Direction

[Tyl Ro]

On a suggestion from [member="Mantic Dorn"], I have reposted the following thoughts I had to a new discussion topic.

In all honesty, this thread should turn from the differences between GR and GA and become what the GR plans to do about it's drop in activity. We have 4 dominions that have dwindled drastically with little hope of seeing them finish in the near future. The way that the Rhommamool/Osarion one has been going, it should honestly become a Mandalorian world, instead of one of ours. The OOC Republic forums have been more lacking in activity than the reception at a dry wedding. I know I'm not a high volume poster, but two or three people can't be responsible for the totality of the postings for an entire major faction.

We've all had some hefty disagreements recently that have left sour tastes in the mouths of many. I know it has negatively affected the way that I see the faction. I imagine that the views from the entire community are not so different.

On top of all of that, and with all due respect to our FAs, [member="Gir Quee"] just went on LOA (rightfully so, best of luck on your medical classes, mate!) and [member="Taeli Raaf"] has been equally busy with that consistently evil Darth RL. That leaves [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] to do the brunt of the Admin work. And if our member base is truly devoting its time elsewhere, where does that leave the rest of us?

So really I have one last question: is the Republic done?

There is another point I considered after posting this originally:

We are going to be invaded again at some point soon by the One Sith. Do we have enough of our own writers to withstand such an event? I'm not talking about allies willing to come in with their characters and aid us. The help, as always, is appreciated! But if we can't fight our own battles, we are no longer worthy of calling ourselves a major faction.

 

[Mother Askani]

I've withdrawn from the Republic after the war with the Old Sith Empire, but i've always kept my ties because I know there are some really well rounded people who come through here with great intentions other than OOC silly stuff.

I'm in no position to throw out what should be done or what I think should be done. But I wouldn't mind re-vamping Sochi and trying to help push things forward and come up with some type of solution that could hopefully prove beneficial to the future.

[member="Tyl Ro"]

 

[Tyl Ro]

As was mentioned in the other thread, I'm in with the GR 'til the bitter end. This is where my character belongs and unless something monumental happens ICly, the Jedi Order is my home.

That said, whatever happens, happens. As JSC pointed out, the Republic doesn't need to be a "Major Faction" to still be a thing. It could exist in any number of forms, any of which may be better suited to whatever our member size happens to be.

I bring this up because the GR, as it exists right now, needs a lot of work for it to be anything but a memory.

 

[Mother Askani]

Yes I understand your point. I would like to share my own opinions and thoughts, and I don't want anyone to think I am discrediting the work of the Republics past leaders or even the current because everyone did a great job with what they have been given.

A while back, the Republic under Selena drove back and basically wiped the Sith Empire off of the map. I know Kiskla tried to issue in the seperation of the Jedi Order and Republic state completely and while others disagreed for reasons I can completely understand, I feel that maybe thats what needs to happen. We saw the One Sith rise from the ashes of the Old Empire and now they are doing fairly well given how they restarted completely and on different terms.

I feel maybe the Republic needs to fall, and allow the Galactic Alliance to stand up in its place a new. And to seperate the Jedi and allow them to stand as its own entity. Perhaps the Other factions would be willing to combine and create a New Order and give freedom to those that wish to take up arms with other factions.

Those are basically my thoughts given the current situation. Not to say there is a 'situation' but I'm sure others have their own thoughts as well as to what could possibly be done that hasn't already tomake things better. I want to see the atmosphere change here

[member="Tyl Ro"]

 

[Tyl Ro]

I'm not opposed to those ideas myself. I've often wondered if the GR, and I doubt I'm the only one, if the GR would survive without the Jedi Order being firmly adjoined. However just having a bunch of Jedi does not constitute a working government or military. Even certain past IC threads (I'm sure I can grab them if desired) have hinted at a possible schism between the Republic and the Order.

I'm also not opposed to seeing the Republic "fall" in IC terms. I think a grand exit from the Major Faction stage would be an incredible thread opportunity, and I'd love to run my character through those hurdles at some point. Hell, I'd even take her to PvP if this was a thread that was going to happen.

But do other members of the GR want any of this? Over the past few months we have literally been incapable of agreeing on any front. At the very least, the future of this faction is something we need to be able to agree on. I, once again, struggle to see how we can ever be a faction if we can't agree whether or not we even want to exist as we are now.

EDIT: Where's the bloody cheerleaders when you need them, eh?

 

[Mother Askani]

Yes, but I think building a military and creating a government for the Jedi is silly in a way. I think Jedi need to be Jedi and the choice for what they do with their careers should honestly up to them. Not saying I don't see your point. But an Order where the Order can be just that...should exist...serving the function that the Jedi Academy does, or did.

And even then maybe its reptitive to create a whole new order when the Academy already exist, but from my point of view even the Academy has fallen silent. I may be wrong..

But yes, its a decision the member base has to agree on.

EDIT: excuse my technical difficulties. I'm replying from my phone

 

[Jsc]

And even then maybe its reptitive to create a whole new order when the Academy already exist, but from my point of view even the Academy has fallen silent. I may be wrong..

I won't speak to this thread until the FAs have a say. However, I should like to point out about the Academy.

The Jedi Academy Network is a voice-less neutral ground where any lightsider can come to receive Jedi training outside of the dedicated Orders. Ilias has done a beautiful job keeping that neutral ground very, very neutral. And, a part of that plan is simply not having any agendas at all. So while I understand the perception that the Jedi Academy is somewhat silent. I can assure you it is only because everything is going exactly as planned over there. No agendas. No meetings. Just peace, quiet, and training. Very Zen. Very cool.

So! If you are looking for options of a new unity? The Jedi Academy can only offer neutral ground. Not a political stance, at this time. Cheers!

 

[Mother Askani]

I completely agree, I love Ilias and he's done a great job. But what I'm referring to is the activity when I say silent. I'm a member there as well, and essentially I can honestly say The Academy Network was what a lot of us were waiting for, it gave us that escape from the political drama etc etc. but I think it became a little unnecessary in the eyes of some maybe. And if a new unity were created I would hope it was created with the similar things in mind

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

I'm always around and willing to help. Clearly something needs to happen, and in my opinion, the first thing that needs to happen is that we need to start having fun again. However we can do that and the quicker we can do that the better. Gotta get the minds of the people off of all the negativity.

 

[Cecily Demici]

Right now, the GR has a few key problems that have sort of brought us to a grinding halt:

• Burn-Out from the once active members who got shut down so hard and so frequently that they stopped trying. Ahem. Hem. Hem.
• A boring premise. No one likes to be the righteous goodie goodies ALL the time.
• Relatively inactive or uninspired leadership.
• Poor relations with all other factions.

 

[Mantic Dorn]

Well, first things first. Mantic aint going nowhere and as long as the republic stays true to originality and complexity of a democratic organisation (however flawed that might be) he will stick with it.

Also - While we dont have the members to stay one of the two superpowah faction as it is I dont see that the GR is so inactive that it belongs as a minir faction.

The GR is about worlds working together in the senate. If we dont have worlds we are no longer the GR. Then we should join our "sub-faction," the rebellion.

But we are far from beaten. Even if the OS hunts us down planet after planet the sheer number of invasions would take a very long time.
So on that I vote sty major till the bitter end.

About the rest I think we already have a very good frame work with the three branches. We need more cooperation/joint missions to get a sense of unity though.
But that is not very hard to come up with. Then of course, folks need to post and strt their stories, preferably through dominions (in my oppinion).

Current dominions are very slow going and I think each and everyone need to think on why you dont post? Dont you like dominions in general or do you want a better dominion, story wise or are you not finding the right objective or whatnot.

I would personally like to see those caring posting once or trice in our doms to give them som speed and that should pretty much wrap em...

Then we can start creating new stoeues with more focus on joint missions/objectives. Or at least I can if the muse lacks elsewhere.

 

[Carn Dista]

Considering my past history with the faction, I'm probably not in a position to pass comment, however:

• Being defeatist has never helped anyone
• If things seem boring, do something interesting
• Don't be afraid of the OS

 

[Carn Dista]

Also while I'm here:

If we're having trouble expanding outwards with dominions/whatever, then it seems like a wise course of action to stop doing thing's we're stuck with, and focus more on consolidating what we've got, shoring up the defenses of planets that might be susceptible to attack in the near future (I'm looking at you, planets bordering sith space). This way we're shifting away from things people might not be too keen for (dominions, by the looks of things), and more towards something new/refreshing, which will also solidify our position on the map further.


tldr:

Perhaps stop taking planets for a bit and preparing to defend what we've got to make it more difficult for people to dislodge us from the map is a better idea at the moment.

 

[Mantic Dorn]

I know that makes sense.
But doms are fun and give good framework for a fairly clear and recognizable goal for a collaborative story.

Cant we manage both?

 

[Tyl Ro]

If my post comes off as defeatist it's because I see a bleak situation that no one else is openly talking about.

I am critical, and I am practical, but I am not a quitter or a fair-weather fan. I don't think it's impossible to turn this faction around and get it going in a positive direction. I do think that it will be a lot of work. And I think it will need every member it can get to return to any level of success.

The simple fact that there aren't more people who consider themselves active members of the faction posting here trying to come up with solutions or at least displaying their support of the Galactic Republic does not bring me much hope.

 

[Carn Dista]

I know that makes sense.
But doms are fun and give good framework for a fairly clear and recognizable goal for a collaborative story.
Cant we manage both?

Short term answer is no. If the current ones aren't getting done then adding more to the pile won't help. Shifting the direction away from expansion for a little while gives people time to explore other things, and our clearly recognisable goal would be fortifying worlds to defend from the sith, with a priority on any world bordering Sith space. This could then open up talks with the one Sith fl, and we could arrange things such as them attacking a specific world repeatedly, with them being rebuked by the new defences the first / second tries, with the third being an all out invasion, etcetera etcetera.

This would give us downtime (building defences is arguably less hectic than capturing worlds), a sense of purpose (everyone clumping together to prepare for the inevitable), and some juicey war threads (from pre arranged skirmishes on said fortified planets)


Long term answer is definitely yes - I'd go so far as to suggest that for every planet we take, we do a thread consolidating our hold on it diplomatically, and another thread bolstering the planetary defences for that planet. This would slow our expansion, so when we did expand it'd be more of a thrill to write for (thus attracting more posters), and in between would give our members a veritable shit load to do (which would draw in new characters, etc)




Personally, I'd short term first. Forget expanding if we're struggling, and look at what we've already got to generate rp. Then once we're happy with what's happening and our activity levels go up, go back to having dominions and the likes.




Just trying to think of immediate and practical solutions to what appears to be a problem that isn't going away in a hurry as is.

 

[Jaccer Ramirez]

Well as of last week, I have finally got a new PC. Not only does this mean that my posts can now be 100% more c​o​l​o​u​r​f​u​l​,​ but it also means I will (probably) be much more active on the board and this faction particularly.

So go ahead and count me into whatever you guys are planning!

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Considering my past history with the faction, I'm probably not in a position to pass comment, however:

• Being defeatist has never helped anyone
• If things seem boring, do something interesting
• Don't be afraid of the OS

YES. This. Good stuff.

I'm seeing a knee-jerk reaction toward negativity lately, and it's counterproductive. I won't even engage in these sort of discussions anymore as a result.

So, moving on...

The first thing I thought when I saw the GA start up was "Sweet! Another positive, light-side oriented faction that's not just dilly-dallying about doing its own thing! They have a commitment to fighting the Sith, they sound like our best friends already!"

And so I messaged their folks and we're in the process of organizing a meet-and-greet thread (not a boring one, but one with explosions) for our leadership to get together and work with one another over.

The GA is no more than what they say they are: A faction with a different style but similarities we can recognize that works to counter the Sith.

Instead of reading into everything, even if we think we have a good reason to, we should give people the benefit of the doubt. If anything, it prevents relations from souring.

So let's all buck up and just get in on some good writing!

*Walks off to go do posts*

 

[riseabovenormality]

At this moment in time, I have regrettably few ideas.
This isn't exactly the first time that I've experienced this, though, so I'll try to put my two cents in:

We aren't doing great. Does that mean we're doing bad? No, at least not as far as I can tell. Why does it feel like we're doing bad? Well, the OS are, quite frankly, doing incredible. They have quite a few members, a lot of them are active, and they've managed to keep a fair amount of interesting plots going. What does this mean for the Republic? It means we're up against a tough opponent. That doesn't mean we're doing awful, or that we're doomed, or that we might as well give up.

Our problem, if we wish to call it such, is that we're moving slower than we could be. We have plenty of writers, we just aren't that active. I am admittedly guilty of being inactive in this faction. Up until the last week (when I returned from an unannounced LOA) I wasn't doing any posting for the GR. Even before that, before my LOA, I didn't do much. Recently I've been trying to get my Republic characters active again, but obviously I can't magically get us all active again.

If only.

We have to work as a team. That's probably obvious, considering a Faction is, in essence, a team of characters with similar goals or beliefs.

What do I suggest? I don't think I'm the best person to give out suggestions. I'm not exactly known for my consistency, drive, or 'brilliance'. But it wouldn't be fair for me to just walk in, tell you guys that something is wrong, then leave without talking about what we could do. I think it would be best to finish our current Dominions then, as Mr. Dista suggested, focus on getting our planets protected. One thing I've noticed that's really got some writers down (and lessened their faith/hope) is that we seem to lose every fight we get into with the OS. Working to advance our planets might not help /that/ much with winning, since in the end it really comes down to PVP (in invasions, at least). However it would (hopefully) help get some of us active again while opening up opportunities to write with other factions.

Whether that means working with the GA to kick Sith ass or working with, well, Sith for Skirmishes, it might help us get somewhere.

That's all I have to say for now, since I'm having trouble gathering my thoughts.
Stay strong, my kinsman, we have a long way to go before the storm ends, but we will endure. We always will.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Right now, the GR has a few key problems that have sort of brought us to a grinding halt:

• Burn-Out from the once active members who got shut down so hard and so frequently that they stopped trying. Ahem. Hem. Hem.
• A boring premise. No one likes to be the righteous goodie goodies ALL the time.
• Relatively inactive or uninspired leadership.
• Poor relations with all other factions.

Let's not, shall we?