The tools of the MMO guild trade

As a guild leader I’ve spent a lot of my MMO career doing paperwork. I’m quite confident in saying I’m not the only on who has done so, either. When you’re in any kind of raiding guild you always have to be worried about attendance, issuing loot, recruiting quality players and all the other issues that the non-raiding organizations deal with. Over the years you eventually learn some tricks to speed up functions or make things easier.

I’ve always made an effort to help guild leaders, officers and members on Epic Slant by sharing the knowledge I have. Generally this knowledge came from me learning something the hard way. This article is about getting the tools you need to avoid learning some of those hard lessons. What tools make my life easier and will possibly help you?

Guild Forums

There is a lot to be said about forums but most frequently I hear negative opinions. Many guild leaders feel like members simply ignore the forums completely and that they’re useless. Half of that is true. Guild members seem to find it nearly impossible to log onto the internet, navigate to a forum, and read it. Why such a trivial task is so hard I’ll never know. That doesn’t mean forums are useless, however. It merely means you have to come up with new ways to motivate your members to use them.

In Iniquity we placed some information on the forum that could not be read anywhere else. Any member that didn’t read it would likely “miss out” on something. Our recruitment process was done there. If a member didn’t participate, they had no right to complain about someone getting in with whom they disagreed. The situation was easy for me. I’d say, “If you really didn’t want Dresden getting in why didn’t you post in his thread? It was there over 30 days.” There is no answer to that question that would make the member “right.” This is just an example, of course, but it does illustrate a point. What can you put on your forums that members are interested in that can’t be anywhere else?

Beyond dire information it is important to let your forum be a community for the guild. Have a section for members to cut up in. Let them post silly jokes and web funnies. It attracts attention and makes the various boards feel casual. That alone can bring people in. Finally, remember that life is important to a forum. If your members log on daily and there is nothing new there they will eventually stop coming. Try to post something worth reading daily. I’ve been slacking at that on the Epic Slant forum lately and it shows!

Voice Chat

I’m sure in this day and age most of my readers will look at this one and think I’m insane. I say it only because I want to make a note about it and also point out that there was a time when it wasn’t prevalent. This may shock you but we used to lead raids in text only! That is correct, we couldn’t talk or yell at you. No, the encounters weren’t less complex. No, we didn’t have less people to coordinate (we had more). Members just had to know their role and know it well. Those days are long gone, though, so if you’re not using voice chat, get it! Servers can be purchased for ridiculously low prices and add a lot to a guild.

Non-raid guilds even benefit from voice chat because it lets players make better connections and smooths out the wrinkles in play experiences. Sometimes someone is really quiet because they type poorly but they’ll give you all kinds of information via voice chat. At the same time, however, sometimes players will use voice chat to tell you every thought that runs through their head. The handiest tool that a guild leader can have is a muted channel. Nobody can speak in it but those you unmute as an admin. Your members will hate it. They will complain and say you’re treating them like children but, in my experience, when they have to shut up and listen they play better.

Loot Tracking Systems

Many guilds absolutely hate the idea of DKP (dragon kill points). They say it makes everything too clinical and really hurts the guild since it can never make as good a decision as their leader or their council. I can understand that argument but the system actually can and will frequently make as good and better decisions. Don’t argue the point with me, either! You basically have to convince me that a human being can remember everything that every member has done both recently and long term and then make an objective decision. Sorry friends, you can’t. You need some record keeping.

If points aren’t your thing that is no big deal! I’m not saying you have to use points at all. What I am saying is that you need some kind of records that can be viewed by your leader and/or council. They need some sort of historical reference beyond their own feeble memories. Use a spread sheet (the most time consuming way), build a simple database, or use one of the big name packages out there (like Guild Launch (no they don’t pay me, they’re just nice people)). You don’t even have to tell your members you’re doing it! Just trust me on this, though. The first time someone goes “loot drama” over a decision, you can point to your handy system and say, “Well Dresden, I’m sorry the dirty little gnome won that dagger but in all fairness he made 30 raids this month and it appears this is the only one you’ve made this quarter. We just didn’t think -but he is a recruit- was a good enough reason to award it to you.”

What do you use?

These are just some very simple, slightly silly, and generic tips that I put together to get the ball rolling. What have you guys found useful? What do you want out of your loot systems? What do you do to make your forums more worthwhile? What tips and tools make your lives easier? Share with the class!

Consider discussing “The tools of the MMO guild trade” on the new Epic Slant Forum!