After a brief 3 week hiatus, my group, Monday Night Mayhem will be starting back up on Monday, March 14th. Where we pick up where we left off in the last story arc. We also have a new group forming for an additional RP night called Thursday Night Treachery. If you want to RP, we have it in spades! In the last arc, the Galactic Rejects had fought off a billionaire businessman from the planet of Zakuul, after they learned he had been using their collective DNA to make horrible monstrosities. They're victory didn't come without a price, however. Ayren Arasi lost her leg, and is in the process of getting a cybernetic replacement filled with booze and guns. Maddi Morrow fronted all of her money, totaling in the millions so they could get back to Zakuul to face the businessman, and is now near impoverished, but good news is on the horizon, as she makes plans to get it all back. Temrsak, having been rescued from a slaver's ship, looks towards the future, and to find out what really happened to him and his former crew. Sebetharen Adaro, the selfish, force sensitive privateer looks to make a crew out of the group aboard his most recent acquisition, a light cruiser called "The Miss Fortune". Never a dull moment at Galactic Rejects, and now with a guild ship! Don't miss out on our spectacular stories. Come be a part of a growing, innovative, and guild member-centric guild. Galactic Rejects Recruitment ---------------------------- - A Look Inside - In a previous post, I answered a question that I had been getting alot. In the spirit of answering more questions and providing an insight to our little organization, I want to answer another that I've been getting recently, with regards to character sheets. I recently received a question about why we use character sheets at all. Certainly it's much easier to just come up with some sort of default system that doesn't require them. And it is true, RP in it's purest form doesn't really require character sheets. I know loads of people that prefer not to use them at all. Finding them cumbersome, time consuming, and generally a nuisance. Truthfully, I spent a great deal of time considering not using them at all. Until I realized one immutable fact. Character sheets allow Players and Game Masters to be honest about who and what their characters are. It provides a framework to work within. If there's one thing, as a veteran RPer myself, irks me more than anything is players who want to presume to be all-powerful, all-knowing, and indestructible. Characters sheets prevent that type of RP intrinsically. By allocating points to the things you can do, Players gain a deeper understanding of their characters abilities and motivations. While it may seem limiting at first, as you watch your character become more powerful, gaining more abilities, and more skills, there's a sense of satisfaction that's hard to replace watching your character advance. At Galactic Rejects, when we finally decided to use character sheets, they did seem a burden at first, but after several sessions of using them, we haven't looked back. I don't think there's a single person at Galactic Rejects that would do it differently, and I guarantee, once you try it, you'll do exactly the same. We designed our system to be fair, really easy to use, and absolutely NOT get in the way of the creativity and spontaneity of RP.

We're forming a new RP group and looking for able bodies to fill the slots. Starts on Thursday, March 17th. Come be a part of the greatest RP on the server! - A Look Inside - I've been getting some questions as to how we do things at Galactic Rejects, one of the main ones is "How do we keep Character Sheets from being a mess". Simply put, we keep it simple, unobtrusive and we have a dedicated group who make sure that everything remains fair. However, you can take a look at the Character Sheet we designed for general purposes, and as an introduction to the way we do things at Galactic Rejects. You can view it here.... General Purpose Character Sheet If you're RP minded and looking for a way to enhance your experience, by all means, copy/paste the sheet we've created for you and your own guild. We gone several steps further, and created an enhanced character sheet that we use internally. It's far more robust and offers greater customization than the one we've provided here. We also have a Mastery System that we've created that really takes your character to the next level! Come by and take a look, put in an application, you'll be glad you did. Galactic Rejects Recruitment Page

Mission Statement / Synopsis -------------------- The Galactic Rejects, is a Republic-side Guild, and was formed by a group of five avid Role Players, who wanted to create stories for their characters. Deep, rich, and meaningful stories, that were as compelling, as they were fun. Each of us brought something new, and unique to the guild. We all come from diverse backgrounds, and are creative as well as attentive to our guild's needs. With that in mind, we wanted to create an organization that was scalable, original in concept, and offered the very best we could give to our budding community. We are primarily an RP community, but our members engage in all forms of game play. In an effort to merge our RP preferred status, with game mechanics, we have developed some novel approaches to integrating the "game" aspect of the game, into our RP world. Which will be discussed in greater detail, if you decide to join our ranks. The Galactic Rejects, as a concept, was designed as a place where the regular citizens of the galactic community, be they Sith, Jedi, or any variation of citizenry could come to find refuge from the galactic conflict. The people who have been lost, forgotten about, or ostracized from their homes and communities, because of the on-going galactic war. Be it between the Sith Empire, and the Galactic Republic, or the whole galaxy against the Eternal Empire. A place where they would be relatively safe, and secure regardless of faction. We are your port of harbor in dangerous times. -------------------- In Character Information -------------------- The founding members of the Galactic Rejects met before the Eternal Empire brought a unified threat to the galaxy at large. They were a small team, comprised mostly of non-force users, who seemed to unerringly find trouble wherever they went. It wasn't long, whether through choice or circumstance, they found themselves adrift in the galaxy at large. Amid the turmoil, they decided to carve out a place for themselves, and others. A place where they could call their own. A place that would offer a measure of safety from the power hungry Sith, from the ever-meddling Republic, and the domineering Eternal Empire. Having no affiliation does come with a price. They must protect their new-found home fiercely from invaders, saboteurs, and other potential threats from outside forces. Through rumors, and half truths, you have heard of a place where people could escape the conflict, though the actual location seems to be a well guarded secret. A place where they don't ask questions, or care where you came from, as long as you're willing to help, and have a want to carve out a place you can call home. -------------------- Out of Character Information -------------------- All of us came from different backgrounds, in terms of MMO experience, and RP experience. So, we wanted a system that unified all of our experiences into a cohesive RP world, that was both easy to understand, and simple to use. We developed a character sheet model, that all our members use. It allows for a customizable platform for characters, and it also allows for character progression, outside of assigning normal ranks within the organization. Simply put, the more you play your character, both in actual game play, and in RP, the more your character advances in skill. We think that we've blended the tabletop RP experience with the online RP world, to create a unique and exciting system, that our members can use. When you become a member of the Galactic Rejects, you are immediately assigned a Character Sheet, and allocated a minimum amount of points towards that character, that you can assign as you want. Do you fancy yourself as a clever Smuggler, that can talk his way out of problems? Maybe you're a Padawan or Apprentice who has studied the Force extensively? Perhaps you're a Mandalorian, who values the thrill of the hunt? The point combinations are only limited by your imagination, and we designed it that way intentionally, to give our members greater control over their character. -------------------- What We Offer -------------------- Aside from the usual amenities that most guilds have available, (Teamspeak Server, Website, Guild Ship, Active Members) we have gone to great lengths to customize our guild experience. When we set out to create this guild, we wanted something that no other guild offered. Something that set us apart from most of the guilds that inhabit our server and what we came up with, and since we are primarily an RP Guild, was character sheets, and a dynamic way to implement those character sheets in an effective and efficient way. There are other guilds that use them. What sets up apart, is that we have integrated our RP and character sheets, into the actual game itself. Completing different game modes, entitles our members to Experience Points (XP), that can be directly applied to your character and your character sheet. It's a novel approach to the way we play the game. We've also tailored our website, so that it encourages creativity, community, and interaction within the game. There are NPC's (Non-Player Characters) you can use in your own RP, there are areas to facilitate your own stories with other members, and an area that is updated with regular missions that our members can take on their own and earn XP. In short, we wanted our members to be as immersed as possible, providing a world and framework, within the game, that our members can play and RP in. -------------------- We want you to enjoy your RP and game, as much as we enjoy our RP, and game. Our community is small, and we like it that way. We're close knit, welcoming, and always interested in pursuing RP. We have regular nights for RP, and enough content to make the waits between flashpoints and warzones interesting. You won't be disappointed, come join us, and watch your character grow. Visit Us At: Galactic Rejects Home Fill An Application At: Galactic Rejects Application We're an Elder Gaming Community, Applicants 21 and older only, please.

Q 1. It really depends on what you want to do for RP, as to determine which side you want to be on. The Ebon Hawk is a Republic heavy server. As for the quality of RP, I'm a transferee from Jung Ma and spent the majority of my time RPing Empire. So, I decided to try Republic for a contrast. It also made sense ICly, for my character. I haven't been disappointed, there are several places you can find RP to walk in on and participate in. It's all over the Republic Fleet. I've also had some good RP on Nar Shadda, Tython and more recently, Zakuul. Warzones pop pretty consistently throughout the day, at least 65 does. I haven't played the tiers lower than that in a while, so I can't say for sure. I've had them pop as early as 8:00 AM EST, to as late as 11-12:00 PM. If ranked is your thing, I don't play it, but there is a small community that regularly gets groups and people together for solo ranked. I don't know if group ranked is a thing, so again, I can't say for sure. q 2. I don't generally turn on general chat on either side, but when I do, the Republic gen-chat is fairly tame. I haven't had many negative experiences, but again, I don't turn it on much. Since the Republic side of TEH is more populated, you'll get more pops for things like Operations and Flashpoints.

I don't know what your proficiency with RP is, but the quality or kind of RP you want to be involved with, depends a lot on what you want to accomplish, and who your character is. The truth of the matter, is that you're going to find different levels of aptitude for RP, on both sides. The Sith believe Power equals Freedom, where the Jedi believe that Power equals Responsibility. There are certainly good aligned Sith in the Empire, and dark aligned Jedi in the Republic. It's a matter of finding them. However, there are hundreds of guilds with lofty ideas about the way the galaxy and their guild works. It can sometimes be a bit of a slog to go through them. There are resources you can use though, to make up your mind. A couple that come to mind are - http://www.swtor-rp.com http://www.ebon-hawk.net I don't know many guilds on the Empire side that I could reliably suggest, aside from Penumbral. There are some good people there. On the Republic side, The Jedi Order are a good bunch of people, Knights of Sokan are very nice and helpful. I've also talked with The Remnants of Hope people and they are great too. But all three are almost exclusively for Jedi, except for the Remnants people. For other types of RP, I'm not entirely sure. I will say Mandalorian guilds seem to be predominant on both sides, if that's something you're looking for. As for the quality of walk-up/random RP on Ebon Hawk, my preference is Republic. I have been involved in decent RP on Empire side, so it can be found. Although, it seems to me that the Republic has better quality RP, but I spend the majority of my time there. So take it for what its worth. As for outfits, there are dozens of them that can be found via the cartel market or GTN. It's, again, a matter of personal preference. If you want to find me in game, my name is Morégan on Pub side, Morègan on Imp side, I'll be happy to answer any questions you have. Or you can send me a PM via the swtor.com forums

I know how infuriating it is to be surrounded by power gamers, god modders, or inexperienced RPers. Unfortunately, you have to dig through alot of coal, to find the diamonds. It can be a slog, too. A nerve-wracking, tedious, endurance test. It took me the better part of 2 years, to find a core group of people who share the same idea of the way RP works, that I do. Ironically, it's not far off from what you describe. I don't prescribe to the perma-death thing, but I get what you mean. There's a certain kind of thrill in the fact that your character can die. The galaxy is a very dangerous place, filled with very dangerous people. Sinister Hutts, powerful Force Users, gun-toting Mercenaries, and with all that, there's a constant war going on between multiple factions. There's a kind of excitement in playing the 'ordinary hero'. The kind of guy whose stats are all 10, but somehow with grit, determination and a bit of luck, seems to beat the odds. Ordinary people who end up doing extraordinary things, is the most compelling kind of story telling. It's Katniss Everdeen, taking her sister's place in the Hunger Games. It's Tyrion Lannister getting his face cut in half, and still finding the perseverance to try to make a difference. The struggle is what makes characters believable, and relatable. I think it's a fact that most people don't get, is that the flaws are what make characters memorable. If everyone is special, then noone is. As far as Jung Ma is concerned, I think you're going to have a hard time finding people who prescribe to your particular brand of RP, as most of the people I know, including myself have moved to The Ebon Hawk. However, there is a woman still left over there that I know named Aurhya, or Aurhia, if she's on pub side. She is an AWESOME RPer. I can't give her enough praise, honestly. You should look for her, I think she'd be happy to have you along. If you're ever on The Ebon Hawk, look me up. I'll be happy to RP with you.

Threads like these always make me laugh a bit. They seem to be happening with more and more frequency. Who exactly is this post for? What's the target audience? If it's for other players, then I suppose this is just your take on which classes do what, while beating the same horse that sorc/sage and VG/PT outperform other classes. Which, by now, everyone seems to know and, in my opinion, feels a bit redundant to be saying YET AGAIN. If somehow, you're expecting this to be new information to the people who code, develop and produce this game, then you're either delusional, or don't know any better. The people that make this game know exactly which classes do what, how they do it, and to what extent, as they do it for a living. It's arrogant, to say the least. How about instead of complaining about the same topic, again. Why not discuss strategies to overcome these powerful classes. That, to me, seems more productive than filling the forums with another post where your favorite class, isn't flavor of the month.

So, I've seen thread after thread of players screaming for balance among the classes. Personally speaking, and I may be alone in this opinion, but having a game where every class is balanced would end up ultimately being boring. A game where every class, regardless which one you choose, does the same thing in a different way. All you really end up choosing, is what "skin" you want to wear. Which, to me, is not really a choice that has any meaning. I was intrigued by the notion of balance, and what it means in an MMO environment, and came across a video, I think everyone who screams for balance among the classes needs to see. The group is called 'Extra Credit' and they do some very informative videos on video game design, theory, and play It's here, you should watch it. This video describes in good detail, the theory of 'perfect imbalance', and why it's important in the MMO world. Whether or not they've implemented the idea well, is up for debate. Bioware knows exactly what they're doing and why. I speculate that Bioware wants a few introductory classes, like the PT/VG, and the Sage/Sorc. A force user and non-force user, to try to cater to different people who might be interested in picking up the game and playing. I think with the addition of implementing 'perfect imbalance', it's also a marketing tool designed to get people to play.

It honestly baffles my mind, how people who've never produced, developed, or coded a video game, let alone an MMO, come to the forums to complain to the people who do it for a living, that they don't do it right. If you have produced, developed, or coded, this obviously doesn't apply to you. As I main an operative healer myself, I can tell you for a fact, that your characterization of healers is simply wrong. As is your characterization of the other roles. I would argue that a tank is as important, and fills more roles than any healer. A well played tank can sway a fight more effectively than a healer can. Which is a shame since so few people want to play them. Ask any healer if they would rather run around with a guard, than without one. I can almost guarantee, just about anyone you ask would much rather have one than not. Just about any healer you also ask, only "tank" because they have to, not because they chose to. Additionally, healers have between 4-8 people to heal, plus ducking and dodging 1-4 enemy players as well. Whereas any DPS typically deal with one target at a time. So, every GCD you spend healing yourself, or mitigating damage yourself, is one less you're using for your team. Even if it's just one DPS attacking you. tl;dr - It's you, not the game.

Roleplay has always meant different things to different people. And since people pay for their time in the game(conceivably), just like I do, I don't think it's fair to critique how they spend that time they pay for. Some enjoy cantina RP, I dont. Some enjoy ERP, I don't. Although, I agree, if you're going to do erotic RP, have some decency and consideration for minors and others who share the same space with you. However, having been a recent transfer to Ebon Hawk from Jung Ma. I haven't seen it much. Before I transferred, I did a bit of research into guilds and the RP community here, and even a cursory Google search will bring up dozens of RP guilds that suit your taste, whatever it is. Its just a matter of knowing where to look, I think. There are honest RPers on Ebon Hawk, who are interested in character development, and telling compelling stories. I've seen it. Oftentimes you have to dig through the mud, to pull out the diamonds. As far as the RPers themselves are concerned, I think the majority of "bad" rp is due to not knowing any better, or being unfamiliar as to what that means. Sometimes its inexperience, sometimes its intellectual laziness, sometimes its just about having fun. Again, I'm not one to judge. (at least I try not to) I know what I like and I go find it. Given the voices in this thread, you all seem to share the same concerns and we seem to agree we're all looking for meaningful RP. I would be willing to start something, if there's interest. I take the same approach with PvP. In that different people have different degrees of skill and desire to improve. I try to ignore the toxicity, and enjoy myself.

I don't think Jung Ma is going to stand the test of time. As there are RP servers on both east and west coast, there are PvP servers on east and west coast. Jung Ma is the odd one out, in that regard. So if BW does consolidate, I think they'll just close the server down rather than try to merge it to one or another. That being said, I think Bioware/EA may be banking on the future of the game, in relation to the wave of star wars news coming out this year. With the new movie coming out soon, and a slate of releases for the next few years, including the Boba Fett Movie, the Rogue One movie, in addition to the Episode 8 and 9, they may be playing the waiting game to see if population rebounds due to renewed interest in the franchise. When Knights of the Fallen Empire comes out, we'll also see the removal of 12x XP, and possibly cheap transfers as well. So, things will most likely settle down after release and people won't be moving around so much, looking for an experience. Population may rebound on Jung Ma after that, but I'm not holding my breath.

I like this idea. A place where tips and tricks for each map, or arena. So, here are some of the things I've found helpful. I main an operative healer, so for me, positioning is key, so that I can heal while keeping everyone in sight. So, below will be tips and tactics that I use to stay alive longer. Map Specific Alderaan Civil War - 1. One of the biggest things I see new healers do, is stand in the back of the fight, in wide open casting heals. I use the ramps and pillars at the center, as cover. Ducking in and out to cast heals as necessary. It forces the opposing team to chase, getting DPS out of line of sight of their healers, while being able to heal my own team. It also provides easy escape. 2. Healing at the side nodes is trickier. You have to be in position to stop a cap, if necessary, while finding what minimal cover there is to use. I use the base of the cannon on either side as cover. Ducking back and forth to Line of Sight ranged DPS classes. Having your back to the cannon base also allows you to not be pushed, or knocked back out of healing range, or isolated from your team. Try not to stand on the stairs, at the side nodes. Line of Sight is also taken into account for height. You can't heal or shoot anything above your head. Novare Coast - 1. Just like Alderaan, use the bunkers as cover to prevent people from targeting or leaping to you. The side of the bunker facing your spawn point, you can step out, heal as necessary, then step back. The cannons also make good cover, but are harder to use by being in the center of fight. 2. Try not to fight inside the bunkers. Lure opposing team members outside to fight.. You can be healed easier, Ranged DPS don't have to reposition to help, and most importantly, you don't block the panel that needs to be clicked to cap the node. 3. The panel inside the bunker can be clicked, from up to 15 meters away, to begin cap the node. 4. It's important to note that more than one person can click the panel to cap in Novare Coast. The more people clicking, the faster the node caps to completion. 1 person capping takes 12-15 seconds to cap, 2 people, around 8 seconds, 3 people about 5 seconds. Ancient Hypergate - 1. The center area for Hypergate provides little cover for healers and ranged DPS classes. So, to heal effectively, you have to position yourself where the other team doesn't see you. Hiding in plain sight, more or less. Hypergate forces you to make full use of the 30 meter range for your abilities. Try to stay at range where you are able to heal effectively, but puts you out of range of their DPS classes. 2. The pylons have more options for Line of Sight. Use the pillars as your cover. 3. There is a full heal, hiding behind the cap point on each side of the pylons. You'll have to run around the large wall facing the capping point to get to it. Huttball - The Pit (Nar Shadda) 1. Elevation has its advantages. If you can help it, always be above your enemy. Not only does it provide a leap point for Juggernauts. It makes you an available target to pass to. 2. Stay either ahead or behind ball carrier. Don't try to keep up. You have 30 meters to play with. Use it. 3. To throw the Huttball, you can simply click on the name of the person you want to throw the ball to, then double click the "Throw Huttball" ability and it will throw the ball to them. You don't have to worry about positioning the reticle for a pass. 4. Passing is the most effective strategy in Huttball. Always try to maintain position for passes. Most Pre-Made teams try to position themselves for "Passing Lines". One person picks up the ball, passes to someone on the other side of the acid pit, then they pass to someone on the other side of the fire pits, then they will pass to someone in the endzone for a score. Huttball - Queshball (Quesh) 1. Use the grappleblasters. They are on all 4 sides of the arena. 2. Elevation is more important on this map, than on the other huttball map. Get higher for passes. 3. It's less than 30 meters from the middle platform to the bottom, or from the top platform to the middle. It's easy to keep the ball carrier in your line of sight. You don't have to be on top of the ball carrier to heal them. Player Specific 1. The best players keybind their abilities. Learn to keybind. Your ability to play will skyrocket once you do. Even if you don't have a gaming mouse with a million buttons on it. Keybinding your defensive cooldowns will help you stay alive a lot longer. To access keybinds... Preferences > Keybinds Tab > Quickbar Slots. As an example, I keybind my flashbang to key F. Cleanse to key Q, Diagnostic Scan to E, etc. Don't be afraid to experiment with keybinds to find a setup that suits you. Half the fun of the game is exploring what does and does not work. 2. (In Huttball) If you find yourself in the same reticle as someone who is being passed to, if you stand on top of the person being passed to, you can jump to intercept the ball. It requires some timing, but with practice, you can intercept just about any pass. 3. (During Alderaan CW, Novare Coast, Ancient Hypergate) You can use your interrupt ability, to prevent people from capping for 4 seconds. 4. As a node defender, Your primary responsibility is to prevent the node from being captured until help arrives. You don't have to 1v1 or 1v2 anyone. Harass until help comes. Run, duck, hide, dodge, rotate your cooldowns, to stay alive as long as possible. 5. When guarding a defended node. You don't have to be on top of the node to gain defender points. Position yourself about 15 meters away from, to prevent sap caps. If sapped, the person sapping has to spend time coming out of stealth, (1 second), then move to the node to capture (1-2 seconds), then capture, (8 seconds), by the time they do all that, you'll be out of stun and able to stop. The longest stun only lasts 8 seconds. 6. While you're stunned, be sure to call for help while you wait. 1 G, means "1 enemy is at grass, please send help" and is easy enough to type. You don't have to write a novel, most people understand what the abbreviations mean. 7. Zoom your camera all the way out to 100% for a full field view. Preferences > Controls > Camera Max Distance This post ran long, so sorry for that. But these are some tips I've learned to help me a bit. I'm sure there's things I'm forgetting. The biggest thing I've learned playing is "Don't Panic". When you panic, you overcommit your team, you blow all your cooldowns trying to stay alive, you run away from the tank that could guard you, or the DPS that could peel for you.

I've done the 'in-game' date thing before and some of the locations and ideas I used were... - Rock climbing on Tattooine. There's a series of cliffs that you can RP scale down close to one of the datacrons. It's not the one on the Jawa Sandcrawler, nor the one that's hidden in the cave w/ the sand people. (Although that makes a good location too) - Fishing on Alderaan. There are several locations on or near rivers that you can RP going fishing. - Big game hunting on Belsavis. There are several large beasts on Belsavis that you can RP hunt. - Snowball fights on Alderaan. There are also plenty of locations on Alderaan that are snow covered. Building snowmen, or having snowball fights are good ways to spend a date. - Illegal speeder races through Kaas City, on Dromund Kaas. Took a date there once and had a really good time dodging the pacification droids that are peppered throughout the city. Hope this helps.

I couldn't agree more. In fact, I'll go even further to say that he should put his money where his mouth is. If he is as good as he says, then I challenge him to match the prize purse, as his entrance fee to the tournament. If he's truly as good as he says, then he should have no qualms about putting the money up. In fact, I think this should be his stipulation for entry.

Congratulations and keep it up. It looks like everyone had a really good time!