Activities 105: Vendettas
Vendettas are large-scale events, sanctioned by the Dark Council, that involve formal competition between the independent units of the Brotherhood.
There are three types of vendettas: a Great Jedi War (GJW), Rite of Supremacy (RoS) and Clan Feud. These can involve as few as two units – in the case of a Clan Feud – or they may call on the participation of every unit in the Brotherhood. Vendettas will feature a number of competitions of varying types and typically last anywhere from three to six weeks.
What can I expect?
If you’ve never experienced a vendetta before, you may be wondering what to expect. While many aspects of vendettas are similar to normal competitions held throughout the year, you’ll find several notable differences that set these events apart.
High-Stakes Hype
First of all, vendettas are "kind of a big deal” (and your chance to prove you are, too!). These events decide bragging rights and awards for Clans and individuals and often are used to shape major developments in the Brotherhood’s fictional storyline.
Vendettas are not quiet events that hide in the competitions list. They will be announced prominently on the Brotherhood’s main page, in your unit leaders’ reports and generally “hyped” throughout the Brotherhood’s communication channels long before their official start date. Great Jedi Wars and Rites of Supremacy are often even preceded by their own smaller “prologue” events in an effort to get members excited and set the stage for the main event to come.
Because unit participation and member placement weigh heavily in vendettas, you’ll find your unit leaders rallying your fellows to participation levels that are rarely seen in regular competitions. Many units will also create a private “war room” on the club Discord server to coordinate their efforts during vendettas.
Story Arcs
The Dark Jedi Brotherhood maintains a storyline that is guided by its leaders and shaped by its members. Vendettas are the primary drivers of these story arcs and have historically introduced everything from new enemies, allies and plagues to good, old-fashioned internal strife.
Leading up to and throughout a vendetta, story updates will be posted on the main page of the Brotherhood website. These story segments let you know the current state of affairs and give you a view of the tensions and struggles that surround the vendetta. They hint at what is to come and get the creative juices flowing for those members who enjoy writing in-character fiction. At the conclusion of these events, it is also common for members who ranked highly or achieved high levels of participation to find their characters featured in finale fictions!
To prepare yourself for an upcoming Great Jedi War or Rite of Supremacy, it’s a good idea to become familiar with both the Brotherhood’s current storyline and any of the related updates that are posted on the main news page.
Competitions
Vendettas are composed of individual competitions designed to allow members to test their skill against members of a feuding Clan or against the entire Brotherhood.
A note of caution. While you should always carefully read the instructions for any competition, it is particularly important to do so for any vendetta event. Vendettas can be won or lost by very small margins, and you don’t want to be kicking yourself when it’s over because your submission was disqualified for not following instructions as outlined in the competition description.
Competition Types
Vendettas will feature competitions for every major activity in the Brotherhood – fiction, gaming and graphics – as well as a variety of non-standard “miscellaneous” competitions to keep things interesting and fun.
Fiction
Fiction competitions in vendettas may include individual short stories, cooperative fiction, run-ons, combat writing or any variety of fiction-focused activity. Some of these events will even present members with a choice of prompt that may help determine the progression of the story arc going forward.
See Activities 101: Fiction for a refresher on competing in fiction competitions.
Gaming
Gaming events in vendettas typically strive to include a variety of games, including mobile games, to ensure that everyone has a chance to participate in at least one competition of this type. If you plan to game during a vendetta, make sure you’re grouping up using #gaming-matchmaking on Discord. During a vendetta, rules for matchmaking may be stricter to ensure fairness and prevent exclusion.
See Activities 102: Gaming for a refresher on competing in gaming competitions, and be sure to review the [Rites of Combat] as they pertain to gaming in vendettas.
Graphics/Multimedia
Graphics and multimedia competitions in vendettas will offer a chance for artists of all sorts to participate in activities from traditional art to movie making, battle planning or propaganda postering. Because some of the competitions may ask you to depict an important character or scene from the vendetta, it’s also common for members to find their work (with their permission) highlighted and utilized on relevant DJB Wiki pages. The image shown here was created by Jael Valsi Chi'ra for Great Jedi War XV.
See Activities 103: Graphics for a refresher on competing in graphics competitions.
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous competitions are just that – events that do not fall neatly into the three major categories above and allow members with different skill sets to flex their strength. These types of competitions can include activities like creating an NPC, voice acting, puzzles, writing venue descriptions, or Wiki pages.
Even if you don’t normally participate in certain types of competitions, it’s important during a vendetta that you try to participate in every type. Every submission counts in a vendetta (not just for you, but for your unit), so don’t be ashamed to try your hand at a stickman drawing, a new game or penning a haiku if the situation calls for it!
The Bin System of Scoring
When a vendetta finally begins and the full list of competitions is revealed, it’s common to feel a little overwhelmed. But never fear! Most vendettas of the modern era have adopted a unique scoring system that groups competitions into “bins” to make it easier for members to earn full participation points. Instead of needing to participate in every competition to get full participation credit, you only need to complete one competition per bin and can therefore focus on the activities you enjoy most.
Though participating in at least one competition per bin will earn you and your Clan full participation points, participating in more will increase your chances at placement and help you earn additional credits and awards (see: spoils of war). It’s also worth noting that some competitions may be weighted more heavily than others for scoring purposes when it comes to placement.
For reference, your competition screen may look like this, with the green participation check indicating that you have completed the bin for the purpose of the vendetta’s scoring:
While the bin system is fairly universal for vendettas, specific scoring details may vary from vendetta to vendetta, so be sure to read both the parent competition scoring rules as well as any additional details within individual competition descriptions to be sure you understand how your efforts will be counted.
Event Phases
Vendettas are often broken into phases to better manage the multitude of competitions that are offered and occasionally to give members and judges a brief break from the flurry of activity.
Some events will last the entire length of the vendetta, while most will be contained to the timeline of their respective phase. Pay careful attention to individual competition deadlines and, where appropriate*, be sure to subscribe to any competition in which you intend to participate so that you will see reminders on your Administration page.
*Note that some events (like puzzles or other timed competitions) will start a timer when you subscribe, so don’t subscribe to those until you are ready to play! These competitions will warn you of this in the description.
Types of Vendettas
Great Jedi War
Great Jedi Wars are the highest-stakes vendettas as they allow Clans to compete for the coveted titles of First Clan, Second Clan and Third Clan of the Brotherhood. Typically, the scoring for a Great Jedi War will emphasize placement over participation, thus making these events a chance for members and Clans to test their skills against the entire Brotherhood.
A complete history of the Brotherhood’s Great Jedi Wars is chronicled on the DJB Wiki.
To get an idea of how GJWs are run and won, view the GJW XV: Ascension event. You can click into individual competitions to view the instructions and even the entries of participants who chose to make them public.
Rite of Supremacy
A Rite of Supremacy is also a chance for the Clans to prove their worth, though the rewards are not quite as lucrative as a Great Jedi War, and Clan titles are not afforded to the victors. Scoring for these vendettas will emphasize participation over placement, rewarding effort and community at the highest levels.
The fictional accounts of historical Rites of Supremacy can also be found on the DJB Wiki.
For an example of a recent RoS event, see: Rite of Supremacy: Escalation.
Clan Feuds
Unlike Great Jedi Wars and Rites of Supremacy, Clan Feuds involve competition between only two to three Clans. Despite their smaller scale, they are vendetta events and, as such, are overseen by the Dark Council, include DJB-canon fiction and are eligible for rewards either from the Dark Council or as wagers against the competing Clan(s).
Clan Feud guidelines can be found on the DJB Wiki.
For an example of a recent feud, see: the Myrkr Crusade between clans Plagueis and Odan-Urr.
The Spoils of War
We’ve said that vendettas are high-stakes events. So, what are the stakes?
Titles
The titles of First Clan, Second Clan and Third Clan are awarded to the top-placing Clans in a Great Jedi War. The top-placing individual competitors in a Great Jedi War or Rite of Supremacy are considered “war heroes” and are thus likewise awarded the titles of First, Second and Third Hero of the respective vendetta. These titles are displayed on member dossiers.
Awards
Gold, Silver and Bronze Novae are awarded to the top placing individuals of each competition within a vendetta. As these awards cannot be won outside of a vendetta-level event, they are one of the most prized competition medals in the Brotherhood. Participants are also awarded a Seal for each competition of the vendetta in which they participated.
Credits
For Great Jedi Wars and Rites of Supremacy, credits will be awarded to Clans based on the rules established prior to the start of the event. Individuals also stand to earn a fair amount of credits from vendettas. Participation in Novae-awarding events earns more credits than standard competition participation (300 compared to 225), vendetta seals for participation are worth 100 credits each, and Bronze, Silver and Gold Novae come with a credit award of 1200, 1800 and 2700, respectively!
Spoils
Spoils of wars include rewards that will be determined by the Council. These can range from unit-level possessions like ships or fleets to custom robes, weapons or accessories exclusively for the members of the placing Clans. Spoils are available in all vendetta events.
The Rules of Engagement
The Dark Jedi Brotherhood always does its utmost to ensure fair game play in all competitions, but the high stakes of a vendetta raises our vigilance. As such, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the rules and be sure to consult your unit leaders if you have any concerns or questions about anything that might violate those.
Cessation of Inter-clan Transfers
To prevent abuse of the transfer system to unfairly advantage Clans, all inter-clan transfers are halted one week prior to any vendetta – a ban that extends for the duration of the event.
Covenant and Rites of Combat
The rules of engagement during a vendetta are governed by the same Covenant and Rites of Combat that guide any other competition within the club. Review the Rites of Combat for gaming competitions and ensure you understand the rules against cheating and plagiarism outlined in the Covenant under Section 7.06, the Conduct of Members.
Reporting Suspected Violations
If you suspect someone of breaking the rules of the Vendetta, you should inform the Justicar, Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master immediately. Provide them any evidence you may have and explain what you think the other member has done. They may ask you for more information, so make sure you are capable of further explaining your suspicions when contacted. If, after reporting the issue, someone contacts you trying to influence you, report this person to the Justicar, as well.
Image Credits
All other art created by the Herald staff.
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