Guild Life Part 2, Striking Out

That title can be interpreted two different ways. I was striking out on my own in the world, as well as... plain ol' striking out.

This is a continuation of this post.

When I left off, Bound by Honor had imploded completely. The GM transferred off server, leaving the Guild in the hands of her subordinates.

At this time, I was leveling my Hunter through Outlands. The Guild banded together, we did 5-mans for the first time in... well... a while. There was chatter, playing the game was FUN again.

Then, it happened.

The Guild that the instigators joined for their raiding completely dissolved within weeks. Big surprise there. They all retreated to their "alt" Guild. However, they did not have enough people to fill a whole raid. Guess who they came to for help? Yup... BBH.

We decided that anybody who wanted to run with them was welcome to, but there would be no alliance between our two Guilds. While we had major issues with those in charge, there were plenty of long-time friends who were just along for the ride, not knowing exactly what was going on.

Of course, I refused any contact whatsoever with ANYONE from that Guild because, well... I'm bitter. I lost a very good friend because of their stunt.

So, those that still wanted to raid tagged along with the other Guild. Then they started jumping ship, as well. At this point, Guild membership started dwindling. Others were leaving for greener pastures. Honestly, I have no ill-will towards them. If I were more aware of what was happening, I would have started looking elsewhere. But, I'm stubborn. I've been in this Guild for over 3 years, I am NOT leaving.

So, here I am in a dying Guild. Most members have either joined up for Raiding Guilds or just moved on to other Casual Guilds. And then... the leaders started disappearing. Not leaving, just... not logging on.

So, I carried on, in my empty little Guild, proudly carrying the Bound by Honor banner. When suddenly, I found myself with options. My playing time expanded from 2 days a week to basically whenever I wanted, but still limited. I could start my own Guild, inviting like-minded individuals.

Or, I could take over Bound by Honor!

I instantly sent an in-game mail to our 3 Guild Leaders. I did not want our Guild to die. If they're not playing often anymore, PLEASE give me ownership! I've been there since the beginning, I can bring it back. I had two RL friends on the server, one of which had been in BBH for almost 2 years, they could be my Officers.

A month goes by. The mail comes back. I send it AGAIN. Then, I gave up. I saw one of the Leaders had FINALLY logged on while I was at work, ignored my request, and disappeared again.

FINE. Screw you guys, I'll do it myself.

That weekend, Denarian was formed. I brought in my buddies to be my Officers. A few of the charter signees liked the concept and decided to stick around. I set up rules. We had an awesome bank. Denarian was going places. I did it. BBH would be reborn under my leadership. I even sent mails to all the still-active BBH members, inviting them to join us.

What comes after the top of the hill? The drop.

A week after forming Denarian, I recieved a mail from another of the BBH Leaders. It was basically, "Sorry I haven't been on. I would have loved to give you ownership, but I see you went in your own direction. Good luck, nice knowing you, I'm leaving the server."

Well HELL.

Okay, that's cool, I've still got my Guild... except all the charter members already bailed.

No problem... we'll just recruit! Well, the release of Wrath has essentially killed non-raiding Guilds. EVERYBODY with a little dedication and time can progress now. Well, what about those of us who don't?

Oh yeah! We're also cursed! Anyone who DOES join the Guild seems to completely forget their login information within a week. We have several Initiates in their 50s who haven't logged on in months.

So, here I am with my (now) three coworkers, filling out the Guild Roster with an army of alts.

Honestly, I'm not sure where we're heading. I've almost given up on recruiting in the game. Message boards are completely ineffective. Has the game really changed so much in recent times? Is the concept of a small, family-friendly, casual, play-when-you-feel-like-it Guild completely dead?

Internet! What are my options at this point? Transferring is not one of them. I am not leaving my friends behind, and I'm most definitely not paying to transfer a half-dozen characters.

Additionally, e-cookies to anyone OUTSIDE the Guild that can catch the reference in the Guild name.