Grand Master Report
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January 10, 2006: Report Twenty-Seven </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="100%" colspan="2" height="5"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%" valign="top"> <center>
- The Dominion Release - </center></td> <td valign="top"> <center>
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--> <tr> <td width="100%" colspan="2" height="20"> <><li>The Jim Report</li></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="100%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1;" bordercolor="#FFFFFF" colspan="2" height="5">
Happy 2006!
I hope that everyone had a very <s>Merry Christmas</s>...<s>Happy Holidays</s>...er..Cheery Solstice? I know I did. It was a very good break from school and I got a decent amount of time to relax and enjoy my free time. Not enough, of course, but enough that I'm good to go for another semester.
Normally my family celebrates Christmas late. We call it our own family Kwanzaa. But this year the brother's wives allowed us to have Christmas on time, which was a nice change of pace. Instead of a holiday marathon between the in-laws and the fam that lasted 2 weeks, it was simply a five-day sprint. And I got some cool crap too. Some books, some movies...BFII. I made the mistake of actually installing the game last week and then lost a complete day of productivity to it. I need to not do that.
The wife is teaching again and I started back at class yesterday. Books were a nasty $600. It gets worse each semester. The kicker was that not even Amazon had good prices this time round. I was emasculated, as usual, by the bookstore.
I have this copyright class that is nine kids and a professor. It's nuts. He already knew all of our names by the end of class. I may actually have to prepare for that this semester. The rest of my classes suck balls. Especially evidence. sucks...balls.
Other than that...it's all the same old same old. The wife has been pricing cruise lines for spring break. That'll be sweet.
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--> <tr> <td width="100%" colspan="2" height="20"> <><li>The Word</li></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="100%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1;" bordercolor="#FFFFFF" colspan="2" height="5">
Speaking of the wife...that brings us to today's word:
Titillate
Ok ok. So it's not really the most appropriate word for what I want to talk about (energize), but how in the world do you follow up emasculate (ball-cutt-offing) with a nice positive message that has some flare? With a word that is derived from the word "tit", of course.
And we all know what "illate" means (tickle, sqeeze and pinch).
I can go on for days (ok maybe a few minutes) about the ebb and flow of the Brotherhood. It hasn't changed much in ten years (I'm a damn nerd). Every <s>Christmas</s> holiday season, the DB falls to the back burner for many. LoAs hit us and projects just fall away from our sight. It's actually a pretty rough time to stay active and motivated. There's so much to do outside of the Brotherhood with family and friends (like we have RL friends), the DB is the last thing on our minds.
And then comes January, the doze that we were in takes a little while to clear up. I know you can see it and feel it (it tickles), the gradual return of members to what they were doing prior to December. Normally by the time we hit the second week of January, things are finally getting back to normal (can you call this normal?). The DB is re-energized and ready for the new year of Star Wars fun! (YES!)
But let's be careful not to put the cart before the horse in a lot of instances (that's probably not the right analogy). I've seen a few times already where projects that were well under way in November have just been forgotten about (how could you!?). So I have done my best this year to keep myself organized and now want to pass on my wise advice to you (be prepared):
Step 1: Figure out what in the world you were working on before the break.
Step 2: Finish that stuff first before you start coming up with newfangled ideas.
I'm serious. Nothing will emasculate a project more than moving on to some other random thing without finishing the first (need a clean cut). If you don't get that crap done and out the door, it will bog you down (what's the opposite of titillate? Unfinished projects are a proverbial cock block?)
Personally, there is nothing that is more invigorating than getting a project finished (100% folks). It is energizing to get things off of the back burner, finish them up and release them. There are two projects that I'm talking about in this report that we've been sitting and working on for some time that are getting out tonight (really, it's about damn time, Jac). Getting those projects done released me to concentrate on other things, and I wasn't so stressed at the always-growing to-do list that I have.
To the leaders -- don't squander the enthusiasm that mid-January brings with it (trickle-down leadership). Use this time to train new members, to get those overdue projects done (squeeze and fondle that activity) and to make sure that you are personally fit for the long haul until June. A great leader will actively push his subordinates, this time of year especially, to help advance their unit. The activity at the top will energize and titillate the activity on the bottom. Activity trickles down, and you're on top. Remember that.
And that's the word.
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--> <tr> <td width="100%" colspan="2" height="20"> <><li>The Envoy Statistics</li></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="100%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1;" bordercolor="#FFFFFF" colspan="2" height="5">
Anshar and Sato did a fabulous job over break finishing a project that I had requested. A few months ago I stated that I would eventually want a report that detailed the statistics of new members, what clan they joined, how far they advanced and the like. I wanted to be able to see how we were doing overall in recruitment and retention.
The results were not surprising to me: we are doing quite well. Of course, there are areas where we can improve, especially in the retention area, but overall I am proud of the program that the DB has developed for new members.
I have uploaded a zip file that contains the report and some other resources. The Final report contains a lot of useful information, it is the .doc file immediately within the zip. I also went through the statistics and created some side-by-side comparisons between all of the clans on different areas that were looked at. Those can be found in the Clan Comparison excel file. Also, Anshar provided for a comparison of the new and old Test of Lore. I put together some comparison graphs in the ToL Comparison excel file. Finally, there is a compilation of all of the envoy report tables that were used to keep track of this new member data over the last months.
The whole report spans seven months. This includes the rush that we received from Episode Three, but I think the overarching set of numbers is very telling. Some things that were noted as we discussed the results:
In the last 7 months, we picked up an amazing 1432 members. A total of 223 of those members (15.57%) were directly recruited.
The new ToL is getting members into clans faster. We are getting 60% of members onto the clans. That's almost a 100% increase from the old ToL.
The new ToL has brought a doubling also to the number of members that get to Novice. The new ToL has taken the number of members that get past APP from 20% to 25%.
Average time in rank seems to have very little correlation to advancements of members.
Each clan has very particular intricacies to their numbers. Some are able to capitalize on members, keeping them longer. Others are able to get a lot of members into the early ranks, but only a few make it to the latter ones.Some examples: Taldryan, although they are dead last in almost ever other category, manages to have the best turnaround on getting INIs to take the ToL. CNS seems to have done the most with less -- they didn't receive as many recruits as others, but managed to breed a good chunk of PRT+ members. Tarentum follows that same pattern.
The bad is that we are still not capitalizing like we should on that large pool of apprentices and Novices. 40% of members remaining at APP is still too large.
Anshar, Sato, Spears, Kir and I have talked a bit and we would like to improve upon these numbers. I would love for everyone to obtain a goal eventually of PRT+ hitting 12-15%. The 7.5% right now, although good, doesn't quite get us to where we need to be.
Consuls, by January 20 I would like a thorough evaluation of your clans numbers, a thoughtful correlation to your promotion guidelines and a proposal at what you are going to do within your clan to increase your retention and new member efficiency. Please send this to me, Anshar, Sato, Spears, Kir and Pyralis.
One final word of thanks to Anshar and Sato -- I loved going through this report. You two did an excellent job.
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I haven't written a report since the ratification of the Covenant, and I wanted to make sure I mentioned it again.
If you haven't read the thing, I suggest you do. It is dry in places, and most of it will seem like common sense to you oldies, but there are some important changes in the judicial system and especially in the removal and appointment of the Grand Master that you should be aware of.
This Covenant lays the ground work for a lot of great documentation to come about the specifics of the Brotherhood. After finishing this report I will be going back to work on some of the newer developments that have been slated to follow the release of the Cov.
Although it has been ratified, I still welcome questions and comments on the document. Feel free to mail me.
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--> <tr> <td width="100%" colspan="2" height="20"> <><li>The Dark Voice Deadline</li></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="100%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1;" bordercolor="#FFFFFF" colspan="2" height="5">
Just a reminder to all that the Dark Voice submission deadline is coming up. Submissions are due next Friday, January 20. Please be sure to send the submissions to [Log in to view e-mail addresses] and the DV editor Ziltopia.
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--> <tr> <td width="100%" colspan="2" height="20"> <><li>The Handbook Postings</li></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="100%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1;" bordercolor="#FFFFFF" colspan="2" height="5">
After a long time of going through revisions and re-writes, edits and more edits, I had the pleasure of finally posting a few position handbooks. They can be found on the Alacrity page, listed as "Leadership Manuals" in the links section on the left.
There are five manuals posted now and another 5 are in their final stages of editing or development. Those that are up there now are Grand Master, Master at Arms, Lord Hegemon, Knight Commander of the Brotherhood and Proconsul. Keep in mind that these are loose guides to the position. The goal of them is to supply you with the overview necessary to understand the job. They are a good starting point if you want to know more about a position.
Thanks go out to all who helped with these. We'll have more soon enough.
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As I'm sure you all know by now, Cyris has stepped down as Herald. He asked that we appoint Muz in his place. We would have anyway, so we obliged and Muz is now the new Herald!
If you haven't had the chance, please read Cyris's post. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers so that his back will heal. Let's all hope that he will be back. Cyris contributed a lot to this club.
In the meantime, I have my full confidence in the new Herald. Muz is an excellent artist. He has a unique style that will bring a lot to the office. He already knows the system having filled in as Herald. I am pleased with his ideas, and I think you will be too.
Congratulations, Muz!
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Finally!
That's right. The Dark Brotherhood Systems Manual, better known as the Dominion, is up and running with good data in it. Aerick built the code behind the dominion a long time ago, and the task of entering the data fell to 3-4 people over the course of that time. Kir and I were tired of waiting, so I made the final code changes, took the job to IRC for a "bitch work volunteer" and Ziggy helped us out.
You have to click on the DB section of the map to get to the specific systems. There are only five clans up now -- we're waiting on CP's data. Consuls who see inaccurate information can get ahold of me for fixes.
Enjoy!
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Pyralis is going to kill me. Every report I give a new false deadline for him to meet. But it's fun so I'm going to do it again!
The newest Alacrity document, Unit Evaluations, is almost to the editing stages. It should be finished and released soon!
Yay for Pyr!
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--> <tr> <td width="100%" colspan="2" height="20"> <><li>The BFII Server</li></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="100%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1;" bordercolor="#FFFFFF" colspan="2" height="5">
YES!
Why I bury big news in my reports you ask? Because it makes people read them I say!
The Dark Brotherhood is now the proud renter of a brand spanking new 12-man Battlefront II server. Yaay!
I don't have all of the details yet...I just put in the order today. But I will tell you what I know:
We're renting from http://www.zeroservers.net/
The server will be located in Washington, D.C. to give a good balance for US members and try to get a good ping for European members.
We will be able to switch the server back and forth from public to private whenever we want
I will be getting the game swap add-on that will allow for us to use it as a JA server as well (or any other number of games, for that matter.)
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Many of you have asked me the same questions on SHW, so much so that I figured I'd just post the answer here:
Long before BF stepped down, we started to contemplate some DC changes that would affect a number of positions, their jobs, etc. Nothing at all is final right now -- in the end, we may decide to change very little, so we are keeping the ideas under wraps for now. I am keeping from any appointments to SHW for now as well so that we can address some issues first.
I expect that we will have whatever our final moves are completed and released within the next week.
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--> <tr> <td width="100%" colspan="2" height="20"> <><li>The Jac Schedule</li></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="100%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1;" bordercolor="#FFFFFF" colspan="2" height="5">
I figured it'd be good if ya'll knew when I'd be around, so here's my schedule:
Monday: Class 10 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday: Class 10 AM - 11:15 AM
Wednesday: Class 10 AM - 12:30 PM
Thursday: Class 10 AM - 8 PM, Halo at friend's 8 PM...
Friday: Class 10 AM - 11:15 AM
As you can see, it's a pretty generous schedule. I will have a lot of reading this semester, and I have a 50 page thesis paper due May 1...but for the most pat I will have some good free time. Look for me in IRC during the days on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The wife works until about 4:00, so you can pretty much guarantee that I'll be DBing it until then. And then I'll be on my normal late nights as well if you need me.
Though as always, I still prefer email as opposed to playing IRC-tag.
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I just wanted to take a moment to recognize some people that tend not to see much recognition. We that don't play the game often forget that the members of our SWG Player's association do make a good contribution to the DB. They are a good recruitment source and the activity does keep some people around. Raid does a good job at keeping the PA running, and I appreciate his work.
Keep it up, guys.
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If you don't follow the life of Jac much, you may have not known that I participated in the second Championship Ladder in the ACC. It's been fun -- I've had some good fights. But the most recent one takes the cake.
Muz and I just finished a battle that spanned over 30 pages of text. It was an amazing fight that pitted my GM powers against Prophet powers that Muz got through the rite of exaltation. If you get a chance, I suggest you read it. And then pray for Dalthid who has to judge it. :)
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Oh my god. Will this report ever end?
Ok, so we are making some steady progress. Kaiann has joined up on some document-writing that will help us get some faster code down. He is writing some detailed specs about the RPG systems. We also have the data tables for some of the until-now undefined RPG elements almost up and running.
I've made some good progress on the roster admin and the request approval systems. I will be working on some detailed specs of that as well, just like Kaiann, so I can delegate some of the easier work. Fun fun!
But a lot of the proposals and other stuff have been drawing my time. As always, Rebirth takes a back seat to day-to-day affairs.
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BIG PROPS
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<center>- Huge props to Anshar and Sato for the Envoy Report!! -
Props to Kaiann for his rebirth work! -
Props to everyone who donated to get the new BFII server! -
Big Props to Ciara on the AK! -
Congrats to Morrigan on OT! -
Huge props to Windos on KP! -
Yaay! Brujah is a SW! -
W00t! Revenant got a lightsaber! -
Giant Props to Famosus on the lightsaber! -
woohoo! Vasily got a lightsaber! -
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Yeah -- you all know you love my reports. Word especially.
w00t Fam and w00t Vas! (and w00t Word)
Also a huge congratulations to Braecen for making KAP and a pat on a back to me for making SW.
CONGRATS!
Congrats Ciara! :o)