A series of computer strategy/simulation/RPG games created by 4Head Studios and later acquired by Nordic Games, The Guild games are centered on medieval Europe (with a few magical liberties taken, as noted below). You control a family dynasty, dictating everything from what type of business(es) the family runs to whether or not you pursue political power, as well as more mundane matters like who you marry.
The first game, originally released under the title of Europa 1400: The Guild note , was focused on life in one of the major cities of Europe. You selected one of many professions (with your heirs later being able to acquire additional ones), and try to build a stable empire before disease or other incidents end your dynasty. This game was later ported to the Nintendo DS.
The second game, simply titled The Guild 2, added 3-D graphics (via the Gamebryo engine) as well as additional RPG and strategy elements. Furthermore, it overhauled the profession system. Instead, you picked one of four classes (Crafts(wo)man, Patron, Rogue, or Scholar) which could then build/buy from a variety of buildings that fell under the old professions. By marrying people of different classes, or having your children educated differently, you gained access to being able to buy/purchase their class's buildings (as long as they lived), allowing you to expand your empire. It also added maps set outside larger cities, giving players more freedom to expand and build. This game was continuously updated with new patches up through 2015.
In 2014, Nordic Games announced they were working on The Guild 3. The info released so far indicates that it will have a profession system more in line with the first game, and that it will add secret societies (like the Freemasons or the Illuminati) as a new type of faction-based gameplay mechanic.
Do not confuse this with the fictional MMO-based online video series of the same name.
These games provide examples of:
- Alchemy Is Magic: Given the historical attitudes towards alchemy, this showing up is not surprising. (One of the two possible final alchemist shop upgrades is actually called a mages' guild.) What is surprising is that it's somewhat played straight, as these upgraded shops can produce some supernaturally powerful stuff, including the game's version of the elixir of life (Faust's elixir), which possibly extends a character's lifespan.
- Artificial Stupidity: The AI does not know how to handle hospitals.
- In regards to running them, they almost always fail to keep a variable stock of the different types of medicine available. Which isn't a big deal in regards to rival dynasties, but when their own workers and family members start getting sick...
- Even if they aren't running one, it's a coin toss if they start a feud with with a family who does. Since feuding families can't use buildings owned by each other, the AI can end up severely punished if their family comes down with the plague and they're in the middle of a feud with the family that owns the town's only hospital.
- Bad Boss: You are perfectly capable of playing as one, if you so choose. Of course, your workers will get unruly and quit if you carry it too far.
- Bag of Kidnapping: Kidnapping someone involves beating them into unconsciousness, then stuffing them in a large sack before hauling them off to the local thieves' den.
- The Blacksmith: One of the possible professions in the first game. In the second, you can run a smithy, which can either specialize in weapons and armor, or jewelry.
- "Blind Idiot" Translation: The 4.2 patch for the second game came with quite a few translation gaffes. The largest of these was referring to the real world medieval band Versengold (which appeared as a special cameo mechanic) as a "formation" instead of a band.
- The Cameo: In the 4.2 patch for 2, the real German medieval band Versengold was added as a gameplay mechanic, where if you own a inn or a pub, you can bid to have them perform a song there.
- Creepy Mortician: Grave diggers wear really creepy masks. And they deserve this reputation in general, as they are secretly practitioners of dark magic, fueled by parts scavenged from dead bodies.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Prostitutes can be used to distract guards (even the female ones), allowing you to have your other thugs pull off quick robberies or other crimes.
- Job System: The classes the second game employs works out like this in practice (due to the dynasty system allowing for up to three active people, all with potentially different classes). Each has their own set of different businesses they can run, with benefits and drawbacks:
- Crafts(wo)men make the everyday items that society needs. Smithing, stonework, tailoring, and carpentry all fall under this one, as do the mines and lumberjack houses needed to gather most of the resources for those. They are hard to develop in the early game (first generation of your dynasty), but later on can be quite powerful in terms of both money and items produced.
- Patrons focus on food growing and gathering, running farms, orchards, and fisheries as well as the buildings that cook and prepare food (inns and bakeries). Their businesses are the most internally synergistic of the four classes. However, they suffer the most from competing businesses.
- Rogues handle dirty business, from protection rackets to pickpocketing rings to smuggling and prostitution. In general, they tend to make more money quicker than the other three classes, but often risk their reputation and the welfare of their employees to do it.
- Scholars are intellectually minded, running churches, alchemists, banks, hospitals or even the local graveyard. While not the best money makers, their buildings are more focused on crafting items for your character to personally use, making them effective at supporting a political career.
- Necromancer: Played with. The grave diggers don't raise the dead or commune with them, but they do grind up their bones to craft dark artifacts and curses. Which you can then use against your enemies.
- Shout-Out:
- On German-based maps in the second game, it will sometimes spawn an NPC with the last name of Schwarzenegger.
- Quite a few default business names, which are chosen from a predetermined list. For example, sometimes an inn will be called "The Prancing Pony", while a bakery will sometimes get the Punny Name "The Rolling Scones".
- Unproblematic Prostitution: Run out of pubs and the like, it's not inherently more risky for your employees than any other type of work, even if they're drawing in someone who is deathly ill. (Keep in mind that you can't actually do this with a player character, unlike with most types of work.)
- Video Game Cruelty Potential:
- As noted above, you can play as a Bad Boss.
- If family members get sick, you can specifically prevent them from resting to recover or seeking treatment. Depending on the illness, this can and will lead to their death.
- And then you can do all kinds of nasty things to rival dynasties. Kidnap their family members, sabotage their businesses, murder their employees, frame them for crimes, and even post fake flyers that publicly humiliate them...the list goes on.
- Wretched Hive: If the rival dynasties (possibly including yours) mostly or all end up with criminal professions or the Rogue class, whatever city you're sharing can end up being like this.
