if they're watching anyways
I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while and needed to get it out.
In short: Add a fifth judging category for invasions pertaining to the IC preparation of each faction for said invasion. It would involve showing the culmination of other threads and stories into what happened in the invasion itself.
Going to use NIO as an example, because I think they've done this really well.
Since NIO's inception they've had a focused narrative and overarching themes. In each invasion the intent of the faction is very clear -- the Will of Defiance, the gritty reality of war, the desire to destroy the Sith no matter the cost. The Braxant Campaign was written really well and the Invasion of Bastion was a culmination of all of the prior events, with a number of big moments.
Irveric Tavlar
ordering Kyber Dark comes to mind.
In that post, he quoted a number of other posts from previous threads that built to the decision he made in that moment. That's what I want recognized. When writers and factions put in the effort to build a larger story that leads up to an invasion, that should count for something during the judging.
Faction threads where the military-types get together to put the finishing touches on their battle plans, threads where someone admits their fears or reservations about the coming battle -- for me, that's just as strong as the invasion itself. I also think this would encourage more activity, communication, and cohesion for every faction.
Before the Invasion of Dantooine (and the few preceding events, which have been spoken enough of already), GA and NIO were working on a sort of Cold War-esque series of collaborative faction threads that would've culminated into an NIO Invasion of GA Carida. Obviously these plans fell through, but I think it could've been amazing to acknowledge all of the preceding faction threads and showing that the invasion wasn't just a one-off story of "X faction attacks X faction". There was a lot of talk between our staff teams about our story and the kind of beats we wanted to hit. I think it would've made for a great invasion, and the active collaboration OOC from both factions was something I'd never really seen before an Invasion (though, said Invasion did not happen).
The counterpoint that comes to mind first for me is that this can be covered in the Story and Tension categories already. NIO's consistent narrative kept them focused, and they didn't suffer because one more category didn't go to them in their invasions. Tavlar quoted those posts in his own and got his point and theme across without the RPJs needing to read an entire other thread.
That's the second counterpoint; this would definitely involve more work from the RPJs. While I'd suggest attempts to minimize the amount of reading -- linking highlight posts or summarizing the events of a thread -- it's still another category that would need judging. It'd also be difficult to find which parts really are relevant to the characters/tension/story over threads that are just 100 posts of loading up all of the new guns on the planet.
Third, I think this would tend to favor the attackers in each invasion. The attackers know they're going to announce the invasion at X date, and can prepare faction threads that pertain to said invasion, ramping up their efforts to win a category before the invasion was even announced. If the communication between the two factions is poor or sparse leading up to the invasion, the attackers know their objectives before their opponents do and can also prepare for those. (Note that the Invasion that TSE won during that series was the one they were attacking in.)
Quick Pros-and-Cons Redux:
Despite the flaws, I do think bringing in a category like this can improve faction threads and narratives before invasions. Specifics would be left up to staff, of course, and this is just a suggestion -- one that's open to feedback.
In short: Add a fifth judging category for invasions pertaining to the IC preparation of each faction for said invasion. It would involve showing the culmination of other threads and stories into what happened in the invasion itself.
Going to use NIO as an example, because I think they've done this really well.
Since NIO's inception they've had a focused narrative and overarching themes. In each invasion the intent of the faction is very clear -- the Will of Defiance, the gritty reality of war, the desire to destroy the Sith no matter the cost. The Braxant Campaign was written really well and the Invasion of Bastion was a culmination of all of the prior events, with a number of big moments.
Irveric Tavlar
ordering Kyber Dark comes to mind. In that post, he quoted a number of other posts from previous threads that built to the decision he made in that moment. That's what I want recognized. When writers and factions put in the effort to build a larger story that leads up to an invasion, that should count for something during the judging.
Faction threads where the military-types get together to put the finishing touches on their battle plans, threads where someone admits their fears or reservations about the coming battle -- for me, that's just as strong as the invasion itself. I also think this would encourage more activity, communication, and cohesion for every faction.
Before the Invasion of Dantooine (and the few preceding events, which have been spoken enough of already), GA and NIO were working on a sort of Cold War-esque series of collaborative faction threads that would've culminated into an NIO Invasion of GA Carida. Obviously these plans fell through, but I think it could've been amazing to acknowledge all of the preceding faction threads and showing that the invasion wasn't just a one-off story of "X faction attacks X faction". There was a lot of talk between our staff teams about our story and the kind of beats we wanted to hit. I think it would've made for a great invasion, and the active collaboration OOC from both factions was something I'd never really seen before an Invasion (though, said Invasion did not happen).
The counterpoint that comes to mind first for me is that this can be covered in the Story and Tension categories already. NIO's consistent narrative kept them focused, and they didn't suffer because one more category didn't go to them in their invasions. Tavlar quoted those posts in his own and got his point and theme across without the RPJs needing to read an entire other thread.
That's the second counterpoint; this would definitely involve more work from the RPJs. While I'd suggest attempts to minimize the amount of reading -- linking highlight posts or summarizing the events of a thread -- it's still another category that would need judging. It'd also be difficult to find which parts really are relevant to the characters/tension/story over threads that are just 100 posts of loading up all of the new guns on the planet.
Third, I think this would tend to favor the attackers in each invasion. The attackers know they're going to announce the invasion at X date, and can prepare faction threads that pertain to said invasion, ramping up their efforts to win a category before the invasion was even announced. If the communication between the two factions is poor or sparse leading up to the invasion, the attackers know their objectives before their opponents do and can also prepare for those. (Note that the Invasion that TSE won during that series was the one they were attacking in.)
Quick Pros-and-Cons Redux:
- Acknowledges the effort put in by factions and writers to create an over-arching narrative leading up to the invasion.
- Encourages factions to put in said effort and build an interesting story.
- Technically already covered.
- More work during judging and write-ups.
- Favors attackers.
The game has changed around NIO.
Despite the flaws, I do think bringing in a category like this can improve faction threads and narratives before invasions. Specifics would be left up to staff, of course, and this is just a suggestion -- one that's open to feedback.
