User blog:Flamefang/Lilith's Letter Phase III Update

Hey guys, I hope you're enjoying this phase so far!

There're a few things I'd like to bring up in this blog, all of which are related to LL in some way, with the exception of the last which disucsses a mainly personal matter. I've written similar blogs for the past phases, and although we've experienced a few bumps so far, I'm pleased to be able to say that this one is written more as a matter of formality than necessity. Generally speaking, almost all mission members have performed admirably, and I'd say that many have even exceeded expectations, though there are an unfortunate few who we've been forced to drop already. Fortunately, thanks to the early emergence of that trend, we've been able to remove them before any significant damage was caused.

Combat Missions vs Story Missions
There seems to have been a little confusion with regards to the differences between these two mission types, so I figure it's best to clarify. Combat missions were created with the singular intent of creating missions for those without an interest in experiencing all this campaign has to offer, but are still interested in doing their part to combat Pagos and his allies. Combat missions are supposed to be straight and to the point, since in the first phase several people dropped out after complaining that the missions were too long and focused too much on story. Obviously there's a certain amount of flexibility here, and if members would prefer to include a little more story in their combat mission, that's fine. But, this doesn't mean that the mission should get sidetracked for several days, or get embroiled in useless argument within the first few hours.

Story missions, on the other hand, are the driving force behind LL. Contrary to combat missions, story missions focus primarily on the overall Lilith's Letter storyline, and require a certain level of interest and initiative above that of the other missions. Members are encouraged to explore and work with the environments provided to them, ask questions at every turn, and make a concerted effort to ensure that they are successful in their mission. That being said, many people have only so much patience and interest. Thus, it's best if even story missions don't get too sidetracked, and even in their case there's no point in getting caught up on transportation or silly argumentation. The idea that it's a story mission doesn't change the fact that the mission they're on has the potential to spell the survival or doom of camp in-character.

General Guidelines
Overall, most people have done a pretty good job staying within reasonable boundaries on the missions modded by me, and so I thank them for that. Bach has reported a little silliness though, with people not paying attention to the posts of others, and so resulting in a certain character attempting to 'run' at someone while the group was flying on Pegasi. I've also noted a lot of people assuming that I'm going to throw monsters or clues at them constantly. This has been a problem in the past, and probably will continue to be into the forseeable future, and so I cannot reiterate enough: Lilith's Letter is meant to be an activity where you and your character have the opportunity to shift and change events through your actions. This doesn't mean that you suddenly decide that your group is traveling to somewhere entirely different, or creating a non-existant enemy for the hell of it. This means that you take what you're given and work with it to the best of your ability, which then ought to shift things within reasonable boundaries. A good example of this would be Alexandra on the 'Pagos' mission who, unlike the others, acted with understandable suspicion, and said no to something a character modded by me offered. This then changed her experience of the mission drastically, but didn't result in her doing something absurd either. Accepting or refusing that offer was up to the characters there, but it would only create problems if a user suddenly decided to ignore the decision entirely or bring something else into existence. I hope my point gets across properly.

Note Regarding Activity
I have finals, and really a lot of work to do at the moment, so please excuse any lack of posting over the next few weeks. Thanks!

Personal Matter
Note that this is a personal matter, and has nothing to do with Lilith's Letter, regardless this would seem to be the best place to post such a message at the moment. I'm currently enrolled in a 'drones' class at my college, which seeks to analyze and gather data on the international and domestic use of drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Our project to create a sizeable database on this matter is actually sponsored by a subsection of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and is also one of the only groups studying the many effects of drone usage in the country (USA), instead of just the political consequences usually observed by the media. Thus, you could say, it's fairly significant. This being said, I've been tasked with acquiring 50 articles of news on drones before Wednesday (May 1st). I've been working on this for a while, but I still only have about twenty five at the moment, even with the help of Bach, and so I'd like to make an appeal for assistance to the community.

If you come across any news or published article related to drones, whether military or civilian, please send me a link to it on my college email: gm7862@bard.edu. My time is quite limited at the moment, and this wiki honestly doesn't help in that matter, so I'd be greatly appreciative of anything anyone can send my way. Thanks again!

Flamefang (talk) 20:03, April 29, 2013 (UTC)