Taking on the role of guild leader for a small guild can present numerous challenges. Many players assume that the larger your guild grows the more problems you will have. This may be partly true but having a cushion of players does give you some security. Small guilds that intend to remain small have their own issues that must be addressed. Lets key in on some of the issues a guild will face when it tries to keep that small town appeal.
The primary issue that you’re going to have with any guild is attendance. Getting your members to attend your events can be like pulling teeth or herding cats. Everyone has their own agenda and set of goals. In larger organizations when someone doesn’t show up you can move down the list and take the next person. In a small guild that just isn’t an option. When you run a lean roster a single person missing can basically stop the entire show. Due to this fact it is your job as a guild administrator to educate your members on the dangerous of missing events without warning. Have open, honest talks about how poor communication skills or going AWOL can hold up the rest of the bunch. When treated with respect most members will understand and try to compromise with you.
Content can also be a sticky situation with small guilds. Once you have everyone signed on to the plan and your attendance numbers are looking solid you have to find things to do. Some games offer a lot of raid content for less than full sized guilds. World of Warcraft is one. You could develop a guild around heroics and ten mans and have a pretty great experience. Other games are not as accepting of those play styles. Do your homework before hand and figure out just what your game of choice offers to small organizations. Your play style and game might not be compatible.
The lack of content and sheer number of members can frequently give micro-guilds a feeling of inactivity. Members might log on during non-scheduled times and find less than a group of people available. This can wear people out and frustrate them as they have to solo or find PUGs. There is no easy fix for this situation other than to develop a good friend relationship with another guild and educate your members about what happens during non-scheduled play times. Some players will be alright with this and others will not. Don’t begrudge anyone that moves on.
It is inevitable that you will lose a player here and there. That means you’ll need to replace them and that can be a tricky prospect. Selling a small guild on the potential recruit market is rough these days. Players used to be the commodity that was linked to the guild. Now guilds are the commodity linked to the player. A guild tag is traded as easily as copper. Be mindful of this situation and try to offer something unique to potential players. Look for those that want to know everyone in their guild and don’t have a lot of “off schedule” time to play. Disclose everything up front and you’ll have less turn over.
With any luck and with a little content support from your game’s developers you’ll be able to carve out a nice small town guild. They can be a joy to run once you get past all of the problems and help build solid, lasting bonds.
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