I'm new to MMOs, and really have been inherently opposed to them because pay-to-play doesn't work for a (very) casual gamer like myself, and because the most important factor to me in any game is story. I am 100% sold on TOR, however (being a huge KotOR fanboy), and plan to be as active as a participant as I can be while maintaining the rest of my life (work, marriage, 2 kids, etc.).

That being said, I'm somewhat aware of the need for guilds in MMOs. It provides some with some sort of virtual social network, and I'm guessing it can come in handy with some of the missions/quests during a game. I've found a guild through LF that seems to fit well with my plans to play when I can and not expect too much out of me, while adhering to the gameplay/rules that, IMO, keep the game fun.

I know that this can't be fully answered until we know more about TOR's actual gameplay, but I guess my "vector of confusion" comes from how much I will need to interact with a guild to fully enjoy the game vs. how much I can do on my own without the help of a guild, and still experience the full enjoyment the game has to offer. I also know it depends on personal taste. I'd also like to know some more benefits to being involved with a guild, if anyone cares to give his/her opinion. Any help is appreciated!

From a purely gameplay perspective, guilds just make it a lot easier to form groups for the rare group quests and the dungeons, especially groups of people you trust. With a guild of your peers, you don't have to worry about anyone being a jerk and ninjaing an item and leaving the group, or otherwise being a major douche while doing the quest/dungeon. Like riding in a car with your friends versus taking a bus with strangers, there's a much more friendly attitude there.

But otherwise, I'd call them essential just to have people to talk to. It's nice to have people to chat with while you're questing, talking about everything from the game itself to tv shows or movies or anything else. I most value guilds just to have people to talk to while I'm out in the world doing stuff, or even just hanging out in town doing nothing. It's about the community. These friends can often carry over to real life too, if you play your cards right.

My opinion might change during the game, but as of now I have very little desire for the social networking piece of it. I really don't plan on playing the game unless, well, I'm playing the game.

I joined a guild for the first reason you mentioned above - I don't want to miss out on any of the game/story because I'm playing solo.

I know it's an MMO and not an RPG, so I know not to expect it to be like KotOR, but I'm hoping that I can get as much out of the game/story by playing solo for the majority of it that others do while playing in groups.

You know social networking is a choice and I think the way Bioware is approaching this game is one from an aspect of those who want to solo a lot of the content on this game can. The story and companions and all of that jazz lets you be as stoic as you want while having fun. And as for joining a guild to get to see end game content, you don't have to do that either. In WoW their are entire raiding groups made of pieces of 3-4 guilds + random people who've proven to be good at what they do.

However the benefits to being in a guild are very real. A friend of mine recently bragged about never having grouped up once in his entire WoW experience. I felt really bad for him.

It's not all about having someone to talk to out there, but it ends up being a real support network. Guys willing to put down some of their hard earned resources and throw them your way when you need it. These people are ready and willing to give you a leg up over things and they are people you can trust. I came into SWG just expecting to solo. Eventually I ended up seeing some of the same people over and over again and randomly assisted them when they were being chased by some thug and then they'd random see me struggling to take out a stormtrooper and assist. A friendship blossomed from there and later a guild.

When I came into WoW I just wanted to have some fun with some friends of mine from college who I don't see anymore. Running around we ran into a guy having trouble, we helped him out and he helped us out. Pretty soon he was asking to join up with us more often. We pow-wowed and said it couldn't hurt. Now we have several people in our guild that are not among our friendship circle that are people we trust, people we enjoy questing with, and people that have really contributed a LOT of their hard earned resources to making our experience as enjoyable as possible.

This isn't some sort of taboo evil. I love single player games. I love SP RPGs. I know that grouping up with others is different and gets a really bad rap from FPSs. But the experience really is enhanced through people you trust. People who would gladly sacrifice their night just to make sure you got the leg up you needed. That's pretty awesome to me.

Good points - all taken. I have joined a guild that I feel fits me and my expectations well. I learned about it through a highly respected member on LF. I was just curious to see others' perspective on how guilds work and the associated benefits. Thanks for the info!