Server Announcement: The guild "Eclipse" has created a faction called "Kingdom of the BlackStar." As the second guild to create a new faction, the guild "Eclipse" has been awarded a bonus of 100,000,000 GC. All the normal Eclipse members who read this message nearly choked with excitement!
100,000,000 GC?! At the current exchange rate, this was almost 200,000,000 real-world credits! Enough to make all the guild members millionaires!
Meanwhile, the founding members in their meeting were much less surprised—but just as happy.
Only Apophis knew exactly what was going to happen after they made the second faction, but he was a bit annoyed.
His plan partly failed. His goal had been for Eclipse to form the first faction and so claim the jackpot of a billion coins, but 100,000,000 GC was still a more than respectable sum. It would prove very useful for the guild's continued development.
Lotus said, "Well, we have two new topics to discuss. First of all, recruitment. As you asked, Apophis, we have started mass recruitment here on Era, and have made good progress. However, we must decide on a particular matter very soon. What kind of contract should we offer our new recruits?
"At the moment, their contracts are only provisional, with the understanding that a more permanent one will follow. Should we offer them a contract similar to that of the SuperGuilds and First-Rate Guilds? That is, a fixed salary, plus performance-based bonuses in exchange for a portion of their EXP and loot?
"Or should we stick to the classic approach from pre-SuperGuild times? That is, using Guild Points to rank individual performance and distributing resources according to each member's individual contributions?"
Apophis thought about this.
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It was true that the higher-ups would benefit greatly from the system of taxing all EXP gains. This was how Lucifer had been able to rise twenty levels above him, even though Apophis was in the top 0.01% of players on his own.
Nevertheless, Apophis also knew that this system failed to inspire loyalty among its members.
When it was clear that a player's higher-ups only saw them as a source of wealth and power, what reason was there to be loyal? Spying scandals were common, to the extent that many guilds eventually gave up all attempts at secret operations and subterfuge.
The worst symptom of this lack of trust was sabotage. In his first life, whenever guilds fought each other, an absurdly high 20% of ship losses were believed to be the result of sabotage from within!
It was therefore vital to avoid this culture of fear and resentment.
Apophis answered, "I propose we operate on the Guild Point system, perhaps with some modifications. We want to restrain our players as little as possible once they pledge themselves to us.
"Of course, we want to reward those who pledge themselves fervently to us, and we need to compel the least social players to contribute at least a minimum amount, but otherwise, we should give maximum freedom. This is the best way to build loyalty and goodwill so we can make the best use of our players in the future."
Lotus happily agreed, sharing this philosophy.
However, the other founding members had their doubts. White said, "Freedom is good. Nobody will deny that. But if we want to be the best, we need a top-tier roster of players!
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"The unfortunate truth is that the only viable business model for a guild which wants to create this kind of roster 'must' skim some resources from all their rank-and-file players to feed their top performers. If we want to stand on equal footing with the rest… I vote that we use strict contracts with EXP taxation clauses."
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Hulk and JackRipper agreed with White. To them, the kind of freedom Apophis wanted would just give their guild a handicap compared to their competitors.
Then Chocolate spoke up. "I'm of the same opinion as Lotus and Apophis. Exploiting people is never the right solution. I wish to see my guild as a second family, not as a toxic corporation that drinks the blood of the weak."
The vote was tied three to three. Of course, since Apophis, the Supreme Leader, had voted for recruitment without a predatory contract, they adopted his proposal. Breaking ties was one of the benefits of guild leadership, after all.
Lotus said, "Now that we've dealt with that irritating subject, let us talk about money and the guild's objectives. As you all know, Apophis has brought in 200,000,000 Orc soldiers and 100,000,000 Federation soldiers, giving us undoubtedly the largest NPC army in any player faction.
"Unfortunately, each of these soldiers costs money to house, feed, and otherwise pay. In total, around 1, 000,000 GC per day. Luckily, we had some reserves, and the bonus we just received for creating the faction will allow us to maintain this for a while, but we must quickly increase our income to maintain our coffers. Unfortunately, Era is simply insufficient to bear this financial burden."
White spoke up. "Why not simply raise our goods and services tax again? After all, this is the only planet where players spawn. If they want to play the game, they have no choice but to pay anything we ask."
Lotus frowned. "20% is already a significant tax. If we increase it further, we risk tax evasion being more and more appealing. Rather than paying us a certain fee, it may be more profitable to pay on the black and gray markets, where we won't see a single GC of profit off a transaction.
"The fall of the Federation has seen the explosion of the second hand ship market, and these are becoming more and more affordable for the tens of thousands of First-Rate guilds. Guilds which could cause us a lot of trouble if allowed to feast on our planet."
Apophis said, "I see only one solution: the conquest of new systems. These planets will offer us tax revenue, while the mining sites and farms upon them will offer us raw materials. This should not only allow us to pay our guild expenses, but also to fund the faction and to allow for sustainable growth in both areas."
Lotus responded, "I have already given that avenue some careful thought. But despite our money reserves, we cannot afford to buy many warships. with 100,000,000 GC, we could perhaps buy a hundred used corvettes or ten destroyers. Far from enough to capture a solar system defended by an NPC faction!"
Apophis said, "Keep in mind we could also build three hundred more experimental Zetark corvettes similar to the MK.1 and its sister ships for the same money. But don't worry. I'll find a way to fund everything. We're not just a little guild anymore, remember."
Hulk seemed a bit impatient. "Alright, let's imagine that we didn't have any financial constraints anymore. With unlimited money, what would our goals be?"
Apophis smiled coldly. "With the fall of the Federation, many solar systems are very poorly defended. I therefore propose that we invade the system of Enclador Prime, which has three inhabited planets… not to mention a huge asteroid mine containing materials for producing military-grade steel. It should be very useful in the production of a war fleet."
This proposal was met with the general approval of the founders, especially since Apophis seemed very well-informed on the subject.
Lotus said, "Of course, this invasion of a whole solar system will be titanic to organize. A war fleet, a ground invasion… It will probably require several weeks of full time work between me and both the Orc and Federation officers. I won't be able to manage the guild during this time, so I need someone to take over the recruitment efforts."
JackRipper spoke up. "I'll help you, Lotus! I'm still only lvl 6, so this will allow me to organically recruit players in the areas where I'm earning EXP myself."
Lotus nodded. "Very well. If nobody else has anything to say..."
Apophis interjected. "One last topic. My crew died in battle on Cronos I and respawned on Terra. Antanria is still there also, but I've not heard from any of them. Given the current political situation, I'm going to organize a rescue mission. Chocolate, Hulk, and White, I need you to get your crews ready. According to everything we know, this is going to be quite the epic adventure..."