Implemented Require Managers to Have RP Activity

[Immortal Cyan]

Right now on SARP, we are struggling for GMs and plots.

At the same time, there are also quite a few ongoing power struggles transpiring in IC and OOC contexts, specifically for political and military influence. This suggestion is probably going to lowkey (or highkey) call out a lot of people and potentially ruffle some feathers, but I felt like it would be worthwhile to vocalize this idea to the end of concluding these power struggles, while also generating more plots and RP for the site’s writers to enjoy.

Simply put, in order to run a division, a department, or something else of that nature, you also need to be running an active plot pertaining to that division, which is open to a reasonable number of the site’s players. Fail to run a plot? Your character is at risk of getting sacked in favor of someone else who is.

This suggestion is quite broad, mainly because the idea of what a “division” constitutes is subject to interpretation. Is it a specific command group that your character runs? A military fleet group? A system that your character is the senator of? A corporation? In addition, a requirement like this might be impractical for factions that aren’t as active as Yamatai, so there is some discussion to be had there. I would suggest that we only apply a rule like this to factions with as much activity as Yamatai, perhaps to be triggered at the discretion of site staff. However, the idea behind this would be to end power struggles (and the drama that comes with them) and to get more folks writing stories.

That’s all I have to start with, but I'll probably add more as the discussion evolves. I’ll let the community tap in from here to give their input. Thank you for reading!

 

[Ametheliana]

In my case, I started using the creative assets and got stopped in the creative act. It's important to note that I was told more people commanding those branches is good, a character was open, and I did a year review AFTER including SAINT in my plot's beginnings. I'm here trying to do the creative act, not absent. My work speaks for my activity so treating me like I can't have a seat at the table due to others just showing up when I was the first at the table isn't for me.

 

[Yuuki]

I meant more in general, not specifically that.

 

[Ametheliana]

Is my case included in the scope of that generality?

 

[Yuuki]

No, no. Not about your Saint communique and ensuing events, no. It was just a "yes, but" to that as a general rule.

Edit: My personal view on that is it was a new attempt from scratch. You grabbed one of Rizzo's characters, who hell, was the deputy, not the big boss. I was meaning though going forward with Cyan's suggestion.

2nd Edit: I'm not COMPLETELY surprised someone ICly got sacked tho.

 

[Wes]

I think we don't need to add "highly influential" because that's covered under staff discretion. The proposed rule sets a clear standard for what the expectations are, but allows the staff the flexibility to not act (or provide additional time) if there's no clear or immediate need. Staff will communicate first and give the manager a chance to get active.

In response to Ame's concern, it's our norm to give preference to the content's creator as long as they're around and active. I am not trying to yank the rug out of under anyone. But I do want to make the expectations clear in terms of what we're looking for from faction managers, etc, that way no one gets surprised if we need to step in when a setting element is inactive and someone wants to take over management for them. If the creator's gone, it's preferable to give management of it to whoever has demonstrated, via RP, the most interest in it.

 

[Ametheliana]

Thanks. Because I use SAINT, may I make one last bid for myself to be able to play its Director? If so, consider this me requesting for the SAINT position to be re-considered. I ask because I have demonstrated in RP my interest while Soresu hasn't.

If the creator's gone, it's preferable to give management of it to whoever has demonstrated, via RP, the most interest in it.

I want to extend welcome into my messages to anyone that wants to clear something up with me. I have already reached out to many to know what's going on, including Soresu. Hope we can all learn from our past mistakes from this, too, honestly. I've seen my own hiccups as well and will make to do better ^^

 

[Andrew]

I think regardless of what policy changes are put into effect for who runs what, there is still the most basic problem that is the root. People need to learn to treat each other better within the community. It is great to say the people who contribute something and show interest get priority for running things, but there needs to be a change. Sorry but the policy may fix the forward-facing issue, but it doesn't fix the underlying problem. Even though I know myself I need to do better at this.

 

[Soresu]

Soresu hasn't demonstrated his ability because Soresu has just been handed the job. So he has yet to begin handling it. Make your requests for SAINT related assets for use in your plot and he will respond. And therefore begin. He has however been playing an undercover SAINT Rise agent for the last seven to eight years. With an Intel Analyst as a backup. So he has been playing SAINT to a lesser degree but not in a command position as of yet. So making the request before he has even begun is pre-emptively assuming he will not do anything.

 

[Wes]

Let's keep this on topic, folks.

 

[Immortal Cyan]

I think we don't need to add "highly influential" because that's covered under staff discretion. The proposed rule sets a clear standard for what the expectations are, but allows the staff the flexibility to not act (or provide additional time) if there's no clear or immediate need. Staff will communicate first and give the manager a chance to get active.

In response to Ame's concern, it's our norm to give preference to the content's creator as long as they're around and active. I am not trying to yank the rug out of under anyone. But I do want to make the expectations clear in terms of what we're looking for from faction managers, etc, that way no one gets surprised if we need to step in when a setting element is inactive and someone wants to take over management for them. If the creator's gone, it's preferable to give management of it to whoever has demonstrated, via RP, the most interest in it.

That works for me!

 

[Ametheliana]

Thanks for such an astute suggestion Immortal and for anyone that helped me find a solution to my RP problems, ty

 

[Charmaylarg Dufrain]

I do like the idea of if you want to control X you have to actually be developing it in RP and not just have it for the yearly fleet smashing.

But this topic and discussion seem to be motivated and centered around Yamatai and recent OOC problems related to it and these solutions might work for yamatai but not anywhere else as the dispersion of players, small as the community has become, is not distributed enough for a lot of other people in other factions to meet such a standard If I am understanding this right.

For instance while I may not longer be FM my stake in Nepleslia includes running its entire police force through its National Commisioner, An entire Assault Fleet through its Grand Admiral, the entirety of the 309th, and an entire corporation.

Only one of those things has a plot. And for me to retain the other three without issue (lets say two since I made the corp) I would have to open two more plots on top of all the other ones im in, and GM, or some source of consecutive RP and somehow convince the already overtaxed playerbase into joining even more of my plots on my already tight schedule.

While anyone who wants to, say, run the First Assault Fleet would also need some source of RP and would also need those players and likely would ask me to join it as well since Neps playerbase is pretty centralized right now to ensure they have control over it. And while there is no competition in Nepleslia for such things It could cause future issues if it was yamatai-focussed but also thrown at us.

I do like the option for such a thing, But like ive been saying a lot we need to make less mandatory things and less paperwork and monotony and not more checklists to do anything.

If I completely misread what was going on through my skimming I apologize~

 

[Soban]

I think the counter to that is because it's small, there aren't many other people who want those positions.

Personally, I see this as explicitly codifying what we've kinda always done.

 

[Immortal Cyan]

I do like the idea of if you want to control X you have to actually be developing it in RP and not just have it for the yearly fleet smashing.

But this topic and discussion seem to be motivated and centered around Yamatai and recent OOC problems related to it and these solutions might work for yamatai but not anywhere else as the dispersion of players, small as the community has become, is not distributed enough for a lot of other people in other factions to meet such a standard If I am understanding this right.

For instance while I may not longer be FM my stake in Nepleslia includes running its entire police force through its National Commisioner, An entire Assault Fleet through its Grand Admiral, the entirety of the 309th, and an entire corporation.

Only one of those things has a plot. And for me to retain the other three without issue (lets say two since I made the corp) I would have to open two more plots on top of all the other ones im in, and GM, or some source of consecutive RP and somehow convince the already overtaxed playerbase into joining even more of my plots on my already tight schedule.

While anyone who wants to, say, run the First Assault Fleet would also need some source of RP and would also need those players and likely would ask me to join it as well since Neps playerbase is pretty centralized right now to ensure they have control over it. And while there is no competition in Nepleslia for such things It could cause future issues if it was yamatai-focussed but also thrown at us.

I do like the option for such a thing, But like ive been saying a lot we need to make less mandatory things and less paperwork and monotony and not more checklists to do anything.

If I completely misread what was going on through my skimming I apologize~

The rule would ideally be enforced at staff discretion, so things like player density and overall activity of the faction in question would be taken into account. Since factions like NDC and Nepleslia don't have as many players, the standards for activity would be lower, so plots wouldn't necessarily be required, especially if there's just one or two people working to hold the fort down.

 

[Soresu]

Ethereal and I have been discussing, and hashing out things between SASO and SAINT ICly, which, has been rather refreshing to speak over VC instead of via text. So some of the drama is at least partly resolved in this regard. SAINT is as Wes said in an earlier post in VC chat on the SA Discord:

Wes

— Today at 10:27 PM​

@Soresu @Ethereal I think SAINT's OOC purpose should be geared toward generating plot opportunities for plot ships

 

[Wes]

I've renamed this thread from "Power Struggles on SARP" to "Require Managers to Have RP Activity" which I think sums up the suggestion better. I'll give everyone another day or two to get their vote in, and then I hope to implement it. I don't think this will cause a lot of huge changes but it does create an official policy to keep key roles in the hands of those who actually participate, which I see as a good thing.

 

[Wes]

Implemented: Activity Expectations on Star Army Space Roleplay

 

[Ametheliana]

Really stoked to see the efficacy of this at play and to see @Soresu do saint rp in.. how long? I guess Apr 10, 2022 when you said SAINT had failed. Well let's see more of it, per this thread, rather than change the wiki. That's me to you don't edit this page because it is not your job. okay bud? I got a handle on it, thanks.
https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?id=stararmy:saint

 

[Soban]

You mean the main page for the thing he's managing right now?

 

[Ametheliana]

Where does it say he needs to do that? Same place where has he shown he could do so effectively: nowhere.