The Academy (for the tutelage and training of fledglings)

[Every]

Can't wait to see this take off!

[Blake]

Just working on the last few threads and trying to get stuff nailed down as far as the 'on grid' aspect of things goes but this should be up and running fairly shortly. I do apologize that I wasn't able to get it running by the beginning of October as planned but I did a wee bit of miscalculation as far as karma costs go and that's kind of delayed things a bit.

If anyone would be willing or interested in doing a bit of decor work on this project then please let me know via PM as my messenger seems to be eating messages as of late.

[Blake]

Seeing as how a little birdy has told me to stop obsessing and trying to have this made perfect....I am now throwing open the doors to The Academy!

PLEASE don't judge it too harshly as it isn't a truly polished product yet but how am I gonna get there without critique and without input?

[Trahir Trahison]

Define fledgling please.

[Blake]

In regards to this project the focus is for those new to the game or characters anywhere from "Newly created" to"2-3 months old" but really it's open for anyone that feels like they might have something to learn from what I am trying to mak happen. It's just a fun little attempt to help out new players but if older players want in on it too then by all means. I suspect the older players really won't get too much out of it save for a new experience as I am assuming (oh dear) that those that have been playing Path for as long as MOST of us have know pretty much all there is to know.

I don't have something set up to keep newbies busy every second they're on Path but the basic information is there and there is always the ability to get whatever help is needed while learning the ins and outs of the city in an atmosphere that, I am hoping, can remain safe and judgement free.

[Blake]

Because I was asked privately I figured I would clarify here as well...

Yes, The Academy will be accepting both gamer and roleplayer newbies. The two will just be treated slightly different. That's not exactly a sentence I enjoy using but with the way the rules work differently for gamers and roleplayers it might be best to go and find a gamer and specifically have that gamer oversee the teachings of other newbie gamers and instead of calling it The Academy, at that point, it would be more like 'voluntary interactive tutorial'.

I'll see how things play out. I there wind up being a massive influx of gamers only then I'll rework things.

[Azraeth]

What topics does it cover? And, are there mentors?

Whatever the case, good luck!

[Blake]

So far we have broken The Academy in to two different 'years' as it were. I suspect it won't take anyone more than 3 months to fully complete everything we might have to offer but the process is slow to start and then grows to give the individual more choice and more options and freedom.

Upon entering The Academy every 'student' (that word isn't seeming to fit right so much anymore) will learn what I call 'The basics'. This includes the Old Code, The New Code, The Masquerade and the ideology behind it, ethics of the community of Harper Rock (What is and is not generally viewed as acceptable and why) as well as the history of Harper Rock and the dangers inherent to the city (fae, human crime, police, etc.).

After all of that is covered, if people wish to stay on, they have the option of choosing one (or more) skill sets to learn about and focus on. This could be the art of B&E in which we might make sure that they meet our B&E expert (in this case Every) and follow a course of study designed by her so that by the end of a month (give or take) the individual knows everything they might ever need or want to know about B&E.

I also plan to have weekly or bi-weekly 'tests'. Some will be written and some will be practical but all information will be readily available to even the youngest or newest of players. I'm looking at around 10 questions per 'test' with questions such as:

"Where might I go if I wished to find a zombie in Harper Rock?" (Quarantine Zone)

-or-

"What skill set, when fully mastered, will make the most money at the cost of the most energy? (Business)

Like I said though, this is only the trial run and much of this may be subject to change. I know there are many that are interested in helping with this endeavor and while I would LOVE the help I would want to make sure there are enough people needing help otherwise it might seem a little....overbearing potentially? Though thoughts, ideas and criticism are quite welcome!

[Azraeth]

The only suggestion I have is to maybe include people with different viewpoints in the running of the Academy, because most of what you label as 'basics' follows one specific political agenda, and one of the main selling points you have for the Academy is that it's neutral. So if you're going to tackle topics like the Masquerade, the New Code and Harper Rock History IC, you're going to need more than one perspective, or you (and Blake) are really only advertising your endeavour to one section of the player base.

I honestly wish it were more OOC than IC, if only because the set up kind of makes it so that human playing newbies are left out.

The rest seems pretty nifty though, so have fun and good luck!

[Blake]

There is an OOC section covering the OOC topics of Path but I wasn't exactly sure how to make it all inclusive for humans as well. It kinda goes against the character of Blake to start teaching humans how to fight against the dangers of Harper Rock given that a majority of the dangers are supernatural in nature and therefore would be a breach of the Masquerade if Blake were to start teaching humans about such things.

As for the multiple viewpoints, I agree. I fully intend on eventually including more mentors of the community as mentors once there is an established student body. As it stands I have one, maybe two, individuals interested in filling the role of 'student' and to have so many mentors vs the number of students I feel would be a bit overbearing or maybe even daunting. I really prefer not to confuse people if I can help it.

As far as presenting those topics, it's going to be more of a 'this is the new code and the old code, if you choose to follow it great. If not, I can't really suggest it but the choice is yours'. Blake, unlikely as it may seem, is not attempting to give his views on any specific matters, merely the basics and allow people to make their decisions from there. There will be newbie protection in place but only for the first month or so in order for everyone to be able to have at least a basic understanding of what is considered acceptable and unacceptable (i.e. shadowing in to someones home and stealing whatever security gadgets are in place is typically considered a bad thing). The violations list will be explained as well as he consequences of being on said list but no one, and I stress no one, is going to be 'persuaded' or 'lured' in to changing their thinking. This is going to be an attempt at putting faction, bloodline and clan aside and while I may not be perfect I will be doing everything in my power to ensure it happens.

On that same note, I would be quite interested in perhaps bringing one individual aboard that isn't close to Andras, Tytonidae, Altaire or Docere to potentially be able to give a differing viewpoint on things that I may not be able to see. I am hoping this individual would be willing to set aside both IC and OOC differences and hostilities in the hopes of doing something good for the new players of Path. If anyone is interested in this please feel free to PM me here on the forums to discuss things.

ETA: On a further note with the human aspect of things, I find it difficult to untangle the mess of IC interaction and grid interaction that will inevitably have to happen. This poses another problem to me unless I were to, perhaps, look in to having a human mentor. Even if that were done it would require an entire restructuring of the boards in order to maintain Masquerade adherence as well as ensure the safety of both vampire and human.