<-

Welcome to my first Grand Master Report! This week's report will cover the events of the last week and update everyone on upcoming major events.

Deputy Grand Master: The process to determine the next Deputy Grand Master has entered its final stages. I have narrowed down the ten applicants to two and will make a decision this weekend. I appreciate all of the people who took the time to apply and would like to thank them for the insight and creative ideas they offered in their applications.

Right of Supremacy: The Right of Supremacy will begin on 15 March and will end on 31 March. The Competition events, website, teaser, and fiction are near completion and will be ready in the next couple of days. This Right of Supremacy will be focused on individual members of the Brotherhood as they fight to determine who is Supreme across the spectrum of Dark Brotherhood activities.

Great Jedi War: The Great Jedi War is scheduled to begin roughly two weeks after the conclusion of the Right of Supremacy. This Great Jedi War will not be your father's Great Jedi War and will be quite different from anything we have done in a long time. It will be a Wargame and it will feature enemies both outside and within the Brotherhood. It is intended to bring us into a new era as the Dark Brotherhood moves towards a defined Story Arc. The focus of the competition will be on the Clans as they fight for dominance in a situation that the Dark Brotherhood has never faced, Anihilation. I approved Chapter I and II of the GJW introduction last night and I am extremely pleased with it (P:GM Raken has penned it, and he rocks). Information, teasers, and the plot will all unfold over the next couple of weeks.

RoS and GJW: I have received several questions about the close proximity of the RoS and GJW and I want to take let people know why the two major events are occuring one after another. For years the Dark Brotherhood has held major competitions and the results have played no fictional part in the future of the Dark Brotherhood. The upcoming RoS and GJW are going to change this. The individual winners of the RoS are going to earn their Clans specific bonuses in the GJW. These bonuses will range from learning the map location of a particular point of interest or learning a secret that will allow them to solve a particular challenge.

The other reason for the two events close proximity is the focus of the events. One will focus on individuals seeking personal glory and one will focus on individuals working as a team to achieve glory for their Clan.

Week in Review:

1. 500+ Emails Received.

2. 160 Emails Sent.

3. Plagueis Consul Selected.

4. RoS Fiction, ACC, Debate, Battle Plan rules completed.

5. RoS website updated.

6. RoS Suprise Completed.

7. DGM Candidates narrowed to a pool of 2.

8. Braecen awarded AK.

9. Muz awarded DS.

10. GJW Chapter 1 and 2 completed.

11. Krath Core Rewrite approved.

12. GJW Rules and events document published to select DC members.

<p>Grand Master notes</p>

<p>

I feel the need to do the obligatory Grand Master address, so here is my mission statement and the five things I will do:

Mission Statement: Your mission above all as a leader in the Dark Brotherhood is to motivate and inspire goodwill, fun, and companionship. These are the very core assets that keep our organization alive and thriving.

Manage Information and Expectations: Hey, did you hear that Rebirth is going to make your coffee, cook your dinner, and be a DB video game. Rebirth was a bold project with grand visions of the future and the expectations that it created have overshadowed every completed project since its announcement. This is the reason I will work hard to manage information and expectations.

Use the Appropriate Level of Force: I used to work for a guy that believed yelling was the only way to solve a problem. He was universally the least respected man in the room and most people despised him. His extreme response to every problem was a great learning tool for me and served as an example of what not to do. What does that mean for the DB? It means I would rather see issues solved at the Clan level than send someone off to the big bad JST for judicial punishment. Kir is not the boogey man and should not be used to scare people into good behavior (Act this way or I will complain to the JST against you!).

Learn and Adapt: We are going to try new things in the next year and we are going to learn from them. If the GJW turns out to be a piece of garbage, we will take a lesson from our failures and we will use them to improve in the future. The only way this club is going to thrive is if we all are willing to learn from our mistakes and adapt to the future.

Empower Members at the Lowest Level: Every member of the Dark Brotherhood has the right to submit an idea or project to the Grand Master. My focus on the Dark Brotherhood is not limited to the Dark Council and the various people in leadership positions, thus I want to hear ideas from everyone. If you have an idea that you think could improve the Dark Brotherhood (example: Wiki), put it in a proposal (see the SA Course) and send it to me. I want to see more of this!

Support the Clans: In addition to empowering the members, I am going to support the Clans. This means listening to the Consuls and working with them to obtain common goals. I am a Clan-centric type of guy and I am here to support all six Clans in their goals.

<p>Congratulations</p>

Congrats: Muz for the Diamond Sword, Braecen for the AK, Orzon on the Plagueis Consul job, Kraval on Battlemaster, Niman on DJK, Canis on the AC, Shadow on the SC, Malaki and Xen on the DCs, and Ras on the GC.

<p>Real Life</p>

Wisdom Teeth: I will be out of action next week when my wisdom teeth come out on 6 March. Great.

Pregnacy Video: My wife purchased a six hour dvd collection on pregnancy nonsense. I spent my weekend breathing in "hehe" noises and talking about the mucus plug. Kill me.

Star Wars Toys: Hasbro is selling a Palpatine vs the Jedi Council members set. I bought it, it rocks.

Tuna Steaks: I am doing the Paleo diet for athletes and had Tuna Steaks last night. If you have a recipe for them, send it my way. My recipe was not good.

<p>Done!</p>

I have an open door policy, come talk to me. Have a good week. </p>