History Main / AdventureGuild

[[quoteright:350:[[LightNovel/Overlord2012 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adventurers_guild.png]]]]

It is mainly a video game trope, but also shows up in anime, especially when the setting is a RolePlayingGameVerse. Mainly shows up in Japanese works, because the Japanese seem to feel that even killing people and taking their stuff should be done in a structured, social context.

Real-life guilds were established to safeguard their members from competition and outside economic forces and had official license from the government to be the sole tradesmen in a city; despite this, fictional guilds will often form rivalries and compete with each other in a quasi-market economy. This furthers perception of them being more companies of mercenaries than an actual "guild".

% * ''VideoGame/AgarestSenki2''

* The protagonists of ''[[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers]]'' are members of the Wigglytuff Guild, whose tasks range from menial chores to discovering mysterious places.

% * Generic missions in ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity''.
% * Your party in the ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' games is one of these.

* ''VideoGame/AgarestSenki2''

* ''[[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky]]'' is all over this - they take 90% of your pay though.

* Generic missions in ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity''.
* Your party in the ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' games is one of these.

* ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'': The Free Guild originally established out of the Kingdom of Ingracia (though technically it's beholden to no nation) functions likes this. In exchange for paying taxes to the various nations out of which its branches operate, they have a great deal of autonomy in how they run things and take various requests from the nations, smaller villages, or even individuals. They also have adventurer training, ranks, and tests to promote rising candidates. Notably, the guild is rather new innovation as adventurer society was much less organized and looked down on in the past before the [[TrappedInAnotherWorld Otherworlder]] (and [[PopCulturedBadass videogame-lover]]) Yuuki Kagurazuki arrived and reorganized the whole system into its current incarnation as its head. [[spoiler:The irony being that Yuuki is also the BigBad.]]

Real-life guilds were established to safeguard their members from competition and outside economic forces and had official license from the government to be the sole tradesmen in a city; despite this, fictional guilds will often form rivalries and compete with each other in a quasi-market economy. This furthers perception of them being more companies of mercenaries than an actual "[[YouKeepUsingThatWord guild]]".

* The world of ''Manga/GoblinSlayer'' also has ones similar to those in ''Overlord''. The titular Goblin Slayer in infamous in the guild for only taking quests that involve killing goblins.

* The Bracer's Guild from the ''VideoGame/KisekiSeries''. The lore goes on to explain a bit of how they function: they're a non-government organization that's allowed to operate among the nations who agree to host them. They do follow regulations, though: while they have legal authority to perform arrests, they are not allowed to arrest politicians, and they are not allowed to break any laws of the nation they're in while carrying out contracts. Due to the fact that they operate outside of the authority of the government they're seen in a poor light by the military as well as more influential figures.

%%%* These turn up several times in ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
%%%** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''
%%%** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''
%%%** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance''
%%%* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter''
%%%* ''VideoGame/ResonanceOfFate''
%%%* ''VideoGame/ArcTheLad''
* The latter ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' games have bulletin boards full of {{Side Quest}}s to do. Which ones can be done is typically limited by a ranking system.

* This is the primary mechanism to get missions in ''VideoGame/WingCommanderPrivateer''.
* Generic missions in ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity''.
* ''[[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky]]'' is all over this - they take 90% of your pay though.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': Various Guilds and Factions are joinable in each game starting with ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]''. They tend to be more function-specific and function more like actual medieval guilds than the odd job clearinghouses that epitomize this trope. The Fighters Guild comes closest to the standard definition of the trope, offering tasks ranging from low-end [[RatStomp critter killing]] to being {{Bounty Hunter}}s to protection services to, at the high-end, dealing with supernatural threats. The Companions take this role instead in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]''.
* The Adventurer's guild in the ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series, although they typically only granted you the low level stuff, big things had to be done by convincing people you were the one to do them.
* The Trouble Center in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor''
* ''VideoGame/AgarestSenki2''

* The eponymous ''VideoGame/StarWolves'' are a freelance starfighter squadron who make their living this way.
* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory2'' and ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'' have a bulletin board where townspeople post quests
* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStar'' had a Hunter's Guild starting from ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIV'' and onward. In ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarUniverse'' they were renamed Guardians but essentially do the same killing of monsters and handling of odd jobs. In ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2'', they are rebranded as ARKS, with their duties expanded to combating [[EldritchAbomination Darkers]] and investigating planets to determine their viability for colonization.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'', the adventurers are called Hunters, but there are many guilds, the largest of which are the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Kuvasz]].

* The protagonists of ''VideoGame/RakenzarnTales'' all eventually belong to the Nutsy Guild of Densel Town. Besides serving as a base of sorts, it's also where you can access the game's sidequests.
* In ''[[VideoGame/TheBardsTaleTrilogy The Bard's Tale]]'', the Adventurer's Guild building is the main headquarters for your adventurers. In between games 2 and 3, however, the Guild is destroyed along with the rest of Skara Brae.
* [[TheChosenMany The Guardians]] in ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' function very similarly to this trope, with the Tower serving as a large base where Guardians from all across the system trade loot, acquire quests, train, and generally commiserate. This is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] often, with many noting that the, uh, ''[[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} unique]]'' mental states of Guardians (i.e., [[SlidingScaleOfGameplayAndStoryIntegration they act like RPG characters in-universe]]), this trope is pretty much the only effective way to keep them organized.

* ''Manga/SoulEater'' has a very videogame-esque job board at the school, complete with estimated number of souls the students will receive on completion of the mission.

* The Pathfinder Society is this trope for TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}. The society is dedicated to explore Golarion, investigating ruins, recovering tomes and artifacts as well charting the world. Not confuse with TabletopGame/PathfinderSociety, the official organized play campaign where the [=PCs=] are members of the eponymous organization.

* The Mercenary Guild in ''Webcomic/DaughterOfTheLilies'' seems to lean in this direction, given some of the unconventional assignments it hands out.

It is mainly a video game trope, but also shows up in Anime, especially when the setting is a RolePlayingGameVerse. Mainly shows up in Japanese works, because the Japanese seem to feel that even killing people and taking their stuff should be done in a structured, social context.

See also WeirdTradeUnion, MurderInc, ThievesGuild. Compare TheOrder, which has a more rigid structure and better-defined purpose, and PrivateMilitaryContractors, the modern mercenary company counterpart. Also compare HeroAcademy, which focuses primarily on teaching students in successfully dealing with quests like those mentioned above (especially if such quests are strictly heroic) though may have some elements of Adventure Guild.

See also WeirdTradeUnion, MurderInc, ThievesGuild. Compare TheOrder, which has a more rigid structure and better-defined purpose. Also compare HeroAcademy, which focuses primarily on teaching students in successfully dealing with quests like those mentioned above (especially if such quests are strictly heroic) though may have some elements of Adventure Guild.

* Quest Cards in the first ''Videogame/{{Fable}}'' game.

* The Bracer's Guild from the ''VideoGame/KisekiSeries''. The lore goes on to explain a bit of how they function: they're a non-government organization that's allowed to operate among the nations who agree to host them. They do follow regulations, though: while they have legal authority to perform arrests, they are not allowed to arrest politicians, and they are not allowed to break any laws of the nation they're in while carrying out contracts.

* The Bracer's Guild from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky''. The lore goes on to explain a bit of how they function: they're a non-government organization that's allowed to operate among the nations who agree to host them. They do follow regulations, though: while they have legal authority to perform arrests, they are not allowed to arrest politicians, and they are not allowed to break any laws of the nation they're in while carrying out contracts.

* [[TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}} Shadowrunners]] and “[[MrSmith Mister Johnson]]” in ''Shadowrun''. In the Genesis and SNES games, your entire party except you was hired temporarily, and random missions were handed out by Johnsons to make money.

Real-life guilds were established to safeguard their members from competition and outside economic forces and had official license from the government to be the sole tradesmen in a city; despite this, fictional guilds will often form rivalries and compete with each other in a quasi-market economy. This further perception of them being more companies of mercenaries than an actual "[[YouKeepUsingThatWord guild]]".

* The Pathfinder Society is this trope for TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}. The society is dedicated to explore Golarion, investigating ruins, recovering tomes and artifacts as well charting the world. Not confuse with TabletopGame/PathfinderSociety, the official organized play campaign where the PCs are members of the eponymous organization.