Guilds will have to work together to share information and resources if they are to protect themselves from the expansionist threats of other nations. What we do expect is that mismanagement and poor leadership will cause many of the nations to collapse. This is actually one of the things we're looking forward to. Political maneuvering and internal strife are the key ingredients to any good feudal simulation. The hope is that simple human nature will take over and lead to all sorts of messiness.
Players can change guilds at any time, or start their own by buying a charter.
Guilds will have to compete however, to be the ruling guild in each nation. Free cities, however, can be destroyed through coordinated, massive sieges. Blanton estimates that the sieges will last anywhere from 24 to 78 hours and beyond. If you do log in and find your guild under attack, you better grab your shield and get to work. These won't just be minor skirmishes, but potentially multinational world wars where the skies are filled with flaming arrows, lighting bolts, and massive boulders from the trebuchets.