My last post glossed over a whole lot of "things to think about" when you're trying to set up your guild bank, and figure out how to manage your guild's shared resources. Today, I'm going to try to dig in deeper, and outline my idea of a simple, functional bank management system.
It all starts with guild permissions.
I was just getting to this point in yesterday's post when I realized I might want to possibly consider maybe doing a second part, or taking a few hours to write up a proper guide instead of a blogrant. Exactly how well you are able to tailor your materials use depends on how your guild's ranks are set up. If ranks are arbitrary, and awarded based on who has the same favorite color as the guild leader or something, you're going to have to micromanage a lot more outside of ingame bank permissions utilities. Odds are, you'll have to either open your bank up to everyone, or make them ask you for something every single time they've got a hankerin'. And let me tell you, that gets old fast. If that's the case, punch your worthless jerkface guild leader in the wobbly bits and get him to implement a more investment/rewards-oriented hierarchy.
- Recruit - The new guy. Nobody likes him. Nobody trusts him. He's lucky you've even deigned to let him display the guild tag. He gets nothing without asking, because he's put nothing in. He has to earn his place in the guild like everyone else.
- Member - These guys have put in at least enough time that we can trust them not to list stuff from the guild bank on the auction house. Maybe. Okay, so I'm paranoid and I check these guys religiously just to be sure. Your mileage may vary, but these guys are entitled to a slice of the pie. They get access to your FFA tab at least. Depending on guild structure and dynamic you may also want to allow them restricted access to crafting materials and cash.
- Raider - Whiny entitled bitches! It seems like they need a lot, and constantly. Give them their own tab, and allow them restricted access to money and items from that tab. Tweak your caps so that they can take out what they need for your raid on any given night. Most bank utilities limit to stacks or items per day for the whole tab, so if someone needs three flasks, a stack of potions, and a stack of food you'll want to adjust accordingly.
- Guild Crafter - Not everyone uses this rank, and I've never been sure why. I've always had dedicated crafters in my guilds that were our go-to guys for armor, bags, enchants, or whatever. When possible, I give these guys their own rank so I can give them unlimited access to FFA, tradeskill materials, and the guild coffers. The assumption is that your guild crafters are longtime members in good standing with the guild. They're usually also the guys pumping all of the materials and goodies into the bank, so it's a good idea to keep them happy. If they're not also raiders, I DO suggest restricting their access to that tab.
- Officers - Officers should have as much access to the bank as you and your guild leader, which is to say unrestricted. If someone with restricted access needs things from the bank, they should be able to cover for you and go "Sure bro" or "no way, man". A lot of guilds extend bank access to officer and GM alts, but I've found in the past that stuff like that just invites officers and leaders to abuse the guild bank for their own purposes. I'd rather have to switch to my main to fetch something for someone than have to deal with whining about how so-and-so is taking everything out of the guild bank.
- That Guy - You know, the one that keeps taking more than he puts in? There's been a trend in MMOs recently to give guild leaders a godzillion ranks to work with, largely because of how crazy resource management, rewarding loyalty, and contribution tracking can get. I like to have a That Guy or Time Out Chair rank (I think in Fallen Tide we called it Shortbus or Windowlickers or something) for people who have for whatever reason lost their privileges. You're not kicking them out of the guild. You're just letting them know that you don't appreciate the way they've been behaving and they need to take a week to learn their lesson. If their contributions start to go on the upswing, they can have their bank access back.
Like I said, it's something you'll have to iron out with your guildleader. Possibly with said iron pressed to his face until he relents and gives you his way.
Once you've got the system up and running, the hardest part is making people understand how things work and getting them to contribute. The best advice I can give you here is to start folks off slow and gradually give them more, so it feels like you're being generous and opening up to them rather than clenching tight and screwing your eyes shut at them. If you do have problems with people taking more than they give, be calm, be reasonable, and don't be a douche. Most people don't realize that they're overstepping when they do, or they're honestly not used to keeping track of how much goes in and comes out.
So! You have my condolences if you've been appointed bank officer. For what it's worth, I feel your pain, and I am here for you if you need me. Except you, Kr0. Fuck you. <3
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