for all! Try to make it where ever so often you have parties, events, etc. Make your guild fun, play games with the members in your spare time, try to get everyone involved. Always show your ready to have fun, and your guildmates will look foward to coming online. :)

Be strong, yet be sensitive. Be firm, yet be soft. Be a leader, yet be a citizen. Be hard-working, yet be fun-loving. Be proud to be a Guildmaster, and always look foward to the adventures which lie on the horizon.

When I founded Raging Redhawks, it was so nerveracking in this hard of times ( for guilds ) My steps for a successful guild:

Not EVERYONE has to be good, but usually everyone needs help.
If you are just trying to have a bunch of basic people for numbers, it doesnt work.
Dont make everyone an officer. Take time to get to know them first
You ARE the leader, however this should not be used in a '' You have to listen to me '' form
People will look to you first for advice and help usually.
Dont neccissarily have a '' purpose '' for the guild. SvS and Pvp guilds are strictly that.
Dont be too strict on rules

1.When I was a GuildMaster of a guild (2 times) in order to get members to start out with I created lots of accounts where most or all of my pirates on that account will be in the guild. (Short story, make all of your pirates in your guild)

2. Make good rules that everyone can follow. If you have good rules, your guild will be good and more people will be nicer so then after people who are not in a guild when they want to join they understand that they have rules to follow and if they break them they could get out. (Use the 3 strikes your out thing. If people break a rule more than 3 times they should be kicked out. First one is a warning, second one is another warning (be careful you're in the danger zone of getting kicked out). And finally if they break one more which is the 3rd they get kicked out. No member has to stay in the guild, it is a privilege to be in one.)

3. At the beginning (the first couple of days) you should make everyone an officer. But before you make them an officer you have to let them be in the guild at least 1 day or a couple hours to prove that they can handle the rules and be nice.

4. After a couple of days (I'd say a week) you can stop making everyone an officer. This helps draw more attention to the guild and it can get you more members if a lot of people are an officer and then you have some members because then the members of that guild will tell their friends and then the officers will guild them.

5. Create guild ranks such as Co. Guild Master, First Mate or Officer, something like that. No pirate can be the best rank right away unless it is the guildmaster. They have to go their way up.

6. Stay in your guild. If you stay in your guild more pirates and get your guild more popular. If you stay in your guild you could create a Section on here or you could create a website. (I say you should do both if your guild is a sucess, and you want it to be really more popular.)

7. Stay connected. Keep in touch with your friends that are in the guild and keep in touch with ones outside. If you do that you will get even more guild mates! So that means more popular and lets say just a little more work.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I'm not saying this all will work. But I am hoping that most of it can work. Sadly the 2 guilds that I have managed have not been able to stay long. But, I am going to create a new guild soon so then there will be alot more pirates that I will get to know.

Hope this helps!!!!!

~ Charles

This isn't much of advice, just a comment, anybody that's never had a guild that is very active, has NO idea how many people want to talk to you and need something. Whenever I log inn the chat looks like this:
hi will
Hey William
Will can you tp?
Can I tp?
William, come here
Ahoy will

Sometimes it almost makes me regret installing the ask before teleporting rule, as people always want to teleport to me. Just remember a s a guildmaster, you are likely to get these things, and as a member, be patient with your gm, as he or she probably has a dozen people wanting to talk to him or her.

"If you are just trying to have a bunch of basic people for numbers, it doesnt work."

I disagree my guild is almost entierly basic 60 members and and at least 4 on at a time. Not all basic members log on once and then never log on again I have lvl 12-14 members maxed out on lvl for all weapons (lvl 7 for basic) that can take on anything and live. They als do a good job as officers so stop insulting basic members.

The post said "for numbers". That means, don't go out there recruiting tons of basic members just because you want your guild to be larger. Not all of them go inactive, and some even upgrade to unlimited. That still doesn't change the fact that they are people too, and shouldn't be used just to up the total number of members in your guild. Recruiting a lot of members to play the game with is one thing, recruiting members just to up your total is completely different.

The quality of the member (basic or unlimited) is always better than the quantity.

Here's something I learned as just a member. For a guild to really work well all members should ideally be at least semi harmonious, if even if not always agreeing about things. Let's face it, we are all different, we won't always agree on everything. It's ok to disagree at times. But out and out unintentional or worse, deliberate dissension can break any guild, no matter the size. Members have to be able to get along. If they don't, your guild is just not gonna make it.

From an officer standpoint, while I haven't been an officer in a large guild very long at all, I have picked up a few important things. Being an officer isn't about the title, or the supposed power. It's about helping your guild work as a cohesive whole. It's about helping your fellow guildmates, and supporting your GM. It's not a power role. It's a supporting role. It's not being Batman. It's not even being Robin. It's being Alfred, back at home, making sure Batman and Robin have everything they need.

On your officers. They should be people you trust to run things while you are not there. People who will do the right thing. People who will tell you when something isn't right, and work to make it better. Don't constantly undermind or overrule them. They are your right hand men and women. Respect them, or you could end up with a very big problem. Know that sometimes they will come to you with things that you need to handle as GM, and you need to be willing to make the lousy call.

Being a GM isn't really about power. It's not about getting to be the boss. If you take the I'm your GM I'm the boss track, you will drive people away after a while. A good GM listens not only to their officers, but to their members in general. They are willing to take suggestions, and to make changes if someone comes up with a really good one. I've seen this in action. You know you've got a good GM when he pays attention to what all of his guild members say. Just making arbitrary rules to suit you isn't a great way to build a guild.

A solid guild isn't built on a million rules. I think We Are The Night has like 4. You have to be an adult, you have to ask to tp, you have to be willing to help and be helped, and you have to follow D rules. See, I'm just a GM, that's all. I tell my new guildmates, I am not your mother. I will not tell you what you can and can't do. I will not tell you what you can and cannot say in chat (hence being adults only). I am not here to hold your hand. I'm here have fun, and to help others have fun as well.

One last thing. Being a GM is, as some have said, a massive time commitment. Sure, there are times RL takes over all of us. That's the way it should be. Pirates is just a game. RL should come first. If you aren't in RL complications, you need to put in the time to be on. And not just hop on go AFK, or go off on your own little projects. An absentee GM is no GM at all. If you make a guild you need to be willing to see it through.

And that's my 2 (ok maybe 8 or 10) pieces of 8 for the day. ;)

thnx for these good tips guys and gals i hope with these my guild can become a successful one

I know what he ment but for the record could people say people instead of basic members we were all basic members at one point so stop insulting them.

I'd like to hear opinions on Teleporting
 

I'm guild master of Skully's Xbones. When we started the guild, we said you did not have to ask to teleport to someone, but did so at your own risk.

Well recently as soon as some of the officers logged on, we were bombarded with people teleporting to us. Even in the middle of officer's meetings they would teleport after being told we would be in a meeting.

The officers and I finally implemented the asking for permission to teleport rule. Some of the younger players tell us we are being mean.

We are finding we are spending all our time reviving people because they have teleported to us and are much lower level.

I would love to hear what other guild masters have in place and how they deal with this.


Skully:SkullBullet1:

This happens to East India Republic all the time, although we also have an ask before you teleport rule. Whenever someone does not ask and they have been told before, what I do is in guild chat, say "BOB PLEASE ASKBEFORE TELEPORTING" this will usually stop them from doing it. And if you have a bunch of people teleporting, but only one person asks, I usually say in guild chat "why yes, Joe, you may tp, thank you for asking!" That will usually make them listen.

Next is, if they do tp, I usually just ask them nicely to leave. That usually works and if not, I usually let them stay. If we are fighting enemies too high for them, most likely we have a bunch of lower levels with us too, so with teamwork, they don't get knocked out too often. When they do get knocked out, I revive them, and hint that they shouldn't be there. The next time they KO, i do the same, but the third time I will just tell them that this place may be too high level for them, and I can't revive them anymore. It usually doesn't resort to that in my guild, because when one lower level is fighting with us, usually we have quite a few, so they revive eqchother before I get a chance.

Now about problem teleporters. I have two people in the guild that have some sort of problem with the teleport rule. The first one is obvious, a person who just won't ask before he teleports. I ask him time and time again using the methods I listed in the first paragraph, but he never ever stops not asking before he teleports. I have considered kicking him from the guild, but i don't want to have to do that for such a wee little crime. Whic brings me to my next problem teleporter. This one, just questions the ask before you teleport rule in general. He thinks it is stupid, why would you have to ask before you teleport? He has obviously never been a guildmaster of a larger guild before. Anybody ha e suggestions as o what to tel him, why it is important to ask before you teleport?

Those there are my experiences and suggestions for the ask before you teleport rule. I can wait to hear from other guildmasters about this.

This is one of my quotes for guilds:

It's not the quantity but the quality.

Calling people "basic members" isn't really an insult. Is that not what they are in the game? If you are talking to a single person who is basic, and call them by "basic member", yes, that can be insulting. But when you are talking about a broad majority, you use a simpler term, in this case, basic members.

That being said, recruiting anyone for quantity is not the way to go, as it will more than likely lead to an unsuccessful guild. Not to mention it's insulting to use a member just to increase the total number of members in your (in general) guild. Recruiting for quality though is better for both the guild and the member.

I have yet to encounter a serious problem tper as GM. I have seen one or two just random tpers in general as an officer. Almost every time a simple whispered "please ask to tp" does wonders. For your particular random tper who won't ask but has been reminded, there are really just 2 solutions. You can let him stay in guild and put up with the random tps. Or you can boot him. Personally, I would boot the person. Random tping isn't really a little thing. For a high level pirate it doesn't create the possible ko'd situation. But it is in a way an invasion of privacy. You don't know what the person you are tping to is up to. As you said they could be in officer meetings. They could be with out of guild friends. The could just be somewhere they want to be alone. I take random tps very seriously. If I had a repeat offender despite my guild rule against it, I wouldn't hesitate to show them the door.

As for the person who questions the tp rule, that one is a little iffier. I would say that as GM you need to have a serious (private) discussion with this person. Explain your stance on the tp rule. Let them know that it is just plain polite to ask before suddenly appearing. If it is someone who was there before the ask to tp rule was implemented, ask them how they would have felt having someone random tp into an important meeting. Gently remind them that you are in fact GM, and you and your officers all agreed to this rule. I doubt you can change the person's feelings on this. But they need to know that they cannot be allowed to constantly debate guild rules. This can lead to problems with other members. If this person of yours has such a huge problem with a rule instituted with good reason, ask them if they think they are in the right guild for them. With this person as well, were they in my guild I would have pretty much exactly that chat with them, warning them gently that I will not put up with open protest of guild rules. I would tell them that the next time they start going on against a guild rule they are gone. It's just not good for any guild to have members who believe they know better than the officers and the GM making broad statements that could create an argument. If this person of yours insists on being a consistent disruption then you have to ask yourself if they are really a worthwhile guild member.

Both of those instances are what I meant earlier about having to make the hard choices. Sometimes you have to let an otherwise decent player go because they can't follow guild rules. It doesn't matter how nice the person is otherwise, it's just not a good idea to allow anyone to circumvent your guilds rules. Sometimes you have to remove one guild member for the sake of the guild as a whole. It's not easy, but sometimes it just has to be done.

Teleporting Rules
 

I really appreciate all the input on this subject. This is exactly what the officers and I had discussed and are doing. However, since the implementation of the rule, many lower level members that had normally just teleported to higher levels had started using the whisper to ask permission. It gotten so bad with two of my officers that they couldn't revive the person they were helping for answering whispers.

So as a result the officers and I had to add to the teleporting rule that whispering for permission would be ignored. We had to do that for asking for help as well.

Everyone needs help at one time or another so there is no shame in asking for it. This guild's basic purpose is to be a helping guild for all members and other pirates.


I would really like more input on problems other guilds have had and how they dealt with them.


Skully:SkullBullet1:

I do find it annoying when a bunch of people whispers to me. However, I do have an effective method of dealing with it. As long as their in the guild, I ll answer in guild chat, first stating who I'm talking to, then the response. If a friend that's not in the guild whipers to me, yes i whisper back to them, but not man of my friends come on anymore. So unless it seems rude to you, do what I do, and simply answer in guild chat, unless it is a sensitive subject.

William

I have been an officer in the Eagles of War for a year.. and they were a very good guild. But they are inactive now. Now im an officer in an up and coming guild called Blues Brigade. But I believe that a good way to make a guild successful is to keep the game fun. In the Eagles of War we would play Hide n Go seek tag with dolls. It was fun.. Spending time together as a guild will bring the guild closer and make people stay.. so my advice would be to have guild events and stuff. It'd make the guild so much closer.

You see Sarah there is an easy fix to this have an officer create a guild then friend an officer still in the guild and transfer the members willing to the other guild. takes some time but can work..


From how i work my officers and members is I have a group above all others that we call the high court. They help me make desicions about the guild like if we will accept an invite to an event hosted by another guild or making the events i suggest for all guildmasters to have something like that to help them along the way..

Ohand Sarah you should tell my guild the a GM less guild doesn't work they keep trying to get me to stay gm instead of having them move into my head officers guild.

You people are all complaining about chat? why? what else are you doing lol i usually have about 20 friends online along with 20 in my guild all whispering and talking but i seem to be able to answer.

I have always acted as a officer when participating in Guilds that are Large.

I judge guilds by being active and size. I have been invited to guilds with lots of people. And in a week only 3 of them come on.


Also there are many different types of guilds.

PvP,RolePlay,Quest Helping, Friendly chatting, and all of these.


:bookishfj7:

That's what a lot of people do when they switch from one guild to another due to inactivity. That could still be made easier by having the ability to transfer GM status to another member of the guild.

A GM less guild can work, but it's very difficult. What Sarah was referring to, and what you are referring to are two different situations. In one situation, the GM has already been gone for a while, with no way to be contacted. In the other situation, you haven't left (broke off communication), they're trying to prevent you from doing so.

I don't have a problem with chat, but I can see why others do. It's okay to ask for help, but even if you're in a guild, the GM's only reason for playing isn't to walk you through each and every quest in the game. Just as the member asking for help is doing, GM's have quests of their own to do, leveling of their own to do, and sometimes need time alone.

Most GM's tend to be done with the game, and created the guild because they have nothing else to do. But I agree GM's don have to quest help someone 99% percent when their online.

anyone have ideas on how to get your guild to talk?

Try being more actively involved with the guild. Holding events, or just starting conversations on your own should help.

Better yet, anybody know how to get your guild to be quiet?

anybody got tips for making an active guild??