House Palpatine Report #5

Greetings, members of House Palpatine! This month brings us a new platform, new competitions, and a completed first volume of the Annals of House Palpatine!

Let us begin!

The first volume of the Annals of House Palpatine has been written! Kudos to ST Habu, ST Maston Dane, ST Westric Davalorn, JUG Master, JUG Mordred, MRD KEBLAOMEGA, ACO JetMech, ACO Nova Discordia, and NOV OL" Davy Jonez for their submissions! For many of you, the completion of this creative work means that you have taken the next step towards achieving the rank of Knight and earning the right to carry your lightsaber openly!

To say I am impressed with this recent batch of entries is an understatement. You all did a terrific job, and regardless of the rankings for award purposes, each and every one of you should feel tremendously proud of your creations.

With that stated... I am proud to issue the following awards:

• For seventh place, ACO JetMech will be awarded the Crescent with Quartz Star
• For sixth place, ST Westric Davalorn will be awarded the Crescent with Topaz Star
• For fifth place, JUG Master will be awarded the Crescent with Emerald Star
• For fourth place, MRD KEBLAOMEGA will be awarded the Crescent with Sapphire Star
• For third place, ST Maston Dane will be awarded the Crescent with Amethyst Star
• For second place, JUG Mordred will be awarded the Crescent with Ruby Star
• For first place, NOV OL" Davy Jonez will be awarded the Crescent with Diamond Star

Thanks again to all of our participants! As a friendly reminder, you are more than welcome to pursue your creative works at any time... but you can also rest assured that there will be future volumes of the Annals of House Palpatine...

It's summer time! Time to kick back, relax, and enjoy a different sort of competition... something I like to call... the Summer of Sheev

Here's how it works. This summer, starting June 14th, we'll have three different challenges or events: one for PvE, one for PvP, and one for SP. What order will they occur? What will be the goal? What will be the platform? Those things will be a surprise, and announced at the start of the event!

Potential challenges/events include...

• Best score in a specific DB battle (TIE, XvT, XWA)
• Highest score in a PvE match (Helldivers 2, EABF2, Squadrons)
• Largest number of Cluster of Fires earned (all PvP platforms)
• Fastest completion time for specific DB battle (XvT, XWA)
• Highest kill count in a PvE match (Helldivers 2, EABF2, Squadrons)
• Most unique platforms CoF earned on (all PvP platforms)
• Highest kill count in a PvP match (Hunters, EABF2)
• Lowest score in a specific DB battle (TIE, XvT, XWA)

Each challenge will run for three weeks. We won't have a repeat in categories either, so once there's been, say, an SP event, there won't be any more.

Crescents will be awarded to the top performers for each event, with the Crescent level to be determined based on the number of participants.

For more information, please view the competition listing. Please reach out if you have any questions!

The first challenge will be announced on June 14th! Be prepared!

To coincide with the worldwide release of Star Wars: Hunters, the Secret Order is proud to announce day #1 support for this new platform as a new primary game!

If you haven't heard of it, Star Wars: Hunters is a new third-person competitive arena combat game available on mobile (iPhone/Android) and on the Nintendo Switch for free. Considering the price tag of free (and no Nintendo Switch Online subscription required for playing on the Switch), I highly recommend you give it a go!

To help promote the new platform, the Master-At-Arms has announced a new competition: Hunt the Prize!. From now through June 25th, please send any and all winning screenshots with the match result screen for Hunters matches to the MAA (INQ Taurus). Crescents will be awarded to the top performing Hunters during this time period!

Star Wars: Hunters matches will also be eligible for Clusters of Fire. While the exact formula for that platform has yet to be determined, for now, simply follow the competition guidelines and send ANY winning Hunters match to the MAA. The appropriate CoFs will be awarded once the exact formula is locked down. Keep an eye on the Discord channel for more information.

For more information, please view the competition listing and reach out to the MAA, INQ Taurus or the P:MAA, ST Legion Ordo, if you have any questions!

Happy Hunting!

The Herald recently announced the winner of the House Palpatine Crest competition - our own JUG Mordred! Congrats!

To align with our new crest, I've shifted to including it in all of House Palpatine-related media, including this report. It's another step forward into our present era as a reformed organization and as a new House!

With a regular influx of new arrivals to the Secret Order, I believe there's still value in a monthly drop of current guidelines and expectations for members of the Secret Order. So please find this month's updated section below, with some additions to account for new platforms and guideline clarifications.

EXPECTATIONS

The expectations here are pretty simple: participate with the Secret Order! That sounds obvious, but it's worth stating. Participation comes in many forms, of course - whether it's participating in a Secret Order competition, playing one of our many supported platforms, creating fiction or art, or simply hanging out in the Discord channel, the base expectation is that you're here to engage with the Secret Order. There's a lot of different avenues to participate in, and sometimes that can be overwhelming. But if you're having trouble finding something to do, please reach out to me directly and we'll work something out.

For our TC-dedicated members, there is an expectation that you do more than simply sign up for the Secret Order and forget about it. Yes, much of your TC activity will count here as well, but for rewards and progress, we'd still like to see some SO-specific participation - whether that be with the type of activities (CoFs, DB SP missions, Shadow Academy, etc.), SO-specific platforms (Hunters, GoH, Helldivers 2, STO, JA), or simply engaging in the Secret Order Discord channel with your fellow House Palpatine members. Please reach out if you have any questions!

CLUSTER OF FIRE

Clusters of Fire (CoFs), the SO medal for victory in PvP matches, are still submitted via a manual process. You must e-mail the screenshot of your MP winning match to our Master-At-Arms INQ Taurus (themadbull99@gmail.com) and (optionally) to myself, KNT Locke Setzer (locke.f.setzer@gmail.com).

As a quick refresher, for all platforms except Galaxy of Heroes (which just requires winning a round in a Grand Arena Event), CoFs are earned not just by winning a PvP match, but by placing in the top 50% of all participants. Or, in other words, placing in the top half of all participants (not just your team members). For example:

• In matches with 3 or less players on each team, only the 1st place player (according to score/kills/efficiency) would be eligible.
• In matches with 4-5 players on each team, only the 1st or 2nd place player (according to score/kills/efficiency) would be eligible.
• In matches with 6 players on each team, only the 1st, 2nd or 3rd place player (according to score/kills/efficiency) would be eligible.

RANKS

Promotions are granted to individuals who have engaged in Secret Order related activities for the minimum specified time period for their current rank (at least). There are, however, three ranks that require an additional action to achieve.

• Acolyte - In order for a Novice to be promoted to Acolyte, they must complete the DB:CORE exam, located here.
• Stalker - In order for a Juggernaut to be promoted to Stalker, they must complete a creative work demonstrating how their character acquired the parts to make a lightsaber. Fiction is the common route, but there are many other options available. Please consult with the Herald (along with your House Leader) to identify if your desired creative work will be accepted before proceeding.
• Knight - In order for a Stalker to be promoted to Knight (and be granted the ability to wear a lightsaber openly, including on their TIE Corps uniform), they must complete all Shadow Academy courses regarding lightsaber construction, as well as a creative work demonstrating how their character assembled their lightsaber. Fiction is the common route, but there are many other options available. Please consult with the Herald (along with your House Leader) to identify if your desired creative work will be accepted before proceeding.

TRACKING ACTIVITY

As your Quaestor, I want to ensure that you are properly rewarded for everything you do. Keep in mind, however, that I can only see the things that appear in the database (SP/MP submissions, IU courses completed, competition awards granted, fiction submissions posted to your account, etc.) or submitted through a SO-approved form (such as the Helldivers 2 submissions form). I do keep an eye on Discord (especially for things in #artworks-and-writing), but if you participate in a competition, game, or perform any kind of DB approved activity that doesn't include a submission or award through the website, I'll only know about it if you tell me. So please do so!

At the very least, as we come to the end of the month, if there's something you think I should know about that you participated in that I otherwise wouldn't, please drop me an e-mail or message on Discord so that I can include it. I want to make sure you're getting full marks for everything you do here, but I can only account for the things I can see. So please help me to see more, when needed!

That's all for this month! Please reach out if you have any questions about any competition or activity currently going on (whether it be Summer of Sheev, Star Wars: Hunters, or something else), or just have any questions about the Secret Order in general. My door is always open!

In Service,

KNT Locke Setzer