Mod Update Thing

[cityship]

Hidey ho, folks, here's one of your regular mod update thingies. Several issues to discuss, if you decide to comment to them, let us know what issues you're commenting to.

THINGY NUMBAH ONE
App Cycles

Now the mods have been chatting about this some, and we came across a rather unique problem this month, where some older players wanted to app characters to podpop the same time as canonmates the newer players were apping. The only way to allow both to podpop the same time would be asking the newber to wait, which doesn't seem fair to us.

Now, the app cycles, as annoying as they are, do exit for a reason--newbie-only podpops tend to be lighter, it gives us a break to run plot--or just to use as a break. Most of our apps do come from players already here, and combined with the average newbs we get a month, that's a lot of apps. So spacing them out has been working for us.

BUT, sometimes not being able to app for a canonmate to pop the same time or in time for a plot is not fun, so what we want you guys to do is if there's something like that--a plot coming up, a canon-mate you want to podpop your guy with on an odd month, you want to rotate a character out and app a new one and won't have one in the meantime, please come ask us. If you just want someone in for a plot when you already have guys to toss into a plot, we'll probably say no, but if it's a light month, and you want, IDK, say, Hellboy to get in the game in time to do what he was BORN (in hell) to do: join in an upcoming plot he'd otherwise miss to fight some eldritch tentacle monster from beyond the dawnna time, we'll probably toss you a bone. If you want to app a new person to podpop with a canon-mate newbie--same deal. While we won't do this for the average character (especially since if you're an older player, by default, you already have somebody you can toss in anyway), there are exceptions we're willing to make, for the sake of Fun and Awesome.

So we wanted to let you guys know that's a standing thing as we go. The rules are there for a reason, and it's one that really helps us run things more easily, we won't break them for the sake of favoritism or anything, but if we think it would really make you miss out on something significant, we're willing to give it due consideration, so please ask if you feel it's that kind of situation. The worst you might get is a "Sorry, buddy."

THINGY NUMBAH TWO
Activity Checks and Team Rosters

We missed running the last activity check because of plot, so we actually wanted some suggestions from you guys on the best ways to run the activity check/team roster assignments cycle. Activity check every two months, a week to let folks wash out or join back in after their warnings, then team assignments? Alternating months? We need a system we can use but also one convenient to you guys too. So how often would you like to see those updated? And would anyone possibly be willing to volunteer and help us do those assignments? We'd do the editing them in, but the hard part is actually figuring out the teams and where to toss people.

THINGY NUMBAH THREE
Suggestions Post Type Things

Right now we have it set so the link for suggestions and stuff goes to our inbox, but would anyone prefer if we did that as a post with a link to the sidebar? We wouldn't want to do it anon, because...anon, but screened would possibly be a good idea.

And while we encourage you all to just crit each other directly, we do sometimes pass crit along for folks that aren't sure how to say to someone and that'd also be a good place to leave crit and stuff for us to do our anonymously passing it along thing that we do, since we don't have a gamewide HMD. That way we'd know who's giving the crit and be able to ask for specifics, but still run the gauntlet as go-betweens, to make sure it was passed along politely--since that's worked fairly well so far.

So what'cha all think of that? Screened posts? Sound good?

THINGY NUMBAH FOUR
GM-ey Posts

Occasionally, one thing we wanna try to do is more posts like this. Occasional updates on stuff and places for people to chime in on things, but two things I would like to do is periodic threads to discuss certain IC issues that come up or we think people need to mind as we move ahead, in a The GMs Are Trying To Give You Hints To Keep Your Guys From Getting Killed Later sense, and also occasional GMey threads sort of breaking down recent events and telling folks of upcoming plots. I would like to try to set, if not regular days for the latter, than maybe two weeks out of the month that we aim to pop a post up for that during the week.

Does that sound good too? How often would you want those?

~Teh Saph

Comments

[professor-prof.livejournal.com]

*starts collecting Hellboy icons*

[gogopowersuit.livejournal.com]

I really like the idea of having an activity check before a podpop and then updating the team rosters. Also, some of the teams are really unbalanced with the number of characters. Some teams have nine while teams like Golf and Delta only have 5 or 6. Add in a person who has to hiatus or a not as active character and they get tiny fast. I'd just like a little more attention on teams, especially if they're gonna be more important in mission plots [shrug]

Whether or not there's a suggestion post or just an email is fine with me. I agree with the non-anon but screened part so that gets a thumbs up from me. As long as people realize there is a suggestion post :P

I would really, really love GM posts maybe two weeks before plot? And then updates every once in awhile. It's a great place to play catch up quickly without having to dig through piles of posts. Also a general outline of plots before they happen would be awesome so have sort of an idea where our characters are going (I love a tweest as much as the next person, though, so like I said, just want a general idea)

Thank ye very much, modtypes.

[so-pregnable.livejournal.com]

Maybe activity checks at the end of the month then? IDK, the big thing is doing it at a time both the players and mods remember.

As for the balance of the teams--don't worry about it. Every time we do update the teams, before we even make the new teams, we fill in gaps with the newer characters--we just haven't updated that in a bit and have since lost people, so that hasn't been done yet, but it will be.

Also, IDK if we can do it two weeks before plot because sometimes we have to wait until sort of near the time it is to know when we're gonna run it (so we know what school/work is gonna be like), but we could manage 1 week, at minimum, and try for two weeks when we can. That's why I was thinking more of a regular post, anywayn, because then it'd go up no matter what, people would be informed of upcoming bits and stabs at when we think we're running them, and know "Oh, okay, there's gonna be a plot coming up soon," and then we could update and be like "Okay, s'gonna be in a week/week in a half/whatever!"

[gogopowersuit.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think it could be done at any time as long as it's a regular thing I think we'll all manage to remember?

Haha, yeah I just would like a headsup sometime in advanced. If it's closer to the plot or regular with updates as they get closer is fine too :D

[bonnypiperlad]

Activity checks: I think activity checks every other month might work a little better than every two months, possibly with the option to move the activity check forward or back if you think it'll interfere with an upcoming plot.

Suggestion posts: A screened suggestion post could work, but would you also keep the email option available for people who are more comfortable with sending things that way or for just general updating of contact information and stuff?

GM-y goodness posts:
I think this is a great and fabulous idea, so yes please. Two weeks out of the month is a nice balance for that, IMO.

[governmentninja]

I still favor the idea of doing rosters quarterly or so. It gives people time to get their characters integrated into the crew, or cycle out characters they want to drop, since we do kind of have a high character turn over, and some people who do drop before they pop.

Besides, they can still float around and be added in to teams later on.

[azora-mysta.livejournal.com]

Activity Check:

Every other month sounds good. The timing issue is tricky---put it at the beginning of the month and we're getting newbies integrated, put it at the end and you're doing that on top of a string of last minute apps. In the middle and no one would remember.

I'm in favor of updating the team rosters after every AC. I'll help with keeping lists of new Engineering staff (since I'm supposed to track that ICly anyway) With the missions starting, we're going to be using the teams more frequently I think---get it out soon after they pop, and the new characters will have a group they ICly belong to.

---will add more later, being kicked off.

[crusades]

We're only going to remember the activity checks through routine. It doesn't matter so much how often we do one as long as we get into the habit of doing so. I'd say it's more important to decide on a date and stick to it. Say, the second or third monday of every month, so that it's staggered between the new influx of characters and the last minute applications at the tail end of the month.

As for the team rosters, what if it was included in the processing of an app? You add them to a roster just like you do the cast and contact list? Spreading out the workload may work better than doing it in infrequent but sizeable chunks, and people are less likely to be overlooked (not that I'm saying that's a regular occurence as it stands) in the process.

Specific posts for the science/engineering/security/command etc teams could either be updated by a volunteered player of a member of that team or emailed to the mods when the need arises for them to add it when they get time?

Again, timing or frequency is not so much a factor as people remembering what teams their characters belong to.