Greetings Everyone,

I have just pushed out an email to the entire Dark Brotherhood. I am going to use the news page and this report to reinforce this email's message. Please review the below:

Grand Master’s Address: 27 June 2015

The Dark Jedi Brotherhood has spent the past three months recovering from the high tempo competition schedule of Horizons, the Dark Crusade, and Fading Light. During this three month period the Grand Master and Dark Council have instituted a series of policy changes and announced a multitude of Dark Brotherhood system changes. These changes have come in erratic and chaotic messaging and have not been accompanied by an overarching strategy that informs the Dark Brotherhood membership of our desired state of affairs post Episode VII release. In order to provide transparency and inform the membership, I have crafted a singular document that details my vision as your Grand Master and the common goal I have tasked the Dark Council with achieving by February of 2016.

This strategy is based on a system that is familiar to many of you in the business or academic world. In short, it shows were we are now, were we want to be in the future, and what things we need to do to get there. I have framed the DB of June 2015 as one that is sleepily enjoying our rest from Horizons, but floating without direction. In order to provide that direction I have mapped our four major lines of effort along fiction, gaming, graphics, and systems. Those major lines of effort come with highlighted events or projects that are identified along a timeline and a build towards the Episode VII release and our next Great Jedi War. The desired state following the Great Jedi War is a Modernized DJB utilizing an updated website, new systems, and operating under clear and concise visions driven by membership feedback.

You can find the roadmap to February 2016 below.

This road map requires a considerable amount of coordination and communication between the Dark Council, our Clan leadership, and our membership. This communication will come in the form of multiple “Small Team” emails that 1) identify who is responsible for what task 2) provide clear intent as the Grand Master concerning my expectations on the project 3) define clear milestones for each project. The road map also contains a few areas that I want to highlight and provide guidance on in order to avoid confusion.

1. Timeline: August Details a Meta Game. What is this? It is a non-standard DJB-wide experience designed to support the release of new DJB Canon material. This only details of the game will be that it starts in August, the rest will be left for the members to experience and discover on their own.
   
2. Timeline: September through November. This date range is identified as Clan based competitions and events. This is the window that I recommend Clans conduct their own internal feuds as well as Clan vs Clan feuds. This will also offer all of us an opportunity to evaluate large form competition rules that the Clans utilize in their events in order to determine if they could be used as a best practice in the next GJW.
3. Timeline: December and January. The Great Jedi War will take place in this window in order to maximize our club activity during the release of Episode VII. I am aware of concerns relating to activity during the holiday season, but feel that the positives of a GJW timed with Episode VII will outweigh the negatives.
   
4. Gaming: Battlefront Evaluation. Everyone is excited about the pending release of Battlefront, but we have yet to determine what platform we will focus on or how the game will be incorporated into the DB. Many decisions about the game will be made prior to its release, but many will be made after. The post release window of Battlefront will provide all of us with good insight on how the game can be supported in the GJW.
5. Graphics: Website Splash. We have talked about this for years, but it is finally time to update our website with a new set of graphics. The current theme dates back to my first reign as Grand Master and an update/modernization is required. My plan is to launch new website designs timed with the release of our new order systems. We will offer up a design window for our existing members to submit ideas and graphics. If those items do not meet our desire, we will outsource the project to an artist.
6. Systems: GJW Planning. The GJW Planning required its own subset red line because I want to convey the process that will take place in order to deliver a tight and clean GJW experience. The intent is crystal clear. The DC will present the Clans a set of rules, events, and outline of the competition several months prior to release. This will not be a plan as we go style event.
   

I want to take the time to finish this address off with my thanks and appreciation to the membership and our Dark Council. Being a part of the Dark Brotherhood is a rewarding experience, but it can be trying at times and often the decisions of the Grand Master or Dark Council can seem random or disjointed. I want to ensure that we reduce those instances as much as possible over the course of the next several months and continue to work towards creating an experience all of us are proud to be a part of.

Grand Master Pravus