#pack formation

[thefandomtheory-blog]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Okay, so this work? This is a masterpiece. This is beauty, infinity and universe. It's one of the reasons I'm happy to be alive. I'm not exaggerating. Go read it now.

9/10

In which Draco makes it his duty to protect Potter, and drags the rest of his friends into it. Of course, he's only doing it for the sake of winning the game, nothing personal.

Yeah, so the summary gives you something. Basicaly it's about what would happen if someone thought "our students should move more, let's start PE and make it obliggatory". And they play paintball. With magic. Yes, I know.

It's a drarry so there is obviously quite a bit of Harry and Draco's relation, but you know why you should read it? Read it for the Slytherins. Seriously. It's a fanfiction with a very good slytherin representation. What makes it even more awesome it's slytherins as seen by someone from another house, namely Harry. He is a part of their team and observes their interactions.

Slytherins in this story are cunning and ambitious, wanting to win the game they don't even want to play. There is famous slytherin fratternity and loyality (for god sake, they literally call themselves a "pack"). The will use every means to reach their goal (even blackmailing their friends if necessary, but really, all Blaise had to do was play and it wouldn't come to that). They have plans and strategies and they are so obviously a team with a long history and traditions and inside jockes it hurts. And most important, they are mental. Really. You go to the slytherin and for everyone else you are mental. Mad. You lost it. In the best way. They are ridiculous and no one will understand it but another slytherin.

Theoretically Potter is a team leader, but even he can see that Draco always will be a leader of this group and he wholeheartedly lets him do his thing. And let's himself be pulled along. At first he's mostly observing but with time he just can help himself and chant the Dragon of Doom with them. Even he feels like a part of the group. And it's not only in the field. He starts spending his free time with them, they become friends. But it doesn't mean that he understands them more. Nope, they are all still mental.

One of my milion favourite things in this fic is Draco openly and blatantly flirting with Potter. He's not trying to be insulting, he's not even trying to get anything, it's like breathing: Breath in, flirt with Potter, breath out. And sometimes he's complimentng him, sometimes hes insulting his, but most of the time it's both. And Potter is responding, oh he is so flirting back. And the sexual jokes, no too much, not too little, always hilarious.

God, this work is golden. You have no ideal how hard of the time I had picking the quotes for it. I had, like, half of the whole fic in my notes. It felt like picking your favourite child. Heartbreaking (you can see it just by looking at the amount of quotes in this post). And all of this is so ridiculous and hilarious. I've been crying with laughter most of the time and this was a third time I've read it. It's like looking at my and my friends conversations at, like, 3 am when we have no filters and no shame.

So, go read it. It's funny, smart, more than a bit ridiculous, have a drarry in it and even a bit of a plot. But most importantly read it for the slytherins. I rearly feel so much house pride and the sense of belonging and being funcking awesome as when I read it. It's the best kind of slytherin representation and it makes me want to go into this story and be a part of this group.

[soulsrpg]

Piggybacking off of the previous ask about new packs: if all of the packs disbanded and no new packs formed to replace them, would that ultimately spell the end for 'Souls? Or would Admin "retire" the current pack model that seems so challenging for the primary playerbase to form/maintain and perhaps transition to something more along the lines of the loner band model? Have there been any discussions or brainstorming happening behind the scenes to see what ways leadership could be made easier?

For what it's worth, we find that scenario pretty unlikely. The lowest number of packs 'Souls has ever had was three, mostly in its earliest years. Four was the baseline norm for a long, long time, and there were years where five felt like a lot of packs. The trend over the last few years has been for fewer and larger packs, which tends to mean each pack is more stable (higher number of very longtime members, lots of worn in routines). This does mean that it's more notable when a pack disbands though.

When we had many more packs (at our peak, we had nine?? packs -- eleven made it in the yearbook that year, with two disbandments and two new packs formed), it was always sad when a pack disbanded, but it felt less like a blow to the board on the whole -- and as mentioned, people were always eager to start new packs in their wake. Even if all the packs disbanded, we don't see a reason to retire the pack formation process -- why not keep it around for when someone else wants to start a pack? In the meantime, sure, loner bands are there to be utilised. It may be that 'Souls transitions into a loner band-centric place, which somewhat resemble the simpler, classic packs of yore. We don't think there's anything wrong with that. The game has always, to some extent, changed and adapted with its players. As our playerbase continues to age, it may be that that more relaxed model of group management (loner bands) is better or more desirable, but that doesn't mean the pack model can't still work for some players who have the time/energy. We've endeavoured to simplify leadership responsibilities over the years (for example, by eliminating requirements for pack sites and encouraging leaders to delegate some tasks to members), but the most integral parts of leadership will always be time-consuming. We're not sure there's much we can do to make things easier, but as always we welcome feedback from past and current leaders if they have input or suggestions. :>

[soulsrpg]

I feel like just few years ago, players would be champing at the bit to form new packs once the ratio allowed it! Does the 'SA have any insight as to why pack creation has slowed down? Is it because the userbase is full of tired working adults now?

Pretty much that!

Running a pack is a lot of time and effort -- even setting one up is a lot of time and effort! Few players want to go through the trouble if they don't think they'll be able to dedicate time to a pack long-term. It's a big bummer to get through set-up and approval only to find that you have to let it all go soon after.

Many players are also already spending a lot of time on 'Souls in other ways, in other packs, through their many characters, etc.

We're not sure there's much that can be done about this unfortunately. Our primary playerbase has definitely aged and matured with the board, and while we're lucky that they're all extremely dedicated and loyal, we certainly can't begrudge anyone for not having the time/energy to run a pack when they've got a full-time job, family obligations, etc.

New blood is always great (have you voted for us recently? ;D), but it can take quite a while for a new player to become acclimated to 'Soul's hefty knowledgebase and feel comfortable enough to tackle a pack.

[soulsrpg]

What’s the procedure for making a pack? Do I simply contact the mods and ask for permission?

Pack formation details are outlined in the relevant topic of Leader’s Handbook. You must be an active member to view the topic.

[soulsrpg]

Many WRPGs seem to have smaller, more fluid and casual packs - kinda like 'Souls loner groups. Is there a reason 'Souls tends toward very big packs with higher standards for leadership and expectation of longevity? Was it always like this?

‘Souls is a very old game. We’ve been around since 2001 and are the oldest continuously running WRPG.The larger pack structure was very much the norm in the early, mid, and even late 2000’s. As the game grew and aged, higher leadership standards became necessary, and a lot of tradition got tied into what everyone expects of packs. For example, we think it’s difficult now for people to imagine packs without things like highly structured ranks, point games, websites, etc, because they’ve been that way for so long. These things are all a lot of work, and as our playerbase has aged, fewer people are able to dedicate the time to these extra things in addition to providing positive leadership. The administration doesn’t necessarily have the “expectation of longevity” for packs – we think it’s interesting to see packs rise and fall – but we also recognise that it can be extra difficult to let packs go when so much goes into creating and maintaining them.Loner groups are actually a very recent development for 'Souls, as we saw the desire and potential for less structured and more (potentially) temporary groups. Maybe loner groups will become more popular here as time goes on, or maybe packs will see a resurgence somewhere down the line. We can’t say, but we’re definitely curious to see how things play out.

[soulsrpg]

Would 'SA ever be interested in helping steer pack formation in the direction of bigger & longer lasting? ATM it's extremely rare that they fill out even half of their higher ranks, and that's at their peak! Maybe packs could be given, not more leaders, but instead maintenance aides like the general forum has now? I feel like we need less new packs, and more focus on helping the packs we have now survive, giving them the tools to do so. I might be in the minority on this one though :c

Leaders are already free to appoint members of their packs to “helper” positions. Pack members are able to help their leaders with pretty much anything that doesn’t require access to the leader forum, whether that’s accepting joiners, tallying game points, collaborating on drafts, tweeting news, or updating the ranks.While we don’t disagree that some large packs might need or welcome more helpers, we don’t feel that we necessarily need to encourage current pack growth or longevity. Most of our remaining packs have been around for several years at this point! Many of them are much larger than the packs of the past, too – and larger numbers can make it difficult for leaders to manage, even if they do have helpers. The number of high rank positions are not necessarily a reflection of the pack’s success or size, either; usually there are IC requirements for council-type positions, and it takes a while to “earn” the right to a high rank.

[soulsrpg]

Under the procedures topic regarding the formation of a pack, it states, "we strongly suggest you wait a while before thinking about pack formation -- we recommend at least a year of membership before trying to form a pack." Does this mean consecutively? Like, say you took a small hiatus without keeping an active character and returned. Would this be grounds for rejection on the potential leadership of the potential pack?

We mostly recommend that players have a minimum year of membership under their belts so that they’re reasonably familiar with our many rules and procedures; we have a lot, and it can be difficult for a newcomer to understand everything.

That said – we also like to see consistent activity from returning players even if we believe them to be knowledgeable about our policies. It isn’t necessarily grounds for rejection by itself, but we definitely might ask players who have been “out of the scene” for quite a while to wait. It’s a case-by-case basis. :)

[soulsrpg]

Why can admins even make packs when they have so many obvious advantages like knowing when the numbers are just right? I feel like members should have priority?

The only advantage we’re aware of has already been addressed in the Leader Handbook. If you have additional concerns, let us know.

Please remember that staff are members too. We don’t think that staff should have fewer rights or opportunities to have fun just because we are staff. :(