"No man is an island." - John Donne
Like I mentioned in my November report, all of November was eaten by work. What I didn't know at the time was that December was going to be mostly eaten too. But now the flames on all the hoops I had to jump through for work have been doused and I'm ready to get back to being your slave.
I have caught up on all my email. Apparently the bulk of it was from Solari who likes to email all of us 47 times in a row when someone is eligible for promotion. I've responded to everything I got that was critical or hadn't been handled by Muz or one of our outstanding Dark Councilors. But if there's something you sent me that you need my help with and I either didn't get back to you or not sufficiently so, please send me another email and let's talk. Anything else anyone needs from me please let me know.
I apologize for my absence.
Thank Baby Jesus it's over! Uh, I mean, that was awesome!
Seriously, congratulations to Montresor, Dacien and the members of Plagueis for winning The Dark Crusade! They overcame some pretty serious adversity that could have stopped anyone in their tracks. But the calm, cool, mature professionals that they are never wavered and saw it through. It was great to see them rally and display not only outstanding skill, but even more impressive participation from the entire unit. Plagueis has finally joined the elite ranks of Brotherhood units to win a Vendetta. And given the size and scope of this particular event, this achievement will be the stuff of legend for years to come.
Well done, killers.
Congratulations as well to the warriors of Arcona and Taldryan for making this thing a nail-biter to the very end. The Dark Crusade was a slog to put it kindly. We asked a lot and you all gave a lot. Rian, Keirdagh, Marick, and Legorii pushed their people to their limits while maintaining a fun and positive atmosphere. Their guidance and dedication led their units to one of the most exciting Vendetta conclusions in a long time. The battles hardest fought are the ones longest remembered. Well done, studs.
Also, outstanding job by all of the other unit leaders, Tarentum's Scion and Raiju; Scholae Palatinae's Xen'Mordin and Xantros; Naga Sadow's Malik and Vexatus and Odan-Urr's Liam and A'lora! They all worked dilligently to keep their people motivated and engaged. Many of you had really solid communication on the email lists that kept your members informed the whole way through and it was great to see everyone come together.
As Muz has mentioned, there are a few more planets to wrest from the clutches of the One Sith. But with their backs broken from the Crusade, those worlds should be much easier contests. So rest up, tend your wounds, and get ready for some more war-fighting in 2014!
I've updated the Dark Crusade Leader Board with the final rounds' results and it is now the complete record of medals for the entire Vendetta. Big, big congratulations go to all of you who earned Novae for your team, but especially the following warriors...
Hero is one of the most difficult and sought-after titles in the Brotherhood. You have to persevere and slog through anything the Dark Council throws at you and compete against the absolute best talent in the club in order to earn it. This is the one thing in the Brotherhood that is not given...you have to take it. And the opportunities to do so are few and far between. As such, we recognize the Brotherhood's Elite.
Heroes of the Dark Crusade
The Dark Crusade Top Ten War-Fighters!
Outstanding work, everyone. For the complete list, check out the Dark Crusade Leader Board found below. If you find any errors, let me know and I'll get 'em fixed up.
What we'll do here is I will reach out to individual Consuls/Quaestors and handle what each unit wants to do with their Armed Forces Points one at a time. Doing seven at once creates issues. Just ask--never mind.
Muz has already sent each leader their point totals from the Dark Crusade. In the next few weeks, I'll email each leader, one at a time, an updated sheet with your new points added in. Then you all can make your needed sales, purchases, etc. It's up to you. Spend, save, whatever. We'll get that sorted and crushed in January when you all are recovered from your binge-celebrating.
I wanted to take this time to publicly and profusely thank my Dark Council for an outstanding year of work on the Dark Crusade. I have never worked with a more professional and mature group of guys in my years here. Muz and I asked the world of these gentlemen and they delivered month-in and month-out with not so much as a hint of complaint. It really was an outstanding team-effort on their part that most of you probably never got to see or may not have realized was constantly at work behind the scenes.
Absolute bad-asses.
Thank you, gentlemen.
The club is growing. Not only is it growing, it's maturing. What started as kids having fun has become adults doing the same thing only with a more professional and engaging edge to it. One only has to look at the website, a modern and professional tool, or the new Antei Combat Center, an engaging and immersive experience, in order to see how this Star Wars Club has upped its game to keep pace with the myriad distractions and pass times available to today's fans.
In 2013 we've seen venerable old faces return and new outstanding members step up. Building off this great year behind us, I have no doubt that 2014 will be the club's best year yet. New films, new games, old friends (and some new ones!) make for a pretty exciting time to be a Star Wars fan.
To our awesome staff of leaders, the Consuls and Quaestors, Proconsuls and Aediles, Roll Masters and Battle Team Leaders:
THANK YOU.
You guys have been a marvel to watch this year with your recruiting efforts, dedication, competitiveness, and maturity. You all have helped Muz and I and our stud Dark Councilors turn 2013 into a year devoted to taking care of our members old and new. We have set the standard in 2013. Time to raise the bar again and continue to provide this most special of places for all of us to enjoy.
So have a safe and fun New Year's Eve. We'll be here waiting when you get back.
See you in 2014.
Things you might find useful that sometimes get lost in the shuffle of reports.
Dark Brotherhood Comic Book Archive
Dark Jedi Brotherhood Armed Forces Worksheet (MTOE)
Hit me up if there's something you need. People do this frequently and I'm usually able to help out fairly quickly.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17
See you out there,
R
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Welcome back, Raken!
Well done to my fellow Heroes and medal board leaders! Solus and Wally, you sure gave me a run for my money at the end. Lots of late nights trying to get those last few novae. There's an insane amount of medals between the top ten. Awesome work!
Also, many props to all the special forces and general members that helped with all the team events. A lot of these novae for the top 10 were team-based. Great work all around!
Congrats to all the heroes, top-ten war fighters, and Clouses! Excellent report Ranken - welcome back!
Nice Report Raks! Great job to everyone throughout the Crusade, and to all the Heroes! Glad to have Big Red back!
Excellent and informational report! Congrats to all the Heroes and Clouses!
Jac wins too much.
Grats to everyone who made the top 10 list, especially my 4 fellow Taldryanites.
Congrats to Jac and Wally on their placements in the top three.
What Mark meant to say: Congrats to Jac, Slagar, and Wally on their placements in the top three.
Also my congratulations to Slagar and Wally. But not to Jac, because Jac smells.
Who let that Howlader guy into the top 10? Down with Howlader!
Congrats to everyone else, though!
Quiet, rogue boy! :P
Hmm. Don't think I did, Howie. I don't applaud cheaters.
Agreed, Mark. Congrats to Jac and Wally!
Gentlemen, try to keep the bitchiness to a minimum, if possible :P
Forgive me for being bitchy, but losing the last round and thus the entire Crusade because someone convicted of cheating in the previous round was allowed to participate (let alone place) is infuriating. Sets a terrible precedent for the future.
So what you're saying everyone who's ever been convicted of cheating should not be allowed to participate or at least place in future competitions?
Cheating in a vendetta should carry the same penalty it always used to. That is, anyone caught is expelled from the club. Harsh, but then they've ruined the event for everyone who didn't cheat.
Convicted cheaters should not be allowed to place in competitions in which they cheated. I dont care if you cheat in one comp then place in another.
If the Crusade is considered one giant comp and he was convicted of cheating in one round, then he placed in the next, he cheated and still placed in the same comp.
So cheating outside vendettas are fine?
And in any case, as the DB rules are now people are allowed to participate and place in the same event, you can't just retroactively go in and change that just because you happened to lose.
Cheating inside a vendetta is a much bigger deal. You are representing your unit. It's not the same as submitting a false screenshot for a flash game. By cheating in a vendetta, you create a great stain on your unit and its reputation.
It sets a terrible precedent to allow a convicted cheater to remain a unit leader, but I don't remembering hearing you bitch about it at that point in time. But, as they say, they "did the time"; no further punishment is necessary. Either way, with all the hub bub of butthurt, congratulations to all to finished in the top 10. It was a long, hard fight on the personal level for each of you guys to get where you did. It was a fun year long event and I have a say I thoroughly enjoyed my time and getting to know people all over the DJB during that time and being able to interact with so many others.
Of course, I completely forgot. Congratulations to all 11 in the top 10! (Granted I'm pretty sure that's not how a top ten works :P)
I think we've found a few things that some people feel should change, regarding the Covenant and cheating. Some people would like to see convicted cheaters and/or power abusers immediately removed from their positions, and possibly barred from said positions for a length related to the probation. I think that's understandable. I also think that cheaters shouldn't be allowed to participate in the same comp that they just cheated in, but barring them from participating in any comp, or kicking them from the club, prevents any kind of redemption or growth, so I think I'm against either of those. I'd let previous entries, if they were unrelated to the cheating, stand, but bar future entries into that same comp. All that being said, due to then nature of the Crusade, I probably would count each "Phase" as a different event/competition. I also would not change the results of the Crusades at this point in any way, because any of these changes should be part of a change to our rule structure. Annnd none of this matters, since I'm not in the CoJ.
Pew, pew. I love this club :D
Welcome back, Raken
Congrats to all those that placed, well done to everyone that survived this year :P
Howie, what have you done? Now people are going to expect things from you :P
I don't know, Raiju. I don't know how this happened.
Congrats to Plagueis on coming out on top of this very long and exhausting Crusade, especially after the trips and roadblocks faced along the way. You guys are proof that real skill and true determination can overcome (almost :P) any obstacle, even with sore losers trying to drag you down and rain on your parade.
Congrats to Jac on not being human and somehow managing to pull off what he did, with his insane schedule. Seriously man, what drugs are you on? Can i have some? Can I have all?
Also, welcome back Raken. You didn't miss much, as you see :P
Troll power! You guys are aware no actual cheating took place? There was an email with a plan to allow someone to add their name to an entry for credit. The plan never happened and no results were impacted. The leaders who made the decisions to potentially submit an illicit entry were all fired, but in terms of cheating, it never actually occurred.
Troll power! You guys are aware no actual cheating took place? There was an email with a plan to allow someone to add their name to an entry for credit. The plan never happened and no results were impacted. The leaders who made the decisions to potentially submit an illicit entry were all fired, but in terms of cheating, it never actually occurred.
Troll power! You guys are aware no actual cheating took place? There was an email with a plan to allow someone to add their name to an entry for credit. The plan never happened and no results were impacted. The leaders who made the decisions to potentially submit an illicit entry were all fired, but in terms of cheating, it never actually occurred.
Haha
So much trolling Sarin... :P
Nothing like a good ole triple post to tell people off!
Guess someone's back has healed :P
Just because the cheating wasn't successful doesn't mean it wasn't cheating. The verdict that agrees with that sentence can be found here where cheating was, in fact, declared by the CoJ.
If you sit at a poker table and an ace falls out of your sleeve and you haven't used it yet, you'd still be tossed out of the game for cheating.
Right. And they were punished. One member left the club and two others lost their DB positions. What do we want, blood? Ban them for life?
All,
I know some people think the Comments are a good way to let things air out and vent over a comment thread, but this is not the forum to discuss these things. If there are issues member have with how things were run/handled/done for the Dark Crusade, there are multiple other ways to engage in these types of discussions for the sake of bettering the club and finding resolutions to conflicts or concerns we may have.
Getting back onto the topic: Welcome back Raken, we missed you!
Congratulations to Jac for First Hero Overall- the guy has nothing left to prove, but still shows us how it's supposed to be done. You can be humble all you want, Jac, but there was no "close-call" at the end. It is an honor to simply be mentioned in the same "breath" as you.
Congratulations Solus- well played. I'll see you in the War ;).
To all my fellow unit leaders- thanks for riding out the year with us. We've all been through a lot and I want to thank you all for being such a great team.
Thank you also the Dark Summit for all the writing, grading, and energy that goes into coordinating an event like this over the course of the year.
I was just commenting on you saying that it wasn't cheating, Sarin. It was. They were punished. No further action needs to occur, imo.
Dammit Orv, EAT A FREAKING MANGO. It's really starting to piss me off :P
Congrats to all deserving, each of you worked hard for what you've earned. And thank you to the voices of reason in this string of comments, for demonstrating their commendable passion to improve this club and prevent future instances of cheating.
Why are they called warfighters? I hope that's not anything official. Next thing you know we'll be driving around Abrams tanks and Sieg Heiling.
I'd drive a J.J. Abams tank.
Does it fire Camera Flares?
Ji, Creighton Abrahms would be upset that you connected his tank and Sieg Heiling. He spent a few years of his life fighting the guys who used that salute. :p
I was just joking, Sarin lol