GUILDS

Groups of players banding together has really been very important to the survival of Neverwinter since its inception. They are what have helped to shape the rules players choose to live in, both in the form of staff-designed rules (and enforced), and in player traditions that are nearly as rigidly followed. Some have been around for years, while others are probably being generated on mail strings this very moment. Only time will tell which ones have what it takes to stick around for a while, but each one plays a part in shaping what Neverwinter Nights is.

As a player, you will probably choose to join a guild at some point, as most players do. This isn't to say that you must plan on some day giving up your chosen personality, and creating a new one to fit the requirements of the guild you join, although this is of course a choice you can make. However, it is a decision you shouldn't take too lightly, as the guild you are a part of can determine almost as much of what others think of you as your deeds.

Guilds were initially founded with protection as a common goal in most instances. Whether this camaraderie was for the purpose of killing everyone not in the guild, or to protect all who needed protection, the general notion was the same -- it's easier to live if you have a couple folks on your side in battle then it is if you've only got yourself to depend on. Unless your friends are really, really incompetent, of course.

Folks often like their guild mates, and on the whole more friendships are formed than enemies born due to interactions with others in your guild. In fact, many people form extremely close friendships with those in their guild, and it is these friendships that are most commonly the ones to expand from purely "in-character" to real world friendships.

Guilds have long been responsible for organizing, planning, and running various events in the game. Whether these be quests, contests, tournaments, or bloody wars fought for bragging rights, these events have helped to add a dimension to the game that make it much, much more than it could be otherwise. While it's true that the Neverwinter staff runs various events in game, the contributions of guilds adds a very distinct flavor to the Realms.

There's no better way to learn than to join an established guild, and to seek knowledge from those that've been there longer than you have. Experienced players abound in nearly all guilds, and they are far more likely to impart what they've learned to others in the same guild than to total strangers. Quite often joining opens up avenues of knowledge and challenge that a new member never even knew existed before they joined, and this process of transferring knowledge will probably remain one of the more prevalent for the foreseeable future.

Joining a guild gives you a chance to both share the history and accomplishments that the guild has had in the past, as well as add to those accomplishments in the future -- just try not to be one of the skeletons the guild avoids discussing down the road, as most guilds have at least a few pages torn from their history books.

While often overlooked, the benefit guilds provide members in the form of a focus for their members is a crucial one. A guild can help ensure that what you do contributes to a greater plan -- at least, you hope it can. A guild that is designed to survive the long haul will usually be one in which every member can find their talents & energy directed towards both long and short term goals, and where they can find new challenges to pursue once the old challenges seem too mundane or repetitive.

As guilds shape what Neverwinter is, and will be, being a member of a guild gives you the chance to have a say in what that shape is in the future. When you're a member of a guild, you have a very solid support structure when you wish to change something and are in a far better position with 90 fellow guildmembers behind you than you are as a solitary player.