What's your guild's niche? Help players find your specialized group

What is your guild all about? Many guilds are fairly easily described by their schedules and raid progressions (or their lack of either). More likely, though, the essence of your group -- the part that gives it its flavor and makes it stand apart from other guilds -- is somewhat trickier to describe. "Social," "casual," "raiding" ...These terms pretty much describe most guilds.

Even terms that seem fairly self-explanatory at first glance can be problematic for players trying to evaluate a potential fit. "We're a dedicated roleplaying guild." OK, so what's the spin? One RP guild might maintain a military structure and campaign, while another plays out some very adult-themed interpersonal dramas -- definitely not interchangeable concepts!

Our experience is that player and guild drama becomes inevitable when members end up unhappily guilded in a group that doesn't truly fit. The Drama Mamas frequently get mail from players who find their guildmates nice enough but still have that itchy feeling that something just isn't clicking. So as we prepare a guide to help players target the qualities they're looking for in a guild and figure out where to find them, we're turning to you for feedback plus a chance to let other players know about what your own guild's niche has to offer. Click past the break for more details on how to participate.

Guilds worth searching for

One of the things our upcoming guide will do is to let players know what types of guilds exist out there in the vast space beyond general classifications like "social" or "casual." Whether by design or happy accident, is your guild filled with players from a particular niche?

A few examples of guild niches:
Social niches such as all-male or all-female, LGBT-friendly, politically minded, players from a specific city or region, real-life friends, specific age ranges (30somethings with careers, college students, etc.), professional/career interests (such as military or firefighters/police)Retro content (PvE twinking)PvP twinkingParticular schedules such as non-traditional play times (including wee-hours raiding), limited-schedule raiding (one or two nights per week), weekend-only raidingDisability-friendlyThemed guilds (all gnomes, all rogues, etc.)Players who enjoy professionsNo voice chat (raiding and non-raiding)Re-rollersX-rated atmosphere (guild chat that's often or usually inappropriate for younger players, as opposed to a "mature guild" that's more about shared commonalities like careers or families and whose members may also make incidental off-color references)Raider training (for new/rusty raiders)
Spin cycle

Here's your chance to help us build our guide to helping players find a guild that fits and let other players know about your own guild's special mojo. Keep descriptions brief -- tweet-length, 140 characters or less -- and add them in the comments here, tweet me at @LisaPoisso, or email me at lisa@wowinsider.com.
What are we missing? What niches or angles not listed above have you or other players you know searched for in a guild? How do you describe the playstyle, focus, or social atmosphere you're looking for?Share your guild info What's your guild's niche, and where can we find you? (Include your realm plus faction or your guild website – and remember, 140 characters or less!)
Please note that you must be specific about the unique aspect of your guild in order to be included in our article. Guilds without realm/faction or website information will not be included. If your guild can be described best by its schedule or progression or a label like "heroic raiding" or "casual non-raiding," please don't comment; players can already find you by those traits.

In the meantime, learn more about finding a WoW guild:

How to find a World of Warcraft guild
How to leave your guild without drama or burning bridges
20 signs it's time to leave your guild
"I never thought of playing WoW like that!" -- and neither did we, until we talked with Game of Thrones' Hodor (Kristian Nairn) ... a blind ex-serviceman and the guildmates who keep him raiding as a regular ... and a 70-year-old grandma who tops her raid's DPS charts as its legendary-wielding GM. Send your nominations to lisa@wowinsider.com. Tags: advice, casual-guild, drama, featured, guild-advice, guild-drama, guild-types, guilds, leveling-guild, niche, playing-wow, pvp-guild, raiding-guild, retro-raiding, rp-guild, social-guild, types-of-guilds, warcraft-advice, wow-advice, wow-drama, wow-drama-guide, wow-player-guide, wow-q-and-a

Filed under: Guilds, Drama Mamas

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Breakfast Topic: Have you belonged to more WoW guilds than socks you've lost in the dryer?

Dwarven Baby Socks "At first you thought they were petrified. But no, they are just really crusty."

Guilds are like socks. Some people prefer long, lovely stockings and guilds that go on for ages, while others prefer sturdy little footies and curtailed groups that ride below the water line. The fashionistas among us stick with a delicate swath of nylon to cradle their toes in their stilettos -- and a sexy guild name will do, thanks, with no need for all those nasty rules and raids. And some people, of course, don't wear socks or belong to guilds at all.

See? Socks. Guilds. It's a thing.

When I was working last week on our guide to a drama-free departure from a guild, one of my goals was to help players see that no matter how disappointed or frustrated or hurt they were, there was no reason to lob a guild over the back of the couch like a pair of stinky athletic socks after a day of rugby in the mud. Even when drama erupts and things hit rock bottom, a guild still represents a collective hope, a fellowship of something bigger than petty schemes and loot rules and social dramas. But when things don't evolve quite the way you'd planned and your efforts to effect a positive change have failed, it's time to move on. Sometimes more than once. Sometimes, over and over again -- until you find what you're looking for.

At some point, obviously, you'll either figure out what you're doing wrong (whether it's unrealistic expectations or some issue with your own behavior that's throwing guild membership out of sync for you) or give up in frustration. But maybe you've just had a string of colossal bad luck. Or maybe your circumstances have changed quite a bit through the game's eras, or the people you play with have gone through their own metamorphosis. Maybe your realm slowly withered beneath your feet, or maybe That Guy showed up and drama-bombed things to hell and back. Repeatedly.

Do you think you've belonged to a particularly high number of guilds over time? What was behind all the changes? Did the turmoil sour you on guild membership in general, or are you going strong in a solid guild home or in hopes of finding one? How did you find the One True Guild? Tags: featured, game-discussion, gamer-discussion, guilds, socks, world-of-warcraft-discussion, world-of-warcraft-topics, wow-discussion, wow-hot-topics, wow-issues, wow-topics

Filed under: Breakfast Topics

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