Dark Greetings all,

It is with humility and enthusiasm that I enter the office of Commander of the Guard and to serve as the personal guardian of the Grand Master. I believe that we have entered a new era of the Royal Guard, and with the effort and persistance of all those involved I know that we can make this organization work well and be beneficial to the Brotherhood.

If you haven't already done so I would encourage all of you who are interested in the Royal Guard to read what was written in the Dark Voice and the proposal that Jac and Bloodfyre wrote up (gm.darkjedibrotherhood.com/policies). Those documents will give you some of the background as to why we changed the structure and purpose of the Royal Guard and act as the foundation of what you will hear me say from now on.

I've been trying to figure out the best way to go about laying out what we have changed and what we will be doing in the future. Just so you all know, I want to be as open with all of you as I can about the decisions that I make concerning the Guard. I want to hear feedback and I want to let you know the thought process behind my decisions. So, keep that in mind when you don't hear something you like or I don't answer a question you may have. Don't bitch about it. Talk to me. I'll probably give you an answer if I can. If I can't I'll give you the reason why. With that said, I've decided that I'll lay out some of the questions that I have been asked and provide an answer for those questions. Here we go...

1) How do I become a member of the Royal Guard?

Good question. We talked about having the CoG pick those who should be in the Guard and then place them where he thinks they should go. Didn't like that. We talked about having something like a draft where we would start at the top and then go down with each DC member choosing someone. Didn't like that. We talked about having a dual system of having DC members choose who they wanted in their unit and having the CoG place certain people. No go.

What I have finally decided on is that each DC member is responsible for talking with members they would like to have in their guard cell and reaching an agreement about that person joining. When the DC member gets an agreement they will email the CoG and the CoG will email that person a formal Royal Guard invitation. After that formal invitation is responded to they will become an official member of the Royal Guard.

Now, I can already hear the screams of "favoritism" and "unfair". My almost gut response is "life isn't fair, so shut the hell up and grow up", but I've decided that I'll give you the reasoning behind it. Each DC member is going to pick people who will represent them in RG competitions. If a DC member picks one of their friends and this person is lazy and inactive, then it hurts no one but the DC member who made the pick. However, as the CoG I reserve the right to remove anyone from the RG who I believe is being detrimental to the overall integrity of the Guard, and being a lazy ass falls under that heading. I will talk with Jac and other people who's opinion I value and decide whether or not said "lazy ass" should be removed. Trust me, those who don't deserve to be on the RG will not stay for long.

To answer the questions before they are asked, yes there will be people on the Guard who probably shouldn't be there and are only there because they are a friend of a DC member, and yes, there will be people who are overlooked who should probably be on the Guard. However, I believe that over time those issues will work themselves out and those who don't belong will be removed and those who should belong will be picked up by a DC member. It is up to each DC member to decide who they pick. Some wil pick people they know are active and can get along with. Some will ask for applications. Some will hold mini-comps. I don't know how they'll do it and honestly I hope some of them think of creative ways to find out who is active and who will be a good member of their unit. (wow that was a long answer to that question. let's keep the questions simpler so the answers aren't "Goat-like")

2) What is the Royal Guard going to do?

Brilliant. Traditionally the RG has been a place for the "elite" or "uber-active" MP members of the Brotherhood to come together and do whatever. That's all changed now. Yes, MP gaming will still be a big part of what the Guard does, but we want to expand what the Guard does in order to be more inclusive. This means that the ACC, run-ons and other writing will be a part of what the RG competes in (yay for letting Alanna do something :P).

This gets rid of the "We're MPers and that's all we do" stigma that haunts the GMRG. Like I said, MPing will be huge for the Guard, but that's not our identity anymore. Warriors who protect the DC members will be pushed to do all that they can to fight alongside of and represent their Counciler. DC members should keep that in mind when they choose their members.

RG comps will consist of a few different things. We will have big "RG-only" comps where all Guard units compete against one another for rankings to see who is the best cell. Then there will be vendetta-like comps where units fight one another for rankings and possesions. That will be fleshed out in the future, so stay tuned for more details on comps when they become available.

3) What are the Royal Guard ranks?

There aren't any. Well, at least not in the traditional sense. All members of the RG will hold the title of Guardsman. Each DC member will then give members of his/her guard unit ranks/titles as they see fit and are unique to each cell. This is to prevent people from whining over ranks and gives a sense of being part of a group rather than being concerned about earning ranks.

Those are the big things right now that people have been wondering about and give us a good start. DC members are already looking for people to serve in their cells, so be on the lookout. I look forward to serving with the DC and those who are chosen to be in the Guard. I am working on a fictional story for the changes behind the restructuring, so that will be released when it is finished and edited.

Finally, please be patient. I can guarantee you that I have forgotten something, that something might need to be changed, or something unforeseen will come up. I will deal with those things as they come and in the best way that I know how. What I ask is that we all strive to make this a success and work together in this venture. Thanks and I hope that my other reports aren't this long.

--

Jedi Hunter Jasru Lakca

Commander of the Guard

Member, House Marka Ragnos

Sergeant, Battleteam Night Raptors

SC / DC / Cr-3S / CF-BlF-RF-GF [ACC: SKR]
{SA: U:TL-U:TW-G:IRC-G:IRC2-K:CORE}