I assume you could do this pretty easy, although recruiting may be difficult. From some chat information last week I think guilds will actually have charters that may need to be registered with local, or national, governments. Maybe not though. If they dont then you could found a guild and then just recruit friends, or recruit purely in an in-game manner. Then no one would really know whos in it except those that are in it.
Most games usually display on characters any guilds they belong to though. From the way they devs talk about the game I would think they wouldn't do that but it remains to be seen. Hard to be a secret guild of assassins if it says it above your head.
You can put on disguises you can hide your affiliation that way or just never declare to the world that you are in x guild.
I believe it won't be in this game. In this game you won't even see people names floating over their heads.
No guild tags. If you want people to know what guild you're in, wear a crest or tabard.
So while there are no guild tags etc. over player names. How does it go for game mechanics of registering and running a guild.
Can you be in multiple guilds?
For the dark guilds, you would need a front or light guild and then the real dark guild.
The front being the places you can sell stolen goods, build your wealth etc. Possibly have those front's operate as entrances into your underground guild locations for the more hush-hush gatherings.
Will there be freely placeable world items for guild emblems that will persist?
Such as you develop a system of communication by using various symbols with a word or two that could be masked as a simple direction sign for the average traveller, but those in the know see the updated symbol beside a certain word are communicated (via in-game means) that there is a big job planned or a gathering happening for leaders of other dark guilds.
Could the guild system be that anyone can create and operate a guild. However unless you register the guild with an authority then you wouldn't get certain perks from the local NPCs? IE: NPC quests/contracts etc. to help spur along any game based direction of the AI logic (or world events that the devs inject into the game).
Those are great questions. We are going to release a DJ on guilds in the future, so keep your eyes peeled ;)
What are some other ways that guilds could subtly communicate with one another? I really like the idea of using symbols.
-Miguel
\[T]/
This is kind of off-topic but it will come back around. I know that cartography and contract writing will be skills. My question is will their be a way to manufacture parchment. And if so, will there be a kind of printing press or something of the sort to post wanted posters around towns and such. Because if we are going to be able to do that, you could end up having your own news outlet. I know the printing press is semi-mechanical and was invented c. 1440 but china had woodblock printing as early as 200 ad. Now having said all that, you could easily hide hidden messages within the print to secretly send word to all of your cronies for your super secret underground guild ;)
I'm actually a big fan of the guild tags not being visible. It is also a lot like religious preference, associations with organizations outside the general area being somehow known to all who you encounter, both PC and NPC alike. In my eyes, I don't see how a guard in a city that my character has never been to, who has limited knowledge of where I am from or (in some cases) even my race, could possibly know my religion or profession, unless I have attained some form of notoriety (whether good or bad) because of my actions.
I like the idea of tabards, sigils or other means displayed that would show an affiliation within an organization. A guild tabard, or signet ring, maybe a magical sigil if a magic user type and in a guild of others of the same ilk. Scoundrels and the like would likely have specific wording used to communicate secretly with others of their profession.
Yes it would be great if those sigil etc. would be used practically, Every character could influence the reputation of the gild with their livestyle. In Terms of a Dark Guild, maybe you can form those with contracts wich have specifics written in them.
It's true recruiting for my guild has been a little tough. It requires that my members check their messages a lot, and that requires a lot of activity. I've tried setting up other avenues of communication, but it's still hard getting members to join. Mostly because I have nothing but the thrill of half cooked spying on the forums until game launch.
But I've been nothing if not determined. I've found informants in most every faction/guild/organization. So if I can do it, anyone can.
Symbols sound like Cryptology to me. I know very little so far about the game but I have heard that in game mail will have to be physically delivered and could be passed off to couriers. Elyria will be very vast, making information across long distances very valuable. If this is explored it opens up a world of possibilities on the espionage level.
The lack of instantaneous mail delivery means it can and most probably will be interrupted along the way. If there is important information, things like cryptology or even personal character or house seals will be key factors in Kingdom Defense.
Let us say that there are two Kingdoms in a tense peace with each other and they are called KA and KB. Both Kingdoms are direct rivals and would love to trample on their opposition, however their citizens are wholly uninterested in a major war. All they need is a Casus Belli, some justification to goad their citizens into battle.
KB has a Spymaster while KA has Strategists. KA decides to spark the war by goading KB into taking action first. They send key information for this plan to the border between the two nations using an honorable courier. KB has been waiting for this moment however, and an agent steals the mail from an unknown courier. They break the seal and copy the information.
Now, the fun part. They reseal the envelope using a heated knife and return it to the courier unawares to get it delivered. The plan will happen, but KB can create a counter plan now. Except, the real information was actually written with lemon juice on the envelope paper itself! The strategist was aware the mail could be tampered with, and indeed, the seal showed signs of tampering.
Did the spy from KB notice the real hidden message, or did they only catch the red herring clues? Both sides think things are going according to plan, but who will get the public on their side?
Imo, players morale will be very important in supporting counties, duchies, and kingdoms. Considering the distance we will already be travelling, players are more likely to be interested in border skirmishes and monster fights than a prolonged drawn out war. Short battles will hold their attention, but a kings real challenge would be to get them to commit to the long haul with this sort of thing.
Wars are a sort of high risk, long return investment. Too much information will be travelling at a time for anyone to truly control it, and that is just how it should be. Having the information being so important would raise the importance of investments with quicker return such as alliances or trade.
I might say more on this later, but I'm losing my train of thought so I shall stop here on a good note. :)
TL;DR Cryptology sounds amazing. We could also have mail seals, lemon juice, mail theft, and other such fun things.
It wouldn't be impossible for a group of people to create a group that didn't register with the nobles of their area. A group of rebels or a collection of assassins/thieves could just gather in places they already own and make up their own ways of giving perks to their members without the built in guild system perks.
Like was mentioned up above you could have one of the families in the secret guild use a business as a front to launder goods or use as a hideout/meeting place.
Anonymity would outweigh perks of an in game registered guild.
