Perhaps I should start up a "scientist guild" to go around examining the nature of Yliakum reality and reporting all anomalies (on the bug tracker.) It would be a kind of in context explanation for out of context activities. "yes ..I am repeatedly jumping up onto this box because I have detected that there is something quite abnormal about it and I am trying to ascertain its essence to publish in the Journal of Yliakum science" or "yes I am baking this sword on the grill because I am trying to understand the process that cause it to turn to gunk." It could be doubly rewarding. Perhaps the GMs would be tickled into designing an event around my guilds activities.
Why not?
We know that PS is an evolving world. And our characters must also realize it to
some degree. Quirks, bugs and developments in the game - such as the addition of a new map, a new NPC, etc. - can not go entirely unrecognized by our characters. I see no harm in finding creative ways to explain certain out of context activities and/or realities in the context of our characters and their settings. For example, the quarantine in Ojaveda is a great in context explanation for the out of context reality regarding the areas beyond the currently playable ones. Being able to explain to a newcomer that a part of the city is "under quarantine" is a lot more interesting for RP than having to jump out of character and tell them [it hasn't been implemented yet]. Of course, we could RP our way around many things, but this
is a 3-D RPG, and as such, the built environment is one of the characters. Otherwise, we could go back to playing table-top pen-and-paper or card-based RGPs and have the same experience.
To get back to the main topic: I would think having official or municipal guilds/occupations would be a common desire for both PLers and RPers. PLers should experience some small though noticable advantage in joining an official guild and "leveling IC" - for example, official guilds could have access to information and/or resources that would otherwise be very difficult to obtain. And the RPers in such guilds should be able to incorperate such behaviour into their own RP as they go about managing the life of their guild. In the real world, people joined guilds for various reasons - some to get rich and/or powerful quickly, some to experience and enjoy comradery among like-minded individuals, some to give their lives purpose in a grander scheme. People will play PS for various reasons, and official guilds could be one way to bring people with different interest together and have them cooperate towards common goals.
Regarding the 'reward' issue: In my opinion, RP is self-rewarding. That implies, however, that I am going to regard any situation or event that allows me to experience a wider variety of RP as a "reward" in itself. As far as I can tell, both Dreamcrafter and Mythryndel would agree with me. From my perspective - as a player who likes both leveling up and role playing - official, municipally sanctioned guilds would offer a great way to combine both of those interests.
Right now I am focused on questing in order to gain as much knowledge as I feel necessary to RP with others at a level which satisfies me personally. I'm gaining lots of experience points, and will start training specific skills soon. But I RP often, typically in combination with some task or quest I need to accomplish. My Kran was practically born with a pickaxe in his hand, and he would love to join the geological survey department of a miners guild.
