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21 January 2006 </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>

News & Information

</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>The CHL Final will begin tomorrow morning, between DA Corran Halcyon Arconae and KPN Muz Keibatsu Sadow.</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Another 'big' (only in scope, not DB comp level) ACC competition is coming, soon. It will be a "Free For All" battle based around the idea of a bar-room-brawl. It will not have any limits to how many can participate, but the usual "Seeker" ACC rank applies. Once I get the specifics through the MAA I'll let you know how/when/where to signup.</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>The Derelict Code, an ACC Cooperative event, is nearing the final stages of completion. I have been mentioning this comp, here and there, in my reports for a while now. It's going to be large in scope, the biggest to ever come out of the ACC. The fiction is done and all that's left is the structure and awards. More to come as we get closer to March.</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>

<marquee width="426" style="color: #FF6600">Go Play ACC Live! Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday Tourney in #acc.</marquee> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>An ACCLive! tourney is winding down. The latest matches (per Kat's latest mail) are: Muz vs. Ceric; Halc vs Sharmin.</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>The latest Clan comp that has begun is a LONG one, the** Sadow Dueling Competition so, faithful members of Naga Sadow...get on it! :P</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>_I do not accept all comers and I frequently **decline challenges. While I'll not usually decline 'regular' challenges, those that are for the Proving Ground or Training Annex will not always have me accepting them. I'm working with other things in the ACC right now and I can't give you my 100% attention (especially with Training Battles). Trust me, the last thing you want is a half-ass battle with a staff member when you're actually trying to learn something - and the last thing I want to do is give you a half-assed battle. Don't take it personally :)</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>ACC Updates_</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>We are doing a bit of 'cleanup' on the compendium for the ACC, to include the rules and guidance section. Currently, there have been updates almost every day - so you may wanna keep looking through it now and again. With that, please check through the compendium and the rules and guidance before you send questions concerning things about the ACC. It is a good possibility that an update may have covered your issue. If it hasn't - feel free to drop me a line. In it's intent, all of the rambling in both the compendium and rules and guidance are there to help you - if we keep telling you something, or you keep 'hearing' something that you can't find - tell me! I'll either point you in the right direction, answer your question or make the update if there needs to be one. Though I may think something is a 'given' doesn't mean you will, that's not a bad thing and not a cause for bitterness, and if you're thinking of it, chances are someone else is too - so, let's get it out there.

Finally, through all of this, there are going to be things changed, added, revamped, trashed completely and all of the other things I could say that mean: "what you're used to, might not be the same tomorrow...". None of this is being done with the intent to piss anyone off - but it is unavoidable in sensitive areas. Where I have been lacking, though, is letting you [the membership] know what has changed "specifically", heck - I may have even thrown a couple by the staff - sorry 'bout that, just got on a roll, you know how it is. Anyway, to remedy that, I will be making a topic in the forum concerning specific updates, keeping that current as well as adding a 'visible' page to the ACC that also tracks them. I appreciate your patience and welcome your comments and suggestions.</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>

Reminders

</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Last week was the final week for my 'reminders' section because all of them have been added to the ACC Rules and Guidance. Go check it out! http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/acc/rules.asp</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>

Tip Of The Week

</td> </tr> <tr> <td>"Expanding Detail"</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Let's face it, some combatants wouldn't know 'detail' if it slapped 'em on the butt and called 'em "Sally". I don't know if it's something we can 'teach' or if it's something you have to experience or read, but I'll try to tell you what "detail" refers to in the ACC. Detail is the ability, basically, to 'fluff' up your average piece of writing - with that, there's "good" detail and "bad" detail. Good detail, obviously, adds to a story - while bad detail reads and feels like BS. An exercise I used to use when I did ACC 'advanced' training for some combatants was having them write a post based on a single event; i.e. one punch, one kick, one sabre cut etc. A combatant's sole goal, in that exercise, was to write 3-500 words covering ONLY that one event - So, how do you get it from sounding/reading like garbage and 'blatantly' being fluff? Well, it's a bit tough, but it starts with forgetting that you are writing that single event. So many folks are stuck in the 'outcome' without any of the ambiance that surrounds it. What goes through a combatant's mind before it? What happens to a body, physiologically, before a punch is delivered (for example) from both sides? How does the stance change; what is seen by the eyes; what is generated by emotion; how does the fist travel through the air...etc. etc. etc.? Looking at a single event from every different angle; before it happens, while it happens and it's aftermath are all keys to attaining detail. So, how does that work in a battle that is based on combat? People frequently assume that a "good" battle has a multitude of exchanged 'blows' - why? More often than not, those who riddle a battle with a lot of 'sequences' aren't the better writers, nor are their battles the best. A battle that incorporates a lot of fighting may read fine, but a battle that indulges the detail of the sequences usually reads a lot better...and is even more exciting for the reader. There's also a lot of 'mental' flashbacking and reasoning to try and bring a feel to a battle; i.e. a combatant reflecting on the passed or having 'emotional' thoughts from a memory. That's all well and good, but it's easy to lose a reader if the reader doesn't know the history behind it. Yes, those instances have the potential to create a nice level of detail in a battle, but at what cost? A good writer, trying to be sure that the reader "gets it", spends a lot of time on explanation - and in those scenarios is often forced to 'chase a rabbit' away from the actual battle. Few pull it off well, many don't pull it off at all and their writing just turns into gibberish. I submit that, if you keep your detail to the battle - by indulging in the actual sequences of the battle and maintain that sense of 'real time' (i.e. "flashbacks" and "mental memory" stuff adds a feel of 'duration' to a battle that 'realistically' prolly only lasts 30 minutes, maybe an hour or two) - you will not only make the fighting more exciting, but you'll leave yourself a lot more room to expand within the battle. </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="90%" bordercolorlight="#1B1B1B" bordercolordark="#000000" id="table2"> <tr> <td>Have a great weekend! Until next time...</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>DA Dalthid</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Combat Master</td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>

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