Guild membership

The enemy lurks in shadows
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yoroba
Posts: 108
Joined: Thu May 14, 2020 11:25 am

I'm making the option for guild membership available for my players. In particular: The Boatmen's Guild.
I want to come up with some specific benefits and costs for this.


I was thinking as benefits: + 2 d20 brass for Earning as a boatman pr week. And perhaps extra side quests with cash rewards.

As costs: Maybe an entry fee of 1GC and then a small percentage of the Boatman earnings.



Does anyone have more ideas for in-game perks and costs for guild membership?
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Gideon
Posts: 94
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 12:14 pm

I did a lot of work on guilds in WFRP for my blog, as part of my series of downtime posts. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be much interest in my downtime material, so I never finished writing the guild content up.

As far as I could tell from my research. mediaeval guilds didn't really work as you describe. They were not a bonus, but a requirement. In a guilded trade, you had to be a guild member. Practising a trade without guild sponsorship could lead to punishment (perhaps fines, jail, a beating).

Not all trades were guilded. In some trades it was free for anyone to practise. This varied by place, as well. Trades were much more likely to be guilded in cities than rural villages.

Guilds were very local. Membership of a guild only applied to a particular town or city. Guilds could, though, recognise membership of guilds from other places. This might require presentation of papers and payment of a fee for temporary membership.

Permanent membership of a guild was a big deal and required sponsorship and expense. You didn't just turn up and sign on the dotted line.

Once a member, you gained plenty of soft benefits: status, political support and business connections, for example. Sometimes guilds allocated work among members. The only hard benefit (other than the ability to work) was a form of social security. Guilds would pay a stipend to sick or incapacitated members or to their family after their death.

As I said, I have a ton more on guilds in WFRP, including detailed systems on the economics, training, careers, etc. If there is interest, I could write it up in future.
Last edited by Gideon on Thu Aug 06, 2020 6:41 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Gideon
Posts: 94
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 12:14 pm

BTW my downtime posts can be read here:

https://awesomeliesblog.wordpress.com/c ... /downtime/

They don't include the guild material.
Knight of the Lady
Posts: 184
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 11:04 am

Thanks for sharing. :)
Herr Arnulfe
Posts: 149
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 11:06 am

Gideon wrote: Thu Aug 06, 2020 3:29 amAs I said, I have a ton more on guilds in WFRP, including detailed systems on the economics, training, careers, etc. If there is interest, I could write it up in future.
Definitely interested. Guilds are one of those things that are somewhat boring to write and read about, but are essential to the setting flavour.
yoroba
Posts: 108
Joined: Thu May 14, 2020 11:25 am

As I said, I have a ton more on guilds in WFRP, including detailed systems on the economics, training, careers, etc. If there is interest, I could write it up in future.
I would love for some more material on guilds.
And perhaps even on criminal organisations. In fact, especially on criminal organisations. I.E. (is that how it's spelled..) smugling rings, racketeering gangs, revolutionary cells and cross- city crime syndicates.
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Hyarion
Posts: 260
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 11:56 am

In big cities, I like to frame various criminal organizations/crime syndicates on the Assassin's Guild from the Discworld books.
I hold the glaive of Law against the Earth.
Knight of the Lady
Posts: 184
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 11:04 am

yoroba wrote: Sun Aug 09, 2020 8:19 am
As I said, I have a ton more on guilds in WFRP, including detailed systems on the economics, training, careers, etc. If there is interest, I could write it up in future.
I would love for some more material on guilds.
And perhaps even on criminal organisations. In fact, especially on criminal organisations. I.E. (is that how it's spelled..) smugling rings, racketeering gangs, revolutionary cells and cross- city crime syndicates.
I don't have much to add but this brings back memories. I was part of a campaign in the northern empire where we spent some time as hired muscles for some gangs in Middenheim to earn some coin, and let a few low-life characters shine in the story.

If someone reads this and knows who "Smelly Otto" was, then you were probably part of that campaign. :D
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