By Black Label September 2006 ©Guildhelper 2007. All Rights Reserved
As a guild leader, you will see members come and go. Many of them are just online acquaintances while a selected few will become wonderful friends. So when your favorite member decides its time to cancel the MMOG account and move on to greener pastures, consider this one option. Have them go out with a BANG!!
This one role playing event will do a multitude of things for your guild. Not only will it honor the member that is leaving the MMOG, it will unite your guild, surprise your guild, and give your guild members a goal. It will be a memorable event that can involve other friends and allies. What event am I referring to? It’s the funeral event. No other event can unite a guild like this event.
Here are some specific examples and ideas.
Talk to the person leaving the MMOG. Have him leave the game and die with all his might and glory. Go out with a BANG!! Plan a storyline around his death. Who killed him? What killed him? Tie it to an arch villain or a nemesis your guild battles and despises. Or perhaps, the member died for a specific cause or sacrificed himself to save the guild.
Example#1: He injected the virus into himself to provide antidote for the guild members. His death would ensure that other live.
Example#2: He infiltrated the terrorist camp and planted the bomb. However, the bomb exploded before he had a chance to escape. Nevertheless, the mission objective was met. The city is no longer under the control of the terrorists.
Decide how you want to spin it but plan a heroic death. Assure the player involved that if he does decide to come back, you can always bring the character back either magically or artificially. Or, maybe he never dies and went underground to hide or undertake a secret mission. If you read enough comics or watch enough soap operas, you will get a million ideas on how to resurrect an old soul.
If you want to plan a tragic death, that would really unite the guild and give your guild a mission. Once news breaks out that the favorite member X is dead, prepare a funeral event for him. You will need to post this on your forums and calendar. Your objective is to rally the members up for this event. Make them feel that revenge and retribution is needed. But in reality, you are also planning a good bye party for this particular guild member. So plan a date where you can get the most participation of your guild. Request the member’s best guild buddies to make a small speech or eulogy. This is a good way for your members to talk to each other while reflecting on the member’s merits. Allow your allies or friends to comment if relevant. Overall, this is a good venue for your guild, your friends, and your allies to say good bye to a loved online MMOG buddy.
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