BattleMaster Academy

[Solari]

I was on IRC a moment ago laying out a hypothetical war plan for someone. I get asked about General-stuff a lot, and it occurred to me that the forums really are the best place for this kind of back-and-forth education. That said, I don't want to step on anyone's toes. I remember Bedwyr had an idea once for this kind of "advanced topic" stuff, but I was thinking of a format more similar to Something Awful's Ask/Tell, where you just bombard a volunteer with questions about a particular topic.

FIRST: is this going on somewhere already? A quick check didn't reveal anything, but it wouldn't be the first time that I overlooked something.
SECOND: if not, is this something people would be interested in, and do we have volunteers? I'd like to have one thread for each topic, perhaps with a prefix to tie it back to a larger effort. Don't anyone go jumping the gun yet. Let's be deliberate and thorough about this.

[Tom]

Definitely a cool idea.

[egamma]

Maybe put it under helpline?

[Foundation]

I remember helping out with something like this before.  Donno if you can still find those posts.  They were answering questions on lordships positions knights realms etc etc.

[Peri]

I am a bit skeptical. As long as it's a matter of "what does this option do?" or "which link leads me to modify taxes?" asking on the forum sounds reasonable. For advanced stuff, however, things like these should be kept IC. I do not like the idea that the 19 years old general of a realm knows everything because he asked on the forum. It would make experienced chars which are no longer having an active role useless, whereas from an IC point of view they have a lot of value for a realm thanks to their experience and the answers they can provide.

Ok one can argue that what could be done on the forum might already be done on irc, but one thing is living with it and the other is encouraging it.

[Eldargard]

I think that every plate, and new or old, and should have access to the knowledge needed to play experienced, and knowledgeable and/or talented characters.

[Anaris]

I do not like the idea that the 19 years old general of a realm knows everything because he asked on the forum.

These are the highest of the high nobles. Their children should have had the very best tutors in everything they might desire from the time they were 6.

I have absolutely no problem with a 19-year-old knowing the full breadth of mechanics and strategy. Hell, there have been real-world rulers younger than that who have led armies.

[Vellos]

Newbie board does a bit of this.

I remember I wrote a rather large piece on the old economy system back when this was being done.

I'll volunteer to help however is needed.

[Solari]

While I can appreciate Peri's sentiment, I don't share it personally. There's a significant knowledge gap between experienced players and newer players, and if sharing some of that knowledge results in higher levels of retainment and a greater challenge, I'm all for it. And I'll be brutally honest: some of the older players have wrongheaded ideas about some parts of the game, but they had to learn it on their own and don't know any other way. Everyone could benefit from this, including me.

So what I've heard so far is:

• It's a good idea.
• There may be resources out there that can be re-used.
• We should probably do this in the Helpline subforum.

Here's what I'm thinking:

Topics would be things like "Ask me about..."

• being a General
• battle formations
• war strategy
• being a Banker
• taxes
• running a Republic
• mastering Courtier/Diplomat/insert class here
• infiltration
• the first/second/third/nth invasion
• some old realm that no longer exists but people still talk about wistfully—lookin' at you, Oligarch and Ubent

People can specifically request topics in the master thread, and volunteers can take them up in a separate thread. I'd like these separate threads to be a back-and-forth between a single volunteer and everyone who has questions. This is not an opportunity for you to barge into a thread with your conflicting opinions. If you feel that you have knowledge to share, we can line up an entire "symposium" on what it means to be a good General, for example. I'm kind of hoping it turns out that way, in fact.

Thoughts?

[Lefanis]

I was on IRC a moment ago laying out a hypothetical war plan for someone. I get asked about General-stuff a lot, and it occurred to me that the forums really are the best place for this kind of back-and-forth education.

+1

[Perth]

A series of lectures from our most prominent players.

[BardicNerd]

I am always in favor of things that help people learn about the game.  I think the fact that a lot of things tend to be obscure is one of the major obstacles facing new players.

I'm happy to help when I have the time, though that is somewhat spotty as of late.

[egamma]

I am a bit skeptical. As long as it's a matter of "what does this option do?" or "which link leads me to modify taxes?" asking on the forum sounds reasonable. For advanced stuff, however, things like these should be kept IC. I do not like the idea that the 19 years old general of a realm knows everything because he asked on the forum.

Alexander the Great became ruler at 20, and launched his campaign in Asia Minor when he was 22; he was unbeaten in battle.

[Lorgan]

Having access to all that advise is one thing, taking it to heart is another.

[Indirik]

I think Bedwyr was running this as "Advanced Mentoring". A search might help.