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- Jul 1, 2013
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I've had a couple of people asking me about what's going on with the Imperial Marshalls after the activity stickie went up and here we are. So, as you more than likely noticed there have been some pretty damn big changes going on within the Galactic Rebellion and this is one of them. Lets cut straight to the chase: A.R.E.S. and the Imperial Marshalls are being separated as sub-factions. In short, A.R.E.S. will no longer be described as that weird mix of intelligence operatives who are ex-Imperials, with Marshalls then stapled on at the hip. Instead, A.R.E.S. will be re-branded as the Alliance Strategic Intelligence Service (name is subject to change, Kyzer didn't like (A)lliance (S)ecurity (S)ervice) and form an umbrella sub-group for all of the Rebellion's intelligence gathering and espionage personnel. ARES in its previous form was described as consisting primarily of ex-Imperials, but this has proven to be an angle that has barely been played up, with the Marshalls practically being a separate group anyway. Whether your character was an ex-Imperial communications expert, a slicer from Tatooine or a former Galactic Alliance intelligence operative, if their skillset falls under that of espionage then A.S.I.S. is the place for them.
What about the Imperial Marshalls then? Well for one thing, they're gone. Kind of. All three of you still with Marshall characters can inhale in horror....
...and breathe. We're dredging up an old name from long, long, ago (well, more like two years really) and reinstating the Imperial Knights. With the Rebellion now going on the offensive against an Imperium starting to tear itself apart, it now seems like a good opportunity to bring back a title more iconic to the old, benevolent, Empire. They may still be fighting their war largely from the shadows, but the name of such a once prestigious organisation still holds some weight in the minds of the late-Empire's citizens. It's time for the Imperial Knights to start making their way home.
In terms of story, we've got some things brewing. The Imperial Knights are going to be up their old tricks of course and working to subvert the Imperium alongside the Rebellion is just business as usual, but I'm looking at bringing the Marshall/Knight characters closer together. I'll be introducing Missions, general plots and threads that will be focused near-exclusively on our characters. I'm deliberately leaving details vague for now but these plots will focus on matters that draw upon their history as former Imperials. We're still very much part of the Rebels and as always members will be strongly encouraged to fight the good fight alongside them (and, ugh, the Jedi I suppose) but I believe that one of the best ways to not only encourage activity but also bring new blood to our ranks is to actually show a presence on the site and show we're more unique than just Rebel-'Jedi'. Who wants to join the (sub)faction with nothing going on? Almost nobody, that's who. Service guarantees citizenship. Or something. This is a two way street of course; you folks need an incentive to post with your Imperial Knights, but you also need to show you're willing to actually use them and to those who have been, keep up the good fight up.
What about non-force sensitive ex-Imperials? Well, that's where things get a little more complicated. Myself and The Kyzer have discussed this a fair bit. For the time being, those who aren't Imperial Knights will be folded into the main Rebellion simply because there are so few of them. This may sound odd, but I don't want non-force sensitives within a True Throne group just feeling akin to glorified sidekicks to the Knights, but at the same time it's difficult expending limited time and effort on such minor numbers that are unlikely to grow beyond the Knights themselves. That being said, I'll definitely be allowing (encouraging, even) ex-Imperial characters to get involved with Knight-focused plots, particularly when it involves the Imperium if they should wish to play a part. If there is enough interest and activity shown by these people then there is a real possibility that the Imperial Knights would grow into a combined True Throne sub-faction, rather than Knights alone.
With regards to the ranking structure, despite them being a force-sensitive group Imperial Knight characters will follow that of the Rebellion's membership rather than their own. Why? Well, for one thing it's going to make for something of an organisational nightmare when there's separate trees within one faction, but also because the Imperial Knights have never been a particularly numerous group in terms of player popularity. The Rebellion is - especially now - a large, extremely diverse organisation (if you can call it that) and the Knights are only one part of that, thus why its ranks are more akin to OOC designations rather than strict IC titles. Within the Imperial Knights, these ranks will more or less correspond with the experience and veterancy of each Knight. Those few of you who have consistently been active on your Marshalls have not gone unnoticed. If it becomes necessary things may be expanded and separated from the main Rebellion hierarchy, but if history is any indication this will not be necessary. We shall see. When the sub-forum is established I'll get something more organised than this short explanation put up.
There is going to be plenty of information written up about our favourite silver-blade wielding force practitioners, including a guide to help ease potential new characters into the sub-faction. The Imperial Knights are still few in number, but then they always have been. It takes somebody with a particular mindset to join up with a pro-Empire group, rather than just take the easy route and shack up with those Jedi pansies. With this latest installment of the Imperial Knights I'm really going to be looking to emphasize the differences between them and the other force groups out there, rather than just let them fall into being a poor man's Jedi Order. Let the snowflakes fall around you. If you're looking at whipping up an Imperial Knight prior to the 'official' launch of the new Rebellion I highly recommend - if you just cannot wait to get stuck in - that you send me a PM and I can drop you the notes on what new recruitment details.
There's still plenty more to come for the Rebellion, but I'll let you nag Kyzer about those spoilers.
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