....Continued from Page One.

<Zang> No, I'm following.
<Zang> You're basically describing the difference between a true guildmate and someone just wearing the tag for convenience
<Nobile|BR> I think fighting is the last step. Before you go in and fight, you should be sure that you've won.
<Nobile|BR> right.
<Nobile|BR> And there's a whole lot of that going on in DT at the moment
<Zang> How do you prevent that from starting to avalanche and ruining a guild...as some would say the group under Lauea did?
<Nobile|BR> Well, that wasnt convenience. Lauae had a charismatic personality with some people and she inspired fierce loyalty.
<Zang> So that wasn't convenience then..more like an internal revolt?
<Zang> you ok?
<Nobile|BR> still there? I dropped
<Zang> I'm here
<Zang> welcome back
<Nobile|BR> we both dropped I think
<Nobile|BR> where were we?
<Zang> We had been talking about "members of convenience"
<Zang> Which brings up another question.....
<Zang> Many guilds on Darktide, taking an example from the Mercs, have set up class distinctions. Like "core members" and "non-core members". Any thoughts on that practice?
<Nobile|BR> Core members feel like they belong somewhere and non core members strive to become core
members...yeah it's a good motivational setup
<Nobile|BR> But I don't like the way they do it.
<Zang> What would you change about the core/non-core system if you were to ever use it?
<Nobile|BR> We use it in a way. We do have core members, they are our leadership
<Nobile|BR> and they are the players the guild is built around
<Zang> What distinguishes a "core" form a "non-core" in your guild?
<Nobile|BR> A core member is a person that has stuck with us in good times and bad. But that doesnt preclude newer people from becoming core members.
<Nobile|BR> To put it in a simple way: we're a group of friends and we always make new friends..people that speak the same language as we do.
* Zang nods.
<Nobile|BR> We wont make someone our "gimp" for a few months and then make him a core
<Nobile|BR> or discard him/her
<Zang> Like the Mercs and Blood?
<Nobile|BR> Yea, and not only them
<Nobile|BR> I figure that if you treat someone with respect, you'll get it back
<Zang> Unlike the "experience whores" under the Mercs?
<Nobile|BR> even if the guild affiliation doesnt pan out
<Nobile|BR> Yea, some of those people were good players and interesting personalities...discounting them as "gimps" only hurts a guild
* Zang nods
<Zang> What keeps 1300 people working together in-game, month after month?
<Nobile|BR> ok answering your last question
<Nobile|BR> ok..
<Nobile|BR> In our case, our guild works as a cooperative
<Nobile|BR> everyone owns a piece
<Nobile|BR> we built it together and we care about it and the people in it. Friendship plays a big role too.
<Nobile|BR> The part where I come in is motivating people
* Zang nods.
<Nobile|BR> and organising, spotting talent
<Nobile|BR> last is really important btw.
<Zang> How big a part do your "luitenants" or subordinate leaders play in that?
<Nobile|BR> a huge part
<Nobile|BR> this is a pyramid structure
<Nobile|BR> but even the people at the bottom of the "food chain" are recognised
<Nobile|BR> for their talents
<Zang> So, in your opinion, what ties a large guild like BR together? sense of community? recognition? friendship? personalities?
<Nobile|BR> Just because someone is a newb doesnt mean he has no abilities, or that he doesnt have a lot to offer
<Nobile|BR> All of the above, we've also been fortunate to have a lot of intelligent and talented people
* Zang nods.
<Nobile|BR> which tend to attract more
<Zang> Bekka is probably one of the most well-known DT people.
<Nobile|BR> Lauae is too
<Zang> who isnt a monarch
<Nobile|BR> I'm not comparing the two
* Zang nods.
<Nobile|BR> but each has/had a talent
<Nobile|BR> I spotted beka as a 14 level newb
<Nobile|BR> bekka i mean
<Nobile|BR> same with Lauae
<Nobile|BR> other people might not have bothered
<Nobile|BR> these are just two examples..
<Nobile|BR> Remember Curafin the Cunning?
<Zang> so, finding talent you think, and nurturing it, also led a lot to BR's success?
<Zang> yes, I remember Currafin
<Zang> from the Shoushi Free City experiment
<Nobile|BR> Sure...Lauae as i said before inspired fierce loyalty and was the best Mata Hari a gaming guild could have
* Zang nods.
<Nobile|BR> Bekka, well I can't think of anyone more capable of speaking for us
<Zang> I admire Bekka...even though she always hated my over-the-top roleplaying as a solid Anti-PK
<Zang> She was great in the Leafcull Invasion..which is where I had a chance to get to know her
<Nobile|BR> Heh, I remember that
* Zang nods.
<Nobile|BR> Even though I didn't participate.
<Nobile|BR> Before Bekka I wouldn't allow anyone to post on the boards
<Nobile|BR> I mean it was a rule
<Zang> How important do you think that was to BR's success? The no-posting or news blackout idea?
<Zang> Would you recommend that approach?
<Nobile|BR> Well, look at recent examples. If I was new to DT right now and read the boards...
<Nobile|BR> and what other way besides playing the game is there to get a quick idea...
<Nobile|BR> You look at the top guild leaders endorsing Gear-speedhack
<Nobile|BR> Racial epithets
<Nobile|BR> and childish arguments
* Zang nods.
<Nobile|BR> Why would an intelligent person want to join any of them?
<Zang> they wouldn't
<Nobile|BR> Well they would, but not because of the way they come across on the boards
<Zang> right
<Zang> Here's a few hypothetical questions....
<Nobile|BR> You need to have a board pressence
<Nobile|BR> sure
<Zang> You've seen and followed atriarch a bit....
<Zang> What effect on the politics of Darktide do you think having hard-coded ownership of cities would have had?
<Nobile|BR> In DT it's almost impossible to be "victorious" in anything
* Zang nods.
<Nobile|BR> I'm not sure if ownership of cities can change hands in Atriarch
<Zang> They can
<Zang> They can be siezed or conquered in Atriarch, if the conditions for taking them are met
<Nobile|BR> If there was a decisive way to determine victory and defeat on DT..on any level, the server would have been the better for it
<Zang> What do you think would have been the result?
<Nobile|BR> also the players would have more focus on goals
<Nobile|BR> Well, seeing that people won't fight right now due to issues like people logging off, using exploits as to not be killed, online times etc..
<Nobile|BR> Hard to say what the result would have been, but I'm sure the most dedicated guilds would have prevailed
<Zang> right..I'm assuming *hoping* that the AT devs will not allow cheating like in AC
<Nobile|BR> not the "convienience" type guilds
<Nobile|BR> amen to that
<Zang> So, speaking of "convenience guilds"..what is your take on Ayan Baqur..under the Antis and under Blood?
<Nobile|BR> Well, to be honest..I can't see a difference
<Zang> How would you describe AB?
<Nobile|BR> AB inspires convenience.
<Zang> for the benefit of readers who never played on DT..?
<Nobile|BR> That's why while BR might fight for it we'll never live there
<Nobile|BR> ok..Ayan Baqur is a town that is unbalanced compared to all the others
<Nobile|BR> The prime location in Darktide, everyone wants to live there, but most of the people are not going to fight to defend it.
<Nobile|BR> Because it attracts the worst element
<Nobile|BR> the convenience players, guild hoppers
* Zang nods.
<Nobile|BR> Hard to explain..kinda like people going out to Hollywood to be in the movies and ending up in porn
<Nobile|BR> lol...actually that wasn't a bad analogy
<Zang> heh, true
<Zang> AB was the capitol of "good" people gone bad
<Nobile|BR> Well the good people didn't really go bad, they just attracted a lot of the wrong people.
<Zang> Don't get me started on AB ;)
<Nobile|BR> ok:)
<Zang> another hypothetic question: What effect would you foresee from having "Native" (NPC) troops available to guilds? What would have this done on Darktide?
<Nobile|BR> Well...I wish we had those.
<Nobile|BR> On DT now:
<Nobile|BR> We gather a hoarde to go fight bloods and take over AB
<Nobile|BR> go to AB find nothing
<Nobile|BR> wait around, get bored, most leave, 10 bloods log on and own the remains of the raidng party
<Nobile|BR> And this is the largest guild on DT
<Zang> Blood you mean?
<Nobile|BR> Yea
<Nobile|BR> You shouldnt be able to go to their town and walk around uncontested
* Zang nods.
<Nobile|BR> just because they choose to/ or are unable to be logged on.
<Zang> that leads to another hypothetical question...
<Nobile|BR> It would cut down on grief play also
<Nobile|BR> and add more of a strategy element to battles
<Zang> Ah, care to elaborate on that grief element?
<Nobile|BR> Grief player goes to AB and stands around killing people till he dies, then repeats
<Nobile|BR> If you had npc troops standing there...who would do it?
<Nobile|BR> Grief playing has become "strategy" on DT
<Nobile|BR> that's ridiculous
* Zang nods
<Zang> Though, a griefer with 100 NPC troops could be foreseen also, no?
<Nobile|BR> maybe but if he can have 100 npc troops the defenders would be able to counter I would think
<Nobile|BR> with their own
* Zang nods.
<Nobile|BR> it's still 1 guy
<Zang> So the NPCs would make one lone griefer much less of a problem you think?
<Nobile|BR> Today we got ready to go raid a town, gathered, buffed and went there, to find nobody there.
<Nobile|BR> I would hope so

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