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Companies and Guilds

Document: Game Design – Gameplay – Companies & Guilds
Status: Exploratory
Last updated: 2026-01-10

1. Purpose of This Document

This document defines player-organized social structures in Atherion.

Its goals are to:

  • support cooperation without forcing it
  • create long-term player value beyond combat skill
  • enable economic specialization
  • avoid redundant or immersion-breaking group systems

This document intentionally distinguishes between:

  • game-defined structures (e.g., Adventurer Guild)
  • player-defined structures (Companies)

2. Design Philosophy

Social structures should emerge from need, not obligation.

Players should form organizations because:

  • it makes their goals easier
  • it unlocks capabilities they cannot achieve alone
  • it provides identity and continuity

They should not feel forced into social structures simply to access basic systems.

3. The Adventurer Guild (Context, Not Ownership)

The Adventurer Guild is a world institution, not a player organization.

It provides:

  • adventurer ranks
  • bounties and contracts
  • formal recognition of achievements
  • narrative framing for progression

Decision (hard):

  • All adventurers are members of the Adventurer Guild by default.
  • Players cannot “leave” the Adventurer Guild.

Rationale:

  • It replaces character levels and quest hubs.
  • It avoids fragmenting progression into competing NPC factions.
  • It provides a neutral baseline for all players.

The Adventurer Guild is not a social guild.

4. Companies (Primary Player Organizations)

4.1. What Is a Company?

A Company is a player-created, persistent organization that represents:

  • shared goals
  • shared resources
  • long-term cooperation

Companies are the primary social unit beyond parties.

They are closer to:

  • mercenary companies
  • trading houses
  • expedition groups

Than to traditional MMO “guilds.”

4.2. Why Companies Exist

Companies exist to:

  • coordinate difficult content (Everspire, strikes)
  • pool crafting and economic specialization
  • share long-term goals
  • create identity beyond a single character

They are especially important for:

  • high-rank progression
  • large or coordinated undertakings
  • economic leverage

5. Company Membership

5.1. Membership Rules

Decision (current):

  • A player may belong to one Company at a time.

Rationale:

  • Prevents social dilution.
  • Increases trust and accountability.
  • Makes company identity meaningful.

Leaving a company should be possible, but not frictionless.

5.2. Joining and Leaving

Joining a company:

  • is invitation-based
  • may involve a probation period
  • may impose a cooldown before joining another company

Leaving a company:

  • may impose a temporary lockout before joining a new one
  • may restrict access to shared assets earned during membership

This discourages abuse (e.g., rapid hopping for profit).

6. Company Structure and Roles

Companies may define internal roles, such as:

  • leaders
  • officers
  • crafters
  • logistics/support
  • combat specialists

The game provides tools, not strict templates.

Companies decide:

  • how authority is distributed
  • how responsibilities are assigned
  • how rewards are shared internally

7. Company Progression and Value

7.1. Company-Level Progression

Decision (directional): Companies may progress independently of individual members.

Examples:

  • unlocking shared facilities
  • gaining access to special contracts
  • earning reputation with NPC factions
  • unlocking crafting or logistical advantages

Company progression should:

  • reward sustained cooperation
  • persist even if individual members leave
  • never fully replace individual progression

7.2. Why Companies Want Members

A company benefits from members who:

  • are reliable, not just powerful
  • specialize in useful roles (crafting, logistics, support)
  • contribute time, expertise, or resources

A casual player may be valuable because:

  • they consistently fulfill a niche
  • they support crafting pipelines
  • they are dependable during scheduled activities

Companies should not simply optimize for hours played.

8. Economy, Crafting, and Companies

8.1. Shared Economic Function

Companies may:

  • coordinate production chains
  • pool rare materials
  • commission high-rank crafting
  • act as trusted intermediaries

Some high-end crafting actions may:

  • require company-level authorization
  • bind outputs to the company
  • involve multiple contributors

This strengthens social cohesion and reduces RMT risk.

8.2. Trust and Anti-Abuse Design

Decision (directional): Some direct player-to-player exchanges may be restricted or delayed unless players share company membership.

Possible safeguards:

  • time gates after joining a company
  • limits on high-value transfers
  • logging and auditability of company-bound assets

The goal is to enable cooperation without enabling laundering or abuse.

9. Companies and High-End Content

9.1. Coordinated Content

Companies naturally support:

  • repeated Everspire expeditions
  • strike or raid preparation
  • role training and mentorship

They provide continuity that ad-hoc parties cannot.

9.2. Access and Responsibility

Some content may:

  • recommend or require company backing
  • require company-level commitments
  • grant rewards bound to the company

This reinforces long-term planning over one-off runs.

10. Companies vs “Guilds” (Terminology)

Decision (intentional): The term Company is preferred over “Guild.”

Rationale:

  • Avoids confusion with the Adventurer Guild.
  • Fits the mercenary / expedition fantasy.
  • Emphasizes purpose over social chat.

If a more casual social layer is needed, it can exist outside companies (e.g., friend groups, parties).

11. Solo Players and Companies

Design intent:

  • Solo players can fully experience Atherion.
  • Companies are optional but powerful.

Solo players may:

  • join companies later
  • interact economically without membership
  • participate in open world and early Everspire content

They should never feel punished for not joining immediately.

12. Open Questions

  • Should companies have physical spaces or only abstract ones?
  • How large should companies be capped?
  • Should companies compete directly (leaderboards, contracts)?
  • How visible should company affiliation be in public spaces?
  • Should companies dissolve automatically if inactive?

These questions will be refined once core systems are prototyped.

13. Relationship to Other Documents

  • gameplay/core-loop.md defines where companies fit into play.
  • gameplay/progression-adventurer-rank.md defines individual recognition.
  • world/everspire.md defines coordinated content needs.
  • technical-design/backend/instance-model.md enforces access and ownership rules.

End of document.

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