An Tir Dearg

I don't think apprenticeship should be formalized. It's a nice thought, but any formal apprenticeship seems to give a sort of feel of one apprentice at once, certain bits of knowledge must be imported in a certain time, etc. It seems that we already take newcomers under our wing (as Dan did with me, as I've done with Dave and am sort of doing with Bear, as I've tried doing with Goggles, Bryan seems to have done so with Link and Ogre, etc) It just seems that it already happens and why add some formal method of going about a natural process?

I think the idea has merit. The examples you cited, Tona, are the ideal and a major part of retention for these individuals. The apprenticeship program comes in to help encourage more people to receive that kind of tutelage.

Perhaps another way of achieving this would be to have senior members be assigned a group of noobs. To a degree, new fighters tend to come in waves. Say all the noobs who arrive in a 1-2 month period are assigned to a particular tabard holder/veteran until they themselves earn their tabard. That way they have a designated shepherd/mentor who watches over their development, tries to teach them new stuff and who they can feel free to turn to with questions. If they find another mentor they click with or join a unit or just don't like having friends, they don't have to work with the mentor, but the system provides them a clear person to attach to and turn to for help and advice. It wouldn't be super-formal, but it would provide a little more formal retention framework for everyone who shows up and it rotates the wear and tear on realm veterans.

I think I like the idea of tabard holders being asked to take in the noobs for a month or two. It gives us a way to help more nooblets out and to increase retention while also not putting too much stress on a master/apprentice friendship. Just kind of "________ Is this month's assigned trainer"

I think it should be a *little* more long term than that. So, for example, if I were July's assigned Noob Wrangler, I would have Taylor and Chris and anyone else who showed up that month hang out with me and go over teaching them good body mechanics and watch their honor and shot calibration. I am their wrangler so I have some personal responsibility to see them succeed and be honorable. I will help them prep for their tabard trial, which should be a first goal for every noob.

Then the August wrangler would assume those same responsibilities for whoever starts coming in August. I will continue to watch over Chris and Taylor as they progress, but the August noobs will be wrangled by ____.

That's my vision for this idea, anyway.

I would like there to be some sort of formal end to the process - and definitely a break between graduating a group and picking up the next. In the Marines, Drill Instructors go back-to-back with three month training cycles, then get two weeks off, and they live that process 24 hours a day for three years. Occasionally they get assigned other billets so they don't burn out, but they still burn out. I'm going through this now at work since we have an extremely high turnover rate and I get assigned the problem children because I'm quite literally the best trainer we have and am expected to be their savior or their executioner.

I think a good goal is to push towards tabard trials, but that's at least a three to five month process depending on when a person joins and whether or not they wish to do it. Obviously this won't be mandatory on behalf of the new joins, but what will happen if there aren't enough volunteer trainers? Do we force tabard holders to do it? Do we do double duty and have a trainer work with total n00bs and some fighters with a little salt? What about a particularly large group of new folks that happens to stay for a bit? Seems like that would be unfair and unwieldy to have one trainer work the whole group.

What benchmarks should be in place for a trainer to be able to drop a disinterested or "no show" new join? Bel shouldn't become work for anybody. That's when burn out and quitting happen.

I think Isk made a solid point about teaching honor and body mechanics. It will make the game more enjoyable if everyone is honorable and can fight at a basic level. Passing the tabard trial will give the person incentive to stay and to progress and will raise the base level of competency in the Realm, and should remain a goal, though not be used to determine "success". IMO, part of that competency involves making weapons, garb, and gear that are safe and durable. I'd really like to get one loaner weapon made by these new folks during their training and have it donated to the Realm. This shouldn't be mandatory, but I think a healthy dose of explaining the benefits of it would go a long way.

Honestly, I think it should still be an informal thing. And I want Chris and Taylor! They're good little newblings. :P

Anyways, I think it should be an informal thing done purely on volunteer base, so that we don't burn out. Taking a month's recruits and trying to push all the newcomers to tabard status is great, but constantly training new people, having any sort of real expectation to live up to beyond just wanting to see them succeed, that will definitely make it work.

I kept thinking about this today and I had an idea.

Let's compromise and have this concept come to life thusly:

Apprenticeships or Squiring in the true spirit of the word will be a private matter between whomever is involved with whatever benchmarks and time frame are agreed upon, but will currently receive no official recognition from the Realm until such time (if ever) as the Realm drafts rules pertaining to an Offical Apprenticeship Program.

Separately, The Realm will offer the services of its veterans (Basic Tabard holders or higher) on a volunteer basis each month by assigning an individual veteran as the person responsible for answering questions, giving training, and helping make weapons or garb for all un-tabarded persons in the Realm. Such services will be provided in a reasonably timely manner and must take into account the veteran's private life and real-life obligations. When the month is over, that veteran's obligations shall be considered fulfilled and all questions, training, and assistance will then be assigned to the next volunteer veteran in rotation. There is no intended end-goal for this program pertaining to the level of development or involvement of un-tabarded members using this program, apart from rendering reasonable assistance as requested. The onus is upon all un-tabarded members to seek assistance and to develop their skills to become better fighters.

Additionally, each volunteer veteran will be obligated to conduct rules explanation, basic fighting stances and strikes, hit taking / calling calibration, and honorable conduct classes at least once with each new fighter and as necessary with any un-tabarded member during his assigned month.

The time frame for training used by this program shall be a standard calendar month. No veteran shall be obligated to spend money or drive to any location for the purposes of rendering assistance during his assigned month. No veteran shall be obligated to render assistance outside of his assigned month, nor shall any veteran be obligated to render assistance to any other veteran in the Realm. No member of the Realm shall be obligated to participate in this program, and no un-tabarded members shall be obligated to give money to the Realm or their trainer except to repay debts, nor to create items for the Realm's general use outside of an official, private Apprenticeship / Squiring.

Sounds fine to me. I like the concept, and prefer the "unofficial" approaches.