Nov 5, 2011

Posted by in Council Chambers | 5 Comments

Council Chambers: Recruiting In The Old Republic

Council Chambers is all about the ins and outs of guild leadership in Star Wars: The Old Republic.  Each week, we’ll look at running and managing a guild through good times, bad times and everything in between.  

Hello and welcome to the first installment of Council Chambers, a column specifically for all those guild leaders and officers out there, as well as those who aspire to be.  I’m Lady Republic, a long-time gamer and MMO player as well as a guild leader for…well, more years than I care to admit.  I’ll be contributing columns about guild leadership, management, and troubleshooting guild issues – so please feel free to write in with any guild management questions you’re running into!

Dressing For Success

Today, we’ll be talking about a unique aspect of The Old Republic’s guild system – the pre-launch system.  Many of you will have some experience with forming up a guild in game, but in a world where the game isn’t even live yet – how do you recruit members using just the forums?

The good news is that recruiting for a guild pre-launch may not be quite as different from recruiting post-launch as you may think.  The major difference is, your sole source for recruiting in the current version is just one aspect of guild recruitment from other MMOs – forum based recruitment.  In this case, forums will really be your only avenue for recruitment, since announcements in a guild recruitment channel, an in-game guild finder, and other standard guild recruitment tools will likely not be available until launch.  So – what goes into a forums recruitment message or thread?

In general, the template for guild recruitment via the forums should include a basic format describing your guild, a website or link to your guild’s TOR forums, playtimes, faction, and a few other key pieces of information.  Many of these threads even include a pre-existing template for you to fill out – http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=377463 goes over the basics, and a number of region-specific topics will give a detailed breakdown of the type of information you should include in your recruitment thread.

At a minimum, you will want to list:

  • Your guild’s name
  • Faction (Republic or Empire)
  • A website or a link to the SWTOR page created when you formed your guild
  • How people should contact your guild to learn more or join.  Normally, this would be a list of names to look for in game – but without having a live game at this point, it may be an email address, or a particular thread for applicants/new members on your guild’s website.

Some other helpful pieces of information you may want to include:

  • Playstyle (i.e. are you hoping to focus on progression and operations, or are you more of a social group?)
  • Server preference (PvE, PvP, RP-PvE, RP-PvP)
  • A brief description of your guild’s atmosphere, concept, or theme.

On that last bullet, I do want to emphasize brief – people who are searching for guilds on forums are not likely to read a Giant Wall of Text.  This is doubly so for guild recruitment posts which are embedded in a larger thread (such as those listing all RP guilds, or all West Coast guilds, etc.)  My recommendation is to keep that initial guild recruiting post straightforward and to the point, with the information clearly labeled and broken out so that potential members can skim through at a glance.  Then, if you want to write a lengthier description of the guild, you can add it in either as a reply to your initial recruitment thread, or include it in your guild’s website (or both).

Remember, this is currently your major avenue for drawing in new faces!  So take some time to really put your best foot forward, correct any spelling or grammatical issues in your initial recruitment post (even if it means asking a friend or relative to proof your post), and keep the information Star Wars specific as well as clear and concise.  This will let your guild concept and focus shine through, and will create a favorable impression with the greater guild and player community as a whole.

The final thing to think about when advertising your guild in the forums is – what makes your group stand out?  There are hundreds of other guilds in TOR even before launch, so take some time to think about what your guild is, what it wants to be, and what unique factors can help it stand out.  Try to differentiate your organization from others, so that it’s memorable and will have a better chance of drawing new folks in.  Every group has something unique to offer!  So think about in your group’s case, what that is.  Do you come from a Star Wars tabletop background, for instance, and seek out other fans of that game?  Are you trying to create an elite unit of soldiers for a Republic squadron, or a group of mercenaries taking contracts for hire?  Are you hoping to be a PvP-focused guild of region-specific players, or converting over a guild from another game?  Do you just share a love of Monty Python humor, and want to find other people who can quote Monty Python and the Holy Grail with you?  Any of these little details – and many, many more out there – contribute to give each guild its own feel, atmosphere, and style.  Take some time and really think about what makes your will-be guild unique.  Then, write it up in your recruitment thread and really let it stand out.

Launch Time

My final suggestion on forums recruiting is – be honest about what your guild does or does not do.  I think the biggest mistake I’ve seen in other forums-based recruitment over the years are the guilds who try to be everything to everyone.  For example – if your guild does not intend to do PvP, don’t respond to player “looking for guild” posts that want a PvP guild, or list this in your guild homepage as part of the game you do.  Focus on what you do offer and want to do, and don’t try to recruit the players looking for other aspects of the game that your guild doesn’t do.

So, there you have it – some basic tips and strategies for recruiting for your guild in a purely forums-based environment like Star Wars: The Old Republic currently provides.  Next week, we’ll discuss how to keep interest in your guild through the forums and other avenues before launch, and some tips for keeping members engaged until the game goes live.  See you then!

Got a question for Council Chambers?  Drop a line to Lady Republic at ladyoftherepublic@gmail.com or post a comment here, and you may see your guild questions answered in a future column!

  1. Grinstone says:

    Since this is about the guild launch system and this does not support the forming of guilds for launch on RP-PVP servers, I wanted to repeat an earlier post I made for any who might have missed it:

    For any NA RP-PVP guilds that may be seeking to coordinate their efforts with other RP-PVP guilds, there’s a thread on the SWTOR forums that should be of interest:

    http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=10437554

  2. It is amazing how most every ‘I knew I wad in a good guild’ story or two but then have a hard time breaking down specific attributes. A good guild is really some that can be hard to quantify

    • I believe the reason for this is that there’s soo many different ways you can actually organize a guild. And every community is as unique as it’s members. What works for one guild might be disastrous for another.

      • Lady Republic says:

        True enough – and there certainly are lots of guilds out there. The one thing I’ve seen the vast majority of “good” guilds have is organization though – otherwise things seem to turn chaotic in short order. But yes – each one does seem to have its own flavor and flare though, which I tend to think is a good thing.

  3. Boss Dwarf says:

    One of the hardest things to get the hang of early in Guild management was the idea that sometimes people weren’t a good fit for each other…and that’s OKAY. Your Guild can’t be all things to all people. But if you find solid ground that makes it a good place YOU would want to play, you will attract and retain people who play like you play, and everyone’s going to be happier.

    I think it’s interesting Lady Republic here notes really taking the time to think about what makes you different or differentiates your Guild. That’s going to help get you some separation from other Guilds and help you be the magnet that draws like minded gamers.

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