114328-you-can-help-sponsor-an-rp-guild

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*cues sad music with Sarah McLaughlin voiceover*
 
These guilds were once vibrant, flourishing, and healthy....
 
 
Roleplayers laughed.  They played.  They frolicked in green expanses of housing plots and the open world, reveling in their characters and their concepts together.
 
But then - tragedy befell.  A slow creep of a series of things that caused the roleplaying community to fade, to struggle, and to fall on hard times.  People left.  Guilds disbanded.  Chua were left, homeless and abandoned by their beloved guilds, homeless out on the streets.  Aurin, destitute and heartbroken, wander Nexus aimlessly now, searching for their lost homes and friends to no avail....
 
Please, don't turn your back on these hapless souls!  You can help!
 
For only the time you take making and drinking a fancy coffee, or waiting in the Starbucks line, you could help sponsor an RP guild.  
 
We don't need or ask for much....just an alt, a single character you don't use much but have around, could make the difference between survival and death for many of these places.
 
 
 
Don't turn your back on the plight of these poor creatures - *YOU* can make a difference!  Help a small RP guild out, call 1-800-ROL-PLAY to find out how to do more.  Even the tiniest bit of hope can help these little fellas....
 
 
*end music*
 
 
 
 
 	
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Right then - so satirical spin off those heartbreaking Humane Society commercials, if you didn't catch that!  Now, time for da serious bizness....
 
I want to get a couple things out in the open before I make this plea to the RP community:
 
1.  This is not about <Veritas>, my guild, fortunately - at least, not right now.  Our numbers, while not growing by huge amounts, have been remarkably stable and I thank the server powers that be every day for that.  This is about the pain and struggling I'm watching my friends and fellow RPers experience, coupled with the fear of winding up as one of those down the road.  Every couple days when I log in, I find out about another RP guild that's disbanded, and it's really upsetting to watch, for those of us that love the RP community and RP in general.
 
2.  This is NOT meant to take away in any sort from the super-awesome friends I have in other not-RP or RP-optional or such guilds!  They're great, they're awesome people, and for a lot of players (the majority, really) that's the best option.  This is purely about numbers and trying to support a slowly vanishing way of life.
 
Between the drop in numbers, and then the megaserver announcement, RP guilds are struggling.  Badly.  Very badly.  It seems like every couple days, I hear about another RP guild closing its doors, or moving to another game entirely.  Let me stress too, these are not tiny little backwater guilds that never took off - you're talking in some cases about some of the largest and best known guilds in the community at launch, that now do not even exist anymore.  When I've asked the leaders or read the posts why, it almost always boils down to losing members and inactivity, which just led to them not being viable any more.
 
Let me stress that again.  It's not internal drama or politics tearing them apart.  It's not dissatisfaction with the community.  It's people leaving the game, or moving to more active guilds.  And it's destroying RP guilds.
 
Now, these are things affecting a lot of guilds - not just RP guilds.  We're all working through a challenging time, and we're all hoping megaservers will help address this.
 
Except - for the RP guilds, that hope is a lot less obvious.  That's because - we're roleplaying guilds.  We already have a pretty small subset of the population and community from which we're recruiting - roleplayers in the first place (which is a small niche of players to begin), then most RP guilds also have a theme of sorts, even further reducing that pool.  A lot of roleplayers left with the megaserver announcement, further reducing the pool - whether they return, or other roleplayers come to take their place, we don't know yet.  So - it's a really bad time for this small little community of guilds, and I'd hate to see us vanish entirely.
 
So what can you do?  Why am I QQing about this?
 	
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Do what the rest of the game is doing.  Merge your guilds.  It sucks someone will lose identity, but when the population drops you can either kick & scream about how there's only 5 people in each of 10 guilds, or you can become one guild of 50 active people and get on with your life.
 
Ultimately, yes, stopping people from quitting or bringing back the ones that left will be the ultimate "fix" to the problem, but that's likely not going to happen until they announce some huge content addition and QOL changes.. or go F2P.  Either of those could do it.  Granted, F2P will cause some more of the current people to quit again, but they'll come back after things stabilize if their friends are still here or public opinion sways enough into the positive that the RP community becomes a selling point for the game.
 
In the interim though, band together, cry for 5 minutes that you lost your guild name, and start marching into the future together.	
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			Don't know if this helps, but seems to me like there's been more and more Evindra Accords activity going on as time goes by.  It's not roleplay, but it may scratch an itch for RP folk who want to also do some PvE content (adventures, dungeons, etc).	
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I honestly wouldn't worry too much about it.  Wildstar's RP community is doing fine (I'm not having a problem with recruitment, really, except that I've not been in major cities to do it).  Even then, we're pretty stable as far as guilds go.
 
If anything, we're going to increase our populations post-megaserver.  A lot of people went to PVE servers looking for the better raiding scenes that would have otherwise gone to roleplay, and those people  might end up joining a lot of mixed-use guilds like ours (most of us do PVE and PVP on the side).  Not to mention that the sympathy from the non-RPers has been quite a bit more voluminous than I'd have expected.  Still going to harp on RP phasing after the megaservers until the end of time or until we get it, but I'm not very worried about it.
 
A bunch of the smaller guilds aren't going to survive, but then again, that's not really the important part.  Honestly, if I were someone who wanted to start an RP guild but don't want the responsibility that goes with that, do what Rocio did and start a circle.  That RP Circle (shamelessly plugging the Wildseeds here, they're a helluva group) is extremely entertaining and, of course, Rocio can dive into our guild roster for back end support or to join the major RP storylines (once that's up and running in earnest).  That's what Circles are best for, small social groups to handle things part-time that you don't want to completely leave your guild for.  People have options.
 
Besides that, if Drop 3 is as good as it looks and does what it promises, we'll have a lot more people around to recruit in a few months anyway.  Best to do your prep work now!	
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*sigh*
 
Ok, this isn't being understood how I expected.....*backs up, tries again*.  I'm now even sadder in the fact I naively thought this could help - I don't know, generate something positive and it seems already within 10 minutes, it's going the other way.  If this continues, *I* will report the thread rather than let it become one of "those" threads.  So let me say this clearly:
 
THIS IS NOT INTENDED AS A WHINE ABOUT HOW THE GAME HATES ROLEPLAYERS OR THE SERVER MERGE.  Caps for attention-grabbing.
 
THIS IS A THREAD, BY A ROLEPLAYER WHO HAS NO INTENTION OF LEAVING, NOR CLOSING HER GUILD, TO TRY AND HELP OUT SOME OTHER RP GUILDS AND FRIENDS.  Productively.  Positively.  And without hurting the community, slinging mud, or expecting the game developers and moderators to swoop in and save us.
 
I'm asking the *community* to just - THINK - creatively - about what we can do to help address this issue.  AKA focusing on solutions, not problems.  So please work with me here, people!
 
1.  Not about us, so I don't need to be told to go "join another guild" and "abandon mine".  *WE* are ok, and the core of us is committed to staying together no matter what - believe it or not, we care about stuff like symbols, and heraldry, and traditions, enough that "joining someone else" is not our solution.  I just get really sad every time I see another RP guild - big guilds - folding or falling apart.  People got all freaked out when that big raiding guild left WildStar, so why can't roleplayers have a similar sadness or concern?
 
2.  I do not think "Abandon how you play the game and play someone else's way" is ever a solution to happiness for anybody.  That's as - naive as telling raiders to try to stop raiding and look for a family guild if they can't fill out their raid team - that's not what they want from the game and they won't be happy doing it.  Therefore - if the solution is, "Quit whining and join a big, non-RP guild", it's not actually a solution to the problem as expressed.  It's a solution, but not to *this* problem.
 
3.  I can suggest the Accords to folks - and would encourage someone to put up a post in Wildstar Roleplay forums, as well.  But from what I've gathered, I don't actually think that's the problem causing people to leave, not getting groups per se.  The people who want PvE content over RP content (when forced to choose) are already finding homes in non-RP or RP optional guilds and it's working out dandy for them.  The problem is the RP guilds not being able to keep people active and in game.  There's actually a fairly large segment of the game that - doesn't really *want* to run lots of dungeons and stuff, according to a lot of the game metrics I've see....so I guess in some senses, that's my target audience for this point?
 
Now - we can speculate on *why* that is, and why people are leaving RP guilds, or the game as a whole,  but I feel like that's a whole separate discussion and not one I want to start here.  What I wanted to do was to ask, specifically the RP community, to maybe consider joining an RP guild with an alt instead of *just* joining non-RP or RP-optional guilds.  Note - I'm not even asking people to QUIT their existing guilds!  Just - toss an alt somewhere, so groups like Legion of Bloom keep falling into the dustbin of history.	
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Vic - it's worth reading the Wildstar Roleplaying forums.  They do not actually seem to be doing fine - now granted, I have suggested they try and post more here, and less there, because too often I feel like the communities are too siloed and segregated and it's no good for anyone that way.  But when another RP guild closes every few days, I cannot qualitatively call that fine, or healthy.  One or two - sure, natural attrition.  Three a week?  In a community this small in the first place?  Not healthy.  Even by Selection of the Fittest standards, then the message is "RP guilds are not viable in WildStar", and that depresses me.  But who knows, maybe that's actually the point? Game keeps trying to tell me, "Hey Norah, get it through your head, Guilds are for PvE, Circles are for RP."
 
 
Additionally - comparing RP guilds to RP optional guilds is apples to oranges.  I know Saddles are doing great, and that's *awesome* - and I'm delighted, because I know how hard you've been working for that!  However, what works for Saddles doesn't inherently work for RP guilds, either - different things.  If I understand correctly, you're a guild that has roleplayers but is not actually a roleplaying guild as much as a "RP friendly", and admit non-RPers as well as RPers. That's actually very different from a RP guild like Legion of Bloom.  If RP guilds could admit non-RPers, they likely wouldn't be having the issues with recruitment - but then they can't really advertise as RP guilds anymore once they do.  (Which again, makes me wonder if the ultimate game answer is really, "Shaddap and git in yer circle, RPer girl."
 
Blargh.  Maybe I should have had more caffeine this morning, I feel like I'm speaking in French and everyone else is answering me in Dutch - I'm trying to express one thing and guess it doesn't seem like the point I'm trying to make is getting through at all.  Clearly, I'm not expressing myself well...
 
On that note, I will gracefully extract myself from the forums for a while and have more tea.  Perhaps after another glass, I'll be able to either better explain myself or just SFTU and get in my circle. ;)	
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			Bite your teeth and sit trough it. It's not easy being a casual guild on an EU pvp server either. People will tell you that chatting is for circles and that seriousness is for guilds. Unfortunately we can't birth new humans to recruit (at least not birth them and grow them up fast enough), so all you can do is just sit trough it.	
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Hey Norah,
 
I think there are two things needed to help turn this trend around.
 
First, the server merge needs to happen.  That will give everyone a larger pool of players to draw from.
 
Second, and more importantly though, the RP guilds that are struggling need to do something to become more visible, and entice players to want to join.
 
You can have a great population and a guild will still struggle if people simply don't know about it.  The guilds that thrive are the ones who get their names out there into the community.  On Evindra, we have a few guilds that have done that to varying degrees, but there are many more that haven't - and those are the guilds having trouble.
 
It is *not* easy to build a guild up from nothing, or rebuild it when it starts to crumble.  But the leadership of these guilds needs to assume some responsibility for it themselves as well.  I know you have the best of intentions with this thread, but the reality is that if they don't step up, they can't be saved.
 
That said, one thing we may consider once the merge happens is to put together some sort of community RP event that will showcase the different RP guilds and circles.  Maybe a "summit"?  I'm all for helping folks get something off the ground, as long as they're willing to step up and take some initiative as well.	
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Vic - it's worth reading the Wildstar Roleplaying forums.  They do not actually seem to be doing fine - now granted, I have suggested they try and post more here, and less there, because too often I feel like the communities are too siloed and segregated and it's no good for anyone that way.  But when another RP guild closes every few days, I cannot qualitatively call that fine, or healthy.  One or two - sure, natural attrition.  Three a week?  In a community this small in the first place?  Not healthy.  Even by Selection of the Fittest standards, then the message is "RP guilds are not viable in WildStar", and that depresses me.  But who knows, maybe that's actually the point? Game keeps trying to tell me, "Hey Norah, get it through your head, Guilds are for PvE, Circles are for RP."
 
 
Additionally - comparing RP guilds to RP optional guilds is apples to oranges.  I know Saddles are doing great, and that's *awesome* - and I'm delighted, because I know how hard you've been working for that!  However, what works for Saddles doesn't inherently work for RP guilds, either - different things.  If I understand correctly, you're a guild that has roleplayers but is not actually a roleplaying guild as much as a "RP friendly", and admit non-RPers as well as RPers. That's actually very different from a RP guild like Legion of Bloom.  If RP guilds could admit non-RPers, they likely wouldn't be having the issues with recruitment - but then they can't really advertise as RP guilds anymore once they do.  (Which again, makes me wonder if the ultimate game answer is really, "Shaddap and git in yer circle, RPer girl."
 
Blargh.  Maybe I should have had more caffeine this morning, I feel like I'm speaking in French and everyone else is answering me in Dutch - I'm trying to express one thing and guess it doesn't seem like the point I'm trying to make is getting through at all.  Clearly, I'm not expressing myself well...
 
On that note, I will gracefully extract myself from the forums for a while and have more tea.  Perhaps after another glass, I'll be able to either better explain myself or just SFTU and get in my circle. ;)
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Some more thoughts from me.
 
First,  I think any RP guild that's struggling needs to try to be active in both communities - not just on WSRP.  I'll be completely honest:  I don't frequent WSRP - and I think many players don't.  It's not that it's a bad site or anything, but it's a time thing.  I make time to come here, but adding WSRP into the mix is simply too much for me to track, timewise.  That doesn't mean that I'm not interested in roleplay, but as someone who does other things besides roleplay, this set of forums suits me better.
 
Second, any RP focused guild needs to think of themselves sort of like a public theatre troupe.  The way that they get visibility is by "performing" in places where others can see them.  They need an audience.  If all their RP happens on housing plots or behind closed doors, no one will see the awesome stories they're telling.  It all comes back to visibility.  If your guild is visible, interested people will find you and want to join.  If it's not, they simply won't find you.
 
I realize that I am preaching to the choir here, but I hope that somehow it makes it back to the people who need to hear it.	
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Some more thoughts from me.
 
First,  I think any RP guild that's struggling needs to try to be active in both communities - not just on WSRP.  I'll be completely honest:  I don't frequent WSRP - and I think many players don't.  It's not that it's a bad site or anything, but it's a time thing.  I make time to come here, but adding WSRP into the mix is simply too much for me to track, timewise.  That doesn't mean that I'm not interested in roleplay, but as someone who does other things besides roleplay, this set of forums suits me better.
 
Second, any RP focused guild needs to think of themselves sort of like a public theatre troupe.  The way that they get visibility is by "performing" in places where others can see them.  They need an audience.  If all their RP happens on housing plots or behind closed doors, no one will see the awesome stories they're telling.  It all comes back to visibility.  If your guild is visible, interested people will find you and want to join.  If it's not, they simply won't find you.
 
I realize that I am preaching to the choir here, but I hope that somehow it makes it back to the people who need to hear it.
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			This guild I am in has not l ost a single player,  infact it keeps gaining people.    So.. umm  we're dying out?  I just don't see it.	
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I honestly thought WSRP went kind of dark after launch since we had server forums.  I thought I was making a point by wondering if we should bring it back into prominence for the megaservers.  Have people been there the whole time?
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 Every couple days when I log in,
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Hrm.
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Aww, so cute!
 
I log in most days for at least a little bit - it's the *guilds* I was referring to with the "every couple days".  
 
Nothing wrong with not being online all night every night either, though - those of us who work with computers all day sometimes like a break from being on them all night too.  I highly recommend trying it!
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			Why be satisfied with only a mention of Sarah McLachlan? As a Canadian who enjoys her music, the follow song fits. Kind of. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3sjSnhZJk0In the end, we either go on or die trying. We have to take action to make sure we endure. Sitting around hoping others will is a sure-fire way to wither, wane and die. Personally, I do not roleplay much because the opportunity for RP does not come up often. I dislike bar roleplay and dance parties and the interesting events (looking at you, archaeological trips across Nexus!) usually happen when I am unavailable.Make my own RP? Terrible idea. I am but a newbie when it comes to online roleplay :P 	
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Aww, so cute!
 
I log in most days for at least a little bit - it's the *guilds* I was referring to with the "every couple days".  
 
Nothing wrong with not being online all night every night either, though - those of us who work with computers all day sometimes like a break from being on them all night too.  I highly recommend trying it!
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