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Old 12-22-2017, 05:48 PM   #14 (permalink)
Zoe
Dark Force Defense League

DMAC & DMLE
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Wonderland
Posts: 61,275

Hogwarts RPG Name:
Logan Paton
Gryffindor
Sixth Year

Hogwarts RPG Name:
Gillyweed Beery
Slytherin
Second Year

Ministry RPG Name:
Tallulah Gamp
Accidents & Catastrophes

Ministry RPG Name:
Franklin Paton
Law Enforcement

x8 x8
Default Term 47 Follow-Up
Bathes in Maple Syrup | Dancing Lobster | Mrs. Charlie Weasley | Seneca's Beard | That's So Fetch

Before the term came to an end and the member survey was available to you all, the staff and I spent some time discussing a variety of topics concerning the Hogwarts RPG. Like we have done in the past, what we would like to do was detailed out and we would adjust anything based on the feedback provided to us. At this time, before diving right in, I would like to thank the 14 of you who submitted the survey. Many of our decisions were finalised because of your thoughts.
Lessons: Once again, the staff and I discussed lessons and how we do them. This last term we added on a few days to our lessons, but found that keeping up with them when there were more than four lessons opened at once could be quite difficult. We also took note that we cannot do lessons the same way anymore with activity not being what it once was. In response to this, staff members will now have the following options to select from (some options with limited spots) before a new term begins:
  • Option 1: The staff member will host two standard lessons on their own. (Up to 20 points can be earned in each standard lesson.)
  • Option 2: The staff member will host one standard lesson on their own in addition to a joint lesson with another staff member. (Up to 20 points can be earned in both the standard and joint lessons.)
  • Option 3: The staff member will host one standard lesson on their own and design a “long-term” assignment that connects to the lesson. (Up to 20 points can be earned in both the standard and the “long term” assignment.)
  • Option 4: The staff member will host one standard lesson on their own and encourage an interaction opportunity through one of the extra-curricular classes/organisations via group meeting, field trip, etc. (Up to 20 points can be earned in the standard lesson, and points can be earned during the extra-curricular meeting depending on what is done IC.)
Ultimately, having these options will decrease the amount of lessons; however, they will add some flavour to the Hogwarts RPG and provide a little bit of everything (lessons, assignments, extra-curriculars, etc.) without it being too much to keep up on.

Furthermore, staff will have some leeway with how long their lessons will run. Standard lessons can run between 8-10 days, whereas joint lessons can run between 8-14 days. How long a lesson lasts will be up to staff discretion.

The maximum amount of lessons that should be opened at a time has changed from four to three. There may be some overlap as we schedule lessons around what is going on in our RL, but we will, as we always have, try our best to stick to the maximum limit.

Forum Layout: When asked about getting a new forum layout for the Hogwarts RPG, the results of the member surveys were 50-50. When discussing the layout with just the staff before the survey was open, the majority wanted to have a new layout. Based on what was said as staff and the results of the member survey, the Hogwarts RPG will be looking a little different in the upcoming term. We know that it is going to be a huge adjustment to make (especially for us dinosaurs, lol) and that there will be a number of people who will not like it, but all we ask is that everyone give it a try and regroup after the upcoming term.

Common Rooms: When asked about allowing common rooms to be viewable by all Houses (though still only House members can post in their respective common room), the results in the member survey were also 50-50. When discussing this with the staff, a fair amount wanted common rooms to be viewable to all and a few were indifferent. Based on this, all common rooms will be viewable to all next term for OOC purposes; if your character is a Gryffindor, IC they still would not know what’s going on in the Hufflepuff common room unless a Hufflepuff told them IC. If you are not a supporter of being able to see all of the common rooms, then simply pretend the other common room forums are not there.

OWLs/NEWTs: When asked about OWL/NEWT exams on site, the majority of those who took the survey said no, but some made the comment that maybe they could be done in a different way. In the end, the staff team needs extra things like this to be done as simply as it possibly can. We realized that many just make up their own scores for their characters and the small amount of members who did take OWLs/NEWTs did not justify the amount of time and effort we put into them. At the moment, we will not be managing OWLs/NEWTs the way they are currently being handled. Nevertheless, we are looking into options that will allow you to take the exams at your own leisure and give you the results the moment you finish the exam (something similar to a Buzzfeed quiz) -- the less moving parts for us, the better. If you know of any ways we can do this, please PM me.

Quidditch: Quidditch is coming back this term! While it is great seeing the old captain badges (for those of us who have been here long enough), please know that this is NOT the Quidditch of the past. We will be doing Quidditch very differently. It is not a speed-race trivia game, but rather an additional layer of IC interaction to the Hogwarts RPG. In short, here is the rundown:
  1. The Hogwarts RPG Admin and the Flying instructor will select captains before the beginning of each term.
  2. When the Hogwarts RPG opens, tryouts will begin (these will last roughly 14-20 days). Threads for each House will be provided for those who have characters who are interested in joining the team (this is ONLY for characters played on the site). Within this thread are:
    • A 10-question survey that you are to complete about your character.
    • An IC tryout to be played with guidance from the House captain.
  3. After the time for tryouts has come to an end, the Hogwarts RPG Admin and the Flying instructor will select which characters make the team and what position they have. Any spots that are empty will be filled in with NPCs; we will NOT be filling in spots with the names of characters who are not played on SS.
  4. Each House will have an opportunity for one IC practice with their teammates. This practice will be led by the House captain and will last roughly 2 weeks. The Quidditch Pitch thread will be utilized for this practice, and others who wish to watch (or spy) can view the practice in The Stands thread.
  5. Throughout the term, the Hogwarts RPG Admin and the Flying instructor will be determining the results of Quidditch matches for IC purposes. We will be using the same process the Ministry uses to determine who wins and loses the League matches (a combination of coin tosses and usage of a random number generator).
Overall, Quidditch is on a trail-and-error grace period. This process is as new to us as it is to you, so we are all in this together. We will be looking at what is/isn’t working and improve as time goes on.

Activity: In several of the surveys, it was mentioned that activity from the staff was low or we were not as involved as we should have been this past term. I would like to apologise for this, but also gently remind everyone that we also have our moments when RL takes over and that this time of the year takes us all for a spin. I was not overly concerned about this as most staff members still fulfilled their staff duties and everyone, staff or not, had to pull away from SS to some capacity. Regardless, a new year and a new term is upon us and we are ready to go!

Interaction: Stemming off of the activity bit, I wanted to briefly discuss interaction with each other. It was brought up to me that, overall, some would like to see less “this post is for X” and more open role-plays (mostly because it is more inviting, especially for those who aren’t as comfortable crashing role-plays or are new). While I know we all want to have a grand old time role-playing with our friends, we, both staff and non-staff, need to also remember that the role-play is also for us to interact with those we normally don’t on the regular. With that said, let’s all make it a goal to go bananas with playing with those we normally don’t in the upcoming term or snag an open post whenever we see one – who knows what will come of it! ;]
If there are any questions or concerns, please, as always, feel free to post in this thread or privately PM me.
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Last edited by Zoe; 12-22-2017 at 08:15 PM.
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