Why the F*** is there a Thieves Guild?

I think that a rather modern addition to the culture of TTRPGs is the blind adoption of the “Thieves Guild.” Whether this is a misnomer or something else, the idea of a thieves guild, to me, is one of the most strange things in a world and I feel like it is in almost every single game I play in. Admittedly, one is referenced in the 2014 Dungeons & Dragons Player’s handbook, but in doing research, it is also included in the 1978 with the description of a thief.

You might be wondering what this is about. If the thieves guild has a traddition in the game going back close to its inception, why question? Because I don’t think the idea of a Thieves Guild makes sense.

First of all, what is a guild? How does it function?

A guild, as defined by Merriam-Webster is, “an association of people with similar interests or pursuits especially : a medieval association of merchants or craftsmen.”

Other definitions describe the craftsmen using similar resources in similar ways and are bound to a geographical area.

So, from the definitions, we get that a guild is a collection of similar people that hold similar interests. Looking at history, quite a bit of guilds held some type of political power. This is probably most evident in the history of Florence, where the republic city-state domesticated the nobles and essentially locked them out of government. There were major guilds and minor guilds and people from those guilds could hold office.

Guilds had a few effects on economics. Firstly, and more flattering, guilds ensured quality of goods was high. All bakers in the bakers guild knew how to make fine bread, there would be no quacks in the goldsmithing guild, or anything like that.

The other thing they did is eliminate competition. Guilds were a local, institutional monopoly on their trade. Need a bolt of wool for clothing? You either need to import it from somewhere else, trade with a merchant, or buy from the local guild.

Now that we have an idea of what guilds are and what they do, let’s apply that to a Thieves Guild. For fun, let’s work backward.

Do thieves guilds eliminate competition for their trade (crime). From what I’ve seen, no. Someone who isn’t part of the guild can still snatch a coin purse, blackmail, assassinate, fence goods etc. Although I think there is an argument to be made for the Thieves Guild to have access to higher quality information and informant networks, high profile jobs, etc. crime will still happen whether they want it to or not, and they don’t have any usual bargaining power to stop it.

Next, a Thieves Guild would likely not have any political standing, at least codified in law. Why would a ruling monarch, lord, or other guilds want a guild specifically designed to hurt others and cause a bit a mayhem when their own standing relies on order? Said another way, If you were a merchant in a fantasy world metropolis, or a noble, or an upright tavern owner, would you want there to be a Thieves Guild operating in the city or any crime syndicate for that matter? Odds are, no, unless you’re running with them, too.

Lastly, being tied to a geographical region is important. Lordships, city states, countries, etc. are geographically bound entities, even when borders are questionable or disputed. It’s difficult to hold influence over huge tracks of land no matter how many resources you have at your disposal, and even more so when trying to be covert.

If I’ve persuaded you thus far that a Thieves Guild is a bit of a dumb idea in the traditional sense of what a guild is, let me then posit that I think it is a bit of misnomer. Something that we can also reference that has real world parody and plenty of things to pull from in fiction are mobs and gangs.

Mobs use organized crime to make money and have sway over individuals, and they are usually bound by ethnicity, nationality, family, and geography. They are against the law, and they have access to a network of informants and people.

There isn’t a global mob, and they often have influence in a locale. To me, when I think of what a thieves guild would actually be, I think of some type of mob that has accrued enough status and clout to be dangerous in an area. If you start smuggling ale from across the Unicorn Strait, and that’s one of their ways to make money on the black market, they may use their influence to try to stop you or acquire you into their operation.

I think that Thieves Guild is a bit of a misnomer. If a Thieves Guild is ran like any other guild, my suspension of disbelief falters a bit–it doesn’t seem right. However, if the/a Thieves Guild is ran like a group of local mobsters, I’m all in on the idea.