Yeah, sorry about that, we've been working on the specifics in the VIP over the only thing that really mattered in that Chat's discussion.
The only matter that was touched on of importance - since the fun topics were Pain Killer's balls and who sucked in the tournament - we quickly agreed that we needed a new NPC System for the Gangs (personally, I was planning on ignoring it, but Tanya brought it up, and I recognized that she had a point).
I'll quote what I posted as a possible alternative, thus far it's received positive feedback from the VIPs, so we'll more than likely follow through with it, depending on Liam's feedback.
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Aye, and in fact, our little chat helped me come up with something.
Let's get past one thing firstly: we need to remember that Gangs are not like typical character bios. We all know this, and since they're an extremely powerful thing, they are
not to be taken lightly, right? If we see someone post a Gang Bio that we don't approve of, we hold the right to deny them. Our current system, however, actually seems to encourage simpler, smaller Gangs once I think about it. We don't want smaller, weaker, more numerous Gangs; we want stronger, more Elite Gangs, that can really pack a punch.
Hence why, upon agreement that Kurtz has a point that the old system is outdated, I came up with a possible alternative.
Whenever we update our current Bios and their NPC counts, we will no longer follow the Post count of the Leader primarily or their members, but rather, of a four point system that follows the current themes: the Gang head's Leadership skills, the Gang's public image/goal, the Gang's general Demography (i.e. School, City or beyond?) and finally overall PC Membership Influence. The Leadership Section will be broken down to 10 points (1 NPC rewarded per point), where as the Gang's intention is a 10 point system, and the Demography is a 10 point system; the Membership member listing follows up at a maximum of 10 as well, however, it cannot exceed the leader's point.
Now, what is that point system exactly? Fighting ability? Roleplaying ability? Not just one, but anything and everything. The 10 Point System covers the overall influence of each Theme towards the possible NPC recruitment of a Gang.
The easiest way to work this is through a current Gang example. Let's use Maverik's gang, since they're the largest.
In terms of the Leadership Theme: The Watchmen's leader, Maverik, is a highly respected veteran of the XinRP1 series of boards. He's been around for more than two years now, has connections to dozens of current members and several dozen more that are retired, has a good fighting ability, a respectable attitude, and a strong writing ability. While he tends to pop in and out of situations, he has significant influence. This, according to an overseeing Moderator, could result in an 8 Point Choice, rewarding 8 NPCs based on Leadership alone.
In terms of "Public" Gang Intention: This can be summarized in both the Gang's description and laws. From what we can see, Maverik's Watchmen are practically the "Police force" that makes sure "peace" is held in the Hircine School. They do not, however, act as the attackers, but rather as teachers, and only really fight against other groups if Gangs arise. They're sort of the "Anti-Gang." At the same time, their laws describe several respectable things, however, most of them are guidelines and ideologies, some particularly questionable as to helping the Gang's intention as a whole, however, in the public eye, gains influence all the same. For this a Moderator could reward the Watchmen a score of 8.
In terms of Demography: This is perhaps the Watchmen's strongest point. They do not take preference to either social group of the school, accept Graduates, fight against the hostile Gangs, and teach those who wish to defend themselves in a reasonably healthy school. They do not dabble in illegal activities, and attempt to stay neutral in school politics. They're the classic "Police' image, and for that, they could receive a 9 in score.
In terms of Membership: Now, this is where the score gets tricky. Gangs DO NOT receive an overall score of 10 for its members, but rather, receive a score of 10 based on any individual member. This is where the Moderator has to be extremely keen and unbiased, as any slight number could result in a good deal more members. For one, every single member of this Gang CANNOT receive a score higher than their leader, and more than likely, it should be kept as ideal that each and every member's limits lay in a number that is half of their leader's influence, and only go beyond that with highly influential characters. For example, if Maverik's Leadership score is 8, then the recommended limit for his members is 4. Because of this, Moderators would try to keep in this limit when scoring individual members. If a Moderator scored the influence of, say, Raphael Di Midichi, they would probably give him a score of 2 (hell, some of you may argue for lower too). However, a Moderator could feel that the Watchmen's officer, Kokaku Musha, precedes that ranking of four to such a degree that he should be ranked a 5. This is possible, however, must be chosen wisely.
Now, this is a rather complicated system I admit, however, we should remember that Gangs are meant to be complex, or else we encourage several various gangs being created. Gangs are meant to be factions, not little cliques, and should act as an important organization. At the same time, this complex system allows for Moderators to keep a close eye and regulation upon the Gangs, and that way we can customize the Gang to fit their designs more appropriately.
Therefore, Maverik here would most likely, in the end, receive a maximum number of 45 members. Now, yes, this is a relatively small number, but let us remember that this IS Hircine High. Gangs at the moment are relatively unpopular and unaccepted by the Hircine population, and any chance of arguing "pure Varronite" makes no sense, considering there are only 200 maximum Varronites that include the PCs. Therefore, our Gang numbers will end up being critically smaller, however, much more elite.
Let me know of your thoughts, because I sense already that some, or many, will object. After all, this is only suggestion, but I'd like to see some sort of new version fulfilled. I took up the responsibility of Gangs a lot time ago, and I'd like to help continue that.
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Note, as amendments, we would like to add that the idea of cutting gang member points in half is not a requirement, but a recommendation. If Taiku Akimoto joined Maverik's Watchmen, for example, we can all agree that it'd make no sense for someone of such prestige to only receive 4 points; he's probably receive 8, just like Maverik has in Leadership.
Also recognize that this will not be done by just one Moderator. When a Gang Bio is posted by an RPer that has 500 posts, a Moderator will look over it, make sure it's legitimate, then post a suggested listing of NPC count. This will be posted in the bio itself, and the Moderator will either bring attention to it with the Admin and other Moderators, or post a link in the VIP requesting feedback of agreement or disagreement. After a head's up by the other Moderators or Admin, the first Moderator would approve the bio, leave it unlocked, and update the NPC count of that Gang every two weeks or so, depending on if the Gang itself actually succeeded in recruiting or losing members.
Not sure if we have a discussion next Wednesday, so more than likely we will not be posting a recap unless something important comes up.
