The Trojan Horse - Words From The Dark Side

The beauty of classic literature is that it remains relevant down through the generations.  One of the more important lessons a prospective guild leader can take away from our forebears comes out of the Iliad: the Trojan Horse.

Short version: this guy Odysseus decides he wants to sack an impregnable city.  He knows they have a thing for horses, so he says "hey look.  Let's build this giant fucking horse and give it to them as a peace offering.  Make it look like we've sailed home, and left them this cool thing as tribute."  Since the Trojans were a proud, dumb-as-dogshit people, he knew they'd fall for it.  The catch was that the entire army would sit up inside this horse, and as soon as they were inside the city and the victory feasting had wound down, leaving a bunch of drunk and over-sexed Trojans all over the place...they'd just slip out and murderelate the entire lot of them.

Aaand it worked.  Because Odysseus was smart enough to understand his enemy's weakness, and charismatic enough to get people to go along with his plan.

So how does this apply to becoming a guild leader?

The Trojan Horse is one of the most underhanded, devious ways to put together your guild, but it's disgustingly effective.  You would like to think that guild leaders would be savvy enough to recognize the signs and symptoms of losing their grip on their guild...but nope.  Most of them will just blissfully go along and assume everything is okay, even while everything is going up in flames around them.  I have never gone into a guild expecting to usurp its membership or take over its leadership.  Generally speaking, I slowly build my horse around me without even trying.  Over the years, through careful analysis of my successes and failings as an officer, I've come up with an actual methodology for Trojan Horsing a guild.

• Step 1:  Find a guild.
• If you're ultimately looking to raid, find a raiding guild that takes socials.  If you're looking to hardcore raid, find a decent casual guild that says it's looking to progress more seriously
• Basically, find a group that has a thinly-veiled weakness that you can easily parse from your interactions with their recruiter or public relations person, and stat focusing your efforts on picking that apart.
• If they want low-drama, but have high drama, comment on that frequently
• If they want to progress, but are deadlocked, suggest ways to break through
• If they want to have fun, act the clown and then be loud when you are shut down
•  Step 2: Make yourself invaluable to the guild.
• Support their guild bank
• Donate crafting materials
• Give them money
• Give them expensive consumables
• Be the peacemaker
• When there is discontent among members, commiserate and offer to speak to leadership on their behalf
• Be sympathetic to all complaints, even if they seem minor
• Offer up solutions of your own, that do not involve the guild or its leadership at all
• Step 3: Create your own guild, either openly or on the sly
• Level it
• Populate it with randoms
• Low levels, casuals, and other guilds' malcontents are easy fodder
• Promise nothing.
• Allow them to come and go as they please.  You're NOT looking to hold onto these people.  Remember: you're bringing your CORE from another guild.  Invest your time into them.
• Mention the guild to your cultivated friends in the Trojan guild, when the leadership isn't around.  Invite them to discuss how they might run things better. Stir the pot, gently, but do not add to it.  Do not attract attention to yourself.
• Step 4: Create the necessary guild forums, websites, rules, and guidelines
• Have all of your expectations codified in advance
• Outline clearly your plan for the future, and be ready to act on it
• Allow yourself some targeted contrast between the Trojan guild and yourself
• Make it clear that your guild is the solution to all of the other guild's problems
• Step 5: Wait
• Step 6: When the time is right,  call out the guild leadership.
• Make sure to hit all of their weaknesses
• Highlight what you have done for the guild and how you have tried to help overcome the guild's problems
• Leave, loudly and publicly, and invite others to do so as well
• Step 7: Be the bigger man.  The Trojan guild will likely lash out against you publicly.  Let them.  Be welcoming to your new guild members, and focus on getting up and moving.  Do not let yourself be baited in chat.  ALWAYS be professional, courteous, and respectful in public AND private interactions with members of the other guild.  Screenshots can kill just as easily as poachers and Trojan Horses.  Don't give them anything they can use against you.  Ultimately, the one-two punch of you taking their guild and them making asses of themselves in public will cripple their chances of ever functioning under that tag again, even if they try to rebuild.

Yes, this is written from the bent of one who is intent upon using the Trojan Horse as a revenge tool.  I really am that conniving that I would put this kind of time and work into undermining a guild leader, officer core, and brand.  Properly executing a Trojan Horse within a guild requires patience, knowledge of guild leadership, charisma, and tact.  Oh, and focus.  That's why it lends itself so easily to being a revenge tool: whatever wrongs you've experienced or whatever hate you feel sharpens your focus so that you can do what is necessary to make it work.