I’m absolutely fascinated by Gevlon’s most recent project – he’s starting a new Alliance guild on one of the most faction-imbalanced PvP servers in EU WoW. There’s almost no alliance infrastructure there at all right now; dead auction house, virtually no raiding, no chance to hold Wintergrasp.
But he’s thinking on a grander scale than just building a guild in a wasteland, he wants to try to single-handedly change the faction balance to something more equitable. That’s going to involve getting more alliance players in, getting horde players to switch or move out, revitalising the local economy, sorting out some kind of realm pride and cooperation …. it may even be one of the biggest challenges possible in a server-based MMO.
Now admittedly, using twixt as your inspiration may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s taking a no holds barred approach to the situation.
He will be facing many of the same problems that people/ government genuinely do face in urban regeneration (albeit without the misery caused by grinding poverty when jobs dry up). It makes me wonder what virtual communities might have to teach people in the real world. For example, in a post today he comments that there will be no guild bank and he discourages people from trading items in guild chat, because by forcing them to use the auction house it helps the economy more (i.e. better to give your cash to a local business than just swap goods, even if it might be a little more expensive for you personally.)
How would you go about trying to regenerate a ‘dead’ faction or a dying server? Would you try to get some ‘celebrity’ guilds to get in on the action and transfer over/ make an alt guild? More publicity on bigger blogs or official sites? Forcing the other faction out by creative griefing?
And if you’re interested in taking part, he’s taking all classes and specs. All you need is … I dunno really .. a commitment to annoying the horde and rebuilding a dead server, or a love of a challenge, or being with a bunch of people who want to revitalise world PvP at really poor odds.
Welcome to Spinksville! 
with the 3.3.3 changes it might be easier for the underdog to hold Wintergrasp (you get huge bonuses for losing constantly, like the ability to buy siege engines at rank 1, and as everyone knows, nothing stops a 12-tank siege rush – if only due to the massive lag it creates)
I’d honestly jump on this like a shot – if only I didn’t have to play Alliance…
I’d be tempted to sub to WoW just to join the other faction and gank him repeatedly.
Now, if I wasn’t completely off WoW this is something that I could see myself joining in on.
Genuine attempt or publicity stunt?
His schemes seem to get increasingly grandiose despite never once succeeding.
Oh, I’m sure he’s looking about for interesting challenges, and the possibility of trying to grief people off a PvP server also appealed. /I/ am interested in whether it’s possible to revitalise a ‘dead’ faction.
I also think it’s a pretty cool goal for a guild and I’m sure they’ll have some fun with it if they can get a bunch of people together.
There were the recent random-blues Ulduar kills and Naxx clear. Hardly as ambitious, but they are examples of pointless projects that succeeded.
Interesting idea, one I think of occasionally because three of my dormant high-level characters are on an PvP server that is 90% horde. Though my solution was just to make a huge guild of angry alliance players that took every opportunity to harass the horde.
Pretty sure it will end exactly like the latest undergeared project: lucky if he gets 10 people to show up at any given event. That’s the problem with his side projects, the ideas are so nuanced and outrageous that he’s the only one with any real commitment. It’s a social experiment if anything, but all that it keeps proving is that the fearless leader is the only one with the true ambition to complete to goal.
Hrmmmm…. I would describe it as more likes guerilla warfare than urban renewal, since his opposition has most of the numbers and weapons. Either way, ya wins by getting folks ta make sacrifice now because they sees a better world fer they’s kiddies. I think Gevlon’s project is doomed because he offers no such vision – best he can offer is “let’s make this world the sames as the one ya just left.” Once the initial enthusiams die off and the reality of the long grind sets in, folks is gonna lose interest fast and he’ll be left with just a handful camping out in the jungle with him.
Some folk like camping out in the jungle.
There is a certain attraction to running round the jungle, carrying firearms and not working for a living. Beats heck out of being a peasant farmer. It is bascialy a cool thing to do. Will the coolness be enough? Maybe.
Apologies to PJ O’Rourke for stealing his ‘Why its cool to be a rebel’
Spinks, if you are so fascinated, why don’t you join?
It’s just a bad time for me, tbh. I’m cutting back my WoW time because I need a break, and also there are a couple of single player games coming along this month which are going to eat up a lot of my game time (Dragon Age expansion and Final Fantasy) — which basically all adds up to meaning I’m not up for committing to any WoW projects that need much time put in.
Will see how it goes in a couple of months. It is a shame because I think this is a really cool idea.
Ganking guilds aren’t new by any means. No, there really isn’t any more to it than that.