TCCOM REPORT #53

REPORTING OFFICER: High Admiral Plif, TIE Corps Commander
DATE SUBMITTED: 31 Aug 23
ACTIVE DUTY ROSTER COUNT: 152 (-10)

IN THE NEWS

It’s been a while since the last TCCOM report, so let’s catch up. The roster’s down 10 mostly because of the closures of Alpha, Hammer, Raven, and Thunder Squadrons. Alpha had been in a low-energy situation for a while and then its CMDR was removed and convicted of cheating, so we decided to close the squadron instead of trying to rekindle it under new leadership. Hammer Squadron just ran out of steam, essentially. Raven was merged into Firebird, making one almost-full squadron out of two smaller squadrons in a change that I think will be good for all of those pilots. Thunder, like Hammer, reached a point where most of its pilots didn’t want to continue so we closed the squadron and moved the remaining active pilots to other units. Losing more active duty pilots to the Reserves than we gain definitely isn’t the best direction, no doubt about that, but it’s also true that sometimes folks need a break and keeping units on the roster “just because” isn’t a great long-term strategy.

With the above in mind, I think it’s safe to say that my current roster focus is making sure that the existing squadrons are healthy before creating new ones and the prevailing theory is that having 10+ pilots in each squadron is the best way to be. Typhoon’s almost there, they’ve doubled in size since my last report and are now the only squadron under 10 pilots other than the Spectre initiative.

Since last time, MAJ Sparky retired to the Reserves and so we needed a new Captain of the M/FRG Phoenix. I selected COL Locke Setzer for that role based on his outstanding service record over many years in the Corps and I’ve been pleased to see how much gusto he’s had for the role already. He got to work immediately on sending an email out to the Reservists covering all the things we’ve been up to including the upcoming Raise the Flag. He also posted his first email as a report on the site, which is great. Nice work!

If you didn’t already see the latest update to the EH plotline, that’s been added to the Wiki on https://wiki.emperorshammer.org/EH_Plotline#Onward_into_the_Chaos. To summarize, we’re heading into a region of Unknown Space called the Chaos where we might encounter a bunch of different factions as we make short hyperspace jumps because of all the dangerous navigational hazards in the area. Our quarry, the strange Force emanations that brought us to this part of space, are on the other side of the Chaos. More about that soon as Raise the Flag moves the story forward even further.

The Dark Brotherhood has joined the TIE Corps in the new database that IO/FA Turtle Jerrar has been building for the club. An awful lot of TC pilots have a DB profile, so it’s a change that affects a lot of our profiles. COO/AD Silwar Naiilo was elevated to Grand Master as Darth Surgo, congratulations and good luck to him in his new role!

IN THE WORKS

Raise the Flag starts later today for many pilots because of timezones, but officially it’ll be at 0000 GMT on September 1st. RtF 23 is a tweaked version of RtF 22, no major changes this year. With the WO/AD Phoenix Berkana running the show, I’ll be able to focus on judging memes, fiction, and graphics as they come in as well as providing support wherever needed.

The Fleet Commander has indicated that he’ll review proposals for new craft, specifically fighters and shuttles that would be assigned to squadrons, with a couple of notable concerns. First, new craft would need to be modified versions of ships listed in the Fleet Manual. The in-universe reason for this is that the EH would only be able to maintain craft with interchangeable parts, we don’t have the ability to manufacture anything new at a whim because it takes time to develop those processes and we’re away from a lot of our resources while we’re in Unknown Space. Second, all proposals are subject to review by the chain of command, there’s no blanket approval intended. The TIE Sinister (Sin), Tempest-class TIE Punisher (Tempest), and TIE Rhodium (Rho) are great examples of what we’re talking about here, being modified versions of other approved craft as opposed to entirely new designs. Squadrons that’d like to know more about this process are encouraged to ask about it through the chain of command.

REMINDERS

As posted to Discord previously: Regarding sportsmanlike conduct, the hoarding of MP screenshots, pilot files, and other submissions to submit at the last moment isn’t okay. Especially anything that was completed before RtF begins, which is a big no-no for any competition. MP screenshots have their usual 72 hour window but other activities don’t have that kind of restriction, so we’ve seen what we’d consider scoreboard manipulation in past years. I can understand stacking up a pile of MP screenshots to keep a group‘s momentum going, but generally speaking things should be submitted as soon as they’re done both for grading purposes when those apply and so that the scoreboard accurately reflects where everybody’s at. This is something we’ll be looking for and keen on putting a stop to if we find it.

Also as posted to Discord previously: Stay hydrated! Especially when you’re putting a bunch of time into gaming, you might forget about simple stuff like drinking water. Being dehydrated makes you less sharp on top of a bunch of other bad stuff. If you start your day with a big glass, you’ll be off to a great start. You can still have spicy water but make sure you drink plenty of the boring stuff first. Energy drinks are not your friend long term, eventually you start needing more to get the same feeling because your body adjusts. Brewed caf is fine but not the only beverage you need in your life. Drink some water, feel better.

While you’re gaming in a TIE Corps voice chat, please keep an eye out for other pilots hanging out in your voice chat that might want to join your group but haven’t said so. Between matches is a good time to make sure everybody’s situated before you head into another match. Not everyone will speak up the way you might expect, so it’s nice to reach out and see what their status is.

During unit vs. unit competitions, the line between good-natured ribbing and trash talk can be blurry. If you don’t know for sure that your audience will interpret your message as it was intended, I’d encourage you to hold back a bit to avoid causing unintended offense. Public channels can be tricky as well because whoever you’re addressing won’t be the only one(s) to see the message and the EH is well-known for having lurkers that’ll jump into a conversation when something attracts their attention.

TITLE HOLDERS

The Raise the Flag event each year confers three titles to recognize the top ship, squadron, and individual pilot from the competition. These are the current holders of those titles.

TIE Corps Flagship: ISDII Hammer

TCCOM's Escort Squadron: Lambda

TCCOM's Wingman: RA Genie

TIE CORPS UNITS

Note: The database counts the three NPCs and counts the TCCOM, SOO, and WO towards Battlegroup I, so there’s some differences between what it shows and what I’ve listed here.

TIE Corps Command Staff (4) plus CA:TCCOM (1)

• ISDII Hammer, Wing I (57)
  • Beta Squadron (12)
  • Delta Squadron (10)
  • Epsilon Squadron (11)
  • Gamma Squadron (12)
  • Lambda Squadron (12)
• ISDII Grey Wolf, Wing XIII (0)
  • STANDING BY

• ISDII Warrior, Wing II (44)
  • Kappa Squadron (10)
  • Rho Squadron (12)
  • Sin Squadron (11)
  • Theta Squadron (11)
• ISDII Relentless, Wing IX (0)
  • STANDING BY

• ISDII Challenge, Wing X (19)
  • Tempest Squadron (10)
  • Typhoon Squadron (9)
• MC90 Renegade, Wing XXII (21)
  • Eagle Squadron (10)
  • Firebird Squadron (11)

• Spectre Squadron (4)
  Note: Via dual profiles, the TCCOM and SOO are also members of Spectre

SIGNOFF

If there's anything I can help you with Corps-wise, please let me know! Message me on Discord at Plif#2475 or over email at tccom at emperorshammer dot org.

TCCOM-EDR/HA Plif/TC-1/ISDII Hammer/Battlegroup I
MoH/IC/GOE/GSx9/SSx15/BSx38/PCx37/ISMx39/IAR/MoT-gh/MoI/MoC-7doc-6poc-7goc-9soc-57boc/MUA/IS-PW-43GW-88SW-103BW-4CW-PR-11GR-27SR-43BR-2CR/ORA/LoC-3PS/LoS-6PS/DFC-SW/CoE/CoLx12/CoB/LoAx13/OV-25E [Centurion] [Ace 1st] [Ace Ranger 3rd] {TCCORE-COE-MP/1/2-SM/2/4-WIKI}