A quick report, wherein I give an update on ACC projects, events, and stylings. Fun fact, a majority of the buildings in NYC don't have a 13th floor. I've only been in one building so far that's had it.

Here is a recap of the last month or so:

• CM Report #12: New NFU Disciplines
• Discipline Focus #2: Infiltrator
• Discipline Focus #1: Defender

You can find an archive of my previous Combat Master reports HERE. These reports contain a lot of helpful information, so if you’re a new or returning member, I’d suggest leafing through them.

Recognition

To start off, I want to do a quick shout out to one of my judges.

Alethia Achenksova has served on my staff for the last seven months or so, and was finally promoted to the rank of Equite 2. I wanted to again thank Archen for all the work he does for the ACC, and I’m lucky to have him as part of the team.

Another big big shoutout to Atyiru, who was promoted to Equite 4 by the Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master. Besides her work as Consul of Clan Arcona, Atyiru proof reads every Combat Master report/newspost. She has looked over anything I've written and frequently adds her voice to the projects I work on. I couldn't be more proud of her, and appreciate having her as a friend and colleague in the Brotherhood.

NFU Disciplines

Welp, NFU Disciplines have been out for a few weeks now, and the feedback has been pretty positive. Nothing seems to have blown up yet, either. You can read more about them in my last report. If you have any further questions, comments, or concerns, let us know.

Writing Resource Guide: Star Wars Universe

On Evant’s initiative/planning, the Voice/CM teamed up to put out a new resource for members to take advantage of when writing fiction in the DJB and Star Wars Universe. You can find the main article here which then leads into subarticles that cover: Star Wars slang, foodstuffs, technology, and of course, creatures! Make sure to check them out!

These articles are just a starting point. We’re hoping that members will get involved and help build out these documents as we gain more new canon material and expand our own knowledge base of the Star Wars universe.

If you want to help add or build these articles, let us know! Help is always welcomed if you’re looking for a project or task outside of your home unit. Email [Log in to view e-mail addresses] or myself if interetesd!

Possessions

Possessions Beta is getting closer and closer. I’ve had a really awesome chance to be a part of the testing and I think that you guys are really going to like it. Remember, if you’re interested in trying out possessions, see Evant’s newspost to sign up!

Feat Tweak [ REVISED]

After looking over a popular feat, we made a change to the wording in the interest of balance.

Previously:

There Are Many Like It, But This One Is Mine
{{member}} has trained vigorously with {{gender:his,her}} specific weapon of choice, and suffers no penalty when using this favored weapon in {{gender:his,her}} offhand. This allows {{member}} to use {{gender:his,her}} Dual Wielding skill at the same level as {{gender:his,her}} Weapon Skill when brandishing this weapon. (This weapon should be noted in ‘Weapons Loadout”)

'TwoHands'
{{member}} is more comfortable and a better shot when using two weapons rather than one.

I've gone ahead and reworked these into Feats that better fit the rest of our system.

Revised:

Familiar Steel
{{member}} has trained vigorously with {{gender:his,her}} specific melee weapon of choice, and suffers no penalty when using this weapon in {{gender:his,her}} offhand. This allows {{member}} to use {{gender:his,her}} Dual Wielding skill at the same level as {{gender:his,her}} Weapon Skill when brandishing a pair of {{gender:his,her}} favored weapons. (This weapon should be noted in ‘Weapons Loadout” and does not apply to Lightsabers)

'Two Hands'
{{member}} has trained vigorously with {{gender:his,her}} specific ranged weapon of choice, and suffers no penalty when using this weapon in {{gender:his,her}} offhand. This allows {{member}} to use {{gender:his,her}} Dual Wielding skill at the same level as {{gender:his,her}} Weapon Skill when brandishing a pair of {{gender:his,her}} favored weapons. (This weapon should be noted in ‘Weapons Loadout”.)

This was done to better preserve the original intent of the Feat. It also helps prevent something we felt was not well balanced in system. Most substitution styles are more of a situational switch than a way of modifying an entire fighting style.

Judge Position Open

I am looking to fill the open position with a new ACC Judge.

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.

Here is what I am looking for in an ACC Judge:

Required Qualifications

• ACC Qualified
• Passed (100%): ACC Combat Studies Exam
• Strong command of English language, writing and grammar — feel free to submit sample writing.
• Not have served previously as an ACC Judge under me. (Looking for new blood).

Recommended

• Experience as a proofreader.
• Keen eye and attention to details.
• Experience with the ACC since it has been re-opened — Feel free submit sample matches.

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.

After this point, you will be a regular staffed Judge and able to grab Matches and Exams as they pop up in the queue.

Didn’t you just hire Turel?

Yes, and it’s been working great! In my opinion, however, you can never have too many people trained and ready to handle volume. I also view any judge that works for the ACC, and then leaves, to be bringing their knowledge with them. The more members trained to be ACC Judges, the better I think the club can be.

Why be an ACC Judge?

ACC Judging counts as a form of leadership in the Brotherhood. You are providing in-depth feedback to members about their writing, and on Qualification Exams you are working to ensure that members are learning the intricacies of the system we use as a platform for activity. If you haven’t had luck as a unit leader for various reasons, this is another great chance to give back to the Brotherhood community. Aside from that, you are getting to be an active part of the development of Character Sheet mechanics.

Please send all applications to [Log in to view e-mail addresses].

Applications will run for one week until next Thursday (9/8/16), but I reserve the right to close them early if I find what I’m looking for beforehand. Any questions, let me know.

Upcoming Projects

Here is a quick overview of what else I am working on:

• More NFU Discipline Focus articles. I will be creating example NPCs like Wyn, and then writing a short fiction that I will annotate with explanations of the Discipline Feats and how they can be used in writing.
• More Venues for the ACC (Backlogged from May the Fourth)
• A new DB-Wide ACC competition (Details pending)
• Scenario ACC (2v1 NPC, 2v1 Objective)
• CS 2.5 Mechanics, Tweaks, Updates

I do not have an immediate timetable on any of these projects, so make sure to pay attention to future reports.

Clan Arcona ACC Event

Clan Arcona’s Sins of the Past - Episode II: ACC Race recently finished up. This event was tied to a month-long Clan Event being run internally by Arcona leadership. The Arcona Summit contacted me about four weeks before the start of the event, which allowed us time to plan/make sure execution could be handled smoothly.

(Hint hint, don’t spring things on the CM last minute.)

You can view the finished matches here.

The following is an infographic I put together to highlight the statistics from the event.

I was pleased with the number of matches that were generated for this event, and think it goes to show and support that a non-bracket scoring format can indeed be used in the DJB. As the graph shows, I wanted to specifically highlight Braecen, Zujenia, Skar, and Kordath in particular for each doing at least 3 unique matches over the course of the event. Excellent work!

Scoring Formats

A quick note on the scoring format listed in the match details: this format was chosen to mirror the old ACC style from back in the day.

The format chosen was:

---

• Win: 1 Point
• Loss: -1 Point
• TO Win: 0.5 Point/post
• TO: -2 Points

---

While the competition went well in terms of matches generated and matches completed, I do not envision this format being used again on the DB-level, and personally do not recommend it being used by other units.

The reason I believe this is that assigning a negative value to a loss translates very easily. The Brotherhood’s life blood is based around generating and promoting activity, and offers a competitive element within that pursuit. The competitive element should never dissuade participation and activity, however.

Atyiru talked about this in her latest report, where she shared some intropsection through comparison with an alternative scoring format. I think this insight would be very, very beneficial for Consuls and Unit Leaders to read if they are looking to run similar events in the future and recommend they check it out.

That said, it was a pleasure working with the Arcona Summit on this event, and Atyiru and Uji demonstrated, as usual, why they are a great team. Thanks again for taking the time to work things out.

The ACC staff came up with an updated scoring system that I will talk about more in upcoming events. So, if your goal is to get members used to a scoring format they will most likely see going forward, keep that in mind when discussing things with the Combat Master and DGM.

Individual units are free to try out different scoring methods. Just know that anything DB-wide will most likely adapt something more in lines with what we saw with Rivalries.

Clan Event Halls

As a quick reminder, for Clan Events I’ve gone and created the Clan Events Hall. This will be where Clan events get hosted.

For any Clan Event planning, please email the Combat Master at least 3-4 weeks in advance. This allows for planning, coordination, and allows us to make sure that your event doesn’t overlap with other existing plans. Once approved, I will work with whoever is organizing the competition to handle the administrative end of the competition while offering oversight.

Right now, the biggest obstacle for both DB-Wide and Clan Events going forward is making sure we don’t overlap with any Vendettas. We are not going to run a Clan Event that overlaps with a Vendetta event, or will at the very least try our best to avoid overlap.

On a similar note, anything Vendetta-related (which is any event that involves more than one unit) should be going through the Deputy Grand Master for oversight. Feel free to CC the Combat Master as well, though the DGM will have final say over Vendetta competitions. I’d say it’s wise to include the CM, though, but I might be slightly biased.

New NPC Competition

In hopes of getting more people involved with the new elements of the Character Sheets, I’ve opened up a new competition where I’m calling for members to create the next NFU NPC. For this competition, you’re being tasked with making a “Scoundrel”. Smuggler-type characters are a huge part of the Star Wars universe and lore, so I’m really excited to see what you guys can come up with in terms of a unique and engaging character.

You can view the competition details here, where I inlcuded the template and a guide on how to use it/create your NPC.

The winning entry will become a Featured NPC for the DB and will be utilized for the Scoundrel Discipline focus article.

ACC Links

• 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]. I went to write a “Ask the CM” section, but realized that I only answered questions on Telegram and haven't received any emails. I get too many Telegram messages a day to track everything, so if you have mechanics-related questions that you think are important and worthy of other people knowing, use the ACC Staff email please.

Thanks.