I haven't forgotten what historical guilds were, Neonivek, and thanks for rereading the original post
What I'm suggesting involves using the guild-concept, in a not *entirely* historically accurate way (Fuck! Where'd all the hairy midgets come from? Little bastards just started digging holes in my yard...) in order to abstractly depict localized economic and technological growth, in a way-it should be stated-that suits my
own sensibilities, my own playing style, my own reasons, desires, goals etc...
But
also in a way that I personally believe would fit the game. That's an indefineable vagueness that only Toady and Threetoe can clear up for anyone, but I'm trying to stay true to it, as best I understand it from my own limited vantage point.
I'm working with supposition build upon assumption to further suggestion, though, I realize that.
I think anyone with an idea is, at this point.
If you'll read closely though, and in between the lines a bit too, I think our respective visions aren't all *that* far afield from one another. I've already said, admittedly vaguely, that at level 4, a given Guild would start to monopolize the goods it produces. That trend would ofcourse only continue.
I have no beef with Guilds using strongarm tactics, and you can extend that out as far as you'd like. That's partly the reason for Guilds "leveling up".
I want this idea to fit into the larger scope of world events, and as Guilds grow, they should grow in complexity, beurocracy, and-inevitably-*some* level of corruption. The levels are just measuring sticks, purely for the benefit of the player.
The guild would
not get more hp every time it leveled up!
At some point, every new dwarf migrating to your fortress would be expected to join a powerful guild, tend it's meetings, and pay regular dues, if they want to use their skills, and especially if they want to open up their own shop, and teach apprentices.
If you want to buy in that town, you buy from either that Guild directly, or you buy from the only merchants and shops that Guild will sell to.
Those are signs of an established, ambitious, mature guild, and they're just reasonable expectations, given a midieval mentality in a desperate environment.
Before all that could be implemented, though, a lot more of the rest of the game would have to be finished and polished. Illegal activities are ill-defined at the moment, as is any sort of courts-system.
I can't imagine how one would currently "smear a reputation", and even vandalizing goods would probably require magma, or a chasm. Certainly, a bodiless entity such as a "guild" couldn't order that to happen.
They're great ideas, Neonivek, and I'm all for them, but you're really asking a lot of my little suggestion.
P.S. I don't think Legendary should be a requirement to level up a guild, either. I think I said that. They would just be a feather in the guild's cap. Legendary figures wouldn't build the guild, they'd just push it's reputation.
Reputation would mean almost everything to the power of the Guild, which is, after all, an illusion that's dependent on the concession of it's members and customers, and the local trade officials.
That reputation-and the raw skill/experience of the actual working members-would be the reason that higher "guild levels" would allow new processes/reactions.
It would be a cycle, thus:
The more new processes/reactions, the bigger the guild's rep. The bigger the guild's rep, the more it would push it's workers to invent new and better goods, better and cheaper processes, etc. in order to maintain the guild Power Base.
Legendary craftdwarfs might reach positions of power in guilds, but they'd be just as likely to be exploited, envied, ignored entirely, even assassinated. Like other artists, their true value might only be realized after death.
eerr: You're right in that, with the game in it's current state, there aren't that many cases where what I'm suggesting would be of great importance.
This is definitely a suggestion
for the future.
I find, though, that ideas are more easily accepted when they've been around for a while--and it's often easier and better to think of a new idea before the necessity for it arises, and to give it time to ripen and grow, than it is to *have* to think of one, on the spot.
Author
Topic: Inquiry: Reactions requiring levels of skill. (Read 1798 times)