Hello, everyone, and welcome to the latest Dread Lord report. We are about a week into GJW XIV: Homefront (link included so you can click it and do all the things), and so far, I'm loving it. I hope you all are having a blast.

This report will be fairly short - so no need to call it out, Brimstone ;) - and focus mainly on the war and our efforts. I will use this platform to give my honest perspective on how we're doing, reiterate the resources we are providing our members, and offer suggestions on how to participate in at least one comp for every bin. Because if we want to get First Clan, we have to not only do well participation-wise, but also produce some high-quality stuff that will place us in the top 10 (preferably the top 3).

Pour yourself a drink, lovelies. Let's do this.

The Numbers (Participation)

The summit and I have been diligently tracking the participation for the first week of the war. Bear in mind that Phase I goes until Monday, June 15th; basically, you still have lots of time to do the three Phase I bins.

According to Kelly/Scudi/Liandry's tracking data for Plagueis, which I'll quote here:

"So for Phase 1 we've done 31 out of a possible 96 bins or 32.29%. Comp wise we've done 41/320 or 12.81%. For Event Long bins, we've done 24/96 or 25% and comp wise 30/320 or 9.38%. In total, that gives us 55/192 or 28.65% of currently available bins done and 71/640 or 11.09% of all currently available comps done."

Discounting the summit:

"18/96 or 18.75% on Phase 1 bins and 8.13% of Phase 1 Comps. 14/96 or 14.58% on Event Long bins and 19/320 or 5.94% of Event Long Comps. In total that's 32/192 or 16.67% of total bins so far and 45/640 or 7% of all total comps."

In total, 16 Plagueians have submitted entries to the war, making up exactly 50% of the roster. That is fantastic, and I would like to give individual shout-outs to the top three participants thus far:

• Alaris Jinn, who has participated in nine comps.
• Brimstone, who has participated in eight comps.
• Teebu Nyrrire, who has participated in seven comps.

Now, a crucial factor to look at with these numbers is how the participation looks without including the summit. In that case, participation drops among regular membership to about 31% - basically about 1 in 3 clan members are actively participating. This is also a very encouraging number, and I hope to see even more of you step up and finish bins.

Please remember that these are raw numbers, and you, as members, matter more than just numbers. While we want to increase participation, we do not want to do that at the cost of personal health or happiness. That is why the bin system is a blessing in disguise, as it allows members to prioritize easier comps for the bins they consider themselves "weak" at and add more effort to comps for the bins they consider themselves "strong" at. Which brings me to the next point.

Placement (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Nova)

The main thing that tends to knock our clan down some pegs in overall placement is...well...placement. Earlier, Wrathus/Aleister (so many names. So many changes!) released a survey asking all members what they felt they were good at and what they might struggle in, as well as which summit member(s) they'd like to work closely with.

Using that information, we created three Telegram groups in the format of support teams: the TYR team, the TUQRON team, and the Taheister team. These support teams are purely meant to assist members with their entries, including offering proofreading sessions and advice. I myself have put on my Pontiff cap once again (by the way, does that look more like a scully cap or a bowler? I have both in my costume closet right now).

We as a summit are here to help you not only participate, but also place. We want fiction from our writers to be polished and engaging, graphics entries to be beautiful and pristine, and multimedia to be just what the judges want. Therefore, it's our job to serve as mentors to look over your work and give feedback, as well as make sure you're following the rules and guidelines properly. No disqualifications here, kthxbai.

If you are struggling, please do not hesitate to use these group chats to reach out. We also have our RO group chat for our run-on writers - we're already eight posts deep, which is awesome, and I want another Gold Nova for us defending champions - and are always reachable by Telegram and email.

Remember, a major way people improve in their craft, art, and creations is through workshopping and community support. We, Plagueis, are a community. And communities look out for each other.

Ugh. That got sappier than maple syrup. Moving on.

Doing All the Bins

This isn't going to be a very long section - just some bullet points to remind y'all of the bin system and how to save yourself panic attacks or migraines. Ready, go:

• "Doing a bin" means submitting one entry into each bin. Sure, you can complete an entire bin, but the initial burst of points we get for our clan is from that first bin comp you finished. Everything else you complete comes down to placement and the percentage of that placement. Or you may just want a bunch of seals. More power to you, either way.

SIDE NOTE: This is probably where Arden would post a Seal of Hype, but I'm feeling lazy, so I'll let him do it in the comments.

• There should be a comp in every bin for you to be able to do, regardless of skill level or access to outside games and sources. For example, the Phase I Gaming bin does have comps that require Diablo 3 and The Old Republic, but in the same bin is an online browser game where you use math to get the highest scores. The Phase I Writing bin allows you to dabble in combat writing, straightforward fiction, or poetry. So there is variety in what you choose to complete.

• The event long bins are...well, event long. Which means you have until July 8th to write your best tragedy of Darth Panda the Pantsless, write a co-op fiction with other members, put together a battle plan, et cetera. If you are still in need of a team for team events, please contact your immediate summit so they can help. We want all members to have every opportunity to submit to every comp.

#askthewardreadlord

For an hour on Telegram, I decided to take on war-specific questions from Plagueis and beyond. This is what I got.

Andrelious asks:

Can we kill the Imperial traitors this time?

Yes. People are getting stabbed.

Erinyes asks:

How does Ronovi feel about the Collective's use of ambiguously-gendered cyborgs as weapons of war?

I mean...she's kind of cyborg now herself, but...no opinion except target practice, I think.

Kelly asks:

Who's your favourite stat nerd in the clan?

I know bait when I see it.

Taranae asks:

Why are we fighting Borg? This is Star Wars, for heaven's sakes!

Do not question this. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

Tahiri asks:

How do you think the war is going so far?

Based on the numbers OOC, I'm very, very happy. Having half the roster participate is phenomenal. Now we just have to get a bunch of people to do all the bins and get some sweet, sweet Novae.

IC? Ronnie's thrilled. She's led the clan through two Great Jedi Wars now and a war against Vizsla, which just solidifies her enjoyment of being a warmonger. She's just getting warmed up.

Conclusion

So, we've gotten a lot done, and we've got a lot more to do. We have one more week of Phase I, so let's crush those bins. Let's keep the run-on rolling. Let's get people into co-op and battle plan teams. And let's win this war.

This is Ronnie signing off!