by Lara Roberts

Created on: June 09, 2009

Having your own guild (or clan) in your online game of choice is a dream that many newbies start out with. Getting the skills, money and friends required to form your own guild can be a struggle in itself, but without the necessary knowledge, your guild will likely sink to the depths of obscurity rather than becoming the respected, illustrious group you may envision.

The most important skill needed to successfully run a guild is organisation. Without this, the guild will have no structure and as such can seem confusing and senseless to any newcomer or outsider. Being able to organise guild events, keep tabs on which members are active and keep any guild forums or websites up-to-date is crucial.
Events are a very important part of any guild - they foster member friendships, help newcomers to feel included in the group, and are usually fun! A good guild leader can keep the guild updated on when, where and what events are being held, and keep the events in line once they are in progress, by exercising their good sense and keeping close relationships with their members.

This leads neatly on to my next point - openness. A large part of leading a guild lies in being honest and open with your guild members, letting them know if there are any problems so that there is no bad feeling which can, in extreme cases, lead to the fragmentation and eventual disbandment of a guild. If you, as master, are genuine, polite, and make an attempt to befriend as many members as you can, your guild will have a much higher chance of being successful.

Another important thing to remember is to have, and enforce, a set of simple rules. Such things as being courteous in guild chat, keeping to a code of conduct in guild wars and not begging from fellow members are examples of essential rules that you should have and make clear to your members. And no favouritism! Even if an admin or council member breaks the rules, it should be made clear that no-one is above the law, as it were.

Now, on to the matter of guild wars. If your guild system allows you to fight other guilds, then you should always be sure to follow the game's rules on the matter and also not do anything that can be seen as dishonourable - for example, spam killing an opposing guild member at the spawn point, or killing a member of a much lower level than you. Doing these things, though it may seem an easy way of getting points, will usually result in arguments and a bad reputation for your guild - something to avoid at all costs!

Finally, when leading a guild you should always ensure to foster alliances between your guild and others. Making friends with other guilds will often result in a higher profile for your guild, and as such more members and a better guild all round.

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