Decree of the Sith

[Ivan Moldavi]

This is a repost of a message I shared with the Brotherhood of Darkness on the NSO headquarters a few days ago outlining my ideas regarding our system of government and how I believe it should change to accommodate a more open system. Since this has spawned some confusion in our Press Conference and elsewhere I decided to share it here as well.

Most alliances that are not completely democratic (and thus somewhat cumbersome and slow) have to deal with the concept of the glass ceiling.

At some point every member knows that they can not move beyond a certain position without favoritism, brown nosing or some other issue that has little to nothing to do with merit. I take some level of personal pride in being able to differentiate between niceties and meritable abilities. However, even I have been known to allow some level of complacency to set in regarding those that are in appointed positions.

Therefore, I am going to do what I can to shatter the concept of a glass ceiling in the NSO. When I first thought of the Challenge system I believed it unique and fun, but at the same time worried that it would be a complete failure. The Brotherhood has proven me wrong. They recognize the merits of some and have let them maintain their positions unchallenged and they recognize the weaknesses of others and have sought to remove them as necessary.

I do not believe that level of discernment by the common member should be limited in just the Councils. Therefore, I am taking it upon myself, as ruler of the Sith, to alter the Challenge system to include every level of the alliance.

I am restructuring the Darth Council to have a fixed number of Sith Lords, each of which can be challenged by Masters, and a Dark Lord to rule them, and serve as my apprentice (regent). I am going to take up the title Sith Emperor, along with continuing in the role of Dark Lord of the Sith (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sith_Emperor), and will myself be open to Challenge.

I will be posting the new Challenge structures in just a bit. Ultimately, the direction and leadership of the alliance lies with the Brotherhood. No leader can ever take that away from you.

And these are the new procedures by which we determine who rules the Sith:

These are the new Challenge Guidelines for all levels.

Doppelganger was voted into the position of Dark Lord of the Sith a few nights ago by the Darth Council. Sith Lords will be open for Challenge on a staggered basis every two weeks, with a full rotation taking at least two months. The reason for the staggering is so that we do not have more than one "freshman" member of the DC at any point in time. Two months under my direct supervision is enough to make a veteran out of anyone. The policy for Marauders and Masters has not changed.

Challenge Policy Regarding Marauders and Masters

I. An Acolyte may only challenge one Sith Marauder at a time.

II. A Sith Marauder may only challenge their own Master Sith Marauder.

III. Only one challenge is permitted against any sitting Sith Marauder or Master Sith Marauder every two weeks.

IV. Any Acolyte making a challenge against a Sith Marauder must have at least two members endorsing his challenge within 24 hours of the initial post within the same thread. Failure to receive two endorsements will result in the challenge being declared failed.

V. Once a challenge has been made and received two endorsements the sitting Sith Marauder will have 48 hours to defend his or her position. Sith Marauders challenging their Master Sith Marauder do not require endorsements so the 48 hour defense period begins immediately after the challenge. Others can speak for or against the sitting officer as they wish.

VI. At the conclusion of the 48 hour defense period public voting will take place in which the Brotherhood of Darkness will publicly vote for the challenger or the incumbent. The vote will last 48 hours.

VII. Once the vote concludes if the challenger receives a simple majority of the vote then he immediately takes up the Sith Marauder (or Master Sith Marauder) position. If the incumbent wins the vote he or she remains in office. At the conclusion of the vote the two week clock begins anew.

VIII. The Sith Lords and Dark Lord reserve the right to veto the results of a challenge if it is determined that allowing the challenge to proceed would cause harm, insecurity or destabilization to the alliance.

Challenge Policy Regarding Sith Lords

I. A Master can only challenge one Sith Lord at a time.

II. Only one challenge is permitted against any sitting Sith Lord every two months.

III. Any Master making a challenge against a Sith Lord must have at least three Marauder or Master endorsements in support of the challenge within 24 hours of the initial post within the same thread. Failure to receive these endorsements will result in the challenge being declared failed.

IV. Once a challenge has been made and received the necessary endorsements the sitting Sith Lord will have 48 hours to defend his or her position. Others can speak for or against the sitting officer as they wish.

V. At the conclusion of the 48 hour defense period public voting will take place in which the Brotherhood of Darkness will publicly vote for the challenger or the incumbent. The vote will last 48 hours.

VI. Once the vote concludes if the challenger receives a simple majority of the vote then he immediately takes up the Sith Lord position. If the incumbent wins the vote he or she remains in office. At the conclusion of the vote the two month clock begins anew. If a Master wins the challenge he or she will appoint one of the sitting Council Marauders to take the vacant position.

VII. The Sith Lords and Dark Lords reserve the right to veto the results of a challenge if it is determined that allowing the challenge to proceed would cause harm, insecurity or destabilization to the alliance. The challenged Sith Lord does not have a say in this instance.

Challenge Policy Regarding Dark Lords

I. A Sith Lord, having served on the Darth Council for at least two months, can challenge the Dark Lord. A Dark Lord can only be challenged once every two months.

II. Once a challenge has been made the Darth Council will inform the Brotherhood of Darkness that the challenge has been issued. The Darth Council will then hold a private vote between the incumbent and the challenger. The vote will last 48 hours.

III. Once the vote has concluded the Brotherhood of Darkness will be informed of the result via public posting.

IV. If the challenging Sith Lord is victorious he or she will immediately take up the position of Dark Lord of the Sith and the outgoing Dark Lord will take up the role of Sith Lord, immediately open to challenge by the Masters.

Challenge Policy Regarding the Sith Emperor

I. The Sith Emperor can only be challenged by the Dark Lord.

II. The Dark Lord can issue a challenge against the leadership of the Sith at any point after serving for at least two months in the position.

III. Once a challenge has been made the Darth Council will inform the Brotherhood of Darkness that the challenge has been issued. The Darth Council will then hold a private vote between the incumbent and the challenger. The vote will last 48 hours.

IV. If the challenger is successful in the Darth Council vote another vote will immediately be opened in the Brotherhood of Darkness. The vote will last 48 hours.

V. If the Brotherhood of Darkness upholds the Darth Council decision to oust the Sith Emperor in favor of the Dark Lord then the challenger will immediately take up the position of leader of the Sith and appoint a new Dark Lord from the sitting Sith Lords. The outgoing Emperor will be removed from the Darth Council and named a Prophet.

VI. If the Brotherhood of Darkness rejects the Darth Council decision to oust the Sith Emperor the Dark Lord and those Sith Lords that voted in favor of the change will immediately be open to challenge by the Masters.

Signed,

Ivan Moldavi, Dread Lord of Stromholde, The Sith Emperor, Dark and Sovereign Lord of the New Sith Order

[willirica]

Hail!

o/ NSO

[Anthony]

All hail Emperor Moldavi

and Dark Lord Doppelganger too I guess

Edited October 14, 2009 by Anthony

[Griff]

Awww yeah

[Guffey]

It is a very unique and interesting system. A Sure way of keeping members on their toes, and focused for the good of the NSO.

[SirWilliam]

Anthony is entitled to a free pass from any of the voting and challenging, as is deserved, correct?

[Marty McFly]

So there is one emperor and 2 Dark Lords?

What is the difference between having Ivan as Emperor and Dark Lord at the same time and having him just as Emperor?

Other than that I congratulate your efforts in eliminating the dreaded glass ceiling (which may be part of the reason for so many new Micro Alliances)

o/

[D34th]

Hail emperor Moldavi o/

[Sequoia Throne]

This will be a very interesting experiment. I hope it works out for the best, because it's freaking beautiful.

Hail o/ NSO!

Hail o/ Sith Emperor Moldavi!

[Keve69]

A very unique and... I must say.... awesome system!

o/ NSO

[Seth Muscarella]

Thanks for sharing it on here... i guess.

[LiquidMercury]

Very cool idea Ivan. I do question whether it will work in the fact that even though you may allow for more member movement, what about the fact that there will inherently be the "cool kids" group of people that everyone just knows and loves that will get votes because of a name inherently. I know in alliances I've been in before and even now, certain people will always stand a much better chance at winning an election because they are running on reputation, not necessarily merit. Do you believe that this system will be able to fix that as well? or that it will allow for movement only in the most dire of circumstances when someone does exceedingly poor or exceedingly well, in which case they may have been removed or promoted under the old system?

Either way as I said, definitely a cool idea, and I'll be interested to hear how it works out for you all.

[This Charming Man]

Very cool, indeed.

[deSouza]

I honestly didnt expect this.

I approve.

[Anthony]

Very cool idea Ivan. I do question whether it will work in the fact that even though you may allow for more member movement, what about the fact that there will inherently be the "cool kids" group of people that everyone just knows and loves that will get votes because of a name inherently. I know in alliances I've been in before and even now, certain people will always stand a much better chance at winning an election because they are running on reputation, not necessarily merit. Do you believe that this system will be able to fix that as well? or that it will allow for movement only in the most dire of circumstances when someone does exceedingly poor or exceedingly well, in which case they may have been removed or promoted under the old system?

Either way as I said, definitely a cool idea, and I'll be interested to hear how it works out for you all.

If the cool kid turns out incompetent, we can always vote him out with someone new.

[LiquidMercury]

If the cool kid turns out incompetent, we can always vote him out with someone new.

That's kind of what I'm getting at, how does this system fix the inherent flaw in government structures that allows for a Oligopoly of personalities to inherently stay in government based more on pasts then any sort of meritocracy? I know you say they can be challenged but if it is put up to a vote and say a new member is challenging an older member with the older member having garnered a positive reputation, will he inherently win since it is up to the voters? Since the voters themselves are flawed in the manner that predisposition or biased votes will happen, or is there a designated "grading" system to a challenge that will allow for an absolute answer to a challenge and one that isn't as subjective as a vote? As I said I like the system, just trying to see how it will get past that one inherent flaw of governments everywhere. Anything that can remove the glass system is a plus in my book.

[crushtania]

Whatever happened to having pride in achievement as a collective, not just as an individual? This initiative sure has a measure of innovation, don't get me wrong, but the "me, too" culture should be discouraged first. I also believe the "glass ceiling" is only a problem for alliances that are democratic in name only, or are not democratic at all.

[Anthony]

I know you say they can be challenged but if it is put up to a vote and say a new member is challenging an older member with the older member having garnered a positive reputation, will he inherently win since it is up to the voters? Since the voters themselves are flawed in the manner that predisposition or biased votes will happen, or is there a designated "grading" system to a challenge that will allow for an absolute answer to a challenge and one that isn't as subjective as a vote?

There are checks and balances.

VII. The Sith Lords and Dark Lords reserve the right to veto the results of a challenge if it is determined that allowing the challenge to proceed would cause harm, insecurity or destabilization to the alliance. The challenged Sith Lord does not have a say in this instance.

VIII. The Sith Lords and Dark Lord reserve the right to veto the results of a challenge if it is determined that allowing the challenge to proceed would cause harm, insecurity or destabilization to the alliance.

VI. If the Brotherhood of Darkness rejects the Darth Council decision to oust the Sith Emperor the Dark Lord and those Sith Lords that voted in favor of the change will immediately be open to challenge by the Masters.

If you're getting by on name recognition alone, there are mechanisms which prevent this. If the sheep do not approve of a Sith or Dark Lord's decision to reverse the vote, then that is their problem.

[scythegfx]

Hail the sith o/

and D34th, I just noticed how similar our nation names are =P

[scythegfx]

Hail the sith o/

and D34th, I just noticed how similar our nation names are =P

[Deadshot]

Anthony is entitled to a free pass from any of the voting and challenging, as is deserved, correct?

Yes.

Whatever happened to having pride in achievement as a collective, not just as an individual? This initiative sure has a measure of innovation, don't get me wrong, but the "me, too" culture should be discouraged first. I also believe the "glass ceiling" is only a problem for alliances that are democratic in name only, or are not democratic at all.

We do have pride in the collective whole. The Order comes before any one man, including the Emperor. It is not a "me too" culture as you put it, because no one will gain a position that they are not fit to be in. This is accomplished not only by the checks and balances that are set up, but also by the sheer driving force to have the best person for the job. If someone was to achieve the position of Master for instance, and he ran unopposed due to a free spot (let say the previous master was deleted) and aftr taking office, he went inactive for two weeks, or just never did anything because he wanted the title only, the brotherhood would see this and someone who was worthy would rise to challenge him and take the spot.

By having an open challenge, it keeps those with power in check, active and always working for the betterment of the whole. We recognize that a title means nothing if you don't put your money where your mouth is. We expect results. By allowing those who are worthy an open avenue to challenge and perform to their best ability, we ensure that the Order as a whole continues to thrive.

Sorry if this is long winded, I am a bit tired.

[Azaghul]

There are checks and balances.

If you're getting by on name recognition alone, there are mechanisms which prevent this. If the sheep do not approve of a Sith or Dark Lord's decision to reverse the vote, then that is their problem.

The problem still exists, they are being judged but it's still potentially about popularity, either with his superiors (who could veto the decision) and/or of the voters.

Also how do you resolve the potential issue of multiple people wanting to challenge the same person?

I do think the system is an interesting one, though it's not really that different from regular elections, except that it's combined with a kind of VoNC.

Edited October 14, 2009 by Azaghul

[Deadshot]

The problem still exists, they are being judged but it's still potentially about popularity, either with his superiors (who could veto the decision) and/or of the voters.

Also how do you resolve the potential issue of multiple people wanting to challenge the same person?

I do think the system is an interesting one, though it's not really that different from regular elections, except that it's combined with a kind of VoNC.

I do believe (though may be wrong) that multiple people can challenge at the same time. In the event of that happening, the sitting councilor and his/her challengers will all have their chance to explain why they deserve the spot, and then a vote would be held. Most votes wins. From the challenges I have seen thus far, I can say that we don't have a track record of pointless challenges and haven't really had an issue with popularity either. For the most part, the right man for the job, won it.

[crushtania]

If someone was to achieve the position of Master for instance, and he ran unopposed due to a free spot (let say the previous master was deleted) and after taking office, he went inactive for two weeks, or just never did anything because he wanted the title only, the brotherhood would see this and someone who was worthy would rise to challenge him and take the spot.

Well, MHA has a similar system for this. I suppose that my initial understanding was a bit skewed.

[Hymenbreach]

An interesting idea. Stronger than human nature, though? Not sure.