Meridian 59 User's Guide
Guilds
Guilds are the basic social unit of Meridian society. They are groups bound by common goals, common values, and/or a common taste for blood, wealth, or adventure. A small guild may have only three members, roaming the roads of Meridian in mutual support. A large, wealthy guild may have a fabulous guild hall with its own newsglobes, storage chest, pile 'o gold, and political intrigues. A guild may be committed to high ideals, like the Knights of the Roundtable; or have a more practical orientation, like an organized crime syndicate or urban street gang. In short, the guilds of Meridian reflect the full range of human aspiration.
Joining A Guild
You are eligible to join a guild when you accumulate 30 hit points -- enough hit points to engage in fair combat with a fellow citizen. When you have reached this point, you may accept invitations from guilds which offer them. You may only belong to one guild at a time.Creating A New Guild
To create a new guild, you must find and enter the Guildmaster's Hall, which is located in one of Meridian's larger towns. (Which one? Ask around!) The Guild Creator lives there, and he sells all guild-related paraphernalia, from basic guild charters to palatial guild halls.Before you approach the Guild Creator, you may want to come to some basic agreements among yourselves:
- Choose your group's first Guildmaster. This is the person who will conduct negotiations with the Meridian Guild Creator, and serve as your first leader. Guildmasters can be removed from office through a process that is described below.
- Make sure you have plenty of money. A basic Guild charter alone costs about 5000 pieces of Meridian gold. Any further details will cost more -- often, much more! Most would-be guild members pool their resources, handing the community purse to their would-be Guildmaster.
- Choose the name for your new guild, along with names for up to five ranks of hierarchy. High ranks might be something like "Chief," "King," or "Paladin." Lower ranks might have names like "Novice," "Apprentice," or "Newbie." The choice is yours, and depends on your guild's intended style.
- Decide whether your guild will be secret, or public. A secret guild name will not be displayed on any member's character descriptions. The Guild Creator will, of course, exact a higher fee to maintain this secrecy.
- Enter the Name of your new guild. Press Tab when you are done.
- In the Rank Names fields, enter the name you want to give to each of the five hierarchy levels. You have the option of creating different names for men and women at the same level.
- Indicate whether your guild will be public, or secret.
- Click OK to establish your new guild, or Cancel to end the negotiations. The person who conducted the negotiations will be automatically installed as the first Guildmaster.
Achieving Maturity
Once you've established your new guild, you have 24 hours to add at least two members to your roster. If you don't add two members within this time, your guild charter is automatically revoked. (And no, you don't get your money back.)As soon as your charter is issued, your guild begins to accrue maturity. You are granted full maturity once your members have spent a combined total of three hours in Meridian under the guild charter. (Secret guilds must wait for six hours.) The Guild Creator will notify you when your maturity is granted.
Only fully mature guilds may rent guild halls, or raid and conquer another guild's hall under the Conquest By Enemy Guild rules described below.
Administrative Fees
You must pay the Guild Creator an administrative fee to continue maintaining the records for your guild. This fee is based on the number of people in your guild, your current number of allies and enemies, and whether or not the guild is secret. It is drastically increased by the possession of a guild hall (more about which below). To find out how much you owe at any given time, type say rent at the text line and press Enter.You must pay your fees every day. Anyone in your guild may undertake this task, which involves making the trip to the Guild Creator's house. Once inside, type offer. Your inventory list appears. Type the amount you want to pay, and click OK to hand it over.
If your account becomes more than 48 hours past due, your guild charter will be revoked. For convenience, you can pay your fee as far ahead of time as your finances allow.
When you rent a guild hall, your administrative fees are included in your total rent bill. You only need to make one easy payment!
