Guilds & Orders: A Reference Guide by Stephen Chenault is a role playing game supplement published by Troll Lord Games. The supplement is covered by the Open Game License and, as such, some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
The supplement does not appear to be currently available but was purchased as part of a special bundle. It is a 19-page PDF with two pages being the front and rear covers, one the front matter and one the Open Game License.
The Introduction explains that this guide is intended for almost any role playing game. It contains a number of guilds and orders that can be dropped into a game and used to make a region more interesting. The book is intended to be wholly system neutral and the only stats are references to hit dice or level. The GM can make a guild located in a single town to have a greater span, or vice versa, if they wish.
The various guilds follow. They are divided into different categories; bard, ranger, thief, tradesmen and wizard and illusionists. Each guild has a description, where it can be found, its structure with a table of guild ranks, its wealth & influence and its history. Each has maybe half a page giving an overview of it; enough to work form.
Guilds & Orders: A Reference Guide in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and, with the number of different guilds, these could really have been used. Navigation is poor. Bar the single-column introduction, the supplement follows a two-column layout and appeared to be mostly free of errors. There is a single, unlikely to be custom, illustration. Presentation is okay.
Though the supplement is stated to be system-neutral and suitable for any game, in truth it is heavily aimed at Dungeons & Dragons, derived games and those influenced by D&D. The level structure and guild types are definitely influenced by D&D. That isn’t to say it won’t work with other system types, just that it is more suited to D&D-based games.
There is enough given on each guild that a GM could use it in a campaign, though more fleshing out will doubtlessly be needed; addition of NPCs, stats etc. However, the guild overviews do provide interesting additions to a campaign and could probably be dropped into any suitable, and that often means high fantasy, world. Guilds & Orders: A Reference Guide is a decent little supplement.
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