After the first few years of Neverwinter, the guilds were firmly established,
and the majority of NW Citizens belonged to their chosen guild. Minor
wars erupted and were fought, and peace was made as often.
The Great War came about as a test to battle it out for the status of
top guild honors. This was a PVP tournament the likes of which had never
been held in NWN, or online. Every major guild squared off in teams of
four players each, or a "Quad" as it was called.
Only the victors would advance to the next level of competition. Using
a ladder type format, the teams would advance or be dropped until only
two teams remained. These teams battled out the final battle of the Great
War until one guild claimed victory (and bragging rights) over all others.
These battles were not only fought in combat, but were also elaborately
roleplayed out on the message boards and in-game.
There were two Great Wars held by the players of Neverwinter, and each
was a huge game-wide event which was fought AND roleplayed in the months
they took. These took place in the fall of 1995, and the fall of 1996.
Of course minor wars erupted between guilds, but these were daily events!