Josh3738

Hey everyone! It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these, and we figured it was well past time to give y'all an update on the state of the team. It’s been over a year since we gave a proper update and a lot has happened. From having itdontmatta as admin, then the60th, and now me, we’ve had a lot of shake up when it comes to moderation leadership, the effects of which have been felt universally. As I assume what I anticipate to be long-term leadership, I have high hopes that we’ll be able to proceed in fairness and consistency with help from you, the players. Considering this is the first general update post put out during my tenure, I figure I should properly introduce myself. I’m Josh! I’m a graduate student in engineering technology, and with the end of my program in sight I decided to volunteer for the job. I first joined the server in January of 2013, primarily playing as a dwarf and recently an Adunian, and I spent much of that time on a variety of teams and various degrees of management. Now as mod admin, I’m looking to lend my prior experience and understanding of the server alongside my iterative pursuits as an engineer to the benefit of the team and our systems as a whole. From my perspective, the server is ever-changing and needs the continual improvement and effort of iteration to its rules that I would apply in my actual job. So my plan is to approach things in the same way I would approach an engineering problem, looking for feedback and information before iterating the ruleset, seeing what works and what doesn’t, and iterating it again. It’s my hope that, with your help, we can improve the server for ourselves and those who will join us as we grow. Current Team In my first few months as admin, it’s been one of my goals to reorganize the team somewhat given that we had some folks departing and different needs arising in the face of other goals I've set. Firstly, I’ve made my expectations known to the team and I’ll make them known publicly as well. If someone’s on the moderation team, it’s because I have trust in their ability to do the job until they give me reason not to. I expect them to give sensible verdicts and rulings in line with the rules themselves, and misunderstandings, mishandlings, or abuses will be dealt with accordingly. Beyond that, I expect them to be able to operate mostly independently of the need for managers or myself to step in on rulings unless necessary. Moderators should be able to moderate after all. To this end, management for the team has also been reworked such that each manager has specific oversights for functions of the team and shall serve as more of a coordinator for those higher functions rather than a “manager” that would otherwise step in for a higher ruling. As of right now, managers and mods are: We’re also recruiting! We’re currently looking for more folks to bring onto the team as well. If you think you’ve got the experience and temperament for moderation, put in an application! Projects Below is a list of the projects we’re currently working on. War Rules (Finished) - We’ve made a number of amendments and additions to our current war rules which are now live. War Training - Documentation and training for all mods on how to run wars correctly. Petty Theft and Heists - Adjusting some of the rules to be more current to what’s available on the server and patching a couple of things like redstone doors. Also introducing proper rules for boat theft. Build Standards - Taking a look at better explaining the expectations of the mod team when it comes to builds and the introduction of rules for some lawless things like door limits, redstone doors, and moving boats. Villainy Blacklist - An idea that’s currently bouncing around as an intermediate punishment between warnings and outright bans that more directly targets the rules broken. Rule Clarifications - A review of the current rules looking to see where things could be confusing or otherwise require an amendment. Afterword The rules of the server stand as both reference and guideline for how we should proceed, but they’re also flexible and should adapt with the times and what’s available to us so we might provide the fairest, safest experience we can. Things can be changed, and it’s your help and feedback that lets us know how we can change things for the better. A big factor in how we adapt and introduce rules and systems is player feedback, so join the Moderation Discord if you want to give input on our active projects and anything else you’d like to see changed. Otherwise, if you’ve got stuff for me specifically, feel free to shoot me a dm on discord (Josh3738). Your Mod Admin, Josh

...except when it does! Having considered your feedback from the last war and reviewing how it was conducted on both the player and staff sides, we’re making a number of changes with regard to how wars work. The newest version of the war rules is live in the War Rules forum, and wars (even though they were technically unfrozen a few weeks after they were frozen initially) are officially open again and will proceed under the new ruleset. Aside from a handful of wording changes and minor adjustments, major additions include: Base War Cost: Given the state of the in-game economy and adjustments to war paths, base costs have been reintroduced Mechanisms of War: Better defined build rules for attackers and defenders This section will also be updated with more pictures once we get examples together Tile Victory Conditions: Better definitions which are specifically tied to tile types Lair Warclaims: While allowed before, more specific rules have been defined with the help of @squakhawk A huge thank you to @ferdaboy and @Llir for their efforts in fielding feedback and getting all this put together and organized, @HogoBojo for lending the server for screenshots, and many more for their feedback and discussion. Addressing some concerns on the staff side, it’s been the case in the past that a handful of mods volunteer as war mods and are trained on how to put wars together. Moving forward, all mods are going to be trained to do so in an effort to a) cut down on a lot of that waiting/review period prior to warclaim starts, b) make more mods available to answer questions and help folks out as needed, and c) allow for involved mods to be fully excused from those duties with additional, uninvolved manpower. As is the case in big overhauls like this though, most everyone’s going to take a minute to learn how things work and there’s always the chance something could be done better. It’s your feedback that helps us determine where changes need to be made so we can provide the most fair experience for all as we can. Keep an eye out for our Your View’s and join Mod Discord if you want to give continual input on our projects. Up Next: Petty Theft, Heists, and Boats Build Standards, Doors, and Redstone Doors

I'm thankful to the admins for the opportunity and looking forward to continuing to work with a great team of mods!

Ser Alwyn frowned and shook his head as he read through the missive before tossing it into the fireplace. He'd stare out the window of the keep, commenting to himself as he stewed in his discontent. "If they weren't our enemies before, surely they are now. Bannin' tattoos... Banishin' children... I'm so pleased th' Curia's focusin' on th' real issues." "GOD, I wish Father Toni was still with us."

Hi everyone! We’ve had Limited Creative (LC) for a while now as our current happy middle ground between pastes and doing it by hand, but we’ve not been entirely clear about what it is, how it works, or much else about it unless you’ve made a modreq. Thus, we’ve put together this little guide so you can stop asking questions and start building! Layman’s Guide to Limited Creative Disclaimer: It Just Works What is Limited Creative? Limited Creative, or LC, is the server’s way of easing the average player’s ability to build through a localized version of at-cost creative mode. LC acts just like default creative mode with the exception of the ability to drop things, access inventories/entities, or place certain blocks such as ores. How does it work? Using a combination of worldguard and fancy tech-folk magic, a region is set up in your name with you set as a Region Owner. Inside the region, you’ll automatically be given LC, a high fashion green outfit indicating you’re in LC, and you can start to build. As a Region Owner, you’ll also be able to add others to the region and they’ll be able to build in LC as well with /rg addmember region_name mc_name. (Ex. /rg addmember lc_laymans_guide SimplySeo) What does it cost? Limited Creative is an at-cost alternative to building in vanilla that exchanges mina for placed blocks while you build. Natural blocks such as cobblestone or dirt are free to place while others will cost 0.1 mina per block. After placing a block, you can break it again to get your 0.1 mina back too. As a part of the region, the lc-balance on /rg info region_name will reflect how much is left for you to build with. (Ex. /rg info lc_laymans_guide) Free Blocks List How do I get set up? Figure out where you want the region. Keep in mind that LC regions can’t overlap with one another. After deciding where you want an LC region, get permission from one of that area’s Region Owners and get your mina together. /modreq at the location you want the region and be ready to send the moderator who answers a screenshot of the permission in discord. When the moderator answers your modreq, they’ll ask for the RO permission, mina, and area you want it set up in. Regions can be hard to set up in a crowded city, so please be patient with us as we get you set up. Build away! While you’re building… Keep in mind the bounds of the region you’ve had set up for you. If you accidentally fly out of the region while 200 blocks in the air, you will drop out of LC and plummet to the earth. Balance running low? /lc pay will bring up prompts that ask for the region you want to pay into and the amount you want to add. If lc_region_name doesn’t work, try just region_name or region name. (Ex. lc_laymans_guide > laymans_guide > laymans guide) LC regions aren’t meant to be long-term projects that take weeks to do, so the default expiry date for regions is 7 days after which you’ll no longer be able to build in the region. This can be adjusted during the setup process, within reason, according to the moderator who sets it up with you. Expiry dates can’t be extended, so endeavor to have your build finished by the given date or it’ll have to be remade. Want to give more detail to your build? /lc stick while in LC will give you a debug stick to use in the region. You may also use client side building mods, such as Litematica and Litematica Printer, to help out. I’m finished building. Now What? When you’re finished building, /lc finish at the location of the region to close it and have the remaining funds returned to your persona. Have fun building! If you’ve read this far, you’re hopefully ready to get your LC region going and get building with ease! If you run into any issues while building or want some more information, /modreq and a moderator will be with you when they can. Special thanks to @SimplySeo for being my test dummy, @teeylin & @TimberBuff for helping me find the free blocks in our sea of documents, and @annabanana1014 for making sure I didn’t miss anything.

The Adrian Resettlement Fund Issued by the Royal Bank of Númendil, 12th of Malin’s Welcome, 167 SA In the aftermath of conflict, the Adrian people of Veletz find themselves displaced and in desperate need of aid. Misled by leaders who sided with darkness, they now seek refuge and redemption. Your donations will help us offer solace to those who have suffered the consequences of war and deception. Together, we can heal wounds, restore dignity, and offer a new beginning to the peaceful Adrian people. Every contribution counts towards rebuilding lives and forging a brighter future. Join us in extending compassion and assistance to those who have endured so much. For a small donation of just 100 mina, you can provide an Adrian refugee with food and shelter. Together, we can make a difference! Contact a steward of Númendil to make a donation.

THE ALKAYABAN COMPANY CHARTER Issued the 7th of the Amber Cold, in the Year 165 of the Second Age ESTABLISHED BY THE ROYAL BANK OF NÚMENDIL In pursuit of ever greater and continuing prosperity of the Kingdom, the Royal Bank of Númendil does hereby grant this letter of certification to the Alkayaban Company, hereafter referred to as ‘the Guild’, under the stewardship of the Honorable Mazra et-Sûhalar. Herein are dictated those rights to be afforded to the Guild and its members, as well as its duties and responsibilities to the Crown. I. The Guild shall be hereafter granted access to those industries and facilities operated by the Beneficiary, for the purposes of fulfilling its obligations. II. The Guild shall have full authority over the hiring and dismissal of personnel, and likewise shall assume full responsibility for its own accounting and all salaries paid to said personnel. III. The Guild shall pay an annual chartering fee of one-hundred minas to the Beneficiary, and fulfill its annual quota of required materiel. All other profits shall be maintained for expenses incurred by the Guild. IV. The Guild shall, in a timely fashion, fulfill any and all contracts with which the Beneficiary presents it. Otherwise, the Guild may contract with whomever it so chooses, provided such actions are not counter to Royal interests. Signed, Ser Alwyn II of the House Glennmaer, Royal Castellan of the White Court of the Númenaranyë, Lord of Formindon, Templar of the Archangel Michael, and Knight of the Realm Mazra et-Sûhalar, Master of the Alkayaban Company

The Castellan nodded as he read through the missive. "As it should be. Our enemies are driven out or else beaten. There's no honor in slaughterin' those who remain."

Ser Alwyn finally realizes this wasn't just the ramblings of some visitors at the gate as one of the scribes hands him a copy of the missive. His thoughts drift to the idea of undoing his duty belt and patrolling the city for those responsible. "Hmm. . . We'll see."

Bhudand simply nods upon hearing the news, his expression hidden behind his helmet as he slid the blank Dwed Corp Form F1 back into the filing cabinet.