I have to admit, I read the recent article by Ramin Shokrizade on the preendgame economy of Guild Wars 2 and shrugged. He made a lot of great points, but the problems with Vanguard because there were many guilds doing these things; they usually handed out boats, coin, or materials to construct a home rather than weapons and armor. While there are still items that are have value and deserve to be put in the guild bank, it's often gear that helps players out when they're leveling.
Instead, preendgame dropped gear is essentially vendor fodder.In an effort to stamp out gold farmers, scammers, and griefers, many studios have minimized the value of tradeable goods. Many virtual economies are now just about the exchange of harvested resources; even gear itself, thanks to transmuting, has become a commodity rather than a unique product. If you're buying preendgame gear at all, it's probably to eak it down in the hopes of getting a valuable component. While that's all well and good, it's a lot more memorable (and fun) to hand a valuable piece of equipment to someone and see it make a difference.
Do you have a guild problem that you just can't seem to resolve? Have a guild issue that you'd like to discuss? Every week, Karen yan takes on reader questions about guild management right here in The Guild Counsel column. She'll offer advice, give practical tips, and even provide a shoulder to lean on for those who are taking up the challenging task of running a guild.