Summoners War Guild Leadership Guide

Summoners War Guild Leadership Guide by RevelRain

With Siege Wars coming soon and a 15-member requirement to participate, you might find yourself in one of several predicaments. Let’s discuss some of these issues and resolve our inner struggles together.

The Guild Leader

Leading a guild isn’t always easy. Back in my WoW days, I ran a 200-man international guild. Limited to just 40 raid slots, I was stressed. Thankfully in Summoners War, we are capped at 30 members. Yet even then, issues arise. I ran two successful guilds on Global before I turned in my leadership crown. Let’s discuss some issues.

1) Membership.

There’s no guarantee Siege will always be 15-25 members. But for now, guild leaders who run anything less than a 15-man GW are surely concerned. You’re definitely asking yourself some questions right now:

• Should I recruit more members?
• Do my current members want to participate in Siege?
• Will people leave my guild for a bigger one?
• What if the guild falls apart? Where will I go?

Look, as a leader you already know what that entails. You need to be the pinnacle of communication for your guild. Whether you use in-game chat or an external chat app, talk to your guildmates. Start a list and ask your members to sign up so you know how many are interested in Siege. Let’s assume all your members want to participate; then you can figure out if you need to recruit new members. And don’t put this off – start the process now. This is one of those times it’s better to be safe, than guildless.

2) Recruitment.

Some people are already working on obtaining new members. There are several ways to go about this.

• Make a post on /r/swguilds.

This subreddit is a linked community with the main one. You aren’t allowed to recruit on the main subreddit so check out /r/swguilds for rules on how to post. Make sure you include as much detail as possible when advertisting your guild.

Also, don’t forget about the SW Community Discord in the sidebar!

• Talk to your guildmates.

Friends and family are the easiest people to target when looking for new members. Not only will they blend into the guild better, but you will have someone else doing the recruiting for you. In fact, don’t be afraid to ask your vice leaders and guild members for help recruiting. The more people working on obtaining new members, the better your chances.

• Spam general chat.

Look, it sucks to resort to this. If you’re really struggling to find new members and don’t want your guild to fall apart, this last resort could save you. Create some sort of generic guild spam and have your copy and paste function ready to go. Channels in the 100 range are the most populated so you might get some bites there. And since there is a private message function, don’t be afraid to friend request the person. This will allow you to have a 1:1 chat in-game rather than forcing someone to join your external chat app.

• Consider a guild merge.

Finding a sister guild is really tough. Merges often lead to members leaving, confusion, frustration, all sorts of issues. But, consider this: a guild merge could save the community you’ve built. You need to decide if the risk of losing a few members is worth saving the members that follow. This is a tough choice, but it can be a really successful one. Consider this too: some guilds out there might have more than 15 members, but not all 15 will be able to or want to participate in Siege. Remember, the member cap is 30. So by merging with a smaller guild, you might end up with a bigger and better group of people who can actually make Siege happen!

3) Vetting.

Being a guild leader is sometimes a full-time job. People are counting on you to make sure the guild functions properly. That also includes making sure members are right for your guild.

Let’s break this up into two groups of people: new members and current members.

New Members

You need an agenda and new members must measure up. That 1:1 chat I mentioned earlier – it’s basically a job interview. You should actually feel like you’re interviewing someone to fill a position at your company. You need to explain just what kind of guild you’re running. These questions might help:

• Does this person speak the same language as your guild?
• Will they fit in strength-wise?

Someone too weak for your guild or at a lower level of progression might feel like they are holding the guild back. And on the flipside, someone too strong for your guild might not feel challenged and end up leaving. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for a screenshot of their monster box so you can make sure they measure up!

• Are they willing to use your preferred method of communication?

Meaning, if an external chat app is a guild requirement, let them know that right away.

• Will they be able to make guild battles?

Summoners War players are from all over the world. If your guild is battling at specific time intervals, make sure you communicate that.

Siege is going to be a much more strict timeline! Register, Match, Battle, Armistice, Battle, Tally – Twice per week. If you miss a battle, you are removed from the war and receive no rewards.

• Can they follow the rules?

There are a lot of them out there. Some guilds use a +6 rule for guild wars. Some require you to sport the guild logo. Others might have a cheesecake toll you need to pay, I don’t know. It’s your job as leader to not only communicate the rules, but also, to enforce them.

• Do they really want to be in your guild and are they a good fit?

Talking with someone and getting to know them is a great way to read someone. The last thing you want is a rotten seed spoiling the community you’ve grown. The person needs to complement the personality of your current guildmates and they should be enthusiastic to be a part of your guild. Forcing someone to join only ends in more problems and more stress.

Current Members

This will be a lot shorter. With those New Members questions in mind, look through your current members. If you realize someone isn’t a good fit for your guild, evaluate whether or not it’s worth keeping them. As a leader your job is to lead! If you’re worried about giving someone the boot, speak to your vice leaders or other members to make sure it’s the right call.

4) Dissolution.

This section is the one that speaks to both leaders and members.

Leaving a guild isn’t easy. I’m sure some of you have been in the same guild for years and you’ve built some strong relationships. Others have hopped from guild to guild never really finding a place to call home. There are questions you should ask yourself before calling it quits:

• Why am I leaving?

It could be for any of the reasons in the Vetting section. Maybe you can’t make guild battles, or you aren’t at the same level of progression as your guildmates. Maybe you aren’t a good fit for this particular group of people, or maybe someone else isn’t a good fit and the guild leader won’t do anything about it. The important thing is to come up with an absolutely concrete reason you’re leaving. If anyone asks, you have your reason, period.

• Is anything holding you back?

This is where the whole family and friends thing can really bite you in the ass. If you have family in the guild, you might feel stuck. If you’re really set on leaving, don’t be afraid to talk to your close friends and family and at least pitch the idea of leaving together. If you feel obligated to stay in a guild, you need to ask yourself why!

Some leaders feel obligated to stay because they worry no one will step up to take their place. And look, I get that. But if you have a concrete reason for leaving, you are only hurting yourself. You might need to look at the bigger picture, become a little less selfless, and grow a pair. Summoners War is a game and you should play it to have fun, not for someone else.

• Do I have somewhere to go?

Leaving a guild gets a whole lot easier if you have a new home picked out already. If you’re set on leaving, it’s a good idea to shop around and figure out where you will land. Even if it means missing guild wars for the rest of the week, use that time to get to know your new guildmates and make sure you made the right decision.

Small note here: Don’t be that person who leaves midweek and screws the guild over if they are counting on you. Whether you are a leader or a member, communication makes a difference.

• What am I looking for?

You could be looking for a farming guild to gather as much GP as possible. You could be looking for a competitive guild; a laid back guild to make friends; a guild that actually wants to try out Siege; a guild that doesn’t do Siege because you don’t have time; etc.

I know this might lead to someone completely breaking down under the weight of existential crisis, but at some point you need to figure out what kind of guild you want to be in. Once you have your answer, you might just figure out whether or not Dissolution is right for you.

TL;DR: Communicate with your guild. If you need more members for Siege Wars, plan on recruiting sooner than later. Don’t forget to evaluate your guild members. And if you decide a new guild is best for you, come up with a plan to make that happen.

I sincerely hope that at least one person finds this guide useful! Feel free to leave feedback or your experiences in the comments section below!