The Master-Student Program, the system originated in House Acclivis Draco under the guidance of Michael Halcyon, Quaestor of the House at the time, was used throughout the Brotherhood as the primary way of training Journeymen. This system was made obsolete by the introduction of a unified Promotion Requirements.
Below is a list of the rules as were first envisaged and agreed by the creators. These were written when Order-specific Houses were the norm, and references are made as such. This document remains in place for historical reasons.
The First Draft
Rules for the Master/Student program
1) Rank Division
All Masters will be of the rank of Dark Jedi Knight or above. By the same token, all Students will be the rank of Jedi Hunter or below. The purpose of the Master/Student pairings is for junior Dark Jedi to receive assistance from the senior members of the Clan. The final goal is for the Students to attain DJK and their lightsabers, thus the division.
2) Length of Service
A Master/Student pairing is absolute and is not to be broken until the Student achieves DJK. However, a pairing can be terminated if either of the two Dark Jedi go AWOL or certain extreme circumstance arise (to be reviewed by the House/Clan summit). The reason for this is to show how important the mentorship program is and to keep Masters from ditching Students when another member comes along. Students and Masters alike should give serious thought before selecting their partner, as it may last up to a year or possibly longer.
3) Initiating a Master/Student pairing
The Master/Student partnership is formed by either the prospective Master or Student. The Master isn't required to ask the Student first, nor is the Student required to ask first. When the Student or Master finds someone they think they can work with comfortably, then they should ask their partner via email, mIRC, or by other means. If the other member accepts, the Master should contact the House and Clan summit VIA EMAIL.
4) Number of students allowable
Always two there are... a Master and an Apprentice...
This is taken directly from the Star Wars universe.
We adhere to this rule not only for that sake, but for the sake of the Master and Student. Each Master will be allowed only one Student, unless given special permission from the Clan Summit. This is so that each student will get the full attention of their Master.
It is also to keep Masters from overloading themselves or neglecting one Student while favoring another.
5) Multiple Students
Multiple Students will be a rare phenomenon. A Master can only take an additional student if that student is in another Order within the Clan. Hence a Master can have at maximum three students at a time, but that would be an extreme case. A Master may take a cross-Order Student only if he has sufficient knowledge and ability to train in the Student's Order. Hence, to take a Obelisk or Sith Student, the Master would be required to have at least one of the gaming platforms that the student has. Preferably the newest and most advanced. To take a Krath Student, the Master must have some skill in the ways of writing Stories/Poetry/Run-ons/etc. Also, at some time in their career the Master must have been part of the Order they wish to train in (within reason). Whenever a Master feels he is capable of handling another student, his request will be handled on a case-by-case evaluation by the Clan summit.
6) Awards for Masters
The benefits for Students is obvious and great. But many Masters may wonder "Do I gain anything from this experience?" The answer is yes. You will gain prestige in your house and will be viewed on a higher level by your summit (House and Clan). However, if you have done an exemplary job, you may be in line for a reward. Rewards will be on a case-by-case evaluation by the Clan summit, but the likely reward would be a Star of Eos or a Steel Cross. The award will be bestowed upon the graduation of your Student.
These rules were written in conjuction by Obelisk Battlelord Michael Halcyon, Consul Cuchulain Darkblade, and ProConsul Saitou of Clan Scholae Palatinae.
May 28, 2002
Official DB Guidelines
Following on from the very sucessful implimentation of the MSP across CSP, and interest from other Clans, the HM asked that a guidance document be put together detailing the whole of the Programme for wider use. Again, these are from a time where being part of an Order had true meaning on the individual roles each member had to play within the DJB.
MSP for dummies!
Written by Cuchulain Darkblade on 23rd July 2003
When Kaiann asked me to write this document, I did not intend it to turn into a history lesson! I have however found it easier to write when talking about the changes and developments that happened during the creation of the Master/Student Program. I hope that you find it useful.
The MSP was devised roughly two years ago in House Acclivis Draco by Mike Halcyon, and has since been taken up first by the whole of Clan Scholae Palatinae, and then was then adapted by all Clan’s for their own use. Soon after the Shadow Academy released it’s own guidelines for official use across the whole of the Brotherhood. This document is to give more of an insight as to the original plans for the MSP from one of the people who had a hand in creating it. Please note that these notes and the guidelines found in the Shadow Academy website (http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.org/dbjedi/shadowacademy/sa/index.html) are only to act as a guide. It has always been seen as something that is completely adaptable to the needs of the Master and Student, and can therefore be counted as a constant work-in-progress due to changes made by individual partnerships, as they learn how to work off and for one another.
The purpose of the MSP is two-fold:
•To provide junior (experience wise, not age wise) DB members with the guidance of someone who has been in a longer time,
•And to help that junior member reach the rank of DJK as soon as possible, according to how much time they can devote to DB affairs.
Masters must realise that even though in the RPGing environment they are in charge, their primary function when they take a Student is that they as Master must do the majority of the serving. A Master is there for the good and benefit of the Student, just as any level of leader is there for the good and benefit of the general member ‘under their control’. It was not created for senior Dark Jedi to become teachers and junior Dark Jedi to sit there and gawp at them in wonder of their skills. It was created as a means to encourage activity, and as an easier way to keep check on the progress of the junior Dark Jedi. If a Quaestor had a House evenly divided between those who are DJK and above and those who are Jedi Hunter and below, then he can easily keep a closer eye on exactly what all members of the House are doing if they are all part of partnerships.
The main purpose, aside from the textbook answers above, is for fun and a closer Clan community. Apart from the Master learning or honing their leadership skills in taking a Student, the pair should also grow a bond. If the whole of a Clan is participating in the MSP in one form or another then it leads to a happier time for everyone, and boosts morale across the Clan.
There are rules to the MSP, but these are to be seen only as guidelines. The first set of rules that were drawn up is listed below. These are the main points where lines cannot be blurred. These are set in stone and must be adhered to.
•Master/Student Ranks: Masters must be of the rank of Dark Jedi Knight or above; Students are of the rank of Jedi Hunter or below. Masters and Students must be in the same Order and in the Clan.
•"Always two there are... a Master and an apprentice..." This says it all, a Master may only take one Student. A Student may have only one Master.
•Finishing the Program: A Master/Student pairing is absolute and will not be terminated until the student reaches Dark Jedi Knight. This is to emphasize the importance of the pairing. However, a pair may be split up if a Student or Master is forced to go Rogue or otherwise leave the Clan.
These extra rules were then drafted up as the MSP caught on and expanded outside of House Acclivis Draco and into the rest of Clan Scholae Palatinae. As other Clans and Houses took on the three main rules, they each adapted them to match what was needed for their members.
•The DJK Trials: When a Student reaches Jedi Hunter, their Master should create a set of trials for their final major rank elevation. It should be approved by the House Summit that the student is a member of. (By the Clan summit if the Master is a Quaestor or Aedile). The trials must be reasonable and achievable. Upon completion the Student must be promoted.
•Cross Order Pairing: Masters may be able to take multiple students in rare occasions. However, there are many restrictions. The Master must be proficient in both Orders that he wishes to teach in. The Student must be a member of the Clan. The Master must also obtain permission from the Clan Summit.
•Master Rewards: Though the program is geared for the junior member's benefits, it is only fitting that the Master be rewarded for his efforts and work as well. A Master's reward will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Clan Summit.
Each single M/S pairing should be different. The whole point is that you should be taking part in something that you enjoy doing, and there is no set format, apart from these rules above, that can be laid out to explain exactly how it should be run. Master’s should remember that they are there to help the Student in any way possible, and each Master should change how they plan activities depending on their Student.
It is a good idea for Master’s to ask the Students at the beginning of the pairing what they hope to get from the Master. Faster, more efficient promotion to DJK is the obvious one, but the Student may want something else. I’m terrible at JO and XWA and I have both games, so if I were a Student I’d be trying to get my Master to help me out with those.
One thing I have done with my Krath Students after asking them what they want to get out of it, is play “Lesson Tennis”. I start off by writing an opening story of how my character first addresses the Student as a Student, laying out what I expect yadda-yadda-yadda, with my character being his typical self, drinking loads, swearing and giving the student loads of meaningless tasks to carry out (that actually have a hidden meaning). The Student replies with the next lesson, trying to get my character, but concentrating more on themselves. This goes on and on throughout the rest of the M/S stuff, and by the time the Student is to be promoted to DJK they should know the Master’s character very well.
Of course, this “Lesson Tennis” does not have to remain in the classroom in the story. Should the Student wish specifically to write about something else, say a space battle, then that too is done, with the two M/S characters being the main characters in the story. This also has the added bonus of the Student being able to develop their RPG character in a way that may not have been done on such a scale before, apart from the few people who do make this a serious part of the DB career.
As a Master, your main aim is to make sure that your Student is enjoying what they are doing, are having fun, and to give them more of the same.
As a Student, your main aim is to make sure your Master is well aware of what you enjoy doing, and to make sure they know if you are having fun or not.