Commando Division Newsletter February 14, 2006

In this issue:

1. Platoon/Command Staff Updates

A. Avatar Platoon

B. Battlers Platoon

C. Cronos Platoon

D. Alathera Platoon

E. Warrior Guard Reserve Platoon

2. Wing/Fleet Status
3. RS Website
4. Recent/Current Competitions
5. New Recruits
6. Activity Opportunities
7. In-house Competitions
8. Final Word

1.) Platoon/Command Staff Updates – The Commando Division continues to be one of the most active sections of the Rebel Squadrons, even though we are missing a few regulars at the moment. Our CO, FA Super, is still on semi-LOA for the time being but he assures me that he will be returning to active duty when he can. Our Internet Officer CPT Terrak Jace has been very busy helping give the RS main site a facelift. He also found the time to get in a few matches in the last Conquest Week event. Over and above the call of duty, I would say! Now on to the Platoons:

A.) Avatar Platoon CO CPT Charylie “Corsair” Skylighter reports that although his own activity has been down recently his platoon is still very active.
B.) Battlers Platoon CO 1LT Reb Jaxra reports that he is fired up and ready for action. Besides playing regularly, Reb has also been active in his recruiting efforts.
C.) Cronos Platoon CO and CD SO MAJ Graff Starkiller reports that he has had some time constraints due to RL, but he is keeping an eye on the activity within Cronos.
D.) Alathera Platoon CO MAJ Devara Nomobgo has been wrestling with RL issues like so many of us are. This platoon is full of new recruits, and so far we haven’t seen very much activity out of them at all.
E.) Warrior Guard Reserve Platoon is just that – a reserve platoon. Any members who are marked AWOL are moved to this platoon to keep spots open in the other platoons for active members. It also enables me to attempt to contact these members in an effort to get them active again.

2.) Wing/Fleet Status – As Spokes mentioned in his SotRS address, he would like to see the CD regain Fleet status. Currently we are still at Wing status within Redemtion Fleet. In order to become our own fleet once more we must meet certain specific criteria. We are not far from our goal, however we need to get more members and we all need to be active. If we can maintain a high level of activity and increase our membership, then we will apply for fleet status. There is no time frame for this; it will be an ongoing effort on all our parts.

3.) RS Website – If you’ve logged onto the RS site recently, then you’ve noticed it’s undergone quite a change! If you haven’t yet, I urge you to check it out. Besides the look, the functionality has been improved as well. The RS wiki has also been resurrected, so that’s something else you should take the time to visit. “A wiki is a website that anyone can edit.” Browse through the wiki and feel free to add in any info that you think should be included. Great job done by Licah Fox and Terrak Jace among others, be sure to thank them for their efforts if you see them on xfire or IRC.

4.) Recent/Current Competitions – We recently completed season 2 of the Mod Map Offline Competition for SWBF, and have begun season 3. Details and rules can be found on the RS message boards in the Commando and Jedi Divisions area. There is an ongoing Galactic Conquest game going on for BFII being run by 1LT Jelf Boom, he has set up a yahoo group for those who wish to participate (galacticconquest@yahoogroups.com). For multiplayer action, the week of February 3 – 10 was a busy one. Ecliptical Realms hosted the Conquest Week 3 event for BFII, and Battlestats hosted the Week of War X for SWBF. We set club records for CW3 in games played, players rated, players involved, and wins. WoW X was a different story, the older game not being able to draw the same kind of attention. I am hopeful that there will be a WoW XI, and that it will not run concurrently with a BFII event. Don't forget the ICTE runs every Saturday! Check out http://www.rebelsquadrons.org/icte/ for info. Keep your eyes on the forums for upcoming events!

5.) New Recruits – We have had a steady influx of new recruits for several months, but it has been very difficult to get these new members involved and active. This has been an ongoing issue right across the RS; it is not just confined to the Commando Division. Since the current system I have been using does not seem to be working very well, I am going to try implementing an academy system that has had some success in the past in other fleets. I will send out a notice with the details once the changes have come into effect.

6.) Activity Opportunities – There are many different things going on within the RS that can keep you busy if you wish to be more involved. You can stick with playing the games, or you could do other things that help with the running of the different levels (Platoon/Wing/Fleet/Club) in general. Check out the Open Positions link on the main page of the RS site and click apply on anything that may interest you. There are quite a number of open positions within the CD, as well as the club as a whole.

7.) In-house Competitions – I will be setting up some competitions soon, hosted by our favourite websites (Battlestats and Ecliptical Realms). These are intended to increase our online activity, and allow us to track our improvements over time. Ideally I would like to have one competition for each game that we support (SWBF, BFII, and RC). Players will have to be signed up at those sites in order to participate. Anyone who has already signed up at these sites for the MP events, you will not need to sign up again. Again, I will send out a notice once all the details have been finalized.

8.) Final Word –It is important for us to remember why we joined the RS in the first place. For me it’s about having fun with people who share similar interests, and being part of an online community that adds a new dimension to playing the games. Whatever your reasons for joining, you are here because you want to be. You should be as active as you can be, which may be a little or a lot. That’s an individual choice that each of us must make. Don’t worry if you can’t be as active as someone else, real life will always come first over club activities. What’s most important is that if you are on a roster, you should make an effort to stay active. If your situation changes, and you are no longer able to keep your activity level up, send an email to your CO explaining the situation and ask to be removed from the roster. There will always be a place for you if and when you can once again resume your activity within the RS.

My apologies for the length of this NL, perhaps I should do them more often! Kudos to any of you who read this all the way through!

LCL Primlar
CD XO