Trainees being divided into teams

[Arette]

I have been procrastinating again and reading old posts. Once upon a time when Sana was a wee Trainee, Trainees obviously were divided into teams coloured after Ajahs (or at least some of them).

 

Was there any practical implication to this and why did the tradition fall out of use?

 

This sounds like it could be much much fun :) Kind of like the families novices were divided into in book 10 or so. Also if the groups are named after Ajahs, AS could take active interest into 'their' trainees and maybe even follow their careers. And nothing fans up rivalries better than little friendly competition ;)

 

What say you?

[Matalina]

It fell out of use because no one really used it.  Teams became inactive and the teams fall apart.  It didn't work well, just like classes never work well.  Classes meaning "graduating class of X year".

 

We can bring it up in staff, but I don't see any particular use in it, technically we are training "individual" warriors but that's not always the case with our world here.  But I will make a post on our staff board asking what's up with that.

 

Mat

[Arette]

Things can change if there is just dedication and excitement :) Maybe there just wasn't enough hype and active people to kickstart it.

 

I think that it would mainly be a thing for Trainees but it could help to forge lasting friendships between characters and give a good excuse to interact with more people.

[Guest Celes]

The idea of the training groups was actually to have them train together and form leaders for TG Captain positions. Like we decided to have NSW captains, like Ralleigh Taj and a few others to lead the Tower Guard. The idea behind that being that TG can also have more to do with their character ina structured way, just like warders have their AS to travel and RP with. The TG groups would have a leader to follow and a group to travel in.

 

But we also had trainee groups, indeed with the color system. Where they could learn about leadership, not only learn OOC to lead an RP but ICly learn about taking a team somewhere. This was for group lessons of trainees, but also for tournaments and the race and such. It was a way for trainees to have to rely less on their mentors and more on other trainees who also wanted to get ahead in WS and training. :)

 

I personally don't really miss it as I think that there is plenty of opportunity to RP with other trainees through roomies and friends and just PMing someone, or posting a plea on this board. :) But it might be something that could work, if alot of the trainees wanted to set this up again.

[Liitha]

Mayhaps the linking them to ajah's with where they saw themself going could be a good and interesting idea...the red team of course beeing the ones aiming at TG status instead of a bond

 

you'd have to think through then why your char joined a team, and they could be having a conection as said with the ajah's learning things that would be usefull, nothing locked of course...but in the brown group say they learn more of history and books, yellow ones learn herb and first aid etc..not that all would learn some of all..but they specialise more in it

 

however it wouldnt mean they are locked to somethign it would be just like accepted and such would aspire to ajah's but can due to events happening redescide

 

it would open more options to also more logical RP with AS etc..

 

rather then just beeing randonly asigned groups or whatnot..the old system as a trainee if i had one then i dont think i would have followed up to much on...but something like Arette sugest i can well see that i would take more interest in as it would be based on who your char is and what interest they got. (but that might just be me)

[bcxanth]

Doing teams that are linked with Ajahs, ESPECIALLY for those looking to become Warders, would be a great way to encourage inter-division RPs, and make it easier to find WT characters to RP with for those WY and WT advancement reqs that require such interaction. It would take good cooperation between both Divs though. But I can see where some AS and Warders took some Accepted and Trainees out on a camping trip or some such.

[TaeaDawn]

Yep.. I was part of the color coding... (Blue Team all the way!!) I liked it, only the problem that arose was how do you keep it fairly even?  We had three really active trainees, but when 2 graduated on to TG status, then it's down to one again.  The only way I see it working is if you created an NSW team and made the teams compete against one another.  This doesn't really change the need to seek people out though for reqs.  It was nice as a newbie to have a teammate to turn to, but that's what mentors are for.  And roommates.  And any random person you PM with an idea :P 

 

As for the Ajah thing... isn't the point of a Tower Guard to defend any Aes Sedai, not just their preferred?  I don't like the idea of color coding teams having something to do with a desire to interact with a specific Ajah.  Not only does it mean your pushing trainees out there to try to protect Aes Sedai (and what AS would want a bunch of trainess around when they are in the middle of their thing?) but it also manages to make a mess of timelines and yes, I do try to keep mine somewhat intact (OK.. just don't mention Sahra or Orion and mine's all good :P  Yeah I fail at it, but i do try.)

 

And as for wanting to interact with potential bondmates... you're far more likely to get that by advertising for it... not by trying to put your character in a "Green-minded" company or a "Yellow-minded" company.  It would just turn off potential bondmates because they weren't the right ajah...

 

Anyway, my two cents. 

[Arette]

That is a good point about TGs being supposed to be equally for all Ajahs.

 

I still think that it could be fun but personal activity is the key to getting to know alot of other trainees. Sometimes it just can need a bit of encouragement which the groups might do.

 

Having a mentor is great when it works but the reliance on your mentor can bite you sometimes when RL gets cranky for them. Then it is nice to have others to interact with too.

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

My general thought on this is, Trainees take on the colours of their mentors, correct? Mentors are broken down into Two companies. If these two become the bases for trainee teams, than you have not only the colurs of the TG's to turn to, but also that of a team mate. It is also possible to add in a third team for all those bonded to Aes Sedai. (Blue, Green and Red, respectively).

 

It was an idea. (Which works fine by me because I do not train IC during my time bonded but retroly to keep things smooth)

[Arette]

Two teams would work well and same with the Trainees taking the colours of their mentors. I don't see why the Bonded people should be their own separate group, though. There is no need to create a division between Gaidin and Tower Guards.

[Guest Celes]

We have been working so hard to do more for Tower Guards and make them less of a seperate group towards the bonded Gaidin, please do not go back to that now. :)

 

I think 2 trainee teams would be great, just fill them with NSW and I think Devon gave one a team every other. So bio 1 was blue, bio 2 was red, bio 3 was blue etc. That way, you pretty much even the group size and when you want to do something as a team, you can use both NSW and pc trainees.

 

But mostly, it's not about the workings of how the teams are set up but if they would work. I agree with Tae that a mentor is still very important to help out with training and that you still need to find other trainees to work in RP's with. It takes quite a few trainees to remain active to make the Teams really fun and actively used.

 

But if we are doing teams, then Alwyn is definately in one of these teams! :D

[Matalina]

They won't be associated with colors this time because we arenot a breading place for the AS.  Sorry to sound cruel about it but I don't want ppl associated the trainee teams with any ajah.  The reason being is because trainees are assigned teams it is not a choice.  The same goes with companies.  Neither teams nor companies will be color oriented.  There will be two teams, Eqwina is working on getting a tally of trainees and we will see it eventually.

 

And the Companies will return as soon as we get leaders.

 

Mat

[Liitha]

it all lay in rp interest beeing in say a brown team beeing interested in history and reading would naturaly lead to maybe taking classes with browns ...wouldnt mean they needed to become a brown gaidin in the end

 

the whole competition spar and whatnot thing you got going with the system that where around the trainees and TGs interest me about this much >< i never ever used it in my rp...i just dont feel for it

 

and there is no reason to split the warders in a own group cause honestly they dont belong in a company...a company put togheter to train strategy and all means training, and oficers and whatnot, patrol duty and whatnot lay to the TGs

 

TGs -> Yard hirarcy -> WT

Warder -> AS -> WT

 

so the division is there already, its ic reason impractical and unlogical that the warders get incorporated into the structure cause they should stay with their AS, they unlike the TG is restricted from taking off without good reasons because of this. Logicaly from the books the AS dont need to tell their warders all plans, so you are put on patrol duty a week forward ..come home from town freenite out, gets told we ride, no telling uther secretsy -effect-> you dont show up on duty

 

ic logical its highly illogical to treat the two alike cause warders would be very random and not trustworthy task managers cause their AS need come first second and last pretty much ;) , and if you left on some personal mather TG -> premition from officer in yard, warder (not that i see it happen you made a comitment -> but it mathers very litle if the officer in the yard say yes if your AS say no

 

likewise if your officer tell you to do something and your AS say something else

 

the AS outrank the officer every time and as the warder you got with whatever your AS need, and most time needs to be avaliable for service whenever she could need you and calls on you...which is very not posible to balance with any yard duties

 

but back to track...the idea of the trainees specialising in their interest fields would just be another specialisation

 

so why not

 

you first is split in spring and void

then disciplines

then paths

all based on your own choises

why not other skills like herbs, history, daes'd'mar etc

 

it dont need to exlude something only make things interesting in thinking through what your char got of other skills then beeing a fighter...and it migth distract from the instant newbie thougth for trainees of becoming a turtle ninja green warder as much it can for novices to think through who their char's is and maybe not just try and stear to green cause they are the battle ajah who is gonna so rule in the TG ;)

 

(its even a trap older people can fall in...i aimed first and foremost for green, not thinking through that there is aspects like my char liking books and reading up on history and whatnot...even if it wasnt what lead me to be a brown gaidin...it sertainly cant hurt to have the backstory to build on)

 

basis is just cause you interact lets say much with the yellows cause first aid and herbs interest you, and your "yellow team" dont exlude you from other options

 

Greens -> first aid to your AS in the field

Brown -> helping catalouging things, making sure you dont go puting your hands on poison leaves while diging around in underbrush or such with your AS for plants

TG - > first aid to whomever, maybe hurt red from chasing through landscape or such things hunting male channeler

 

and so on...it dont exlude but it can get you to interact with ajah's and get you to think about who your char is a person, and in some cases it may lead to bonds in others it wont...but none got hurt...it only was some more interaction RPs where you could build your char

 

and of course this can be done anyway but it may be a little more obvious to think about it if its encuraged

[Arette]

Woot! Thanks on the heads up Mat :) I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out.