What does it take to run a guild?

highhabits

I'm an experienced Elder Scrolls player trying Elder Scrolls Online for the first time.
I've been playing for about a week and so far - It's everything I had hoped it would be. I've dueled a few players, met one that I've played with a few times, and explored lots of places already. I know that I'm not ready to run my own guild; obvious from the title, lol? But I know that one day when I've learned all that I can and mastered the character that I'm calling my main that I will want to start my own guild.

I was just curious to know what it takes to run a guild?
I know that's a very broad question, but I'm looking for some details on the matter. Since I'm not sure what there is in a guild and what can be done and such, I don't really have more specific questions. Some more general questions to help would consist of; What kind of things can you do in a guild? What do some guilds require for joining? Are there other guild roles other than leader and member? Back to the broad question, what exactly does it take to run and keep a guild afloat?

I appreciate any and all replies!

davey1107

I ran/run a guild. It's mostly inactive now, because guilds take a lot of time and energy to maintain. A guild is basically a mini-social network within the game, you make of it want you will.

Guilds get two mechanics perks in the game. With ten members you get a guild bank, which is 500 slots. The guildmaster sets permissions and decides who gets access. Guild banks are a way to store and trade crap. There are several strategies a guild might use - give everyone access and use it as a clearing house, give officers access and use it to store mats for guildies, whatever. At fifty members a guild gets a store...each member gets thirty slots to list items for sale. Only guild members can acces the store unless you hire a weekly trader somewhere in the world.

So as a guildmaster, you have to recruit members and then figure out some sort of focus to unite everyone. This might be running undaunted dungeons. It might be pvp. It might be trading. But it should be stuff you like playing, because you'll probably end up doing a lot of it. I knew a guildmaster once who was insane for pvp (maybe literally). He'd gather guild mates every weekend night and romp around Cyrodiil. Another insanely farms and collects things, and runs a trade guild.

The challenge of a guild is that people are constantly coming and going in the game. It takes a lot of work to get a good group of players together, then things are fun for a while, then the guild can drop off. Since I've been playing, some of the biggest and best trade guilds have risen, ruled their trade spots with tens of millions in gold each week, then fallen apart. Cie la vie.

Running a guild can be a good way to meet people, and it can be fun. It can also be a lot of work.

OrphanHelgen

I know guilds with 300-500 members that require less work then guilds with 30-50 members. It all depends what you want from the guild. My impression so far, is that you want a guild because it sounds like fun. In that case, your guild will be just as much work as talking to your friends.

ListerJMC

I'll have a go at answering the questions you put in the last paragraph:

What exactly does it take to run and keep a guild afloat?
Guilds require a lot of work to maintain well. I know of several guilds that have fallen apart, including ones which have been around for a very long time, for reasons such as lack of activity, loss of guild master, and arguments between members.

I was given leadership of a social guild that I was previously an officer of, and it's a lot of fun but it can also be quite draining at times. My advice would be to have some good officers on board to help you out, get as much feedback as you can, and be prepared to take time out of your normal in-game activities to work on guild things or it will fall apart. The pay-off of having an awesome in-game community to log in to is great if you're prepared to put in the time and effort to build it.

What kind of things can you do in a guild?
It depends what kind of guild you want to have, but basically it's a way to get players together for completing content, helping each other, socialising - things like that, but it's going to depend on what you want your guild to be about. You'll probably want to pick a direction.

What do some guilds require for joining?
That will depend on the guild master. I've known guilds that have certain entry requirements such as DPS checks (trials guilds), mandatory training and weekly participation (pvp guilds), and weekly monetary contributions and/or sales targets (trading guilds) to name a few. A lot of guilds, such as mine, don't have special requirements to join.

Are there other guild roles other than leader and member?
Guild masters decide how many ranks there are, what they're called, what permissions each rank has (such as bank access and ability to bid on a store), and how people can obtain those ranks. These can be edited at any time. A common rank you haven't mentioned there is officer, which is typically given to members who assist the guild master in running the guild in some way.

I hope that helps a bit!

Autolycus

The simplest answer: a great deal of time.

You get out of a guild what you put into it. If your aim is to run a guild that focuses primarily on members, then really it is simple in concept. All you have to do is put time and effort towards the people who want to be a part of it, whether that means forming groups and running content they want to run, or simply spending time talking about their interests, be it in-game or IRL.

The one thing that everyone needs is common ground. This could mean that everyone in the guild takes a particular interest in one type of content, such as Cyrodiil pvp, or casual pve players that like to do open-world content and dungeons. It could also mean that everyone does a variety of content, but they are of a similar mind and share common values (for example, some people just like to be a part of guilds that talk frequently in chat, and have no higher expectations). For trade guilds, the focus is almost always on being online and making sales. Unfortunately, trade guilds (though some do a very good job at taking care of people, this isn't a hate post) typically treat their members like a number on a list; very impersonal.

I run my guild by making sure I do everything I can to accommodate what my members want and need. Most of my members have a variety of interests spanning all forms of content, but they stick around for the culture. I try to be as involved as possible, help whenever I can, and most importantly, I know who everyone is. The smaller the guild, the easier it is for you to maintain a constant presence for everyone. With enough members, you need officers who will bridge that gap between you and other members, who will carry out your delegations and maintain the culture when you are busy (and trust me, you will never have enough time for everything).

You can't please everyone. Some will come and go, others will be there for years. Focus on being fair and moral, and act in the best interest of your members (not yourself). Remember that people play this game to get the experience they want out of the game. They don't have to stay in your guild if you can't be a meaningful part of that experience. It stands to reason, then, that a GM's responsibility is to see to it that their members get the most of their experience. If you stay true to that concept, then your members will, in most cases, have the patience and decency to bear with you, even when you mess up. And trust me, you will undoubtedly come to agitate someone. The difference between whether you lose someone over it or not is usually decided by how well you treated them leading up to that incident.

Curtdogg47

Be prepared to deal with drama from time to time. It's always best to kick a player who causes problems in the guild. And do it quickly. Taking to much time to take action will only cause more problems.

For something that is just a game people take there guilds very seriously, I have learned. At first I laughed at this.
But then I thought we do spend a lot of time in this and it should be enjoyable to play with the people in our guild.
That's something I have come to love about ESO. My guild and the people in it are one of the biggest reason I log on almost every night.

Leadership is important. And finding and promoting good leaders is key to making your job easier. Then supporting your leaders and the decisions they make for the guild.

erliesc

Curtdogg47 wrote: »

It's always best to kick a player who causes problems in the guild. And do it quickly.

A gentleman never kicks someone in the guild. Never....

Strider_Roshin

Beats me. The people that are in my guild are in it because we all get along, and we love BSing and killing poeple.

We're just a group of talented individuals that enjoy each other's company.

RavenSworn

I'm currently running a guild. It's hard work and takes a tremendous amount of time to just maintain it. What some of the posters above say is true, having a sort of focus helps, being online most of the time helps too since that will help with newcomers to the guild feel more welcomed.

My own guild focuses on new players and beginners and help them find their feet. Since they can join up to 5 guilds, I figure I could corner the market with new players since many have complained about older, veteran players not giving much help in dungeons and such.

I am also looking for veteran players willing to help out. I can always use an old head like you on the team. It'll help with your guild experiences too

highhabits

RavenSworn wrote: »

I am also looking for veteran players willing to help out. I can always use an old head like you on the team. It'll help with your guild experiences too

ADD my gamertag, highhabits. I'm definitely interested!

vamp_emily

Anyone can create a guild but what makes a guild successful?

Have a purpose.
There are different types of guild ( trading, social, RP, raiding ). Having a purpose brings like minded people together.

Promote your guild
Find different ways to promote your guild. It could be advertising in zone chat, here on the forum, or holding guild events.

Dedicate Time
Keep your guild members happy, dedicate time to interact with them.

Be Kind
Some times bad things happen and you will be in the center of drama. When this happens you need to be patient and be kind to all members.

When I first started Friendly Dungeon Runners my purpose was to bring people together into a friendly environment where we could do group content without the drama. I've only promoted the guild here on the forum and just a few times in zone chat.

In the beginning it was kind of hard for me. I had very few members, and one of them wanted to do dungeons all day long. I felt I had to keep him happy, so I was there with him every time i had a chance. Then we gradually got more players and I was able to take a break from doing dungeons all the time.

Now we have 500 members and the guild is awesome. I still have to help out, because now there are multiple groups running and sometimes they need me. I also help organize trials a few days a week.

Thelon

No one fears an army of lions led by a sheep, but everyone fears an army of sheep led by a lion