DF Guilds in Stericksburg

So I'm thinking through how to implement the elements I like in Dungeon Fantasy 17: Guilds.





This isn't me writing how it will be, so much as working out the implications of some decisions.

The Background

Before you can have guilds, you need to have some idea of the game area.

How big is the game area?

It's basically a one-city game. There is technically a Kingdom, which I didn't even bother to name. There are other cities - such as Molotov, which I think of as a different kingdom. Or at least a different culture and possibly autonomous. I'd decide that for sure when it actually mattered.

At the same time there are trips abroad: Swampsedge, Molotov (not that anyone has gone yet), the unnamed camp south of the Lost City, Falcon's Keep.

So technically you could get "Stericksburg only" reputation or Claim to Hospitality.

I need to decide if I should price everything as "the whole world" and avoid the complexity of sub-areas or run with them.

One thing that wrenches this a little is that one PC already has a location-specific Claim to Hospitality (Vryce, for Falcon's Keep). So I need to ensure that 1 point Claims are possible but don't get you access everywhere because I've already priced them effectively above 1 point.

I may be forced to do three levels: one town, one kingdom, everywhere. Hmm.

What I want to use.

I like some parts of Guilds a lot.

The expansion of Claim to Hospitality? Love it.

Status? Sounds nice in theory, but doesn't fit my game. I'm not planning to use this.

Rank? Sure, if people want to join a guild, rank is going to be important.

Tenure? Not sure it makes sense. Probably not.

Reputation? Yes, we use them already. The real issue is reaction size. +1 to everyone, all the time in Stericksburg is a lot like "everyone everywhere." It's probably easier if Vryce shows up in a stinking hellhole on the far side of the world and people say, "Hey, Vryce the Dragonslayer!" and get a +1 reaction to him.

Guilds? I'm sure as heck not defining an ecosystem of guilds. People want them? Pony up the points and we'll talk and make something that fits the overlap between your vision and mine. In general, I want "guilds" to be part of "town," where the "market" buys stuff, and "merchants" sell stuff. Not too much definition. But it should be possible to use the requesting assistance rolls to have the effect of guilds make more sense!

A lot to think about here, but providing a better framework for the in-town rolls is a good idea. Elements of DF17 will be used in my game. It's just a question of what, and how.