Welcome to my 13th report as your Voice. We are rapidly approaching the final round of the Dark Crusade and should see a winner crowned before the end of the month. My heartfelt thanks goes out to all of our members who have participated and submitted outstanding entries over the past year. I have had a great time working with the Dark Council and Voice staff in the creation of competition events and the development of our DB plot.

This week's report will highlight:

• ACC Beta Testing Finished
• Fiction: The Heist Results
• Fiction: Shared Universe Concept
• Fiction: Dromund Kaas and Ziost
• Fiction: Okemi, Ferran, Taimat, and our Fleets
• Miscellaneous: Star Citizen
• Miscellaneous: GTA V
• The Voice's Word (Stolen from Jac)
  

The ACC

1. The Voice and ACC staff have recently completed our first round of ACC Beta Testing. Mav is working on a series of updates and improvements for the coders and we should see a healthy amount of work done over the next month. We are prioritizing our efforts and looking to hammer down the final few requirements prior to taking the ACC live. The great news is that it will be open for several months prior to the Great Jedi War and we will host a bunch of mini competitions to get everyone back in the swing of things.

2. Wally and Mav are also finishing up the final touches on our future ACC Shadow Academy Exam. This will be a mandatory requirement for everyone to participate in the ACC, even those who were former members of the Society. We will be hearing more about this test in the near future.

3. Finally, just a reminder of what is already completed:

• ACC 101 Userguide
  
• Force Powers Quick Reference Guide
  
• A New Grading Rubric that will be published for all to see
  

Fiction: The Heist

The Heist was a fiction competition that took place during our Dark Crusade exodus. I would like to thank everyone for submitting and taking the time to participate. KP Atyiru submitted a fantastic entry and barely beat out OT Rosh Nyine for the top prize (why do they both have an oddly placed "Y" in their name?). I will be starting up a new Crescent Library in the future and look to host these entries. Once again, great work to all who participated!

Fiction: Shared Universe Concept

The Shared Universe Concept is prevalent in fantasy and science fiction and is basically a way of saying that many authors get to play in the same universe. Our buddy, George Lucas, touched on this topic by stating that there were many versions of the Star Wars legend and that other authors were out there who would tell different stories from his own (this was also his way of explaining continuity errors). The issue of the shared universe concept has become more and more prevalent as the Dark Brotherhood's fictional story has expanded. At one time we were a simple club based on gaming and the need for a back story and explanation of our role in the Star Wars galaxy was unneeded. That was a long time ago and in a galaxy far far away.

The problem we face now is an uncertain Star Wars universe future that could see the movies crush years and years of expanded universe material. We also face the dilemma of explaining how the Dark Brotherhood and our fleets even exist within the existing structure of the EU.

I am working on the DB Shared Universe Concept to help solve this problem and help guide some of our projects in the future. This concept will be a guiding document designed to help our writers understand the galaxy we live in (That is within the Star Wars universe, but separate) and help all of us stay on the same page. Obviously, we want this document to be helpful, but at the same time avoid being overly confining to our writers.

I hope to have a draft to Muz and Raken soon. I'd expect it to make it to the email accounts of the DC shortly after that.

Fiction: DK and Ziost

Dromund Kaas and Ziost are the next two planets in the Dark Crusade. These two planets contain are written about in the EU and already contain a significant amount of backstory; however, I strongly advise everyone to read the simple 1-2 page planet write ups that will be released during this round of the DC. There are some changes and updates on the DB's version of these planets that is not found in the EU or Wookiepedia.

Fiction: Okemi, Taimat, Ferran, and the Fleet

Okemi, Taimat, Ferran, and our Fleets are still being worked on. These projects are the driving factor behind the shared universe concept mentioned above. The goal with these fictional updates will be to provide better back stories for our archetypes and for explaining how we have a gigantic paul bunyon sized fleet. MTF.

Miscellaneous: Star Citizen (no change!)

Reminder: Star Citizen Forums are available for you to details your purchases and future ships. Please take a look at http://forums.darkjedibrotherhood.com/viewtopic.php?f=230&t=6988 and add your information to the thread. I'm looking for your username, ships purchased, if you are a backer, and any other additional things you have bought (skins, ect).

Miscellaneous: GTA V (no change!)

See the post below. Our GTA V Crew is set up as DJB GRMR! Send me a friend request (GM Sarin) or request and invite through GTA V.

The Voice's Word (:p)

The movie Zero Dark Thirty has a great line uttered by the dearly departed James Gandolfini. Gandolfini in his role as Leon Panetta asks his young aide what he thinks of the case worker who has identified Bin Laden's compound. Penetta's aide responds that the young woman is smart. In an epic response, Gandolfini replies, "We're all smart, Jeremy."

We're all smart, DB.

We can probably discuss the meaning of Galdofini's line and a lot of us are going to have different ideas of what it meant. I suppose I like the line because it cuts to the heart of what I consider important. We have a lot of smart people with a lot of good ideas, but being smart is not enough. We need smart people who can turn their ideas into tangible results. We need smart people who can execute.

I once had a boss who told me that only 5% of people in an organization produce. Everyone else helps the producer, comes up with the ideas, or is simply in the way. I'd like to believe that a lot more of us are producers than the paltry 5%.

So, DB types. We are all smart, but we need to produce. I'll keep that in mind the next time I think about saying some project sucks or throwing out my grand. but impossible to execute ideas. Ideas are great, but only if you can make them a reality. I'd ask everyone else keeps it in mind too.

Conclusion

Report 13 is in the books. This past weekend was epic and saw the Fist and I drink many ounces of beer. Special thanks to the Yard House, random Brazilian steak house, and random Irish Pub for keeping things entertaining.

Darth Pravus