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So I'm considering running a Pathfinder game with a focus on guilds;
Preamble:
The players would be in a metropolis, and basically the whole campaign would be contained inside the city. It would focus on guilds within the city. Players would be gaining rank within a guild, or starting one, and there would ideally be inter-guild conflict (1-200 people), and influence wars within the city. I may make up the city, or may use Forgotten Realms/Waterdeep, as I have the 2e booklet, the 2e box, and the 3e book, as well as the 3e undermountain, and the 2e skullport book.
I don't intend to have the players rely on combat exp to level, I will be classifying other things as challenges and awarding exp, and whatnot;
I'm not overly concerned with WBL for other reasons.
The mass combat rules look like they could serve if a larger fight happens, perhaps tweaking the army size chart for the smaller scale.
Question:
If running a pathfinder game with a focus on guild vs guild conflict, influence wars, and violence between large groups of humanoids (possibly with the players doing regular combat at the same time, so the group stuff is more to set the scene, and it's outcomes, but the players could kill the opposing leader, and any enemies directly attacking the PCs do so through normal combat rounds), are there decent rules for that available somewhere?
I just picked up Ultimate Campaign, it seems to mostly focus on Empires, and the conquest of territory. It seems a little different than what I need. Am I wrong? Will the kingdom rules work for guilds? Am I missing something? What about if I shell out for Ultimate Rulership? Does that cover it?
The thing I find myself wanting to reach for is This Book, or possibly This Book which are admittedly for another game system, but basically the first is designed to allow organizations to be build like they're creatures so you can have conflict between them in game, with game mechanics designed to support it. The second is in that same vein, but for empires, and I thought looking at those two books together and then contrasting to Ultimate Campaign might make it more clear how I should approach houseruling guilds if there are no rules that can handle them.
Are there any good options?
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Note: I do understand that maybe Pathfinder is less suited to this sort of game than RuneQuest is. But If I can do it in Pathfinder, I would prefer to. I don't want the high lethality of runequest, and I want many of the D&D/Pathfinder trappings (creature types, races, and possibly either Golarion or Faerun).
So I would prefer a solution that's not just "Go play a different game."
I think the main problem will be the fact that there's too much going on outside the PCs' purview, and outside their influence - unless they start out inside a guild's inner circle. Pathfinder is better served with many clear enemies and one or two mysteries, instead of the other way around.
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I was thinking the game would start out with the guild sending them on missions, and as they complete the missions, and gain some reputation, their guild rank increases, and they work their way up, until eventually they ARE in the inner circle of the guild, and ate therefore able to wield it.
Unless the players opt to start their own guild instead of joining one, in which case the guild would start out as just the party, have very little influence or power, and they would have to work their way up and fill out the ranks.
Or, perhaps I misunderstand the concern you have voiced.
I'm pretty sure I can make this kind of game interesting to the players, I'm just trying to figure out if there's a good way to do it with pre-existing mechanics, or if I will have to create/adapt new ones from things available that aren't adequate to just use.