One more round on Council, this time with SMD
Bold = Eddie, the CM for SMD
Not bold = My responses
I would like to take a moment to share with council a couple of things. The first thing is I would like to know why Dale, do you think it is appropriate to post emails from the council list to your LJ? I have seen two posts from council. A Coord should be held to a higher standard than the typical CM. I for one do not feel that this is acceptable.
Second this is a letter that a member of my game put over the OOC list. Just thought I would share since the player gave me permission. The letter follows:
We're not discussing super secret plot or character stuffs. Council is the Congress of OWbN. The nature of Council is not to be cut off from the Org since the Council Reps job is, nominally, to keep his/her chronicle apprised of what's going in the Org (with the exception of super secret plot stuffs and confidential character information). The emails that I've posted to my LJ have been my responses to the comments made in the Brujah Coord vote, and my responses to other questions or concerns brought up. The Coord votes are public votes, and I don't see any issue with making my responses to questions and concerns public. I made them expecting the Council Reps and STs to disseminate the information to their players if the players had similar questions, after all.
Conclave
Dale RSVP'd for Conclave as Pasek. He registered this with Harpy's. Dale even went to Conclave as far as I know, and instead of playing Pasek elected to play Archon Giovanni instead. Dale refuses to even address this point and even if it was a simple explination of "I didnt want to" there were plenty of STs, subcoords (some being his own subcoords if I remember correctly) that were at the event and could have portrayed Paseck. All anyone has heard is excuse after excuse as to why Pasek was not there, some of which make no sense. He refuses to see this situation as a bigger picture and refuses to admit the mistake he made in not having Pasek in attendance. The absence of Pasek not only affected the Brujah genre greatly, but also spilled over into other clans and affected the overall Camarilla genre in general. I am also confused where the excuse that only 3 Justicars were supposed to be there came from. When there is something that major occuring, it makes sense both in genre and logically that all of the Justicars would be there. Dale's claim of not knowing that all Justicars would be there also makes no sense seeing as it was fairly public knowledge. The most recent excuse of "Pasek had no reason to be there" makes no sense. If the Brujah had an opinion either way about the Assamites, Pasek DID have a reason to be there. He did his clan a great injustice by not showing as well as the Camarilla as a whole.
I haven't addressed the RSVP point because nobody's asked. Yes, Pascek RSVP'd for the event IC. I didn't intend to take him, but due to the fact that I was moving and going to be without email, I had to RSVP almost two weeks prior to the event, and it's hard for something to come up "last minute" when you're giving two weeks notice. So, I had Pascek's crew RSVP, and then had something come up last minute that he dealt with ICly.
Even if Pascek had been in attendance, he wouldn't have spoken. None of the Justicars really spoke except for Petronius and Lucinde. He would have sat up at the table and still relied upon Paul Walker to speak on his behalf. Since Paul had gathered 50 or so status in the days prior to the event, I didn't expect this to be a problem. If I had known that the Ventrue Justicar was going to make some commandment that status didn't matter, then I would have reacted differently, but I didn't expect it. Chad and I have already discussed this on here, so you guys already know the story. No need rehasing, but the bottom line is that I didn't feel Pascek's personal presence was necessary to push his agenda.
Would it have gone more smoothly if Pascek had shown up himself? Yes and no. Paul Walker would likely have not been torn apart by Petronius and Lucinde, but the vote would have still been yes or no, and the Brujah opinion would have still been discarded. Why? Because that's what some of the other Coords decided they wanted - a yes or no vote. When I tried to bring up having a third option added to the ballot, I had multiple people yelling at me simultaneously that it wasn't going to happen.
It was decided that three Justicars would preside. Three. Not five, not six, but three. At the time it was decided, I spoke with the Cam Coord about not taking Pascek because he wasn't presiding, and that I didn't like the idea of taking my Justicar "just because." I came up with the IC reasoning that Pascek wouldn't attend and be in a subserviant role to Lucinde, whom he despises. The Cam Coord agreed with my reasoning. I notified the Coord staff. At the time, I didn't know that Streck or Cock Robin would be attending. At the time, I didn't even know I would be attending. I didn't find out that I could make it until mid-July. I'd already told my staff and PC archons that I wsn't going, and Pascek wasn't going, and they planned accordingly. When I had changed my mind, my plane ticket cost $375. In addition to people requesting different vacation days, or needing to give more notice, it also boils down to not everyone can afford to spend that kind of money on a larp event, and prices just kept going up as the event neared.
For the record, I had two subcoords in attendance. One of them is also the Tremere Coord, and had his own thing to do. I didn't even know Alan was going to be there until a few weeks before the event, but regardless, he was playing Jack Sebastien, his PC Archon, as part of Lucinde's entourage. There were three STs for the event, who were quite busy whenever I saw them, and didn't have the time to portray NPCs. I also didn't want to ask players to give up playing their PCs, assuming that they'd traveled all that way and spent all that money to be at the event as a player, not a last minute NPC stand-in.
Here's a more linear breakdown of the process:
* At first, Pascek wasn't presiding, and I didn't think I could make it, so I decided not to bring him.
* I then decided to try to get Masako to show, but kept it on the down-low so people would be surprised.
* I then realized that I could make the even, but it was too late for anyone else to make plans due to vacation time and/or money issues.
* Then, a few weeks prior to the event, I found out that the other non-presiding Coords decided to bring their Justicars. The idea had been bandied about, but nothing was solidified until a week or so before the Event actually happened. At least, not to my knowledge. Maybe individual Coords knew and there was just a lack of communication.
* I still didn't have a reason to bring Pascek, and was still working on the possibility of Masako.
* About two weeks prior to the event, I found out Carrie couldn't make it, so Masako was out.
* I still had no reason for Pascek to show, as a non-presiding Justicar who had a 50 status spokesperson waiting on deck for him, and the one or two "I may be able to make it but won't know it until last minute" people on my staff and PC Archon team informed me that there was no way it was happening for them.
* I decided to go the NPC Archon route. In past Conclaves, Justicars had been represented by their "Chief Archons." However, I like to keep things in the hands of PCs as much as possible, so the Archon sat in the shadows and I worked through Paul.
* Because I was moving and would be without internet, I had to RSVP earlier than intended, so I RSVP'd for Pascek and decided to have something come up last minute. He dealt with an open-ended personal/Brujah plot that Casey ran towards the end of his term.
Coord Responsibilites
Dale has on one, if not two, occasions turned off the coord list. He made this very open and public on his LJ. From his statements it seemed that he simply cut himself off from the other coords as a whole. The org cannot afford to have a coord who throws a fit and removes themselves from important lists particularly when there is discussion taking place that they need to be involved in.
I turned off emails, once, for a week. I didn't cut myself off from the Coords. I still exchanged emails with Tim, the Cam Coord, Loopy, the Toreador Coord, and JJ, the Nos Coord. I was still doing my job and Coordinating my genre, I just wasn't diving headfirst back into the angst and anger that had taken over the Coord list at that particular time. I've already addressed this ad nauseum, so I'll stop here.
Brujah Genre and the packet
Dale seems to be taking a step back in regards to Brujah genre. While I understand that clan packets do not need to be novels, they also do not need to be one page thoughts that seem to have no original thoughts or ideas in them at all. I also personally feel that it is fairly low to even try to pass a packet that refers to ANOTHER packet that you simply release without putting up for vote. Would other clans players and sub coords put up with that? I highly doubt it. It sets a very scary precedence in the org. I even feel that it is against the bylaws, but that is just me. It makes no sense for a binding genre document to refer to a "non binding" document that any coord can change whenever they want with no vote or anything. Considering that this "Resource Guide" is where the write ups for combos are, it has the appearance of intent to be genre binding.
A step back? Howso? The Brujah clan has, for at least the past 4-5 years, been a very autonomous clan because there is no IC hierarchy to steer it, and some time ago the IC voting system was implemented to make major IC clan decisions. I can poke and prod and nudge them with NPCs, but I can't make commands of the entire clan and have any expectation of them being followed. Even the ones who would normally follow Pascek or one of the other NPCs would baulk and the idea of a command, and start rallying against said NPC.
As far as the way I split the genre packet and resource guide, I've heard a lot of praise from Council about it. They seemed to like a packet that was "meat & potatoes," that they didn't have to spend days reading and re-reading, looking for possible issues.
The Genre Resource Guide is not meant to be binding, and was never meant to be binding. If I intended it to be such, I would have passed it through Council. Rather, I put together a list of guidelines, analogies, and stories to help players and STs understand OWbN Brujah Genre. I included the write-ups for the combo disciplines in a non-binding document on purpose. I have provided a guideline saying "This is what we've determined to be a good way to run these. However, we understand that individual chronicles may like to change them for their game, so this is unbinding." There are games that have house rules that change the way the basic powers in Laws of the Night work, as well as combos found in clan books. It works for their game. Why should I try to force them to accept my interpretation when I may not play in their game?
I can do this with my genre because the Brujah are such a chaotic and nonstructured clan, that it's okay for things to be a little different from region to region. In the end, the game is about people having fun, and not constantly arguing about who's right and who's wrong. If people don't have fun, then they'll stop playing, or we'll get a bunch of players with loads of pent up aggression unleashing on each other in petty "shouting matches." I think we've all seen those far more times than we care for. I also feel that Games and the Coords have been at each other's throats long enough, and that it's time for a Coordinator to start trusting individual chronicles again. I have shown that trust, and a willingness to work together, with my non-binding document that provides guidelinees that I suggest, but don't try to force on anyone.
And, just as a heads up, this conversation will appear on my LJ as well. If any council reps are curious to see it, or the other conversations I've put up, it's http://keyboardninja.livejournal.com.
-Dale
Not bold = My responses
I would like to take a moment to share with council a couple of things. The first thing is I would like to know why Dale, do you think it is appropriate to post emails from the council list to your LJ? I have seen two posts from council. A Coord should be held to a higher standard than the typical CM. I for one do not feel that this is acceptable.
Second this is a letter that a member of my game put over the OOC list. Just thought I would share since the player gave me permission. The letter follows:
We're not discussing super secret plot or character stuffs. Council is the Congress of OWbN. The nature of Council is not to be cut off from the Org since the Council Reps job is, nominally, to keep his/her chronicle apprised of what's going in the Org (with the exception of super secret plot stuffs and confidential character information). The emails that I've posted to my LJ have been my responses to the comments made in the Brujah Coord vote, and my responses to other questions or concerns brought up. The Coord votes are public votes, and I don't see any issue with making my responses to questions and concerns public. I made them expecting the Council Reps and STs to disseminate the information to their players if the players had similar questions, after all.
Conclave
Dale RSVP'd for Conclave as Pasek. He registered this with Harpy's. Dale even went to Conclave as far as I know, and instead of playing Pasek elected to play Archon Giovanni instead. Dale refuses to even address this point and even if it was a simple explination of "I didnt want to" there were plenty of STs, subcoords (some being his own subcoords if I remember correctly) that were at the event and could have portrayed Paseck. All anyone has heard is excuse after excuse as to why Pasek was not there, some of which make no sense. He refuses to see this situation as a bigger picture and refuses to admit the mistake he made in not having Pasek in attendance. The absence of Pasek not only affected the Brujah genre greatly, but also spilled over into other clans and affected the overall Camarilla genre in general. I am also confused where the excuse that only 3 Justicars were supposed to be there came from. When there is something that major occuring, it makes sense both in genre and logically that all of the Justicars would be there. Dale's claim of not knowing that all Justicars would be there also makes no sense seeing as it was fairly public knowledge. The most recent excuse of "Pasek had no reason to be there" makes no sense. If the Brujah had an opinion either way about the Assamites, Pasek DID have a reason to be there. He did his clan a great injustice by not showing as well as the Camarilla as a whole.
I haven't addressed the RSVP point because nobody's asked. Yes, Pascek RSVP'd for the event IC. I didn't intend to take him, but due to the fact that I was moving and going to be without email, I had to RSVP almost two weeks prior to the event, and it's hard for something to come up "last minute" when you're giving two weeks notice. So, I had Pascek's crew RSVP, and then had something come up last minute that he dealt with ICly.
Even if Pascek had been in attendance, he wouldn't have spoken. None of the Justicars really spoke except for Petronius and Lucinde. He would have sat up at the table and still relied upon Paul Walker to speak on his behalf. Since Paul had gathered 50 or so status in the days prior to the event, I didn't expect this to be a problem. If I had known that the Ventrue Justicar was going to make some commandment that status didn't matter, then I would have reacted differently, but I didn't expect it. Chad and I have already discussed this on here, so you guys already know the story. No need rehasing, but the bottom line is that I didn't feel Pascek's personal presence was necessary to push his agenda.
Would it have gone more smoothly if Pascek had shown up himself? Yes and no. Paul Walker would likely have not been torn apart by Petronius and Lucinde, but the vote would have still been yes or no, and the Brujah opinion would have still been discarded. Why? Because that's what some of the other Coords decided they wanted - a yes or no vote. When I tried to bring up having a third option added to the ballot, I had multiple people yelling at me simultaneously that it wasn't going to happen.
It was decided that three Justicars would preside. Three. Not five, not six, but three. At the time it was decided, I spoke with the Cam Coord about not taking Pascek because he wasn't presiding, and that I didn't like the idea of taking my Justicar "just because." I came up with the IC reasoning that Pascek wouldn't attend and be in a subserviant role to Lucinde, whom he despises. The Cam Coord agreed with my reasoning. I notified the Coord staff. At the time, I didn't know that Streck or Cock Robin would be attending. At the time, I didn't even know I would be attending. I didn't find out that I could make it until mid-July. I'd already told my staff and PC archons that I wsn't going, and Pascek wasn't going, and they planned accordingly. When I had changed my mind, my plane ticket cost $375. In addition to people requesting different vacation days, or needing to give more notice, it also boils down to not everyone can afford to spend that kind of money on a larp event, and prices just kept going up as the event neared.
For the record, I had two subcoords in attendance. One of them is also the Tremere Coord, and had his own thing to do. I didn't even know Alan was going to be there until a few weeks before the event, but regardless, he was playing Jack Sebastien, his PC Archon, as part of Lucinde's entourage. There were three STs for the event, who were quite busy whenever I saw them, and didn't have the time to portray NPCs. I also didn't want to ask players to give up playing their PCs, assuming that they'd traveled all that way and spent all that money to be at the event as a player, not a last minute NPC stand-in.
Here's a more linear breakdown of the process:
* At first, Pascek wasn't presiding, and I didn't think I could make it, so I decided not to bring him.
* I then decided to try to get Masako to show, but kept it on the down-low so people would be surprised.
* I then realized that I could make the even, but it was too late for anyone else to make plans due to vacation time and/or money issues.
* Then, a few weeks prior to the event, I found out that the other non-presiding Coords decided to bring their Justicars. The idea had been bandied about, but nothing was solidified until a week or so before the Event actually happened. At least, not to my knowledge. Maybe individual Coords knew and there was just a lack of communication.
* I still didn't have a reason to bring Pascek, and was still working on the possibility of Masako.
* About two weeks prior to the event, I found out Carrie couldn't make it, so Masako was out.
* I still had no reason for Pascek to show, as a non-presiding Justicar who had a 50 status spokesperson waiting on deck for him, and the one or two "I may be able to make it but won't know it until last minute" people on my staff and PC Archon team informed me that there was no way it was happening for them.
* I decided to go the NPC Archon route. In past Conclaves, Justicars had been represented by their "Chief Archons." However, I like to keep things in the hands of PCs as much as possible, so the Archon sat in the shadows and I worked through Paul.
* Because I was moving and would be without internet, I had to RSVP earlier than intended, so I RSVP'd for Pascek and decided to have something come up last minute. He dealt with an open-ended personal/Brujah plot that Casey ran towards the end of his term.
Coord Responsibilites
Dale has on one, if not two, occasions turned off the coord list. He made this very open and public on his LJ. From his statements it seemed that he simply cut himself off from the other coords as a whole. The org cannot afford to have a coord who throws a fit and removes themselves from important lists particularly when there is discussion taking place that they need to be involved in.
I turned off emails, once, for a week. I didn't cut myself off from the Coords. I still exchanged emails with Tim, the Cam Coord, Loopy, the Toreador Coord, and JJ, the Nos Coord. I was still doing my job and Coordinating my genre, I just wasn't diving headfirst back into the angst and anger that had taken over the Coord list at that particular time. I've already addressed this ad nauseum, so I'll stop here.
Brujah Genre and the packet
Dale seems to be taking a step back in regards to Brujah genre. While I understand that clan packets do not need to be novels, they also do not need to be one page thoughts that seem to have no original thoughts or ideas in them at all. I also personally feel that it is fairly low to even try to pass a packet that refers to ANOTHER packet that you simply release without putting up for vote. Would other clans players and sub coords put up with that? I highly doubt it. It sets a very scary precedence in the org. I even feel that it is against the bylaws, but that is just me. It makes no sense for a binding genre document to refer to a "non binding" document that any coord can change whenever they want with no vote or anything. Considering that this "Resource Guide" is where the write ups for combos are, it has the appearance of intent to be genre binding.
A step back? Howso? The Brujah clan has, for at least the past 4-5 years, been a very autonomous clan because there is no IC hierarchy to steer it, and some time ago the IC voting system was implemented to make major IC clan decisions. I can poke and prod and nudge them with NPCs, but I can't make commands of the entire clan and have any expectation of them being followed. Even the ones who would normally follow Pascek or one of the other NPCs would baulk and the idea of a command, and start rallying against said NPC.
As far as the way I split the genre packet and resource guide, I've heard a lot of praise from Council about it. They seemed to like a packet that was "meat & potatoes," that they didn't have to spend days reading and re-reading, looking for possible issues.
The Genre Resource Guide is not meant to be binding, and was never meant to be binding. If I intended it to be such, I would have passed it through Council. Rather, I put together a list of guidelines, analogies, and stories to help players and STs understand OWbN Brujah Genre. I included the write-ups for the combo disciplines in a non-binding document on purpose. I have provided a guideline saying "This is what we've determined to be a good way to run these. However, we understand that individual chronicles may like to change them for their game, so this is unbinding." There are games that have house rules that change the way the basic powers in Laws of the Night work, as well as combos found in clan books. It works for their game. Why should I try to force them to accept my interpretation when I may not play in their game?
I can do this with my genre because the Brujah are such a chaotic and nonstructured clan, that it's okay for things to be a little different from region to region. In the end, the game is about people having fun, and not constantly arguing about who's right and who's wrong. If people don't have fun, then they'll stop playing, or we'll get a bunch of players with loads of pent up aggression unleashing on each other in petty "shouting matches." I think we've all seen those far more times than we care for. I also feel that Games and the Coords have been at each other's throats long enough, and that it's time for a Coordinator to start trusting individual chronicles again. I have shown that trust, and a willingness to work together, with my non-binding document that provides guidelinees that I suggest, but don't try to force on anyone.
And, just as a heads up, this conversation will appear on my LJ as well. If any council reps are curious to see it, or the other conversations I've put up, it's http://keyboardninja.livejournal.com.
-Dale