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The Guild (web series)
Encyclopedia
The Guild is an American comedy
web series
created and written by Felicia Day
, who also stars as Cyd Sherman (aka Codex). It premiered on YouTube
on July 27, 2007. Subsequent webisode
s premiered on Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace
, Zune Marketplace, and MSN Video
. The webisodes were later made available on the official Guild website, YouTube, and iTunes
. The webisodes are also available via DVD and on Netflix and Hulu.
The show revolves around the lives of an online guild
, The Knights of Good, who play countless hours of an MMORPG
video game, aptly named "The Game". The story focuses on Codex, the guild's Priestess
, who attempts to lead a normal life after one of her guild-mates, Warlock
Zaboo (Sandeep Parikh
), shows up on her doorstep.
Joss Whedon
credits The Guild as one of the inspirations for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
, which also starred Felicia Day.
The series has been renewed for a fifth season and will continue to premiere through Microsoft's services.
, in between acting roles in several American television shows and movies. After two years of video game addiction, Day decided to make something productive from her experiences and wrote the series as a sitcom television pilot
. The series was purposely kept generic to avoid copyright problems and to appeal to a wider audience of massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG
) fans. Day also hoped to show that the stereotypical man living in his parents' basement is not the only kind of gamer. Believing the niche setting wouldn't appeal to television marketers, she decided to produce the series online with Jane Selle Morgan and Kim Evey. Day already knew Sandeep Parikh and Jeff Lewis from Empty Stage
, a Los Angeles-based comedy theatre, and their roles were written for them. The rest of the cast was filled through audition
s. After filming the first three episodes in two and a half days, they ran out of money. After donations were invited through PayPal
, the fourth and fifth episodes were almost solely financed by donations.
) recapping the previous events in the story in the form of a video blog. Usually it gives the audience a recap of the previous episode and shares Codex's feelings on the subject. The video blogs appear to be outside the timeline, as she is usually wearing an outfit (typically her pajamas) different from that in the episode itself, though some blogs take place in time line with other character or situations interrupting Codex.
, and became a stalker living in the same apartment.
On the in-game side, trouble also arises when Bladezz is banned from the game for using a macro (to spam expletives "a few thousand times") in the trade house. Codex uses this as an excuse to have the guild help her with her Zaboo problem. The guild (sans Bladezz) reluctantly meets up in person — for the first time — at Cheesybeards, a local restaurant, only to find out that Vork had transferred all of their in-game valuables to Bladezz's account as part of a team building
strategy. If they decided to kick out Bladezz, they would lose everything.
Things get worse when Bladezz begins to slander the Knights of Good by showing inappropriate videos of the members' characters, and Codex is no closer to getting Zaboo to go home. Then, Zaboo's home comes to him in the form of his overbearing mother. Zaboo confesses that his mother controls every aspect of his life besides the Internet, which she is beginning to read about. He saw this as his only escape.
Codex comes up with a plan to bring Bladezz down, using Zaboo's stalking skills. Zaboo finds out about Bladezz's modeling career and blackmails him into giving the gold and equipment back to the Guild. The Guild then fights off Zaboo's mom, and Bladezz redeems himself by landing the final blow. Codex soon realizes that she got Zaboo's mother's loot... Zaboo!
. Codex focuses on trying to get Wade interested in her.
The Guild finds an a valuable in-game orb which Clara and Tink fight over. Just as Vork lets it go up for bid, Clara's children unplug her computer and Tink wins it. Clara vows revenge on Vork for giving it to Tink, and spends an entire weekend betraying Vork by corpse camping him on an alternate account as well as searching for her own orb.
Bladezz believes Tink is romantically interested in him and begins to max out his mother's credit cards to buy her stuff, when, in fact, Tink is using him to get what she wants. Vork is annoyed with Zaboo's lack of logic and his antics in trying to 'man-up' for Codex. Codex finds out that the stunt-man has a "stupid tall hot girlfriend," Riley.
The Game announces that the online play will be shut down for maintenance for 4 hours, during which Vork plans a strategy lecture for Zaboo and Bladezz, while Codex plans a quiet party with Clara and Tink. Bladezz coerces Vork to abandon the lecture in favor of a poker game (offline), hoping to make up some of what he spent on Tink. Clara advertises Codex's party and it becomes a crowded kegger.
Among Clara's random invitees, Wade and Riley (Michele Boyd
) come to the party. After finding out that Riley is Wade's roommate and Wade is single, Tink and Clara try to hook Codex up with him. Zaboo, learning of this, persuades Vork and Bladezz to go to Codex's party to try to stop it. Vork discovers that Clara has been attacking him, and begins to question his quality of leadership. Bladezz confronts Tink about their relationship; upon learning that he has been used, Bladezz steals Tink's laptop and deletes her character. Meanwhile, Zaboo walks in on Wade and Codex kissing and challenges Wade to a fight. Wade is a much better fighter, but Zaboo's seriousness about Codex leads to Wade giving up his interest in her. Codex yells at Zaboo that she doesn't like him, and he leaves dejected. Then Codex sees a drunken Clara kissing with Wade, and decides to chase after Zaboo to apologize, but is hurt when she sees him making out with Riley.
for the game, Spires of Dragonor. The Knights of Good are first in line at GameStop
until a rival guild, the Axis of Anarchy, cuts in front of them. After the Axis tricks a GameStop worker into sending the Knights to the back of line, Vork, still not over the events of the party, resigns as Guild Leader. Codex is elected as his successor, causing Tink to leave the Knights and join the Axis.
Most of the Knights are too busy with life to explore the expansion pack. Vork goes on a self discovery journey, Zaboo is preoccupied by his domineering girlfriend, Riley, Clara's husband finds photos of her kissing Wade, and Bladezz's sister keeps bothering him. The expansion also requires at least six members in a party, and without Tink they have only five.
Clara's husband demands that she spend more time with him, so Clara proposes that her husband take Tink's place, after auditions for a sixth member fail. Riley offers to join, but Codex chooses Clara's husband instead, adding "Mr Wiggly" to the guild. Riley then forces Zaboo to choose between her and the game. Bladezz begins to be targeted by Tink and the Axis of Anarchy, who expose his modeling alias to his school and plant weapons in his locker; later, a member of the Anarchists seduces his mom. Codex issues a message on the game's public forum to stand up against the Axis for the behavior, and in retaliation the Axis puts a bounty on the Guild. Mr. Wiggly unknowingly gives away information about the Guild to other gamers in exchange for loot, which leads to his expulsion from the Guild; with this he tells Clara to quit the game, which she does to save her marriage.
To end the Axis's harassment of Bladezz, Codex and Zaboo track down the Anarchist Valkyrie at his job, where is he playing the game on company time. After they take away some of his character's possessions and threaten to expose him, Valkyrie tells them where and when the next Axis of Anarchy meeting will take place. Vork returns after regaining his confidence to lead and, with Codex, reassembles the Guild to challenge the Axis at the Internet café
where they planned to have a group raid. The battle begins, but both sides lose members quickly. Some of the Knights die in-game when their real life problems manifest: Clara's husband shows up, angry that she is playing the game; Riley destroys Zaboo's computer because he forgot to give her a massage. Clara tells her husband that they are going to have another child and he forgets about their argument. Zaboo breaks up with Riley, who then proceeds to make out with Venom.
Finally, only Codex is left to face off Tink and Axis leader Fawkes (Wil Wheaton
). After Codex makes Bladezz apologize to Tink, Tink decides that the Axis members are even bigger jerks than she can stand and lets Codex kill her in-game. Codex, in a hallucinatory conversation with her game character, musters the courage to defeat Fawkes. The Knights welcome Tink back into the guild, and Bladezz makes tentative peace with the Axis member who seduced his mother. Fawkes invites Codex for drinks; she initially refuses but, in a twist ending, wakes up in bed with him the next morning.
) causes Codex to stress over what the guild thinks of her and persuades him to cover for her in a pretend relationship. But after spending more time together, Codex realizes he is a "total tool-bag" and reevaluates her criteria for relationships with men. Her computer breaks and she is forced to get a job at Cheesybeards to pay for repairs but has no idea how to fulfill the expectations of her boss, Ollie (Frank Ashmore
).
Zaboo tries to be a good friend to Codex during her fake relationship with Fawkes instead of trying to win her love. He dives into this new pursuit with his usual smothering intensity. When the truth of the relationship is revealed he realizes that his feelings for Codex have changed and he wants to be her friend.
An earnings competition for a new guild hall sparks a real life business for Tink and Clara that strengthens and strains their friendship.
Vork enlists Zaboo's mother, Avinashi (Viji Nathan), for her "brilliant economic mind" in his pursuit of his vision for the guild's hall and he sets up a stock market and loan company that is bankrupting players. However, her smothering tendencies enrage him to the point that he "make[s] a giant gesture that's really inappropriate" and proposes marriage in an attempt to repulse her. To his horror she accepts.
Codex and Bladezz film an online Cheesybeards commercial but the result is so horrible that it spawns a series of prank calls to the establishment. Ollie is furious and fires Codex. The guild helps Codex get her job back by organizing a celebration at Cheesybeards that attracts a large population of gamers. Bladezz attempts to perform a magic trick involving fire, which ends up torching the restaurant (costing Codex and Bladezz their jobs).
Zaboo begs Codex to intercede in the upcoming nuptials between his mother and Vork. And when Zaboo reveals he has used the money from auctioning a romantic painting of Codex and Fawkes he had commissioned to buy her a new computer she is touched by the gesture and resolves to break up the wedding.
Avinashi and Vork are about to speak their vows to each other, at a virtual wedding ceremony in the newly purchased prison-like Knights of Good guild hall, when all of the guild members object. Codex manages to convince Zaboo's mother that it is wrong to marry "someone [she] can't stand in order to be close to someone who doesn't want to be near [her]". Zaboo helps by suggesting that she visit every few weeks when she gets lonely, causing Codex to realize that he possesses all the qualities on her new litmus test, and consider a relationship with him.
The season wraps up with an official gamemaster crashing the ceremony to put an end to Vork's "Trogothian Stock Market" scheme. Codex convinces the GM, Kevinator (Simon Helberg
), to change the design of the guild hall to the "bitchin' fairy palace" that Tink and Clara wanted. Kevinator is impressed to meet Bladezz, who has become an internet celebrity, and invites the whole guild to a gaming convention.
On the first day of the convention, Bladezz and Vork discover that Kevinator had been fired from The Game before the day of the convention and Bladezz was one of his joke invites. To compensate for hotel fees, both of them start up a photo booth for the Cheeseybeard's pirate. Tink attempts to sell the t-shirts she and Clara made, but is forced to find a booth to avoid from being caught by the convention staff for selling without a permit. When she and Clara come upon a steampunk
-themed booth, Clara is more interested in it than selling the shirts. Zaboo is denied entry to a panel because the seats are full, causing him to form a seat-saving network.
Codex tries out the new demo at The Game's booth, but unknowingly insults the creator, Floyd Petrovski, when he asks for her opinion. She becomes even more preoccupied when Zaboo spurns her advances, and is continuously stalked by a convention-goer in a furry costume. When she follows Petrovski to apologize, she discovers that he plans to sell The Game into a mainstream market. Concerned about the future of the game, which is the only thing in her life holding her friendships together, she tries to convince the rest of the guild to help, but all are concerned with their own matters.
Codex attempts to talk Petrovski out of the deal, but he is too stressed and urges her to face reality. Tink, who continuously changes costumes to hide her identity, unexpectedly reveals to Codex at a party, that she is hiding from her adoptive family. Her family still believes that she is studying pre-med when, in fact, she had changed her major into fashion design five semesters ago. Codex arranges a dinner with her family to explain the truth to them against Tink's will, and to Tink's surprise, her family is fine with the change. Meanwhile, Clara tries to join the steampunk group and is trained as their fourth member to help them win the costume contest, but the members of the group ultimately turn her away. Zaboo, who has not slept for two days, has become so preoccupied with his seat-saving network that he allows his companions, two Master Chiefs, to beat up celebrities. He is stopped by Clara, who brings back his old personality and urges him to go to sleep.
Bladezz and Vork's booth becomes successful, but Vork rejects all of the celebrities who want to spend time with Bladezz. His attention, however, is turned towards Madeleine, an actress who played his favorite character, Charity, on the show Time Rings. The two are invited to a celebrity party that night, but Bladezz realizes that all the celebrities lead normal lives, instantly finding them boring. Despite that he had promised to spend time with Rachel and her friends at the same time, he still rejects them for the celebrities and openly humiliates them. Vork, on the other hand, ends up repulsing Madeleine to the point where she loses interest in him too.
The next day, Bladezz has lost all support from the celebrities and his fans, so he is unable to continue the Cheeseybeard pirate's photo booth. Zaboo ends his involvement with the seat-saving network and helps Clara build a steampunk-themed blimp. Codex and Tink discover that Codex's stalker is Fawkes, who wants to join their guild after the Axis of Anarchy broke up, whom Codex instantly rejects. The girls later eavesdrop on Petrovski's conversation and discover he plans on revealing his decision at the costume contest that night. Both of them convince the rest of the guild to help them with the possibility that extra charges may be applied to future versions of the game. The guild is able to stop the changes and it is implied that Floyd Petrovski has given Codex a job.
as of September 2011. The series has won several awards since its launch, and in February 2009, Rolling Stone
named it one of "The Net's Best Serial Shows". The Guild has inspired many fan efforts, including the tribute song "I Wanna Be in Your Guild".
limited series
based on the show was released from Dark Horse Comics
. It acts as a prequel to the show, and was written by Felicia Day
and illustrated by Jim Rugg
. The second issue was released on April 23, 2010, and the third and final issue was released on May 26, 2010. The collected volume was released on November 24, 2010.
A second five-issue series will be released in 2011. Each issue will focus on a single character (Vork, Zaboo, Clara, Tinkerballa and Bladezz) and be illustrated by a different artist.
, the cast appear as their game characters. The song and video were released shortly before the start of Season 3 and were used to promote the show. Game On is a Bollywood
-themed video about Zaboo trying to convince Codex to play the game. This second video was used in a similar fashion and promoted Season 4.
brought enough donations to fund "Cheesybeards" and "Rather Be Raiding". The first season ended on May 15, 2008, consisting of 10 episodes and two specials (including the Christmas special, "Christmas Raid Carol").
The Guild season 1 DVD was released on Amazon.com
on May 19, 2009. For Canadian audiences it was bundled with season 2, released on September 29, 2009, also available on Amazon.com.
, as well as visual effects by Doug Luberts.
On November 24, 2008, Microsoft
announced an exclusive distribution deal with Guild creator Felicia Day. All twelve episodes of season 2 premiered on Xbox 360
, Zune
, and MSN
, with a four-week delay for release on The Guilds official website. The Microsoft releases will be free, but supported by Sprint
advertisements and product placements.
Creator Felicia Day retains the IP rights to the series, with Microsoft paying an "unspecified" license fee upfront. Sometime in late February 2009, when all episodes of season two had been released, Day and her team were free to sign a new nonexclusive distribution deal should they choose to do so.
The Guild season 2 DVD was released on Amazon.com on May 19, 2009, containing commentary tracks, gag reels, audition footage, and a "behind the scenes" documentary. It was also released for the Canadian audience along with season 1 on Amazon.com.
Season 2 was nominated for eleven Streamy Awards
and won three: Best Comedy Web Series, Best Ensemble Cast in a Web Series, and Best Female Actor in a Comedy Web Series (Felicia Day).
" by Felicia Day
– was released on Xbox Live
to promote season 3, which would premiere on August 25, 2009 on Xbox Live for members with Gold Accounts first. Later it was announced that it would be released for members with Silver Accounts, as well as Zune
and MSN
Video users, on September 1, 2009. The season premiered with "Expansion Time" on August 25, 2009 and ended on November 24, 2009 with "Hero". The season featured guest star Wil Wheaton
as the leader of a rival guild out to destroy the Knights of Good.
d music video by The Gregory Brothers
—was posted on Bing; the video included a message that season 4 would begin on July 13, 2010.
On July 27, 2010, a second music video, called "Game On", was posted to promote season 4. On September 14, 2010, another promotional video was posted of the Cheesybeard's full commercial.
In-universe websites
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
web series
Web series
A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...
created and written by Felicia Day
Felicia Day
Kathryn Felicia Day is an American actress, known for her work as "Vi" on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and for parts in movies such as Bring It On Again and June, as well as the Internet musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog...
, who also stars as Cyd Sherman (aka Codex). It premiered on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on July 27, 2007. Subsequent webisode
Webisode
A webisode is a short episode which airs initially as Internet television, either download or stream as opposed to first airing on broadcast or cable television. The format can be used as a preview, a promotion, as part of a collection of shorts, or a commercial.A webisode can be an episode...
s premiered on Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
, Zune Marketplace, and MSN Video
MSN Video
MSN Video is an Australian video streaming service from ninemsn as well as a United Kingdom internet television service from MSN. It was rebranded on March 11, 2010....
. The webisodes were later made available on the official Guild website, YouTube, and iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. The webisodes are also available via DVD and on Netflix and Hulu.
The show revolves around the lives of an online guild
Clan (computer gaming)
In computer and video gaming, a clan or guild is an organised group of players that regularly play together in a particular multiplayer games. These games range from groups of a few friends to 1000-person organizations, with a broad range of structures, goals and members. The lifespan of a clan...
, The Knights of Good, who play countless hours of an MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
video game, aptly named "The Game". The story focuses on Codex, the guild's Priestess
Healer (gaming)
A healer is a type of character class in video gaming. When a game includes a health game mechanic and multiple classes, often one of the classes will be designed around the restoration of allies' health, known as healing, in order to delay or prevent their defeat. Such a class can be referred to...
, who attempts to lead a normal life after one of her guild-mates, Warlock
Summoner
Summoner Early 2000s English Rock/Metal Band.Summoner usually refers to one who performs supernatural conjuration.Summoner or The Summoner may also refer to:...
Zaboo (Sandeep Parikh
Sandeep Parikh
Sandeep Parikh is an American writer, director, actor and producer of comedy currently residing in Silver Lake in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his co-starring role as Zaboo on the award-winning web series The Guild...
), shows up on her doorstep.
Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
credits The Guild as one of the inspirations for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 2008 musical tragicomedy miniseries in three acts, produced exclusively for Internet distribution. Filmed and set in Los Angeles, the show tells the story of Dr...
, which also starred Felicia Day.
The series has been renewed for a fifth season and will continue to premiere through Microsoft's services.
History
The Guild was inspired and written by Felicia Day, an avid gamerGamer
Historically, the term "gamer" usually referred to someone who played role-playing games and wargames. Since they became very popular, the term has included players of video games...
, in between acting roles in several American television shows and movies. After two years of video game addiction, Day decided to make something productive from her experiences and wrote the series as a sitcom television pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
. The series was purposely kept generic to avoid copyright problems and to appeal to a wider audience of massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
) fans. Day also hoped to show that the stereotypical man living in his parents' basement is not the only kind of gamer. Believing the niche setting wouldn't appeal to television marketers, she decided to produce the series online with Jane Selle Morgan and Kim Evey. Day already knew Sandeep Parikh and Jeff Lewis from Empty Stage
Empty Stage Comedy Theatre
The Empty Stage Comedy Theatre is a sketch comedy and improvisational theatre located in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. The Empty Stage was started and is currently owned by Stan Wells....
, a Los Angeles-based comedy theatre, and their roles were written for them. The rest of the cast was filled through audition
Audition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...
s. After filming the first three episodes in two and a half days, they ran out of money. After donations were invited through PayPal
PayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
, the fourth and fifth episodes were almost solely financed by donations.
Format
Each episode opens with Codex (Felicia DayFelicia Day
Kathryn Felicia Day is an American actress, known for her work as "Vi" on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and for parts in movies such as Bring It On Again and June, as well as the Internet musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog...
) recapping the previous events in the story in the form of a video blog. Usually it gives the audience a recap of the previous episode and shares Codex's feelings on the subject. The video blogs appear to be outside the timeline, as she is usually wearing an outfit (typically her pajamas) different from that in the episode itself, though some blogs take place in time line with other character or situations interrupting Codex.
Season 1 (2007–2008)
Cyd Sherman struggles to limit her time online, where she games as her alter ego Codex, a member of the Knights of Good. After the guild realize that Zaboo has been offline for 39 hours, he appears on Codex's door step. Zaboo misunderstood Codex's in-game chats as flirtingFlirting
Flirting is a playful, romantic, or sexual overture by one person to another subtly indicating an interest in a deeper relationship with the other person, and can involve verbal communication as well as body language...
, and became a stalker living in the same apartment.
On the in-game side, trouble also arises when Bladezz is banned from the game for using a macro (to spam expletives "a few thousand times") in the trade house. Codex uses this as an excuse to have the guild help her with her Zaboo problem. The guild (sans Bladezz) reluctantly meets up in person — for the first time — at Cheesybeards, a local restaurant, only to find out that Vork had transferred all of their in-game valuables to Bladezz's account as part of a team building
Team building
Team building refers to a wide range of activities, presented to businesses, schools, sports teams, religious or nonprofit organizations designed for improving team performance...
strategy. If they decided to kick out Bladezz, they would lose everything.
Things get worse when Bladezz begins to slander the Knights of Good by showing inappropriate videos of the members' characters, and Codex is no closer to getting Zaboo to go home. Then, Zaboo's home comes to him in the form of his overbearing mother. Zaboo confesses that his mother controls every aspect of his life besides the Internet, which she is beginning to read about. He saw this as his only escape.
Codex comes up with a plan to bring Bladezz down, using Zaboo's stalking skills. Zaboo finds out about Bladezz's modeling career and blackmails him into giving the gold and equipment back to the Guild. The Guild then fights off Zaboo's mom, and Bladezz redeems himself by landing the final blow. Codex soon realizes that she got Zaboo's mother's loot... Zaboo!
Season 2 (2008–2009)
Zaboo's mother takes revenge for losing Zaboo, by having Codex evicted. Codex and Zaboo move into a new apartment, where Codex meets a new love interest: Wade (Fernando Chien), a stunt man. Codex tries to get Zaboo to move out by telling him that he needs to level up before they can be together. She arranges for him to live with Vork, who will take in-game gold as rent, something Zaboo is really good at: farmingGold farming
Gold farming is playing a massively multiplayer online game to acquire in-game currency which is then sold to other players. People in China and in other developing nations have held full-time employment as gold farmers....
. Codex focuses on trying to get Wade interested in her.
The Guild finds an a valuable in-game orb which Clara and Tink fight over. Just as Vork lets it go up for bid, Clara's children unplug her computer and Tink wins it. Clara vows revenge on Vork for giving it to Tink, and spends an entire weekend betraying Vork by corpse camping him on an alternate account as well as searching for her own orb.
Bladezz believes Tink is romantically interested in him and begins to max out his mother's credit cards to buy her stuff, when, in fact, Tink is using him to get what she wants. Vork is annoyed with Zaboo's lack of logic and his antics in trying to 'man-up' for Codex. Codex finds out that the stunt-man has a "stupid tall hot girlfriend," Riley.
The Game announces that the online play will be shut down for maintenance for 4 hours, during which Vork plans a strategy lecture for Zaboo and Bladezz, while Codex plans a quiet party with Clara and Tink. Bladezz coerces Vork to abandon the lecture in favor of a poker game (offline), hoping to make up some of what he spent on Tink. Clara advertises Codex's party and it becomes a crowded kegger.
Among Clara's random invitees, Wade and Riley (Michele Boyd
Michele Boyd
Michele Catherine Boyd is an American actress best known for her recurring work as Riley on the web-series The Guild.-Personal background:...
) come to the party. After finding out that Riley is Wade's roommate and Wade is single, Tink and Clara try to hook Codex up with him. Zaboo, learning of this, persuades Vork and Bladezz to go to Codex's party to try to stop it. Vork discovers that Clara has been attacking him, and begins to question his quality of leadership. Bladezz confronts Tink about their relationship; upon learning that he has been used, Bladezz steals Tink's laptop and deletes her character. Meanwhile, Zaboo walks in on Wade and Codex kissing and challenges Wade to a fight. Wade is a much better fighter, but Zaboo's seriousness about Codex leads to Wade giving up his interest in her. Codex yells at Zaboo that she doesn't like him, and he leaves dejected. Then Codex sees a drunken Clara kissing with Wade, and decides to chase after Zaboo to apologize, but is hurt when she sees him making out with Riley.
Season 3 (2009)
Codex was able to recover from the disastrous party by the announcement of the new expansion packExpansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
for the game, Spires of Dragonor. The Knights of Good are first in line at GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
until a rival guild, the Axis of Anarchy, cuts in front of them. After the Axis tricks a GameStop worker into sending the Knights to the back of line, Vork, still not over the events of the party, resigns as Guild Leader. Codex is elected as his successor, causing Tink to leave the Knights and join the Axis.
Most of the Knights are too busy with life to explore the expansion pack. Vork goes on a self discovery journey, Zaboo is preoccupied by his domineering girlfriend, Riley, Clara's husband finds photos of her kissing Wade, and Bladezz's sister keeps bothering him. The expansion also requires at least six members in a party, and without Tink they have only five.
Clara's husband demands that she spend more time with him, so Clara proposes that her husband take Tink's place, after auditions for a sixth member fail. Riley offers to join, but Codex chooses Clara's husband instead, adding "Mr Wiggly" to the guild. Riley then forces Zaboo to choose between her and the game. Bladezz begins to be targeted by Tink and the Axis of Anarchy, who expose his modeling alias to his school and plant weapons in his locker; later, a member of the Anarchists seduces his mom. Codex issues a message on the game's public forum to stand up against the Axis for the behavior, and in retaliation the Axis puts a bounty on the Guild. Mr. Wiggly unknowingly gives away information about the Guild to other gamers in exchange for loot, which leads to his expulsion from the Guild; with this he tells Clara to quit the game, which she does to save her marriage.
To end the Axis's harassment of Bladezz, Codex and Zaboo track down the Anarchist Valkyrie at his job, where is he playing the game on company time. After they take away some of his character's possessions and threaten to expose him, Valkyrie tells them where and when the next Axis of Anarchy meeting will take place. Vork returns after regaining his confidence to lead and, with Codex, reassembles the Guild to challenge the Axis at the Internet café
Internet cafe
An Internet café or cybercafé is a place which provides internet access to the public, usually for a fee. These businesses usually provide snacks and drinks, hence the café in the name...
where they planned to have a group raid. The battle begins, but both sides lose members quickly. Some of the Knights die in-game when their real life problems manifest: Clara's husband shows up, angry that she is playing the game; Riley destroys Zaboo's computer because he forgot to give her a massage. Clara tells her husband that they are going to have another child and he forgets about their argument. Zaboo breaks up with Riley, who then proceeds to make out with Venom.
Finally, only Codex is left to face off Tink and Axis leader Fawkes (Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton
Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
). After Codex makes Bladezz apologize to Tink, Tink decides that the Axis members are even bigger jerks than she can stand and lets Codex kill her in-game. Codex, in a hallucinatory conversation with her game character, musters the courage to defeat Fawkes. The Knights welcome Tink back into the guild, and Bladezz makes tentative peace with the Axis member who seduced his mother. Fawkes invites Codex for drinks; she initially refuses but, in a twist ending, wakes up in bed with him the next morning.
Season 4 (2010)
An unexpected and unintentional one-night-stand with Fawkes (Wil WheatonWil Wheaton
Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
) causes Codex to stress over what the guild thinks of her and persuades him to cover for her in a pretend relationship. But after spending more time together, Codex realizes he is a "total tool-bag" and reevaluates her criteria for relationships with men. Her computer breaks and she is forced to get a job at Cheesybeards to pay for repairs but has no idea how to fulfill the expectations of her boss, Ollie (Frank Ashmore
Frank Ashmore
Frank Ashmore is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as "Martin" in the 1983 NBC miniseries V and its 1984 sequel V: The Final Battle. He reprised his role in the pilot episode of V: The Series but was killed off by the end of the episode...
).
Zaboo tries to be a good friend to Codex during her fake relationship with Fawkes instead of trying to win her love. He dives into this new pursuit with his usual smothering intensity. When the truth of the relationship is revealed he realizes that his feelings for Codex have changed and he wants to be her friend.
An earnings competition for a new guild hall sparks a real life business for Tink and Clara that strengthens and strains their friendship.
Vork enlists Zaboo's mother, Avinashi (Viji Nathan), for her "brilliant economic mind" in his pursuit of his vision for the guild's hall and he sets up a stock market and loan company that is bankrupting players. However, her smothering tendencies enrage him to the point that he "make[s] a giant gesture that's really inappropriate" and proposes marriage in an attempt to repulse her. To his horror she accepts.
Codex and Bladezz film an online Cheesybeards commercial but the result is so horrible that it spawns a series of prank calls to the establishment. Ollie is furious and fires Codex. The guild helps Codex get her job back by organizing a celebration at Cheesybeards that attracts a large population of gamers. Bladezz attempts to perform a magic trick involving fire, which ends up torching the restaurant (costing Codex and Bladezz their jobs).
Zaboo begs Codex to intercede in the upcoming nuptials between his mother and Vork. And when Zaboo reveals he has used the money from auctioning a romantic painting of Codex and Fawkes he had commissioned to buy her a new computer she is touched by the gesture and resolves to break up the wedding.
Avinashi and Vork are about to speak their vows to each other, at a virtual wedding ceremony in the newly purchased prison-like Knights of Good guild hall, when all of the guild members object. Codex manages to convince Zaboo's mother that it is wrong to marry "someone [she] can't stand in order to be close to someone who doesn't want to be near [her]". Zaboo helps by suggesting that she visit every few weeks when she gets lonely, causing Codex to realize that he possesses all the qualities on her new litmus test, and consider a relationship with him.
The season wraps up with an official gamemaster crashing the ceremony to put an end to Vork's "Trogothian Stock Market" scheme. Codex convinces the GM, Kevinator (Simon Helberg
Simon Helberg
Simon Maxwell Helberg is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Howard Wolowitz in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. In its fourth season, he also appeared on the sketch comedy series MADtv for five episodes...
), to change the design of the guild hall to the "bitchin' fairy palace" that Tink and Clara wanted. Kevinator is impressed to meet Bladezz, who has become an internet celebrity, and invites the whole guild to a gaming convention.
Season 5 (2011)
The Knights of Good travel to MegaGameORama-Con, a three-day gaming convention. Bladezz is convinced by Kevinator that he is invited as a special guest, but his name is not on the invite list. With all nearby hotels booked and no board offered for them, Rachel, a member of the convention staff, manages to secure a room from a special guest who cancelled at the last minute. However, the room is not offered to them for free, and Bladezz convinces the rest of the guild that he will clarify the situation to Kevinator. Meanwhile, Codex is more interested in getting close to Zaboo. However, Zaboo becomes engrossed in attending the events and panels.On the first day of the convention, Bladezz and Vork discover that Kevinator had been fired from The Game before the day of the convention and Bladezz was one of his joke invites. To compensate for hotel fees, both of them start up a photo booth for the Cheeseybeard's pirate. Tink attempts to sell the t-shirts she and Clara made, but is forced to find a booth to avoid from being caught by the convention staff for selling without a permit. When she and Clara come upon a steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
-themed booth, Clara is more interested in it than selling the shirts. Zaboo is denied entry to a panel because the seats are full, causing him to form a seat-saving network.
Codex tries out the new demo at The Game's booth, but unknowingly insults the creator, Floyd Petrovski, when he asks for her opinion. She becomes even more preoccupied when Zaboo spurns her advances, and is continuously stalked by a convention-goer in a furry costume. When she follows Petrovski to apologize, she discovers that he plans to sell The Game into a mainstream market. Concerned about the future of the game, which is the only thing in her life holding her friendships together, she tries to convince the rest of the guild to help, but all are concerned with their own matters.
Codex attempts to talk Petrovski out of the deal, but he is too stressed and urges her to face reality. Tink, who continuously changes costumes to hide her identity, unexpectedly reveals to Codex at a party, that she is hiding from her adoptive family. Her family still believes that she is studying pre-med when, in fact, she had changed her major into fashion design five semesters ago. Codex arranges a dinner with her family to explain the truth to them against Tink's will, and to Tink's surprise, her family is fine with the change. Meanwhile, Clara tries to join the steampunk group and is trained as their fourth member to help them win the costume contest, but the members of the group ultimately turn her away. Zaboo, who has not slept for two days, has become so preoccupied with his seat-saving network that he allows his companions, two Master Chiefs, to beat up celebrities. He is stopped by Clara, who brings back his old personality and urges him to go to sleep.
Bladezz and Vork's booth becomes successful, but Vork rejects all of the celebrities who want to spend time with Bladezz. His attention, however, is turned towards Madeleine, an actress who played his favorite character, Charity, on the show Time Rings. The two are invited to a celebrity party that night, but Bladezz realizes that all the celebrities lead normal lives, instantly finding them boring. Despite that he had promised to spend time with Rachel and her friends at the same time, he still rejects them for the celebrities and openly humiliates them. Vork, on the other hand, ends up repulsing Madeleine to the point where she loses interest in him too.
The next day, Bladezz has lost all support from the celebrities and his fans, so he is unable to continue the Cheeseybeard pirate's photo booth. Zaboo ends his involvement with the seat-saving network and helps Clara build a steampunk-themed blimp. Codex and Tink discover that Codex's stalker is Fawkes, who wants to join their guild after the Axis of Anarchy broke up, whom Codex instantly rejects. The girls later eavesdrop on Petrovski's conversation and discover he plans on revealing his decision at the costume contest that night. Both of them convince the rest of the guild to help them with the possibility that extra charges may be applied to future versions of the game. The guild is able to stop the changes and it is implied that Floyd Petrovski has given Codex a job.
Knights of Good
- Codex (real name Cyd Sherman) is the PriestHealer (gaming)A healer is a type of character class in video gaming. When a game includes a health game mechanic and multiple classes, often one of the classes will be designed around the restoration of allies' health, known as healing, in order to delay or prevent their defeat. Such a class can be referred to...
. Codex is shy and non-confrontational, tending to panic under stress. Outside the game she is a concert violinist (and former child prodigyChild prodigyA child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
), unemployed after setting fire to her boyfriend's cello. She is an addicted gamer who tries at first to control the time she spends online, but fails. For this reason, her therapist drops her. At the beginning of the series she is quite reclusive with no real-life friends; she is often self-conscious and awkward around men. Codex is portrayed by creator Felicia DayFelicia DayKathryn Felicia Day is an American actress, known for her work as "Vi" on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and for parts in movies such as Bring It On Again and June, as well as the Internet musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog...
. - Zaboo (real name Sujan Balakrishnan Goldberg) is the Warlock. Zaboo describes himself as a "HinJew", having a HinduHinduHindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
mother and Jewish father. He shows great skill with computers; for example, his stalkingStalkingStalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
of Codex included obtaining (presumably through the Internet) the floor planFloor planIn architecture and building engineering, a floor plan, or floorplan, is a diagram, usually to scale, showing a view from above of the relationships between rooms, spaces and other physical features at one level of a structure....
of her apartment and all her past residences. His obsessive attitude toward Codex reflects his mother's smothering. When talking, Zaboo often uses "-'d" after some key word or expression, self-commenting on what he just said (e.g. bladder'd, testosterone'd). While Zaboo doesn't appear to have a profession, he admits having attended college for four years (to which his mother drove him every day). Zaboo is portrayed by Sandeep ParikhSandeep ParikhSandeep Parikh is an American writer, director, actor and producer of comedy currently residing in Silver Lake in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his co-starring role as Zaboo on the award-winning web series The Guild...
, Indian-American writer, director, actor and producer of comedy and founder of www.effinfunny.com. - Vork (real name Herman Holden) is the guild leader and WarriorWarrior (character class)Warrior is a character class found in many role-playing games. This class may also be referred to as Fighter, as in Dungeons & Dragons. The class is sometimes also referred to as a Knight, although in some games this is a separate class with a more chivalric aspect...
. He enjoys managing the guild and budgeting, and believes only in rules and logic. He lives frugally (and illegally) on his late grandfather's Social SecuritySocial Security (United States)In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
checks and is a certified Notary PublicNotary publicA notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
. When he became Guild Leader he "cut the fats of life" including electric power; he steals his senile neighbor's wifi (and shed), and keeps his food cold by buying ice with food stamps. In the penultimate episode of season 3 he reveals that he can speak fluent KoreanKorean languageKorean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
; in season 4, he speaks Hindi to Zaboo's mother and claims to know all languages. Vork comes to believe that shared hatred of him is what keeps the guild together. In Season 4, his desire to own a guild hall leads him to manipulating an in-game exchange market, nearly causing him to be banned from the game. Vork is portrayed by Jeff LewisJeff Lewis (actor)Jeff Lewis is an American actor and screenwriter, best known as Herman "Vork" Holden on the webseries The Guild. He is an alumnus of ACME Comedy Theatre and a graduate of The Groundlings and The Second City He also portrays "Handsome Man" on the comedy web series "" starring William Russ.Jeff Lewis...
, an accomplished character actor and comedian. - Bladezz (real name Simon) is the RogueThief (character class)The Thief or Rogue is a character class in many role-playing games, including Dungeons & Dragons, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft and many MMORPGs. Thieves are usually stealthy and dextrous characters able to disarm traps, pick locks, and perform backstabs from hiding...
. He is a high school student who spends most of his time outside of school in his basement playing the Game. He is rude to the other male guild members, and hits on the female guild members, and makes lewd sexual jokes and comments. He is worried about being sent to military school, and to save up for college his mom forced him into modelingModel (person)A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
; he uses the name "Finn Smulders" to keep it a secret from everyone. Bladezz is by nature a Rogue, and tends to sneak around, betraying, lying, stealing and causing mayhem. Bladezz is portrayed by Vincent CasoVincent CasoVincent "Vince" Caso is an American actor and entrepreneur best known for his co-starring role as Bladezz on the critically acclaimed web series The Guild.- Background :...
. - Clara (real name Clara Beane) is the Mage. Clara is a stay-at-home wife and mother, college partier, and ex-cheerleader. Her three children are all young, with the youngest still breastfeedingBreastfeedingBreastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...
, and she is shown to be an irresponsible mother; though proud of her children, she tends to put gaming before her family, and sometimes tries to mix the two, such as by recruiting her husband "Mr. Wiggly" to the guild. She uses her real name as her avatar name because her kids saw her old name, "Mom-inatrixDominatrixDominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
". She comes off as ditsy, scatter brained, and eccentric with occasional bursts of insight. In the Fifth season she proves herself to be a capable mother when she stops Zaboo from going mad with power and lack of sleep. Clara is portrayed by Robin ThorsenRobin ThorsenRobin Thorsen is an American actress best known for her role as Clara on the popular web series The Guild and as one of the longest running "Movie Mob" participants on the ReelzChannel show Movie Mob.- Background :...
. - Tinkerballa (real name April Lou) is the RangerRanger (character class)A Ranger is a type of warrior appearing in fantasy fiction and role-playing games....
. Tink distances herself from the guild, trying not to let them know anything about her personal life. In reality, Tink is adopted and has two sisters. She also has been lying to her parents about being a pre-med student, when she has actually switched courses for a degree in costume design. She is shown to have a huge video game addiction, always having an alternate game in hand when not playing the guild's game, even when raiding. She is cold and manipulativePsychological manipulationPsychological manipulation is a type of social influence that aims to change the perception or behavior of others through underhanded, deceptive, or even abusive tactics. By advancing the interests of the manipulator, often at the other's expense, such methods could be considered exploitative,...
, and uses men to get what she wants. When Vork resigns as leader and Tink is not elected his successor, she leaves the Knights of Good and joins the Axis of Anarchy, but later finds them too "douchey" even for her (she even says that she went on a date with Fawkes to join). Tink is revealed to be possibly the most social of the group although is incredibly grounded in the online world. In Season 5, Codex reunites Tink with her family at the gaming con. Tink is portrayed by Amy OkudaAmy OkudaAmy Okuda is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Tinkerballa in the web series The Guild.- Career :Okuda in her early years, focused on basketball, which she played from the age of five. She began dancing in the seventh grade and took up acting a few years later.She has appeared in...
.
Temporary members
- Mr. Wiggly (real name George Beane) is a Hunter. He is Clara's husband, nominated by Clara to replace Tink; Codex hastily accepts him in order to prevent Zaboo from recruiting Riley. He is clearly inexperienced in gaming, mentioning that the last game he played was PongPongPong is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. While other arcade video games such as Computer Space came before it, Pong was one of the first video games to reach mainstream popularity...
(which Bladezz was unfamiliar with). Mr. Wiggly wants to spend time with Clara, but is at his wits' end with her distraction and infidelity. George is shown to be a conventional man who has a sense of responsibility, helping Clara when she spontaneously starts a gamer company. Mr. Wiggly is played by Brett SheridanBrett SheridanBrett Charles Sheridan in Fremont, Nebraska is an American actor that has been in many national TV commercials and is currently best known for his role as George a.k.a "Mr. Wiggly" on the web series "The Guild".-Education:...
.
Axis of Anarchy
- Fawkes is the leader of the Axis of Anarchy. He always wears a black kiltKiltThe kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
and often wears a black "Axis of Anarchy" t-shirt. In person he speaks with a cool, calm, almost polite tone, though he is prone to angered outbursts when online. He seems to be quite educated as well, as he is constantly quoting philosophers, authors, or figures of history. He often demonstrates that he does not believe in following rules, unless it benefits him. Because of their top ranking, he expects constant perfection from his guild. He is also quite full of himself and manipulative, convincing people they are into him. During season four he has an on-off relationship with Codex, the future of which remains ambiguous at the season finale. He returns in Season 5, revealing that the Axis broke up (claiming no fault of his own). Fawkes is played by Wil WheatonWil WheatonRichard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
. - Venom is the only female in her guild, until Tink joins. She is a parapalegic and uses a wheelchair to move around, but seems to have no problem exploiting her handicap for personal gain. She has a violent attitude and seems to dislike her guildmates. On at least two occasions she threatens suicide to get her way, and, when her character is killed in-game, feels ecstacy at this vicarious death. She works as a substitute art teacher at Bladezz's high school. Played by Teal ShererTeal ShererTeal Sherer is an actress, best known for her portrayal of Venom in the web series The Guild. She was also a member of Full Radius Dance.-Early career:While in college, Teal performed in plays such as The House of Bernarda Alba and Antigone...
. - Bruiser is the guild's healer, and a corrupt police officerPolice officerA police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
. Bruiser is probably the largest, loudest, and most vulgar member of the Axis. He had sex with Bladezz's mother to torment Bladezz. Played by J. Teddy GarcesJ. Teddy GarcesJ. Teddy Garces is an American Film, Television and Stage actor , best known for his portrayal of Bruiser in the web series The Guild and Julian in Ted Sampon: Househusband. He was born Joseph Teddy Garces at St...
. - Kwan is a champion StarCraftStarCraftStarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The first game of the StarCraft series was released for Microsoft Windows on 31 March 1998. With more than 11 million copies sold worldwide as of February 2009, it is one of the best-selling...
player and earns millions playing in South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. He only speaks KoreanKorean languageKorean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, and has a female assistant named Nik (played by Toni Lee) who massages his hands and translates for him. He seems to be able to understand some English, and it's possible that Fawkes can understand some of what he says (as his translator does not translate what Kwan says into English). Played by Alexander Yi. - Valkyrie (alt-character Artemis) is the attempted joker of the guild, though his jokes seem to be funny only to himself. Based on dialogue with his off-screen boss, he works for some form of design or decorating firm - he claimed to be dealing with a client whose damaskDamaskDamask is a reversible figured fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin weave and the ground in weft-faced or sateen weave...
came in the wrong color. He also has web skills, claiming to be the one who created FinnSmulders.com. He also plays two girl characters because he claims to like looking at girls, although it is strongly implied he might be a closet homosexualClosetedCloseted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...
. Played by Mike Rose.
Other characters
- Zaboo's mother (Avinashi Goldberg) epitomizes the over-controlling mother. She had Zaboo microchippedMicrochip implant (animal)A microchip implant is an identifying integrated circuit placed under the skin of a dog, cat, horse, parrot or other animal. The chips are about the size of a large grain of rice and are based on a passive RFID technology....
to keep track of his movements, punches Codex for (in her belief) trying to take her son away from her, manipulates him through a series of probably false ailments, and gets Codex evicted for helping him break free of her. She returns in Season 4, attempting to develop a real relationship with her son and ends up assisting Vork in earning gold to purchase a deluxe guild hall. She does manage to reconcile with Zaboo. She is played by Viji Nathan. - Riley is Wade's roommate with benefits and temporarily dated Zaboo. Riley is an FPSFirst-person shooterFirst-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
gamer and is ranked in HaloHalo (series)Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
on Xbox LiveXbox LiveXbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
. Riley is very dominantBDSMBDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
and enjoys submissive underdogs like Zaboo, and later Codex. At first she was thrilled to meet Codex, another girl gamer, until after she learned that Codex was an MMORPGMassively multiplayer online role-playing gameMassively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
player, the two began a grudging rivalry. This parodies the normal relationship between MOGMultiplayer online gameA Multiplayer Online Game is a multiplayer video game which can be played via a game server over the internet, with other players around the world...
and MMORPG players. In the finale of Season 3, Riley straddles Venom and starts making out with her to get back at Zaboo for breaking up with her. Riley and Venom then start a relationship, which goes well into Season 4 Episode 10, where they're seen discussing Wench outfits. Riley is played by Team Unicorn member Michele BoydMichele BoydMichele Catherine Boyd is an American actress best known for her recurring work as Riley on the web-series The Guild.-Personal background:...
. - Dena is Bladezz' precocious little sister. She is first seen when she arrives at the table at Cheesybeards, just after Bladezz has informed the Guildies that he is in control of all the Guild gold and equipment, ruining his big exit. Dena often practices playing bass guitar in Bladezz' basement, to his annoyance, and reads Sun TzuSun TzuSun Wu , style name Changqing , better known as Sun Tzu or Sunzi , was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher who is traditionally believed, and who is most likely, to have authored The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy...
's The Art of WarThe Art of WarThe Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise that is attributed to Sun Tzu , a high ranking military general and strategist during the late Spring and Autumn period...
(along with building Civil War dioramas). In Season 4, she trained Bladezz in being an actor (calling him terrible). Dena is played by Tara Caso, the sister of Vincent CasoVincent CasoVincent "Vince" Caso is an American actor and entrepreneur best known for his co-starring role as Bladezz on the critically acclaimed web series The Guild.- Background :...
who plays Bladezz. - Wade Wei is Codex's attractive neighbor and brief love interest. Not a gamer himself, Wade works as a martial artsMartial artsMartial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
stunt double; on first meeting Codex, he bumps into her and falls down some stairs, practicing a new stunt. He's fond of showing off his moves and flirting with Codex, making her extremely nervous. Having a queasy stomach, Codex vomits on him upon seeing him in makeup from a zombie movie he is playing in. He harbors a revulsion for gamers, expressing his desire to punch them. Ironically, he describes Codex's gaming-derived knowledge of weaponry as "sexy," though it is worth noting that she does not explain how she knows so much about weapons when he makes the compliment. In episode 10 of season 2, it was revealed that he did motion captureMotion captureMotion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
stunt work for the Game. Wade is played by Fernando Chien. - Ollie is the manager of Cheesybeards. He runs his restaurant in a very casual style, allowing Bladezz to use a computer while working at the grill. He speaks entirely in pirate-slang and uses a hook on his left hand (which is hinted to be real). Ollie is responsible for Codex getting a job at the restaurant, after she says she can improve advertising and increase business (though Bladezz sabotages these efforts). Ollie is slightly at odds with Jeannete, who strongly disapproves of Bladezz's slacker work ethic. He first appeared in episode 3 of season 4 and is played by Frank AshmoreFrank AshmoreFrank Ashmore is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as "Martin" in the 1983 NBC miniseries V and its 1984 sequel V: The Final Battle. He reprised his role in the pilot episode of V: The Series but was killed off by the end of the episode...
. - Jeanette is Bladezz's superior at Cheesybeards. She is fed up with his horrible work ethic, but is at odds with Ollie (who is okay with Bladezz). At the end of Season 4, it is revealed she was one of Fawkes' one-night stands and proceeds to beat him up (as she knows mixed martial artsMixed martial artsMixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
). Jeanette was the first new character to appear in Season 4 and was played by Tymberlee Hill. - Kevinator is the official GamemasterGamemasterA gamemaster is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for questions regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer game...
of the Game who appears at the end of Season 4 to undo Vork ruining the in game economy by hoarding craft items and selling them for massively inflated prices. Kevinator displays a high level of narcissism over his role, proclaiming ‘I am a god!’ before shooting lightning bolts around while giggling manically. After recognising Bladezz from the Cheesy Beards commercial and becoming friends, he provides the Knights of Good with tickets for a gaming convention focused on The Game. However, in Season 5, it is revealed that Kevinator was fired from the game just before the convention for unfair play. In addition, the invite for Bladezz turns out to be a joke, as he has a habit of inviting internet memes for his boss. Kevinator is played by Simon HelbergSimon HelbergSimon Maxwell Helberg is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Howard Wolowitz in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. In its fourth season, he also appeared on the sketch comedy series MADtv for five episodes...
. - Rachel is one of the staff members at Megagame-o-ramacon. She is amazed with meeting Bladezz (barely able to contain her excitement when meeting him), going out of her way to help get the Guild a room. The next day, Rachel is forced to get Tink and Clara to stop selling their shirts (with the help of stormtroopers). After being stood up by Bladezz she and her friends harass him by picketing and wrecking his booth at the convention, though Bladezz does manage to apologize later. She is played by Hayley Holmes.
Reception
The Guild currently has over 69 million upload views on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
as of September 2011. The series has won several awards since its launch, and in February 2009, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
named it one of "The Net's Best Serial Shows". The Guild has inspired many fan efforts, including the tribute song "I Wanna Be in Your Guild".
Won
- 2007 YouTube Video AwardYouTube AwardsThe YouTube Awards are awards given out as formalizedic or comedy genres, as voted by the YouTube community. The awards were organized in 2007 to "call out some of the most popular videos and let the users choose which ones deserve some additional recognition"...
– Best Series - 2008 South by SouthwestSouth by SouthwestSouth by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
Greenlight Award – Best Original Production - 2008 Yahoo! VideoYahoo! VideoYahoo! Video is a video sharing website on which users could upload and share videos. The service is owned and created by Yahoo!. Yahoo! Video began as an internet-wide video search engine and added the ability to upload and share video clips in June 2006...
Award – Best Series - 2009 Streamy Awards1st Streamy AwardsThe 1st Annual Streamy Awards were held on Saturday, March 28, 2009, at the Wadsworth Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Over 1,300 audience members were in attendance. The show was broadcast live via microwave.-External links:*...
– Best Comedy Web Series, Best Ensemble Cast in a Web Series, and Best Female Actor in a Comedy Web Series (Felicia Day) - 2010 Streamy Awards2nd Streamy AwardsThe 2nd Annual Streamy Awards were held on Sunday, April 11, 2010, at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Over 1,500 audience members were in attendance. The show was broadcast live by multiple distributors including TV.com and Ustream.tv....
– Best Directing for a Comedy Web Series (Sean Becker) and Best Female Actor in a Comedy Web Series (Felicia Day)
Nominated
- 2009 Streamy AwardsStreamy AwardsThe Streamy Awards, popularly known as the Streamys, are presented annually by the International Academy of Web Television to recognize excellence in the arts and science of web television production, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The formal ceremony at which the awards are...
– Audience Choice Award for Best Web Series, Best Director for a Comedy Web Series (Sean Becker), Best Writing for a Comedy Web Series (Felicia Day), Best Male Actor in a Comedy Web Series (Sandeep Parikh), Best Guest Star in a Web Series (Fernando Chien), Best Editing for a Web Series (Sean Becker), Best Art Direction (Leah Mann), Best Visual Effects (Doug Luberts) and Best Original Music (Eanan Patterson and Don Schiff) - 2010 Streamy AwardsStreamy AwardsThe Streamy Awards, popularly known as the Streamys, are presented annually by the International Academy of Web Television to recognize excellence in the arts and science of web television production, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The formal ceremony at which the awards are...
– Best Comedy Web Series, Audience Choice Award for Best Web Series, Best Writing for a Comedy Web Series (Felicia Day), Best Male Actor in a Comedy Web Series (Sandeep Parikh), Best Ensemble Cast in a Web Series and Best Guest Star in a Web Series (Wil Wheaton)
Comic books
On March 24, 2010, the first issue of the comic bookComic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
based on the show was released from Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
. It acts as a prequel to the show, and was written by Felicia Day
Felicia Day
Kathryn Felicia Day is an American actress, known for her work as "Vi" on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and for parts in movies such as Bring It On Again and June, as well as the Internet musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog...
and illustrated by Jim Rugg
Jim Rugg
Jim Rugg is an American cartoonist and illustrator from Pittsburgh known for his tongue-in-cheek evocation of 1970s-era comics and pop culture. His graphic novels and comics collections include Street Angel, Afrodisiac, The P.L.A.I.N...
. The second issue was released on April 23, 2010, and the third and final issue was released on May 26, 2010. The collected volume was released on November 24, 2010.
A second five-issue series will be released in 2011. Each issue will focus on a single character (Vork, Zaboo, Clara, Tinkerballa and Bladezz) and be illustrated by a different artist.
Music videos
The Guild cast have appeared as their characters in two music videos to promote the series. In (Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar(Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar
" Avatar" is a 2009 song created and performed by the cast of the web series The Guild, with lead vocals by singer-actress Felicia Day...
, the cast appear as their game characters. The song and video were released shortly before the start of Season 3 and were used to promote the show. Game On is a Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
-themed video about Zaboo trying to convince Codex to play the game. This second video was used in a similar fashion and promoted Season 4.
Season 1
The Guild was originally intended to be a pilot episode for a TV series, but Felicia Day was advised that it would be much more suited for a web series. The show changed its format and script to fit a web series. The first episode "Wake-Up Call" premiered on YouTube on July 27, 2007. After the first three episodes, the group ran out of money; but a link to Day's PayPalPayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
brought enough donations to fund "Cheesybeards" and "Rather Be Raiding". The first season ended on May 15, 2008, consisting of 10 episodes and two specials (including the Christmas special, "Christmas Raid Carol").
The Guild season 1 DVD was released on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
on May 19, 2009. For Canadian audiences it was bundled with season 2, released on September 29, 2009, also available on Amazon.com.
Season 2
Filming for season 2 began in August 2008. "Link the Loot" premiered on Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft Zune Marketplace, and MSN Video on November 25, 2008. Season 2 ended with "Fight!" on February 17, 2009 and featured "Love During Wartime" by the Main DragThe Main Drag
The Main Drag is an indie pop/indie rock band local to Boston, Massachusetts. The group incorporates elements as diverse as folk-pop to orchestrated electronica together with their occasionally oblique lyrics...
, as well as visual effects by Doug Luberts.
On November 24, 2008, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
announced an exclusive distribution deal with Guild creator Felicia Day. All twelve episodes of season 2 premiered on Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Zune
Zune
Zune is a digital media brand owned by Microsoft which includes a line of portable media players, a digital media player software for Windows machines, a music subscription service known as a 'Zune Music Pass', music and video streaming for the Xbox 360 via the Zune Software, music, TV and movie...
, and MSN
MSN
MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...
, with a four-week delay for release on The Guilds official website. The Microsoft releases will be free, but supported by Sprint
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
advertisements and product placements.
Creator Felicia Day retains the IP rights to the series, with Microsoft paying an "unspecified" license fee upfront. Sometime in late February 2009, when all episodes of season two had been released, Day and her team were free to sign a new nonexclusive distribution deal should they choose to do so.
The Guild season 2 DVD was released on Amazon.com on May 19, 2009, containing commentary tracks, gag reels, audition footage, and a "behind the scenes" documentary. It was also released for the Canadian audience along with season 1 on Amazon.com.
Season 2 was nominated for eleven Streamy Awards
Streamy Awards
The Streamy Awards, popularly known as the Streamys, are presented annually by the International Academy of Web Television to recognize excellence in the arts and science of web television production, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The formal ceremony at which the awards are...
and won three: Best Comedy Web Series, Best Ensemble Cast in a Web Series, and Best Female Actor in a Comedy Web Series (Felicia Day).
Season 3
On August 17, 2009, a music video – "(Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar(Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar
" Avatar" is a 2009 song created and performed by the cast of the web series The Guild, with lead vocals by singer-actress Felicia Day...
" by Felicia Day
Felicia Day
Kathryn Felicia Day is an American actress, known for her work as "Vi" on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and for parts in movies such as Bring It On Again and June, as well as the Internet musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog...
– was released on Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
to promote season 3, which would premiere on August 25, 2009 on Xbox Live for members with Gold Accounts first. Later it was announced that it would be released for members with Silver Accounts, as well as Zune
Zune
Zune is a digital media brand owned by Microsoft which includes a line of portable media players, a digital media player software for Windows machines, a music subscription service known as a 'Zune Music Pass', music and video streaming for the Xbox 360 via the Zune Software, music, TV and movie...
and MSN
MSN
MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...
Video users, on September 1, 2009. The season premiered with "Expansion Time" on August 25, 2009 and ended on November 24, 2009 with "Hero". The season featured guest star Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton
Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
as the leader of a rival guild out to destroy the Knights of Good.
Season 4
In April 2010, The Guild's official website announced the show was renewed by Microsoft for a fourth season. On June 9, 2010, the official recap of season 3—an Auto-TuneAuto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
d music video by The Gregory Brothers
The Gregory Brothers
The Gregory Brothers are an American musical group who characterize their music as "Country & Soul, Folk & Roll". Members include Michael Gregory on drums and vocals, Andrew Rose Gregory on guitar and vocals, Evan Gregory on keys and vocals, and Sarah Fullen Gregory on bass and vocals...
—was posted on Bing; the video included a message that season 4 would begin on July 13, 2010.
On July 27, 2010, a second music video, called "Game On", was posted to promote season 4. On September 14, 2010, another promotional video was posted of the Cheesybeard's full commercial.
Season 5
Season 5 takes place at the gaming convention mentioned at the end of season 4. Shooting began on April 21, 2011. The first episode of Season 5 was released on Xbox Live and Zune on July 26, 2011, and was released on MSN on July 28.External links
Streaming webisodesIn-universe websites