Political Changes Guilds 2/8/2005

[GM_Chris]

Guilds

Requirements For Forming and Maintaining a Guild
The first step in creating a guild is to choose a leader. The leader of the guild will be the recipient of the guild member’s allegiance and will be solely responsible for who, if anyone, gets the guild’s allegiance. In addition, the guild leader will manage the guild’s “Trade Point” pool. Trade points will be discussed later in this section.

The next step in creating a guild is to create a guild charter. The guild charter provides the GM staff with the name of the guild, the date it was created, the leader, and the other “founding members” of the guild. There must be a minimum of two characters plus a leader to create a level 1 guild. Higher-level guilds necessitate more people in addition to more allegiance points (See Chart Below). The guild charter is a strictly “out of game” document. In some instances a guild may be required to file an “in game” guild charter with a local noble or house. For this and other in-game reasons a guild may not be formed prior to the characters entering the game.

After a leader has been chosen and a charter created, the guild leader then needs to obtain enough allegiance points to qualify for and maintain a level one guild (see the chart on page #). It takes more allegiance points to create a guild than it does to maintain one.

When enough allegiance has been gathered to expand the guild, the leader may choose to increase the level of the guild. This is done at the end of an event. Higher-level guilds can bring in more resources and open more trade routes; however, expanding too quickly can be dangerous. Any time a guild goes 2 consecutive events without the minimum amount of allegiance points to support their current level, the organization collapses and the guild will then need to be reformed as a level one guild.

The Benefits of Guilds

Membership in a Group/Adventuring Party
Because Final Haven is a game where traveling alone is considered hazardous, it is beneficial to be a part of a group, whether it be formal or informal. Guilds bring in resources, which are necessary for survival and so being a part of an organization can help with securing life’s needs, aid in protection, and provide a psychological edge knowing that someone friendly (hopefully) is watching your back.

Trade Routes

Trade Points
The primary mechanical function of a guild is to open trade routes, which bring resources into the game. Trade route locations must be found in game through exploration or plots. Once a trade route has been found, the guild leader must commit “Trade Points” to it. The minimum number of trade points that are required to maintain a trade route varies from route to route. The yield of a trade route may fluctuate based on in game and plot related circumstances.

The number of “Trade Points” available to a guild is equal to the guild leader’s total allegiance. Also, the guild’s level determines the number of trade routes they are allowed (See the chart below).

Allegiance Points, Resource Points, and Trade Routes By Guild Level
Guild Level AP to Start AP to Maintain Minimum Members Max Trade Routes
1 5 3 3 1
2 10 5 3 1
3 15 8 4 1
4 25 17 4 2
5 35 23 5 2
6 45 30 5 2
7 60 45 6 3
8 75 55 6 3

Trade Routes are “purchased” by bidding on the route at the end of the event. The routes will come with a minimum bid for the total number of units of the resource available. Guild leaders can bid on the entire supply or part of the supply, if they wish, but the difference will not be available to other guilds. The trade route will be awarded to the guild whose bid is the highest. If that bid is higher than the minimum required, that higher price will become the new minimum for all future transactions.

Modifiers to Trade Route Production
There are some instances that may increase a guild’s total trade points. A guild that is entirely the same race receives a 25% bonus to its total trade points, a guild that consists of members who are the same path receive a 15% bonus and a guild with the same discipline receives a 10% bonus. It should be noted that these percentages are cumulative so that a guild made up of one race, one path, and one discipline would receive a 50% bonus. In addition, guilds receive their level% bonus to its trade points. For example, a third level guild will receive a 3% bonus and a fourth level guild a 4% bonus. There are also some modifiers that may be assessed based on an individual trade route. These can be based on the race, specialized buildings, armies, commodities, or other role-playing conditions surrounding the origin location of the trade route. In addition, random events may occasionally affect the output of a trade route. These events may include but are not limited to raids, weather, or infestations. These modifiers are summarized in the chart below.

Trade Route Modifiers
Type of Modifier Effect on Trade Points
All Race Guild + 25%
All Path Guild +15%
All Discipline Guild +10%
Level 8 Guild +8%
Level 7 Guild +7%
Level 6 Guild +6%
Level 5 Guild +5%
Level 4 Guild +4%
Level 3 Guild +3%
Level 2 Guild +2%

Stealing Trade Routes
Trade routes may also be stolen or taken over by other guilds. To take over an active trade route, a guild must bid more Trade Points than the current owner for two events. During that time, the Guild would be aware of another potential buyer and a Spy may be able to uncover the source of the threat. After the second event, if successful, the new guild takes over the trade route and begins to receive its resources. The cost to maintain the trade route for the new guild remains at the new price, which becomes the minimum bid for that trade route in all future dealings.