First; Congratulations to Halcyon for his ascension to Dark Jedi Master - it was well deserved!!! Moving on...

Got a little sidetracked this week, spending the weekend trying to get caught up. The ACC has been in a little bit of a limbo - at least from my end - but once I get my head back on straight, all will be fine :)

I would like to make a few points about some things that have come up recently, so allow me to drone for a sec:

**Time-Outs: **As most know, the policy on that has changed a bit. Wins won't automatically be granted for the timing out of your opponent. 1) At least two posts (apart from the intro) must be made - that means, you both have to post once, at least. 2) Battles with no posts, save the intro, will just be deleted...and no, you won't be told - you'll figure it out when you go into your "My Battles" and it's gone. If neither of you cares to post even once in 14 days, then I'm justified in just nixing the battle, don't y'think? 3) Aneehoo...Battles that have 1 post are handled on a case by case basis. That means, if I feel that you did a helluva job on that post, you might get the win. However, and being totally honest here, don't hold your breath - the first post being worth enough to gain a win for the whole battle is rare.

In this transition from the old way to the new way, some of the admin has been accomplished a little sporadically, and I apologize for that. Some folks got the "you win" email by accident on battles that should have been deleted - I have manually edited your records, both to remove the loss and to remove the win - but you still got the mails anyway. Rest assured, it's been taken care of.

In addition - let's say the battle times out, but we don't get to rating or deleting it right away (baring extension requests) - you can save it by posting. I don't care if we miss it by a week, if you post before we get to administering it - it's butta - we're not going to rate/delete battles that are now current, even if the time between posts is 3 weeks or more (and especially if your opponent didn't dime you out, hehe).

Extensions: **"If a combatant needs to request an **Extension, to avoid timing out, they must mail their opponent, the CM and the DCM *before the battle times out. Their opponent will be given 24 hrs to accept the request.

• Failure of the opponent to reply within 24 hrs is considered a denial of the extension request."

This is right from the ACC Rules under Time Keeping and it's not really negotiable. First, you can only request an extension before the battle actually times out, which used to be in the rules but got missed when it was re-written. I put it back in this morning*, but it really should have been common sense :P At any rate, that aside, the 24 hour thing is not in stone - but it is part of the rule, allow me to explain: If I am in clean-up mode of the halls one morning, for example, extension requests with no reply within 24 hours will be treated as such - the battle will be dealt with (i.e. rated or deleted). However, if you get lucky and I just don't get to the battles and your opponent replies to the request a day or two later, the extension might be honored. Yea, it's not the greatest system, but that's why we have the rule written down - then you can't complain :P

If you fail to note the rules and don't send your extension requests to the "right" folks, it won't be honored either. Sorry it's gotta be like that, but I can't even count the number of mails I get for 'time out' updates from combatants, even with my shoes off :P Most people strictly enforce the 14 days in their own battles and won't even reply to the extension request, opting for the default win or battle deletion so they can move on to someone who'll actually reply to a battle. Yes, there are 'unexpected' circumstances, but it's not up to the ACC staff to honor them - we're only there to facilitate your battle. Extension requests that don't go through your opponent won't be honored; If your dog Fluffy passes away and you are too heart broken to post, it's still up to your opponent to allow the extension. Even my brothers in the military - if you're deployed to the sandbox or wherever, sorry brotha, it's still your opponent's decision to allow the request or not - anything else would be unfair.

In Progress:

• The Bar Room Brawl - Still going, though it slipped a bit with me keeping an eye on it - again, sorry bout that :P It's back on track though, with the next combatant being notified. With the GJW around the corner I have decided that the 72 hr post time will be a bit lenient. So, if you're in the BRB, we'll work through the GJW - no worries.
• GJW - Just got the preliminary contact with Kaiann concerning the ACC's part in the GJW. The judges have been established and the DJM has been set as the M:CM to oversee the ACC portion - but that's about all I got. We're going to be a small part of the greater event, so we're on the bottom of the totem for info. Rest assured, we'll deal with what we need to and roll with the punches - fans of the ACC will see a good event, I'm sure and I have faith in Kaiann's desire for the same.
• Creature Stuff - Bah! Some folks seem to be dropping the ball on this (*glares at staff) and with the GJW coming, we'll prolly have to sh*t can it until it's over. I do think I need dedicated Creature Handlers for this, so be on the lookout for application info in the future.
• ACCLive! - I'm amazed that this thing is still alive actually, thanks to Kat and the staff. It's been over a year and despite it's ups and downs, I guess it's here to stay. We always need ACCLive! Judges, in fact, we need more now - so, if you're interested mail Kat Pridemore and CC me and the DCM. On that same note, we need publicity and people to play, so if you have any ideas how to spark some more activity (either from a combatant's perspective or a staff one) just drop me a line.
• Know Your ACC Stuff 2 - Got some good submissions so far and it ends in a few days, so there's still time. Info. Questions. Oh, and it would be a good idea, if you submit, to let your leadership know so they can track your activity.

Coming Soon:

• The GJW...duh :P
• GJW Interlude Comps - Set to run during the GJW. Small scale comps for down-time participation (not associated with the GJW or Clan points for the war). Let's face it, with the GJW running, no one does much beyond it and once you've submitted for a comp, you're kinda left sitting holding your knickers until the next thing rolls around - we'll fill the gap, prolly with stupidity :)
• MechWarrior stuff - I have done a few ACC battles with some folks and used "MechWarrior" type stuff - y'know, the battle suit things? Well, I dig'em, especially in writing, so I'll be bringing some into the ACC. They'll be revised versions of the AT-PT called the AT-ME: All Terrain Modified Ensemble and there'll be 3 types. They'll be added to the Fighters, Transports and Capital Ships section of the Compendium's Databank, as well as another battle option to support them.
• Clan Cup Competition - basically a bi-monthly (he said "bi") competition that will involve Clan ACC Teams and host a few different 'events' to decide the winners. There'll be awards and the usual stuff, but nothing that compares to the bragging rights :P Build your teams now, get some practice in ACC MP stuff, get ahead of the game - more info to come.
• 3rd CHL and 2nd PCHL - STOP MAILING ME!!! The next set of CHL's will not happen till after the War so keep yer pants on :P
• "The Allure of Darkness" - For those of you who care, a new song is almost done bearing the aforementioned title. It is the "Sith Theme" to rival the Krath Theme of "Where Knowledge and Power Collide" (which is also being re-done/re-mixed). Following that will be "True Warrior, True Strength" for the Obelisk. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go here.

Well that's about it for now, nothing else comes to mind. Have a safe weekend.