MMORPG Basics: Tips for managing large groups

Being with a group of players – usually referred to in the gaming jargon as being in a guild – is the very essence that defines MMORPGs. True enough, nearly every single game that has been released in the market has boasted a feature that enables players from all corners of the world to come together as one band and forge their mark on the gaming world.

Much of these interactions and communication span across the very borders of the game itself and extend itself out on the real world. A player would agree that in entering the game and being part of the guild, he has inevitably tied his personal business with that of his guild. Of course, binding your life to the game leads to maintaining commitments with your guildmates in things such as joining guild dungeon runs or even going on quests together.

All these things fall into the hands of a guild master, or a council of leaders for the guild, to handle, and without the proper tools to aid them, it would be extremely difficult to bring players together or let alone maintain a semblance of communication between the personas hiding beneath their in-game avatars. As such, here are a few things that can help maintain these binding ties between your newfound companions in life:

• Get a voice chat server – invest in acquiring a VoIP service for your guild members to access and communicate with one another. Nearly all successful guilds have taken the time and resources to obtain a voice chat server and have used this on various activities ranging from directing large-scale dungeon runs to idle banter among fellow guildmates on a slow day in the game. It has also helped forge friendships between people as it tends to establish to other players that they are communicating with other players in a more vocal manner and thus ending up like as if you would be conversing with friends over the telephone or while hanging out.
• Schedule activities – for guilds housing large numbers of players, it almost becomes essential that the guild direct activities on a scheduled and orderly manner to avoid confusion and to ensure that every player manages to participate in what the guild plans to do for the day. Whether it’s for just a simple trek across the game world hunting for achievements or a serious dungeon encounter that will span hours, a calendar always works to manage your members’ attendance and participation. Fortunately, most MMORPGs already offer this service as part of their in-game features.
• Maintain a chain of command, but don’t choke your members – no matter how players look at it, joining and being part of a guild is a responsibility to maintain in the game; an act of courtesy similar to being part of an organization. In larger guilds, it is essential to establish some form of organization among members to define responsibilities and associated perks. This may sound like real life to you or something tantamount to going to work, but face it; a guild easily loses its grip on its members and end up breaking into smaller groups if they are not managed and handled correctly.