Red Dawn is going places

[Faerie]

Unless Heartbrand mismanages something in a big way, or some serious drama crops up. Or if the bluebies get bored and don't stick around (xp bonus largely to blame if this happens). I hope Azrael realizes this.

What Heartbrand has done was really pretty smart, if disingenuous and manipulative. He correctly identified bluebie as the pool of potential recruits they are, and marketed his guild in order to attract them. Under his direction, Red Dawn was re-branded as anti-grief, family-style, and most importantly: something different. Heartbrand saw potential in what Serenity was about, and with his vast riches, friends, and PL capabilities lured bluebie over to form his own personal army.

He's fostering a sense of loyalty among his members by gearing and PLing them. And with the guild marketed as it is, those members are even more likely to stick around. They share a sense of... "We're the other guys; we do things our own way, and we're not going to be toxic like Azrael and Nihilum." It's a good feeling, to be the good guy and underdog (so long as you're getting kills and raid mobs). This, coupled with the aforementioned gear/xp parade, is the best model of player recruitment/retention I've seen here on Red99. And what's more, it seems to be working. Heartbrand is unfortunately a capable leader who knows what he is doing in pve progression.

Why did it have to be you, Heartbrand? Led by someone else, this could have been something sincere and wonderful; but it stinks of your unique brand of self-serving and egotistical manipulation. Maybe it's true that the most successful leaders have a touch of sociopathy.