A guild is a society of people in the same craft or trade, typically based in a specific town. It usually secures a monopoly and limits the craft or trade to insiders. The guild also protects trade secrets, and sponsors the development of new knowledge. The formation of guilds is usually governed by the town’s laws. Guilds in the same trade in neighboring towns may recognize each other’s rules and qualifications, although there is sometimes aggressive rivalry. Guilds are financed by dues, a small fraction of members’ incomes. A wealthy guild has a guildhouse where the masters keep records and enjoy great dinners; smaller guilds meet in inns or taverns, or even at a guild-master’s home.

Details

Ruler: The Grand Master
Seat: Usually a local guildhall

Perception

Origin and History

After the fall of the Old Empire, and rise of the new independent kingdoms that resulted, the growing cash economy gave a tremendous stimulus to the rise of the middle classes. Where a craftsman might previously have worked exclusively for a landowner under a feudal arrangement in exchange for keep and lodging, now he could find a sufficient market for his goods in a nearby town, and earn enough money to support a comfortable lifestyle. Merchants thrived as the market economy began to mature, and long-distance trade along rivers and across the sea became profitable. It was against this background that the guild system arose. Guilds arose as associations for mutual support. They developed into regulatory bodies that held a monopoly on a trade or group of trades in their town, supervised training and apprenticeships, regulated standards, and generally furthered the interests of their members. In many towns it became impossible to do business without joining a guild.

Ranks and forms of address

These are typical of most such guilds, but not universal

• (Master X) The Most Honourable X, Grand Master of the [Trade] Guild
• (Master X) The Honourable X, Councilman of the [Trade] Guild
• Master X, [Officer] of the [Trade] Guild
• Master X, Master of the [Trade] Guild
• X, Journeyman of the [Trade] Guild
• X, Apprentice of the [Trade] Guild

Practices

A guild performs several functions. It regulates the price and quality of goods or services, to ensure that its monopoly is not abusive to the point that the town demands its revocation. A guild “hallmark” on a product guarantees that it meets standards. The guild discourages its members from competing through bulk discounts or price-cutting, but encourages them to outdo each other in quality. The products of a guild’s master craftsmen are reliable, but often costly.

A guild also provides for its members’ well-being. Guilds regulate apprenticeships (most go to members’ children), and make sure the trade is properly taught. Guild members are also provided with insurance; when they die, the guild takes care of their families. When shops or homes burn down, the guild pays for the rebuilding. When guild members become injured or ill, the guild hires healers. Some wealthy guilds even build hospitals, churches, and schools, or provide dowries for poor members’ daughters.

Finally, a guild represents its members to the government. It seeks exemption from tolls and tariffs, protection along dangerous trade routes, and reduced taxes. For leverage, it relies on its monopoly. A baron trying to fight a war without armorers soon realizes the wisdom in granting the guild’s demands!

A guild can only exist when it has at least a half-dozen members, and will not be powerful unless it has dozens. Thus, small towns have few guilds, while the great cities have scores. This doesn’t mean that craftsmen in small towns are always guildless, but where a town might have a single Clothmen’s Guild, a metropolis has separate guilds for Spinners, Weavers, Tailors, Dyers, and Embroiderers. Guilds are most powerful in the free cities of Imperian kingdoms.

Specific Guilds

Imperia

Major Trade Guilds

Major guilds are large enough, or "travel" enough, that the Guild branches to multiple cities. Some of these guilds grow quite powerful, almost a nation to themselves.

• Masons' Guild
• Bankers' League

Minor Trade Guilds

Minor guilds appear in most large cities, and serve only the host city. Not all such guilds are likely to be represented in every city; some are more common than others.

• Alchemists' Guild
• Armorers' Guild
• Bookbinders' Guild
• Bowyers' Guild
• Brewers' Guild
• Clothiers' Guild
• Fishmongers' Guild
• Horse Breeders' Guild
• Miners' Guild
• Healers' Guild
• Potters' Guild
• Shipwrights' Guild
• Smiths' Guild
• Tanners' Guild
• Weaponsmiths' Guild

Dwarfmount

• Enchanters' Guild

Elfwood

• No "guilds" but some families specialize in a particular craft or trade

Rumor Has It…

• Many guilds meet behind closed doors to guard their "trade secrets," which inevitably leads to speculation about what exactly it is they're doing in there…

Behind the Scenes

• Mostly "historical": ideally, fewer of them, covering somewhat broader, "generic" categories of crafts/trades.
• The rank of "Craftsman" from DF17 is not included, as it is not a historical guild rank; instead, Status 1-2 are both "Journeyman"—call it "seniority"