State of the Rebel Squadrons

March 27, 2020

I. Foreword
II. Results
III. Recognition and Awards
IV. Roster Updates
V. Mission Briefing
VI. Mission Objectives and Activities
VII. Conclusion

I. Foreword

Greetings, Rebel Squadrons officers! The time has come for another State of the Rebel Squadrons. In this message, you will find a briefing for the upcoming mission — Hammerfall: Shattering Strike — and the final chapter in our arduous battle for democracy against Titan. As the battle reaches its climax, the fate of the RS hangs in the balance. If successful, the RS will have ousted a large scale enemy while preserving the way of life for the people in the Greeop Sector. If not, the RS’ capital will fall to the might of Titan, and will subject those same citizens to the tyranny of Titan.

Needless to say, either result will exact a heavy cost on the very foundation that is the Rebel Squadrons hangs on the very brink.

In addition, this State of the RS also recognizes the brave and the bold who have gone above and beyond in the call of duty with their activity in the organization.

For the session that began on Sunday, March 1, we'll have fiction, simming, and special directive objectives. Moreover, an XvT/XWA objective will be added in the coming weeks. The current session will run through May 31, 2020.

As a reminder, most of our activity takes place on Discord, in various RS chat rooms. The link to the Discord server can be found here: https://discord.gg/nPEprM

II. Results from Hammerfall – Dying Embers

Overall - Minor Victory. While dealing with setbacks and suffering losses in manpower and resources, The Rebel Squadrons have generally prevailed against the Titan forces this mission.

Special Directive - Defeat: The RS suffers catastrophic losses during its engagement with the SSD Titan - MVP FA Lucas Benoit-Stark.

Fiction - Minor Victory - FA Danny "David Lee Japan" Qatar, MVP. The infiltration group gains access to one of Titan’s capital ships. This gives the group the possibility of disrupting Titan’s overall objectives and can create an opening for the Republic Shield to counter Titan’s actions. If they infiltrate the Titan itself, they will encounter heavy resistance.

Simming - Major Victory - CPT Soryn Inek, MVP. The ABG meaningfully contributes to the battle, reducing the damage the Titan does to the RS and its allies.

III. Recognition and Awards

FA Lucas Benoit-Stark has demonstrated his greatness earning RS ITOD Top Gun by scoring the most individual ITOD points. Congratulations, IronMan!

FA Michael Raven has clinched the RS Activity Top Gun by earning the most leaderboard points.

The active participants of Resurrection Squadron have earned the RS Top Squadron medal for their efforts in leading all other squadrons. Congratulations are in order to FA Cyrel Vandroth, FA Danny "David Lee Japan'' Qatar, FA Kaz Falcion, MGN Markus Jarnhann, and FA Lucas Benoit-Stark.

The following officers have earned the Citation of Victory for leading their respective objectives:
FA Lucas Benoit-Stark (Special Directive)
FA Danny "David Lee Japan" Qatar (Fiction)
CPT Soryn Inek (Simming)

Promos:
2nd Lieutenant YlvaUlfgangur has been promoted to 1st Lieutenant for her activity in simming as well as motivating her squad as Diamond XO
CPT Soryn has been promoted to Major for his activities in simming.
LCM Dismal has been promoted to Commander for her contributions in simming, including gaining her aGM patch.
CDT Kraned Ordo has been promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade for his contributions in fiction.
MGN Koah has been promoted for Lieutenant General for his contributions in simming, including GMing several sims as well as his contributions to the channel, including an awesome dice bot that has facilitated sims and added variety and speed to actions.

The following have been sent to Reserves

Lieutenant Colonel Galen McGrath (per his request)
2nd Lt. Zev Winters
BGM Naesa Draw

Congratulations everyone and keep up the good work.

IV. Roster Updates

Since the last newsletter, the following members have joined or rejoined our ranks:
MGN Markus Jarnhann (Resurrection)
LCM Dismal Dupar (Red Dagger)
MAJ Asen (Resurrection)
CDT Kraned Ordo (Diamond)

Command Staff Openings
We are in need of someone to serve as Academy CO, who will interact with all new members and help them through the process of becoming an active RS officer and showing them the ropes in various capacities.

We also need an X-Wing Alliance mission builder for our official ITOD missions.

Leadership positions are the only way to earn promotions to Brigadier General and higher. If you would like to help out with Command Staff work, but would prefer to assist an office rather than serve as the principal officer, send Licah a message to get started.

V. Mission Briefing for Hammerfall – Shattering Strike

The Dreadnaught Star Destroyer Titan loomed over Titan orbit as the center of attention, the star of the show, the primary target whose presence granted the enemy faction a dangerous and significant advantage over just about everything the Republic Shield offered, including the planetary defenses of Tarsonis. It was the heart of the organization, a deadly, powerful vessel exsanguinating a bevy of forces which swarmed over the capital planet with no remorse or sympathy. As such, the High Command of the Republic Shield devised a plan to eliminate the Titan from within as well as from without, a sacrifice play resulting in the demise of a considerable number of Republic Shield forces as a last ditch effort. A tactical gamble comprised of the greatest minds the group offered a pinprick into the heart of the juggernaut, slaying the beast from the inside.

With Titan inching towards the blue-green planet and its starship defenses in its forward view, several capital ships slipped from the less dangerous yet still formidable aft side. It’s mission: weaken the aft of the Titan to allow boarding teams to infest the vessel with a slew of soldiers. The Allegiance Battle Group lead the charge, and those within would strike mission critical points along the inside of a capital ship and its hive-like personnel, committing chaos and turmoil from within as the others did their damage from without. The Reliant, the Redemption, the Ascension and others spearheaded the attack along with a whole hosts of boarding craft, starfighters, and armaments towards the Titan.

Unfortunately for the Reliant, the enemy opposition extended no such courtesy, for minutes upon their arrival, several enemy craft sped towards the unwelcome guests. On board, several teams stood ready to hold the line in preserving the capital ships tormenting the Titan with ruthless aggression. The game of inches for the fate of Tarsonis and control of the Greeop Sector began.

VI. Mission Objectives and Activities

Simming Objective

The Titan and her fleet have arrived for what they intend to be the final strike against the New Republic's vanguard protectors, the RS. Imperial Forces have launched an armada into the Greeop system, capital of the Rebel Squadrons and lynchpin of the Greeop Sector, and are assaulting Tarsonis, the headquarters and home of the RS. Through bravery and sacrifice, RS strike teams (including the ABG's heroes) have boarded the Super Star Destroyer Titan in an attempt to sabotage critical components of the vessel to enable its destruction.

The fate of the RS hangs on the outcome of this mission and the rest of the RS' efforts during this fight. Both Republic and Imperial forces are suffering heavy losses during the battle, thanks to the valor and stubborn grit exhibited by RS forces since the fighting began. However, should the Titan manage to survive the battle, and manage to recover, with the reduced shipbuilding capabilities of the New Republic following the Galactic Concordance, an active Super Star Destroyer will remain an insurmountable obstacle for the remainder of the war. If the RS is to survive, the Titan must fall.

Participant Overall Objective: Participate in sims! Make certain that every week, at least ONE sim happens. If GMs are not available to run an official sim, get together with others and have a character sim (free form RP session). The requirement of an aGM being present is waived for this session, provided logs can be given to an aGM (or higher), or it is done on discord.

Individual Scoring: Participate in a sim! When the GM uses the Character Sheet Database Updater tool, your participation will be tracked on the RS Leaderboard. To receive credit for this ITOD activity, you must submit a report to this objective including a synopsis of one or more of the sims you participated in this session. If submitted to the forums, include a link in your ITOD report to your forum post, or else it does not count. Your final score (out of 10) will be based on your participation in sims (70%) and the length and quality of your synopsis(es) (30%).

On May 25th, this objective will receive a preliminary evaluation. As part of the RPG division's Star Wars Anniversary celebration, a raffle and prize wheel will be available! Spins on the wheel will be tied to participation in the ITOD and hours of participation in sims. First, second, and third place in this objective will earn 2, 1, and 1 spins (respectively) on a super secret prize wheel.

RS Defeat: The results of the Battle of Tarsonis depend on your participation in this and all other objectives this session, good luck!

Stalemate: The results of the Battle of Tarsonis depend on your participation in this and all other objectives this session, good luck!
Objective: At least 600 hours of total sims reported. ((3 characters + 1 GM count as 4 hours per every hour they participate.))

Minor RS Victory: The results of the Battle of Tarsonis depend on your participation in this and all other objectives this session, good luck!
Objective: 1,200 Hours of sims reported, 5 hours of character sims reported and/or major objective completed in any GM's campaign.

Major RS Victory: The results of the Battle of Tarsonis depend on your participation in this and all other objectives this session, good luck!
Objective: 1,500 hours of simming reported. At least 1 member successfully takes their aGM, GM, SGM tests OR at least 10 unique players participate in a sim during the session.

Special Directive Objective

Squads of commandos have boarded the Imperial Super Star Destroyer Titan and are desperately seeking to wreak as much havoc as possible in order to allow RS forces to deal a crippling or fatal blow to the massive dreadnaught. Through grit and determination, the RS has managed to give as good as they've been getting, wailing on the invading forces and making them pay dearly for every loss incurred by the New Republic stalwarts. However, the Imperials continue to outgun the RS and, despite the rebel's ferocity, are slowly whittling them down.

RS forces could be severely crippled or all but destroyed following this fight and, lacking in the ability to effectively repair or replace its losses, unable to respond to a single giant threat for quite some time. It is therefore critical that the Titan be destroyed, or else it will represent a truly insurmountable obstacle in the future. The infiltration teams are making progress, but it is up to the fleet to hold the line so that Tarsonis' planetary defenses can overwhelm the Titan and bring her down.

Participant Overall Objective: Participate in multiplayer activity! Record your activity using the Reporters -> Generic Reporter tool. After you have at least one entry, submit a report to this objective with a link to your activity profile (the url that shows up after you go to the Leaderboard then select your name). Solo reports are capped at 999 points. Reminders: No more than 4 reports should be submitted in a one hour period. Activity should be reported within 3 days of its occurrence. You may report durations longer than 15 minutes with a single screenshot if, and only if, a) the screenshot contains a duration metric -or- b) you post your start and stop times in #everything_else on discord. Failure to follow any of these guidelines can result in your reports being disqualified.

Note: For this operation only scores of individuals who have submitted an ITOD report to this objective will be considered. The RS Activity Top Gun award will be given to the first place participant of this objective.

Individual Scoring: Your ITOD score will be based on the total score displayed on the Leaderboard.

RS Defeat: The result of the Battle of Tarsonis depends on your participation in this and all other objectives this session, good luck!

Stalemate: The result of the Battle of Tarsonis depends on your participation in this and all other objectives this session, good luck!
Objective: At least 850 hours of activity (3,400 points) reported. At least 10 participants score more than 200 points. At least 2 participants score more than 400 points.

Minor RS Victory: The results of the Battle of Tarsonis depend on your participation in this and all other objectives this session, good luck!
Objective: At least 1,300 hours of activity (5,200 points) reported. At least 10 participants score more than 400 points. At least 2 participants score more than 600 points.

Major RS Victory: The result of the Battle of Tarsonis depends on your participation in this and all other objectives this session, good luck!
Objective: At least 1,600 hours of activity (6,400 points) reported. At least 10 participants score more than 600 points. At least 2 participants score more than 800 points.

Writing Objective

The 19,000 meter-long form of the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Titan, dozens of Imperial I and Imperial II Class Star Destroyers, and hundreds of support ships have emerged at the edge of the Tarsonis system, beginning their advance toward the fortified Republic Shield world. This is either Republic Shield’s final stand or their moment of triumph. Man your battle stations planetside, get to your starfighters, capital ships, and boarding-action ships.

Participant Overall Objective: In a fiction based story, RS forces will work together towards a common goal: Defeat the Titan fleet and its Executor-class Star Dreadnought over Tarsonis

Individual Scoring: IronMan/Codyman will GM the story. Scoring will take place based on the number of posts per each session. There will be three major phases, one for each month. If those requirements are met, then the total words from posts will be tallied. Extra points will be given for joint post and/or creative witty/actions and whether or not objectives have been met (joint posts will share the number of words in the posts). Bonus points will be factored in for creativity, humor, and joint posts among peers.

RS Defeat: The Result of the Battle of Tarsonis depends on your participation in this and all other objectives this session. Good luck.

Stalemate: The Result of the Battle of Tarsonis depends on your participation in this and all other objectives this session. Good luck.
Objective: At least 5 unique posts will take place for each phase of the thread (15 total). This must be done for two out of the three months. Joint posts between several individuals will count as multiple posts, depending on the number of individuals involved in said post.

Minor RS Victory: The Result of the Battle of Tarsonis depends on your participation in this and all other objectives this session. Good luck.
Objective: Stalemate objectives must be met for all three months. In addition, at least one (1) joint post must take place AND/OR at least two (2) posts must be over 500 words per each phase.

Major RS Victory: The Result of the Battle of Tarsonis depends on your participation in this and all other objectives this session. Good luck.
Objective: Minor Victory Objectives. In addition, there must be at least (1) post over 1,000 words per phase.

VII. Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen

To put it succinctly, this is it. After several bloody battles, after stumbling from missteps and subterfuge from an adversary who knows no bounds or limits in the heinous actions in their desire to instill wanton supremacy upon the galaxy, their goals either succeed or fail in this final stand. The ending of the Titan saga will lead to a bold new direction in the future of the RS, and you are all invited to take part in steering the course in the organization’s direction. Whether it’s through participation and competing in many of the objectives, engaging in conversations with peers and playing games together, or taking up a leadership role, your contributions and suggestions are always welcome. Make sure to pop in on Discord and gather with the many members of the club. Best of luck everyone!

With the conclusion of the Titan Conflict dawning upon the fate of the Rebel Squadrons and the multiple forms of media involving the Star Wars universe, there is plenty of interest to go around. It truly is an exciting time to be a fan. With that said, fresh new ideas and new blood is always welcome. Feel free to pop in on Discord to discuss any new and innovative ideas that you may have to contribute to the success and prosperity of the club. See you all out in the trenches.

":)
FA Licah Fox
Rebel Squadrons Fleet Commander
Contact the Fleet Commander

FA Lucas Benoit-Stark
Rebel Squadrons Executive Officer
Contact the Executive Officer

FA Cyrel Vandroth
Rebel Squadrons Operations Officer
Contact the Operations Officer

Rebel Squadrons High Command