these_balls: (SERIOUS MOD BUSINESS)
Route 29: mods ([personal profile] these_balls) wrote in [community profile] route_292011-11-05 08:58 am
Entry tags:

Drumroll, please!

First things first: please don't forget that the new Eevee distribution system is now in place! If you've been hankering to app a character and wanted an Eevee starter, both the Starters list and the app have been updated!

And on to the second part...

You've been waiting for a while, we know. We hope the wait is worth it—we've really tried to work in a total revamp. None of the changes outlined here will come into effect immediately, and they're not retroactive, so just let us know if you have any concerns.

Our goals:
1. Make being a Rocket both more difficult and more rewarding.
2. Make Team Rocket a legitimate threat, both to non-members and members.

To do this? First of all, Team Rocket will phase in a new code of conduct.

NEW RULES
1. Rockets will be required to wear their uniform at all times while on Rocket business, including domino mask. Members with long hair should wear their hair up and under their regulation cap to provide less visibility. On plainclothes missions, members will be required to remember a series of keywords that will identify fellow teammates, if unable to identify them on sight.

2. Rocket grunts will be required to provide* one (1) pokemon of uncommon rarity or high level (30+) to the organization each week in order to secure their continued employment. Grunts who fail to do so twice (consecutively or otherwise)** will be cut from the team and their name reported to the police.
     *In this case, 'provide' implies theft, but if a wild pokemon can be obtained at level 30+ it would be acceptable. Uncommon/rare pokemon only, please, no Pidgeys, Hoppips or anything else commonly found. Chances are, if it's available in the wild, they already have it, or have no interest in it. Ilex Forest starters (Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Turtwig, Treecko) are fair game, for instance. Uncommon evolutions are also acceptable.
     ** A grunt is exempt from this if they are on TR business for 2+ weeks, on a special mission, or hunting a rare pokemon.


3. Rockets will be divided into 3-4 member squads (oocly randomized) and positioned across Johto; a special signal from the Radio Tower will connect with Rocket pokegears (and ONLY Rocket pokegears) will keep these grunts informed and updated. Note that this does not count as 'special missions', but only regular work, and these grunts would be required to obey the 1-per-week rule. Working together is highly encouraged.

4. Squads will be required to submit a weekly report (handwaveable!) to their superiors informing them of any updates (or not) to the situation in their current location: new arrivals, economic changes, a surge in the number of wild pokemon, etc.

5. Rocket members should not mention being members of the Team on public venues such as over unsecure lines on the pokegear.


ROCKET STARTERS

Microchips
In the future, Rocket starters will come with a microchip implant; this allows the Team to keep track of its members' positions and correct them as necessary. Grunts who wish to remain in the organization must submit to having their starter implanted with the chip. The microchips can be removed by Nurse Joy, but asking for it...would amount to turning yourself in to the cops.

Starter Loyalty and Levels (!!!)
Rocket starters are pre-trained Rocket employees. Their personalities will still be as varied as any player can imagine, with a caveat: they will be loyal to the Team. Think of it as having a really enthusiastic coworker: if their trainer slacks off, they'll be gently (or not-so-gently, depending on the individual pokemon) reminded to get to work. This is tied with the microchip; removing it causes this behaviour to disappear.
Furthermore, Rocket starters will now begin their careers at level 15*. We feel this is more appropriate for an organization that takes itself seriously and provides only the best for its deserving members, while keeping most under their first evolution.
     *This is not a free pass to getting a level 15 pokemon, then quitting TR and getting it de-chipped within 24 hours. If we see abuse, they'll go back to level 5 like the regular trainer starters.
Along with their starter, each Rocket grunt will recieve one (1) free of: Ekans, Koffing, Rattata, Grimer or Magikarp (without tackle, since it isn't a starter) at level 5.

Rocket Starter Availability I AM IMPORTANT, READ ME!!
Team Rocket is a criminal organization. As such, they have something of an...image to uphold. We, the mods, would like to limit potential Rocket Starters. Before we do that, though, we want your opinions.

Here are the starters we would like to remove:
Bonsly, Budew, Caterpie, Chinchou, Cleffa, Corsola, Dunsparce, Feebas, Happiny, Hoppip, Igglybuff, Ledyba, Mantyke, Miltank, Mime Jr., Pichu, Pidgey, Shuckle, Skitty, Smeargle, Smoochum, Sunkern, Surskit, Swablu, Togepi, Wingull, and Wooper.

Cute things, essentially. Rocket members might still obtain these through regular channels, like eggs or in the wild.

What do you think, Johto?
[Poll #1792581]



The new Rocket Base!
As most of you were already suspecting, the base in Mahogany is moving. (IT HASN'T MOVED COMPLETELY YET.) All assets are to be transferred to the new base, in the basement of the Radio Tower. (What, you thought they left it alone? LOLNOPE. But moving a whole base is hard work!)

All new Rocket Grunts will materialize from the Base in Goldenrod from now on. They will spend an obligatory two weeks there, learning the ins and outs of the business under the eye of the Executives. (NPCs, unless PC execs would like to volunteer.) This will keep the organization more centralized and provide ripe terrain for Grunts to learn the ropes.


If your character can handle staying in Team Rocket: You don't have to do anything. Their starter will be microchipped, they'll be participating in the re-intro plot, and further instructions will come in time.

If you want your character OUT of Team Rocket: Easy! If they're a current member, they refuse to report for microchipping and get cut. They'll have to serve a two-week jail sentence, but that's about it! Team Rocket doesn't want freeloaders. :|b


Rocket re-intro plot! You want DEETS?
Sorry, not yet! We're going to wait until opinions regarding rocket starters start rolling in. Expect it next week! But it might have something to do with that magnet railway they're renovating between Goldenrod and...where was it again?

/trollface.jpg

[identity profile] usedrefresh.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
Matt's gonna bail. |Db HE CAN HANDLE TWO WEEKS IN JAIL.

(no subject)

[identity profile] usedrefresh.livejournal.com - 2011-11-05 01:38 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[identity profile] usedrefresh.livejournal.com - 2011-11-05 01:42 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] explosivecombat - 2011-11-05 04:55 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] sadisticwarfare.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
Jail? Nope, that is not an option. Archer's staying.

[identity profile] themechotaku.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
While these new things sound fun and amazing~

Winry might try the new stuff, but she'll fail... um, hi, jail, hi, you um... you're not that bad for two weeks and boyfriend will be mad at you?
springoflife: (Default)

[personal profile] springoflife 2011-11-05 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
Chidori is staying.

(no subject)

[personal profile] springoflife - 2011-11-05 02:05 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] angelicmask.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
Louise here and Kia [livejournal.com profile] rideonmyharley will be staying. They will also be placed in whatever team together which has been discussed already.

(no subject)

[identity profile] angelicmask.livejournal.com - 2011-11-05 02:05 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[identity profile] angelicmask.livejournal.com - 2011-11-05 02:09 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] rideonmyharley - 2011-11-05 02:21 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] rideonmyharley - 2011-11-05 02:25 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] serpensrex.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
Cobra is staying.

Rockets still have access to wonderful things he misses from back home. Like money, and helicopters, and sleep bombs and stuff.

(no subject)

[identity profile] cynicizing.livejournal.com - 2011-11-05 19:42 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[identity profile] oxidegreen.livejournal.com - 2011-11-05 19:59 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[identity profile] partyofwin.livejournal.com - 2011-11-06 03:50 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[identity profile] brawnystar.livejournal.com - 2011-11-13 14:22 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] seasalttwilight.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 12:07 am (UTC)(link)
Can I just say that all of this looks pretty darn awesome! I look forward to this re-vamped Team Rocket and the mischief they will cause.

/also tempted to app a rocket again. /sigh

[identity profile] bewilding.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
Ahhh I AM EXCITED despite not having any rockets but rocket stuff is cool.

All these changes sound so cool and ahhh Rocket plot. Way to trollface. You guys are so amazing. <3
skillspanner: (Default)

[personal profile] skillspanner 2011-11-05 12:09 am (UTC)(link)
Ohhhh, all of this looks awesome! Not that I have any Rocket characters but... it still looks awesome.

I like the idea of limiting the starters and taking out the cuter stuff! Maybe if you guys don't want to give people less options, you can offer some Rocket-exclusive starters? (aha)

(no subject)

[personal profile] dragonspeak - 2011-11-05 00:16 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[identity profile] bewilding.livejournal.com - 2011-11-05 00:20 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] 8etterl8.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 12:11 am (UTC)(link)
How will the Pokémon reporting system be handled?
puzzling: (what an interesting book)

[personal profile] puzzling 2011-11-05 12:13 am (UTC)(link)
Man, this looks awesome, guys! I am so super excited to see what's going to go on with the Rockets, and my two characters aren't even in it.

My body is ready for all this extreme Rocket stuff.

ETA - oh right, question! Can those Rocket Grunts that are going to jail either break out or get taken out with bail money? No particular reason to know.... nope.
Edited 2011-11-05 00:31 (UTC)
dragonspeak: (Okay--let's just think about this)

[personal profile] dragonspeak 2011-11-05 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
Question! Will the one pokemon per week rule be per Rocket or per squad?

[identity profile] usedlaserbeam.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
Question! Actually, I lied, two questions!

Are characters allowed to make visits to their less-fortunate friends in the slammer? Or are prisoners completely off-limits for those two weeks?

And on the topic of microchips, is having Nurse Joy take them out the only possibility for removal? Or could characters go in after them themselves, but possibly to the grievous detriment of the pokemon in question?
Edited 2011-11-05 01:31 (UTC)

[identity profile] angelicmask.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 01:31 am (UTC)(link)
I know that the teams will be set up OOCly but I was wondering if it were possible for a pair of people already working together to remain together?

The reason why I'm asking is that Louise here and his partner Kia already work together. While I feel they can handle being able to get a Pokemon a week, I think they'd want to remain working with each other rather than being separated.
rideonmyharley: (friendly faces)

[personal profile] rideonmyharley 2011-11-05 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
Seconding the question. It's better for everyone in Johto if they're kept together.

(no subject)

[identity profile] angelicmask.livejournal.com - 2011-11-05 01:48 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[identity profile] angelicmask.livejournal.com - 2011-11-05 01:56 (UTC) - Expand
springoflife: (Default)

[personal profile] springoflife 2011-11-05 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
This looks really awesome! YOU GUYS GOT ME ALL EXCITED well not that you can tell by Chidori's icons, but you get what I mean.

One question, though: I'm assuming that lex retro non agit applies here and the current Rockets won't be getting any free extra Pokémon?

(no subject)

[personal profile] springoflife - 2011-11-05 02:00 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] serpensrex.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
Just some quick questions before I respond to the headcount.

The last time we did Rocket evaluations, Cobra and another character who's no longer here got promoted from Grunt to Private. I noticed most of this applies to Grunts, so how does it differ, if it all, for the next rank up?

And about the mask, could he wear it over his regular mask, like the glasses in this icon? Or would he be required to go without his normal mask?

[identity profile] urbaninja.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 05:07 am (UTC)(link)
Just a thought after seeing a comment on anon-comm.

Handwaving that the rockets are doing their job kind of puts us back in the same place we're in now, which isn't much of an improvement, but obviously having the verification thing every week is a lot of work.

Would it be worth it to do something bi-weekly or monthly just to show that, yes the rockets are doing their job, or something? It could even be OOCly.

Like "Character X caught this pokemon, or Character Y stole these pokemon" or something."

Because I mean, if a Rocket's around Violet city for whatever reason, it's gonna be hard to find a required pokemon, so it might help to make things a little more realistic rather than just assuming it's good every week.

Just a thought. I hope it made sense.

reposted for borked HTML

[identity profile] used-fireblast.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 06:11 am (UTC)(link)
Definitely liking the idea of Rocket-exclusive starters, though just limiting it to non-cute ones is cool too.

One question about the weekly theft, though -- the post says that a wild level 30+ Pokemon would be acceptable, but then asks for trained Pokemon. That a typo, or does it mean the Pokemon has to be actually captured (not just dragging it into the base on an improvised leash)?

[identity profile] sadisticwarfare.livejournal.com 2011-11-05 09:17 am (UTC)(link)
I saw this asked above; is it okay to keep a pair of characters together in the oocly assigned groups in Team Rocket? Archer and Kimblee have been working together and we'd like to keep them in the same group if that's possible.
explosivecombat: (Go on and keep that up)

[personal profile] explosivecombat 2011-11-05 09:25 am (UTC)(link)
For the sake of reference, I'd like to verify that this was run by me as well, it's not just one of us...doing whatever it is this is. Making this decision? Asking permission for this?

...making this decision to ask permission for this, there we go.

(no subject)

[personal profile] explosivecombat - 2011-11-05 10:27 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] meatysoviet.livejournal.com 2011-11-06 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
Leaving? Leaving is for itty bitty teeny teeny cowards.

You're stuck with Soviet Team Rocket, sorry.

[1/3] ...I am so sorry.

[identity profile] sfaccendato.livejournal.com 2011-11-07 12:41 am (UTC)(link)
So on the one hand, I think it's awesome that you guys are revamping the Rockets, and I do like a lot of these ideas! On the other hand, though, there are several aspects of this I can see potential problems with, and one that I really have a problem with. So, uh, in order of importance:

1) (Note: For bits of this I am assuming the two weeks of jail mentioned is also the duration applied to Rocket members who are cut due to inactivity/noncooperation. Do correct me if I'm wrong there, I can't tell for sure from the post.)

Two weeks jail time is a pretty significant punishment, in OOC terms. That's half a month where a character's actions will be severely limited, which could make it much more difficult for some players to get their characters involved in threads, including threads that they need to get to pass AC. And if it was an IC action that led to the jail time, I wouldn't think this was a problem at all, because when players have their characters do something that'll get them arrested, they know jail time is a possible consequence, and they accept that by having their character do the action anyway.

This two-week jail time for all Rocket characters who don't want to hang around under the new system, though? That is not something the players agreed to. While players apping new characters under this new system would be aware of the possibility, and thus implicitly agree to it by signing them up anyway, players who signed up their characters to be Rockets under the old system did not agree to have their characters jailed for doing nothing. I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to doing a plot that got my character thrown in jail for no particular reason, but that would be something I'd have to agree to beforehand. I did not agree to have my character arrested, and this post is basically telling me that he's going to be anyway, because ICly he wouldn't want to steal things. Forcing a character to do something without their player's permission, either explicitly or implicitly given, is pretty much the definition of godmodding. And in fact, by Route's own rules, it is: [Y]ou cannot automatically have another character do something without that player's permission.

By telling me, as a player of a Rocket character, that my character is required to be jailed for something they haven't done, and that I haven't agreed to, and I don't get to opt out of it? That is the mods godmodding my character, and it is NOT acceptable, at all.

So: Make this jail time opt-out, like any other plot. I realize it could be a bit wonky to arrange that ICly, so see #2 for my suggestion there.

[2/3]

[identity profile] sfaccendato.livejournal.com 2011-11-07 12:41 am (UTC)(link)
2) (And another note: I am again assuming, from the mention of police contact, that the jail time mentioned is in a police jail, not a Rocket jail. If you did mean a Rocket jail then I withdraw a good chunk of this particular concern. On the other hand, if it is a Rocket jail, what good does it do the Rockets to hold people in jail for just two weeks?)

I do like the idea of TR reporting uncooperative members to the police, but it seems completely nonsensical for the police to actually arrest everyone that gets reported that way. There are quite a few characters in-game already who are aware that people don't have a choice about joining TR, I believe, and it seems like a huge fail on the police's part for them to not also be aware of this. It's perfectly possible to have a Rocket character who's been around for months and hasn't done anything Rocket-y in that time, so arresting them and throwing them in jail just for being in TR seems ridiculous when it's known ICly that Rockets aren't willingly enlisted. This even more true for new characters who will come in under the current system and immediately want to leave the Rockets -- they've literally only just arrived, been told they'll have to steal Pokemon, and decided not to, and they're going to have to serve jail time anyway? Really? I know the Johto justice systemic is simplistic, but significantly punishing characters for something out of their control still seems ridiculous.

My suggestion would be to handle TR's contacting the police more like an anonymous (and therefore not necessarily trustworthy) tip. When TR contacts them, the police could run a background check on the character / take the character in for questioning, and determine any punishment based on the current system in place. If the character hasn't done anything illegal, or hasn't done anything illegal recently (i.e. that two-week period that a warrant lasts), then don't arrest them. If you do want there to be some kind of consequence for Rockets who've been here a while: they could be forced to spend a couple days at the police station to clear things up (OOCly a few days with limited activity isn't as big a deal, so it's rather less godmody); or the police keep a closer eye on them for a while just to make sure, as a sort of probation period, and any illegal activity performed during that period gets a harsher punishment than usual. Something along those lines seems a lot more fair and a lot less... "wtf is wrong with the cops here".

3) This one is more YMMV, but requiring grunts to provide Pokemon once a week seems a bit excessive to me, OOCly. Yes, it can be handwaved, but the player would still have to account for the fact that their character is doing this. Stealing Pokemon is a punishable offense if they get caught, and it's not reasonable to say every Rocket ever would avoid getting caught every single time. (They could catch the Pokemon in the wild, sure, but there's very few locations currently with level 30 Pokemon available in the wild. That option isn't at all feasible for newer characters.) Even if players agree to their character being caught and arrested sometimes, they might not want to deal with that quite that often; that's four times in one AC period, after all, which is pretty damn often. That could be pretty tricky to work around, especially if the character isn't the sort who gets in trouble a lot in canon.

And, ICly, I wouldn't think the Rockets would want to risk getting caught so much. The police and/or other character would eventually notice a huge increase in Pokemon thefts, and presumely try to do something about it. Which could make for a pretty interesting plot, actually, but it really doesn't seem feasible for Johto to be in a state of constant Pokemon-stealing all the time.

So maybe make it one Pokemon every two weeks, instead? Something not quite as extreme. Also see #4.

[3/3]

[identity profile] sfaccendato.livejournal.com - 2011-11-07 00:42 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[identity profile] sfaccendato.livejournal.com - 2011-11-09 09:07 (UTC) - Expand