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Ever since the dawn of multiplayer gaming, people have had a pressing need to belong to something larger than themselves. Though it could often be dismissed for purely selfish ends in MUDs and other RPGs, the happenings continued with the introduction of QuakeSpy, a utility that allowed people to play against their friends over the internet (and which later evolved into the now-famous GameSpy). The wish to join with other players in First Person Shooters could be likened to the wish to join a sports team; the success of your team reflected on your personal success. If your team won all its matches, your name would be in the limelight as one of the people who made it happen.

The phenomenon was not so easily explained when it came to MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). Instead, it was more a case of there being strength in numbers. Where a single death could set one back several weeks worth of work, it paid to have friends, and powerful friends, at that. With the release of Ultima Online, the trend reached new heights. Massive guilds were formed, powerful guilds. The concentration of strength had reached entirely new heights. Any opposition to the forming of the monstrous guilds was crushed, as the players had the power to dismiss any enemies out of hand. A few rebellious, smaller guilds formed, despite the oppressive conditions that existed.

For several months, the juggernauts flourished, easily crushing anything in their paths. Their members were the best equipped, the most skilled, the most powerful of any players. Then something unexpected happened. The guilds that had built up membership so quickly were imploding. Members were leaving in unprecedented numbers. The collapse of the empires was imminent, and taking their place was the new reality; smaller guilds, held together by more than the mere promise of wealth and power. Rather, they were held together by bonds of friendship, of trust, of goodwill towards each other.

Ever Quest followed a similar route, with one difference; the implosion of the uber-guilds never happened. The mechanics of the game demanded that the high-level game was played with large groups of allies, as smaller guilds did not have a chance of clearing out areas such as the Planes by themselves. Certainly, some smaller guilds can be found, and they manage to stay afloat, but the majority of the game is dominated by the super-guilds.

Now, with the impending release of such games as Star Wars: Galaxies, Worlds of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI, to name a few, the entire concept of guilds is experiencing a rebirth. Massive guilds (or player associations, depending on the game) have already sprung up. Groups such as Rebel Dawn for Star Wars: Galaxies already have upwards of 50 members, with many others closing in or surpassing that mark. The point of this article is to educate on the intricacies of creating and running a guild, along with the attitudes and ideas that will keep the guild successful and fun.

The most important part of running a guild is, without a doubt, the formation. If you get this wrong, then your guild's entire future will be compromised. Even the smallest error at this stage can suffer from the chaos effect, multiplying to a staggering level in the later stages of your guild. Thus, preparation and knowledge of what you are doing is a must.

The first, and most important part of guild formation is knowing what type of guild you will be. This comes in two forms; alignment, and abilities Though the latter was not such a problem in games such as Everquest, where fighting was, more or less, the only practical thing to do, games such as Star Wars Galaxies, or World of Warcraft will allow the player to live the life of a politician, soldier or other such profession. Thus, you must decide. Will you focus more on the fighting life, and make sure all your members are able to defend themselves? Will you become a guild of crafters, relying on your contacts and friends to defend yourselves? Or will you combine the two, and become a self-financing, self-protecting group? The decision is important, and can impact the in-game lives of your players for the duration of your guild.

The other form, alignment, is as important, if not more so, than the selection of abilities, for it will determine your enemies and your allies to a certain degree. This takes on another dimension when you incorporate things such as factioned PvP combat, where your alignment determines which other guilds can fight you. As has been true since the beginning of RPGs, evil is a challenging path, yet some players find it rewarding, as well. Neutrality can be either the simplest or more difficult path to follow, depending on how other players view you. Either everyone will trust you for not choosing a side, or you will be reviled and viewed as a coward. Finally, the alignment of good is always a popular one. Be warned, however, that in some of the new games, alignment is not as simple as good or evil. Star Wars: Galaxies, for example, has factions ranging from Rebel to Imperial, with Neutral and Criminal factions filling out the middle of the spectrum. Thus, the choice of faction becomes more difficult.

Now that you have chosen the two base values of your guild, it is time to begin recruiting members. Several rules of etiquette apply here. First off, do not go recruiting players from other guilds. That is considered rude and will likely land you on multiple enemy lists. If the players ask to join you, then you can take them, but do not go onto their message board and begin telling people how great your guild is. Secondly, do not post repeated messages on public boards. First off, there are usually specific boards dedicated to people creating guilds and those looking for one. Post your message there, rather than in general chat areas. Finally, be patient. Though you may only have a few recruits at first, when you begin to grow, people will be more willing to try your guild out.

Make sure the rules are firmly established. If you do not wish your members to PK rampantly, then make sure they know. Do not be too strict with the rules, for if you are, then it is likely that your players will end up violating them, whether purposefully or not. Though if they are too lenient, you encounter another problem; that of your guild being given a bad name by "loose cannons" whom run around the game causing havoc. The best advice you can take to heart is to be strict but fair. Make sure they are clearly visible, and force new members to read and agree to the rules. That way, your members will not be able to tell you that "they didn't know".

Build a clear hierarchy. You will not be able to run the guild all by yourself, so do not even attempt it. If you do, you will face utter and total chaos, and possibly even lemurs. Yes, lemurs and single-leadership are somehow linked. It is a fact of nature. Anyways, make sure you have enough officers to keep things under control. A good ratio is to have 1 officer for every 5 members. They do not have to be senior officers; simply having an officer is usually more than enough. Make sure they know their responsibilities, and their powers.

Communicate. Get the word out there. Send messages to the different sites that list guilds for your game. Make sure that everyone knows that you are now officially a guild. That way, your enemies know to fear you (or laugh at you, depending on what the case may be). Your allies know that you'll be backing them up, giving them a sense of relief (or dread, again depending on who we happen to be talking about.)

Your guild is now created. You have members, officers, and rules. Congratulations. In the words of Princess Leia "It's not over yet." Things have just begun for you. Now that your guild is up and running, your next step is going to be getting your players ready for the game you plan to play. How do you do this? Planning. Even if a game is not released, even if you only have the sketchiest details, it is never too early to begin planning. Note that the following only applies to combat guilds. Crafter guilds, your advice will come later on.

Your first part of training should be to make sure that every player knows his or her division. For example, players should be divided up depending on what combat specialty they plan to practice. Attempt to spread them out amongst the groups. A group consisting solely of archers, for example, would be slaughtered if the enemy were ever to close. In the same vein, a group consisting solely of melee'ers would not survive long against archers, as they would be unable to get close enough to fight. Divide your players up into groups, and assign an officer to command each group.

For the games based more on present or future times, dividing players up based on their weapon proficiencies may not work quite as well. In this case, place each player in a group based on what they think they're best at. Players who are good at concealment and ranged weapons combat should be placed in Commando teams, whereas players best at frontal assaults with heavy firepower would end up in one of the frontal assault groups. Keeping each player where their strengths lie can be the difference between failure and success.

Finally, make sure that everyone is able to take orders. If your officer tells a team to flank left and half the team goes running towards the front, then you have a problem. Drill it into them at every chance; the team that stays together will win, whereas the lone wolf tends to die a lot more often. This is true in any type of game, whether RPG, FPS, or a hybrid of the two. Keep everyone aware of what is expected of them, and you will almost always come out on top.

As a crafter, the advice is much the same as that given to the fighters. Keep everyone where his or her strengths lie. Even more so than with combat guilds, you must diversify. If you do not have players who are dedicated to bringing in raw materials, you will be forced to purchase them from other guilds, and they will gladly sell them to you… for a highly inflated price. It is always cheaper to get things yourself, and if you can manage this, you will see your profits stay high and your expenses stay low.

Though it is inevitable that your resource gatherers will be forced to put themselves in harm's way often enough, you can usually avoid this with your crafters themselves. Do as much of the crafting as you can within a secure location, such as a guild house, or in town. Gather as many resources as you can at a time, for even though it is safe enough to mine at the moment, the next time you come you may encounter a horde of evil-doers looking for your blood.

In short, the most important aspect of in-game life is diversifying and playing to the strengths of your members. Though players will sometimes be forced to go outside their area of expertise, this should occur only rarely. Everyone should keep within their role, and by doing so allow others to keep within theirs.

Finally, the most important part of the guild. Camaraderie. Far too often, this aspect of guild life is ignored in the rush to be the most powerful guild in the game. Having seventy-three high-level members, being the only guild to have killed the Monster of Ultimate Doom and being completely rich is worth absolutely nothing when your guild falls apart because your members are bickering. The best way to keep things civil is to set the example yourself. Make it so your guild is not just a group of players, but rather, a group of friends. Everyone should enjoy playing with each other, and not just do it so they can advance as quickly as possible.

The world of Massively Multiplayer gaming is ever expanding. New games are appearing all the time, and with them come new opportunities to make your mark on the guild world. Not everyone will become a Greyhawke, or a Rebel Dawn. You can, however, give your players a great gaming experience, and, hopefully, learn something from them in the process. For that is the greatest part of guilds in MMOGs; it is a learning experience for both sides.