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It’s been a full week now, and I wanted to review some things on projects that are ongoing, and ask for some feedback from everyone if there’s a project you’d like considered as part of the plan. As well as a look at the massive project that is the Fiction Society and give you all some insights into all the moving pieces that I’m putting on track to get this thing launched just for full transparency sake. Then some sweet competitions and staffing discussions.
I reviewed the list of projects that were being worked on by the Voice staff when I took over. I’ve had my discussions with Wally, Mav and Sarin regarding the top priorities of the team, and sent my first take on the ongoing body of work back for review. This will help determine what work lay ahead, and if the team is staffed well enough to do what is on our roadmap. Expect to see a full transparent review of everything on this project list once it’s been properly reviewed with declared owners and teams.
Right now the top priorities are still clearly: CS2.0, Fiction Society and DJB Story and Plot updates. Everything below that is being evaluated.
If there is a project somewhere in your mind that you’d like considered. Or an idea of something you think needs to be done, please send me an email and outline what it is. I’ll say that even if an idea doesn’t make sense, sometimes at the root of it is a problem that should still be solved by some other means. So all feedback can be valuable.
The past week I have gone through countless emails and documents over multiple different owners of this project as Voice. There is a great solid foundation for me to build on, and my ideas and plans are aligning with Mav’s, be that good or bad. I wanted to get some transparency about all of what is going into this society, so everyone can get a good idea of why perhaps it’s been in the works so long, the most complicated of which is data driven.
Framework: A lot of work has already gone into this, driven from the top about what must be done to advance through the 12 different planned ranks, similar to the other societies (GMRG and SAS). CI, DSS, Crescents and Novae from fiction events, ACC battles, run-ons, and all the different methods of participation and effort associated with each rank. This work is mostly done, in a back and forth phase currently to perfect it. At least perfect enough for launch.
Balancing: Once the effort and framework are in place, balancing out exactly how much of each activity is needed for each rank takes place so that members feel like they are advancing through the ranks at a pace that meets their effort, while feeling the effort. As seen when societies have re-balanced in the past, this is an imperfect art, but we strive for the best balance at launch with the information we have today.
Story: The society will have a fictional background. Much like the GMRG are a group of elite bodyguards protecting the Dark Council, and the SAS provides access to coveted knowledge and ancient holocrons as one reaches the higher ranks, the Fiction Society will likewise have a history, and a fictional existence, especially considering it is the Fiction Society. Some hints at what this will be have already been sent, but it must be fully developed with launch so it’s out there to read on the wiki, or learn about in the Shadow Academy for all who begin their journey up the ranks.
Awards: Like the other society, each rank will come with associated perks. Accessory slot items, or CS options that become available, and all of these must be balanced so members feel like they become progressively more awesome, and also the Herald staff needs to work to create graphics for all these so there can be visually something to show.
Site Programming: Even after I go through the process of deciding on the perfect way to determine if someone has earned Rank X, the Seneschal office then has to go through the process of getting the site to manage all of it. Using what logic is available and applying new logic if possible. Certain site limitations or load on programming time could limit the frame work from the start.
Legacy Review: Probably the most complicated of all the looming issues with launching a Fiction Society. The longer it takes, the easier and harder this gets. As the site tracks a lot more information now, and Clusters of Ice are awarded in a whole new way, but so much has been written by our members in the past, so many competitions run, placed in, and stories written, that are not properly reflected by the current system. Managing a way to go back and either scrub these records to find out what happened and let the current way know, be it manual or otherwise, are carefully considered.
I wanted to share this list so everyone gets a good overview of what’s going on with the Fiction Society. Know that every single one of the items I listed above, are in progress, and I’m doing my best to make decisions and drive each piece forward until we have something we can launch and call ready. Even then the work is never complete, but I am very excited about the society, and look forward to seeing all the writers in the DJB properly reflected in the ranks.
Keeping it together: I have decided to run a fairly generic DJB wide fiction competition that will run for about a month, giving everyone plenty of time to create their story. Having seen a chain of very creative ideas behind Sith Lords, dreams and flashbacks, I wanted to do something current and open ended where members can get a chance to build their character post-GJW as they want, and do something current.
Into The Deadly Wild: Sandrin from Clan Naga Sadow is also running a DJB wide fiction event that runs through to June 18th (next Thursday) that is a bit of a survival inspired piece. Don’t pass up changes to acquire Clusters of Ice that we all know will be a major part of advancement through the ranks of the future Fiction Society.
Everyone is always welcome to run fiction competitions DJB wide, but remember that the prompt itself must be generic and make sense for the entire Brotherhood. If it feels more Clan specific, I will ask that it be targeted to your Clan when it runs.
Current Staff: When I took on the position of Voice, I had two Magistrates, and now I have one. Rax was working with Shad on helping get Dark Crusade information into the wiki. So we can properly record all this great history. I thank him for whatever great work he did with Shad. Arden is currently working with Wally on the CS2.0 project, and me on different competitions and Voice related projects and updates, with some plans to create content once we get a solid road map approved.
Future Staff: I have talked to Slags about the Dark Crusade wiki project that’s on the project list assigned the Shad and Rax, and to help see it complete without them, as well as some other pending content related activities I may be in need of a Magistrate, to do the type of work Rax was working on. I am going to hold off on opening applications while I review the project list, but if this is something you are interested in you can start on an application. It will be a content driven position, so examples of competition entries, wiki pages or other content that you’ve created would be great.
Reminder again: Organizers must send their pins and word counts to me, for Clusters of Ice to be awarded.
I’ve been Voice for a week. Still no graphics or an avatar but I’m supposed to be in the shadows, so it’s fine none of you know what Evant looks like. All the easier to sneak up on you unexpectedly. I am still in download mode. Somewhere on the uphill climb of the learning curve. I have great support on the way up though so I’m confident in what lay ahead.
In darkness,
Evant Taelyan
Voice of the Brotherhood
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The fiction society, home to the insane. "And then I took place in a 3000 word storyline involving waffles!" The rooms will be fully padded yes?
Joking aside, great second report Event. Very excited to see this stuff happen.
Always with the holding off on opening applications! Open them already, I'm itching to throw my hat in the ring!
Good content though, really open door so far without giving too much away.
You have me wanting to know more, to see more, and I am yet waiting with bated breath. The fiction society has me most excited though, I have to admit.
Forgive the question if the answer has already been made known, but while I like the concept of the Fiction Society and fully believe that having a ranking system like that will spur on some great writing activity, will it be called something else that is a little more roleplay(ey)? When I hear Grand Master's Royal Guard I think that sounds pretty cool when in reality it is the equivalent of a gaming society. Will the Fiction Society have another name for in character interaction?
Again, forgive the question if I missed the answer somewhere else.
Good work, Aeolus! <3
I can't wait to see what the fiction society will entail.
Awesome stuff. It's very exciting!
I'm sure Evant and I can come up with some sort of clever name for it Onwai :) .
Dead Poets Society?