Codex Development Thread Guide

[Quietus]

The Codex Development Thread Guide

The below was the creation of Rusty with some editing from [member="Valiens Nantaris"] and Lorelei Darke.
It is a guide to how dev threads are managed and what they will be usually requested for. Remember, the CJ of a submission has final say on whether a dev thread is required and what length. However, this is intended to help you plan.
Once comments and questions have been ironed out this will be reposted as a sticky thread and links in the templates will be made.

Codex Dev Thread Guide

Development threads, or dev threads, are role play threads for the purpose of fleshing out a submission, adding details that might not have been covered in the original submission. In order for a dev thread to be counted towards a submission, it must be at least ten quality posts in length, though longer post counts may be assigned depending on the situation. The following is a guide for things that may cause a Codex Judge to assign a dev thread. It is by no means all inclusive, but should give you a rough idea of what we're looking for. Unless otherwise stated, development threads may be completed either by yourself or with others.

General Guidelines

• Anything strange, unusual, or radical. If your submission does something that has never been done before, or is a departure from common wisdom, expect a dev thread to be assigned. This is to give the judges an idea of the logic behind your idea, as well as a chance to see how it will play out in RP.
• Anything with the potential to be unbalanced or abused in RP. Much like the Factory, the more powerful the submission, the more development required.

Species:

• Any Sithspawn or artificially created race. If it's the result of alchemy or genetic engineering, extensive development will be required. Expect a minimum of 50 posts to be assigned, and for truly monstrous or powerful species, it goes on up from there.
• Any species with exceptional physical or mental abilities. This includes things like regeneration, unusual strength, resistance to certain types of damage, or innate Force sensitivity. Generally speaking, development threads assigned that fall under this category will require a minimum of twenty posts, but can be made longer or shorter at the Judge's discretion.
• Warrior cultures. If everyone in a culture possesses formidable fighting skills, you may be asked to write a development thread, especially if their skills could be potentially unbalanced.

The most popular way to develop a species is from the perspective of explorers or scientists studying specimens for the first time. Focus on the relevant aspects of the species's culture or physiology. How did they get their abilities? What evolutionary forces guided them to their current state? How do they perform in combat? These are all important questions that will need to be answered.

Planets

• Force nexuses will require development. Rules for the length of the dev threads required are specified in the Planet Creation Template.
• Planets with deposits of restricted materials will also require development. Again, rules are listed in the Planet Creation Template.
• Planets with locations of unusual power. This may include locations with exceptional defenses or that contain powerful artifacts. In addition to the development thread, you will also need to submit the locations separately before use.
• And of course, anything with weird or unusual properties. The length of the threads required will be up to the judge, and will vary based on the needs of the situation.

Much like species, development threads with planets are usually conducted from the point of view of explorers or scientists discovering them for the first time. If there's a particular aspect of the planet that earned the thread, you would do well to focus on it during the thread.

Locations

• Things like military bases or defensive installations will require development. For most situations, ten posts will be sufficient, but bases of unusual power may go higher, at the Judge's discretion.
• Force nexuses, especially on canon worlds. As stated in the Planet Creation Template, 25 posts is the minimum, but that number may grow depending on the situation and location.

With locations, the focus of the development thread should establish the origins. Bases have to be built, for instance. Force nexuses can be caused by a great many things, but the thread in question should establish the particulars for how it came to be.

NPC (Individual)

• NPC Force users Master level will require development. Master level NPCs will require at minimum 25 posts. More might be assigned on a case by case basis. Knight level NPCs may require development if they have access to unusual powers or skills.
• Rare or dangerous species, such as Gen'Dai, Sithspawn, Sith Purebloods, Force Ghosts, and of course Dragons, will require development threads, with length varying based on relative strength. Force Ghosts with no extraordinary powers might require ten. Gen'Dai might require twenty to twenty five, so on and so forth. If a member of a particularly dangerous species is also Force Sensitive on the Master or Knight level, development threads could be quite extensive.
• NPCs with notable possessions or significant resources might also require development. Examples include NPC businessmen with stakes in phrik mines, Masters with holocrons, or spymasters with galaxy-spanning networks. The length of the thread will, as always, vary with the potential for misuse.

Keep in mind that NPCs are not meant to be replacements for or equal to player characters. If you're creating a Master level NPC for the purpose of training your character, or to get around ranking up a character, no amount of development will get it approved. Development threads for combat oriented NPCs should focus on how they got their skills and how they use them in a fight. For businessmen with extensive resources at their disposal, you should focus on how they acquired them. Also bear in mind that these factors will add up. If you've a Master level Pureblood Sith with a holocron and a cortosis mining operation, the dev threads required will be monstrous indeed.

NPC (Unit)

• A quality units will always require development. For smaller units, such as squadrons of fighter pilots or small units of elite soldiers, ten posts should be sufficient. The larger the unit, the larger the dev thread. A quality units of more than 100 members will require extensive development, and the maximum allowed is 500. Promoting a unit from B to A will require development showing battle experience.
• Any NPC unit with unusually powerful or semi-unique equipment might also require development, depending on the nature of the equipment in question. Whether or not this is necessary will be decided by the Codex Judge handling the submission.

When doing dev threads for units, you're basically showing us how they got to the point where they could be considered V Elite. Their training, their combat experience, all of that should be reflected in the dev threads. If they've got unusual equipment, expect to be asked to show how they got it.


So there you have it folks. Whatever happens, remember that dev threads are not punishment. We're not trying to make you suffer for coming up with a strange idea, we're just asking you to show your work. That said, if a Judge does assign a development thread, you'll do yourself no favors trying to argue with them. Make sure to check back here frequently, as the rules are subject to updates and edits.