Hi, Wyrmrest Accord! I’ve been on the market for an RP guild lately, and it hasn’t been easy: I have character concepts I’m dying to try out with a good group, but I’m finding that most of the guilds I see aren’t quite offering the kind of focus/tone I’m looking for.
I’m thinking that I might need to start my own guild! Trouble is, while I may be ready to step up and try my hand at leading an RP group OOC, none of the characters I really, really want to write for would function very well as leaders on many levels. I’m thinking about doing it anyway and playing the leader part-time or as an NPC, but I feel there may be some challenges/pitfalls involved in heading a guild without also full-timing as the in-universe leader of it.
My question to the forums is this: do you think it’s feasible or wise to lead an RP guild without being the leader of the group IC? Why, or why not?
I think it’s plenty feasible but it really depends on the kind of guild you want to do too. The leader of the group could be an unseen person or npc. Alternatively you could get a friend who would like to step into the role of leadership. Or perhaps the group doesn’t have a traditional leader and it’s more of a round table type of leadership.
As far as challenges of each:
With an npc leader you pretty much will have to do extra work to play both characters. So expect extra prep time at least. People will also want to interact with this leader presumably which means less time rping with others as the character you want at points.
With a friend leader is you pretty much have to trust their judgement and plan with them without being too heavy handed otherwise it becomes you pulling the strings and writing their character.
With a round table/democratic type system you will pretty much have to trust whoever sits in that circle. Because they could take the group in a direction you’re not expecting otherwise(sometimes for good sometimes for bad depending on the group)
You might have a tad bit of better luck if we knew what kind of guild with the concepts you were looking for. There might be a guild already out there that one of us can point you in that direction, but what we have to go off is a bit vague.
Along those lines, if you were open to sharing what the concept of the guild or group would be, it might help us chime in with our humble opinions or thoughts!
This is a very interesting question and I look forward to following this thread and contributing however I can.
This is an interesting question and I think the answers will be pretty varied. My opinion:
Feasible? Maybe.
Wise? No. There could be some nuance, but mostly no. It would be confusing and create a weird social dynamic in the RP.
The “wise” part of this question has a lot of depth to it, and individual experiences are going to color opinions. Things can get complicated quick when IC and OOC leadership don’t line up, and it might end up just being easier to take a second look at the character you want to play. They wouldn’t make good leaders right now - why not? And why not give them a quality that does make them a good leader but doesn’t compromise their identity? I think this would be the wiser route, and would be more fun in RP too. We’re all here for the drama so dammit let there be some!
Playing off of Topsail’s comments, a character who is thrust into leadership and isn’t sure if he is fit to lead, yet assumes the burden and grows as a leader over time is a very interesting trope.
Axiann was promoted to Magister MUCH faster than he should have after the Purge of Dalaran meant most of his superiors were dead or in prison. Its taken him years to grow into his confidence.
Do I think it is feasible? Yeah, I would say so. The chances of working out is a good question.
Is it wise? Maybe, maybe not. Leading Rp guilds are already more work than some others. At least in the ways I operate.
Guilds do need leaders to be around and when they aren’t, people tend to leave or go inactive.
However, maybe you could work similar to the Companions in Skyrim where there is no true leader but a old veteran which gives guidance or advice. A round table/democratic system may work as well if you have friends or characters that are active and appear good for it. I have seen a guild operate like that before.
Ultimately it is kinda hard to think of ideas without knowing more details into the kind of guild you need.
For instance, if the guild is actually a small leaderless village or comune of folks living off-grid somewhere, then they might not elect a mayor or leader, but it would be wise to have, say, a council of elders who consult each other on any major decisions that affect the tribe.
But you wouldn’t really need a leader to tell folks when its time to farm, harvest, hunt. Those could be deeply ingrained traditions that just sort of… happen.
Or, say, if the theme is a band of traveling merchants who go from town to town setting up their stands and selling their wares. The route and stops could be something generationally established and no one really makes any big decisions, ICly.