Heavy is the Head... An Example of Guild Politics
 

"A civilization in which there is not a continuous controversy about important issues…is

on the way to totalitarianism and death."

- Robert M Hutchins



It's time for a story, kiddos.


A long time ago - about 4 months, actually - a low-level pirate came to the New World

with all of the others in the first big wave, and decided he should found his own guild

early on. The 267th one, in fact. As the other guilds around him grew instantly, as

masters worked to grow themselves to claim power for the future, he opted to keep his

own to himself until he felt strong enough to be an effective leader. Around level 12

(the highest level he'd gotten to with his basic Beta character), he began to get a few

fellow founders to give him a chance. Many of those have since passed on, but a select

few have become truly important. Not to get sidetracked, though...


Eventually, the guild slowly grew to about 30-40 members, all of whom got along and

shared the same value system that the guild was founded on. Namely, that the guild

would take only those pirates of the highest level of virtue and character (the masonic

reference in the name hints at this), and the hope was that such "perfect" pirates would

never fight, and wouldn't need rules to govern them. As such, Square & Compass

flourished in its own, small way.


Idealist, right? Utopian, right? Ever read books about Utopian systems, or watched

movies? Here are a couple to start you off with: 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Aeon Flux, V

for Vendetta, Equilibrium.



Storms were building just beyond the horizon.



Soon the guild was a Flaming Skull of power: the guild members were all getting to be

high-levelled. It's master had reached level 40, and was now proclaimed a Pirate

Master. "It's time!" he shouted to his officers, "It's time to expand the guild a bit

more, to spread our values and get the recognition we deserve!"


And they did. New members were excited by the prospects of joining a guild that

steadily climbed the leaderboard rankings.



That's when the trouble started, which brings us to our current situation.


...



I used to laugh when I heard about some of the rules other guildmasters had for their

members. I scoffed at the notion of gathering everyone up for a "guild meeting." I

figured, what could you talk about? Who should go on which ship for the next group

plunder?


However, it's become apparent to me that a guild cannot exist based on the hope of

kindness and empathy from its members. I've noticed that because I've developed a

problem that threatens my guilds foundations... Factions.


I'll wait for you to stop snickering. Good? Alright, let me explain.


I think I was lucky when I first added members - most were of the same demographic, and

wanted the same things from the game. However, as the game grew so fast, we became a

bit of a melting pot - good for America, bad for a guild.


BUT IT SHOULDN'T BE! (The "guild" part.)


I've got 3 major factions at this point, who each seem to be uniting behind a leader.

I've got the "Angry Adults," the "Little 'Uns" (to use Lord of the Flies speak), and

"The Apathetics." That last group might be my favorite right now.


Their main problems with each other? First and foremost is the flooding of our guild

chat. The younger members demand that it remain free for social purposes, while the

older members find it annoying. The older members call it immature, the younger ones

call them stuffy. The apathetics... don't say anything.


It's devolving into a state of "us vs. them." The members who are radically to one side

or the other begin whispering to their faction leader "maybe you should make your own

guild - we'd go with you." Yes, that's right - I know about this. I'm good like that.

At the same time, each faction calls for the major players in the other one to be

ejected - they come to me with "so-and-so did this, it's not fair/right/good."

And there I stand in the center of this maelstrom, holding the ship timbers together.



Frankly, the Utopian dream is gone - and I'm starting to love Big Brother.



At this point, I have a few options:


- I can stand back and watch them all fight amongst themselves until one group leaves. This is the easiest solution for me, since all I'd need is popcorn.


- I can pick a faction and listen to them, and thus get rid of all of the adversaries. One group wins, and that new ideal guides us.

- I can continue with the status quo, spouting rhetoric about how we're all good people

and rules aren't necessary... and eject the members that cause too much trouble.


- I can announce that I'll be kicking everyone out. This is a last resort. You wonder

why I just don't leave on my own? I like the name, and I'm keeping it.


- Finally, I can do what I'm about to do... Rules.




"Heavy is the head that wears the crown."


At this point, I'm drafting a complete charter for my guild. It's going to have very

clear lists of the expectations of each member. The members can read it, and if they

don't agree with it... we'll miss them.


Why have I switched to the Iron Fist approach? It's simple really - I have a

responsibility as a guildmaster to provide the best possible environment for the

members. We PAY to play this game, and shouldn't need to deal with drama. For that

matter, I WON'T be dealing with it anymore. Instead, I'll say what I want from the

members, and they'll tell me what they want from me.


The state of the guild is... strong. Again.





Thanks in advance for comments and suggestions.

I hear you mate.

A master mariner must be able to fill his men with hope, and courage, when a mutiney is near~ Drake- The man they called a Pirate.

I sugest following that, and keep it powerful, but friendly and small, talk to PirateAhoy, he knows more about this than I do.:vwink:

I think you are doing good, seriously. Keep it friendly, small, and in control. And if it needs expanding, do it slowly.

Well Remi being a guild member i agree with most of this some 100% and some i don't agree with i really think the problems need to be dealt with just as they have been in the past weeks ending with " we'll miss them " plain and simple we are here to have fun not to listen to the kids making wedding dates and places for their characters, which i'm sure most people are laughing at by i've personally witnessed such convo's in our very our guild chat. But i also believe us guild officers you hand picked need a little more say when your not around, the only thing we are able to do is sit back watch this happen and act as nark's when you come on online to swing in and save the day with your lvl 40 toon. In the end your the only one that can remove members i completely understand this but as we respect you i think you need to do the same for us. as for the new guidelines i spoke with you about this 1 week ago and basically felt like i was brushed off with my idea's which drove me to speak with other officers during a online meeting about leaving if things didn't soon change for the better.

Well, a response to this is likely required, and not just optional...



Let's start with... some wisdom, and then use it as a springboard.



"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

While the previous conflicts within this guild have ended with warnings or ejections, this reactionary way of keeping things balanced cannot hope to withstand growth. While this is a game, and the primary issue is to have fun,
there must be a sense of fair play and order. As such, a new way of conducting guild affairs is required.



"You can only be young once. But you can always be immature."

Back in the day... kids played house. They had tea parties and dolls and... then the electronic age came through and dispatched all that. Now they play MMORPGS designed for their demographic. AND... They play house. Who am I, as an adult sitting in on their game in their designated space, to tell them "grow up and kill undead pirates or something?"

At the same time, I understand that a balance needs to be reached in regards to flooding guild chats with unnecessary info. The plans currently underway to overhaul the administration of this guild should effectively make this a moot point.



"Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, dissent, and debate."

I apologize if you felt "brushed off" after our two meetings where I listened to your concerns. That certainly was not my intent. At the time, however, I really wasn't in a position to make the changes you suggested. In the VERY near future, you'll once again get a chance to give your opinion along with all of the officers in the guild, on behalf of the guild.



"He who does not fear death cares naught for threats."

One last thing... you're always welcome to leave if you feel I don't do a good job leading this guild. Just don't expect threats of it to faze me. I respect you, the other officers, and every member in this guild... and I expect as much in return - and not followed by "BUT..."



ALSO, thank you to the guild members who have read this post, but chose to comment to me personally rather than post - your feedback has also been appreciated!

this is really cool

what's so cool about it? i feel like im reading a book.....:vundecided:


As i can see, Remi's rule is "my way or the highway" either good or bad, depends how abusive it gets.

I agree with your idea of an "Iron Fist". It is time to pull the reigns which you hold in your hands. There is no time to be wasted. If you do not act soon, the Faction leaders will most likely try to influence the others in the guild toward their own devious purposes. A strong leader; it is what a guild desires. They want to be separate? So be it. You hold the power in your hands. Use it wisely.

If you're not privy to the Charter he says he's is going to implement, how in the world can you know if it is 'his way or the highway?'

All he's said is that he's going to introduce a statutory system so that the desired order of things is visible to all of his members. If a Guildmaster of a growing guild does not implement order, his guild will fall apart. Don't know how you can fault someone for trying to take responsible steps towards a reasonable amount of order, and subsequently, stability.

I have stood quietly and read the posts but after reading Kaionai's opinion I feel I must give mine on a few of their points. - takes out the soapbox -

1. I must disagree with the 1st statement. I enjoyed reading Remi's post immensely. The eloquency, grammar and punctuation of the text was a breath of fresh air in the "kewl ima guna go" era. Still waiting for that great American Novel Remi!

2. You make your conclusions based on what? Obviously the post explains the endeavour to deal with the dissent amongst the guild by implementing a charter. Rules are a part of life sometimes you may not agree with them but that is certainly no reason to assume someone is abusive. Imagine the chaos without law and order. For the record I have never been treated with abuse or disrespect from Remi. I also enjoyed Remi's reference to the kids. A harsh heavy handed "Adult Dictator"? I think not
- steps off soap box-

I completely agree. I have had this happen recently and it is RIDICULOUSLY annoying. Especially when one of my top officers left. They didn't tell me, and they were, supposedly, lied to. This is what peeves me about this game - if you aren't online 24/7, there is no telling what your guild members might do.

Speaking of grammar, spelling, and punctuation...

Returning to the subject at hand, I still do agree with the creator if this thread.

Remi - this is a very good read for ALL growing guilds.

I believe there comes a time in all guilds, where fractions begin to happen - when it becomees the mature vs. immature and the independant vs. the needy. A young player can act mature and an old act like a crybaby. There are players in a guild you may hear from once a week, and others clinging to you with evey move you make.

This is an online game which you do not see other people (in real life or otherwise) and some guild members may never be seen (due to time zones and commitments). Full Democracy is a good thing in the real world - but not in a game world (especially in this one where the Chat System is of poor design at best, and Rank Levels are limited to only three levels of Master, Officer or Member - possibly in a more multi-tiered system could more Voting / Decision process take place among more members).

So, all Guilds should read this thread - Young Guilds who currently are a collection of just mature persons, or even a collection of just clingers, should read carefully and the guildmaster make the rules before it issues become 'out of hand'.

Best of luck to you and your Guild Remi *nods*

And take note eveyone, like Rome, any major power can topple... it is the williness to act to save an empire that makes the difference before it is too late.

I know this is an old and inactive thread, but it is of such great value to both guildmasters and guildmembers i just figured I'd revive it with a little of my own experience and insight.

I recently went through a factioning in my guild. I had an elder officer up in arms over the more juvenile actions of a younger officer. Tensions continued to grow until one day the elder officer decided she just couldn't take it anymore and quit the guild. Fine with me. The way I see it, it's not really THAT important of an issue--we're here to have fun, right? If you're not having fun, then what are you doing? Whatever it is, you're probably doing it wrong...

But I digress. The creamy, flavorable coating on the baked good was that three guild members decided to go with her. Two were officers. I didn't have a cow about it though. I kept in contact with the former guild-members and made sure they understood that I wasn't mad--there really was no reason for me to be mad.

Interestingly enough, things in the guild REALLY smoothed out immediately after that particular officer left. And since that time, two of the three officers that left have come back to my guild. Faction gone. No more divided guild--for now.

A good guild is good regardless of the number of members, but it is good because of it's members. If people leave, they'll oft-times have problems finding or founding a good guild. It can look easy when you're not the guildmaster.

Ultimately, don't take it personally. Guildmembers need to feel free to leave without mental anguish or verbal abuse. There's no guild that is right for everybody. I would argue there is no guild that is right for most people. There are only guilds that are right for some like-minded people.

***UPDATE***

The final guild member of the three that left with the senior officer returned to the Krewe this very evening. Said she logged on to find nobody in the guild but herself.

Funny the way things work out, huh?

This is a "Sticky" worthy thread. Valuable insights and great advice.