AEG: Guilds, Questions

[Cevalic]

1. Is it out yet?
2. If it is, any reviews/ impressions?

Thanks a lot...

 

[DiamondB]

Yes it is out. I've read through it, but have yet to determine how useful it is. I like it, but I like all of AEG's "One Word Titles" so that may not carry much weight. I haven't seen any reviews out there, but I haven't looked. I'd write one myself but unfortunately that takes time.

 

[Knightcrawler]

Okay I've had Guilds now for about two weeks. Heres a basic breakdown of whats in it

Chapter 1: Guild Basics
History and Background of Guilds
Apprenticing and Membership
The World Around the Guild
Guild Definitions
Guilds and the Campaign World
The Guild and Nobility
The Guild and Government
Guilds and Tradesmen
The Guild and Commoners
The Guild and Criminals
The Guild and Adventurers
Evolution of a Guild
Humble Beginnings
Formal Organization
Development Over Time
Outside Influences
Guild Operations By Type
Unofficial Guilds
Secret Societies
Official Guilds and the Law
Cities and Guilds
Plutocracies
Hierarchy of a Guild
The Upper Echelons
The Rank and File
Symbols of Rank
Advancing in Rank
Rival and Cooperative Guilds
Guild War
Membership Wars
Specific Types of Guilds
Guilds In Humanoid Lands
Humanoid Guilds In Human Lands

This chapter is pretty much all fluff. Basically just a discussion and examination of guilds in general. But it will give you ideas for you to lay the
groundwork.


Chapter 2: Benefits of a Guild
Contacts
Gaining Contacts
Restrictions and Limits on Contacts
Maintaining Contacts
Keeping Track of Contacts
Benefits Gained From Contacts
Guild Training
Guilds as Benefactors
Best Prices on Raw Materials
Equipment Repair/Upgrading Discounts
Safe Houses In Foreign Locales
Salary Minimums and Insurance
Protection
Quality Standards
Votes
Guild Equipment
New Uses For Old Skills
New Feats
New Cleric Domains
New Spells

This chapter covers many of the benefits that can be gained from joining a guild. The Contacts section is particular interesting as it provides a system
for dealing with a characters contacts and not just within a guild.


Chapter 3: Guild Creation/Operation
Starting a Guild Chapter
Searching for a Guild and Location
Approaching the Guild
Approaching the Locals
Gathering Support
Founding the Guildhouse
Managing a Guildhouse
Interpeting the Charcter
Dictating Policy
Arbitrating Disputes
Representing the Guilds Interests
Joining a Guild
Leaving a Guild
Chapter Leadership and Complications
Guild Actions
Playing a Character Class as a Guild Leader
Membership Costs
Dues
Services Factors
Profession Factors
Other Monetary Fees
Guild Meetings
Recruitment Operations and Policies
Handshakes, passwords and Secret Languages

This chapter deals with chracters either joining a guild or creating a new guild. It covers many of the issues that they will have to deal with.


Chapter 4: Sample Guilds
This chapter gives seventeen sample guilds. The first six guilds are in very detailed form giving a complete history, a map of the guildhouse, stat blocks for important members, new feats, new spells and new maic items. The last elevn are in a stat block format that gives most relavent information that you will need. The sample guilds will be very useful to you in designing your own because of the level of detail that they contain.


Chapter 5: Dming Guilds
Guild Adventurers
Different Guilds, Same Group
Bringing Different Guilds Together
Adventure Examples
An Evening at the Rusty Anchor
Assassination Attempt
Cooperation
Urban Adventuring
Modifying Standard Adventures
Maintaining a PC Operated Guild
All in the Family
Bringing the Adventure Home
Tailoring Adventures
Traces and Goodwill
Simplified Bookkeeping
Fantasy Currency
Other Commonly Traded Commodities
Livestock and Produce
Gems and Jewelry
Property
Magic
Fantasy Economics Made Easy
War
Drought and Famine
Nature Disasters
Plague
Gold Rush/Discovery of Natural Resources
Prosperity/Peace Treaty
Impact of Major Events on Local Economy
Prestige Classes

This chapter contains most of the game mechanics that the DM will need for running guilds in his/her campaign.



I enjoyed this product and all the information that it gave for laying the groundwork for creating guilds. But all the guilds presented are prestige class based. The main way that you advance within the guild is advancing in the PrC. Other than the PrC there is limited information about specific heirarchies and advancement within the guilds provided. If you want to base all your guilds around PrCs then this book should work well for you.

I found Bastion Press - Guildcraft to be much more useful for my tastes. The sample guilds in Guildcraft have a clearly marked heirarchy along with all requirements and benefits gained at each level. If you are serious about including well fleshed out guilds in your campaign your best bet would to by both AEGs Guilds and Bastion Press's Guildcraft as they compliment each other nicely.

 

[Crothian]

It was about average. It has some good information, but not really in depth enough for what I was looking for. If you really want prestege classes in your guilds I'd recommend Mystic Eye's Guilds & Adventurers for the prestige classes over Guilds. But Guilds does have much more written desrciptions.

Guildcraft might be the best of the three, but it's too class oriented (guild for fighters, barbarians, etc) and not really guilds for the commoners. Also, the guildcraft use of spending XP for guild abilities is something that some people like and some do not.

 

[Iron_Chef]

Guildcraft might be the best of the three, but it's too class oriented (guild for fighters, barbarians, etc) and not really guilds for the commoners. Also, the guildcraft use of spending XP for guild abilities is something that some people like and some do not.

I liked Guildcraft a lot, and did not think AEG's Guilds had enough useful material to warrant a purchase. Guildcraft's spending XPs to advance in the the guild idea is brilliant, as it gives non-casters something to spend their XP on (an idea also seen in the various Fantasy Flight "Path Of" series). PCs spending XP slows down level advancement, which should make this system a DM's best friend.

 

[Crothian]

I liked Guildcraft a lot, and did not think AEG's Guilds had enough useful material to warrant a purchase. Guildcraft's spending XPs to advance in the the guild idea is brilliant, as it gives non-casters something to spend their XP on (an idea also seen in the various Fantasy Flight "Path Of" series). PCs spending XP slows down level advancement, which should make this system a DM's best friend.

I bring it up becasue we have had some majorly heated debates on these boards about spending XP in this way. Some like it, others don't. So, it's something that needs to be mentioned.

 

[Iron_Chef]

I bring it up becasue we have had some majorly heated debates on these boards about spending XP in this way. Some like it, others don't. So, it's something that needs to be mentioned.

I agree it needs to be mentioned, as it won't appeal to everyone. Still, while my group was leery of it at first, they embraced it rather quickly when they saw they could shore up weak spots or make themselves better in areas they were already good at it for a reasonable XP cost. Nobody did this when they were nearing another level gain, but the XP spending started as soon as they had amassed a few hundred over the new level minimum until they had everything they wanted or could afford.

This requires a considerable amount of downtime in a relatively safe urban environment. PCs enrolled in these schools could easily make it easy for the DM to toss in extra NPCs and adventures/side quests (your old school chum, Mr. Slice-N-Dice, shows up and asks if you'll second him in a duel against his archrival, or your favorite teacher is poisoned and needs a special medicine from the haunted forest). Maybe even let PCs start with -500 XP that must be spent on guild/school membership/training as a way to bring them all together and begin a campaign with them as friends from a common background.

 

[Knightcrawler]

Guildcraft might be the best of the three, but it's too class oriented (guild for fighters, barbarians, etc) and not really guilds for the commoners.

Not entirely true. The book covers the three main types of guilds class, skill based and relational.Interest. And while much of the book is class related guilds there is an excellent example of a profession guild with the Roshanta Trading Guide for merchants and then a craft guild with the Shondak Weaponsmiths' Guild.

But I do agree that they should have included more prfession and craft guilds in the book. Perhaps when the 3.5 update to Guildcraft comes out the will add more guilds as they have added more weapons and armor for the 3.5 update of Arms & Armor thats coming out in a couple of months.