Shawn just dropped a bombshell today: GLU, the Guildcast fan guild, is going to be disbanded (actually it got so big there are two GLU guilds) and the alliance both GLU’s are members of will be disbanded soon. Shawn will reveal the reason in the next episode of Guildcast.
Off the top of my head I envision one of two possible reasons:
- Drama. We did have a bit of drama last week that resulted in the departures of a few very well-loved individuals. The departure seemed amicable enough and I don’t know what went on other than what was said in the alliance chat channel. I won’t go into details, especially when I don’t know all of them. If drama is the reason, I can’t say I’m looking forward to the prospect of having GLU’s dirty laundry aired publicly over the podcast.
- Much like Merlask was hired by Turbine a few months ago, perhaps ArenaNet has hired Shawn! If this is the case, congrats Shawn, I’m so envious it’s not even funny. Shawn working at ArenaNet would most likely mean Guildcast would have to be shut down, as well as Shawn’s other podcasts, Tabulacast and OMG Real Life (actually OMGRL probably wouldn’t be a conflict of interests, though it would be a conflict of Shawn’s available time). The catcher here is that everything associated with the podcast and guilds could be handed over to someone else. Who? Lady Sinaea has her hands full with Ringcast these days but it’s possible someone would step up to the Guildcast plate. It’s already evident that people are willing to step up for GLU itself.
We’ll soon find out if either of my off-the-cuff predictions have any merit, but for the record I feel whether in the long run this ends up as a positive for Shawn and/or for us lowly fans, dropping a bombshell like this then keeping us in the dark until a podcast sheds light on the situation is a poor way to handle it. Whether guild drama was part of the reason or not, the silence is creating drama and tension among those remaining as well as a profound sense of confused sadness. Many have already left GLU not knowing why, and two of the allied guilds have already dissolved their alliance with GLU. In the span of a single day we’ve gone from a huge, friendly, busy alliance to barely anyone remaining and those who do are tense and withdrawn, not knowing what to say since no information is forthcoming until Shawn gets his next podcast out.
Maybe after this is all over I’ll see the wisdom of this approach, but going through it like I am… I do not approve. It is fostering negativity where none existed before.
Update: Episode 90 came out this morning with the explanation. A benign reason after all, and not one that came to mind: burnout. Shawn feels overworked with three podcasts, an upcoming “podiobook” he’s working on, and that not-so-fresh “this is work not fun” feeling about the game. Guildcast has been going strong for two years, and Shawn has decided to quit while he’s ahead rather than allow the show itself to burnout or podfade. In the meantime he’s taking a break from the game and hopes when he returns, minus the podcast work, that the “fun factor” will return in full force as well.
Now that all is disclosed, I am still of the opinion that something could have been said to the GLU membership. The two-day silent treatment took its toll on many of us. Some had a sense of confusion and loss. Many got off a sinking ship without so much as a goodbye. Apparently there was even talk of “overthrowing Shawn” and taking control of the guild which is, of course, not possible. As with any bits of “guild drama” this one, mild and understandable as it is, did much damage to the family feeling that GLU stood for, and that’s a shame.
Tags: Drama, Guild Wars, Guild Wars, Guildcast
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I’m in agreement that the few days wait between the announcement and the explanation wasn’t the best way to handle the situation. I’m also at a loss as to why the guild had to be disbanded. Seems to me a lot of resources beyond Shawn went into the guild hall. Also just cause the show was coming to an end didn’t mean the guild members would want to stop talking in-game.
I don’t know anything about the drama, and never want to. It just seems it could have come to a close a lot better than it did. Sure I’ll listen to the remaining episodes (10 if the Lady has her way), but that’ll probably be the last time I hear Shawn on a podcast. Shame really, cause he’s gotten very good.
And it all came down during Wintersday… I think Grenth will be winning this year.
Am I too late to reply to this? 5 months? That’s not too late, right?
Your post and general discontent with the way GLU’s end arose is something I’ve heard time and time again, and I still feel bad about it. That whole thing was such a mess, and the fact that I handled the end so poorly goes to prove my point that I’m not and never was cut out to be a leader. I had tried handing it to someone else before, but that resulted in the loss of a few good friends over things that were completely unrelated to me. Being blamed for stuff I had nothing to do with, just because “my name was on the sign” was something that always bothered me. Guild drama reflected poorly on my podcast, and it was time to nip that nonsense in the bud before it got any worse.
Drama aside, the end of GLU was merely step 1 in the process of disbanding the podcast itself, as I mentioned on the show (eventually). I am VERY proud of what the GuildCast listeners built GLU to be. It was an amazing alliance and still to this day I get people telling me about how they’ve never been able to find a guild/alliance quite like that in any game they’ve played. I don’t take any credit at all for that, but it’s nice to know I was there for it.
And I know one thing for sure. If I make another MMO-specific podcast, and it gets as large as the GC community did, and there’s a guild for this community… someone else will lead it
I think we can all agree that would be best.
Anyway, sorry to necro this thread, but it caught my attention and I felt the need to respond. Keep up the great work on the blog!
Ah! Bbqribs’ infamous necromancy strikes again!
No, I never mind blog necromancy here, I appreciate every bit of conversation that gets going.
I never thought there was any relationship to being a “leader” (really, how many guilds truly need to be “led” other than hardcore raid-only ones?) and handling the dismantling of GLU. Thinking back on the whole thing, though, I am still firmly entrenched in the same opinion that simply, rather than trying to be a “leader” or “go down with the ship” just talk to us like people and let us know what’s coming rather than dropping a bomb, disappearing and making the online “family” wait to hear the news along with the rest of the public. But I’m sure that’s nothing you haven’t thought of or realized in the past several months yourself. It’s a learning thing, and I doubt any of us former GLU-ers would ever say you were a “bad leader” or anything else of the sort. It was a podcast fan guild, you were the host of the show and we were your loyal fans, coming together in a guild where the show was our only common ground until we all put forth the effort to get to know one another and find other interests we shared. Truly a unique experience for myself doing that rather than the usual guilding with friends.
I never did get a chance to congratulate you on the gig over at Massively, so consider this a belated “grats!”
Here’s hoping to see you in-game someday again, either GW or GW2. I never did pick up TR after my heartbreak in beta. I saw you’d given up TabulaCast as well, but never read if you’d actually left the game as well.
I’ll switch my secondary to necro and jump in too.
IMO, there was really NO perfect way to do it, and Shawn made the best of a difficult situation. I mean, what are the alternatives? Tell whoever happens to be on at the same time the reason for the disband, and just let the news spread via word of mouth? First, character limits in alliance chat make that seriously difficult, and second, that’s opening a can of worms, most of whom are saying “Well how come YOU got told first and I had to hear it from you? No fair!” For the full explanation to be given to everyone at once, putting it on the GC episode was really the most efficient way. It wasn’t the greatest way, but it was the best one available.
I have to agree w/Shawn, too. Handing the alliance over to someone else was not a good thing. That period was more of a tense and withdrawn time for many people than the actual disband.
In the end, the GLU disband was sad – I *still* miss the alliance – but the friendships we all made while there weren’t affected. I made so many friends while in the GLU alliance, that are all still my friends, as I know everyone did. Isn’t that what’s important? Some great stuff came from that alliance.
OMG, I’m such a sap. [blush]
Yeah I didn’t care for the period when someone else (jeez I can’t even remember who it was) was in charge of GLU. In fact, I think that was when I took one of my extended breaks from the game just because the guild/alliance wasn’t very enjoyable to be around.
Good point about the way it could have gone down with only a few people knowing initially, then jealousy ensues. Didn’t think about that one. There probably was no perfect or desirable way to make the undesirable happen. I just wish it had gone down a little differently. I still miss the alliance, and… I’m just really not into my new guild at all; bunch of high-school (at best…) kids. Not my crowd. I should have followed Annja into her new guild that day, she was specifically targeting a more adult/mature crowd, something that is difficult to find in the GW community.
The internet sure is a funky thing, it’s so weird having both of you stop in, what? Five months later?
Yes, it’s insane. We weren’t chatting and discussing it at all. TOTAL COINCIDENCE.
[wink]
However, I have to acknowlege one point you made – there is no other alliance like it. That’s my only regret – GLU spoiled me for any other alliance, I don’t know if any will ever quite measure up.
Oh, trust me, I knew Shawn had mentioned something. I was curious how Shawn discovered this suddenly after all these months, but I suspect it was due to a comment on another blog this morning… bread crumbs do indeed leave a trail!