Chase

Really? That's awesome, and completely accidental at the same time. (sorry about that, I don't know how I did it.......) Thank you, knight in woolly armor.

Hey, guys! If there's anything I enjoy as much as Gardevoir, it's Gallade! Where and the sam hill can you find one them there Dawn Stones to make this a thing for me?

NOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT SHEEP!!!! @ Jacze - why am I not surprised.. Mikzal

Even though I for one will ALWAYS disagree about doing something roster related that involves a battlers skill level as a means to try and achieve a win, I can't blame anyone for wanting to act in such a manner. However, if you want a complaint, I'll serve you one that every time I've been put on a roster, I've had to swallow my pride, make my team, and get over it, because the match-ups are the most stable, least suspicious part of this competition. My first opponent was your aforementioned Kamina, Equi, in week 3. Again, as you've already admitted yourself, you have put Kam in as a starter every single week. I -already- know that you were limited in options, but when Roo gave you two people, Why was Kam not subbed out for one of them? The guy's won a match every week for this contest's existence, don't you think he -DESERVES- a break for a week? That's where someone like me can come in and make the claim that you leave Kam in, first and foremost, EVEN WHEN GIVEN the opportunity to sub him out, in order to increase your chances of winning. You're the nation leader. You don't have to ask Kam's permission to put him on the bench. I promise. ...I don't have sour grapes. Kam beat me, and broke no rules in doing so, but if we're going to improve Nations as a whole, we have to make improvements to how we run things so that it's not only all inclusive, but as fair as possible. Gaming the system makes the competition not a friendly one, and I can assure, there's no material prize at the end, as far as any of us know. Anyways, refute that one. There's your argument.

Well, Equi, you can look at my thread in two different ways. 1. I'm calling out EVERYONE, because all nations have some degree of limitations and at some point are guilty of using people multiple weeks to some extent OR 2. I'm calling out nobody and calling attention to a problem that Nations is suffering from, but from all angles. I like to think my intentions represent the latter, because I don't want this thread to be a royal public shaming area. That's not going to help Nations improve, it's not going to garner support from those that ARE showing up and representing their nation either on their rosters or behind the scenes, and it's not going to solve the issue at hand. I don't have to tell you that you aren't the main person that would be targeted, as several other Nation leaders have come up and spoken their peace thinking that if I did have a target, that it would have been them. I just want everyone to get their shot, and I want Nations to grow (-which in turn, would fix your issues with having a very small pool of people to choose from.) My biggest concern is that right now, the numbers don't match up with the participation, and, as evidenced by Gaunt, there's MULTIPLE reasons behind it. Some of which, are not on the fault of no-shows. Are no-shows the biggest issue as of right now? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean you should make the assumption that they really don't want to participate. For that reason, Rose exemplified a brilliant way to connect with distant Nation members, and I feel that before we start trimming down rosters, that we should reach out to them first. This is Pokemon, a game that everyone should have the right to enjoy, not a sport that should encourage competition within the team for 'playing time.'

Sweet. One of the Pokemon I really liked was Cubchoo when playing through White, because it was the first pokemon I got off the Dream World, packed with it's nonsense Swift Swim ability, which makes it a "somewhat-not-mediocre" physical attacker on rain teams. (Gen 5 was the beginning of my flirtations with competitive battling, and for what' it's worth, I didn't learn anything aside from how to EV train and how painstaking hatching eggs could be.) So, YEAH CUBCHOO. Another thing I like to see is Phantump. I don't use Trevenant for it's intended, wallish purposes either, but one of the neatest looking attacks in X and Y was Phantom Force, the ghost type equivalent of Bounce, Dig, and Fly, that showed it popping up behind the opponent to attack. Always thought this line was pretty cool.

Do -what- to her? Back at ya, Sheep.

Nonono! My name's HILDA. Say it with me...HIL-DUHH....HIL....DUHH....*gestures from right to left* Ten points if the next person can name the movie that the previous line is gleaned from. Hint: It does involve bears. VInny.

It came down a single Pokemon. That's about as close as it can possibly get. Thanks for the series of dances, Mythic. You guys are a solid nation.

probably, but not outside YOUR window. Rose.

That's something that should be discussed in whole as a community. When you stick someone in an ALTERNATE slot, sure, they may get lucky and be subbed in, as Bagel was, but the potential is there for the alternate slots to work like a shelf, and that's without any kind of shady business going on above in the actual starting roster. Personally, I don't think you can definitively say an alternate slot is a roster slot UNLESS you know for sure that person can't make it. In Bagel's case, he did make it... It wouldn't hurt to treat a guy like he's a person, regardless of how much said person is difficult to talk to.

Lost a tough match against Skitty, who had two pokemon left standing.

Wow, I appreciate the input everyone. This, so far has been a fantastic way to open the discussion. Not too much flaming and the topic wasn't derailed. This seems to be working out. I want to remind everyone that if you have a problem concerning roster management and inclusion of all of your team, from finding missing members to needing new members etc, or if you notice something that is remotely related to the topic of inclusion in general. DO discuss it here. Working backwards.... @ Renzo - While I don't think Volcanic should take any heat for past roster issues at all (hiccups are to be expected, the project is still in it's infancy), I think any time a Nation member is disgruntled enough to be run out of the nation, it -should- speak volumes. I don't see how he's playing the victim at all, but rather that he was uninformed of the situation at hand. If he knew he was going to be placed in a roster so often because of lack of options, and it was addressed clearly (and mind you, politely), perhaps he wouldn't have bolted on you guys in the first place. @ Gaunt - THANK YOU for coming around and reading this. If you happen to know any other confused nations members that may or may not know they are missing out due to uninformed inactivity, PLEASE FILL THEM IN OR DIRECT THEM TO THIS THREAD. It should be known that you not knowing what to do after signing up was NOT your fault, as the entire operation from there on out worked on a mere assumption instead of seamlessly making all competitors aware of what they needed to do from that signing up onward. This is where registration may need to be reformed and moderated more closely, so you stepping up and admitting a lack of knowledge is indeed helpful, and noted. If anyone is willing to allow me the opportunity to confirm the ability of potential nation members from here on out, I can help confirm potential members. @ Nation Leaders that shared their roster filling methods or experiences - Thank you all very much. I now have a better understanding of having a small pool to work with and the gravity Reason #1 has effected your tasks. Your experiences also give me a better understanding of how your job works. I hope we can continue working together to bring in new members, inform them, and make our nations able to fill their slots. @ Sir Bagel - Thank you for stopping by and voicing your experience. I for one, feel that your information is valid and deserves the same grain of salt those complaining about Reasoning #1 will receive, because it was a personal experience that caused you to leave. I don't think you were victimized, per se, but you were not informed of the difficulty your Nation Leader was facing as a result of R1 and therefore were thrust into action in a surprisingly short amount of time since you last battled, without understanding why. I encourage you to rejoin your nation, make your peace, and continue to aid in Volcanic's push for victory. (which all nations DO desire. The point of this thread is that overall enjoyment by everyone and fairness are more important than getting the "w")

I would love to agree with you Void, because I wouldn't have spent all night working on this thread here. However, the problem isn't JUST because people are inactive.

Again, I wasn't aiming to shame anyone. I have multiple goals for this thread. 1. People discuss how to make Nations more inclusive down the road. 2. People that drifted away can see they are MUCH needed. 3. Those in charge can see public complaints about complications regarding inclusion and roster management.

Exactly, Tao. Reason #1 is the first thing I listed because I KNOW that 70 percent of the problem is coming from misleading roster availability and lack of participation from those that signed up. I only mentioned the other six reasons because those who -may- or -may not- be out there and STILL haven't gotten a chance, or may have been run out of their nation because of the way it was run, also need to know that there is a spot for them. I wouldn't blame you for not putting someone on your roster if they weren't there to compete. Most of the problem isn't any one person, but the way the challenges have been launched without solidifying most of the people that signed up. I wish I didn't have to point anything else out, but it happened nonetheless and due to those same complications of not really having enough people active, it's GOING to have an effect on the outcome of the contest.

*notices new person quoting 'Mulan'* ...She can stay.

and finally, Reason 7: Pre-determined Line-Ups That Feature All-Star Competitors on a Weekly Basis This one is self explanatory. If you have a Nation Leader that likes to put certain battlers up on a weekly basis, that lessens the amount of slots that new battlers can be placed in. Reasons for this are, but are not limited to... 1. Said battler has shown consistent success in challenges, which would help win challenges. 2. Said battler has been in the Nation Leaders face on Sunday morning at midnight wanting to compete, and have the resume to bolster their argument. 3. Said battler has a more favorable bias from the Leader than you, and MANY of your nation members do. 4. The Nation Leader is being remotely negligent and is allowing week-to-week performances to happen because it makes his/her role as a leader easier. ...and possibly other things. All of which, are depriving and all of which, are wrong.

Reason 6: Failing to Survive in Intra-National Tournaments (Particularly in Early Rounds) If you are reading this, and you HAVE NOT competed, allow me to explain what IS associated with PokeNations, and what isn't. 1. Your nation may plan as a group about your best pokemon and strategies to use against the opposing Nation 2. You may engage in practice battles to assist in team building for those who are on the roster, and provide experience for those who are not 3. You may compose informational notes as a group or by oneself. 4. The actual CHALLENGE part of the contest is simple. You battle the opponent that is drawn from the opposing nation to battle you, following the week's restrictions. ....what IS NOT required is having to show success in a tournament/ladder/best-of-#/whatever setup in order to make a roster. These implications, if being imposed by your nation leader, are wrongful and result in not only your lack of ability to compete, but also allow for consistently skilled battlers to make the roster.

Reason 5: Bias Aside From Pokemon In General Do you ever get the feeling that people just don't "like" you for some reason? Maybe the issue behind your inability to compete is simply because your nation leader has a negative outlook on something that is associated with your character as opposed to Pokemon knowledge or battling ability. If this is the case, you are being wronged.

Reason 4: Your Lack of Success Against A Fellow Nation Member's Winning Track Record This reasoning behind not getting on a roster can be due to a number a factors. You could be a novice at competitive battling and those on the roster may be to some degree, more experienced. You could be the most unlucky trainer of all time, having to deal with an above average amount of "hax" in order to remotely have a chance to win, on a regular basis. You could be a renowned "negative K/D ratio" trainer, who is known for losing more than winning. You could be even be somewhat decent at battling, but the people getting the nod above you are even more so. Regardless of whatever the reason is, you are being overshadowed by those getting who seem to be more successful, and as such, you are indeed being wronged.

Reason 3: First Come, First Serve Now, I have to personally express that having an interest to compete would be certainly demonstrated and visible if you are able to quickly submit your interest to your Nation Leader. This is NOT A FAULT caused by said leader, unless he is allowing those who have competed before to have priority above you. In which case, LEADERS. STOP THAT NONSENSE. If you get beat by 5 people that ALSO have not been able to compete, then your out of luck for that week if your Nation Leader goes by "First Come, First Serve" when determining roster slots. It's legitimate and doesn't rig the contest...FOR NOW. In the future, it may come under suspect if the SAME people are making the roster on a weekly basis. I'll take the time NOW to say it. One of the problems that I have seen is that people are getting placed on the roster on a week-to-week basis, and that not only gives the impression that some battlers are more prioritized than others based on preference or skill, but also aids in leaving out other nation members.

Reason 2: Your Skill Level In Comparison to Others in Your Nation Unfortunately, now is the time where the reasons behind your lack of battle at this point are not associated with your mistakes, but rather your nation leaders, coupled with those who are given the ability to scout out the relative talent everyone in the nation has. Perhaps, you're not getting the nod because you have been deemed by your nation leader (and Co.) that your ability to battle competitively is not adequate, and here's what I have to say about that. That shouldn't prevent you from getting a chance. Nation leaders, I understand that your chances of winning increase when your roster slots have exceptional competitive ability. That's not a good enough reason to deny someone who has been in your nation the right to compete, and those who haven't competed yet SHOULD HAVE PRIORITY over those who have, when they are indeed ready and available to battle. The consequences of making someone feel inadequate result in them having a negative experience, and that causes them to leave with a negative impression of the Reborn community. We don't want that here.

Reason 1: Inactive Nation Members Now, for you nation leaders out there, I can certainly understand you thinking "I can't just put someone who I don't know and who I know for certain has not showed up and put ANY effort into being considered for participation." So before I start making wild assumptions in later posts, here's what needs to be said to everyone who is aligned with a Nation, especially those who have yet to compete. Be there, Be Available, Fulfill your Commitment. Seriously. It will help out your Nation Leader when deciding who will compete on a week to week basis if all that needs to be said is "This person hasn't competed yet, and he/she is here wanting to." If you need help finding out what Pokemon Online is, ask around these forums. If you need to know where to go once you have Pokemon Online, it's the Pokemon Reborn Server. Your leaders are nominated in your nation's thread and most of the time, they will have the same PO alias as they do here on the forums. If you really want to compete, it would help if you voiced your concerns and took the initiative. FOR NOW though, here's how, in the future, we can make registering for Nations a bit more reassuring for everyone involved, so that nobody gets left out, and on the other end, no leader is left wondering who or where you are. 1. The applicant must apply via the forums. (this already happens) 2. The applicant must then prove they can and are able to access Pokemon Online and the Reborn Server (this will need some moderation and any help anyone can provide on the application forum to back this up would suffice) 3. AFTER PROVEN ABLE, the applicant will then be assigned to a Nation on the forums (already happens without prerequisite) 4. The applicant must then notify the NATION LEADER of their existence, and address their intent to compete. 5. The applicant is now finished with application duties.