Post by mehtastic on Jun 29, 2019 11:37:17 GMT -5
As a joke, I asked whether I should write a guide to becoming a staff member. One person said yes. So here I am.
Why should I listen to you?
You probably shouldn't take my word on this topic (or any other topic, frankly) as gospel; it's been years since the former and current staff members I know and speak to on a semi-regular basis have gone through the process of becoming staff members themselves. However, given that not much has changed about the game over the years, it's a safe bet that the staff application process has remained more or less the same as well. I happen to know a few things about what prospective staff members as well as new staff members go through, and how staff rise through the ranks.
This is a guide for becoming a staff member, and being one. It is also, to some extent, about rising through the ranks. The reader should note that this guide is not about becoming and being a good staff member, or being <any other sort of adjective> staff member. Read it as more of a political guide rather than how I feel staff should actually behave. If I say one thing about staff quality in this post, it's that a good staff member (and a good person) behaves in the opposite manner to this guide. This guide is simply about locking down the job and keeping it. Think of it as a stupid version of Machiavelli's The Prince.
Before the Application
Obviously, it helps to be a good player. The less problematic you are in staff's eyes, the better. Try to fly under the radar as much as you can by not being a dick in-game. Don't murder too many PCs with your characters on your own volition. Don't blatantly twink.
Earn leadership positions (at least one), either ICly or through a sponsored role. Regularly show interest in sponsored roles until you are accepted, apply for everything you could see yourself playing, and try to keep your characters into the 6 months to 1 year range, then take a couple months' break from leadership before going for it again. Several staff members actively dislike long-lived characters and see them as elements that suck the life out of the game, whereas others can be impressed by someone who keeps a PC alive and active for 5 years, so straddle the line by playing long, but not too long.
Some minor mistakes are fine to have on your record, but be sure to prepare a good answer for how you've changed since those mistakes. You will need it later.
The Application Process
Once or twice a year, staff realize that they are, well, understaffed. They will often put out a post calling for applications, or in rarer cases, privately invite people (former staff members or highly active, solid players) to place applications. Sometimes there is a mix of the two.
The staff application has questions on it. Answer them clearly, honestly, and succinctly as possible without attacking elements of the game, and especially not its staff. When asked about things you'd improve, try to keep it vague. Talk about what you'd do in the context of roleplay and plot organization rather than code; you're applying for a storyteller role, after all. Don't deride something currently a part of the game as bad for it, and don't say you like something that would be controversial among staff. Chances are high a staff member likes something you don't, and doesn't like something you do. All of the staff need to appear to like that Armageddon is an RPI, so tailor your responses towards improving the roleplay experience.
The Post-Application Process
After applications close, the current staff will typically interview everyone that applied, unless your application is so unbelievably stupid or you failed to be a good player. Interviews typically involve 3-5 staff members in a staff room who will take turns asking you questions. They will ask you to clarify things on your application or go into greater depth about them. They may also ask you about other things not covered by the application questions. Again, answer as honestly as you can without rocking the boat.
If you have problematic notes on your account or recent characters, staff will likely ask you about them. This is where those well-prepared answers on how you've changed come in handy. They will also ask you a random silly question at the end to keep things light ("If you were a candy bar, which one would you be?"). It obviously doesn't matter how you answer this, but it does show how creative you can be on the fly.
The Post-Interview Process
After all of the interviews are done, and the logs posted to the IDB, staff will begin to privately rank applicants by how well they think each one did. My staff-friends' opinions on how effective this is are mixed; some believe that it matters in a similar way to a ranked-choice ballot while others say this is just a way for the Producers to poll the opinions of lower-ranking staff before they themselves make the final decision. Whatever the case may be, you will be ranked highly if you are a good applicant and ranked not-as-highly otherwise.
Being Accepted
Let's say you've done so well that they've actually taken you on as a staff member. When you get access to the IDB, one of the first things you're going to want to do is look for the thread where they ranked the interviews (if they didn't already delete it) and see the honest opinions staff had about your application and interview. Keep in mind the people who gave you a high rank and the people who did not. This will help you determine who you can reliably work with on your first project.
You may as well search the IDB for your account name as well as the names of a few prominent characters you had in the past, to get an idea of who likes you/your characters and who doesn't. And while you're at it, check your own account notes to look for any other hidden messages. Finally, go through the request tool to see if any player complaints have been made about your characters.
You will be given a first project, typically something simple and related to building for a plot, or setting up a relatively small plot, so you can learn the various aspects of building and engaging with other players. Try to breeze through this as quickly as you can and dedicate as much time as you possibly can to it to ensure that it is high-quality. You don't get a second chance to make a good first impression, and turning out high-quality work in a short time is a great way to do that.
Do your best to stand out from the other new staff who have been accepted in the same round as you. You can't refuse to work with them outright, but you can stymie their progress by saying you're too busy. If they show signs of stress, encourage them to take a break from staff duties and play a PC instead. Given how massive a time sink Armageddon is, this will help ensure you appear to be the creme of the crop.
If you are content with the position of Storyteller and all of the abilities it affords you, congratulations. As long as you play by the book for 90 days or so, you will pass your probation period and will be free to do whatever you want going forward, as long as you aren't too brazen.
Rising Through The Ranks
If there's one thing staff do best, it's retirement. Eventually staff grow tired or bored of their positions and decide to relinquish their power. Storytellers do this the most, but on rare occasions, Administrators and even Producers will let go of their immense power over the game in the interest of their mental health.
If you, too, would like to be driven insane, your first step is to make sure an Administrator is driven insane first. Look for the Administrator with the most potential for cracking and see if you can join their staff group in the next cycle. Signs of cracking include: spending most of their online time complaining about players, spending more time playing the game than working on it, spending a LOT of time with the game in general, and irrational behavior on the GDB, snarky comments in the request tool. If you are the hardest worker in their group, you will be the natural choice to replace them when they inevitably resign. To stoke feelings of resignation further, encourage them to take a break if they're feeling stressed, but mention that work will probably still be stressful when they come back.
Once you are finally an Administrator, you basically have all the power you'll ever need. But if you want to rise to Producer, you'll need to really stand out. Take an interest in programming and/or world-spanning plots; these are the things Producers do. If you are an Administrator doing Producer things, you will be the natural pick for Producer when one of them finally falls off.
Mehtastic, you just posted cringe, you are gonna lose subscriber
Yes, you're probably right.
Why should I listen to you?
You probably shouldn't take my word on this topic (or any other topic, frankly) as gospel; it's been years since the former and current staff members I know and speak to on a semi-regular basis have gone through the process of becoming staff members themselves. However, given that not much has changed about the game over the years, it's a safe bet that the staff application process has remained more or less the same as well. I happen to know a few things about what prospective staff members as well as new staff members go through, and how staff rise through the ranks.
This is a guide for becoming a staff member, and being one. It is also, to some extent, about rising through the ranks. The reader should note that this guide is not about becoming and being a good staff member, or being <any other sort of adjective> staff member. Read it as more of a political guide rather than how I feel staff should actually behave. If I say one thing about staff quality in this post, it's that a good staff member (and a good person) behaves in the opposite manner to this guide. This guide is simply about locking down the job and keeping it. Think of it as a stupid version of Machiavelli's The Prince.
Before the Application
Obviously, it helps to be a good player. The less problematic you are in staff's eyes, the better. Try to fly under the radar as much as you can by not being a dick in-game. Don't murder too many PCs with your characters on your own volition. Don't blatantly twink.
Earn leadership positions (at least one), either ICly or through a sponsored role. Regularly show interest in sponsored roles until you are accepted, apply for everything you could see yourself playing, and try to keep your characters into the 6 months to 1 year range, then take a couple months' break from leadership before going for it again. Several staff members actively dislike long-lived characters and see them as elements that suck the life out of the game, whereas others can be impressed by someone who keeps a PC alive and active for 5 years, so straddle the line by playing long, but not too long.
Some minor mistakes are fine to have on your record, but be sure to prepare a good answer for how you've changed since those mistakes. You will need it later.
The Application Process
Once or twice a year, staff realize that they are, well, understaffed. They will often put out a post calling for applications, or in rarer cases, privately invite people (former staff members or highly active, solid players) to place applications. Sometimes there is a mix of the two.
The staff application has questions on it. Answer them clearly, honestly, and succinctly as possible without attacking elements of the game, and especially not its staff. When asked about things you'd improve, try to keep it vague. Talk about what you'd do in the context of roleplay and plot organization rather than code; you're applying for a storyteller role, after all. Don't deride something currently a part of the game as bad for it, and don't say you like something that would be controversial among staff. Chances are high a staff member likes something you don't, and doesn't like something you do. All of the staff need to appear to like that Armageddon is an RPI, so tailor your responses towards improving the roleplay experience.
The Post-Application Process
After applications close, the current staff will typically interview everyone that applied, unless your application is so unbelievably stupid or you failed to be a good player. Interviews typically involve 3-5 staff members in a staff room who will take turns asking you questions. They will ask you to clarify things on your application or go into greater depth about them. They may also ask you about other things not covered by the application questions. Again, answer as honestly as you can without rocking the boat.
If you have problematic notes on your account or recent characters, staff will likely ask you about them. This is where those well-prepared answers on how you've changed come in handy. They will also ask you a random silly question at the end to keep things light ("If you were a candy bar, which one would you be?"). It obviously doesn't matter how you answer this, but it does show how creative you can be on the fly.
The Post-Interview Process
After all of the interviews are done, and the logs posted to the IDB, staff will begin to privately rank applicants by how well they think each one did. My staff-friends' opinions on how effective this is are mixed; some believe that it matters in a similar way to a ranked-choice ballot while others say this is just a way for the Producers to poll the opinions of lower-ranking staff before they themselves make the final decision. Whatever the case may be, you will be ranked highly if you are a good applicant and ranked not-as-highly otherwise.
Being Accepted
Let's say you've done so well that they've actually taken you on as a staff member. When you get access to the IDB, one of the first things you're going to want to do is look for the thread where they ranked the interviews (if they didn't already delete it) and see the honest opinions staff had about your application and interview. Keep in mind the people who gave you a high rank and the people who did not. This will help you determine who you can reliably work with on your first project.
You may as well search the IDB for your account name as well as the names of a few prominent characters you had in the past, to get an idea of who likes you/your characters and who doesn't. And while you're at it, check your own account notes to look for any other hidden messages. Finally, go through the request tool to see if any player complaints have been made about your characters.
You will be given a first project, typically something simple and related to building for a plot, or setting up a relatively small plot, so you can learn the various aspects of building and engaging with other players. Try to breeze through this as quickly as you can and dedicate as much time as you possibly can to it to ensure that it is high-quality. You don't get a second chance to make a good first impression, and turning out high-quality work in a short time is a great way to do that.
Do your best to stand out from the other new staff who have been accepted in the same round as you. You can't refuse to work with them outright, but you can stymie their progress by saying you're too busy. If they show signs of stress, encourage them to take a break from staff duties and play a PC instead. Given how massive a time sink Armageddon is, this will help ensure you appear to be the creme of the crop.
If you are content with the position of Storyteller and all of the abilities it affords you, congratulations. As long as you play by the book for 90 days or so, you will pass your probation period and will be free to do whatever you want going forward, as long as you aren't too brazen.
Rising Through The Ranks
If there's one thing staff do best, it's retirement. Eventually staff grow tired or bored of their positions and decide to relinquish their power. Storytellers do this the most, but on rare occasions, Administrators and even Producers will let go of their immense power over the game in the interest of their mental health.
If you, too, would like to be driven insane, your first step is to make sure an Administrator is driven insane first. Look for the Administrator with the most potential for cracking and see if you can join their staff group in the next cycle. Signs of cracking include: spending most of their online time complaining about players, spending more time playing the game than working on it, spending a LOT of time with the game in general, and irrational behavior on the GDB, snarky comments in the request tool. If you are the hardest worker in their group, you will be the natural choice to replace them when they inevitably resign. To stoke feelings of resignation further, encourage them to take a break if they're feeling stressed, but mention that work will probably still be stressful when they come back.
Once you are finally an Administrator, you basically have all the power you'll ever need. But if you want to rise to Producer, you'll need to really stand out. Take an interest in programming and/or world-spanning plots; these are the things Producers do. If you are an Administrator doing Producer things, you will be the natural pick for Producer when one of them finally falls off.
Mehtastic, you just posted cringe, you are gonna lose subscriber
Yes, you're probably right.
