WAR SEASON II: Discussion

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/Ultradyne/WAR%20II%20Stuff/MainLogoPXRWARII_zpse1mjnfrz.png
Banner by Neo Emolga

PXR WAR Season II is coming!

It's almost that time again! Here you can discuss PXR's War Season 2, to be held this Summer (June-August 2015)!

Our WAR Leaders for this year are Lord Celebi, Lightning Dash, Neo Emolga and Saraibre Ryu!

What is WAR?
edited slightly from Neo Emolga's original PE2K post

The WAR is a team-based competition event held during every summer where teams of members compete in various sections such as art, writing, URPG, and RP for points. In these sections, entry submissions or performances are submitted, judged, and the best of the best are awarded points for their team on a weekly basis. At the end of the WAR, the team with the highest number of points is declared the winner.

The original idea for the PE2K WAR was conceived by Bashaamo back in 2003 on the original PE2K Proboards forum, although many PE2K members have been attributed to its continued success and interest throughout the years, including HKim, ElimN8, [Fair], Lord Celebi, Dr Scott and Neo Emolga. Since then, the WAR has been hosted every year, though throughout time, its format has been altered and is always evolving to meet the interests of PE2K veterans and newcomers alike.

The WAR competition has now been brought to PXR, with Season 1 successfully completed in 2014, and hopefully many more to come!

When will the WAR start?
The WAR will begin June 7th and run for 4 weeks.

When can I join/make a team?
You can join or make a team right now! Any team with [WAR] in the name of the thread is participating in the WAR this year.


If you have any questions, feel free to post here or contact Sarah directly.

[HKim]

All I'm saying is...

Someone has to stop Rust McBuckets and the Aqua Navy!

[Neo Emolga]

All I'm saying is...

Someone has to stop Rust McBuckets and the Aqua Navy!

Awesome, we're all glad you're volunteering yourself as tribute, Harry!

Good luck to you and the rest of us will watch and cheer you on... from a safer distance.

[ShadowBolt25]

Team Dragon currently are looking for those that would like to be on a Great Team



Team Dragon Leader: Shadowbolt25

[XaiakuX]

All I'm saying is...

Someone has to stop Rust McBuckets and the Aqua Navy!

Where were you last year? =P

Hang on a sec..


All I'm saying is...

Someone has to stop X-kun McRadPants and the Awesome Army!

There.. Fixed it.


Awesome, we're all glad you're volunteering yourself as tribute, Harry!

Good luck to you and the rest of us will watch and cheer you on... from a safer distance.

I say bring it.


Team Dragon currently are looking for those that would like to be on a Great Team



Team Dragon Leader: Shadowbolt25

We aren't to that point yet, pal.

This is for WAR Leaders, not WAR Team Leaders.

[Grassy_Aggron]

Well, this is going to be interesting. I look forward to see what devious plot will be created for the RP. I miss being able to use my crazy bullet train </3

With the contenders still sticking around... it's going to be hectic regardless. I fully expect and look forward to far more explosions, lasers, mindfricks, and plot twists. ...And hopefully I'll actually be able to do something this time around. Maybe I should stop making extremely weak characters... Hrm.

[Neo Emolga]

Well, this is going to be interesting. I look forward to see what devious plot will be created for the RP. I miss being able to use my crazy bullet train </3

With the contenders still sticking around... it's going to be hectic regardless. I fully expect and look forward to far more explosions, lasers, mindfricks, and plot twists. ...And hopefully I'll actually be able to do something this time around. Maybe I should stop making extremely weak characters... Hrm.

Well, if you're unsure about becoming a WAR Leader, there's always judging positions. Those are great too and you can have fun making people make what YOU want them to make. Great perks. :3

[Lord Celebi]

All I'm saying is...

Someone has to stop Rust McBuckets and the Aqua Navy!

Hey man, I'm joining Trainer this year. I want to be a good guy.


Awesome, we're all glad you're volunteering yourself as tribute, Harry!

Good luck to you and the rest of us will watch and cheer you on... from a safer distance.
Oh please, Neo. Come watch from the Deathwing--best seats in the house!

[bronislav84]

If you're going to be good, then wouldn't there not be a Deathwing? Deathwing kinda sounds evil and you're not doing that this year.

[Neo Emolga]

Oh please, Neo. Come watch from the Deathwing--best seats in the house!

Heh, thanks for the invite, but I might make my own team this year. I'd like to be one of the good guys too this time.

[Lord Celebi]

If you're going to be good, then wouldn't there not be a Deathwing? Deathwing kinda sounds evil and you're not doing that this year.
I'm talking about a different sort of Deathwing; one that sets sail in our hearts.


Heh, thanks for the invite, but I might make my own team this year. I'd like to be one of the good guys too this time.
Don't worry about it, bud. Are you going to resurrect the League of Urban Dragons?

[Neo Emolga]

Don't worry about it, bud. Are you going to resurrect the League of Urban Dragons?

Probably not, I think I'd go with something new if I do make something. But that's still in the works.

[XaiakuX]

Probably not, I think I'd go with something new if I do make something. But that's still in the works.

Or join Team Awesome.

[Lord Celebi]

Or join Team Awesome.

I've got to make sure you guys get destroyed this year purely on principle.

[Neo Emolga]

Or join Team Awesome.

I think I'll pass on that, you guys did just fine without me. :P

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

There are only a few days left to apply, so if you're thinking about it, please send something in!

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Our WAR Leaders for this year are Lord Celebi, Lightning Dash, Neo Emolga and Saraibre Ryu!

Thank you to everyone else who applied. We had more applicants than I expected, each very qualified, and it was a very tough decision!

[bronislav84]

ETA on Team threads being allowed to be put up, and Judge SUs?

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

It will ultimately be up to the WAR leaders, but we would like to begin the WAR some time in June, and start teams a month before that.

I'm not sure about judges, I imagine that will be happening much sooner, as soon as the sections are decided on. :)

[SassySnivy]

Congrats to everyone! The thought of WAR always makes me a little nervous. But not necessarily bad-nervous. I hope I get to be the Sprite art judge. I've already got some ideas for it.

...What exactly do the WAR leaders do, anyhow? I guess that's still a bit unclear to me. ^^; Just the people that have the final say in how things will be run, or...?

[Neo Emolga]

...What exactly do the WAR leaders do, anyhow? I guess that's still a bit unclear to me. ^^; Just the people that have the final say in how things will be run, or...?

*Ding!* *Ding!* *Ding!*

Yep, that's pretty much it in a nutshell. We'll be working out how things are run, making plans, and managing the decision process when it comes to selecting judges, handling issues that might come up, and in general, keep things going nice and steady, swift and easy, simple and clean.

And hey, don't be nervous! Get excited!

[SassySnivy]

Well, it's like being "nervouscited" more than being nervous. :P Excited about it but also the air of competition of just about anything competitive always makes me a bit uneasy. Its a difficult feeling to describe

[Caite-chan]

It's a fun competitive though not like we're out for blood. It's all in good fun. :D

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

I'm more excited about having a team and making lots of banners for everyone. XD

[SassySnivy]

It's a fun competitive though not like we're out for blood. It's all in good fun. :D

Hahah. I understand this you guys xD

Like I said it's just a feeling I get during any sort of major competition. No biggie! :P

[bronislav84]

Well, it's like being "nervouscited" more than being nervous. :P Excited about it but also the air of competition of just about anything competitive always makes me a bit uneasy. Its a difficult feeling to describeI see what you did there. You copied a certain character's phrase. :)

I feel the same way though, but it's all in good fun. Not like we actually hate each other and are out for blood IRL. Heck even the people playing on evil teams aren't out for real blood either.

[Lord Celebi]

I see what you did there. You copied a certain character's phrase. :)

I feel the same way though, but it's all in good fun. Not like we actually hate each other and are out for blood IRL. Heck even the people playing on evil teams aren't out for real blood either.
Idk man, those Team Dragon guys are pretty spooky.

[SassySnivy]

Finally got the chance to apply for a judging position!

So how does the judge selection work? Assuming more than one person signs up to judge one section.

[Neo Emolga]

Finally got the chance to apply for a judging position!

So how does the judge selection work? Assuming more than one person signs up to judge one section.

We take a look at the profiles and we decide who we think would be best to handle the position. Nothing too fancy or crazy.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

I had no idea that WAR actually stood for something xD

Also expect Team Trainer to make a return! :D

[TheoreticalSelkie]

Sorry about asking this since I know the dates are TBA, but is there a general time period during the summer WAR will be in this year? I want to join, but I'm out of town with most likely minimal internet for most of June, which is why I'm asking.

[Homura]

*Ran a WAR, was not mentioned*

;w;

I hope you guys have fun with the WAR, I remember it being a huge part of my life back when I was younger.

Pokemon Trainer Sarah: The original WAR wasn't an acronym, but hey w/e we'll have it in there.

[bronislav84]

Yup the original WAR was called War, exactly because it wasn't an acronym. Then someone made it all caps, probably rusty. I recall asking why it was all caps and if it wasn't an acronym. Next thing I knew, Worldwide Arena Rivalry was created to explain the caps.

I REALLY hope someone makes an evil team!

[Neo Emolga]

Sorry about asking this since I know the dates are TBA, but is there a general time period during the summer WAR will be in this year? I want to join, but I'm out of town with most likely minimal internet for most of June, which is why I'm asking.

Generally, we're looking at mid-June as the start date, ending around mid-July. Still trying to work out the exact date, but yeah, something around that corner of the woods.



*Ran a WAR, was not mentioned*

;w;

I hope you guys have fun with the WAR, I remember it being a huge part of my life back when I was younger.

Pokemon Trainer Sarah: The original WAR wasn't an acronym, but hey w/e we'll have it in there.

I... how could I forget YOU!? Not to fear, I graced the WAR Season II Information thread (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6425-WAR-Season-II-Information-and-Links-%E2%98%85READ-FIRST%E2%98%85) with your amazing and uncanny presence under the WAR history stuff.

And yes, I made W.A.R. actually stand for something that fits and even makes sense! But hey, we'd love to see you in action and hope you decide to join in again, just like old times. Whatever team gets you would be very, very lucky.


Yup the original WAR was called War, exactly because it wasn't an acronym. Then someone made it all caps, probably rusty. I recall asking why it was all caps and if it wasn't an acronym. Next thing I knew, Worldwide Arena Rivalry was created to explain the caps.

I REALLY hope someone makes an evil team!

Because you have to admit, when things suddenly appear in ALL CAPS LIKE THIS, somehow, it suddenly makes them seem COOLER and much MORE IMPORTANT! Hey, every little attention getter helps. :3

And yeah, would help if someone makes a team of naughty people.

[bronislav84]

Or yelling. It looks like yelling to me. Rusty's craziness is definitely rubbing off on you. I think he's rubbed off on me too.

[Homura]

Haha Neo I was just messing with you~

Ya I also think rusty's craziness rubbed off on him too. :3

[Lord Celebi]

Yup the original WAR was called War, exactly because it wasn't an acronym. Then someone made it all caps, probably rusty. I recall asking why it was all caps and if it wasn't an acronym. Next thing I knew, Worldwide Arena Rivalry was created to explain the caps.

I REALLY hope someone makes an evil team!
I endorse no acronym for WAR. WAR has just always been capitalized. No idea why--it just is.

Haha Neo I was just messing with you~

Ya I also think rusty's craziness rubbed off on him too. :3
Why is everyone suddenly concerned about who I rub off on?

[bronislav84]

WAR has *not* always been capitalized. Kenny, Harry and I are older than you in this aspect, and we remember when it was just War. You know, like having a war between countries or factions.

And because you touch a lot of people. Do you ever wash your hands? :P Seriously though, you're cool and we don't say that in a bad way.

[HKim]

I still call it War.

[Lord Celebi]

I still call it War.
http://news.streetroots.org/sites/default/files/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/old-man-with-cane1.jpg

[VeloJello]

Does anyone have any information on this year's team lineup, besides Trainer and Phoenix Battalion? I'm leaning toward PB (I really like birds, I am weak) but I don't want it to be overcrowded and I like to have options. :O

(Also, it's more fun to write it as WAR)

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

More teams will probably pop up as we go. If you're not dead-set on a team, it can't hurt to wait and see what else is out there! You've got at least a month or more to pick one. :D

[Neo Emolga]

Does anyone have any information on this year's team lineup, besides Trainer and Phoenix Battalion? I'm leaning toward PB (I really like birds, I am weak) but I don't want it to be overcrowded and I like to have options. :O

(Also, it's more fun to write it as WAR)

As much as I would LOVE to have you on Phoenix Battalion, I totally understand if you want to wait on it and see what else comes up before you decide. But we'd be really happy to have you and we've got plenty of milk and cookies just waiting for you!

[HKim]

Yeah, that's what I'm doing. I'm waiting.

Besides, only one team has set up their thread for this season.

[TheoreticalSelkie]

I'm waiting as well but I'm a free agent too so huzzah!

[bronislav84]

We need an evil team that dreams of world domination to be set up.

[HKim]

I think War needs more fancy graphics and crazy music.

[Neo Emolga]

Announcement!


THE OFFICIAL WAR SEASON II STARTING DATE IS
JUNE 7TH

RP STARTING DATE IS MAY 24TH.

So now is the time to start making or joining teams.

[Caite-chan]

My only problem about the role play is everyone's responses just get really long. (And I'm to lazy to read the walls of text.) xD

[Neo Emolga]

My only problem about the role play is everyone's responses just get really long. (And I'm to lazy to read the walls of text.) xD

I usually just skim, especially if there's no mention of my character involved. We're also thinking of putting in a posting limit, something along the lines of stating people can only post once every two days, just so it doesn't go crazy and gives everyone time to catch up and keep up with it. And so other people don't run circles around everyone else. People like... eh heh... me.

[Homura]

Haha I remember when I got busy and stopped because I'd be 10 pages behind. XD

[HKim]

I usually just skim, especially if there's no mention of my character involved. We're also thinking of putting in a posting limit, something along the lines of stating people can only post once every two days, just so it doesn't go crazy and gives everyone time to catch up and keep up with it. And so other people don't run circles around everyone else. People like... eh heh... me.


Personally, I'm okay with people posting a lot... as long as it isn't a wall of text.

[VeloJello]

We're also thinking of putting in a posting limit, something along the lines of stating people can only post once every two days, just so it doesn't go crazy and gives everyone time to catch up and keep up with it.

*HOLY CHOIR DESCENDS FROM THE HEAVENS*

[Lord Celebi]

Pokemon Trainer Sarah, when are we getting some Team Trainer action up in this hizz-ouse?

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

I'll get some stuff sorted tomorrow hopefully. If the class I'm teaching doesn't go forever xD

:D

[Steel Lunpara]

Pokemon Trainer Sarah, when are we getting some Team Trainer action up in this hizz-ouse?

Don't worry, friend, we're making the thread. Apparently we've both been a bit busy this week, but progress is being made.

[Neo Emolga]

*HOLY CHOIR DESCENDS FROM THE HEAVENS*

Yeah, the reception for this idea has been quite positive. XD

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Team Trainer is open for business. :D Everyone is very welcome to come join in! If you've never been in a WAR before, we are happy to have you! :D

[XaiakuX]

If you've never been in a WAR before, we are happy to have you! :D

OR! ... Or. You could be AWESOME, and join Team Awesome. We're a lovable bunch of misfits who enjoy the fun in competition and already know the scent of victory.

[bronislav84]

I really have no clue how PB is struggling to make it in. Please people, join us.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

I think asking people directly is the best way to get members. :) Especially newer members who might feel intimated joining a team randomly! Best of luck, fellow teams!

[Caite-chan]

Is that like Join Us or else! xD

[bronislav84]

The problem though is so far it's looking like a 2 team event with no evil team in sight. That's fine for everything else, but the RP is going to be really boring if nobody is causing conflict.

[HKim]

Recruit members outside of PXR! I think I've seen people do that before.

[SassySnivy]

I certainly hope we get a couple more teams this year. Three is okay but itd still be cool to have more, kinda like last year :D

[bronislav84]

Now we just need a team that wants to rule the world, or at the very least thinks they're doing good but really aren't.

[Steel Lunpara]

I think asking people directly is the best way to get members. :) Especially newer members who might feel intimated joining a team randomly! Best of luck, fellow teams!

Yeah, depending on how much my actual friends like the idea, I might be able to anywhere from 0 to 6 new people on the team.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Maybe one of the good teams could have a secret organisation within them or something that is not so good? Or at least willing to do whatever it takes to get things done. I was thinking about that earlier, but it wouldn't work with Team Trainer at all. xD

[Sou]

hmm i'm kinda curious why you think that it wouldnt work with Team Trainer? Anything is possible :) Pokemon Trainer Sarah

[bronislav84]

Pretty sure the willing to do whatever it takes to get things done is covered by PB, but we need someone to cause trouble and stuff like that.

Hey, what if Awesome was founded by Rockets? XaiakuX did that last year kind of.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

hmm i'm kinda curious why you think that it wouldnt work with Team Trainer? Anything is possible :) Pokemon Trainer Sarah

I guess cos Team Trainer is all about honour and stuff. I guess it could be possible but it seems kind of wrong somehow to take out in that direction after all those years. But hey, maybe some of our members are a bit devious :)

[Sou]

Pokemon Trainer Sarah
Admittedly, Its my first War so i dont know much about how this stuff works. But I did read what Trainer itself is all about and I dont think that should change personally. However, with how 'easy' it seems to get into Trainer, I'm just saying you never really 'know' a person and what their motives are, hence your last line there I think hehe~

But yeah, I got no clue how it all works lol

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Haha that's okay! Trainer was one of the first teams made to join in the WAR back when it started, before I was ever around. xD So I feel like I need to uphold those values! But you're totally right, since we accept all Trainers, there could definitely be some interesting characters joining up! :D Sou Cleife

[Steel Lunpara]

I guess cos Team Trainer is all about honour and stuff. I guess it could be possible but it seems kind of wrong somehow to take out in that direction after all those years. But hey, maybe some of our members are a bit devious :)
Well, I've always felt like some of the best villains in stories are the ones who aren't exactly... Well, villainous. Take, for instance Team Trainer's motives. If we want a world where the bond between Trainer and Pokemon is held above all else, all I really think it would need to become a problem is some well-intentioned extremism. Say, I don't know, a trainer whose drummed up enough support within the team has decided that the society he lives in doesn't give Trainers or their Pokemon the respect they deserve. Maybe he's right, to a degree, or maybe he's wrong. Regardless of that, he's leading a revolution. The tactics of this splinter cell of sorts could still be perfectly within the limits of "Honor," and stay true to the ideals of the team, but they still go too far. They could be too quick to violence, or, given enough time, become so drowned in their motivation that they lose sight of what their original goal was. That's always a nice ironic twist.

Oh dear. I'm giving myself ideas, aren't I?

[SassySnivy]

So when exactly do the team signups close? Or does no one know yet? xD

That what you described sounds like the direction that they tried to take with Team Plasma. Originally good intentions (at least, that's what they were all lead to believe), but has a bad way of going on about it. I think that kind of thing would be super cool.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

That is a cool idea Frost xD and good points!

Team sign ups never close, they are open all WAR, at least traditionally :) Speed-X

[Caite-chan]

Pokemon Trainer Sarah
Admittedly, Its my first War so i dont know much about how this stuff works. But I did read what Trainer itself is all about and I dont think that should change personally. However, with how 'easy' it seems to get into Trainer, I'm just saying you never really 'know' a person and what their motives are, hence your last line there I think hehe~

But yeah, I got no clue how it all works lol

Don't feel bad you'll get the hang of it once things get started. You'll have a lot of fun. :D

[brandon_g]

How does this war stuff work? I may consider joining but dont have much time at all, I mainly stick around here for old GCEA but really thats all i have time for, if this not extremely difficult or time consuming to do maybe i will join in.

-Brandon

[Caite-chan]

You join a team and then we have several section you can take part in from role play, art, writing to the large scale RPG's like URPG and ASB. You earn points every week for your team and whoever has the most at the end of the season wins.

[PV]

The Jupiter Mining Corporation (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6491-WAR-Jupiter-Mining-Corporation) are taking on new recruits to join the Space Corps ahead of the upcoming WAR. We'll find a way back to Earth in order to take part in the laziest most energetically efficient way possible.

[brandon_g]

You join a team and then we have several section you can take part in from role play, art, writing to the large scale RPG's like URPG and ASB. You earn points every week for your team and whoever has the most at the end of the season wins.


Is it time consuming at all? Because I have school, work and my own forum as well to care for, aside from that I do gcea... So my schedule is busy, but if its easy and requires little time, maybe I can sqeeze it in.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Is it time consuming at all? Because I have school, work and my own forum as well to care for, aside from that I do gcea... So my schedule is busy, but if its easy and requires little time, maybe I can sqeeze it in.

Your level of participation is really up to you. Even if you join a team, you are not forced to enter things if you don't have time. :) GCEA will be one of the events this year so you might like to sign up for a team and participate in that :)

[Caite-chan]

As Sarah said...you can take as long as you want to do things. Some things might take longer to do like the role play than other things.

[HKim]

In the chat, we were just talking about Team Magma vs. Team Aqua.

Wouldn't it be funny if the one year rust doesn't create Aqua, we get Team Magma?

[Caite-chan]

I think Hell would freeze over and pigs fly before THAT would ever happen...lol.

[Lord Celebi]

In the chat, we were just talking about Team Magma vs. Team Aqua.

Wouldn't it be funny if the one year rust doesn't create Aqua, we get Team Magma?

I might have to quit Trainer and make Aqua then.

[bronislav84]

Two evil teams for the price of one! MARVELOUS! Assuming it happens.

But do we have enough people to get them both into the event? Besides the leaders, there would need to be 8 more peeps.

[HKim]

Two evil teams for the price of one! MARVELOUS! Assuming it happens.

But do we have enough people to get them both into the event? Besides the leaders, there would need to be 8 more peeps.


Time to recruit more people to PXR?

[bronislav84]

Yes. Yes it is. Do we really need another fire themed team though? An evil one, but still fire themed.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Hey, hands off my Celebi! ;) If you want an evil team so bad, why don't you make one Bron? xD

[bronislav84]

Thought about it. Didn't work for me.

[HKim]

In the chat, we were just talking about Team Magma vs. Team Aqua.

Wouldn't it be funny if the one year rust doesn't create Aqua, we get Team Magma?


I think Hell would freeze over and pigs fly before THAT would ever happen...lol.


http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6513-WAR-Team-Magma&p=148319#post148319

A cyborg with an unusually strong affection for water is rolling in his grave

[Ash K.]

Team Magma (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6513-WAR-Team-Magma) reporting in, making hell freeze and pigs fly all day. Next stop: Burn hell because we can't have things frozen.

Accepting all recruits, don't be afraid of any commitment. A life of crime is a life of doing whatever you want, whenever you want. There's no minimum expectation for joining, just join, have fun, burn everything, and do however much you feel like!

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Aw man you guys, stirring up trouble!

[Neo Emolga]

Team Magma (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6513-WAR-Team-Magma) reporting in, making hell freeze and pigs fly all day. Next stop: Burn hell because we can't have things frozen.

Accepting all recruits, don't be afraid of any commitment. A life of crime is a life of doing whatever you want, whenever you want. There's no minimum expectation for joining, just join, have fun, burn everything, and do however much you feel like!

Oh goodie, time to fight fire with fire! Literally!

[Caite-chan]

I bet we'll be burning some bridges this time around. xDDD

[PV]

Who needs fire when you have the JMC Curry Night?

[Lord Celebi]

Team Magma (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6513-WAR-Team-Magma) reporting in, making hell freeze and pigs fly all day. Next stop: Burn hell because we can't have things frozen.

Accepting all recruits, don't be afraid of any commitment. A life of crime is a life of doing whatever you want, whenever you want. There's no minimum expectation for joining, just join, have fun, burn everything, and do however much you feel like!
http://gifsec.com/wp-content/uploads/GIF/2014/10/Disappointed-Terrible-Awful-OMG-Embarassed-Embarassing-WTF-GIF.gif

[Elbub]

Totally looking to improve on our oh-so strong score that we got last year (4). Maybe this time around we can even finish higher than last place.

[Neo Emolga]

Totally looking to improve on our oh-so strong score that we got last year (4). Maybe this time around we can even finish higher than last place.

If you really want to win and be on a great team of people, then I've just got one question for you...


HOW

https://33.media.tumblr.com/ceee95e98a63b9231c448a727dd32561/tumblr_mmcjlipM7U1qhd8sao1_500.gif

CAN

http://33.media.tumblr.com/3091e87ab3b8155d2c897fa73a3d86db/tumblr_ndo42cTYS71soprl5o1_500.gif

YOU

http://37.media.tumblr.com/e61e54048c88a9c64859b75599f52bc9/tumblr_mu4495jyWK1r72ht7o3_r1_500.gif

NOT

http://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2fq3vyyK01qd87hlo1_500.gif

LOVE

https://33.media.tumblr.com/dce75e4cf7804e414db5f1974a78434d/tumblr_mmigvhN72Q1qhd8sao1_500.gif

THIS!?

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmrql9QqKA1qfyz1jo1_500.gif


THE PHOENIX BATTALION WANTS YOU, ELBUB!

[PV]

Because his avatar is clearly affiliated with the Jupiter Mining Corporation's Head of Justice & Discipline, Mr Flibble :wink:

[Lord Celebi]

THE PHOENIX BATTALION WANTS YOU, ELBUB!
But who will run Team Elbub?

[bronislav84]

Better question: Will you be quitting to make a Team Aqua, knowing full well that Magma may not even make it and people are stretched thin as it is?

[SassySnivy]

We need people to apply to judge for Creative Writing, Drawn Art, Graphic Art, Showdown, and ASB! D:

Sorry I know we have plenty of time I'm like, just frantic

We ought to get judge apps in ASAP so people have time to plan out their "Plan of Attack."

[Neo Emolga]

We need people to apply to judge for Creative Writing, Drawn Art, Graphic Art, Showdown, and ASB! D:

Sorry I know we have plenty of time I'm like, just frantic

We ought to get judge apps in ASAP so people have time to plan out their "Plan of Attack."

I was going to wait until someone applied for either Creative Writing or Graphic Art, and then I would just apply for whatever wasn't taken. Because... I'm having a VERY tough time deciding, but I'd like to judge one of those.

[bronislav84]

Really is Fawkes kidding with that? There's barely enough people for teams as it is.

[Ash K.]

Really is @Fawkes kidding with that? There's barely enough people for teams as it is.

They've been talking about it in the URPG Chats for a while. I think it may draw it in enough of that crowd. We'll see I suppose.

[bronislav84]

Or you know, he could have not made it and let the URPG people join other teams which need URPG representation?

[Caite-chan]

Technically we didn't put a limit to how many teams we could have.

[Ash K.]

Or you know, he could have not made it and let the URPG people join other teams which need URPG representation?

As someone who was specifically seeking teams without URPG representation, I think you may be overestimating.

[Fawkes.]

You should have put up a sign that said "Too many teams not enough people so don't make a team".

Also I don't intend to take away any teams urpg representation, people in urpg know they can't battle if everyone is on the same team. If I don't get enough members then I disband the team and join someone else's, it isn't that odd a concept.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Don't stress guys, it's all for fun anyway. If you want to make a team, you shouldn't feel pressured not to. If you can bring people over from other forums to join in, that's all the better. :)

[bronislav84]

Well all I'm saying Ash is that there barely seem to be enough people to begin with by the looks of things, which ties in with me being unsure Fakes is making the right decision. But I'm glad you're both so optimistic. :)

[Lord Celebi]

Better question: Will you be quitting to make a Team Aqua, knowing full well that Magma may not even make it and people are stretched thin as it is?

No Bron, I was kidding.

[Neo Emolga]

Technically we didn't put a limit to how many teams we could have.

Basically this. It's all fun guys, and we're all friends here.

Just see this as a... friendly Pokemon battle.

[Caite-chan]

Basically this. It's all fun guys, and we're all friends here.

Just see this as a... friendly Pokemon battle.

You know a friendly Pokemon battle that The Phoenix Battalion is gonna win. :D

[Neo Emolga]

You know a friendly Pokemon battle that The Phoenix Battalion is gonna win. :D

Exactly. We've got enough Sacred Fire for everyone to warm up to!

(Fire-related pun intended)

[SassySnivy]

Exactly. We've got enough Scared Fire for everyone to warm up to!

(Fire-pun intended)

Your fire is scared? Interesting

[Neo Emolga]

Your fire is scared? Interesting

And... that's what happens when I type too fast and let a hasty desire for a witty statement get derailed by a little typo. XD

[Sou]

lol, gotta love those typos. Also, nice banner there Emolga :)

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Haha things are sure heating up in here.


lol, gotta love those typos. Also, nice banner there Emolga :)
And seconding this. That banner is awesome :)

[Neo Emolga]

Thank you! You guys are sweet. :)

[brandon_g]

How do I join a team? Do I need an invite or something?

[Caite-chan]

How do I join a team? Do I need an invite or something?

Not really just pick one that you think will fit your style.

[Steel Lunpara]

How do I join a team? Do I need an invite or something?

No, no, I wouldn't worry about that, friend. It's all a really relaxed process. The whole application thing is less "Are you qualified to join us," and more "Hey, tell us a little about yourself."

[brandon_g]

Ah ok... What is the list of current teams?

[bronislav84]

Look at the threads with WAR in them and apply to one. Try to apply to a team that doesn't have a lot of members yet.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Ah ok... What is the list of current teams?

The Prism League (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6511-WAR-The-Prism-League)
Team Trainer (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6484-WAR-Team-Trainer-For-Courage-Honor-and-Glory!-Again!)
Team Magma (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6513-WAR-Team-Magma)
Team Yoga Bears 2 (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6518-WAR-Team-Yoga-Bears-2-YOGAnna-feel-the-burn-now-yo)
The Phoenix Battalion (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6417-WAR-The-Phoenix-Battalion-Kicking-Butt-and-Cheating-Death!)
Jupiter Mining Corporation (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6491-WAR-Jupiter-Mining-Corporation)
Team Awesome (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6452-WAR-Team-Awesome)

[HKim]

We need to recruit more people to join the War!

[Caite-chan]

Should we put a limit on how many teams there should be? We don't want like 10 teams and 3-4 of them not meet the number requirement.

[HKim]

Should we put a limit on how many teams there should be? We don't want like 10 teams and 3-4 of them not meet the number requirement.


Nah, I don't think that's really necessary.

We have a lot of time before the War begins and any teams that don't have enough people by the time the War starts usually disband with members joining other teams. It's a problem that solves itself.

[Noblejanobii]

So I'm participating in this now. So sorry about Sarah Harry.

[Elbub]

We need people to apply to judge for Creative Writing, Drawn Art, Graphic Art, Showdown, and ASB! D:

Sorry I know we have plenty of time I'm like, just frantic

We ought to get judge apps in ASAP so people have time to plan out their "Plan of Attack."

Oh, well... It's been pretty much decided amongst the ASB Staff that I'm going to be the ASB Judge... So consider this the application.

[HKim]

Oh, well... It's been pretty much decided amongst the ASB Staff that I'm going to be the ASB Judge... So consider this the application.


Are you planning on bringing back your team, Elbub?

[Elbub]

Are you planning on bringing back your team, Elbub?

But of course. There are many fine teams that have turned my head this year (perhaps no more so than the JMC), but my team needs me.

Because otherwise it literally can't exist.

[PV]

The JMC will do our best to endeavour through this setback and are currently recruiting a new Ship's Cat.

[Felly]

No, join Yoga Bears, we're better!!!

[Ash K.]

No, join Magma! Evil people always have more fun!

[bronislav84]

I have to agree with Ash. Magna needs RP representation.

[Caite-chan]

Yeah but everyone is just better off joining the Phoenix Battalion! :D

[Sou]

I have a better idea. Why dont we all just join Team Rocket :)
...or Team Trainer <3
just sayin~

[PV]

Because Team Trainer already has too many members
Because the Jupiter Mining Corporation's Curry Night is an event no other team can match!

[brandon_g]

If you want an evil team but dont wanna work for those horrible paying and not unionizied team rocket, then be you apply at team mega, we're kinder to our employees and we only need 1 more person to be official :D.

Apply today.

[Soulmaster]

I agree with Ash that being evil is fun. So enough people make sure to join them for it to be official. Otherwise, we all know Team Trainer will win!

[Neo Emolga]

Otherwise, we all know Team Trainer will win!

Right, right, so you guys just relax, sleep in, take a load off, kick back, and relax on cruise control and auto pilot! No worries! Oh yeah, totally got this in the bag, no effort needed! Jump in the pool! Take a cruise around the world! Climb a mountain!

Yeah, the rest of us crazy teams... nah, we won't be up to anything in your absence! So go enjoy yourselves, worry-free! Bon voyage!

[SassySnivy]

I'm so pumped for WAR! Just one more application, maybe, and we get to see who's judging for WAR so maybe I can start creating the thread and stuff for the pixel art portion! *hype*

Also can't wait to see other teams' userbars. So far Phoenix and Awesome have theirs! I trust Sarah will make something awesome for Team Trainer...Prism's will be cool I'm sure since the aesthetic focus of it is light and color. Whoop!

[Steel Lunpara]

Right, right, so you guys just relax, sleep in, take a load off, kick back, and relax on cruise control and auto pilot! No worries! Oh yeah, totally got this in the bag, no effort needed! Jump in the pool! Take a cruise around the world! Climb a mountain!

Yeah, the rest of us crazy teams... nah, we won't be up to anything in your absence! So go enjoy yourselves, worry-free! Bon voyage!
[Starts to get some kind of fruity umbrella drink, then suddenly stops]

wait a sec u tryin to trick us?

[Neo Emolga]

I'm so pumped for WAR! Just one more application, maybe, and we get to see who's judging for WAR so maybe I can start creating the thread and stuff for the pixel art portion! *hype*

Also can't wait to see other teams' userbars. So far Phoenix and Awesome have theirs! I trust Sarah will make something awesome for Team Trainer...Prism's will be cool I'm sure since the aesthetic focus of it is light and color. Whoop!

Yeah, we're on the verge of declaring official judges, just need to run by one little thing first, but then we'll be ready to let the news loose.


[Starts to get some kind of fruity umbrella drink, then suddenly stops]

wait a sec u tryin to trick us?

Rats, they're onto- I mean of course not! What kind of host would I be then!?

The clever and devious kind, of course!

[Ash K.]

I agree with Ash that being evil is fun. So enough people make sure to join them for it to be official. Otherwise, we all know Team Trainer will win!

It's not really a fair contest when they've got more members than four other teams combined! So everyone go join Magma (and Yoga Bears and JMC, we need them to be official so we can beat them).

[bronislav84]

Magma needs RP representation, otherwise it's just an evil team that can't actually act out being evil.

[Caite-chan]

Yeah but having all of those members don't mean jack if half of them don't do anything when the WAR comes around.

[brandon_g]

Well still join team magma, we cab assure you that your position will be secured. Join us, we mustt come together as 1 to overcome the forces of team trainer and team rocket, it will not be easy, but with teamwork and persevarance we can do it!

So what do you say? You going to join the over crowded teams that have a ton of people already? Or are you going to join a small but strengthful team that knows how to work like a team?

Join team mega today :D.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

I think The Prism League is gonna surprise everyone this year. Everyone is worried about Trainer, but they have almost as many members. xD And Caite is also right. Trainer had even more members last year and still came third. If it's anything like last year, there will be a few people dominating the competition and it will just come down to what team they happen to be on. xD

In other words... Any team can win!

[Lord Celebi]

Can we stop campaigning for teams here please? It's getting pretty spammy.

[Sou]

Every time I see Lord Celebi's name I want to throw a pokeball :(

[SassySnivy]

Hey, Neo, how many weeks will the judges need to be planning content for? 5 or six weeks? Like, should I prepare for 5 weeks like how it was last year, or are we adding a week this time?
Neo Emolga

[Neo Emolga]

Hey, Neo, how many weeks will the judges need to be planning content for? 5 or six weeks? Like, should I prepare for 5 weeks like how it was last year, or are we adding a week this time?
Neo Emolga

The WAR will last four weeks long.

[SassySnivy]

Ah crap. Well...eh, okay, I'll see what I can do with a week less ._.

[bronislav84]

I really wish it ran longer. Even with the early start there's not enough time to finish the RP section.

[Caite-chan]

I remember back in the day...lol...it use to feel like it ran all summer long.

[bronislav84]

It really should do that again. Like 75% of people drop out of RP once points end, prompting it's quick death immediately or leaving others hanging, then prompting it's slow death as people realize they're stuck.

[Neo Emolga]

It really should do that again. Like 75% of people drop out of RP once points end, prompting it's quick death immediately or leaving others hanging, then prompting it's slow death as people realize they're stuck.

I honestly think what causes WAR RP activity to dip the most is people dropping out mid-way because they got left behind or didn't feel like they could work around other RPers who post more. I think the one post per two days rule should make it easier for everyone to keep up with it and thus, be motivated to stay in the game. A solid RP with ongoing activity will last long after even the WAR concludes.

[Aberforth]

I honestly think what causes WAR RP activity to dip the most is people dropping out mid-way because they got left behind or didn't feel like they could work around other RPers who post more. I think the one post per two days rule should make it easier for everyone to keep up with it and thus, be motivated to stay in the game. A solid RP with ongoing activity will last long after even the WAR concludes.

Why not just making a certain order in which the RPers have to post? And possibly having a clause stating that if you don't post for 12 hours when it is your turn then you will be skipped.

[bronislav84]

You mean we're going to be keeping that rule after the points portion concludes? We're still gonna have people dropping when there's no points being given out anymore, and that could lead to very few posts so that those left will probably be able to keep up with a post whenever schedule.

I thought it was so everyone has a chance at points.

And that's not how most RPs work, Pyr. A turn order is only needed in direct player versus player so people can have a chance to react without being clobbered. Also 12 hours is too short. I personally sleep for 12 out of every 24.

[Lord Celebi]

Why not just making a certain order in which the RPers have to post? And possibly having a clause stating that if you don't post for 12 hours when it is your turn then you will be skipped.

Because RPs thrive on creativity and a general lack of restrictiveness, at least in my experience.

[Neo Emolga]

Why not just making a certain order in which the RPers have to post? And possibly having a clause stating that if you don't post for 12 hours when it is your turn then you will be skipped.

Nah, that would cause a pretty rough bottleneck, and a lot of "okay, who's up next" tracking that would slow things down. Plus imagine if 20 RPers join, and you post. You could potentially have to wait 12 hours x 19 people = 228 hours, which translates into 9.5 days before you could post again!

I think a "one post per two days" rule works just fine. It gives everyone else enough time to read up and write reactions.


You mean we're going to be keeping that rule after the points portion concludes? We're still gonna have people dropping when there's no points being given out anymore, and that could lead to very few posts so that those left will probably be able to keep up with a post whenever schedule.

I thought it was so everyone has a chance at points.

That too, but yeah, every method has it's pros and cons. We're just rolling with what we think will generate more positive results than negative ones.

[bronislav84]

I agree with Neo. Turns would be nuts, but we might drop the delay after points end to keep the flow. We'll see I guess.

For the delay thing, people will be on an honor system though. I'm not going to be reading too much into timestamps and it's just going to be in the rules to keep track of your own "when can I post again" time.

[Saraibre Ryu]

In terms of posting order vs not posting order, posting order works well in much smaller, close knit groups as opposed to larger ones. That happened to one of my RP's by accident and it kept it alive for two years. For WAR, probably not the best idea. If it boiled down to maybe four or five people then that'd be different.

[Ash K.]

I'd like to reply to this from the Phoenix Battalion thread without intruding in their thread and addressing a general concern I've had this year, so I think it's best posted here.


So I've been talking to a few other people on Skype, and I came up with an idea:

I'm proposing a merge with Team Awesome. Right now, we're looking at this:

Team Trainer - 20
The Prism League - 16
The Phoenix Battalion - 9
Team Awesome - 7
Team Magma - 5

Team Trainer and The Prism League both have a big lead up on both of our teams in terms of member count and power. However, if both Phoenix and Awesome were to merge, the gap would be closed in significantly and all of us would stand a much better chance at winning the WAR. Plus, both of our teams have strong common interests in things like graphic art and RP, so there's a strong synergy there and I definitely think we would work well together as a united team. Plus I honestly think this would be a great opportunity for all of us to have a better chance at winning the WAR.

So far, I've talked to Sabi, Bron, and XaiakuX himself, and everyone seems to like the idea.

We haven't worked out the exact details yet, but I would like to hear everyone's thoughts and ideas on this first. I will definitely take everyone's opinions and thoughts into account.

I'm sorry, but it seems a little unfair to just be closing the member gap between PB/Awesome and Trainer/Prism by leaving Magma, JMC, and Yoga Bears way behind. Honestly, the way the big teams keep getting bigger while the small ones struggle to barely make minimum requirement has been a large frustration of this year's WAR. Since the scoring system isn't scaled based on team size (which also has its advantages, primarily not making people feel like they're forced to do anything or are hurting the team), the smaller teams are left at a huge disadvantage right from the start. Having 5 people score as much as 20 is pretty much asking every member to doing be four times as much as they should have to. While I agree with not imposing an absolute limit on the teams, something may need to be done to fix this. One possible way is to impose a relative limit, saying that the difference between the minimum and maximum team sizes can't exceed a certain amount. While that cap is already met, members can't join a team of maximum size until the minimum size increases. Like any solution, it has faults and perhaps there is a better one, but none comes to mind at the time of posting this.

(also, before anyone tells me "if this is how I feel I shouldn't have made another team", please be aware HKim spent days talking me into it. Also, the fewer teams we have, the less it really feels like WAR. Two or three giant teams fighting it out is nowhere near as exciting as seven teams battling all across the forums.)

[Lord Celebi]

I'd like to reply to this from the Phoenix Battalion thread without intruding in their thread and addressing a general concern I've had this year, so I think it's best posted here.



I'm sorry, but it seems a little unfair to just be closing the member gap between PB/Awesome and Trainer/Prism by leaving Magma, JMC, and Yoga Bears way behind. Honestly, the way the big teams keep getting bigger while the small ones struggle to barely make minimum requirement has been a large frustration of this year's WAR. Since the scoring system isn't scaled based on team size (which also has its advantages, primarily not making people feel like they're forced to do anything or are hurting the team), the smaller teams are left at a huge disadvantage right from the start. Having 5 people score as much as 20 is pretty much asking every member to doing be four times as much as they should have to. While I agree with not imposing an absolute limit on the teams, something may need to be done to fix this. One possible way is to impose a relative limit, saying that the difference between the minimum and maximum team sizes can't exceed a certain amount. While that cap is already met, members can't join a team of maximum size until the minimum size increases. Like any solution, it has faults and perhaps there is a better one, but none comes to mind at the time of posting this.

(also, before anyone tells me "if this is how I feel I shouldn't have made another team", please be aware HKim spent days talking me into it. Also, the fewer teams we have, the less it really feels like WAR. Two or three giant teams fighting it out is nowhere near as exciting as seven teams battling all across the forums.)

The WAR Leaders will discuss this and return with an answer.

[Fawkes.]

Does WAR allow smack talk to get the blood pumping

[Lord Celebi]

Does WAR allow smack talk to get the blood pumping

Smack talk in WAR is like Cracker Jack at a ball game. Of course we have it.

[Steel Lunpara]

Does WAR allow smack talk to get the blood pumping

Yeah. I mean, don't go totally overboard and be a complete jerk. Just go underboard, and be your standard, garden-variety jerk.

[PV]

I guess that tactically aimed nuclear warheads at the HQs of Trainer & Prism to bring their recruitment numbers down to an acceptable level would be out of the window then

[Sou]

Hey now, I want to live thank u very much D:
wait until I leave first. I'mcoolright?right?

[Grassy_Aggron]

All of ya'll with your interesting teams. Already got an invitation from JMC - so tempted XDDDD

You make it so difficult! Especially since my own...motives...don't quite line up with any of the current teams :P

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

All of ya'll with your interesting teams. Already got an invitation from JMC - so tempted XDDDD

You make it so difficult! Especially since my own...motives...don't quite line up with any of the current teams :P

Do I sense Team Grassy on the horizon? xD

[bronislav84]

More or less final version of the WAR RP is ready for Signing Up! There might be some typo fixes due to my OCD lol.

Can we get an Announcement up to promote it, please?

[PV]

All of ya'll with your interesting teams. Already got an invitation from JMC - so tempted XDDDD

You make it so difficult! Especially since my own...motives...don't quite line up with any of the current teams :P

I'm sure a few hours with Mr Flibble can persuade your motives to change.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/AOE7qTAK87o/mqdefault.jpg

[Lord Celebi]

Announcement: The proposed merge between Team Awesome and the Phoenix Battalion will not happen.

[Felly]

I'm not sure if this is already being discussed by the WAR Leaders since all I'm seeing through a bit of reading in this thread, the Phoenix Battalion thread, and the Awesome thread is that the merge between Awesome and Phoenix Battalion has been called off because some of us, myself included, were against that because of how heavily skewed it would be towards the larger teams and therefore leave Magma, JMC, and Yoga Bears (assuming we can even get 5 at this point) struggling to keep up. I apologize if this is already being discussed and I'm just wasting my breath here, but I'm not seeing anything that's telling me otherwise, so I'm just going to express my concerns in case it's not being discussed.

I understand Awesome and Phoenix Battalion aren't merging anymore, but I still feel as if there's an imbalance in this. At the time of posting, the current team numbers are as follows:

Team Trainer: 20
Prism Legacy: 16
Phoenix Battalion: 9
Awesome: 8
Magma: 6
JMC: 5

There's also Yoga Bears, but at the moment, we're currently sitting at a total of 3 members and still need 2 more to become an official team, so for the purposes of this post, I'll leave them out.

Even excluding Yoga Bears, however, there's still a heavy imbalance towards the larger teams. Assuming JMC gets no more members, they have to do four times as much work to even stand a chance against Team Trainer, who has 20 people. You can say that all 20 of those people on Trainer may not participate, but how do you know that? How do you know that all 20 of those people won't participate in WAR at some point during the course of the event? You really don't.

This event is heavily skewed towards teams with greater amounts of people. The more people you have, the more of a chance you have of winning because there's more people on that team that can participate in events. I noticed last year that it seemed like the more people you could have entering a specific event, the greater your odds were in winning points for that week. That put more strain on smaller teams to do more work because they had to basically do the work of several people by themselves for one section in order to have any chance of scoring points. In a way, I feel like I'm being punished if I join a smaller team; I'm not getting an infraction or anything of that sort, but I feel as if I'm being punished because now that I've joined a smaller team, I have to do four times the work as a larger team in order to feel like I'm not useless to my team. It's a figurative punishment, if you will. Why should I have to do four times the work as another, larger team because I'm on a smaller team? Why should I feel like I have to pull out a brilliant, beautiful, amazing piece of work to be put up against work from five people from the same team? Don't get me wrong, I understand I'm going to have to put some effort into things to stand a chance, but I shouldn't have to put in more effort than other teams to stand a chance at getting a positive result.

Before anyone tries to say that I'm only saying this because I'm a part of Yoga Bears - a team that still lacks 2 members to become an official team and a team that if it gets those two members, it'll have to do four times the work as larger teams - I'm not. I'm saying this because I can see that there's an imbalance in the teams, and if Yoga Bears does get through, I'm going to feel discouraged to participate in non-URPG events because of how much more work I'm going to have to do in order to even stand a chance against everyone else. Even with my team not a real team yet by WAR standards, I feel very discouraged to participate in non-URPG events as a result of this imbalance. I can't say if I'll join another team or not if Yoga Bears doesn't make it to 5, that's something I'll have to decide later, but at the moment, I still feel discouraged, and I shouldn't have to feel this way before the event even starts for real.

I don't want to make this long post with no suggestions, but unfortunately, I don't have much in terms of that because it's hard to suggest something that doesn't go against the spirit of WAR either. My only suggestion is that the WAR Leaders ask the larger teams, in this case Trainer and Prism, if they would have any members that would be willing to switch to a smaller team to create at least some sort of balance; members would not be forced to switch teams, they'd do it of their own free will. This probably isn't going to be a very popular suggestion at all, but it's all I've got. I understand people want to be able to play with their friends, and that's totally fine. However, there should also be some sort of balance as well, and I'm not really seeing that.

[HKim]

Mmmm, maybe the solution isn't to reduce the size of the bigger teams, but to increase the size of the smaller ones.

For The Prism League, I've been focusing recruitment on people outside of PXR, essentially those who have never participated in the War before. Since a large portion of the team are comic artists (including the leader, Neko), asking fans of these comics has proven to be a good way of reaching out.

In a similar vein, I think it's possible for other teams to employ this tactic, especially Team Magma. After all, ORAS just came out, so the "land-creating" team will be rather fresh and popular in people's minds. A good place to start might be DeviantArt. Could search the term "Team Magma" and then sort by Newest results. Artists who have drawn artwork of Team Magma may be inclined to join said team for the War. If you send each person listed a note (say 30 or 40 of them), you'd probably get a good number joining. (http://www.deviantart.com/browse/all/?order=5&q=Team+Magma)

Of course, it's a little harder for JMC and Yoga Bears. The... "joke team" concept is a little more difficult to pitch to some people and tends to draw mainly from the URPG (because URPGers are all crazy). I'm not saying that recruitment is impossible for them, just that the teams might need to try different tactics. Members of these teams may know of Pokemon fans outside of PXR who participate in various Pokemon communities. It might be possible to reach out to them that way for the War event. Alternatively, I suppose JMC could check if anyone in Red Dwarf communities might be interested.


The truth is, there is still a lot of time until the War begins. Teams will change, grow, merge, or fall apart. I think that the time is a good opportunity to take the chance to build up. And I found that simply messaging random people, as silly as that sounds, works pretty well.

[bronislav84]

Harry Neo says he tried that on Serebii. He got infracted for VMs (Maybe he should have done PMs), to friends no less. Really are the staff that petty to care about conversations between people?

My take on this is that teams should be free to do whatever the heck they want. Mergers shouldn't need permission from the organizers, nor should people complain. It's the business of the teams themselves what they want to do. Just my honest opinion, though.

[Neo Emolga]

I'd like to extend a word of caution about recruiting outside of PXR. I tried that on Serebi and got infracted for it. Not every site is ok with people trying to pull their members away to another site.

I also think it might help if the teams with more members encourge the people trying to join them to consider the other teams to even out the playing field.

[purple umbreon]

Hmm.... It does seem like an issue. If it is getting too unbalanced maybe a cap of how many members of a team can enter a section works.
I understand why someone would want to join a big team but I rather join a smaller team. It seems more fun that way. I also don't think those big teams need help anymore which also makes me steer away from them. I dunno, I just feel that way.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Numbers aren't that important (says the girl from trainer lol). Seriously though, Team Awesome won last year with 10 members. Obviously they are awesome, but they also prove it's not numbers that matter. Trainer had 22 and didn't even get 2/3rds the amount of points of the top two teams.

We talked about these issues before the war. The idea of drafts and team number caps was brought up but that would make things less fun for a lot of people who want to be on a team with their friends or be able to pick what team they join for themselves. And the war is supposed to be fun over everything else, not just winning. Some people find it more fun to be on a small team where their achievements clearly stand out or where they feel like the team is close-knit. Others like to be on a larger team where they are with a bunch of friends or can meet new friends and maybe have less pressure since there are other members to pick up the slack. Others pick a team based on the background and story behind it. A range of teams means there is something for everyone. Personally, I know if I was on a team without my friends or one I didn't feel strongly about, I would feel less motivated to participate.

Unfortunately it's just how war has always worked, to my knowledge. Starting a team is hard, you have to have recruiting power, whether that's on the site or off. It also helps to get the thread up as soon as possible and ask people early before they have joined other teams, since team switching is kind of looked down upon. There are honestly still plenty of members who have not joined a team nor even been asked. I have stopped asking people to join trainer because I know people are getting a little annoyed about how many members we have, but it is bugging me a little that no one is asking these people and they are getting left out. If you want members go and VM someone without a team, tell them about WAR and ask if they would like to try! 90% of people will be very happy to be included and willing to give it a shot. If you want more members, go and get them!

If anyone has suggestions, then we are very open to hear them for next war!

In the end though, this is supposed to be fun. It is a friendly competition on a Pokemon forum. PXR never has drama, this is weird.

[purple umbreon]

Oh, you have a point there. It would indeed be less fun if you are in a team you are uncomfortable with. Well, I hope the Yoga Bears find lmore members so they can join the war.

[Suicune's Fire]

I can see what people mean about numbers...truth be told I had a really hard time choosing. I was first recruited by a team who also doesn't have enough numbers to properly compete, which was sad because it was a cool concept to me to join a team where I knew practically nobody and the team was new. I ended up not joining because of this. =/

Does anyone know how many people Aqua had on it? xD I probably should know, but I don't.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

14. I checked it all yesterday. xD

[Suicune's Fire]

Oh coolies. xD Well, nevertheless, I'm looking forward to it!

[Ash K.]

I hear what you're saying. But there are also people saying that the numbers imbalance is discouraging them from participating. Several members of those three teams I've spoken to have mentioned that they are losing all motivation to participate in events outside of URPG (which has its own prizes and double pay on all battles, as well as a generally more balanced system for unbalanced numbers). Please don't keep talking about how alternatives are discouraging participation, this is discouraging participation because people feel like they have to overextend themselves due to lack of other people to do certain things, otherwise their team is forfeiting those sections without even trying.

Now assume that we all went out recruiting. Assume we call a maximum difference of 5 people acceptable. That requires an additional 44 people. And that's still a five person disadvantage, assuming no one else joins Trainer. Assume we want complete equality. That requires an additional 29, for a total of 73 people. That's way too much to recruit even if we all spent the next three weeks trying.

[bronislav84]

Ash, Ultra won't win the War. You have to overextend yourself anyway with such a small team just to earn more points. Rest of what you say is valid.

We should have had member soft caps from the beginning, raising as people joined.

[swiftgallade46]

me reading this thread:
http://i.imgur.com/AOLWXaq.gif?1

[Monbrey]

Ash, Ultra won't win the War. You have to overextend yourself anyway with such a small team just to earn more points. Rest of what you say is valid.

We should have had member soft caps from the beginning, raising as people joined.

http://i.imgur.com/0DlUdSn.gif

That's exactly what Ash is saying. At no point did he suggest one section would win the war.

He comes from URPG (as do I), and therefore that's going to be his primary focus. Everyone in every team regardless of size is going to have a section they are best at, and will compete in the most.

When you have a team of 20, you can be pretty comfortable knowing that other members of your team will be competing in the other sections earning points. People are discouraged from joining smaller teams because they feel like they'll be forced into competing in sections which are less-favourable to their skillset just to try and keep their team competitive, and since it's less favourable to their skillset, it's even harder to ACTUALLY be competitive in those sections.

I might dabble in some other sections, I might not. I certainly wouldn't expect to be able to compete at the top level of artworks and RP though, and wouldn't be able to make a significant contribution to my team by doing so.

[Felly]

Today I learned URPG is a team.

[Neo Emolga]

I kind of woke up this morning and realized what I'm doing wrong with this whole WAR thing. And I'm especially embarrassed because I'm a marketing major and should know this stuff already.

Recruitment is just as much of a challenge and a necessity as participation when you've got a WAR team. If you want to cover all bases in the WAR and have the sections covered, you've got to recruit. Yes, if you're like me and you're leading a team this year, I'll say it again and louder this time, you've got to recruit! Serebii's infractions be damned, I shouldn't have let that stop me even if it meant a temp ban (though I plan on recruiting through Steam now, although the very idea of getting banned on Serebii is actually kind of amusing to me now). And that goes for any team of any size. Honestly, if I said anything that could be interpreted as being hurtful against Team Trainer (I don't think I did, but I dunno, I can't read their minds), I take it back. Because they don't deserve it from me and they don't deserve it from anybody. They ended up with a 20 man team because they did something right. They created a team that's user friendly, appeals to just about every audience, and they knew how to market it. So if you're not happy with the situation, learn from their example and leverage it in your own way. Face the music, recruiting is a part of the WAR as much as participation and effort.

What did Team Trainer do right? They recruited people, and that shouldn't count against them. They didn't force or demand people to join the team and jump on in, and I think that's where a lot of the smaller teams are missing the point. They focused on presentation, they focused on promotion (who in their right mind couldn't like their banners?), and found the right place and right time to do it. If you're in a small team and you want more people, get out there and recruit people. Either that, or change your team around so it does attract more people. Nobody owes your team members, you have to get them yourself or you have to work with what you have to the best of your ability. So find your niche. Reach out to your target market of member bases. Team Trainer didn't wave a magic wand and just magically create people to join the team. Whatever they did, you have to do too, or you have to work around it.

So really, that's all I'm going to say. So let's stop this silly nonsense before I start shooting people with silly string and cramming cupcakes in their nose. You know what you gotta do now. And I hate wasting perfectly good cupcakes.

[Monbrey]

3. Taking shots at people or making them feel bad about joining a team that is large is NOT acceptable. As an admin on the this forum I can tell you right now that if you people causing drama ruin this for new members or people who are just doing this to have fun I will bring the full power of my position down on you like the wrath of Thors Hammer.

However until people start to step forward and help the WAR leaders fix things they feel need to be adjusted we will keep running off this system

>people stepped forward to raise an issue with the WAR leaders about things they feel need to be adjusted
>you threaten admin action because it causes drama and will "ruin this for new members"

Who has taken shots at people for joining a specific team? All I've seen here is people who are a little critical of teams who already have a huge member advantage and continue recruiting even further.

Nobody is trying to cause drama - they're trying to raise something they see as an issue and are being shut down.

I 100% understand that leaders want the benefit for their team, but since this is meant to be a fun enjoyable experience for all as everyone keeps pointing out, there should be some aspect of what's best for WAR as a whole.

[Aberforth]

I do understand how everyone is feeling toward the number of members some teams have. After all, I purposely joined a team that had fewer members instead of a larger team where I would have probably felt more confortable.

However, some people seem not to understand the whole point of this event. I may be new around here, but, as I understand it, WAR is supposed to encourage community growth and forum activity. It is a fun event for everyone to gather as teams and compete in friendly activities. Such events bring the best out of everybody. It is not only about winning.

For instance, the Ancient Olympic Games were closely linked to the religious festivals of the cult of Zeus, but were not an integral part of a rite. Indeed, they had a secular character and aimed to show the physical qualities and evolution of the performances accomplished by young people, as well as encouraging good relations between the cities of Greece.

Sure, winning is fun and I will bloody do anything I can to make sure my team triumphs, but seing everyone collaborate is truly great. I had never seen that on another forum before. It is great to see some teams coming up with banners and userbars to convince more members to join them. It is really creative. It feels like pre-war (IRL) propaganda.

And while it would have been a good idea to have a relative maximum of members in a team from the beginning, I think it would be unfair to ask some people to leave their team and too confusing to see people going around switching teams. Furthermore, changing the rules a mere three weeks before the end of the registration period would be a mess. I see only to possible options: either we leave things as the are and keep these recommendations for next year or we start the registration process with a relative maximum of members in a team over from the beginning and push back the beginning of the events.

[Siless]

Y'know guys, completely ignoring the point is rather insulting. Us on the smaller teams feel we're completely outclassed just by sheer numbers, that we'll barely be able to actually participate in a 'competition' that amounts to a grandmaster stomping a tournament of chess newbs, much less something resembling actual fairness. Participation is hard when you feel there's no point. I joined mostly to (hopefully work past anxiety) and try to have a fun roleplay while working with one of my friends, and yet the odds are stacked against us for making any meaningful contributions elsewhere by both running ourselves thin and being up against 10x the submissions.

PXR has 200 active members, according to the forum statistics. I'd guess about 1/3 has interest in WAR, maybe 2/5? That's a range of 66-80 people, of which 70 have attempted to join WAR by joining a team or team-in-making, and of which nearly 50 are on three teams. That leaves a miniscule amount of people that'd be interested in joining any other teams. We aren't (and haven't been) faulting teams for having large amounts of members, what we've been saying is that when other teams not only have more submissions but don't have to have their members spread themselves thin to maintain any semblance of a for-fun competition (which is what this is), us smaller teams don't really see much of a point to participating in most areas.

To be honest? I wouldn't have even made this post if it weren't for the attitude of those that are bringing these concerns up. They're legitimate concerns, and honestly I expected nothing to really happen this WAR about them, perhaps in the next or after. But people in here are claiming those with concerns are attacking larger teams and trying to make them feel bad? Not only are you misrepresenting those speaking out, you're silencing them out of what appears to be malice, and completely ignoring the actual concerns, and to say this makes me worried about the state of WAR leadership is an understatement.

[Lord Celebi]

I can hear everybody's complaints from the smaller teams. You feel generally outclassed by Team Trainer. I get that, you want a decent competition and a shot at actually winning. Please understand my problem:

People generally want to be on WAR Teams with their friends.
People want to be on WAR teams that they think are cool (i.e. usually not joke teams)
Nobody likes to be told what to do.
If we put a cap on a team, people will just wait for the cap to be raised. People will not easily settle for their second choice.

Given this framework: what should we do about this problem? We have very firmly established what the problem is, let's refocus our conversation to solutions that do not compromise any of the above points.

[brandon_g]

Well I think proposing that a team can have only a certain number of people competing in a section. I also would like to propose the possibility that a small team of maybe less then 10 people can be given double points for thier small number of people? I think thats only fair and evens out the turf while people can still join where they want. :D

Just my proposals.

-Brandon

[Homura]

Historically it's not the biggest team that always wins. It's the team that's most active with the most active strong members that win. Last year's Team Awesome wasn't the biggest team in the war either. Further back TMA had been legit a threat despite having a very limited selection body count (mostly just mods), but with everyone being active and good to keep it a big threat.

So ya. Want your team to win? Get more active. Get your buddies to be more active.

[Felly]

I think I need some sort of clarification here because asking the people I do know in WAR have told me what the deal is, but other than that, I'm not really following.

It's my understanding that the only things you do with friends in WAR, at least in terms of events, is the WAR RP. Everything else in WAR is done on an individual basis and is therefore judged accordingly. It's also my understanding that you technically don't have to be in the same team to do things with your friends in the WAR RP. If this is the case, why is there so much emphasis on being on teams with your friends? I understand people want to do that, but I'm not really understanding why there's so much emphasis on it when it seems like it doesn't really matter in terms of events since you can still technically do things with your friends.

I think I just need to understand this because it's not really making sense to me that the only thing people do as a team in WAR is the RP and therefore they want to be with their friends, yet you can still do the WAR RP without your friends being on the same team as you.

I'd also like to take a moment to apologize for any comments that may have been construed as attacking another team earlier on. I was not trying to make anyone feel guilty for joining a larger team, I was only trying to provide (probably awful) solutions to an issue at hand instead of coming in here and complaining and not offering any sort of solution. I figured a bad suggestion for a solution was better than none at all.

[Fawkes.]

lets be honest, who wouldn't want to join team trainer with that banging first post?

[Lord Celebi]

Felly, I certainly get that I don't need to be on the same team as the people I like in order to do fun WAR things with them. This is also my 15th or so WAR, so I've had a lot of time to develop that wisdom. Not everyone is that patient or understanding. People generally treat their team as their secret club. Historically, people who have been forced into a team other than the one they wanted (through a draft or other means) usually didn't participate or really have any fun and have cited either a lack of friends on their team or a lack of caring about the team itself as a reason.

[bronislav84]

Which is interesting because the times rusty and I weren't on the same team we still had a lot of fun butting heads. When I wasn't disconnected of course. I had a lot more fun playing on the same team though. Was my first try at evil, and honestly, I liked it. Not as a longterm thing, but still.

[Ganyu]

How many of you have been personally victimized by large teams?

http://media3.giphy.com/media/8odkr8q86dpSg/giphy.gif

[bronislav84]

Drafts take away choice from people. I was in a draft one war when it was tried, and let me tell you, even when people had put their first, second, and third preferences those teams were often full or others had more priority. I was lucky to get on the team I wanted, but drafts almost always take away choice.

Unfortunately I lost my internet access that year and couldn't help my team for most of the event, and I feel like my spot was wasted.

A celling system almost works, but as has been said people just wait for their favorite to open up or don't join at all. There's ways to have every good intention muck up.

[Siless]

I wasn't even planning on arguing for a change in the WAR system. I only posted when I saw people attacking those with concerns for "attacking the larger teams", "causing drama", and "ruin[ing] this for new members", and made what started off as an attempt to explain one side to the other and ended up being a statement of frustration about what amounts to being told to sit down and shut up because none of what you say matters. What I see is a hostile community aided by those in power disregarding any actual complaints and taking them as attacks, and frankly it's killing any enthusiasm I have to try to hang around.

For some of us, this is our first attempt to leave our little sub-community and try to get along. We say "Oh, we have a small problem with this thing and would perhaps like to discuss making it better at some point," and the first response is "Stop attacking us". This is the first thing outside of the sub-community we see on this forums, and frankly it's discouraging to say the least. I would have been fine (and was expecting) a "We can't do this this year", not a "Your concerns are nothing and you don't deserve to say anything", and frankly this was the worst experience to come into Crossroads with, and I wouldn't be surprised if much of us, me included, didn't stay here much longer.

[HKim]

I want to go ahead and apologize to everyone for the lack of communication and any lack of understanding we may have caused. It's not our intention to hurt or ignore others and I apologize for any of the issues. We definitely care about what everyone has to say and we're sorry if we came out sounding like we didn't. We're also sorry for any attacks that may have occurred. I think I speak for everyone when I say that our goal is to sponsor a fun event. We're currently failing on that front, but I believe we can do better.

I also want to go ahead and apologize to members who are feeling pressured because of the drama of all of this. I believe the drama is partially our fault and I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. We didn't handle this as well as we could and I'm sorry for the trouble we've caused.

The issue is difficult to find a solution for, of course. If there was an easy one that we could all agree on, I'm sure we would have come to it by now. As it is, I think there is no one perfect answer. I am glad that we're discussing it and communicating. The War Leaders have spent a lot of time trying to figure it out and they're no closer to a solution than we are. As Lord Celebi (rust) said, they definitely want to figure out what to do and are happy to discuss it with everyone.

Again, I want to apologize on behalf of the PXR Staff for any insults or slights. As owner of the site, this is ultimately my fault and responsibility and I'm sorry for any trouble we have caused you. Thank you very much for your patience and thank you for your understanding. I hope you guys can forgive us for our errors.

[Ash K.]

However the same thing be said for URPG Teams. Each time you guys assemble a team no matter what no other team even comes close to earning those points.

I have to respectfully disagree with this point. Looking at the breakdown from last year, here's all points earned for URPG (other than judging):

Awesome: 12
Yoga Bears: 5
Trainer: 4
Pilates: 4

URPG-centric teams are in bold.

[PV]

Meanwhile at the JMC, we're planning Alligator Aerial Assaults.

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/792502/ace-rimmer-o.gif

[Felly]

Felly, I certainly get that I don't need to be on the same team as the people I like in order to do fun WAR things with them. This is also my 15th or so WAR, so I've had a lot of time to develop that wisdom. Not everyone is that patient or understanding. People generally treat their team as their secret club. Historically, people who have been forced into a team other than the one they wanted (through a draft or other means) usually didn't participate or really have any fun and have cited either a lack of friends on their team or a lack of caring about the team itself as a reason.

I can kind of understand this, but I'm mostly not wrapping my head around this. No offense to you or anyone, but I feel like that's a really stupid reason to have so much emphasis on having your friends on your team. I get people really want to play with their friends, but aren't they also playing with their friends by not being on the same team as people too? Can't you make new friends by not playing on the same team as your old ones? I get friendship is important, but you should be able to make new friends too, not create small cliques and play with the same people over and over again.


It is and has ALWAYS been a popularity contest.

Okay, this. This right here makes me feel really excluded. I'm going to be upfront and say that I'm not that active on PXR. I'll come here once every few months and binge post, but other than that, the extent of my PXR activity is the URPG and WAR, and occasionally I'll say something in the PXR Skype chats I'm in. If there's one thing I really loathe about anything, it's popularity contests. To say that WAR is a popularity contest makes me not want to participate because now I feel as if I'm going to be excluded. I'm not exactly well known on here except by the URPG members, so I wouldn't easily be recruited by any of the other teams that are out there. I don't really have any friends on PXR because I'm not really here. My only source of being asked to join a team would be URPG members because they're the only ones that really know my skills and really know me. Maybe if I'm lucky, a non-URPG member will contact me and say "hey, join my team!!!" but I wouldn't hold out for it unless I posted in the Free Agent thread. I told myself that if Yoga Bears didn't come back for this year's WAR, I was going to look at my options closer to the start of the event and pick a team then; I had a few teams I was set on not choosing for my own reasons, which I won't list here so as not to offend anyone or upset anyone, but I was going to join a team and probably one with few URPG people. In URPG, we can't all be lumped onto one team or it doesn't work with our system.

Carrying on from that fact, if you throw all of the graphic artists on Team Trainer and all of the writers onto Team Magma, then only Team Trainer can score those points for graphic art and only Team Magma can score points for writing. This doesn't seem to be the case, but the scenario fits here because when you have a large concentration of a specific skill on a team, say a bunch of graphic artists or a bunch of writers, you're excluding other teams from earning those points.

WAR should not be a popularity contest. The fact that it is and has been turns me off completely and makes me feel extremely excluded, and it just sounds disgusting. Just because I'm not in the "in crowd" doesn't mean I should be excluded. I'm not in grade school anymore, I shouldn't have to be trying to fit in on a Pokemon forum and the fact that WAR is and has been a popularity contest makes it seem like I have to fit in or I'm just crap out of luck. This shouldn't be about recruitment or who can get the most people on a team and how many people you can get or how popular you are on a Pokemon forum, it should be about having fun and being able to play with your friends while also having some sort of balance to the system so that every team and every member has a fair shot at earning points and leading their team to victory.

[Fawkes.]

can't we just leave this imbalance issue at the door for this war and sort it out for next war.

I WANNA SEE SMACK TALK NOT FLAK TALK

ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF YOGA BEAR TACTICS VS MAGMA AND PHOENIX BATTALION

http://i.imgur.com/NxQ7hGE.gif

[PV]

It's good, but there's no flying alligators.

Note to JMC members: You must provide your own alligator

[Dash]

Okay, so even though this is could be two posts, i'm gonna clump it together. I'm not trying to start any arguments here, I just want to try and settle the problems arisen from here, or explain out some parts and hopefully have it make sense. First though, I would really like to talk to you about the issues you've posted @Felly (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/member.php?u=17).

First things first, I just want to say my views on the friends part. I'm neutral on the opinion for this, and I can understand where you get upset, but teams are built on friendships, and are made to make friendships I believe also. So, if one person joins a team, and they invite a friend, it's up to that friend to join. If they do, they might ask another friend, and the path continues. We can't fix this, and we can't limit either. But for those of you who go out and join other teams to try and meet new people, you're the ones that want to for competition or to meet new people, and that's fine. And if you want to be with your friends, that's fine too. We shouldn't have huge conflicts where our friendships are to the point of breaking our necks practically. You just can't change people in that manner.

Now, moving on from that tidbit, I can say that you wanting to be active in one rpg is fine even if you are mainly around for WAR. We aren't -completely- asking you to be permanently active and expect it out of you completely in my opinion, the way I see it is "Wow, I enjoyed this a lot, maybe I should stick around / possibly tell some friends!" That's what I'm personally looking for, and I can't say so for the other admins or WAR leaders, it's just my view on it. However, I can say that it's not a popularity contest. That's like saying that a hammer is a screwdriver and the same way around. There's just nothing that we can really compare. As brought up before, yes, large teams are a very bad thing, but we're trying to fix it. We brought up the terms on the team's being their veteran and new members and the such, so I'm sure the jist of it has been taken care of for anything I could say. You have your own rights to choose your team, and you choosing Yoga Bears is your choice, and if you're glad with that you should be. The rest of us will be glad too. And it's completely understandable for URPG to have their own teams, as you're pretty much a living forum on it's own that's being taken care of us by PXR and others. The system does not work like that, and yes you guys participate in those things. We brought up friendships before, and if most of them are in URPG, you should be allowed to be with your friends, and no one wants to limit that if possible.

Moving onto the next fact, carrying from that point, I have noticed this problem before and I know it's been fixed before, but honestly, the thing about that is it counteracts itself. If a team doesn't get all the points from graphics arts but the other team does, and instead they get all the points from writing, it's still a fairly even trade-off, which is why having your talents be spread out is encouraged and should be brought up. However, if a team is too much of a dominating force for one competition where every week it's controlling a competition, I can assure you that'll we do our best to take care of it, whether it be writing, art, URPG, or anything of the sort.

To address all of these issues, I can say that we are doing our complete best to make sure it's not a complete popularity contest, and trying to figure out an incentives for you guys who aren't in that range of 15+ people, and we want to fix it. We're going over many situations that could work and not work at the fastest pace to assure everyone can enjoy WAR, because as you said, WAR is for enjoyment. And nobody should ever have to be turned away from enjoyment. Which is why we're changing the system to be as balanced as possible for all.

Don't take this as attacking or arguing at all Felly, because I agree with you, and I plus others working on this event want to make it what everyone wants. It's just hard to do without flames spitting out sometimes, and that's really just how I suppose you could see things go in life. We're trying our damn hardest, I assure you ^~^


Phew, now that that's over, I have something else to post.

To go along with Harry, I'm going to come over here and apologize for everything that'sgone on for the year. We know the concerns for team sizes, and we've seen everybody go on about it and bring up ideas, which we like. The negativity though, between all, is something we have to apologize to, whether from us or others. We don't want to insult anyone based on what they say or do, and we don't want it to seem as we never took any of this seriously. When issues like this arise in a time where any confusion is like a spreading wildfire, it's hard to find the best way to proceed with this. Through a lack of communication and overall misunderstanding, it's been a rough patch. I can say that we're human beings, we screw up, we do mishaps, and it's natural. But we have to apologize for our misgrievances too.

Drama is not something we tried to cause. Drama is not something we wanted at all during this time. The WAR is supposed to be a fun, active time, where we can show off the skills off our members and meet new ones too, and learn the best out of us all. We want you to participate in WAR if you have the interest in so, and no one should be alienated out for what we say or just how others go along with this. Although we can't fix all the mistakes we've already made this year, we already have a plan next year to get an open discussion so we can know EVERYONE'S opinion beforehand, and build the best framework for this even that to better the experience.

In response to the smaller teams, we hear you, and we want you to be successful. We're taking the liberty now, from the staff and war leaders, to try and recruit members for YOUR team, no matter what the theme is. We don't want you to lose on numbers, and we want you to have as much people as the other teams. We will be assigning certain members to help you with your recruitment aid, which will be done as soon as possible.

For one last hoorah, please continue your discussion all, and please keep making suggestions. We can't do what others want if we don't know, so that's why we ask. If you have any ideas you've seen you want to expand on and help us get a better touch with, please feel free to do so so we can assimilate it better.

Just keep going everyone, and we hope you can accept any miscommunication and hope you all do enjoy this time of year. Hope to see the great ideas again too :)

-Lightning Dash and the other PXR Staff

[Neo Emolga]

Eh, I'd like to apologize for the "handout" comment I said earlier, I didn't think people would take offense to that. I deleted that post and didn't mean for it to cause more trouble, but if it caused anyone to be upset about it, I didn't mean for that to happen.

But yeah, please guys, let's just put this to rest, it's been hard on too many people. This thing's supposed to be fun, not something to fight like this over.

[Caite-chan]

How about we just quit worry about everything and just HAVE FUN! We are all making this WAY harder than it really needs to be. We never had this much problem that I can recall with any of our other WAR's. New people joining are going to see this and get discouraged and not want to participate. Quit worrying about every little detail and just go with it. The most you'll get out of this is a badge for your profile nothing more. You people act like we're playing for money and we're not. Who cares how many people a teams have or one team getting all the points in a section. JUST PLAY AND HAVE FUN!

[SassySnivy]

Calm down, calm down. I was only offering a quick-fix suggestion for WAR this year. =_=

[Neo Emolga]

Thank you, Caite, because I really don't think overcomplicating this is going to help.

It's just a forum game, guys, there's not even cash or prizes involved (and even if there were, I still would try to just keep it simple and casual). Have fun, be relaxed and chill, and just enjoy it, no worries. If we impose too many rules, regulations, parameters, and conditions, it's way more work than fun.

So yeah, let's switch gears and focus on another discussion topic. Would people be interested in WAR special events that last for only one week but would still count for points? We could do something like trivia or some scavenger hunt thing similar to that egg hunt that was done for Easter. I think little extras like that would be neat.

[HKim]

I think that if we're going to switch gears in this topic, we should move this discussion to a thread of its own. This is clearly an important matter to our members and we'd be doing them a disservice if we shut down discussion of ideas for next year.

[HKim]

Okay, I created a new for thread for the team system discussion so we can separate out topics because it's getting confusing to me.

Also, I started with my post because... I can. Don't shoot me plz.

http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?6600-Team-System-Discussion-and-Ideas

[Ace Trainer Liam]

So I'm just going to give my 2 cents real quick about a few things. Also I underlined things I deemed important, or the central theme to each issue.

I don't think this should be moved to a new thread because some people don't like discussing it here, or feel like it's an issue that shouldn't be an issue. This is, after all, the WAR discussion thread. Sure, maybe set up a discussion about next years WAR on a different thread, but issues about this years WAR should remain here.

For those of you who would rather move on and talk about different things, please stop. It was mentioned (and became an issue) a bunch of pages back about how people were dismissing other member's issues they were bringing up; saying that this issue isn't (or shouldn't be) complicated, this should be about fun only and these issues make it not fun but competitive, and saying "let's move on" is not only rude and insulting, it is more of a turn off than anything else from a new person's perspective. Why would I stay around a broken system if issues people bring up are being shot down? That's not fun, not for anyone new or trying to branch out of their sub-communities.

No matter what you do, you cannot take competition out of WAR. These ideas of having competitive teams and relaxed teams are interesting. But saying that this should just be about fun and not competition is ridiculous, that's literally all this is: a big competition. Don't get me wrong though, it should be more about fun than anything, which is why I joined. IRL I'm extremely competitive, but I don't particularly enjoy being that competitive, I'd rather enjoy a battle or an RP than win each one, or being the best. But fact is fact: WAR is a large, forum-wide, friendly competition, but a competition nonetheless.

Wanting to do WAR with all of your friends kind of defeats one of the main points of WAR: to intermix between sub-communities on a large Pokemon forum. I understand you want to be with your friends, but you do have your sub-communities that are going to be just as, if not more, active during this time. I decided to join a team that didn't have a lot of URPG people on it so I could branch out a bit and meet new people. I also like the fact that I get to compete against my friends; I find it fun and would suspect others would too since this is a friendly competition.

I'm not sure if anything will fix all the problems this years WAR will have; some ideas are interesting, some might be a bit too complicated, I'm not sure. But I do think we need to iron then out more because I see progress in them.

I think some small, random events could be fun like the Easter egg hunt PXR had; that definitely adds to the friendly competition that literally everyone one (not just URPGers, Graphic Artists, etc) can participate in. Good idea.

EDIT: Oops, slow computer. C/P'd my 2 cents about team systems to Harry's new thread.

[Marill]

Quick question before I enter into the WAR Roleplay. Do you have to use the same Pokemon you have in your RP Team in Showdown as well? Can they be different?

[Dash]

Quick question before I enter into the WAR Roleplay. Do you have to use the same Pokemon you have in your RP Team in Showdown as well? Can they be different?
Showdown is not connected to the roleplay, so they can be different.

[Marill]

Another question regarding the Role Play...

Can multiple Pokemon have the ability to Mega Evolve? Obviously in a battle, I realize that only one Pokemon could Mega Evolve, but does the ability for more than one of your Pokemon to Mega Evolve exist?

[Lord Celebi]

Holy crap, Marill! I haven't seen you around these parts in forever.

Another question regarding the Role Play...

Can multiple Pokemon have the ability to Mega Evolve? Obviously in a battle, I realize that only one Pokemon could Mega Evolve, but does the ability for more than one of your Pokemon to Mega Evolve exist?
I don't think any one is going to care how many Pokemon you have Mega Evolve at a time.

[bronislav84]

Marill you should ask these questions in the RP SU/DT thread, but what the others have said is true. I would consider it kind of poor sportsmanship to go Mega against a non Mega in an RP setting, but if people don't care that's their choice too.

Also it's good to see you back!

[Marill]

Marill you should ask these questions in the RP SU/DT thread, but what the others have said is true. I would consider it kind of poor sportsmanship to go Mega against a non Mega in an RP setting, but if people don't care that's their choice too.

Also it's good to see you back!

Thanks for the guidance. Good to see you and Lord Celebi as well. I look forward to taking part in the War with you! :)

[PV]

RIP Team Elbub

[Elbub]

It's not gone forever. I have many WARs left in me yet...

It will be back.

[Ash K.]

I hear we get Team swiftgallade46 instead.

[PV]

With just under 2 weeks to go until the start of WAR, I can confirm that the Jupiter Mining Corporation's vending machines are fully stocked. Admittedly they've been arguing amongst themselves after being dragged into the Coke vs Pepsi war, but they're willing to unify against the other 6 competing teams, as we told them that you all prefer Dr Pepper.

[bronislav84]

Despite the stuff that's happened recently (I'll spare everyone the details), I'm committed to making sure everyone else has a fun time with the RP.

[Grassy_Aggron]

This looks to be an interesting role play, that's for sure. Time to muck things up with my technicalities! :P

...I should totally throw everyone off by not having an Aggron as part of my team, shouldn't I?

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Soooo we're starting on Sunday. Is everyone ready?!

[SassySnivy]

I AM SUCH HYPE

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

I AM SUCH HYPE

Woooo! I look forward to seeing what all the first week challenges will be for the different events!

[VeloJello]

*starts chanting "HYPE" repeatedly*

What section is everyone looking forward to the most? I'm getting pumped about Drawn Art myself!

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Graphics!!!! I am just glad it's back. xD Also sprite art because there are so many fun things you can do with sprites and I'm sure Speed is gonna challenge us a lot! xD

[Neo Emolga]

Soooo we're starting on Sunday. Is everyone ready?!

Creative Writing is packed and ready for action!

Hope people have fun with it. I've got plenty of neat and unique surprises this year, so you guys need to be ready for anything!

[HKim]

Guess it's time to flex the 'ole URPG muscles. Battling Winter was a good warm-up! Time to take on the world!

[Neo Emolga]

Guess it's time to flex the 'ole URPG muscles. Battling Winter was a good warm-up! Time to take on the world!

Harry Kim VS The World. Something... something about this... whether it's a fan fiction, a movie, a role play, SOMETHING NEEDS TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

One lone Bulbasaur stands before a world gone mad, hero to one, but the answer to everything. Coming to a theater near you.

[Voltaire Magneton]

That sounds like a downsized 300 or some other Spartan movie.

Also, Creative Writing, yay!

[HKim]

Harry Kim VS The World. Something... something about this... whether it's a fan fiction, a movie, a role play, SOMETHING NEEDS TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

One lone Bulbasaur stands before a world gone mad, hero to one, but the answer to everything. Coming to a theater near you.


I think we have schedule conflicts. I already have you signed up to be in the Magical Girl Kenny audio drama.

[Neo Emolga]

I think we have schedule conflicts. I already have you signed up to be in the Magical Girl Kenny audio drama.

Ah lovely. And what goofy role have I been forced contractually obligated to perform this time? :P

[HKim]

Ah lovely. And what goofy role have I been forced contractually obligated to perform this time? :P

It's tough to figure out what genre this fits into, but I have you as the talented serious character who is friends with the hero and acts as a sort of foil.

[Dash]

One lone Bulbasaur stands before a world gone mad, hero to one, but the answer to everything. Coming to a theater near you.

Give me a week or two and this will happen. If it does, do not question my sanity. ​(inb4 this is the first contest in war creative writing)

[Neo Emolga]

Give me a week or two and this will happen. If it does, do not question my sanity. ​(inb4 this is the first contest in war creative writing)

While this would have made an AWESOME Creative Writing theme, I kind of need to roll with other stuff (that I cannot reveal until it's time). But trust me, many cool ideas are in store for you guys, and I know it's going to put creative juices into overdrive. :D

[Ash K.]

Give me a week or two and this will happen. If it does, do not question my sanity. ​(inb4 this is the first contest in war creative writing)

Could always submit it to SWC. I hear that just started.