“Absolutely, Ray. I can run through the options verbally, or I can show you some of our sample Guildhalls just around the corner,” the Guildhall NPC said.
I hadn’t been expecting them to have show Guildhalls, but of course I preferred seeing the real thing.
“I’ll see the show Guildhalls, then,” I said.
“Excellent. Follow me right this way please,” he said, coming from behind the counter and leading me out of the building.
As we walked, he explained how Guildhalls worked in the game.
“A Guildhall’s capacity and extensibility is directly related to your Guild’s level,” he said as he led me down the street. “As a level 1, your options will be quite limited, but I have a show hall up to level 3 so you can get an idea of what you might grow into.”
That was a little disappointing to hear, but I suppose it made sense that we wouldn’t get all the bells and whistles straight out of the gate. Although, from my experience with S&S, I didn’t discount the ability to just buy my way to a higher level guild.
“How does one level up their guild?” I asked. “Is it just a matter of gold or materials?”
“Ah, I could see why you might ask that,” he replied. “Unfortunately, the only way to level up one’s guild is through Contribution Points. There are indirect ways to quickly boost CP, but it’s quite cost prohibitive after level 3.”
That sounded promising. “Can you go into a little more detail on how I would do that?”
“Sure. The typical way to level up a guild is through members completing quests, dungeons, raids, killing members of opposing factions, and various other feats of strength or adventuring,” he said. “But guild members also gain CP through farming materials or crafting items through their professions. With enough money, a rich Guild leader could buy the materials needed to craft items. Then, they would pay an individual with a high-level profession to temporarily join their guild and mass produce items using those materials.” He stopped in front of a large building and turned to me. “That’s one way adventurers with high-level professions make money - they rent out their crafting to Guilds looking to boost their level quickly. I’m told that the costs to boost to level 3 are somewhere in the 2 million gold range.”
My eyes went wide at the number. He noticed my expression and gave a knowing nod. “Yes, as I said, it can be quite prohibitive to utilize that method.” He waved his hand towards the building in front of us. “This is a level 3 Guildhall if you’d like to take a look inside?”
I nodded and he led the way inside.
The building had looked like a small warehouse from the outside. But once we entered, I realized that it was much larger on the inside that it appeared. The inside was relatively bare bones, but the entryway had a few couches, chairs, and even beanbags laying about.
Beanbags…?
I pointed at the furniture. “That seems a bit…I don’t know…anachronistic?”
He smiled awkwardly and shrugged. “I can’t really comment on that…”
I waved away his concern. “Just weird, that’s all.”
He nodded agreement and walked deeper into the Guildhall. “Past the lobby, we have a Training Hall on the left here.” It was a separate room about a hundred meters long and ten meters wide. There were target dummies on one end, and three arenas roughly the size of a Sumo dohyo. “On the other side, there’s the Guild shop. The contents of the shop are determined by the Guild leader, but in my experience, Guilds usually keep profession materials, potions, and Uncommon gear there for purchase with Contribution Points.” I nodded, following him towards the back of the Hall. “Usually near the back of the Hall, there is the Control Module where the Guild leader can make alterations to the Guildhall, the Contribution Store, and the general layout of the Hall. Sometimes, there’s also private rooms for Guild members, though not always in a level 3. Space is usually reserved for larger training rooms, or more common areas.”
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
My ears perked up at that last part. “You can have private rooms in the Guildhall?” I asked. “Are they lockable or…?” Oh, God, if I could just have a lockable room to sleep in. That’s all I ask!
He nodded knowingly. “Yes, they are explicitly private and can be reserved through the Control Module or through the Guild leader assigning rooms. No one can access a private room except authorized individuals. That doesn’t apply to Guilds being invaded, though,” he added.
I squinted my eyes at him. “Tell me more about that,” I said.
He shrugged. “Well, technically, a Warmaster would be more qualified to inform you about Guild Wars. But I can cover the basics as it pertains to Guildhalls.” He indicated some of the seating in the lobby and we went over to sit. “There are two types of Guildhalls,” he said. “Guildhalls purchased in the major cities can’t be invaded, but they are limited to level 3 Halls and below. They also don’t impart any benefits beyond serving as a staging ground and for housing the Guild shop, bank, and training facilities.” He indicated the Guildhall around us. “Pretty much what you see here. The other type of Guildhalls are Guild Wars enabled. These exist in special locations throughout the world and can be claimed by a Guild. They do impart special perks, and can often be very lucrative for the claimant Guild. The caveat is that other Guilds can declare war on the owning Guild, and invade that location. If the invaders win and raze the Guildhall, they take ownership and boot the other Guild out.”
“Oh, that’s an interesting mechanic. What kinda perks are we talking about here?” I asked.
He waffled his head back and forth. “It varies, and like I said, I’m not an expert. But some locations collect tax on the region’s economy. Some are located directly on prominent dungeons or raids, and can charge entrance fees, or setup supply points inside the dungeons and incentivize commerce with them rather than NPCs. But those locations are heavily contested and change hands often,” he added.
Whoa, I had never even realized that was a thing. The thought of dominating a raid entrance and directing all the commerce around that area was exhilarating. DGW was nowhere near that level yet, but with the soon-to-be massive influx of players, being a top-tier Guild in the near future wasn’t that farfetched.
“That’s fascinating. Thanks for the info,” I said. “Can you show me a level 1 Hall? I want to see what I’m starting with.”
“Sure, follow me.”
----------------------------------------
He took me a couple blocks further down and stopped us in front of what I could only describe as a regular old house. It was two stories, with a small courtyard in the front, and a normal-looking front door.
“This is representative of a level 1 Guildhall,” he said with a wave.
“It looks like it’s just a house,” I said, peering around the side to see how far back it extended. Not far, it seemed.
He nodded. “It is pretty much exactly that. It’s not much bigger than a typical family home, with a recommended capacity of 5 to 10 adventurers at any one time.”
I sighed. That just wasn’t going to work. “Okay, then. So if I buy a level 1 Guildhall, and we level up, what’s the procedure? Do I have to purchase an entirely new Hall, or will our house convert into a larger structure?”
“Unfortunately, the lot you purchase constrains your Hall. So a level 1 Lot cannot accommodate a level 2 or 3 Hall.”
“Can I purchase a larger lot with the intent to upgrade in the future?” I asked.
He gave me a sad smile, and shook his head. “Due to space constraints, that isn’t possible. We restrict adventurers from purchasing lots that they can’t currently fill.”
I rolled my neck, feeling my annoyance rise. “So you’re telling me I have to purchase a new Lot and a new Guildhall every time my Guild levels up?”
“That is correct. However, the market for lots and lower levels Halls are very much in demand, and we will purchase the lots and Halls back from you once you outgrow them. The going rate is around 75% of what you paid, depending on availability.”
“Okay, I guess that’s a little better. I was thinking it was a sunk cost,” I said. “Can we check out this Hall?”
He nodded and waved me forward. “After you.”
I walked up a pavers stone walkway and turned the knob on the front door. The foyer was nearly identical to a Victorian-style home, with a grand staircase in front of me, and two rooms to the left and right. At the top of the stairs, I noticed doors leading to what I assumed were rooms.
Oh, thank God. Even a level 1 will get me some privacy!