Just running this by people currently, just getting a feeling for it right now before I start the full process of planning it out, but considering my personal complaints for rp in general even outside of wow, and some in wow rp, I figured I would take the most common “advice” I hear and make my own guild run the way I would want it too.
I’m also to ideas or suggestions, with the understanding that I know it’s not going to be a perfect fit for everyone nor am I claiming it too be, there will always be a loophole or thing i missed, blah blah, the usual disclaimers of the reality of any kind of roleplay, event planning, etc.
TL,DR: One Shot DnD campaigns the guild, character roster (or at least their stats) gets reset every season, and there is a start>finish story generally plotted out. Off season will be the boring part, on season is the fun rp part. It would at semi-regular time periods.
Basic idea is the guild would go through a “off season” for recruiting, story writing, planning, getting know the players, and other similar stuff. Then into a “season” of actual rp. adventuring, travel, or story plot would be played out. This would occur in regular enough intervals of time, either monthly or more.
Having a known set of characters allows for more personal story writing, so plots don’t leave certain behind unless that’s what they wanted. Locations can be picked to account for game things, like cross faction or if someone is a low lvl. Also helps curb constant alt swapping, so plans don’t get broken because someone decided they wanted to bring this or that character instead of the one they signed up on.
Times of events can be worked around to the time of the players of that season, and the season it self can account for things like the in game seasonal events, major game patches, or real life holidays, so if you know a certain month or time of year is busy, or if you want to experience the new patch things, or work on raid prog, there’s no pressure to be on that rp toon at the time.
Because “power” is reset with every season, there is a very little chance any one person would be massively powerful compared to another. While I personally haven’t seen this happen too much in wow RP, I have personally noticed this is an elephant in every long running dnd and larp I’ve been in, where newer players and members either have to be fodder for massively powerful enemies or more powerful players constantly dealing with little enemies. If enemies are a thing, or skill checks, or similar story wall block, can scale with the characters themselves. If you want something long term, there’s plenty of other guilds for that.
Characters can be part of multiple seasons, but this can be handled in a self contained way. Such as a character completely reverting if the player wants that, a redo/revamp of the original character, or otherwise just have a new trp profile. This can extend to resetting power structures too, so not one gets to be the noble house leader every season or the leader of the cult, or whatever.
And if someone doesn’t like a story plot or theme, they can skip a season and try again for the next one. Rp with others in the meantime. Or just watch from a far. Or do whatever they want with that time.
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I’m still 100% sure if I’ll do it. Which is why I’m putting feelers out. It’s a lot of work setting something like this up only for there to be no interest or people rejecting it out right.