How to Design a Guild for your Campaign - Game Master Tips

[@BrazenBard]

Let's not overlook historical guilds, like those of the Hanseatic League, where the merchant guilds effectively fielded their own military forces on land and sea... Just because a guild is dedicated to one thing doesn't mean they don't branch out to secure that one thing through different means; you could have a Guild of Illuminated Knowledge, dedicated to academic arcane studies, and they could still have regular soldiers, armorers and artificers to provide tactical support to their more theoretically-inclined members when seeking out a particular rare tome or something of the sort.

[@chramesly]

Thank you for the tip! Do you have any other historical guilds I could research too?

[@BrazenBard]

Wikipedia to the rescue - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guild - perhaps not so much in-depth on specific guilds, but a good article on the generalities, with a few references to specific guilds. Hope that helps. :)

[@chramesly]

Thanks, it does :)

[@dafriendlyghost]

Brotherhood of Steel

[@CaronDriel]

I have an Adventurer's Guild in my setting. It's a nation-wide organization and is trusted by everyone, government and citizen alike. Non-guild mercs are mistrusted and avoided. It was founded by one of the heroes of the kingdom back when it was first created. It was designed to be able to solve the common man's problems better than the military could, which was an issue back when the kingdom was founded. To join, you just go to the guild and take one of the F ranks missions on the quest board, sometimes referred to as the F board, on the outside of the guildhall. These are pathetically easy missions. (Go kill a CR1/4 creature, go find five of this herb, go deliver this package to the village a day's travel away from the guild, etc.) Once you complete this you're admitted into the guild as a bronze rank adventurer. You're given your guild card and have to put your party role on it. (This is to make party formation easier for members. It's really more flavour text than anything.) The roles are Striker, Defender, Controller, and Support. Then you can access the real quest board on the inside of the guild building. My system for ranks is based on metals and gems. Normal members of the guild are ranked bronze, silver, gold, or platinum. Leadership are given gem based ranks. Emerald, Sapphire, Ruby, Diamond, etc. Ranks are given based on how many points and how much trust the guild has in the member. Basically each quest completed gives a number of points. Additional points may be given based on the dangers surmounted that the guild becomes aware of when the adventurers turn in their mission report. Once an adventurer reaches a certain point threshold their mission reports are reviewed by the leadership at their local guild and they have an interview. They're judged based on their skill and trustworthiness. If they pass they advance to the next rank and are allowed to take on higher rank missions. Missions are categorized by letters, F, E, D, C, B, A, and S. Bronze ranks can only take F and E rank missions. Silver ranks can also take D and C rank missions. Gold ranks can also take B and A rank missions. And then finally Only platinum rank adventurers can take S rank missions. Not that there are many, though. S rank missions are like dealing with CR20-25 threats. There are even higher rank missions (SS and SSS) but that's only for serious threats. (CR26 and up) Those aren't publicized, however. The guild hand selects people to send on those kinds of missions.

[@lvd8122]

You should change the entry to a fee+a time of adventuring with a trusted guild member that reports in you. No guild like that which wants to keep the trust put I to it would allow any odd warrior to join. They would offcurse invest heavily in a spying organisation that keeps track of applicants and any possibly lucrative treasures.

[@candiedginger8729]

@@lvd8122 perhaps the F rank missions Are set up as tests. Why would an adventuring guild post an entry quest of retrieving herbs? Perhaps said herbs are grown only by Granny Hatchet (a retired guild member). In the world described above she would definitely report in on how the prospective members did aquiring the herbs. Not every world needs to be full of intrigue. Now if you will excuse me, I must roll up Granny Hatchet's npc sheet. I'm thinking she would be a human barbarian. I love randomly inspired characters. 😊

[@Zhatelier]

I recently came up with a guild or an organization for a campaign that I'll be playing a rogue in. The guild is a sort of counter-thief organization that various people hire to steal back items of great value from other thieves and organizations. The GM liked the idea since it gives him great tools to give my character extra hooks to take the party in the direction that he needs us to go (if need be, if not, then it's just cool little extra adventures).

[@TheAdarkerglow]

I'd expand it a bit farther into an 'Adventurer's Guild', and make it an organization with a broader goal of 'procuring rare and exotic items for a fee', and having the character occasionally commissioned to recapture stolen goods would still be within their wheelhouse, but you'd also be free to have it become an escort quest to find a relic or an investigation into some rumors to find something lost in a cavern (say, an excavation party was ambushed and lost some precious cargo along the way). Though perhaps these concepts had already occurred to you. Either way, happy gaming!

[@drakeford3238]

Zhatelier Maybe I've gotten cynical, but my first thought upon reading this was: "Man, what a good racket would this be if the Guild Leaders for this also (secretly) ran a Thieves Guild. They'd know exactly where to find the goods since they would be the ones who sold them in the first place, and they'd be able to pull down a double-cut off of any one theft, all the while keeping up phenomenal PR."

[@Kat-zw9kc]

Idea for future video: how to deal with GM burnout. When you’ve been running awhile and you’re not having fun anymore. How to have fun as GM even when you are “losing.” What to do when your party keeps ruining the battles and making everything paralyzed or the fights become less epic/dynamic.

[@nathandesa6773]

I'd recommend on fights figure out what they might have as weaknesses like if they're low magic add some spell casters to fight them, if they're mostly magic find creatures more immune to magic, I was losing and waited for the party to split on objectives before introducing The Dread Council, a group of extremely powerful undead warriors and necromancers that had been running things behind the scenes and captured two of them, one made a deal with them while the other died because he simply tried to fight three of them alone. Matthew Colville has great videos on how he sets up encounters and I'd highly recommend them.

[@MrGeneralPB]

well i suffered a head injury a few years ago that has really changed how much i can do before i get some nasty migraines so my GM'ing really suffered from that, i could not concentrate or focus and act for hours as i used to so it became a rather dark time for me as i really loved being a gm, so what i did was change the style of game i gm'ed, doing it more on one on one and shorter sessions of an hour or two, also changed the style to be more of a kings and queens level for players (using the old Birthright D&D game - it has been out of print for ages but there are plenty of pdf out there) having each player assume the role of a noble, guild leader, grand mage or priest and having them run their countries and only once in a while go adventuring, spending the most of the time dealing with intrigues at court, power plays, assassinations and random events like wandering monsters... so while technically not the same issue with burnout i think that changing what the players focuses are will help with the feeling of being burnt out =)

[@jessicakorte]

Sounds like you either need a new group or to take a break from dming. Maybe both.

[@ROYBGP]

Katrina Williams be a player.

[@aerie-]

As some others have mentioned, remember to take a break! You work very hard and you also work your creativity very hard and both often need rests! I like to use my break weeks to completely detach from the campaign I'm running (playing other games, watching movies, being with friends) and sometimes inspiration strikes (and there is no save available). As for fights: if your mobs are getting riddled with crowd control, grant immunities! If they're tanky without innate immunity, you could grant them a little resistance each time they're CC-ed! (Also his video on how to fudge rolls is useful if you believe your party wins too much)

[@6661313]

10:28 "adventure hooker" the words said while i was watching this and rolling up the "saloon girl" NPC i'm working on lol

[@jadenasher6290]

In my second game we are heavily based around our Guild. Guild warfare, alliances, and political intrigue with other guilds are huge elements. So this video is really refreshing.

[@chramesly]

This was perfectly timed - starting a campaign soon based around being in a merchant guild that sprung up centuries ago after the fall of a Roman-esque empire. Thank you! Now to rewatch the culture one for the different cities...

[@Leivve]

Should be noted that many guilds were just merchants that traded a specific good. So a nice twist for the Slayer's Guild, is that it's actually just a bunch of guys selling weapons to kill monsters.

[@OrPHaN1400]

Ive been worried about guilds in my sci fi setting. This has put alot of fears to rest. Thank you guy :)

[@aerie-]

Recently discovered this channel, and I'm loving this content! For the next video, a nice topic could be: "Guiding the Newbie" For example: player npcs as a panic button; involving players with interactions (combat and social); party building (teamwork) lessons; explaining the meta (and what metagaming really is).

[@northernnonesuch5572]

Topic Idea: Conspiracy. A video about how to run a plot of intrigue where the players uncover clandestine, happenings under a placid or stifling ethos.

[@heykenzo4284]

EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED TO KNOW FOR MY CAMPAIGN.

[@rashkavar]

Topic for possible discussion: What does a unique setting need to have before starting a campaign in it? You've gone through the planning a one-shot in quite some detail in the past, but you had a big crutch in that Braxia is an existing fantasy world of your own making; you already have the grand strokes of your setting. I know it's not as much planning as needed for writing a full narrative, because players will twist things in interesting and perpetually unexpected ways, but I know a good story needs at least the framework in place.

[@donniejohnson7439]

At my 48th birthday party tomorrow evening I'm beginning a massive mega chronicle that took 7 months in the making Featured chiefly in our first game is a corrupt Elvin organization referred to as the court of shadows and their conflicts with a raksasha ruled mega thieves guild known among the locals affectionately as black Maggie's row The mechanizations of both organizations were inspired by this video I just wanted a chance to present this towering behemoth to its spiritual father before releasing it to The tender mercies of the characters Thanks again sir

[@Robodragonlord]

I'm working on a guild in my campaign called the "Children of Radiance". These are people that hate any being of infernal heritage and will do anything to eradicate all of them (my campaign deals with an ongoing demonic invasion). Still working on finer details, but this video is very helpful.

[@zerosummations7198]

I haven't needed to track reputation in a game yet, but if I did I think I'd want to use something similar to Tyranny's reputation system, which tracks two qualities - Loyalty and Fear - independently. I found it remarkable that one of my companions was both terrified of and utterly loyal to my character, and yet it seems so obvious now. I can imagine particularly as PCs reach higher levels even significant organisations such as guilds might start to be a little wary of this band of extraordinarily effective 'heroes', even in the most Good-aligned campaigns.

[@NO-gg1ex]

Thank you for the help I’m a new dm and I’m running dragon of icespire peak and I’ve realised that Neverwinter is empty and it is meant to be this big city filled with possibilities and so im adding 2 guilds that are very simple: adventurer and thieves guilds that don’t really have leaders and are instead more like networks but still have celebrities almost that are members of the guild that are well known for being good and reliable at what they do

[@Alverant]

Historically guilds were about protecting their business. They weren't big on process improvements or anything else that disrupted the status quo. Members had to do things a certain way or else. This can make things interesting for PCs. For example say they try to sell some jewerly they found in a forgotten dungeon that's centuries old. It may set off a new fashion trend so the guild has to adapt or lose face. The piece may contain some forgotten technique so now the guild member wants to hire the PCs on the sly to go back and find more about it (or destroy whatever they find).

[@felscorf456]

I would say the game Freelancer does an excellent job with factions (guilds), albeit considerably simplistic. Name, Description, allies/foes. From just this it tells you a lot about the organisation from where they're probably based out of and what they're likely to be up to. This especially the allies/foes, shows who they're loyal to and who they hate; if you want their loyalty you know to either befriend their friends or target their enemies. Not to mention a rapid diversification of your game world. So many factions interlinking each other, all wanting different things.

[@doomguy19931]

I created a demon-slaying guild for an upcoming campaign, so that people interested in being Tiefling will have somebody not like them, but I also created a merchant's guild that was, in fact, founded by Tieflings for a possible ally.

[@jhinpotion9230]

Why would demon hunters dislike tieflings?

[@darkmage07070777]

Thought of a an interesting "Druid" order's structure while I watched this. It's based off D&D, but could probably be adapted with very little effort to other systems and settings. For ranks, there are 3 "initiate" ranks, 2 "journeymen" ranks and 2 "Leader" ranks. First and least are the "Seeds" or "Seedlings" - someone who's expressed interest in joining the order, but still needs to "sprout" and show their potential usefulness. Anyone can be this if they just say they want to join, but you need to prove yourself before you can advance. Next are "Sprouts" - those who have shown their value to the order and who are considered worthy of joining as full members some day, usually by helping the order with additional tasks, learning how the natural world works, and by pouring resources into helping said world. It's possible to skip the Seed rank to this if you happen to help nature or the order in a big way first and then express interest in joining. (actual Druidic characters can join at this rank as they're assumed to have already poured the resources into nature for their power) Next come "Saplings" - senior initiates who have helped the order multiple times or who have worked with the order internally for a while. They have full access to the order's "public" resources at this point, but are still Initiates and so aren't allowed to know all of the guilds big secrets; they still have much to learn. After the three Initiate ranks are complete, the member is added to the Great Tree of full members as a "Leaf" - someone who is considered knowledgeable and respected enough to be a full fledged member. This is the rank where they're assumed to be fully trusted and can actually represent the order on official matters, and can actually participate in and learn the order's secret resources. (highest rank for most active adventurers) After that are "Branches" - those who organize and direct Leafs in their duties; many have their own enclaves in other parts of the world. (A VERY dedicated Druid PC could make this, but it would be very hard to justify without them leaving the group; they'd be high level, that's for certain) Then there's the "Trunk" - the leader of leaders who leads and directs the guild as a whole. Chosen by the Roots from the most senior Branches. Has authority to call the order to action as a whole without question, among other things. Can ONLY be overruled by a unanimous vote by the Roots. Finally, the "Roots" - a council of elders and former Trunks who advise the current Trunk and focus most of their time/power on helping the natural world, ignoring civilization as much as possible. What would they provide? Seeds are given a task or series of tasks to prove their worthiness. Completing these will automatically advance them to the next level. Sprouts and up are given access to purchase wilderness survival equipment and other "natural" items for big discounts (this includes food if they don't want to catch their own). They'd also be allowed, with downtime, to learn a "natural" language (Sylvin and Primordial to use D&D as an example) or wilderness survival skill for free. If they know them all, they can instead learn a "monstrous" language of their choice. Saplings would have the ability to borrow some of that equipment for a time without paying (usually an adventure). They would also have their auras altered in a Rights ceremony such that wild animals will behave neutrally toward them if the Sapling isn't sneaking about and the animal can get a good smell. They could also learn another wilderness language or skill for free (or monstrous language if none are available). Leaves and up have access to borrow as much personal survival equipment as they need for as long as they want, and can even temporarily borrow a low powered magical item if the immediate need is great. They will also be given a talisman that will magically indicate if they're within x meters of hidden order supply caches, secret meeting locations or other "safe" order spots anywhere in the natural world. Finally, their aura is altered again such that intelligent creatures linked to nature (Dryads, Treeants, etc) start off neutral and be more willing to hear what you have to say (reluctant to fight you, won't run off, will be more open with what they know, etc). Finally, they can learn one last natural language/skill of their choice. Leaves have official duties, but there are usually more then enough of them available ("As many as there are leaves in the Great Tree itself!") but not enough with worldly experience, so it's easy to justify the PCs being given tasks that get them out there in the wide world. Branches are allowed to give FULL orders to Leaves and below, up to and including having them come along as assistants. They're also allowed access to the full resources of the part of the order they oversee, including any money and magical items that might be available. Also, the character's aura is strengthened in a secret right such that wild animals will actively aid a Branch in combat (though will run if they're too injured) and intelligent beings of nature take an automatic positive attitude toward the character; while they won't necessarily drop everything they're doing or assist in combat, they consider you to truly be a "friend of the forest" at this point and act accordingly (refuse to fight you, will actively approach you, will give information without asking anything in return, etc). Of course, they have a bunch of internal duties to perform in the order, so it'll be tough for a PC to be a Branch and still go adventuring without really good reasons and a LOT of work for the order (using D&D: think level 16+ minimum Druid level required for active adventurers to get this).

[@haloluva11729]

something interesting to know is how to best lead a generally insignificant (at least in the scale of the setting) group of player characters into performing very significant or dangerous tasks that they might feel is way out of their paygrade, or that a rival organization could attempt to handle instead (i.e. military brigades, other adventuring groups)

[@neversyn2panda984]

I’ve been brainstorming for a adventure guild campaign, that’s more of a collection of one shots. I had an idea for an entree quest: The players are told of a dungeon to test their abilities but there’s one catch. The dungeon is invisible and there is a mute guide leading them through it. Eventually after following his every footstep, fighting invisible monsters, dodging traps, they find out the whole dungeon is fake. Their guide is a mime. And the other guild members have been watching and laughing behind a fake wall 😂

[@timothyheimbach3260]

I've never heard of a pump tree before.

[@rashkavar]

Probably referring to palms. Palmkin sounds like something a player might bastardize to pumpkin.

[@rafaelduarte2730]

One guild that I created the rank names were monster names, it started as goblin and went all the way up to Tarrasque

[@augustlutzen6858]

I have made a hole faction where i made use of a bulletin board where I connected dots to leader lieutenants and higher ranking foot soldiers, and made a few lines of background to about 20 of those faction members.

[@padraighhardin6381]

Fantastic video! I am cooking up a bunch of factions for my d&d game, and this video was super helpful!

[@chramesly]

Padraigh Hardin If you at all felt like sharing the factions, or any tips/tricks you recommend, I'm new to world building and would greatly appreciate it :)

[@padraighhardin6381]

I find inspiration in all the games and worlds I play in. Like WOW,MTG, and the real world. My current template is used from a guy on Reddit named Kaberu. Here is a link to the page -www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/2rhwzf/homebrew_factionsguildsclans/

[@chramesly]

Padraigh Hardin Thanks!

[@padraighhardin6381]

No problem!

[@unhackerthelaziestbastardo6083]

One thing I've been thinking of creating is this guild called "The Court of Thieves" or "The Court" for short, they are basically a thieves' guild that is located within the capital city of Emain (A kingdom in my setting) and they generally do standard Thief Guild things, but they also direct trade and coordinate the thieves guilds in the rest of the Kingdom through benefit of the fact that they are located in the Kingdom's main trading hub. The whole 'Court' aspect is the fact that the ranking system within the guild is largely based on noble titles, with the lowest rank being page (a slight exception, but it is the knightly rank below squire) and the highest rank being the King/Queen of Thieves, ranking in this is largely dictated by various jewels that are worn while in the guild (and outside the guild by some more flamboyant members) with the main way of advancing up the ranks would involve proving yourself as a skilled thief and stealing jewels from those of higher ranking. Another part of the Court aspect is the fact that inside the guild they act in something that is almost a parody of how nobles act in the Royal Court (located in the same city) and as such, they act flamboyant, they are overdramatic and take offence with exceptional ease, though for the most part, it is an act. Though a part which does make them terrifying is despite their almost cartoonish appearance and mannerisms, they are some of the best thieves in the business and if you deal with them once, it is only a matter of time before you deal with them again.

[@sputnik90]

Saw this uploaded 1 second ago with 1 view. Thats a first... Good video Guy. Guilds in my campaign usually are just embellishments, but I think I'll try fleshing them out more now. Also... Pumpkin x)

[@NixFaerie]

Puns. EVERYTHING should be puns. never not puns. the world is made of puns. PUNS.

[@Nazgul1393]

for your immaturity you should be _pun_ished......god damnit

[@joshhaworth2155]

I thought you were creating an acronym with those first three lines.

[@NixFaerie]

I wish I had now

[@silvertheelf]

That’s funny... or should I say... punny?

[@Nyrufa]

If I had a Necromancer guild, it would be called The Skinless Hand, and it's hierarchy would be in order from lowest to highest: Muscle, Tendon, Bone, Hand. Each rank would be symbolic, with the Muscles (Grunts) performing the bulk of the labor, the Tendons (Lieutenants) working to control the muscles, the Bones (Overseers) acting to provide structural support, and all pieces working together to serve the Hand (guild master).

[@Asylummm]

I haven't seen any video dedicated to crafting in tabletops. How to make it fun to play a craftsmen, how to work with crafting in general to make it look cool and useful.

[@drakobluestar9392]

Would you eventually be interested in doing a video on royalty. A player of mine won a small kingdom in a card game and i have no idea how to make the players feel dedicated or involved in their new lands.

[@FancyKerbloops]

Most factions/guilds have their own set of priorities. Figure out what those are, maybe their leader's name/details (if you absolutely need to), and create a timeline that doesn't involve the players in any way. You might tweak and adjust these depending on what big dramatic things the players decide to do involving the guild - or in their proximity. If the players become a known entity - maybe then have them contacted by a representative or targeted/etc. But if they don't engage - then have the faction timeline progress normally. Eventually, if you've created factions that want different-enough things, you can have it boil over into a larger conflict. A trade war, or skirmishes in the street of rival gangs, or a thwarted attempt on the king's life, etc. In which case, conflict erupts! And then your players will likely get involved and they can end up changing the result. But this takes a group of players who realizes the options you've set before them. So maybe an NPC (someone near and dear to them is a good way) mentioning the ongoing issues/tensions/anxieties is required the first go around if you really want to hammer things in that they can/should get involved. But that's not necessary for every group.

[@douglasbaker4562]

I believe that the DM's Guide that you were thinking of is actually 1st Edition!

[@vinx.909]

starting a campaign where the PCs are starting an adventurers guild in a city that use the have one but which fell apart due to infighting. in the meantime the space has been filled by the explorers society, a guild of archaeologists who had to protect themselves in the absence of an adventuring guild and now take on jobs to keep an inflow of money. and the veterans mead hall where adventurers, guards and soldiers get drunk and take tasks for gold for drinks and to have something to do. plot points will be: getting a proper base of operation, setting up connections for discounts with things like smiths, setting up connections for jobs, actually getting recruites, not getting assassinated. if people have other plot point ideas do let me know.

[@chadk5231]

I would love to hear your suggestions on how to make a sentient magic item without making it annoying to the player with it or the rest of the party

[@brapcast]

My world has a merchants guild that is actually a multi level marketing scheme.

[@rincewindXIV]

Guild of adventurers is ideal for a western marches style campaign.

[@jasonniebuhr8607]

My favorite guild that I thought of was The Women’s Gardening Society, a guild of lady assassins and spies. They help people with pushing up their daisies. Everyone has a poisonous plant code name, like the Belle Adona, Sister Mandy (Mandragora), etc. The guild house gives all pretenses of being an actual gardening club and is guarded by a Nymph/Druid named Foxglove. I haven’t quite figured out what type of guild would reasonably be in opposition to the Women’s Gardening Society

[@jasonniebuhr8607]

It’s still a smaller guild and it’s truly only half baked in my mind

[@vincentabramo7175]

Well the garden society is a front for the real activities. So perhaps a rival guild is one that has a front of its own and specializes in information gathering/codes. Very much MI6 vs KGB.cold war vibes.

[@NyxionArts]

I'm pretty surprised you didn't mention firms and corporations for scifi setting, which can serve quite similar purposes. Nonetheless a very nice summary of the possibilities one has with that kind of organisations.

[@revshad4226]

The main guild that I created has a leadership structure that the top seven members are the leaders and at no point all seven can be within the main keep or outside of it. That way there is always a leader in the keep but at the same time of the keep gets attacked at least one of the leaders survives.

[@reachcole514]

I'm trying to make a world of my own where all the major cities of the world have an adventurers guild. The dynamic is that there are these big quest boards full of quests with varying difficulty and required rank to perform. The way the guild makes money is by collecting a portion of the reward. Other lesser guilds might even put something up on the board themselves, maybe the Guild of Scribes needs the players to cooperate with the merchants guild to escort fine inks and papers to the next city over. Maybe the guild of investigators needs help cracking a case involving the local thieves guild.

[@lvd8122]

Honestly nobody would do this as everyone then would know about the mission. You could place the board within a sealed room inside the guild halls, were only the uppermost guild members could go to get missions for lower level guild members.

[@devincaswell4116]

Go with the flow: travel and battle on moving monsters, boats, wagons, water, ice, lava or magma, mud, rocks, islands, etc.

[@devincaswell4116]

Have you done a video on making your own spells? Have you made some? Which is your favorite? Which created the biggest reaction at the table?

[@ebonyblack4563]

Another possibly is rival guilds be they true rivals or just one top and another chasing that position. This can be between towns or localized. I have a pair of mage academies in two rival towns. I also have two gangs in my primary town, but one is a fraction of the size of the other so only holds domain over their district while the bigger group of rogues has a grip on the rest of the city.

[@nes819]

Ok. Guildrule nr1) Don't skyrimm them. Nice tyming. I'm about to start running my first campaign as GM and designed the storry in a whay where the players and their suporting crew gett thrown together in a guild-ish fashion.

[@dadadajasper]

Hi Guy! Could you make a video on how to run Feywild/how to make the Feywild memorable for first timers? Mostly in terms of narritive from the DM and what the players would find awesome to see/what could lurk within the Feywild.

[@devincolborn523]

How about a video on running Shops in game? There seem to be a surprisingly few good guides on that.

[@Alverant]

Since you're looking for topic ideas, how about ways to make your fantasy campaign stand out? My main issue with fantasy settings is that they're so similar. Dwarves underground, elves in woods, etc. It's like every one is looking over Tolkin's shoulder copying his exam. Fantasy has so much potential to be epic but it's rarely used. Give me the floating island. Give me a mountain with a hole in it. Give me the underground city. Give me trees as big as skyscrapers. Every session something should happen that blows my mind. Instead I get "generic fantasy city #45".

[@wolfenstein652]

How do you always know what I need?!?! I was literally just looking for this!

[@rpgincorporated8302]

What if a player wants to make his own guild?

[@adakahless]

RPG incorporated Then have them roleplay it out. I had enough logistics with a dm having us build a town and it was boring, time consuming, and his kids had no interest in any of it. You could create a whole campaign based on a character building a guild from the ground up.

[@GuardianTactician]

Think about the process they should go through to form a legitimate (or illegitimate) organization. Do they want or need a guild hall? They have to buy or rent land from the local government. They could shop around for a suitable building which is for sale, or they could design and build their own. Are they wealthy and famous enough to attract attention to their own guild? If not, then they need to establish a reputation and gather funds for NPC's to take them seriously. If they are ready, then maybe some NPC's will want to join to gain the benefits of working inside a guild. Is there a process by which an individual or group can claim a name as a trademark in a particular city? Maybe some NPC's already purchased the name. There are bound to be expenses associated with running a guild and maintaining the buildings. There are taxes, paychecks for the workers, permits for the work, having lunch meetings with governors, repairing damage from the nasty storm we had last night, the list is potentially endless. How do they make money to pay for all this?

[@Tectonix26]

A useful method might be to look up how one might make a political party in your area, and then fantasize it, they'd probably need a group of willing members and start off unofficial, and then branch out, invest gold and eventually file for legitimacy at the local ruling body (Or go renegade and just *become* legitimate by default by just gaining so much attention/power.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Whenever in doubt, ROLE PLAY it out... (as DBJ often says) In terms of flavor, you can go one of two generic directions with a guild... 1. Workers' Union organization... This is a network of like-minded workers (class) to bring each other jobs and missions, afford each other certain benefits (health care, retirement, vacations, etc) and grow reputations as much as protect any particular job from being "scalped" or "stolen" unfairly... 2. Mafioso Subculture... This is the "underground" version of whatever legitimate work (class) networking. Illicit activities are the name of the game here, and political turmoil is how ranks and reputations grow. Protection is for guild-members to the absolute exclusion of anybody else, because anyone trying to get work and pay in town without being "guilded" is absolutely unfair, even criminal in the attitude of the guild. In either case, the pomp and atmosphere of the supposed "inner sanctums" of the guild don't have to change. You can still get all the kicks of a "Godfather-esque" meeting or discussion and joining ritual with a "legitimate guild" as you can in a criminal organization. It's the intentions with the organization that matter... so have fun with that part. As already pointed out, REPUTATION has to be built and earned. Unless the PC has done something "worthy" and gotten the word around town for it, there's no call for NPC's to care. SO make him/her earn it. Honor doesn't come cheap, either. I don't mean for you to bludgeon the poor soul into oblivion, but the struggle for rank and honor should be visceral. It makes the achievement so much sweeter. AND there's the matter of paying for all this networking crap. People have to keep records, so beyond buying pen, paper, ink, and desk, someone's spending all the time to record everything as assets owned, moneys incoming, and bills for services outgoing... AND you have to convince the NPC's to take this guild process seriously, to USE it as much as to put in dues to PAY for it... SO some speech-writing or delivery practice is probably mandatory at some point, and let the table have some say about what they like or dislike about the particular Player. You (GM) don't ALWAYS have to be the rotten S.O.B. who shoots ideas down... but do coach him/her, too. I've always reserved my rights as GM to overturn any votes on the table, simply to possess narrative control whether I use it particularly or not... AND most of the time, Players are relatively fair with each other... especially knowing their own next "pet project" might well depend on the guy or gal they just voted about. Finally, while we're structuring all this mechanical and systemic "how and why" business, we should take a moment and remember... This IS after all, just a game. It's supposed to be fun, so don't let this building process take too much away from the rest of the fun at the table-side. That's as much why I relegate votes among Players as anything to do with keeping me (GM) honest in any technical term... Don't be afraid to concoct mechanics (or pull one ripe and fresh from your ass) if it sounds like it can add flavor and fun to the story, but don't be afraid to drop the idea if it's bogging everything down, either. It's okay to realize the guild processing has started to slow everything to a crawl, and just brush over it after a while with a couple die-rolls to show members growing, newfound income, and whether or not a new deal is struck with some other faction or guild around the area... Simple and sweet can avoid overtly undermining the point of your campaign. ;o)

[@theeristicwriter8280]

Most systems like dnd and pathfinder actually have rules and systems for how to do this so simply working with the player on how they make the first move toward using these systems should be all you as a gm have to do

[@velazquezarmouries]

I would make a campaign based in the wars between the guild of swordsmiths and knifemakers on Germany

[@CanadianCrits]

Should players be able to start in a guild, as part of their characters background? If they can, of coarse that brings up a bunch of other questions, like what rank should they be allowed? What if other members of the group are part of other guilds? Joining multiple guilds? Etc.

[@devincaswell4116]

The sky’s the limit: ways to fly, or fall with style

[@zachariaravenheart]

How about a vid on sea travel and ship combat? I played a ship battle recently, but I would like some more ideas and things to help me with the ship combat in the future of my campaign.

[@Odothuigon]

Guy, could you next talk about secret societies? They may work for society's good/ill or merely members' power/knowledge. Rosicrucians, Priory of Sion, P2, Skull&Bones, Afrikaner Broederband, etc.

[@devincaswell4116]

Businesses: different kinds and how to run them. What it entails role play wise.

[@devincaswell4116]

My home is your home: invasions of armies, creature infestations, and how to take back your mantle.

[@devincaswell4116]

Competitions: races, bloodsports, and timed puzzles/mazes

[@Bluefoot65]

When a PC can not come to the playing session have the guild take the player away and replace the player with a NPC guild member as a fill in for that session, rescue the party if they were wiped out and the GM did not want to bother with starting over. of course the guild would want to charge fees for such things

[@mophia339]

I have a thieves guild located in a deadly country sized area full of bogs, swamps, marshes, poisonous critters and dangerous wildlife such as Griffins and Naga, they view it like this, if you are sneaky and dexterous enough to get past the dangers and you take the oath/follow the rules you can join. Most of the lawful organizations and governments don't set foot in the area for it is far too dangerous, making it the perfect location for a guild of thieves and cutthroats.

[@devincaswell4116]

Environments: destructive pieces and using it to your strategic advantage

[@stormraven8484]

An idea could you go into more depth on Assassins sort of like your bounty hunter video.

[@あなたがすごいだよ]

I was wondering if it was possible (If you had a group of good PC's) to make a story that wasn't about the heroes fighting and surpassing a villain, but instead finding out more about their characters and who their characters really want to be. (Basically a campaign revolved around the PC's instead of the villain and the PC's) If this were possible could you make a video on it?

[@BoltFox]

My players are wanting to start an evil campaign where they take over the world. I'm considering having them make their own evil lair. Basically, their own guild of evil. However, I want to let them start from ruins and build up their new amazing castle of doom. Can you offer any insights on how one might go about this? I have a few ideas of my own, but one can never have too much advice.

[@fhuber7507]

Guilds are kind of like Unions... They set prices for services. They supposedly support their members in conflicts with employers. (yeah... good luck) They threaten employers with lack of access to the service if the employer does not bend to the guild's demands. The guild demands a portion of profits from each member. Failure to pay guild dues results in severe repercussions. Theive's guild would send assassins to deal with thieves that do not comply. Its a protection racket... Its extortion from members and clients.

[@lvd8122]

That's not how historical guild work, but if you want them like that in your world, that's ok. Just know that guilds historically were a good thing for the members, as they were a trust based system were there weren't any higher ups trying to profit on the back of the rest.

[@lemons1559]

@@lvd8122 that's de facto how they worked. You either worked for them or you didn't work.

[@devincaswell4116]

Chase scenes and high speed escapes

[@PhillyCheeseGaming]

I like to run a Bethesda-style game, where the players can be the leaders of all the guilds at the same time, all while adventuring!

[@00zim00]

Your videos are fantastic and very informative, but I was wondering how do you organize your notes for NPCs, Quests, Places, ect. Alot of your videos on these topics have helped me condense my notes which has been very helpful. But I still find myself getting lost in notes easily. My biggest issue with DMing isnt so much the creation of ideas, but how to format them in such a way that I can easily reference them on the fly or if I have to go back and remember what my notes on a place were about at a glance. Currently I have many word documents for things like a City, Major Quest or location with the related NPCs in them. However I keep finding myself losing track easily of where the information I need is. Thank you :)

[@calummcrobb8114]

00zim00 I've recently converted my word doc notes over to Microsoft OneNote. There is a very helpful chap over on the Matt Colvile subreddit who posted a video guide on this very style of GM note keeping. Perhaps a thought?

[@gEEkyxgAmEr67]

I make an outline format and color code with highlight tool, its simple but works surprisingly well

[@toddvogel8887]

In my world there is an entire country ran by guilds that are constantly rising and falling. Currently that country has just gotten into a civil war because of the two major guilds after the fall of the third major guild.

[@EdwardClayMeow]

Given the typical European inspired fantasy settings, how would you go about having one or more PCs in the party from far away lands? I have some ideas, but I am curious as to your take.

[@devincaswell4116]

Being a stand up Guy: making and running vertical encounters, dungeon or otherwise, as a DM

[@thedeadlypacifist]

I might make a guild in my first game although I could make a scam guild where a suspicious guy is offering guild membership for 40 gp a piece and the door looks convincing so the players walk through and are trapped in a box for a second while the scam artist makes off with their gold.

[@rashkavar]

In this context, do guilds differ from groups like the Harpers in the Forgotten Realms setting? They're referred to as factions in the DnD literature; just wondering if this is a semantics thing or if there's actually a structural difference. Personally when I think of guilds, I tend to think of the organizations that were kinda the predecessor to modern professional organizations - maintaining a degree of control over the market (either by a legally sanctioned right to practice or just right to title) in exchange for maintaining a standard of what that title means. (For a modern example: I have an engineering degree, but I'm not an engineer, because I'm not a member of my regional Association of Professional Engineers. I don't get to use that title. I do get to use B.A.Sc. after my name if I'm feeling particularly pompous. And since the rules for engineering are right to practice, I'm not allowed to do engineering work, either - at least, not beyond that permitted any other citizen with a DIY penchant.)

[@rockinbob9548]

For some time now I’ve had an idea for a legally sanctioned guild of assassins called the house of cards. I was inspired my the Morag Tong from Morrowind and to a lesser degree Zevran from dragon age. The premise is 4 orders in the guild each responsible for a different function: spade is the actual killing, diamond for the handling of transactions etc. The leadership would be face cards. My issue is that I don’t really know how to use these assassins, going for the “stop the assassination” plot kinda denies the idea of their legality I think. Any thoughts are appreciated, sorry for the novel of a post

[@Alex-wi1mx]

Verry late comment, sorry; What about a council of kings/ lords who carry out regular political purges and use this guild as a way of distancing themselves. In return, the guild gets legal immunity as well as the freedom to operate semi-independently

[@lemons1559]

Even later comment. Check out Murder Incorporated. They were a hitman guild working for all the American mafia families in the 30s to 40s. You can get a lot of inspiration from them.

[@devincaswell4116]

Sink or swim: submersible environments

[@DeluxeFlame]

How well would a one shot work where the players can improvise their backstory on the spot, to help their character with the task at hand.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

That depends on the creativity of your Players... AND it can come with a double edged sword. I grew up amongst a most facetious bunch... SO for us, improvising a backstory on the spot was never too hard to do... especially when we had something "on the line"... BUT allowing too much of it, well, that has it's own set of hazards. I don't see a whole lot of trouble with it in a one-shot, to be honest... Mostly since there probably won't be a whole lot of "lasting damage" to control around the "book keeping" of these steadily growing backstories... There again, it kind of depends on the length of this one-shot. It's worth teasing out a bit, but I wouldn't be afraid to take notes as I go, and possibly hold a mid-game discussion about keeping up with the backstories if or as it became applicable. ;o)

[@devincaswell4116]

Home sweet home: A monsters lair

[@zombielizard218]

I do have a question, I'm soon to GM for a group where in the last game 8 characters died. And all to other characters. Any suggestions to make the party get along and not just slaughter each other half the time?

[@thevebis6392]

I have a little problem in my group. 2 players tries to kill each other, 3 players (including the 2) wants to steal everything, but 1 player want's to be a hero and do good things. How do I solve this?

[@m.ferashida7422]

Xit be nice to have a video of how to add corrections to your alreqdy running game 8U. I had a guild and after seing this im like errr.... How can I fix this now....

[@josephsmith8087]

Oof, that sunburn....

[@nreed200]

Level 5 and you're head of the guild- Skyrim

[@reagangaitens7154]

What if there's an important NPC integral to part of the campaign but the players kill him

[@m.ferashida7422]

My guild is to motivate AND harass my PCs xD they have the same goal but oh problems of comunication.

[@alexhuac]

Joining the First guild

[@torjones1701]

Looks like someone either indulged a bit too much, or spent too much time out at the castle since the last video... :) (hope it's not too sore!)

[@bianchijonathan6818]

Knightriders ? Is this a guild for warhorses ? :p

[@velazquezarmouries]

I want to be the great high pumpkin

[@SharowbladyeGaymerPorate]

I find your vidoes very informative but they do seem quiet monotonous. ...

[@milesmatheson1142]

Google; a medieval association of craftsmen or merchants, often having considerable power. an association of people for mutual aid or the pursuit of a common goal. synonyms: association, society, union, league, organization, company, cooperative, fellowship, club, order, lodge, brotherhood, fraternity, sisterhood, sorority "the copper craftsmen have formed a guild" ECOLOGY a group of species that have similar requirements and play a similar role within a community Guilds aren't just for adventurers. And they always have some kind of political, economic, or natural purpose. The in-world Pathfinder Society requires that their members work to bring in new or ancient/lost knowledge (history, etc) and rewards them with access to their lodges which are private Inns/taverns where PCs might buy one-use magic items as well as the iconic Wayfinder. In my world, the Cavalier/Samurai Orders of Pathfinder are very guild-like. There are "groves" of different types of Druids, etc.

[@12SidedSeb]

Clarks....

[@MrManicQ]

Looks like you got a bit too much sun Guy

[@shandaniel2999]

Summer seems to not like your face. Take 1d4 sunburn damage.

[@druid_zephyrus]

9:50 ish Guild abuse searching for a way to kill an undead Lich that has lived for a thousand years. If they dare to ask for that information they have severely underestimated a millennium old Lich and their own Library guild membership. Who is to say the Lich themselves is not the actual head of said guild? Now they *know* the party is looking for this information. Sounds like a bunch of component quests unknowingly at the behest of the Lich for their own nefarious purposes to me.

[@druid_zephyrus]

Uuuh yes, the ingredients to kill a lich are: the blood of 1000 newborn satyrs. The souls of a celestial and modron and a fiend chimera-tized in the lava of the elemental plane of fire. The tooth of an Ancient Dragon; specifically its 3rd incisor in humanoid form. And that guys prosthetic eye. Bring them to the Lich's laboratory on the 3rd full moon of the month, *but only on a Monday* (everyone knows Liches hate Mondays, they are basically Garfield) and leave it on the steps the front door. The Lich will surely be dead by sunrise! Edit: not necessarily in that order.

[@EchoMirage72]

Go more in depth into building a guild. As in, build an actual guild and completely flesh it out. Just to show the process.

[@steamtasticvagabond474]

Hey, you! Yeah you, person reading this comment! What specific guild ideas do you have?! Come on, let’s build a great list of guild ideas you and I!