Battlegroups Report 20

FLEET-TYPE NEWS

As most of you should know by now, ehnet.org is down. No one seems to know why (or will admit to knowing why), and we have no estimates as to when it will return. AbK has graciously moved the forums to his own server, so we can still communicate. The new (hopefully temporary) link is http://theholo.net/mb/index.php.

On a related note, this has forced me to fall back on my old e-mail address. If you sent anything to me after Thursday, please resend it to krax_tarnisar@yahoo.com. This will be my default address until ehnet.org returns. I’ve also posted this on the Battlegroups forum and will announce it at the TC meeting.

NEWS FROM THE BGS

We have a couple of BG-wide competitions coming soon that need to be announced. The first is a banner comp. Now that we have awards again for Pilot, Commander, Squadron, and Wing of the Month, we need something fancy to give out. Banners will be awarded for Squadron and Wing of the Month (which can be uploaded to the TC roster), so these will need to be designed. A nice, pretty Iron Star (Silver Ribbon) will be awarded to the winners of each comp, with the runner-up getting a IS-BR. Submissions should be sent to me in a zip file (ignore this provision at your peril…I delete unzipped submissions and don’t count them) before July 3. That gives you about three weeks, and will make sure that the banners can be awarded with the next ‘of the month’ awards.

And now a few details for you graphics types. These banners should be of the correct size for the TC database, and should also reflect the pride that goes with being named a Squadron or Wing of the Month. Make something that you’d be proud and honored to display on your roster page and home page. While the banner can look like a plaque, I’d like to see something more original. Those of you with an interest in history could look to the Romans for inspiration. Perhaps a graphic that looks like a banner that would be hung from the ceiling of a unit cantina or displayed with pride on the ready room wall. I’m looking for originality and something that sums up what it takes to be the best in an organization as strong and full of tradition as the BGs.

We will have awards for June, but due to the crashing of ehnet.org I’m still waiting on one set of MSEs. As soon as they reach my yahoo account I’ll make the final decisions.

Our second comp is something a little different. Attached to this report you’ll find a XWA Free Mission (XWA-F 1). You have until the end of this week (June 20) to fly this mission and send your .plt file to me. The file must be sent directly to me, and MUST be zipped. This isn’t a required event, and there will be no medals awarded. However, the participants will have a chance to take part in something that is new and unique to the BGs. The point of this is to do the best you can in a comp that’s not about medals. The winners will be announced and further details about this new program released in time.

STANDING ORDERS AND PROCEDURES

Don’t forget to do your required reports! I know many of you think these are a pain, but they are in fact quite useful to those of us who have to compare the activities of number of different units. Speaking from experience, these reports have helped me get to know (or at the very least recognize the names of) people I didn’t serve with on the Relentless. And I know when I was a CMDR I used to go browse the TC database to see how others were doing their reports and if they had anything interesting or informative to say. In a very ‘I know my squadron/wing/whatever’ viewpoint, reports may seem useless, but we can all benefit from stepping outside our own blinkered views from time to time and looking at things from another angle. And come award time, it’s always good when the BGCOM can look at a recommendation and say ‘Yeah, I saw this guy mentioned a lot in the squadron’s reports.’

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Judging from the amount of cursing that’s been coming from the computer room, I’d say my wife is in the final stages of XWA (the build-up to Endor). She wants to finish flying before joining, so I’d guess that in a week or so the fleet will grow by one new member.

Don’t forget about recruiting! I know it’s summer, and half of you are on the beach or someplace, but it’s still something we need to think about. And it can be as easy as mentioning to someone that there is a place they can hang out with fellow Imperial fans and meet new people. And this isn’t just something for commanders and higher to do. In fact, I think it’s better if FMs and FLs do the bulk of our recruiting (with support and guidance from commanders, of course).

That’s all for now. Keep flying and having fun!

BGCOM/AD Krax Tarnisar/TIE Corps Battlegroups