Guinan's Office: Ten Forward OOC

Since both announcements were posted on Thursday night, we have received an outpouring of questions, comments, complaints, and confusion. First and foremost this post serves as an apology for the way things happened and the upset it caused many of you. But the most widely repeated comment has been that we should have been a lot more candid about how bad things were, and that's the main purpose of this post. We hope to answer everyone's questions as best as we possibly can.

☆ FAQ ☆

It seems like this is happening out of the blue. Why didn't you tell us how bad things were? We are so very sorry to take many of you by surprise, and we wish we could change that. This will be the fourth time the mods have made a public call for help. The last time, mentioned in our closing announcement, was in November. While the first draft of that post was more blunt, it was generally agreed upon by the mods that it might be taken the wrong way, and so it was edited down to put more emphasis on our hope that with new volunteers we wouldn't have to close the game.

The State of the Game was posted only four hours after the original announcement. If you were going to flip-flop, couldn't you have done that first and spared everyone the shock and upset? This is an extremely valid point. To answer fairly, we'll tell you how things went down. The closing announcement came out of a conversation which included all of the mods, and which lasted several hours. The team came to the decision together, and before it was posted the mods who were left reviewed the draft and approved it. The state of the game, which followed a few hours later, was only written by two of the mods and a player, and it along with the poll were posted without the rest of the mod team's knowledge. The rest of the team later found out when players started contacting Gabby with complaints and concerns, assuming since she had posted the closing announcement she had also posted the follow-up. That's when the first edit to the state of the game was made, in deference to the players who had complained and in an effort to explain the confusion. Not all members of the mod team even knew the state of the game had been posted until as late as yesterday evening.

Was the closing announcement just meant to scare/upset us? Absolutely not. Closing the game was the result of a lot of discussion. The state of the game post was the result of one mod taking the initial reaction on Plurk and trying to help. Once more players and the rest of the team were looped in it was already a committed post, and all we could do was damage control. It was positively not our intention to upset the game more than it already was, or make anyone feel like the game was taking a step backward or not listening to them.

I didn't even see the closing statement until after the state of the game had already gone up, and I felt like the decision had already been made so why should I bother to contribute? Overwhelmingly, some players have called out the state of the game for going up without giving the whole game time to see the closing statement, process it, or contribute their thoughts. In addition to feeling like it was in poor taste, some of these players felt like their opinions were being ignored or that they missed out because they weren't available before the poll went up. We absolutely assure you all that this was not our intention, and we cannot apologize enough for the way you were made to feel. We agree that the taste level and the tone set was poor, and it could have been done better to avoid all this needless upset. Unfortunately wishes aren't horses, things happened the way they did, and all we can do is listen now and try to make it up to you.

It's obvious the majority of players want more plots not less, so why are you suggesting we get rid of our IC mixers and all mod plots? and Activity is one of Ten Forward's biggest complaints, doesn't getting rid of AC seem like it will make the problem worse? The four suggested changes outlined in the state of the game post were thought up by the two mods involved, and influenced by some of the feedback received on Plurk. Our playerbase has always been a little divided on these two issues, and up to this point we have tried to toe the line to find a happy medium for everybody. Because things happened so fast and without input from a large majority, there is no one answer to these questions. Instead we'll provide some information. The post, including all suggestions, were written from the viewpoint that Ten Forward would definitely be changed to a semi-sandbox format, and as a sandbox it would no longer need AC or a complicated app. The post originally stated that mod-run game plots would continue as normal, but the mod who has been in charge of all game plots was not consulted first, and later reminded the two that continuing to run game plots was one of the reasons the team decided to close the game. When asking the two if anything had changed they said no, and rather than mislead the playerbase into thinking the current mod team could continue plots into a sandbox format, a correction was posted to inform the players of the mistake until definite provisions for mod-run plots were made. Ultimately the outcome of all these things will rely on majority vote in the polls as well as how many volunteers step forward.

So many people have volunteered to help keep the game open, why aren't you listening to them? We are absolutely listening to every single one of you. Because things went down poorly and it left a majority confused and upset, we needed to allow time for everyone to see what was happening and come to us with their thoughts. Ultimately the confusion needed to be addressed so players knew exactly what was going on, and would therefore know what they would be voting for or volunteering for. The way the state of the game was worded did make it sound like we had already decided what was happening, and that just wasn't true. We wanted everyone to feel like they were being listened to before we made any action that may potentially alienate or upset someone. We care about the game and all of its players, and if it can continue on in some form we are happy to see it do so.

☆ Results ☆
At 5pm EDT (GMT-4) we closed the original poll posted in our state of the game. Of our 61 current active players, 35 participated in addition to 3 non-player guests. The results ended up breaking down like this:

27 players - No Comment
21 players - Keep the game open and implement the new semi-sandbox structure with the stated changes
8 players - Close the game as it is
5 players - No Preference or Other

It's worth noting that the 3 non-player guests all voted to keep the game open implementing the new changes, which shows that there is still interest in Ten Forward even with non-members. So in the end 34.43% of members voted to keep Ten Forward open, with a cumulative percent of 46.15% total participants voting not to close it.

Although it shows that there is no one runaway leading opinion about the future of Ten Forward, there is definitely more than enough players and interested parties that we mods are not going to leave high and dry. You have all expressed a variety of suggestions in addition to your concerns, and so it's clear that before an ultimate decision is made you should all be given the opportunity to vote again this time with all the information at your disposal. So here we go.

Mods. First and foremost, there is a lot of misinformation flying around. We'll have a little more to say at the very end of this post, but since the point is seeing if anything can be done to keep Ten Forward going, knowing what's happening with your mod team is going to affect everyone's opinions. What everyone knows by now is that there are five mods and one volunteer mod helper, and that the six of us agreed to close the game. What you may not know is how this has all come to pass. Two members of the mod team stepped down, one completely and the other to a very small role, before the posts were made. Following the posts, some people have requested that Gabby step down, which she has agreed to do. Following that, two more members of your mod team have decided to likewise step down, which has left the math at one mod — Kippur — remaining with the game. This in part was why closing seemed like the best option, but there are at least two players who have volunteered to step up to full mod positions, and if they are committed to that then there shouldn't be any reason your suggestions can't be entertained. If, however, this does change your opinion of continuing, scroll down to the end of the post.

Volunteers. Over the weekend we have received a total of 8 volunteers: 6 for Research/Plots; 5 for Organizing; 1 for NPCing; 3 for Coding; 2 for Apps Processing. That covers a wide enough array that if these volunteers did want to step up, potentially the game could stay running in its current format. Ultimately that would be up to what the game as a whole decides, though. It's certainly enough to support a sandbox comm. Bear in mind, all but one volunteer stepped up for small, part-time jobs, but the state of the game wasn't written to express the need for a full-time mod team. So we didn't want to deflate anyone before finding out if full-time volunteers were a possibility.

Plots. Now that the whole game has more information on what's happening, hopefully this will clear up the remaining confusion on the status of plots. The mod who was in charge of the game's plots was asked to step down, which is why the announcement there would be no mod-run plots needed to be made. Obviously prior to the closing announcement, more plots and activity were one of our biggest player requests. Should the game continue in any format, we are completely aware that the majority of players want more plots, but if there are no mods we cannot promise mod plots. The correction to say that all plots would be player run is because at present the players are the ones volunteering to head up game plots. If some of those players become mods, then Gabby would be completely happy to hand over all of her notes and the queue of player-requested plots for a new mod to handle, in which event a new mod might have a different take on running plots for Ten Forward. Ultimately, it depends on our volunteers.

NPCs. In addendum to the above, since all TNG chiefs of staff (crewman) characters save one will no longer be player-run, they will have to exist as NPCs until/unless another player apps that character to the game. Since there was only one NPC volunteer, this will likely mean that having NPCs to interact with characters as has been the process to this point will be done away with or changed to facilitate plots only. For players currently in threads with an NPC/crew character played by Gabby, the offer to bring all of these threads to a happy resolution so no one is left hanging is on the table.

1st Suggestion: Keeping the game open as a sandbox, as proposed. Many people voted for this option, but there were also many who felt it was their only option other than closing the game. With the current administrative status, it is our leading option. But if a new mod team steps up then their ideas and others should still be entertained. Of those who commented, they were pro abolishing AC and the application period, but there were "no" votes for: changing the application, getting rid of our IC mixers, and getting rid of reserves. If a team steps up to take over, voting on keeping/removing these items will likely happen again to get an idea of where everyone stands. If no administrative team steps up, then the sandbox's original proposal will move forward with minimal admin and all plots being player run.

2nd Suggestion: Keeping the game as is with a new mod team to take over. Many were concerned that the four proposed changes in the state of the game ran contrary to what players had been giving input on up to that point: namely that activity and encouraging tagging out are two things Ten Forward needs more of, not less. Some changes obviously do need to be made to address everyone's concerns. This would be contingent on if a new mod team does step up.

3rd Suggestion: Replacing AC and Check-Ins with "What Has Your Character Been Up To?" posts. Rather than having to either submit a specific activity count OR have no representation of activity at all, a suggestion was made to instead have a "what has your character been up to?" check-in where players comment to show they are active while linking us to what their characters may have done in the game during that time. This would double as proof of activity and also give the game an idea of what's happening IC, without the stress of meeting a specific requirement.

4th Suggestion: Replacing all IC mixers with [multiple choice]. If the game continues and the mixers are done away with or changed, the following suggestions were made: 1) make rooming & sickbay part of the app process so it's done on an individual player basis; 2) have players switch off on posting sickbay/rooming/counselling logs, remaining at a once-a-month schedule; 3) combine sickbay/rooming/counselling, or leave them as sticky posts in an area where they can be indefinitely tagged.

5th Suggestion: Closing the game for at least one month, before re-opening it with the decided changes. If the game does change hands and re-open under new rules/perimeters, allow players who may not want to continue in the new style time to bring their CR to a desired resolution first, acting as if the game is closing, and then reopen it as a sandbox/etc. for players who will be continuing on. As mentioned above, NPC work can still be threaded out at this time for anybody who wants to take advantage of that. It will also allow time for people outside the comm to see that the game has changed, and refresh themselves on what the new rules might be.

6th Suggestion: Close the game as originally planned. Since this wasn't the popular vote it's not the likely outcome, but given we had many impassioned opinions shared with us as to why this would be the best course of action, we are not ignoring those of you who have said so. Additionally, some players who originally voted for the sandbox have since dropped, and with the confusion and misinformation it bears bringing up again so that foremost if and when a new team takes over they are going into it knowing what the game as a whole has to say, and secondmost that if players have changed their mind now that they know all the details they have the option to say so.

There were a number of other comments that are not represented above simply because they fell under the umbrella of one of the above, or might have been drastically affected by one of the above. We do hope we got everybody's questions and comments, however, as it was not our intention to leave anyone out. If you feel like you were overlooked, please do bring your comments to our attention again so that they can be counted with the final results.

Speaking of which, below is a newly revised poll to take all of the above into consideration. There will also be a "MODS AND VOLUNTEERS" top-level in the comments section, so that those who are still interested in continuing on can be re-counted and a plan of action hatched from there. Thank you all for your patience, and we hope this has helped at least a little. We are, again, so sorry for all of the confusion.

☆ Revised Poll ☆



☆ Acknowledgements from the Mods ☆

Before we brought this post to a close, we did want to acknowledge the way this has all been handled and those of you who were upset by it. We know that it hasn't been ideal for anybody, and as such we wanted to do all our players — past, present, and future — the respect of addressing that.

Many of you expressed frustrations that the team hadn't been more open with you regarding how bad things were. We understand that in being too gentle and not trying to cause undue panic prematurely, we left you, and by extension ourselves, unprepared for everything that went down this weekend. Really all we can do at this point is apologize. We over-censored ourselves to the point that most of you didn't know what was happening, and while from our perspective this is the fourth time we've been in this position, for many of our new players it seemed very out of the blue. Gabby especially apologizes, given many of the most recent updates came from a place of trying to reorganize, update, and soldier on, and that only leant itself to the overall shock of Thursday's announcement.

We understand that in the time since, many things have been said. Several players have alluded to conversations on Plurk, anon comms, and otherwise in private where the game's problems and the cause of those problems have been discussed in some detail. Some of these rumors may be true. Some may not. We don't feel that the game deserves any further drama from taking these point by point, so instead we simply want to thank everyone who has made Ten Forward the wonderful game it was and hopefully will continue to be, and apologize for the stress and upset the past four days has caused on everyone. We assure you that the mod team cares about all of the players on an individual, personal level, and any rumors to the contrary are regrettable, but we understand how things looked.

The past few days have been filled with tears for all of us and wishes that things had turned out differently; in our efforts to close the game with the least amount of drama possible, we only exacerbated it, and are ashamed that it happened the way it did with the effect it had on the playerbase and the game's reputation. Anger was a justified response, and the requests that you've made to the administrative aspects of the game likewise so. Just know that none of us are stepping away in anger or defiance. We absolutely want what's best for the players here, and as always since day 1 of Ten Forward, we want the players to ultimately decide what that is. It has been an absolute honor and pleasure being your mods, and no matter what happens that won't change for us.

Hopefully the bitter won't overshadow the sweet, and good times will continue to roll. We will support however the game's future goes in whatever ways we can, and always wish this community all the best.

Make it so.

- The Mods

Edited 4/02/16: please see the end of the post for an update.

State of the Game:

We have heard you, players, and the overwhelming response so far has encouraged us to regroup and take your suggestions into discussion. It’s true that this game still has so much to offer and its players still have many stories to tell. Manpower is the ultimate issue we’re facing, but after some consideration we’ve thought of ways to combat it.

Rest assured that you still have a dedicated mod team who is motivated to keep Ten Forward alive. We love this game just as much as you do.

However, as we’ve decided that changes need to be made, we now need to hear from you. After looking at the suggestions from Plurk and the closing announcement post, the mods have come up with a series of suggestions for the future of the game.

It’s always been more relaxed than most games, but we’d like to move a bit more towards a sandbox structure by simplifying the overall mechanics. We would like to implement the following changes:

1. Removal of AC, but keeping a monthly roll call to ensure the players’ continued involvement.


2. Simplifying apps and removing the application period. You would be able to app a character at any time you’d like. However reserves would also be removed so it would become a first come first serve basis.


3. Removing roommate assignments and the monthly sickbay posts. Simplified alternatives might be put in place, such as player-run rooming assignments and one combined monthly welcome post.


4. A number of small plot opportunities added to the current plot schedule, as well as encouraged player-run plots.

We would also like to put out a request for anyone to step forward who would like to dedicate themselves to being in a part-time, creative position. Expanding the plot and story of the game is something we’re very interested in doing and we’d love for more players to be involved in that.

Other ideas and suggestions are welcome and we might come up with more of our own as time goes on, but mostly our interests now lie in hearing your ultimate thoughts about the fate of the game.

We’d be grateful if you would take the time to answer our poll and also make comments below if you have them. We would love to hear from all of you.

The Poll will close Monday Evening.





ETA 4/02/16: In addition to the comments received below we have received a number of messages from players who are confused regarding conflicting information, as well as how the above proposed edits will take into consideration suggestions made from our last State of the Game all the way up through present concerns and suggestions. To that end we've realized that the brevity of this post might be misleading, and we would like to clarify by posting another State of the Game that addresses more of your suggestions, answers some of the FAQs, and specifically responds to those of you who have volunteered to help. Since the poll closes on Monday we thought we might post this FAQ on Monday, unless there are those of you who feel they cannot vote without this additional information because the options provided don't address your viewpoint. Please let us know if you are one of the players who would like this FAQ sooner than Monday.

However, two things should briefly be addressed now. The first is that the above proposed game changes are for the eventuality that the game IS turned into a sandbox. The four points above do not cover the reasons the mod team decided the game could no longer be managed. In fact, those four above game elements are some of the easiest elements of the game to manage. That leads into the second thing, which is that we incorrectly stated that if the game was turned into a sandbox the current plot schedule would continue as it has been. This is incorrect in that the inability to manage game plots is one of the reasons the team decided to close the doors, which means that if the game does go to a sandbox comm there would be NO mod organized game plots. As with most sandbox comms, plots would be up to the individual player.

We recognize that these two inconsistencies were hugely misleading in the way you may have voted on the poll, and for that we can only apologize. In the interests of full disclosure, this post was written by only two of the mods, while the other three did not know about it until after it was posted, and several key points were left out. We don't want to cause any undue frustration, but the positive response you players gave us was so bolstering that in our excitement we jumped the shark a little bit and did not fully express things out loud that we've been talking about so many times now as a team.

Please continue hitting us with your thoughts and questions either below, or for those of you who feel uncomfortable making a public comment you can continue reaching us on AIM, Plurk, by e-mail, or our Suggestion Box, where the comments are screened. Thanks! – The Mods

ETA the second, 4/02/16: If you need to change the way you voted, J has provided a step-by-step on how to do so. We have added further clarification in a reply there regarding this update, as it was still confusing to some people. Please let us know if you are still confused, we know discussion is happening in a lot of different places and we are trying to pull it all together in this comm so that everyone has a chance to see everything in an effort to clear that confusion up. Your patience and your love is deeply appreciated by all of us.

Hey everyone!

We just wanted to remind everyone that, since it is the last day of the month, Reserves will be CLOSING TONIGHT at 11:59pm EST (GMT-5). So get your Reserves in now if you haven't already.

Apps will be opening for March immediately following, and will remain open for one full week.


If you're not following ten_fwd_meme, you may want to do so. We have a new meme every Monday, as well as regularly scheduled game memes every few months. Today we have a brand new How's My Driving? Meme for the use of the comm. It is strictly optional, and locked to members of the comm only. Tomorrow we will have a fresh Handwaved CR Meme up, and once it's posted we'll update this post with the link.

ETA: Here's the link to our fresh Handwaved CR Meme! Go forth and make new friends.

Thanks, folks. Keep an eye out for more fun things later this week. :)

Hello, hola, zdravstvuyte, and ciao to y'all, players of Ten Forward! Your friendly neighborhood Ten Forward mods are here with some of those updates we promised in this month's Meet & Greet! Now pay attention - there will be a quiz at the end, and those of you who fail will be sent to the penal colony of Jaros II for a lifetime of hard labor without possibility of parole.

—okay, just kidding. We would appreciate it if you read over this carefully, though, as it contains news that'll potentially change the way you play the game.

Mod Team Updates

Some of you may recall back on the first of December we posted an update to the OOC comm mentioning our mod team would be shifting, and looking for volunteers. Now, after a rigorous couple of weeks of training and working, we've got some sad and happy announcements:

☆ JK will be stepping down as a mod. As she's returning to grad school this March, we want to wish her all the best and thank her for her many months of hard work keeping Ten Forward running. Don't worry, she's not leaving the game! She will still be here for all your threading and plotting needs. Following the February application period, however, she will no longer be an acting mod.

☆ Kippur will be stepping down to a part-time position. From this point forward, Kip will be acting in a reduced role as a mod. She's still available and will be helping the team roll out updates, but in a slightly diminished capacity. Again, we'd like to thank Kippur for all her hard work!

Now, what was that about some happy announcements? Why, yes! We have some NEW MODS on the team.

☆ Beth (Murgy) is now a mod! Everyone, welcome Beth to the team! Beth is the player behind princessinthemaking, remarkableit, myks and more. She has already started as a full-time mod and, among other things, is rolling out some updates for AC, our contact pages, and other things yet to be announced.

☆ Emma is now a mod! Everyone, welcome Emma to the team! Emma is the player behind meimeimechanic, notthatpond, and more. She has already started as a full-time mod and, among other things, is rolling out some updates for our profiles, navigation, and other things yet to be announced.

☆ Jack is now a mod! Now I know what you're thinking - "wait a minute! Gabby doesn't write like this! This person writes like a bro!" And you're right - it's me, Jack! You might remember me from the December Meet & Greet - I brought in Sterling Malory Archer and Kuvira, and as you can tell, I do love my hyphens and runon sentences. I'm one of your new mods!

Yes, there are new mods about in these here waters star systems - Beth, Emma, and I can be contacted with questions, comments, or concerns regarding the game starting now. Together we'll be implementing some updates in areas which have been in vital need of updating, as well as cleaning up other pages and just generally making Ten Forward a better place! For that, we'll need you guys - but we're getting ahead of ourselves. You may be wondering "but wait! what about our other great mods?"

☆ Never fear, Gabby and Leon will still be here for all your modly needs! Both Gabby and Leon will be guiding us through our first few months as new mods, making sure we learn the ropes and don't mess anything up too badly. Please be patient with us as we learn things!

Volunteers

With us to help make Ten Forward all it can be are some volunteers who have graciously contributed time to help us with our backlog of updates. These volunteers have presently been split up into a few teams, some of which are working on OOC updates and some IC updates. In the coming months, you can hopefully look forward to:

☆ A rebooted plot arc with more game events!
☆ Updated info for our Maps, Rooms, Jobs, and other pages!
☆ A new, updated FAQ!
☆ AND MORE...

ten_fwd_ooc will be abuzz with updates, and used as a staging ground to announce as well as launch some of these updates so everyone can stay apprised of what's happening as we do it. There may well be some posts in the near future asking for your participation, especially as we update contact lists as well as game plots. Keep a weather eye out for that!

But what if we would like to volunteer some updates for Ten Forward as well? Glad you asked! In addition to our Suggestion Box (locked to members of the OOC comm) where you can sling us ideas for anything you'd like to see happen in the game, we now have a dedicated area where you can Volunteer to help out! This post is being added to our game navigation and will stay alongside our Suggestions Box, so if you would like to reach out for more to do for Ten Forward in the future but just can't manage it right now, it will always be there for when you're ready.

We'd just like to take this time to thank everyone who makes Ten Forward such a great place, whether you've volunteered with us in the past, are doing so now, or may do so in the future. All of you are what makes the game tick, and we couldn't do it without you!

Some Current Updates

• We'll be posting a 2016 State of the Game here in the OOC comm sometime next week, before February AC. Our objective with this is to get a sense of how you guys feel about the game, your greatest complaints/critiques, and also start a discussion on ways you'd like to see us, as mods, improve/work on the game. We'll be addressing last year's State of the Game and working from there. We'll take whatever suggestions we get there and poll the game to ensure any updates we start are approved by you, the players.
  
  
• We have cleaned up our OOC comm memberships, after some of you had questions about our comm clearance and security. Note that our OOC comm is moderated, which means you need to request to join. All requests should be approved within hours, if not minutes of placing them. Public entries will remain public, and locked entries will remain locked. This is just a notice so that if you believe we've removed your member access in error to please rejoin, with our apologies for the mistake.
  
  
• Our Mod Contact Page has been updated with all the most up-to-date information, reflecting our changes in the mod line-up. The game's profile has also been updated with this information. Please feel free to contact any of us at any of the links provided, and friend us where you would like. We don't bite!
  
  
• Due to moving our Activity Check from January to February 14th-27th, we'll be posting our semi-annual How's My Driving? Meme as well as our newest Handwaved CR Meme to ten_fwd_meme following AC. In case any of you were wondering where these memes were, we haven't forgotten! To everyone else, these memes (like all memes here) remain completely optional, and do not require mandatory participation.

There will be more updates on the horizon, once we get a few more drafts polished and ready to go live. As always, if you have questions, concerns, complaints, or comments for us, let us know in the comments below or by e-mailing us at tenforwardmods [at] gmail [dot] com. Thanks for reading, Everyone! We're looking forward to more great things in 2016!

Hello, everyone!

Our latest IC New Passenger Orientation + Roommate Mixer is now up in the main comm, but with a bit of a holiday twist! Read on under the cut for the skinny.

( Room Assignments, Holiday Open House, and Q )

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Don't forget that it is the end of the month, and that means: Reserves will be CLOSING and Apps will be OPENING tonight! In light of the holiday, we'll be opening apps an hour early at 11pm EST (GMT-5), and we'll leave them open until January 8th! You are not required to reserve with us in order to app, but it does help the process along.

A New TDM? If you're looking to test a voice out before making a commitment or need someplace to put a writing sample together, last month's Test Drive Meme is STILL OPEN! Please make a note to check the post for new potential applicants with fresh threads, and feel free to use this post until January ATP runs near the end of the month. We will have a fresh TDM up for the new year then.

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Remember, ten_fwd_meme posts fresh memes every Monday now, so if you haven't been watching the comm feel free to stop by and participate! There's no deadline on any meme, particularly not the most recent Love Memes, so if you were away and feel like you may have missed your chance, banish the thought! There's always time for more love.

If there is a meme you would like to see the comm do, we have a suggestion box set up for just that purpose. Anyone can post to the comm with their ideas. Since it's the end of the year, we'll be due for a new HMD and handwaved CR meme coming up pretty soon, so keep an eye out for that and more things to come!

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AC Reminders: AC will run January 10th – 23rd, which will be the Sunday following apps. If you are unsure of what the AC requirements are, take a look at our AC reminders post from our last activity check. All proofs of activity must be in posts dated after July 25th to qualify. December applicants are exempt from January AC.

Because of AC, there will be no Check-In tomorrow. Our next Check-In will happen March 1-7. If you have any questions at all, please let us know!

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That's all from us for now! Look for more updates in the coming days, as it's looking to be a busy first week of January for us here at Ten Forward. And please be patient with us through any kinks you may pick up on, as we're slowly training new volunteers and settling into a new rhythm behind-the-scenes. As always, if you have ANY concerns or questions, e-mail us at tenforwardmods [at] gmail [dot] com.

Thanks, everyone! Have a safe and happy New Year!

Hi everyone!

Just a reminder that reserves are closing and apps are opening TONIGHT at midnight EDT (Wednesday going into Thursday in the Eastern US).

Also a reminder that our second monthly check-in will be opening at the same time as apps. Don't forget to check in with us and let us know you're still here! Apps and check-in will be open for a week!

ETA: We also wanted to give you guys a quick heads-up that we'll be posting a few updates for the game you'll all want to check in on. ATP is moving their game ads to a new date, and so we'll be shuffling around some of the dates we do things, plus adding some player suggestions and fixing some loose threads from over the summer months when we were all pretty busy. We'll have a more detailed post in a few days, after the rush of the first of the month posts. :)

Hello, everyone!

August apps, you should be getting your approvals/denials starting today. We know it took a little longer this month than usual, and we thank you all for your patience. We've been short-staffed, and there's been a lot to do. Once approvals go out, we will have an OOC Welcome Post up where you can meet the players here and get all the info your hearts desire about Ten Forward! :)

September apps, rejoice! For Reserves are OPEN for the September application period. Reserves will remain open until 11:59pm EST on August 31st, just prior to apps opening.

The Plot Man Cometh! We have a full schedule of game plots, both small and event-sized, planned up through the end of the year. Those who have hit sign-ups posts and are waiting for new things to be posted and announced, do keep your eye on this comm in the coming week. We'll be rolling out things slightly staggered and sending off messages to participants where applicable with updates. We are behind schedule due to being short-staffed, which we know has not been fun for anybody, and sadly we will be short-staffed for a few more weeks. This shouldn't affect things rolling out now, but if you have any questions or problems and can't find a mod on Plurk or AIM, e-mail us so we can get back to you as fast as we can!

In the meantime, there is a new meme up in ten_fwd_meme: The Writing Prompt Meme! Go forth and do silly things, do serious things, but be sure you have fun!

We'll be making more updates here every day or so, so don't forget to check in!

- Your Friendly Neighborhood Mods

Good afternoon, evening, or morning, Ten Forward, whichsoever your timezone dictates!

We have a few updates for you.

• July AC is now closed. Once we've finished processing everyone's AC (hopefully tomorrow), a warning post will go up listing characters who did not pass, after which point you will have until 11:59pm EDT (GMT-4) on July 25th to reclaim your character.
  
  • If you encountered a problem and are not going to make AC, but would like to stay in the game, contact the mods asap. We may give second chances to players who had extenuating circumstances.
  
  
• The OOC rooming list for July is now up. It includes some edits for June players and a couple of established players getting roomies, so please check the list, everyone. The mixer will be going up on Sunday, so let us know ASAP if there are any problems!
  
  
• July apps, don't forget that the Sickbay Log is now up, with our medical staff ready and willing to see your characters! There's more info about what goes on in Sickbay here!
  
  
• And just in case you didn't see these earlier: we have a new Test Drive Meme up in ten_fwd_meme. This time the setting is the Jefferies Tubes! Don't get lost!
  
  
• Finally, there is a Love Meme in ten_fwd_meme. Come on in and tell fellow players they're appreciated!

As always, if you have any questions, drop them to us here, or get in touch with us!

- The Mods

Hello, everyone! This is just a reminder that AC begins tomorrow, July 12th (in the Eastern US), and will be open for one FULL week. We have provided full info on what to expect, including an updated AC FAQ, on this post. If you have any questions, please check the post out!

July Apps: To everyone who applied with us this month, thank you for your apps! We're going over apps right now and you should expect to hear from us throughout the coming week! We'll have a Welcome Post up as soon as apps are processed. We're really looking forward to playing with all the new characters!

Reserve Requests: At this time we will also be checking in with everyone who has requested characters be placed on the Reserved list with a note to contact the cast before apping about potential triggers or previously built CR (as mentioned in our FAQ). Players will need to renew their request with us to keep it on the Reserves page. We will do this every AC period, as casts shift and change and a reserve request may not always be necessary. If you have such a request, you will be getting an e-mail with this info from the mods, and all you will need to do is reply with whether the reserve is still necessary or not. You will have until the end of AC (July 25th) to do this, at which point if we have not heard from you we will take the reserve request down.

As always, if anyone has any other questions or concerns, you can get in touch with us anytime!

Hey crew! We have a few updates for you today, including some plot wrap-up and mod announcements, but since we've received questions about July's upcoming AC, we wanted to do a reminders post just for that. So watch out for more updates in a later post!

☆ Activity Checks: July 12th - 25th: AC will be starting in mid-July, so please read everything below carefully, and if we missed one of your questions, remind us in the comments and we'll edit to add.

Dates: An AC post will go up July 12th, and be open for one week. You will have until 11:59pm EDT (GMT-4) on July 18th to submit your AC. A warning post will go up the following day listing characters who did not pass, after which point you will have until 11:59pm EDT (GMT-4) on July 25th to reclaim your character. If you fail to do so, your character will be removed from the game.

Required Proofs: We require three (3) proofs of activity, which should include one (1) OTA log posted to the main comm, and two (2) threads in two separate player's logs, ie: two tag-outs. These threads should each be a minimum of 15 tags total, meaning your character should have 7 or 8 tags per thread. Personal Logs (that is, threads conducted in a character's personal journal) that have been crosslinked to the main comm will also qualify for one of your proofs.

Other Rules & FAQs:

☆ Any activity following January 25th will qualify for this AC period.

☆ Threads should be of a substantial length – no starting a thread and dropping it right away just to meet requirements. We prefer to see completed threads, but anything over 15 tags will suffice.

☆ The mods will be looking for: (a) activity spread evenly over your active time in the game, (b) tags made to all characters, not just castmates or significant others, (c) more than just the bare minimum.

☆ If you have been a member of the community for less than 3 months, we'll accept two (2) proofs of activity, which may be one (1) log/EP and one (1) thread on someone else's log, OR two (2) threads on two separate player's logs. Thread minimums will remain the same.

☆ If you apped with us in June, you will be exempt from this round.

☆ If you are on hiatus during the AC period, you will be expected to submit your AC once your hiatus dates expire. We will give you the same two weeks everyone else gets to compile your AC and do any last minute threading if you did not meet AC prior to your hiatus. Note: this only applies to those who have submitted an official hiatus request with the mods.

☆ These requirements are for each character you play, so if you have more than one character in the game they will all need to pass AC.

☆ 3 qualifying proofs of activity over 6 months is the bare minimum to pass, so you must meet the above requirements. If you encountered a problem and are not going to make AC, but would like to stay in the game, contact the mods asap. We may give second chances to players who had extenuating circumstances.

More details will be made available when AC opens, but as always, if you have any questions or concerns do let us know!