After some late night debates last night I've been mulling out the situation with the Guildmembers and wanted to flesh out some suggestions. I fully understand different people play EFU for different things and it's nice to have a flavor preferred and variety is the spice of life. As we've been a year+ into the chapter though it's been curious how much more... proactive isn't the right word, but engaging it feels for even the lowest level Peerage PCs vs the higher established Ticker PCs.
A few things to maybe even out things.
Stronghold "Positions". Not to pigeonhole who can have what stronghold, but similar to the old Prefectures, each Stronghold has duties and obligations associated from Ticker Square with it. The Mercenary's Barracks are expected to, in some form or another, improve Ticker's militaristic situation. Be it internal or external focused, be it a supplement defense force, or what have you but bring to Vote issues of security and individuals or organizations that need to be deemed by the NPCs as "Threats" and additional steps taken. The Trade Hall PC is expected to interact as a Trade Ambassador, pushing forward agendas before the Guild as a whole and bringing in deals with say Peerage Houses or other Ring powers, or even the Seams and etc.
It would give a specialized position more sway over the guild at large if say - The Trade Ambassador has to coordinate with Security to try and deal with setting up trade policies with Crowclutch. Just more actual sense of "The Guild" rather than each individual member pushing their own agenda. However as not every Guildmember has to have a Stronghold, a few more ideas.
PCs instigating Votes, bribes, etc. It's always a hoot to see the big Guildmaster Votes but there's so many other day to day things that can be done. I feel like a lot of that onus has been left to individual PC proactivity where as in the Peerage it's delegated from NPC Lords or people are just more invested in "Serving their Lord" with agendas. If DM Possessed Guildmasters brought agendas before PCs to try and bribe them into siding with them to win over their PC votes and have them hit the streets for this or that cause, etc. there'd be more jockey for going ons and push the Guildmembers into more agreements, disagreements, or what have you.
Ticker Square has served best when it was almost akin to Sanctuary with the guild politics. "Power Bloc" rising like Butchers x Kirkland x Ibjavi's Chosen for a while was a great powerhouse with a vice like grip on ticker. It lead to PCs and NPCs alike moving to counter it. Maybe Guildmasters backing lesser dark horse candidates to try and shake that up, maybe even give bigger support to smaller groups to try and springboard them to the foreground as a counter position than the current block.
Also if DMs could give folks more examples of some smaller-scale Guild Business. I feel like the huge things like Ib'javi, or the Contract vote, or etc have made it feel very much that everything in Ticker has to be this big ordeal but that just makes PCS and even NPCs want to "Become Guildmaster" as a goal rather than be invested in day to day ticker square. There can be some mid-range or smaller matters of Guild input or etc which I think could help people get more "stances' so to speak on their guildmember Pcs.
I'm not sure how much of this has been done by the DMs and I know PCs have tried off and on to "seize control" of Ticker, but on the whole it's a problem I've wrestled with across 3 or 4 of my own Guildmembers.
When people in the Guild say "No, i'm not that into Politics", it really hinders motivation to try and hammer everything on by yourself against the entire guild.
It's not specifically a DM or a PC end problem but this weird sort of... I don't know what to call it. Lethargy?
There's this funk surrounding Ticker where it's easier to get along and go along than it is to shake things up. Where as in the Peerage there's more clear cut lines. Not a bad thing mind you, a different thing, but being a Guildmember of Ticker Square is a weird position.
Not everything or everone HAS to shake things up, and this isn't some call for some grand PvP conflict or anything like that, but the Merchant's Guild doesn't feel fully baked if that makes sense.
As someone who has played numerous Guildmembers I love the bureaucratic angles and politics and not a single one of my Guildmembers has ever been able to find their footing or involved in anything of the sort.
Just a lot of "Go away I want to make money" vs "I don't get involved in sides i'm Neutral" vs "Well fuck this then, i'm done trying in Ticker I don't want to have to push this entire agenda alone, like I did my last guildmember PC."
As the Blade Boom wages on, some more hard lines drawn in the sand by PCs and DMs alike could really make the place pop
As a last minute additional thought, what about expanding the use for points?
Instead of calling in merchants or etc allow PCs to have bigger events, occasions, etc where multiple Guildmembers can pool their points that day to try and make something "Bigger" in Ticker. It could be supportive to the guild, it could be selfish and to the detriment of others, or anything.
Some scripted way for Point-Combining for the day?
- 3 Guildmembers combine their points and raise banking limits from 2,000 groat to 5,000 groat for a week? Winning favor with PCs and NPCs across the board/etc.
- 3 Guildmembers combine their points and coax the Prospectors open some new seams or bigger "Event" seams, or etc.
- 2 Guildmembers combine their points and raise "Taxes" on local merchants leading to a price hike on all goods and services from trade stalls to Doorkeepers to Rent at the Open Door and they get a quick-influx boost of like 500-1k each, which could have some IC ramifications.
- 5 Guildmembers combine their points in some really big vote to mess with or hinder a Guildmaster's business in some way for their own benefit. And DMs could have the Guildmaster seek retribution.
All loose ideas so far but I do love the "Use 1 point for X" model the Guild has to change Ticker, maybe a way for combined points to influence events or the Ward could add a lot of overlap.
"Here's 600 gold let me have your point for the day to do X, let's go to the Guild Hall and get the process started"