Well, this is certainly different. Welcome to my first report written not as the 'lead minion' but as the actual head honcho. I feel the power and promise to abuse it in every possible way, just as I have abused you all in my judgements thus far! Okay, admittedly, that's a stretch. The only thing I may or may not be abusing would be the English language. It is remarkable what you can get away with — what horrors can be unleashed — while still sitting solidly within the realms of grammatical accuracy. Deviating a bit from the point there, but those who are familiar with my reports (that means you Sadowans and the lucky readers of the few times I usurped Evant for the purposes of updates) know the jovial nature with which I conduct them, and my goal to get the information on the page succinctly.

Obviously, I don't plan on any of that changing, nor should it. Many of you have already grown familiar with my work in the Voice office as Evant's Praetor. That makes me a 'known entity' so I don't have to waste a lot of time getting people up to speed on a few of the Five Ws.

I'm Atra Ventus and I stand somewhere in the middle of old and young in the Brotherhood. I think of that as a positive, certainly, and here's exactly why: I get to wave my cane while reminiscing about the old ACC while pushing for the excitement of the new. That is really the long and short of it when it comes to what I'm bringing to the table as Combat Master. I was recruited into the Brotherhood from a past of cooperative writing, specializing in combat narratives. I was immediately drawn to the Combat Center and what it had to offer the membership. Goal one was set — become a Judge — and was attained. So, the bar was stretched and my list became Voice and/or Combat Master. Clearly, some guy got the former (through his hard work and project savvy), so I happily cozied on up to the latter.

My role within the Brotherhood is much the same as it was. I haven't left Voice staff and still remain heavily involved in the work therein, but have also been entrusted with what could be considered a controversial niche within the club. Why do I call it that? Well, how many places in the Brotherhood can you go to write fiction in a 1v1 setting (like gaming!) with not only the possibility of losing, but the guaranteed immediate and in-depth analysis of your writing that is provided by the judges?

Gotta say, as a human being (Gods forbid I admit as such), I am not a fan of feedback. I dread it on a personal level. Perhaps it's because I always expect the worst, or even cast a harsher analysis all my own. Armed with that knowledge, I can safely assume that others have similarly negative reactions. More so when things don't go the way you feel it should.

This is something all Judges in our system come to know, and we work hard to be unbiased and fair in our assessments. You may notice that word choice often avoids falling into the negative spectrum. That is a deliberate action that each Judge is encouraged to implement to better help the members improve in their writing without feeling beat down.

Okay, you might be thinking: I thought this bugger said he was succinct. You would be thinking correctly. I did say that. But I feel the need to be more than that right now. I pride myself on transparency and approachability. These are the two main tenants I want to foster in the ACC staff as a whole. It is understandable that not all decisions or discussions will be made public, but at the very least the rationale behind them should be transparent. What is the reasoning for these decisions and their implementation?

If all goes to plan, you'll know exactly the answer to that question. I've already begun by giving you a glimpse into how judgements work, and it should go further. So, that's the big intro to me out of the way, so let's get into the meat of this report so you all can get on with whatever it is that you do!

Time to stretch it out, cause we're getting crazy!

ACC Prospectus

Holy Latin, Batman! What is this nonsense? Well, it's good business is what it is! I tend to set out my plans on the highest level before delving into the nitty gritty bits. Macro before micro. It's an easy to understand quick look at what the goals of the ACC are for the future. This has already been shared with the Judges and they have the opportunity to expand this to fill additional needs as time progresses. This is a living document that can change over time, and I will keep visibility at this highest level. Transparency and what not.

• New Staff
• New Emblem
• ACC History - Wiki
• ACC Fiction
• Cooperative Writing Workshops
• New Tournaments
• Carry-Over Projects

The first two listed don't require much in the way of an explanation. Staff has been rearranged due to recent shifts, needs to be addressed. Then we have the emblem (what an interesting Banner I have). The goal here isn't to reinvent the wheel, as the current emblem was designed by the members via competition. The intent here is to take the design as is and shift it to be in-line with both our theme of Star Wars and the standardized approach to logos that the Herald has been implementing.

Now we get into the big beasts. The ACC Fiction and ACC History sort of fall into the same bucket in a way. In the past, the only fictional identity the ACC has had came out during tournaments with Wally interjecting plot updates throughout. I aim to expand this, such as Vyr has in the Herald position, to include fictional updates for the society alongside future reports. The thinking behind this is that it will give more of an identity to the ACC than some place to cross swords. However, we can't have a fiction without turning our eyes to the History of it. As Korroth has brought to the forefront, the History of the ACC page on the wiki is a touch out of date. By a touch, I mean 11 years or so. That is going to be a time intensive project, but a necessary one to get us in order so we can be more effective going forward.

So, now you may be wondering what a Cooperative Writing Workshop is. Especially you Shadow Academy types (I see you Farrin and Marcus). This is still in its infancy, but is something I've been trying to get off the ground for a while now in various iterations. This may not be its final form, but it will be a complete one! Why this? Well, the ACC staff are uniquely trained to give developmental feedback and working with members closely, so what better approach to transfer over to some of the more difficult writing in the Brotherhood. ACC matches and Run-on posts. These are cooperative, leaning on members utilizing time restraints, Character Sheets, and writing skills that stand apart from single fiction entries. They really are very similar to each other, so the concepts are shared.

Oh my gosh, tournaments! Yes, these. The one thing I've always wanted to get in on and never have. Now I'm the one running them! And it may be sooner than you think... Obviously, we've had two notable tournaments in Wally's tenure, and we don't intend on letting these fall to the wayside. However these are time sinks for everyone involved. That means they have to be balanced with the schedules of Clan events, Club events, and that pesky thing called Real Life.

Finally, we can't forget what came before. Wally had projects (coughSpaceACCcough) that have fallen to the side during the transfer and prioritizing. These will be updated and moved into the current responsibilities of the staff. Pretty straight forward, but it is possible for things to be missed with all the paperwork flying around so if you had a horse in this race, so to speak, it won't hurt to poke us about it.

That's all there is to it right now! That's where our focus is as a team right now, while the day-to-day operations of Judgements remains as is. That means all matches will be judged within 10 days of completion and we aim for an ideal 24 hour turnaround on the Qualification Exam. Thanks for sticking out through the boring stuff, so let's keep going!

Wanted: ACC Judge Applications

For those of you who've been following along, you spotted this little guy at the top of the prospectus. It's not everyday you get to check off one of your target goals on the first day, let alone two, yet here it is! With Wally's move to Voice, and my subsequent shift in responsibilities, we are down by one Judge for what we've come to feel is our ideal team size. This isn't set in stone, as an invigorated society would lead to a reassessment in this number. For now, we're only looking to hire on a single member to join our gang of misfits.

For members interested in applying, the following is a list of requirements you'll need to address:

Responsibilities

• Grading ACC Matches.
• Grading ACC Qualification Exams.
• Keeping up to date with the ACC Rubric, Guideline, and Policy adjustments.
• Assisting the Combat Master with projects.
• Contribute input to discussions on the CS Mechanics, additions, and revisions.

Required Qualifications

• ACC Qualified
• Passed (100%): ACC Combat Studies Exam
• Strong command of English language, writing and grammar
• Not have served previously as an ACC Judge under the current system

Recommended

• Experience as a proofreader.
• Keen eye and attention to details.
• An example of one ACC match you have participated in that you feel shows your understanding of the systems you'd be judging

New Judges will go through the same training that all previous judges have:

• You will co-grade 2 matches with the Combat Master.
• You will co-grade 2 ACC Qualification Exams with the Combat Master.

All applications are to be sent to the Combat Master ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]) with the following in their subject: [ACC:J App]

I will be filtering e-mails based on the above, so if you don't want it lost in the aether I recommend using it. Final selection will be made by Friday, October 21st at the latest, with the Combat Master reserving the right to select early. Good luck to all those who apply.

Ask The Combat Master

Featured Question

Zujenia:

What advice would you give to the enthused new ACCer?

Don't get discouraged by feedback. This isn't as daunting as it seems and we are here to help you improve. This is a place to have friendly challenges against your friends, and your frienemies. Never give up on it! If you are ever unsure about anything just reach out to the Judges. We're cuddlier than we look, and won't hesitate to help you out!

The Rest

Blade:

I know Atra only liked hugs with knives. Can Blade hug you if they both hold stuff animal knives?

You are quite persistent about this whole 'hugging' business of yours. I would have to hazard that any instance of stuff animal knives (whether they be knives made of stuffed animals or knives that only kill stuffed animals. SOMEONE ART THIS.) there would be the equivalent of an epic duel instead of any hugs.

Wally:

Can lightsabers make you fly???

Unfortunately... Yes and no. Oh gosh, more duality to confuse the masses! We have seen this with the spinning sabers all of one time in Rebels and it was so full of deus ex machi-eff-that. We aren't currently looking to support it in any way and I, for one, hope it fades into obscurity and we never see it again.

Alara:

Whats your goal for the rest of the year as the new CM?

Whelp, there's that whole Prospectus thing you can take a gander at!

Kordath:

Why do you beat on the Ryn? :/

Why not?

Alara:

What's your least favorite movie character?

<Insert generic romance genre character here>

Lexic:

How are Clan-based venues coming along? I'm pretty sure we emailed some for CSP

Venues are still being done. Those could be lost in the shuffle, so feel free to resend them. Please be aware that we have a specific desired format for Venues, which you can see looking at the others, so don't worry if they are altered after you submit them.

Aexod & Sang:

space acc? :( Space battles in the ACC?

On hold pending possessions, but not forgotten!

Nero:

2v2 ACC?

This would require a top to bottom programming change for the ACC itself. It's a thing we may do, but not high on the priority queue. The Discourse is a good avenue for this in the time being.

Ernodeth:

Are you going to keep doing example gifs in reports?

That's definitely something I can keep up with! It isn't the focus of this initial report but I can certainly facilitate it going forward.

Lexic:

whats your plan on developing the combat centre further than your predecessor? Is there a need in updating certain documents? whats your vision of the combat centre? Is there anything about Characters Sheets that you feel the need to update or refine?

Well, you can look at the prospectus and see what's in the works. The Workshops are probably the biggest deviation from my predecessor. As for Character Sheets, those are staying put aside from minor refinements for the time being. Too many shifts recently.

Ernodeth:

Will ACCLive! make a return? (question nobody has ever asked)

Lexic:

Does Farrin actually like you messing around in his shadow academy? what have you done to his Marcus!?

Probably not, it's a moderately consensual relationship.

Ernodeth:

Single Player Campaign?

Nope Campaign.

Lexic:

what date is your wedding to your betrothed Wally? Where's my invite?

Matrimony is not in the cards for me any time soon, thanks for the inquiry.

Hi, my name is Knight/Captain/Professional Luke Desertwalker and I have just completed both of your ACC exams, I want to fight someone in the ACC but there's so many people to choose. Who should I choose and why? Does it matter if I am a FU / NFU? What should I take away from my first match?

I would recommend going in-house first. Working with your clan-mates and — potentially — friends will allow you to ease your way into the ACC without much issue. The key is to enjoy your time and gain some confidence before you go branching out to Open Challenge and other avenues. Whether you're NFU or FU doesn't matter, just write something enjoyable with strong story. You should take from your first match what you should take in every match: the Judge feedback.

Zujenia:

What advice/tidbits would you give to a low ranking ACCer that's up against a higher opponent like an Elder or Equite 3?

Best advice: good proof reader behind you. Other than that, don't be afraid to have your rump handed to you within the story. Realism and Story is going to get you the victory, not the skills on your Sheet. The system as it stands now is not what it has been in the past. The power separation just isn't there anymore. In fact, you might even get lucky and write an experienced opponent into a corner and then they overstep realism. Just be creative and stick to quality.

Xenna:

How many weeping unicorns do you leave in your wake on a daily basis?

K'tana and Zujenia can provide the exact statistics. I don't need to bother with counting when there are minions for that.

Turel:

Are coop matches (scenario hall) something you'd like to see?

Yes. We are going to be working on getting scenarios up and running fully, and you — dear asker — might be involved!

Important Links

ACC Links

• Character Sheet FAQ
• Species Wiki
• Disciplines Wiki
• Aspects Wiki
• Skills Wiki
• Force Powers Wiki
• Feats Database -- CDawg

ACC Exams

• ACC Combat Studies
• ACC Qualification Exam

Remember, any questions on ACC mechanics, the CSs, or features, email [Log in to view e-mail addresses]. We do check this email, and often. Best way to get a proper response with all the staff on the same page.

Thanks for reading,