As time for the game nears, I have decided to start up an old idea as a guild in GW2 — The Stonetree tavern. Our goal is to promote a style of roleplaying which does not interfere with natural game progression. Guild chat will be in character, and will serve as the interior space of the tavern. The idea is to allow for roleplaying while being active in the game world in such a way as to make roleplaying unweildy or when you are playing with people who do not roleplay. You can be running dungeons or participating in events with non-roleplayers and continue to roleplay from the tavern's common room.

There is no defined application process (and I feel this is important), and we are currently and in general always looking for new members, though people who are overly rude or rowdy will be thrown out, as in any tavern; it would be nice to talk with people who expect they might join before the fact, however. It can be your primary guild or a secondary space to come and relax, and roleplay while doing other game tasks in the world. Members can come and go as they please, and there are no requirements as to membership or participation. It will be a casual guild as far as in-game events such as dungeons are concerned; the primary motivation here is roleplaying in-game without common in-game physical constraints. The most important thing before or shortly after joining is to just have a chat about what you are looking for as a member and how your character fits into the tavern. If you like the idea of being a full-time member or regular patron of the tavern, we should talk, especially if you are interested in your character taking on an employment role.

You can discuss your interest in the guild and your thoughts about it here or at stonetree.enjin.com. There is a welcome thread where people can introduce themselves and discuss what they would like to see and do as a patron of the tavern. Also, or alternately, you can submit your characters on the recruitment page. Note again this isn't a formal application. This is not a "guild" in-character, and though if we grow large enough we can function as one in-game, just as there is no recruitment policy for entering a tavern, so is there no recruitment policy for the guild. I will say I have no set requirements for behavior and make no promises as to what will happen or be said in the tavern, so minors take note. That said, manners are appreciated, and anyone who gets out of line can be removed. (That isn't something that really often happens, and is a rule that applies to players, not characters. In previous games, the whole place has been wrecked by huge fights, and one time burned the ground and had to be rebuilt. A necromancer once lived in the basement and did all manner of unseemly things. I don't expect or even want everything to be calm and boring all the time, but regardless of how characters may behave, I expect people to be considerate of one another. That should be a given, of course.)

As for roleplay itself, it would be best to keep things relatively easy-going for the most part. We welcome the idea of well-planned stories, but would prefer to let the atmosphere and camaraderie of the tavern take precedence to any set plans. In other words, as usual with roleplaying, don't let your own plans get in the way of other people enjoying their own roleplaying.

I will be running the guild. The tavern lies in Lion's Arch, and is owned by a norn guardian named Conlaed (my character). He is thin for a norn with sparse, graying hair. He runs the place after becoming tired with adventure and the gods of men and spirits or norn, though he loves to listen to others' stories. He is wed to Ailill, a ranger of enviable skill, who spends much of her time hunting and adventuring. She refuses to do anything before the launch of a game, and there are only the two of us left from the previous incarnation of this guild, a custom chat channel in several games, most recently World of Warcraft. As such, the particulars of this incarnation of the story are largely unknown. Anyone who wants to play a larger part in this guild is welcome to talk with me, here or in the game when it launches. We could of course use more employees, some story unrelated to the two of them, and a few regular patrons to keep the place busy. Yes I mixed some IC and OOC bits in there. Oh well.

Regardless of what guild you end up in or what you plans are in visiting the tavern, I look forward to seeing you and roleplaying with you in the game. I know we are all extremely excited by this point, especially if you are here in the Guild Recruitment forums.