The MudOS mudlib comes with a rudimentary guild system. This file explains
how it works and gives some ideas of directions you might want to take it.
   Players have skills which increase with use. In addition, players might
like to train in their skills (so that they'll have decent ones when they
actually go into combat instead of all 0s). The guils that come with the
default mudlib permit this. The standard guild object is /std/guild.c, and
it defines two commands. The first lists all skills that can be trained at
that guild and the costs of training in them. The second trains the player
in a particular skill. The default mudlib comes with a fighter's guild
which trains in combat skills and first aid, a mage's guild which trains
in spellcasting, and a theives guild which trains in theft, stealth, and
first aid.
   The cost of training in a skill is determined in the standard guild
object. In the default mudlib, it is set up so that training a skill costs
5 sp for each skill use it takes to advance the skill by use. (See the
skills document for more details). Thus, the cost of training is proportional
to N where N is the level being trained; high levels cost more to train
than low levels. You can change this formula, and in fact there's no need
for there to be any relationship between skill uses and the cost of training.
We chose to set it up that way, but if you prefer another cost formula then
you should feel free to implement it. Another thing you might want to do
is have skill training cost different amounts at different guilds, perhaps
to reflect differences in the quality of instruction. You can do this by
changing the cost_of_skill() function in each guild: you probably would
want to remove the cost_of_skill() function from the standard guild and
have each guild define its own (don't forget to prototype it in the
standard guild), although you could probably do it by overwriting the
inherited function if you wanted to.
   Each guild can train in any subset of the skills, or in all of them.
Another thing to note is that more than one guild can train in a given
skill: both the fighter's and thieves guild train in first aid. Thus,
you could make two rival magic-user's guilds, each training the same
skills.
   In the default mudlib, any player can train at any guild: there is
no system of guild membership. However, you can easily add it if you so
desire. Just add a property to the player object called "guild_member" and
have each guild check that the guild_member property is set appropriately
before permitting training (or possibly entry). You'll need to add a facility
for joining the guild in the first place. You can also have branch guilds;
that is, you can have two guilds (in different towns) that check for the
same guild membership. You can have competing guilds each with rival
branches in each town in the MUD...
   Another thing you might want to do is have special guild skills which
only guild members can learn. This is easy to do by using the set_skill()
lfun. When the player is created, he doesn't get the guild skill, but it
is set_skill()ed into him when he joins the guild, and thereafter he may
train in it (presumably only at the guild he belongs to). You must, however,
make sure that only guild members can access the commands which use the
guild skills.
   One thing you might do in this line is have a special guild spell. You
would want to implement a system of spell learning (see the document on
magic) and then you could create a spell which could only be learned at
the guild. Since you couldn't cast the spell without joining the guild
to learn it, only guild members could use the special spell's skill: players
not in the guild couldn't cast the spell to use the skill. Similarly, you
could implement a special command (perhaps backstab for an assassin's guild)
that would specifically check the player's guild membership and only allow
the player to "backstab" if he belongs to the guild.
   These are only a few things you can do with the standard guilds and we
expect that clever MUD wizards will think of more and better ones. If you
do, please come back to TMI and post a note on the main board telling us
what you did with your guilds and, if you are willing, telling us how you
went about coding it. Guild systems are one of the best outlets for
creativity in MUDDing and for giving your MUD a unique flavor and we'd like
to see what people are doing so that we can in turn make the standard
mudlib objects easier to use.

Mobydick
11-20-92