These items were in the recent newsletter that got mailed out to 2/3rds of our userbase (sorry for not getting it to everyone..somewhat of a learning experience this first time around with our new bulk mailing application).

Campaigns: The Road Ahead
We have been giving a lot of thought to how the Campaigns (group builds) area should be tweaked. I had been hoping to have much of these changes implemented by the 16th but it appears the holidays are cramping my coding time to the extreme. Here is what the new Campaigns system will likely shape up to be.

Operations - This will be the designation for larger group builds. Operations are akin to their military namesake in that they are a bit bigger in scale and have more complexity than other group builds. We will be doing a limited number of these per year. The Dutch groups "Remember Market Garden" is a perfect example of what future "Operations" will be like.

Missions - You guessed it. Missions will be the other designation for group builds that do not meet the Operations-level requirements. Missions will still have the benefit of being listed in the Campaigns section with a few less features that will be given to the Operations-level Campaigns.

The new system will rely more heavily on the Campaigns forum to track posts and journal entries. Also member will be able to use the new gallery to upload their images and insert them more easily in their forum posts. Hopefully this extended functionality will be available before the New Year.


Campaigns: Apprentice Guild Exercises (AGE)
The Apprentice Guild is a new group we will be organizing for young modelers (up to age 17). This new group will engage in a quarterly campaign contest to learn new skills and engage in some fun group building exercises. Everyone who joins in will be a winner but 3 members will be picked each campaign to receive some special awards (to be announced). This is all about having some fun and promoting the hobby and I would like to congratulate the members of the Armorama Guard for conceiving and offering to run this youth orientated activity on the site (as well as covering some of the costs). For more information check out the news story on the site.

Cheers,
Jim

Looks like cool stuff......I'm one of the Third that never got the Newsletter....

I'm ready. "Apprentice Guild Exercises," is just too darn clever.

Shaun

Hi Jim

I missed out on the Newletter , but the new campaign ideas sound great!

Making everything "official" - just different in scale- is a really neat solution.

I'll add a link to the first AGE over on A-UK as soon as the Campaign's sorted.

All the best

Rowan

Darn Cool Jim!!

sounds like a good change jim,

how would you class the british/commonweath group build we started,

would it be an operation or a mission, there are 27 participants up to yet,

cheers

joe

Neither me got the newsletter but the news are good . I like the Campaign thing, It gives motive, "pressure" and forces productivity and searching . Go on , and check the "lost 1/3 d" (Campaign Name )

yeah i never go tthe newsletter either but this is osunds great. the (age) program sounds fantastic since i am one of the ones it applyys to cant wait for it to start thx alot jim.

Graeme

Graeme,

Staff Jim posted that in December of 2003. We have had two AGE campaigns since then. Don't dispair though. AGE 3 will start sometime next year.

Shaun

oh man im sorry i gotta start reading the post dat damn. ok thx for the info.

Graeme

Can't wait till AGE 3. The last two were a real success.

Good ideas Jim

Giving younger modellers a place to connect with others is great

Keep up the good work

Brian