However, from there the basic game plan is pretty much the same for everyone: work at your chosen profession to earn money while also buttering up the local populace so they support you and not rival guilds, then leverage that money and popular support into political influence so you can earn even more money and influence to wipe out those rivals.
So, while it's true enough that running a Robber's Nest involves different challenges than running a blacksmith's shop, the overall game plan doesn't vary much, so the only real difference is whether you're earning money by forging swords, or by slicing people up with them. In fact, every profession has an up side, accompanied by a thunker of a down side: it's fun beating the crap out of folks as a rogue, but then you spend half your time at trial... boring.
The task can (and will) take generations, as you marry and educate your children to continue your "dynasty." In fact, that's probably the biggest difference between Guild 2 and Europa, in that Guild 2 concentrates much more on Sims -style personal interaction. The trouble is they've done this at the expense of the management/industry portion of the game, and even with the greater emphasis on the personal, there's still no storyline or scenario to follow, just a grab for money and power for its own sake.
