Ustarte you're completely welcome to sign up, when we have anything prepared. ^_^ I'll keep you updated.
@ Molt--
That -was- a long post. On the matter of Free Companies and Linkshells-- well, my experience in the past has been with 'legit' guilds, so to speak, with the roster and the ranks and so on, and if Free Companies fill that title, that's likely what the guild as a whole will be. I see the potential downside of starting a linkshell on the side for roleplay, that it could very well turn out that it's two 'guilds' with the same name but for the comfort of PVE'ers and in the interest of the RP'ers, that would likely just be the route we've have to go. The RP'ers should have access to the PVE goings-on and events that they might wish to be included in, whereas if a PVE'er is interested in the roleplaying aspect of things, they will always come in (no matter how long they've been in the Divine Aegis) as a 'new member', not recognized by the rest in character until they consciously decide to make the jump into roleplay.
We intend to separate RP'ers and PVE'ers and I've stated that if it boils right down to it, I'll just have to make a separate RP guild. With the option of FCs AND linkshells, I can uphold that threat AND not have to leave G'erard to his own lonely devices. I agree that it might be complicated to some people, but I hope they can understand that for the benefits of having extraneous people readily available to help you or answer questions about things some super hardcore roleplayers may not know, and the potential to join in a raid without having to find yet another group to join (or can you pug people?) or pugging will outweigh any minor hassles by having a side-shell. Also, they'll be able to roleplay with others while they level and though we're separating the PVE/RP aspects of the guild, I -do- intend to help people level first hand, as many as I can as frequently as I can, and I expect the same out of any higher level rp'ers at least every once in a while.
A lot of the development for the guild will likely only come after having members, but without a good foundation to start out with in the lore (and I should have specified that the lore is a big part of what I don't have yet) I'm not sure much of anyone is going to -want- to join. I'm a great salesmen and all, and I believe the wrong plan is better than no plan so I'm doing some research and such but I've got to keep in mind we might end up with no more than a handful of people at the end of the day and how will I keep that handful as happy as a few dozen?
Also, I really like some of the ideas you offered and I'll give them some thought-- though I don't think the Aegis would have been an entity before G'erard came up with it. We might take over some ruined area as an HQ both as a setting for non-present roleplay and for guild meetings.
@Mtoto-
You're very much right on very many things, like Molt, and I see it. I've been in Noble House guilds before, as a guard and as a counselor but not in a military guild. As a militia, it will likely be much more 'loosely' organized in a sense, with more verbal requests and given missions than reports and such, though I do like them and if you don't mind, may implement them to some lesser extent.
There's also a standing problem that, I really can't build a whole section for the scholarly pursuits before we find anyone with scholarly pursuits. It may turn out that everyone who joins wants to be a 'soldier' of sorts and then one poor guy with his book in the dark and one dim candle-- now I'm depressed. G'erard's whole thing is 'the pursuit of knowledge; seeing the past to change the future' and though Shiv can roll with that, she's not at all the intellectual type and thus wouldn't be great at telling others -how- to obtain or filter information. That whole side of our guild may just have to be turned solely to information gathering about noteworthy individuals in Eorzea (player characters), teaching each other how to be better at their classes, and diplomacy with other guilds until I can find someone willing to participate in the guild to help me, ICly as well as OOCly with that aspect.
I have a horrible tendency to micro-manage, which has pros and cons. Usually, there's never a guild I've officered in or led that had members I didn't know within two days of their joining. Also, I've managed to defuse a lot of OOC drama by maintaining more than an open door policy with people. On the other side, I tend to get really caught up trying to help people in one aspect to the extent of sometimes neglecting another (like helping a group level or complete quests and neglecting a group who wants the leader there in character for roleplay). As you've said, people tend to -want- responsibility when they're recognized for their hard work and I really would like those higher level people to help newer members in and out of character. I can't force it, but I can motivate--
In short, both you and Moltove (as well as several others) simply have a much better idea of the world and the setting than I do. So without access to someone who is putting forth effort into making this guild work who has that information, I'm sort of at the mercy of the game's release before anything is set in stone.
I agree forum roleplay can be important-- forums are important in general to keep people up to date and I know we'll have one. I personally dislike forum roleplay when it tends to make people think that they don't have to be present in game OR they are roleplaying something that has an outcome that can interfere with the in game time line (example: it might take a week or two to complete a mission in a forum and you might obtain an injury that should appear in character within a day or two). Those can be worked around, but only if people spend as much time if not more time in game than on the forum.
Forum roleplay is good, in my mind, for people who want some extraneous character development in their spare time with someone who might otherwise be busy, for leveling roleplayers who want to reach end-game level before really dedicating themselves to in game rp and for fleshing out backgrounds. I don't see myself demanding others to participate regularly in the forums other than to keep up to date on events that they should be able to know in character (letters, summons, 'mission reports', new allies, etc.) but I can and will encourage it.
Ravyne's right, and as I said, I'll likely look into an HQ setting once the game is released and I can get a good perspective of what the damage is/changes are.
Thank you for your guys' input and I'll definitely scan through your forums, Mtoto.
@ Molt--
That -was- a long post. On the matter of Free Companies and Linkshells-- well, my experience in the past has been with 'legit' guilds, so to speak, with the roster and the ranks and so on, and if Free Companies fill that title, that's likely what the guild as a whole will be. I see the potential downside of starting a linkshell on the side for roleplay, that it could very well turn out that it's two 'guilds' with the same name but for the comfort of PVE'ers and in the interest of the RP'ers, that would likely just be the route we've have to go. The RP'ers should have access to the PVE goings-on and events that they might wish to be included in, whereas if a PVE'er is interested in the roleplaying aspect of things, they will always come in (no matter how long they've been in the Divine Aegis) as a 'new member', not recognized by the rest in character until they consciously decide to make the jump into roleplay.
We intend to separate RP'ers and PVE'ers and I've stated that if it boils right down to it, I'll just have to make a separate RP guild. With the option of FCs AND linkshells, I can uphold that threat AND not have to leave G'erard to his own lonely devices. I agree that it might be complicated to some people, but I hope they can understand that for the benefits of having extraneous people readily available to help you or answer questions about things some super hardcore roleplayers may not know, and the potential to join in a raid without having to find yet another group to join (or can you pug people?) or pugging will outweigh any minor hassles by having a side-shell. Also, they'll be able to roleplay with others while they level and though we're separating the PVE/RP aspects of the guild, I -do- intend to help people level first hand, as many as I can as frequently as I can, and I expect the same out of any higher level rp'ers at least every once in a while.
A lot of the development for the guild will likely only come after having members, but without a good foundation to start out with in the lore (and I should have specified that the lore is a big part of what I don't have yet) I'm not sure much of anyone is going to -want- to join. I'm a great salesmen and all, and I believe the wrong plan is better than no plan so I'm doing some research and such but I've got to keep in mind we might end up with no more than a handful of people at the end of the day and how will I keep that handful as happy as a few dozen?
Also, I really like some of the ideas you offered and I'll give them some thought-- though I don't think the Aegis would have been an entity before G'erard came up with it. We might take over some ruined area as an HQ both as a setting for non-present roleplay and for guild meetings.
@Mtoto-
You're very much right on very many things, like Molt, and I see it. I've been in Noble House guilds before, as a guard and as a counselor but not in a military guild. As a militia, it will likely be much more 'loosely' organized in a sense, with more verbal requests and given missions than reports and such, though I do like them and if you don't mind, may implement them to some lesser extent.
There's also a standing problem that, I really can't build a whole section for the scholarly pursuits before we find anyone with scholarly pursuits. It may turn out that everyone who joins wants to be a 'soldier' of sorts and then one poor guy with his book in the dark and one dim candle-- now I'm depressed. G'erard's whole thing is 'the pursuit of knowledge; seeing the past to change the future' and though Shiv can roll with that, she's not at all the intellectual type and thus wouldn't be great at telling others -how- to obtain or filter information. That whole side of our guild may just have to be turned solely to information gathering about noteworthy individuals in Eorzea (player characters), teaching each other how to be better at their classes, and diplomacy with other guilds until I can find someone willing to participate in the guild to help me, ICly as well as OOCly with that aspect.
I have a horrible tendency to micro-manage, which has pros and cons. Usually, there's never a guild I've officered in or led that had members I didn't know within two days of their joining. Also, I've managed to defuse a lot of OOC drama by maintaining more than an open door policy with people. On the other side, I tend to get really caught up trying to help people in one aspect to the extent of sometimes neglecting another (like helping a group level or complete quests and neglecting a group who wants the leader there in character for roleplay). As you've said, people tend to -want- responsibility when they're recognized for their hard work and I really would like those higher level people to help newer members in and out of character. I can't force it, but I can motivate--
In short, both you and Moltove (as well as several others) simply have a much better idea of the world and the setting than I do. So without access to someone who is putting forth effort into making this guild work who has that information, I'm sort of at the mercy of the game's release before anything is set in stone.
I agree forum roleplay can be important-- forums are important in general to keep people up to date and I know we'll have one. I personally dislike forum roleplay when it tends to make people think that they don't have to be present in game OR they are roleplaying something that has an outcome that can interfere with the in game time line (example: it might take a week or two to complete a mission in a forum and you might obtain an injury that should appear in character within a day or two). Those can be worked around, but only if people spend as much time if not more time in game than on the forum.
Forum roleplay is good, in my mind, for people who want some extraneous character development in their spare time with someone who might otherwise be busy, for leveling roleplayers who want to reach end-game level before really dedicating themselves to in game rp and for fleshing out backgrounds. I don't see myself demanding others to participate regularly in the forums other than to keep up to date on events that they should be able to know in character (letters, summons, 'mission reports', new allies, etc.) but I can and will encourage it.
Ravyne's right, and as I said, I'll likely look into an HQ setting once the game is released and I can get a good perspective of what the damage is/changes are.
Thank you for your guys' input and I'll definitely scan through your forums, Mtoto.
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