ATTN: Your Feedback Required

[Green Ranger]

Alright folks, so I've been hearing a hell of a lot of bad stuff about the the leadership since the changeover in rule. Not from one source either. I've also been looking over a few of the boards and the sign-up threads, where there's been some huge mistakes made.

First off, I want to apologize for what's happened so far. There's no excuse for how the faction's being handled at the moment, so I'm not going to make any. Fact of the matter is, we were the strongest faction, and now we're falling apart. Hence this thread.

I want everyone on the roster to get involved in this discussion, and ask as many questions as you want - don't hold back for any reason, I want your honest opinions on the leadership and the faction at the moment, and what we can do to move forward and get back to being top dog.

 

[Dmitri]

I've had a few people ask me this question, so I'll forward them here. This, in a paraphrased form, is what I'm asked frequently: Who is in charge of what (both ICly and OOCly)? A couple people thought I was still a AFL.

 

[©razy Man]

That's an easy one attack the Jedi(or some other faction)! Besides that I have no opinions for the FL becuase I've been here for about 2 weeks (I think) but I've been hearing the same stuff as you. Also I sent a pm to Mars about it but my charrie Aniad is in the roster but I put him up on the First Order of Business. So if he could be put up that'd be great.

 

[Green Ranger]

I've had a few people ask me this question, so I'll forward them here. This, in a paraphrased form, is what I'm asked frequently: Who is in charge of what (both ICly and OOCly)? A couple people thought I was still a AFL.

I think there's a lot of confusion about that for more then one reason, and I'm definately going to try and sort it out. For now, members can contact myself or Mars, or Sreeya in the worst case scenario. Thanks for pointing that out though.

That's an easy one attack the Jedi(or some other faction)! Besides that I have no opinions for the FL becuase I've been here for about 2 weeks (I think) but I've been hearing the same stuff as you. Also I sent a pm to Mars about it but my charrie Aniad is in the roster but I put him up on the First Order of Business. So if he could be put up that'd be great.

Added to the roster, sorry about that! We've got a few battle in the works at the moment, but I'm going to try and organize an acolyte/padawan skirmish too to get you guys involved as well.

 

[Mr. Teatime]

Don't forget about myself, GR. >_> I can also be contacted with questions or concerns, as I am an AFL.

Arcturus is at the head of all military operations and has also commandeered the Ubiqtorate, since their spymaster is out of commission. He also handles diplomatic matters, for the most part.

 

[Toska]

Hm, it doesn't seem like you guys are organized. You all have agendas and are putting plans into motion, but there's a sense that your communication is lacking. I don't know whether the issue is induced by time constraints or full schedules, but the cause isn't all that relevant.

Another problem -- and this is pure speculation -- seems to be that the faction bit off more than it could chew. It went on uncontested for too long under strong leadership, causing the members to become complacent. There is a boredom of sorts associated with the Sith. With the turning of the guard, the new leadership has to deal with that complacent member base while dealing with restructuring and other implementations that are wont to occur during a change of leadership.

Instead of focusing on cross-faction battles and skirmishes right off the bat, I suggest that you organize faction-wide events that whet the members' appetites first. Tournaments and quests are decent ways of attaining this. As a final note -- and this pertains to the site on a whole as opposed to singling out the Sith -- I've noticed that people are putting an incredible amount of weight into the ranking system. They are using guidelines to determine power level, which is self-defeating for a story-focused site. People want to be Sith Masters and Lords, thinking that they are entitled to the rank based upon their membership.

It would be advisable to discourage this thinking. Let them know that ranks refer more to the political hierarchy than a character's personal strength. Acolytes can, theoretically, be as powerful as Masters. For the Sith, the difference in rank is the difference in charisma; the difference in influence. In effect, this entails that Sith Masters are the devious, conniving Sith we all know and love rather than the chaotic, destructive ones. This also encourages the member-base to add depth to their role-plays, straying away from rote training exercises and promoting a system of prestige.

 

[Endling vas Precious]

I agree with everything Lark said, I want to earn more prestige and gain ranks, and besides wanting to be the Empress, I'd love to see more quests and tournaments.

 

[Black Noise]

Lark hit nail on the head for me, even adding in things I had forgotten but unconsciously realize.

Oh! One more thing. Could you PM me on what you think Chiss-Sith relations should be in your new leadership? Since with the old leaders the Chiss slowly began drifting away from the Sith. In my opinion, if we aren't strong allies we aren't really allies at all.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

and besides wanting to be the Empress

Well that's not weird at all.

 

[Mars]

Well that's not weird at all.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Win.

 

[Amilthi]

The faction is really closing itself off from new people. They wait weeks for feedback on their applications, and the missions thread is rarely updated. (Boli thankfully added the newest sign-ups recently, but unfortunately, there's still a lot of characters in the mission list who are long gone and should be removed because they're confusing the picture.) To be sure, whenever I have nudged someone personally via PM or VM, they have responded promptly and in a friendly manner; but the above things have to be done on a regular basis. We can't just expect new people to contact someone personally to have a look at things; especially when it's not entirely obvious who to write to.

Also, most of what Lark said, with the exception of this: I have a feeling that it doesn't make sense that Acolytes can be as powerful as Masters or Darths. Crusaders can, if they simply lack the ambition to do something to rise in the ranks, but I think if you're sufficiently powerful as an acolyte, you're going to be promoted to the rank of a regular Sith, i.e. a Crusader. After all, in contrast to Padawanhood in the Jedi Order, isn't Acolytehood (terrible word, but what better is there?...) supposed to suck?

 

[Sreeya]

The lack of attention to newer/lower ranked members is something I've noticed. That's exactly what I'm addressing since I've been back. While I'm not running the faction anymore, I want this to emphasize that anyone can pitch in to help. I'm looking at all the Darths, Lords, Masters, etc. It's not up to just the Faction Leader(s) to do everything alone. A faction runs best when everyone pitches in, and it's true that we can't just expect new members to know what to do right off the bat. It's the job of the higher ranks to take care of that while the FLs manage/organize. However, it's not too late to get the Sith up and running to the extent they were before. All these problems will be addressed accordingly.

 

[Teynara]

We could definitely do with more in-house RP - I don't get that sense of internal friction that used to characterise the Sith Order, and the whole notion of Prestige seems to have up and vanished somewhere along the lines. Really, we've lost our identity as Sith and exchanged it with a pro-Imperial, hating-everyone approach that strikes me as counter-intuitive. Even the Weiss Cup got shelved, and that looked like it might at least provide us with some entertainment. Really, we're not doing anything as a faction, and it's up to the higher-ups to lead the way and generate some activity for the rest, or at least encourage a little branching out. It seems strange, but it's mostly the lower-ranked Sith who are active at present. That's not right at all.

 

[Mr. Teatime]

Arcturus is fairly active, but I've had a computer virus and Mars' computer was totally out of commission until fairly recently. I'm going to be posting some military some military reforms soon, possibly also a class and tournament. Rest assured, prestige will return. There will be missions. As it stands, we seem to have been a bit slow to update everything due to various things, but work is being done again. At this moment, I'm updating the military roster.

Edit: I would also like to point out that stuff wasn't exactly being updated regularly by previous leadership, as Xeno etc were extremely busy with IRL stuff. That's no excuse for us, but there's lots of stuff to catch up on. Stuff needed some serious updating before the switch, and we're working on it.

If there are any questions or concerns, please PM Mars, Boli, or myself. I always answer PMs when I notice them, and I regularly have the forum up on a tab when I'm not removing a virus. :3 I also accept suggestions and constructive criticism.

As it stands, I am the one currently handling sign ups, rosters, and missions. If you want me to look at your profile before you place it on the sign up thread or for any reason, feel free to shoot me a message of some kind. 'Tis my job.

 

[Korps]

Despite my relatively new status, I do intend to at least attempt to have Varrick become someone of note within the faction. At the moment, what's holding me back is my inability to complete my training.

 

[Toska]

Also, most of what Lark said, with the exception of this: I have a feeling that it doesn't make sense that Acolytes can be as powerful as Masters or Darths. Crusaders can, if they simply lack the ambition to do something to rise in the ranks, but I think if you're sufficiently powerful as an acolyte, you're going to be promoted to the rank of a regular Sith, i.e. a Crusader. After all, in contrast to Padawanhood in the Jedi Order, isn't Acolytehood (terrible word, but what better is there?...) supposed to suck?

I'd have to disagree. To me, at least, ranking up in the Sith is all about playing at politics. Acolytes are the bottom of the barrel. They are the cannon fodder, the replaceable assets. It is theoretically possible for an Acolyte to adventure and train in isolation to the point that they are as powerful (if not more so) than most Crusaders or Masters. Not plausible, but possible. This would rarely happen, as strength alone can impress some of the Sith, but should still be possible.

I'd like to point out a difference in Padawan and Acolyte training. Jedi aren't promoted to Knight based on power. A Padawan can be as powerful as they'd like, can spend years studying the intricacies of combat, but still be ineligible for promotion. Jedi need an understanding of their tenets to climb the ranks; Sith merely need influence.

 

[Brand]

Lark and I are in agreement.

Also, the new rank system is... clunky? The differentiation is unnecessary; specializations should be left to characters, not ranks within a faction, and the added number of ranks only makes more work for the faction's leadership in promotions. Also, really, Recognized Sith and Sith? I would stick with 'Sith Crusader/Marauder/Knight/Warrior' and 'Sith Master'. There is no need to over-conceptualize. If a 'Sith' is a Sith Master, then than that should be their title, with a specialization left to one's profile.

 

[Sreeya]

Also, the new rank system is... clunky? The differentiation is unnecessary; specializations should be left to characters, not ranks within a faction, and the added number of ranks only makes more work for the faction's leadership in promotions. Also, really, Recognized Sith and Sith? I would stick with 'Sith Crusader/Marauder/Knight/Warrior' and 'Sith Master'. There is no need to over-conceptualize. If a 'Sith' is a Sith Master, then than that should be their title, with a specialization left to one's profile.

This. This. This.

 

[Green Ranger]

Lark and I are in agreement.

Also, the new rank system is... clunky? The differentiation is unnecessary; specializations should be left to characters, not ranks within a faction, and the added number of ranks only makes more work for the faction's leadership in promotions. Also, really, Recognized Sith and Sith? I would stick with 'Sith Crusader/Marauder/Knight/Warrior' and 'Sith Master'. There is no need to over-conceptualize. If a 'Sith' is a Sith Master, then than that should be their title, with a specialization left to one's profile.

I'm completely in agreement with you on this. From a gameplay and writing perspective, the new ranks are a bit too messy for my liking, and I think it's a little too...TORish actually. Specializations should be left up to the individual characters - if someone wants to play a jack-of-all trades, they should have that option too.