AFTER ACTION REPORT FOR THE /AICG/'S ADVENTURER GUILD!
As promised, I'd like to go into what went right, what could have gone better, and what went, in my opinion, poorly about this event. Despite the dooming, I think overall it was a success! There was no drama aside from the usual event shitposting, though that was a worry about how a group event like this would go. Even behind the scenes, I received only four emails as host (all having to do with extensions, most of which weren't even needed!), and none of them were complaints regarding teammates ignoring each other, or excluding anyone, or being too mean in what should be a friendly event. So as a first point:
- Group Events Work!
Which was the whole point of me hosting this one! That "botmakie adventuring party" idea that had been floating around for months now piqued my interest, and I'm surprised how smoothly things went hosting it! The takeaway here is that if you're hesitant or curious, we have a very accommodating and mature group of botmakies who will work together without complaint. Hopefully this event scattered some seeds for future collaborations, and not just events. Group projects can be a lot of fun, and I'd like to see more, events or worldbuilding projects or themed bots between botmakies for no reason at all (those Egyptian catgirls spawned from a thread OP come to mind). But onto the first blunder:
- Timezones!
Goodness. This was THE MOST important thing I missed as a host, and going forward if anyone wants to attempt another event like this, you need to ask for this info from entrants and group them accordingly. Lolibabas (which I love, young hags are the best) likely could have had their bots all out together if I'd made a team who weren't posting on opposite sides of the Earth! Which is pure speculation on my part, but it seemed like most teams had this experience. If this was a trial run for future group events, this is the bug we found that needs fixing. On a slightly less important note:
- How talky of a team you'd like!
This is minor compared to the previous point, but a good idea might be having entrant's tell you their tolerance for group projects. Some people may like coming in day one, deciding what the team's direction is going to be, and barely speaking until deliveries are due. Perhaps some people are the opposite, and from start to finish want to chat about the bots and interlink backstories and do the shared lorebook and on and on. Both these types should be catered to, and if I could, I would have added this alongside the timezones question.
- Proton!
IT RATE LIMITS YOU ON THE FREE VERSION! 50 emails in a 24 hour period, I think. So either pay the money, you bum, or have a spare proton ready for when you need to hammer out dozens of emails telling everyone who's been assigned to what team. It'll save you a headache, and the thread a few hours of doomposting and panic!
- Themes!
Now onto the good; the themes worked really well. My thoughts on why I chose to use them are below, if you're curious, but the short version is it's a compromise between requests and and a free-for-all to give some direction to botmakies without putting too much power into one requester's hands. But I think they could be used better. I still think collecting themes from the thread is a good idea, however it might have been better to only allow those entering a vote. It's only a little more complicated to set up on strawpoll or you could just tally up votes by email, if you want! The themes I think the non-makieing thread peasants voted for ended up being the themes they were most upset with once everyone's cards were delivered, based on the shitposting I see in the threads. They're going to complain no matter what you do, so might as well put the power of what to make in the hands of those with a stake in the event, the botmakieing nobility of /aicg/.
- Timings!
For those curious going forward, for this event I gave:
48 hours for theme submissions
48 hours for theme voting
1 week to enter (this time overlapped submissions and voting, so you could join/withdraw before, during, or after seeing the results)
3 weeks to make a bot
48 hours after deadline to deliver
Which altogether was fine, and I wouldn't change anything regarding this. Any shorter would likely have had more problems with deliveries, and any longer than a month is a little much. Also, I tried to put at least two weeks between the previous and (hopefully, if Halloween Exchange kicks off around the 12th like last year!) next event. Breaks are important!
- Newmakies!
Again, a lot of dooming about these cuties but from what I've seen they did their best and put forward some nice bots. While I would caution against allowing someone in with no cards, nothing exploded by letting in someone with only one or two cards. My addendum to this would be something like another trio or a duo event; while groups were almost entirely randomly assigned, I did reroll in case someone got paired up with two newmakies. So for any hosts, something similar to keep groups relatively evened out is a good idea in my opinion. Especially for duos, if that's ever hosted.
- Conveying the point!
Very slight problem, but I did at the start of the event not properly convey the point of the whole thing! Many people aren't constantly lurking the thread, and just because you've been mulling the ideas over in your head for weeks doesn't mean others have that insight. For any future hosts, if you ever think you're being too descriptive, you're probably not.
- Random Little Thoughts and Blurbs
[email protected] if you'd like to email me for advice, questions, or lewdz, though I likely won't be checking it as often now
If you're complaining about grinching because someone "subverted" or "didn't follow the letter of a theme" then you are a dummy (I personally loved what Team Beginnings did with theirs as an example, even though it makes my art for their team look a little out of place...)
Team Guild Members are not all me! Just Ceres. Vio was from a random anon that I thought was amusing, and Gravis was made by the lovely snombler (who is not subtle but is quite noticeable)
Edgelords and Lone Wolves should have won
- Most importantly, a huge thanks to everyone who joined!
Thank you! A host is nothing without those who joined taking the time to make the bots! Things went very smoothly aside from gaffs on my part, and that was due to those who entered this event being on their best behavior.
FAQ (no longer relevant, but I'll keep it up!)
My teammate hasn't responded!
They could be sleeping! However, if they don't reply over a period of a few days, please inform me!
What do these symbols (⚔️,🛡️,♥️,🃏) beside my name mean?
The role your bot has been assigned within the party, being DPS, Tank, Healer, and Wildcard respectively. Roles are not rules, and if you have an idea for your card you prefer, you can freely disregard it! Consider it an extra prompt on top of your team's theme that you can ignore if you like.
Ok but wtf is a wildcard?
Wildcard means wildcard! A small talking animal! A shadowy familiar the party can't dismiss! The old, bold mercenary that raised the party! I leave it to each member of the Guild to determine if that means the party face, or their shadowy patron, or an orphan that follows them around. For examples, think Meowth from Team Rocket, Splinter from TMNT, Mr. Satan from Dragon Ball, Dante from Limbus Company, the Merchant from RE4, etc.
How and where should we collaborate on our bots?
Anyhow and anywhere you'd like! A shared catbox album and rentry would be a good start to share WiPs and ideas, alongside a mailing list for your team. Beyond that, it's up to your team. And remember to back up everything locally, in case of mishaps!
Do we have to make fantasy bots? Are sci-fi/post-apocalyptic/historic bots ok to make?
Yes! The /aicg/ Adventurer's Guild is built within an extraplanar rift, so anything and everything goes!
Do we have to keep the members of our team secret until the day of deliveries?
The surprise is part of the fun! But no, there's no rules against it. But you should check with your team before coming out with that information.
Okay but when do we know who got which theme?
They'll be assigned when teams are made. Whether someone joins early or late, they'll draw from the same pool of potential themes that way.
Can I join anonymously?
Yes and no. For the event you can go under whatever alias you'd like, but I will need to see a neocities/rentry/chub with your email somewhere on it, just to verify you are you. But we can work it out so where the only person that knows your identity is me, and I will not share it.
Why do themes at all?
Three reasons.
- Without a theme or request, the deliveries would likely have too much overlap. Themes should both give some direction to those joining and also give the threads some input on what type of parties will be made.
- Requests seem unfair. One person would be deciding what three would make, and the host would either need to pick and choose requests or let chance decide...which would appear from the outside as the host picking and choosing requests.
- The host likes themes and is the one hosting.
I WANTED HALLOWEEN EXCHANGE NOT THIS SHIT
Don't worry about it. Last year the exchange started on the 12th of October. This event will be over on the 22nd of September at the latest. That's three weeks between both, which shouldn't cause any scheduling issues.
When do I find out what my theme/team/role is?
At the end of sign ups on 30th of September, the host will send out emails to everyone who joined with all three.
What if you end up with a number of entrants that does not permit everyone being in groups of three?
That depends on how short the host is of a full three member party.
As an example;
15 Entrants: Five parties of three.
16 Entrants: Four parties of three, one party of four.
17 Entrants: Three parties of three, two parties of four.
18 Entrants: Six parties of three.
How much should I be communicating with my team?
That's up to you! Maybe a single email informing everyone of what you're planning to make. Maybe a hundred back and forths of world building and cooperative botmaking! The "gimmick" of this event is to build a guild full of adventurer parties created by /aicg/, and they can be as stand alone or interweaved as much as each team likes. Though the host would encourage at least ONE email of what kind of character you plan on creating, including things like appearance, mannerisms, what they bring to the party, etc., so you and your team do not end up delivering bots that are too similar.
How interconnected should our bots be?
This is entirely up to you and your team. Three strangers forming a party is as fine as three characters with shared backstories forming a party. If you would like to have lots of lore linking your bots, go at it!
Can I communicate to my team through you?
Please do not. The host plans to inform each everyone who their partners are when teams are assembled, then hand over emails and step back. Aside from that, if you have any pressing concerns you can reach me at [email protected].
What's this about roles like tank/dps/healer/wildcard?
Like themes, it is another way to encourage variety in what botmakies create and give some direction. The same way teams are randomly assigned, party roles will be randomly assigned. Keep in mind that just because a character is made to fill a role within the party doesn't mean they have to be happy about it or good at it, and that even the role itself is more a suggestion than a rule. The purpose is to encourage creativity and give some direction, not restrain it.
If someone doesn't deliver, are they still a grinch since this isn't an exchange?
The host says yes, since they're not delivering for their team.