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

[RemiBoncoeur]

"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.