Halajiin Rabeak
Oct 16th, 2016, 10:25:35 PM
Hey, everybody, I know I don't suggest changes, or things dealing with board rules very often out here in the open. Typically if I have an idea, I go straight to the person who can tell me if it's a good idea or not, and I leave it at that. But as this is a suggestion which affects anyone who plays a character on this board, it's best that I post this so that everyone can see it and voice their own opinions or concerns about it. An open discussion is healthy for everyone, in most cases.
The subject I've been thinking on lately is that of Groups. We've had groups for a while on this board, and for the most part we haven't needed them much, because our active player base was fairly small and for the most part we all knew each other and each other's direct contact information. Communicating ideas or plans was done inter-personally instead of via group messages. But as newer members have joined, this old method does not help or serve them well, and so groups have regained their original importance: structure and clarity for those involved in that group.
We sometimes take for granted the elaborate and rich tapestry of alternative history and socio-political structure we have created here, which is different to any other Star Wars board. We have the galaxy split in half, with a cold war raging between Empire and Alliance. We have Luke and Co. losing to the Empire in the destruction of the second Death Star, thus wiping out all canon characters. We have a very powerful non-canon race whose influence and might can be felt in most galactic societies, in the Cizerack, whose own culture is rich and nuanced enough to fill its own book. We have the Nehantites, a non-canon race of my own creation which has had its own effect on things in strange and interesting ways. I know of no other Star Wars board like ours, and because we are so very different it can be difficult for someone new to grasp just how different we are, and see how they can work within our structure and enhance it with their own play.
This is where Groups come in. Groups give structure, and can provide points of contact for questions or clarifications, and can also give breadth and scope to the factions being played out. Groups should exist to help those who wish to play in a certain faction or subset know who else is playing in it, and gain an understanding of the hierarchy within that group. Hierarchy is important in that we have players here who have spent a great deal of time on their character, and the structure they have already built. This isn't to say that there's not room for new positions of power, but for the most part those positions are limited, and naturally so. Groups should exist for the sake of planning, for understanding, and for cohesiveness.
That's where my suggestion comes in. We have a lot of things in place, and we need to make sure that new players understand how to contact those they might need to for questions, and can receive guidance OOC in their group instead of someone having to say, "Errr, you can't actually do that," after they've posted something. For this reason, it does not make sense for a new player to be able to create a group, as they will not be in a position of understanding to know how that group might already have its role filled, or how it might contradict another existing group. I believe that all groups should require a form of mission statement outlining the purpose and structure of the group, which is clearly visible to anyone who might wish to view the group in order for everyone to have an understanding of what the group covers. To this end, I believe that only moderators should be able to create any groups, period, and the creation should be done after a mission statement is prepared and sent to a group of moderators to review, and either approve, amend, or deny based on need or merit.
I do not suggest this to limit the creativity of anyone, but instead to enhance character and interaction by adding the element of understanding of our wholly unique setting. Too often we take for granted the depth of our comprehension of the intricacies going on here, and that makes it far too difficult for new players to become engaged when there's a form of separation there, and can lead to duplications of groups if they don't know what already exists. Those seeking a position of power within a group should ideally have either demonstrated a clear path to that power in their writing here thus far, or establish a character plotter which can be reviewed to determine whether or not that position is warranted for that character. There do need to be guidelines and structure we follow, for the sake of keeping things cohesive for everyone, so we're not contradicting each other with various departments or factions which would realistically not happen.
To this end, I also feel that the entire list of groups ought to be re-examined to see if there are any which overlap, or contradict, and those issues addressed before further confusion can happen.
As always, I'm open to your thoughts on this, and would be glad to discuss or clarify any of my points if desired.
The subject I've been thinking on lately is that of Groups. We've had groups for a while on this board, and for the most part we haven't needed them much, because our active player base was fairly small and for the most part we all knew each other and each other's direct contact information. Communicating ideas or plans was done inter-personally instead of via group messages. But as newer members have joined, this old method does not help or serve them well, and so groups have regained their original importance: structure and clarity for those involved in that group.
We sometimes take for granted the elaborate and rich tapestry of alternative history and socio-political structure we have created here, which is different to any other Star Wars board. We have the galaxy split in half, with a cold war raging between Empire and Alliance. We have Luke and Co. losing to the Empire in the destruction of the second Death Star, thus wiping out all canon characters. We have a very powerful non-canon race whose influence and might can be felt in most galactic societies, in the Cizerack, whose own culture is rich and nuanced enough to fill its own book. We have the Nehantites, a non-canon race of my own creation which has had its own effect on things in strange and interesting ways. I know of no other Star Wars board like ours, and because we are so very different it can be difficult for someone new to grasp just how different we are, and see how they can work within our structure and enhance it with their own play.
This is where Groups come in. Groups give structure, and can provide points of contact for questions or clarifications, and can also give breadth and scope to the factions being played out. Groups should exist to help those who wish to play in a certain faction or subset know who else is playing in it, and gain an understanding of the hierarchy within that group. Hierarchy is important in that we have players here who have spent a great deal of time on their character, and the structure they have already built. This isn't to say that there's not room for new positions of power, but for the most part those positions are limited, and naturally so. Groups should exist for the sake of planning, for understanding, and for cohesiveness.
That's where my suggestion comes in. We have a lot of things in place, and we need to make sure that new players understand how to contact those they might need to for questions, and can receive guidance OOC in their group instead of someone having to say, "Errr, you can't actually do that," after they've posted something. For this reason, it does not make sense for a new player to be able to create a group, as they will not be in a position of understanding to know how that group might already have its role filled, or how it might contradict another existing group. I believe that all groups should require a form of mission statement outlining the purpose and structure of the group, which is clearly visible to anyone who might wish to view the group in order for everyone to have an understanding of what the group covers. To this end, I believe that only moderators should be able to create any groups, period, and the creation should be done after a mission statement is prepared and sent to a group of moderators to review, and either approve, amend, or deny based on need or merit.
I do not suggest this to limit the creativity of anyone, but instead to enhance character and interaction by adding the element of understanding of our wholly unique setting. Too often we take for granted the depth of our comprehension of the intricacies going on here, and that makes it far too difficult for new players to become engaged when there's a form of separation there, and can lead to duplications of groups if they don't know what already exists. Those seeking a position of power within a group should ideally have either demonstrated a clear path to that power in their writing here thus far, or establish a character plotter which can be reviewed to determine whether or not that position is warranted for that character. There do need to be guidelines and structure we follow, for the sake of keeping things cohesive for everyone, so we're not contradicting each other with various departments or factions which would realistically not happen.
To this end, I also feel that the entire list of groups ought to be re-examined to see if there are any which overlap, or contradict, and those issues addressed before further confusion can happen.
As always, I'm open to your thoughts on this, and would be glad to discuss or clarify any of my points if desired.