Will RPGers Hate The Guild?
“The Guild” is a web series chronicling the (mostly real life) comic misadventures of a band of not-quite-friends who form a guild on an unnamed MMORPG. Consisting of 4 seasons (more soon) of 5-7 minute episodes, “The Guild” is freely available at www.watchtheguild.com or for purchase on DVD.
A quick confession: I don’t play MMORPGs. The last multiplayer online game I played was a MUD (does anyone remember MUDs?). I’m strictly a tabletop, pen & paper gamer. Still, despite my Mr. Wiggly-like ineptitude (a season 3 joke) I loved “The Guild”. The writing is clever, the characters are fun and engaging, and the plot is full of twists and surprises.
Much of the humor comes from the “guildies’” (often unsuccessful) attempts to map their online skills and knowledge onto their offline lives. One character in particular seems almost unable to relate to the real world except through gaming terms, referring to suicide as “rerolling” and trying to solicit sex from another character by asking her to “buff” him. Season 1 climaxes in a real life boss battle that is the epitome of the online/offline mismatch.
The acting is seamless and the characters, while beginning as unflattering stereotypes, develop in ways that made me care for, and relate to them. Felicia Day (the creator and writer of the series) as Codex, especially, is a charming character. As the most functional of the dysfunctional guildies, she provides the heart of the series and introduces each episode via her webcam where she offers such geeky wisdom as “It’s about the game, not each other” and “I’m not an aggressive person but . . . I like killing things”. Other memorable characters include the overeager Zaboo, with his vocabulary of made-up verbs (“doorstepped”, “intercoursed”), and the miserly and fastidious guild leader, Vork. There’s even a season-long appearance by Wil Wheaton as a most un-Wesley like thug.
I admit that when I started watching “The Guild” I had some apprehension: I was watching a parody – albeit a loving parody – of someone else’s geekdom. Would I get the jokes? More importantly, did I have the right to get the jokes? I love and respect all my fellow gamers, even when I don’t love their games, and I had no wish to trespass on self-mockery. I needn’t have worried. Yes, there were a few unfamiliar terms, but most of the show was about issues I could relate to: obsessing about the game, obsessing about obsessing, party dynamics, dealing with muggles, and spending your free time pretending to be someone else.
The verdict? If you’re a RPGer of any kind, you’ll probably love “The Guild”. And if you’re an MMORPG player I’m pretty sure it’s a class requirement.
P.S.
Don’t miss the music videos or the Xmas special.
