Project Amalgamation was a major project that affected the Dark Council's structure.
Summary
The proposal was written by Grand Master Jac Cotelin, Deputy Grand Master Kir Katarn, and Praetor to the Grand Master Acxodim Pyralis, with the official line of Streamlining Brotherhood Leadership leading the way. One of the reasons identified in Part I for the launch of the project was concerning overlapping duties in the Dark Council. The Councilors tasks were not clearly defined, and the Brotherhood was faced with conflicts in duties, and ambitious Councilors overstepping their boundaries while some Councilors refused to step out of their narrow spectrum of tasks. It got to the point that some important duties were not being carried out at all because they were not assigned to anyone specifically, and others did not get the attention needed because some Councilors were already overworked.
The project concluded with setting the stage for further small developmental steps, in order to establish an efficient, effective, and enduring leadership in the Brotherhood.
Projects/Duties Needing Definition
The following duties and projects, as identified in Part I of Project Amalgamation, needed further definition and assignment to a specific Councilor:
- Codex
- Clan Possession Supervision
- Order of Battle
- Gaming Nights
- Rules of Engagement
- Interclub Affairs
- Star Wars Gaming News
- Introduction of New Races
- Guilds
- Handbooks
- Order-based Academy Tests
- Position Handbooks
- Weeks of War
- Interclub Training Events
- Brotherhood Timeline
- Fictional Development
- Gaming Servers
- Equite/Elder Level Promotion Discussion
- Elite Stratum Medal Discussion
- Message Board Administration
- IRC Ops Management
- Vendetta Management
- Ship, Artifact, and Item Development
Goals
The primary goals of the Project, as identified in Part I, are as follows:
- Continuing to move the Council Towards a Unified Whole
- Identify Problems with Dark Council Structure and Expansion
- Identify Problems with Dark Council Office Duties
- Identify Problems with Order Leader Offices
- Identify Problems with Communication and Transitions
- Identify Problems with Brotherhood Infrastructure as it relates to the Dark Council
- Identify Areas of Progress made within the Dark Council
Positions Removed
Lord Archon - The Lord Archon was a position created solely for JaM3z, giving him the platform upon which to carry out the work he did for the website. With his retirement, the position became useless, because its duties are carried out by the Seneschal anyways. Any task that had been specifically assigned to the Lord Archon was shifted over to the Seneschal, and the position was removed.
Oracle - The Oracle was a position created specifically for Trevarus Caerick, and with his retirement it was rendered completely obsolete. Thus, the Oracle position was removed under Part II of the project.
Order Leaders - Three more positions to be removed were the Order leaders: Obelisk High Commander, Krath High Priest, and Sith High Warrior. Their assignments had dwindled to reflect a very small realm of the Brotherhood, and had become quite irrelevant. The small duties remaining under their reigns were shifted to other Councilors. Thus, three more Dark Council positions were removed.
New Duties
With the removal of five Dark Council positions, there were a few new roles to be reassigned. This was another important change carried out under Part II of the project, as it standardized the roles commonly accepted among the Councilors. A list of the full and complete duties of the Dark Council directly following Project Amalgamation can be found at the end of Part II.
Grand Master
• Decides on Ship/Weapon Awards for Major Competitions (with DGM and LH)
• Accepts Map and Level Designs Created by Members
• Fictional Development of the Brotherhood
• Fictional Development of the Orders
• Dark Side Compendium
• Codex
• Historical archiving
• Dark Voice
Praetor to the Grand Master
• Keeps Order of Battle Updated
• Keeps Order of Artifacts Updated
Deputy Grand Master
• Decides on Ship/Weapon Awards for Major Competitions (with GM and LH)
• Responsible for 1-2 “Mini-GJWs” per Year (In cooperation with others, used to replace Order Wars)
• Participates in judging of Monthly Topics
Praetor to the Deputy Grand Master:
• Primarily responsible for the Monthly Writing Topics
Gaming Manager
• Runs Gaming Nights
• Maintains Point System Totals
• Updates Rules of Engagement when necessary
Lord Hegemon
• Development of Order Powers (with CM)
• Primarily responsible for Writers Corner
Combat Master
• Development of Order Powers (with LH)
Master at Arms
• Directly responsible for ensuring parity between clans in order-level promotions
Covenant Modification
To keep future Grand Masters from simply creating new positions, tossing in a bit of authority, and then not assigning specific duties, a new article was added to the Dark Covenant.
"In accordance with Article I, Section 1.02a, the following amendment to Article IV, Section 4.01, will be added to the Covenant:
Article IV. Pillars of the Brotherhood
Section 4.01 The Dark Council
(e) Prior to the creation of any new Dark Council position, the Grand Master must ensure that proper planning and documentation has occurred. This includes but is not limited to: illustration of the position’s presence in the Dark Council, delineation of all duties as they relate to the new position and other positions, and updates to relevant Dark Brotherhood documents and manual. No new position may be announced or created without documentation ensuring this process has occurred. Grand Masters are encouraged to use the Tribunal positions before expanding the Dark Council."