For the last twenty seven months Arch has served as Praetor to two different Fists of the Brotherhood. Over that time he's had the opportunity to work on many different projects which have enhanced the experience of the Brotherhood's gaming community.
While I can only speak accurately to his contributions since July of 2013 when I assumed the office, I can say that Arch has been an invaluable member of my staff since that time. One of the first projects he worked on was the streamlining of the old Rites of Combat. This transformed the Rites from a massive text block into a more concise and platform focused set of rules. Redundancy was eliminated throughout the document, and specific rules for different PVP formats (1v1, FFA, etc) were made consistent across all platforms. This entire process made the Rites a much more user friendly document.
Another ongoing project has been the leveling of Clusters of Fire across all platforms. I can't accurately say how many times these values have been reviewed and adjusted, but I can say its been "alot". While the process may seem easy to an outsider of the Fist Staff there was much data collection required throughout it. Matches and Events were timed from a variety of gear and skill setpoints, data collected and analyzed, then finally the information was used to match up this information to the appropriate Cluster of Fire value for that specific activity. Then repeat for every other activity being reviewed. This is an exhaustive process, and Arch was key to ensuring it all occurred in a timely manner.
One of the more popular changes was the revision to the GMRG in 2014, which the Fist Staff has deemed "GMRG v2.0". The change revamped the system from advancement and demotion based on monthly performance to one with advancement, to a point, followed by a quarterly competition among the Societies top members. In addition the winning top members received newly created Accessories for their placement. This change resulted in a significant increase in GMRG membership, and has provided motivation for multiple members to take a more active role in the Brotherhood's gaming platforms in pursuit of a Dark Council Accessory. The process of reaching this change was not simple, multiple options were considered and there was alot of conversation behind the scenes.
The final point I'd like to mention is the significant improvement in Cluster of Fire award turnaround. With Arch's help we were able to determine a strong format for a site integrated Gaming Submission Portal. Since the implementation of that portal the review and submission times of Clusters of Fire by the Fist Staff have been reduced from a potential 1-3 week wait to less than 24 hours, in most cases. Again, without Arch's input and assistance this would not have been possible.
It is only fitting that as he retires from the Praetor to the Fist position we recognize the many contributions Arch has made to the Brotherhood's Gaming community. His hard work and assistance were critical in the implementation of these activities. Thank you for everything you've done over in your time as P:Fist Arch, please accept this Amethyst Kukri as a small token of our appreciation for you work.
-Valhavoc, Fist of the Brotherhood
Valhavoc, 2015-01-09 00:34:25 UTC