Besides Big Mac being part of the conversation, this unfortunately still remains a heavy-Player-voice conversation (and it is truly unfortunate that DMs, especially the Head DMs, do not engage the Player base in discussions about how to improve the experience of the Server...but that I guess is another Thread (in the making?)).
And though more has been raised, I thought it good to focus on 2 aspects to the "make Guilds great again" issue.
Those are:
how Players can make Guilds great (and what that needs), and
how DMs/Staff can support making Guilds great (as in: rewarding (double meaning!!!), useful, necessary to full Server experience, rewarding (this so important I'm writing it again!), capable, and fun (never forget fun!)).
Players:
Guilds/factions ONLY exist because of the Players. Maybe once or twice in the past a Guild/faction was DM-generated, but so few to pretty much disregard as something to rely upon. Since Guilds are essentially defined by Players being in them, Players and their Toons need to
really be in them.
But why be in a Guild/Faction? I ask this in direct contrast to "going it solo" on the Server, which, btw, has never ever ever been easier than it is now.
With the combination of infinite gold + infinite Epic Gear from NPC merchants + infinite XP, what is it that Guilds/factions COULD provide that isn't easily available to the solo Player?
If you think immediately, "it's Role-play!" then you are wrong. Dead wrong. A soloist Player and Toon can easily find RP on the Tradeway, 24/7. Hell, they are even more likely to find DM Events by just hanging around the FAI campfire than by investing time into a singular focus, like developing Guild RP.
However, Guilds/Factions SHOULD provide something that soloist gaming—both IC and OOC—cannot provide, else Guilds/Factions provide nothing special. You might ask why Guilds need to be "special," and I say to you in reply that it is because being in a Guild is a responsibility and takes effort, on the part of the Player(s), and if you do not offer something in return, something tangible and not available any where else, why would any one expect the average Player to put in the time+energy that it takes to make Guild role-play and experience have a shine?!?
Players seek rewards. I would say that is the 99.9% top motivation for this game, perhaps every game. The number one Reward is, wait for it, Winning. But in a game such as this, BGTSCC using NWN2, "winning" has multiple contexts (and thankfully so...I'll get to that later).
What is the BGTSCC standard of winning, then? Get to Lvl 30, get Epic Gear for your Toon, participate a few DM Events, see the entirety of the Server Areas, maybe a few PvPs, then Quit. Yep. Game done, game over. Move on to another Game.
Rewards for Retention, is what I'm talking about. Rewards for taking the time and effort to do more than the easy peasy way that is provided (the soloist approach listed above).
Players make Guilds live or die, but if the Guild literally cannot provide them "rewards" that cannot be gained by the soloist approach, the loner approach, the non-committed-to-Guild/Faction approach, whateveryouwanttocallit, then...well, you tell me: Why be in a Guild?
DM/Staff:
How can DMs/Staff support Guilds to make them great again? Well, the first line of scrimmage is that Guilds/factions need to make the game/relationship MORE ENJOYABLE for the DM and for the Staff that would support it. Duh. If Guilds are not providing willingness openness and friendly support in partnership with a DM and/or Staff...why would you expect anything to be done, to get done?
I'm not saying "don't be critical" or "don't stick up for what you think is right" as a Player/Guild member. But what I am also saying is that antagonism toward a DM that is trying to do their best is not the way to go! I'm sure every DM past and present is both laughing and cringing toward me and my words at the moment, because of how much I poke the DM Team (both past and present!
), but I also know my Role in supporting DMs when they are trying to support me and/or my Guild, and to work with their initiatives as best I can. And when things don't work out, there needs to be amicable splits, not lingering trash talking and constant bull crap pent up issues.
Because...the mission here is to make Guilds great again, and that literally requires the support and direct assistance of the DM Team. If you want a Guild to be effective in the World of the Sword Coast, you need DM(s). NPCs, non-mechanical issues, long-term RP, etc....all these things REQUIRE some form of DM assistance and/or approval.
So look, whether your Staff or a Player, this is simply a bottleneck that needs to be addressed, and adjusted, if necessary.
Because this bottleneck is exactly where the issue of "Guilds providing something unattainable by soloist RP" lies, and is, in other words, the form of Reward that all Players look for in one form or another.
What is Rewarding for Guild RP that ONLY DMs can provide? Affecting the World around them, in-game changes to Areas/NPCs/NPC relationships, etc.. Guild events and actions that actually lead to concrete rewards, even such things as custom gear—why be in a Dwarven Guild with a frickin' Holy Forge if you could not make custom items?!!?, for example—custom storylines, custom experiences.
DMs and Staff have the position, the Role, to be able to support Guilds by providing "rewards" that are unattainable from soloist RP. If that is not understood well, or ignored, or worse, willfully disregarded, then...
Guilds die.
So, the formula is something like this:
Soloist RP < Players group make up Guild < Players invest in Guild < Guild creates IC presence < Guild generates RP on its own < DM(s) add to that RP < DMs bring RP/storylines to Guild < DM rewards Guild with X.
On the issue of Favoritism:
How about we get over it? Or maybe, think of it as resetting the game called Favoritism?
I'll tell you what: some favoritism
is not bad! And especially because BGTSCC should, by now, Ao willing, have structures in place to monitor and manage when favoritism becomes nepotism and sycophantism. This is the Role of Head DMs and Administration. If DMs or Staff is perceived by any of the BGTSCC Community to be abusing their "powers," then it is Head DMs and Admins role to investigate and determine the necessary actions. So, that DOES MEAN the Community has to believe in the Head DMs and the Admins. That is up to YOU to say, if you have faith or not, but I'll just say this:
belief is an earned thing, and is not faith.
Let me put it another way, as concrete example: when I was a DM/Head DM for BGSTCC, I favored the Whistling Wanderess Crew. It's true! Bad DM Novus, bad...right?!? WRONG!
I favored the WW Crew with attention, picking up their player-initiative, and turning that into an Epic near-year long and monthly event series that had major effect on each and every one of the PCs involved. I choose to favor that Guild as a Reward to Valefort for all his previous years of RP (and this was BEFORE Valefort became a star Dev for BG), for Hoihe for being a nerd (
), zansibar, etc. for being a Guild that showed up, made an effort to forward storylines and develop their Characters RP. I, as a DM, made my DM-existence meaningful by supporting Players
in a Guild. Period.
Furthermore, the WW crew did benefit from better Items than what was then available in Epic NPC merchants (but paling to what is now currently available), but more importantly, each of their Characters benefited directly, individually and as a group/Guild, from a DM-support of their Storyline.
If you want to know, 1 PC had an Epic Death, 1 PC had an Epic personality/physical change, 1 PC had an Epic Trauma (hi Valefort!
). Not to forget to mention that I allowed the WW crew to invite in any other Players/PCs they felt were "part" of the Story and would commit time to it, so my "favoritism" was actually mostly to the Storyline and the Guild, and NOT the PCs, and NOT the Players (though, I'm very happy to know that my attention or favoritism was appreciated individually).
What I am promoting here is ACTUALLY a little more leeway to "favoritism," on the part of DMs/ADMs, because considering we are supposed to have a structure in place to manage nepotism and really really really bad behavior, and if we believe in it working, we as a Community should be comfortable in letting more favoritism, in.
So, sorry to end this on a bit of a poke, but what are you DMing for if not in order to support Players, and especially Guilds, in their RP desires and Storylines? Give me a better reason than that, and I'll STFU forever.
) beg for mercy when the walls are broken down?
) and Chord could likely round up a few more bad mo-fo's to make a go... Maybe call up Invoker and Solaris to bring the wizardry hate down upon their floating asses?