RolePlay

[Aramara Meibi]

or, new guild with cool premise is formed, everyone creates an alt specifically for that guild, no one ever plays their alt.

[Rigwyn]

For me, a character is a character whether its one you play more often or less often. I think that if you trust the player, then it doesn't matter how many guilds their characters are in.

[Aramara Meibi]

but if no characters in a guild are ever online, the guild is effectively dead. even if a main joins a guild only to realize that no other guild members are ever present, they probs won't stay in that guild too long.

[Roled]

Since the thread's taken a turn to guilds-  long ago, after the diaspora- I suggested that all Guilds be secondary to factions- which are earned by character's actions in game.  There are far fewer factions, and that way alliances and buddies and people who are interested in what your char is interested in are more easily found and rped with.  instead of the Guild banner in the /who list, it could be the associations/factions "Seeds of Wildwood", "Bakers Association of Yliakum" etc.

And when newcomers join, they could be met by a 'welcome wagon' kind of association who's 'guild' or faction mission is to help new people out.  But, well, ownership... resistance to change... recalcitrance... etc ... I don't remember that proposal being seriously discussed.

The current system isn't working, doesn't enhance character development or rp or immersion, and only works to separate not to provide unifying processes...

like other things do in PS...

But then, well, who am I?

[Rigwyn]

You're turning into a troll or a gremlin or something, Roled.  :p

Seriously though, in this example, would a guild be obligated to be aligned to an existing faction? Would it be more akin to a sub-faction? I ask because I wonder if that might cause a problem for those who want a guild that is unrelated to any of the in-game factions.

Back when there were lots of players, guilds made sense, but now with only a handful of players, it doesn't really help if everyone is in their own guild. It's kind of like taking a fist full of M&Ms and sorting them into separate Tuppeware containers by color.  >.>  ( with lids and everything )

[Aramara Meibi]

so many guilds are formed with premises that don't fit the factions, and limiting guilds to the premises of the factions is, well, limiting. also, you gain faction points through questing, which is dumb. so if one very wisely chooses not to quest, then they end up factionless, regardless of their RP behavior.

[Cairn]

I'll go ahead and answer my own question a bit too.

But firstly, yeah, I don't like the whole factions idea. While it is IC, it doesn't offer much player-control, which is part of what makes Yliakum great.

The main thing I have with having alts in guilds is the concept of alts in the first place (which is for me, a bit of the pot calling the kettle black. I have been renowned for having several alts before >.>) but having had several alts, I also know that I don't play them all very regularly. I think the best players in PlaneShift are able to devote their time to one or two characters, and have a few bit players. To be a good roleplayer that contributes to a guild, I think you have to be more than a bit player: you need to be a fully fleshed character.

Not only do alts kill guilds, but they can degrade the game, too. If players get attached to your alts and you don't have the time to play them, you're putting people off and killing 'threads' of RP. Why? Because people get disinterested and move on when you can't dedicate time to involving them or being involved with them.

Idk. I've tried to get it down to where I play one character constantly (or have been, with Wulfar - I think it's getting time for him to move on and I'll play someone else), and maybe one-two alts (Lyla atm), with a few bit characters that I can bring on for an as-needed-only basis. That way, whoever gets a hold of me, be it for a guild or just general RP can have my undivided attention.

There are people who multitask better than others, granted. But I find that if you spend so much time bouncing ideas into alts, you lose a lot of what makes having a main special: truly fleshing it out, truly making it special, and truly being involved on a much more than superficial level with PlaneShift and its players.