Author Topic: Weak names for guilds.  (Read 4822 times)

Xillix Queen of Fools

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Weak names for guilds.
« on: November 01, 2007, 07:56:38 pm »
It has been troubling to me for some time and I thought I should get it out.

I think MOST guildnames in ps are very weak.

Abstract names abound!

I would make examples but people might feel attacked so I will make some examples of my own.

Defenders of Light. <--- Meaningless chain of abstractions.

Collective of Wyrms <--sounds neat, what the hell is a wyrm?

Kranbane <--- ooh it contains a yliakum word! No No No! Racism is a capitol offense.

Looking here at the list of names there are only a few that I like. Guild naming is a wonderful and vastly underused way to drive new players toward embracing the settings.




Suno_Regin

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #1 on: November 01, 2007, 08:13:23 pm »
What can we say? Too bad?

Under the moon

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2007, 08:30:52 pm »
I lay the blame squarely on games such as WOW, where 'guilds' are nothing more than glorified clubs. Most people don’t even understand what a guild actually is anymore.

And I would classify saying “Too bad” to the person who has the power to delete all guilds and make it a lot harder to make club guilds in the first place a “Bad idea.” ;)

The time of True guilds will come. Worry not.

LigH

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #3 on: November 01, 2007, 08:32:46 pm »
@ Xillix:

I wonder if you recently read The Noob Comic (top right: "Wrath of Hades" is a helpful, family oriented guild...) :D

And do you know the reason of the "guild inflation"? -- /motd ==> "Bored? Why not found a guild." (or similar...)

Technically, founding a guild is not too hard. That's fine. But ... not many guilds have a well thought purpose, history, reason. Not many guilds have something unique about them. Guilds need time and activity to establish.

What the mentioned "Server MOTD" does not tell, is: Founding a guild is more than just paying a fee and keeping members active. A guild itself is like a character. It should develop. It should define its purpose and expression. Before founding a guild, a few questions should be answered with conviction: "Is it necessary? Is it really new and unique? Will noone shout 'Oh no, not another'?"

Oh boy, I am a smartass... I know you will scold me.


You mentioned "Kranbane" ... well. "Dwarvesbane" was the start of an interesting roleplaying "event", if I may call a development over several weeks so. Expected or not, it was definitely something unique, valuable. If you think there should have been a different name for it, I can agree with you; but the idea behind is not to scold, in my opinion. Furthermore, the "event" is over.
__

@ UTM:

"True guilds" - what do you mean? Guilds related to professions? Well. How many times did we try to found a guild of news reporters. How many times died this project because people said noone would be interested. Many thanks to all pessimists, you were successful. Not only once.

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Xillix Queen of Fools

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #4 on: November 01, 2007, 08:39:24 pm »
I have already changed many of those screen comments I will change them all.

eldoth_terevan

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #5 on: November 01, 2007, 08:50:05 pm »
It would be more informative to discuss what are interpreted as being "strong" guild names before talking about weak ones.

LigH

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #6 on: November 01, 2007, 10:07:30 pm »
Indeed. A bad teacher tells you just you are wrong; a good teacher explains how to improve. ;)

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Waylander

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2007, 10:20:58 pm »
Do you really need to be taught how to name your guild? :P

I like to think the Imperial Intelligence Agency was well-name (Bar the Imperial part...) and there are quite a few others.  Your guild name should hint at what your guild does.

And no, you can't defend light, in fact, you can't even keep up with it :P

"Thieves of Yliakum" would be the best named guild out there, in my opinion.
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<Jeraphon>you so khrazy

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LigH

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #8 on: November 01, 2007, 11:05:43 pm »
In my opinion, some of the present and "older" guilds are setting a standard most new guilds can't reach as suddenly as their founders may wish. For example, "Explorers" and "Knowledge Seekers" must come close to the kind of guilds UtM seems to mean.

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bilbous

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #9 on: November 02, 2007, 06:19:29 am »
Personally I can't think of any good reason for guilds at all. They seem to exist only due to popular demand and are more out of context than in no matter how hard their members try and many of you do try hard to be in context. As far as I am concerned the only guilds that should be allowed are official guilds created by the settings team, headed by npcs and run in the background by gms. That would take care of bad guild names. There might still be some but they would be officially bad. ;)

Raa

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #10 on: November 02, 2007, 06:24:21 am »
Ah, but what about Warriors Organization? Or the Outlaws? Or The Fallen Kingdom? Sheeples (which I think is a weak name  :P) is the most OOCest guild I've ever seen, but at least it keeps people organized. Plus, it's sorta fun.

SerqFeht

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #11 on: November 02, 2007, 06:47:54 am »
The Mercenaries possibly applies here. Currently we are still trying to pull everything together, but active members keep quitting, or becoming too busy to play much. Yes, it is very young, and somewhat unstable because of the dependance on 3 people. Our name is rather weak, I agree. We could have been very creative. But it says who we are, and we will work as mercenaries in role-plays that are offered.

I agree and disagree with what has been said. Yes, many guilds are uncreative, unoriginal, and unstable. But there are a fair amount of fun ones, as Raa said, that might not be terribly IC. I think the system is fine, just the way it is. If people have badly named guilds with poor vision, few may join. In the long run, only the best are known to players everywhere. And remember, bad ideas and bad names can be the start of a guild, but with the addition of a few key members, it can grow into something great
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Zan

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #12 on: November 02, 2007, 10:30:30 am »
"Thieves of Yliakum" would be the best named guild out there, in my opinion.

Personally I find the use of 'of Yliakum' in any guild name to be a bit over the top. It rules out all possibilities of other guilds in the same area being created. It's the same as having names like "Police of the World" or "whatever music band of the world" in real life.

Now for the original remark, yes there are loads of poor guild names out there but I do have to say it is very hard to make a good guild name with limited knowledge about the settings. Lately we're getting more and more background information, which I love by the way but I can recall a time where we barely had anything to go on, a book or three in Jayose's library and here or there a popup with info. Try making good guild names with that :P

All for an enforcement on better guild names and purposes though!
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Suno_Regin

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #13 on: November 02, 2007, 11:49:30 am »
It's an MMO, you can't expect anything but weird guild names. This sounds like a thread I would've made a few years ago, complaining about something that would never be changed. Just gonna have to deal with it, that's final. =/

Zan

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Re: Weak names for guilds.
« Reply #14 on: November 02, 2007, 12:01:01 pm »
A few hundred years back you could have said "Humans down have wings, you can't expect us to fly around!" then some guy decided to build an airplane and now we're flying all over the globe, even into space.

"This is just how things are." is a poor argument and in my opinion a poor position to take. Settling down with the present won't make anything happen in the future.
Zan Drithor, Member of the Vaalnor Council
Tyrnal Relhorn, Captain of the Vaalguard
Thromdir Shoake, Merchant
Giorn Kleaver, Miner.

Grayne Dholm, Follower of Dakkru