Message from the Fist

Hello Gamers! We are now clear of the War and we go headlong back into the regular activity of Brotherhood Gaming! This report will cover a few things: a game support test, cluster value updates to one of our more popular games, an incoming Rites of Combat update, and some job openings!

Magistrate to the Fist

First things first here, I want to thank both Justinios and Rhylance for their tenures on the Fist Staff. Both are moving on from Magistrate, which means that applications are being accepted! I highly encourage some of our newer members to apply for a spot as an opportunity to see how Gaming business is conducted and as a Council Staff opportunity.

What are we looking for in a Magistrate?

• Easy to work with.
• A desire to learn and to teach/support.
• An understanding of the Rites of Combat.
• Telegram Presence and a 24 hour turnaround.
• A passion for gaming on a variety of platforms.

What should you include in your application?

• A list of games (both supported and unsupported) that you play on a regular basis.
• Ideas for how to improve some of the support options for our current platforms.
• Anything else you think can sell you.

Submit your application to both [Log in to view e-mail addresses] and [Log in to view e-mail addresses]. If you only send it to one of us, your application will be discarded. We will be closing applications on September 14th and the two selected candidates will be brought on staff by September 21st and will immediately be putting together their first competition for the start of the 4th Quarter of the GMRG Leaderboard.

I have no preference of format. PDF, GDoc, Word files are all fine.

Diablo 3 Cluster Values

Earlier this year, Diablo 3 saw three new difficulty levels scaling up past the previous highest Torment XIII. Torment XVI has monster health over three times as high, more than double the damage %, and almost double the legendary drop rate % as Torment XIII. These new difficulties have now been accounted for in the submission screen; offering up to a 4.0 modifier.

In addition, the sheer quality in the Greater Rift performance during the war encouraged an increased cluster value for those GRifts above 60. Now, Grifts will offer a scaling cluster value up to 5 CEs for a Hardcore 100+ Greater Rift.

These changes are live on the site as of this report as Season 18 ramps up. Enjoy your rings of power and your increased Cluster Value.

New Game Support Test: Dauntless

We ran a successful poll pre-war and the Dauntless comp ran during the war had sufficient participation that I’m comfortable moving forward with the Game Test. Those of you who remember the Apex test will know that there is an in-site mechanism for submitting screenshots.

The test will commence on September 1st and run until September 30th.

The same basic rules for this will apply:

• Each hunting party must have more than one DB member.
• Each activity only needs to be submitted to the site once; double dipping is not allowed.
• Singular Submission is activated, which means that all participants must have this competition selected.
• Fifteen unique participants will be required for Dauntless to be supported.

You can find the full competition details linked here.

Good hunting!

Rites of Combat Update

The revamped Rites of Combat were a priority for me coming into my tenure and they’re being reviewed by the Dark Council as we speak. One of the new additions is going to be a “Tenets of Brotherhood Gaming.” These exist as a simplified version of the RoC and exist in the 2nd person for a basic understanding that is less intimidating for new members and serve as reminders for the veterans. The Rites themselves haven’t undergone any major changes in their substance, but have had a cosmetic update to bring them in line to the post-IRC era, and to mirror the format of the Covenant.

My timeline for having these launched is Quarter Four of the GMRG Leaderboard.

Vanilla

A few days ago, Blizzard launched World of Warcraft Classic, and I totally didn’t just renew my subscription just to play it again. I’ve spent a few hours the last couple days levelling a Nelf Priest to level 10 and I had forgotten just how severe and unrelenting Vanilla was. Having to buy every single spell and spell upgrade is so daunting and I’ve had to download a handful of add-ons just for some quality of life because I had grown so accustomed to a much more interactive mini-map.

The nostalgia factor hit me right in the face the instant I realized I had no idea where I was supposed to go. My real solace is that the early game frustrations are going to be worth it once I get to run a good MC.

Are you playing? What realm are you on? What faction do you rep? Comment below!

War Gaming Activity Summary (excluding brackets)

Top Platforms during 13th Great Jedi War:

No. 1 - Warframe with with 55 Activities.

No. 2 - Apex: Legends with 52 Activities.

No. 3 - Hearthstone with 48 Activities.

Admin and Policy Reminders

If you haven’t joined the ranks of the GMRG, head on over to the GMRG-History course and pass the exam within the Shadow Academy. Get an opportunity to gain exclusive items, compete on the leaderboard to choose a Dark Council member to protect! (Get their accessory!)

All current Gaming and Fist Policies can be found on the Gaming Information page. I suggest that all members read this page as it has some great info. I will make sure this page stays updated to reflect all current office policies. I do not want to confuse anyone, especially with what is and is not allowed in the DB Gaming Telegram room.

Other items of note:

• The staff has 24 hours from the time you submit gaming activity to approve it. If your submission has been sitting for longer than that, there is a problem. If it hasn’t, there is no problem. The staff do their best to process gaming submissions as quickly as possible, but they are real people with real lives. I do not expect them to sit behind a computer processing gaming submissions all day, and neither should any of you.

• Solo submissions are never acceptable for Clusters of Earth/Fire. My staff and I will reject any that come in. You must play with at least one other DB member, no exceptions. This is not changing any time in the near (or far) future, or ever.

• Pendants of Blood are not acceptable for submission to cluster-counting competitions. If we see them, we will remand the request.

• Reminder: Feel free to run Gaming competitions DB wide. Gaming is a slightly different community, and is one of the few that consistently brings club members together outside of the competitive environment. Most of the people I currently game are all in different clans. By opening up your event DB-wide, you increase the pool of possible participants, which could allow for a crescent upgrade!

• Reminder: While I sincerely appreciate having proposals/great ideas sent to me via telegram, please email the staff list (email is at the bottom of this report). I ask that your House and Clan leadership take a look at your proposals before you send them up. This isn’t to add a layer of bureaucracy, it’s because I’m sure they’d like to know how you are trying to help the club improve...helps with award and promotion recommendations and all that. Feel free to cc them on your email to me and my staff.

Helpful Links

• [DB Gaming on Telegram - Log in to view join link] on Telegram. Come be part of the discussion in the one and only official gaming channel of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood!

• Send us an email at [Log in to view e-mail addresses]

If you have any other questions about the Fist’s Office or Gaming in general, don’t hesitate to fire me an e-mail: [Log in to view e-mail addresses].

Thanks everyone, and enjoy the war!

I have the honour to be your obedient servant,

A. Jinn