GXC Blog

PickTeams Open BETA

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:59:00 +0000

As we announced about two months ago, we've been hard at work on the latest evolution of GXC, codenamed "Crossbow". Well, it has been in private beta for some time now, and we're glad to announce that on Monday 16th March, we'll be opening up PickTeams for testing by everyone.

Unlike previous upgrades, however, PickTeams is much more than simply GXC 3.0.

New Games:

PickTeams is the umbrella website under which we will house current games as well as develop new ones, the first of which is called AlphaBlitz.

AlphaBlitz, simply put, is what happens when you couple the cerebral, addictive excitement of a word game with the competitve pressure of a social gaming environment. Battle against friends (as well as the clock) in an attempt to seduce as many words as possible from a lattice of letters. And AlphaBlitz enables greater control over the game experience by allowing players to create and host games with their own custom teams and game rules.

Social Infrastructure:

PickTeams features social media integration that allows you to do cool stuff like log into PickTeams with your Facebook account, as well as brag about your most recent victories and leaderboard standings via Facebook Connect.

Incentive Systems:

Finally, PickTeams distills everything we've learned in the last 2 years about how people compete online. Player profiles, medals, team/player leaderboards and a new team "repping" system all add up to result in what (we hope) will soon become the internet's number one casual social gaming experience.

Thanks for sticking with us so far, and we sincerely hope you enjoy this part of the ride!

See you on Monday at http://pickteams.com !

Regards,
The PickTeams Team.

Star Wiki article: The Herrings

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:34:00 +0000

Yep. True to the GXC wiki's purpose, we are now allowed a fascinating look into "The Herring Incident" of a few weeks ago. The article is brief, insightful, and provides a complete account of those happenings.

Thanks to whoever put this up!

http://www.donnael.com/GXCWiki/index.php?title=The_Herrings

GXC Wiki

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:46:00 +0000

Hey guys,

Garrett, Xerxes and I have been playing with a GXC wiki for a couple of days now. It's basically (or will be :D) a repository/playhouse of all things GXC; stories of legendary games (*cough*GXCTheOffice*cough*), player profiles, a collection of the sayings of Alexander the Hyena etc.

For later reference, the site is http://www.donnael.com/GXCWiki

Definitely come check it out, and it would be wonderful if people contributed even just a couple of words to the effort. Sorry about the walls, though - the paint is not quite dry :)

- Emmanuel.

Mad respect to Garrett for creating the wiki and hosting it on his site :).

Update: you can edit the wiki after a quick sign up with the site: click the "log in/create account" link in the top right corner.

Lightning GXC: Weekly Roundup!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:39:00 +0000

Congratulations to the following teams and their commanders for dominating the maps!

MONDAY

Tostitos in the Rhyming Chips in the Midwest! game

Cdr. An-Shih Lee '09

===

TUESDAY

Argon in the Noble Gases in the Cafeteria! game

Cdr. Tim Trickel '10
Cdr. Lauren Altschuh '07

===

WEDNESDAY

Lamborghini in the Italian Cars in Europe! game

Cdr. Zachary Humerick '10

===

THURSDAY

Bumblebee in the Autobots in India! game

Cdr. Jous Javier
Cdr. Tim Ehrlich '11
Cdr. Katie Tooma '07

===

FRIDAY

Justice in the Shakespeare's Ages of Man! game

Cdr. Stef Cheung '08

===

SATURDAY

In Which Piglet Is Entirely Surrounded By Water in the Actual Chapter Names in "Winnie-the-Pooh" by A. A. Milne game

Cdr. Chad Kimes '08
Cdr. John Pole '11

Toyota in the Japanese Cars in Springfield! game

Cdr. Angel Hudgins '11
Cdr. James Tabush '10

===

SUNDAY

Daisy in the The Great Gatsby on the Internet! game

Cdr. Malcolm Young
Cdr. Erin Ingalls '10
Cdr. Kim Feeney '09
Cdr. Matthew Chauncey '12
Cdr. Mike Campbell '09
Cdr. Chris Bauer '12
Cdr. Brian Wright '10
Cdr. Chris Thomas
Cdr. Leah Hostler '09

===

WORLD DOMINATION SUNDAY

Congratulations to the Red team for winning the first WORLD DOMINATION SUNDAY game!

They accomplished this feat under the worthy leadership of:

Cdr. Kevin Modrak '13
Cdr. Peter W. '10

Subscribe to schedule: iCal | Google Calender | XML

Announcing: WORLD DOMINATION SUNDAY!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:47:00 +0000

Have you ever had the nagging suspicion that you could do a better job at the whole "world domination" thing? Granted, Hannibal and Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan were military geniuses, but you can't seem to shake the feeling that if you were in their sandals you would, you know . . . FAIL a little less . . .

Announcing World Domination Sunday!

GXC's first World Map comes to you as a lightning game this and every Sunday, at 9pm EST! In many ways this is the ultimate GXC challenge; the promise of global conquest under the grueling stresses of lightning game rules every single week with 60 territories up for grabs by 5 teams with random player placement. Throw in the 16 ocean hopping territory connections and you wonder whether this thing shouldn't come with an ESRB age restriction and health warning . . .

First game Sunday 11th January. Join here. Bring a priest. Someone could get hurt.

Journey to the Center of GXC aka Cracked (A Love Story of Romance & Adventure, Maybe)

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:44:00 +0000

Emma Elfeirr hit on a novel way for you guys to chart your adventures through GXC - via neverending fanfiction. The first installment is below, but anyone can contribute to subsequent episodes. Updates will come as fast as there are submissions (send submissions to emmanuel@gocrosscampus.com), and the winning installments will be chosen by a panel of esteemed Nobel laureates and Pulitzer prize winners (namely, Alexander the Hyena and I). Alex and I have created this handy checklist to help give you an idea of what a successful submission will look like:

1. Are you a hyena?

GREAT!

===

EPISODE ONE (by Emma Elfeirr)

If you're reading this, it means I've found my way into the blog. You see, a few turns ago, while I was sitting at my laptop, minding my own business and just energizing in my games, everything started shaking suddenly. My computer screen started getting brighter and brighter, and everything around me started spinning. I panicked and tried to get away, but my hands wouldn't get off of my keyboard. What's worse, is that they started getting pulled straight toward the screen! I used every bit of strength I had (although, mind you, I was losing it fast as I became dizzier and dizzier) to try to pull my hands away, but it was a losing battle for me.

The moment my fingers touched the screen, I was amazed at how cool it felt. I had been expecting burning heat, not the strange cool, plasma-like feel it seemed to have to it. The feel of the screen caught me so off guard, I stopped fighting back for a second. In that short second, my feet were ripped from the ground as my entire body went straight into my computer screen. Everything was bright light. I was too dizzy to stand any more, so before getting a chance for my eyes to adjust and see where I was, I just passed out.

When I woke up, I kept my eyes shut tight. I must have been dreaming. It was all just some crazy dream induced by my new sleep meds. My doctor had warned me that could be a side effect. I didn't want to open my eyes and find out it was real. But how could it be real? I told myself. There was no way that could have been real. Of course it was a dream! Convinced of such, I opened my eyes.

"Where's the colon!?" was the first thing I said. Instead of being worried about something important like, say, the fact that I was currently standing on the Star Wars GXC game, my first thought, of course, was about punctuation. "Star Wars A New Game" just didn't look right. It needs the colon! I walked down to Game Chat and saw I wasn't the only one upset about the lack of colon in the game.

The distraction didn't last long though. Pretty soon, I was much more concerned about how in the world I was standing on the Star Wars game. Maybe I was still dreaming. I knew I wasn't though. It felt way too real to be a dream. Somehow, I don't know how, I got sucked straight into GXC. It had been days too, as 3 turns had passed since that fateful turn when I got sucked in through my computer. Clueless as to how I got in, I still can't figure out how to get out. So, with this post, I ask you for help. I'm going to post all of what happens here inside GXC, and perhaps you can find a way to get me out. Perhaps there are clues hidden within the days I've spent inside here. Only you can help me get out of here alive!

Lightning GXC: Weekly Roundup!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:27:00 +0000

Congratulations to the following teams and their commanders for dominating the maps!

MONDAY

The Thundercats in the 80s cartoons in Europe! game

Cdr. Andy Webb '10
Cdr. Emma Elfeirr '13
Cdr. Andrew Montoya '12
Cdr. Cid Campeador '08
Cdr. phillip morrin '08
Cdr. Sean Murphy '12

===

No matches on TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY

===

THURSDAY

Angels We Have Heard on High in the Christmas Carols on Mars! game

Cdr. Anna Fung '11

===

FRIDAY

Barricade in the Decepticons in the Midwest! game

Cdr. Chad Kimes '08

===

SATURDAY

The Tuba in the Brass Instruments in the Eastern America! game

Cdr. Chad Kimes '08

Wrath in the Seven Deadly Sins in Washington DC! game

Cdr. Leif Jahn '12

===

SUNDAY

Matthew in the Apostles on the Internet! game

Cdr. Jeff Witman '08

* The Interwebs! in the Old Testament in Disney World! game

* game stall, so no winner (Leviticus with most territories by game "end").

===

Subscribe to schedule: iCal | Google Calender | XML

Ready, aim, aim, aim, aim . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:36:00 +0000

It is three weeks into the campaign. After days of delicate maneuvering and pained diplomacy, you finally have your enemy in your crosshairs. Ever arrogant, they charge through your defenses - right where you want them! - and the trap SNAPS shut. Congratulations! Weeks of trench warfare have just paid off, and you can now blaze, godlike, towards glory and VICTORY!

This is every tactician's fantasy.

Grand strategy allows for thrilling drama - everyone loves to see a well thought out plan come to fruition. But how do wars of attrition actually play out on a digital battlefield like GXC?

After multis, a stalled game is probably the most damaging thing that can happen to team morale. To be fair, no game is ever really "stalled". Despite the seemingly static map, Commanders are always furiously working backstage to wrangle a satisfactory outcome for their team. There are, however, unfortunate consequences to this.

First comes the boredom. Troops energize less frequently. Compliance plummets.

Then comes the cabin fever. The chat rooms are stuffy and the tension is so taut it sets your teeth on edge. Previously likable teammates suddenly turn nasty. Even in the best run teams, impeachment polls begin popping up with alarming frequency. People become impatient and launch individual forays...just for the lolz. But then they get spy polled. And then they get pissed. Loudly.

Pretty soon the kids are spending fifteen hours in bed rereading Animorphs, Marge won't get off the phone, the Swedish exchange student runs up a credit card bill large enough to fund a small military coup and the cats won't quit keeping you up at night and it's all MADNESS. The MADNESS never stops. IT JUST NEVER STOPS!!

. . . these things happen.

It's also impossible to assign blame, because Commanders really do believe they are acting in the best interest of their teams when they play it slow. Players, however, also cannot be faulted for expecting a bit more ACTION. The game, after all, is meant to be FUN.

Perhaps it is enough that Commanders simply keep in mind that even the most brilliant strategies might backfire if they take too long to effect.

Anyone have any ideas how to prevent games from stalling, or at least make the slow moments more bearable? I know a guy with a banjo...

GXC Press: Teambuilding 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:27:00 +0000

Title: Teambuilding 2.0

Source: The Bumblebee

About: GoCrossOffice

Excerpt:

"GoCrossOffice integrate both virtual and physical elements into their team games. I am sure GCO are not the only player in this space as it looks like a very promising future market area. The GCO website references a number of independent research reports on the use of gaming for non-educational purposes by IBM, and Forrester."

No Lightning Game on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:43:00 +0000

Hey everybody,

This is just a quick note to say that there will be no lightning game on Wednesday to allow for the New Year celebrations.

HAPPY 2009 (in advance) EVERYBODY!!

Love,
The GXC Team.

Lightning GXC: Weekly Roundup!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:59:00 +0000

Congratulations to the following teams and their commanders for games well played!

MONDAY

Marge in the Simpsons in Britain! game

Cdr. Mariah Jimenez '09
Cdr. phillip morrin '08

===

TUESDAY

Professor Plum in the Clue in a Haunted House! game

Cdr. Inar Graur '08
Cdr. phillip morrin '08

===

WEDNESDAY

Ariel in the Disney Girls in the Cafeteria! game

Cdr. Inar Graur '08

===

THURSDAY

The Cardassians in the Star Trek in Disney World! game

Cdr. Emma Elfeirr '13

===

FRIDAY

Sean in the Founders in Manhattan! game

Cdr. Matthew Ahn '08
Cdr. James Tabush '10

===

SATURDAY

The UK in the WWII in SoCal! game

(no comanders at game end!)

Pam in The Office in Springfield! game

Cdr. Jeremy Sobczak '09

===

SUNDAY

The Teen Titans in the Superhero Teams on the Internet! game

Cdr. Chad Kimes '08

Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter in Britain! game

Cdr. L Cheung '11
Cdr. Matthew Ahn '08

===

Subscribe to schedule: iCal | Google Calender | XML

GXC IRC Channel

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 05:17:00 +0000

Quint Sakugarne recently resurrected the GXC IRC channel. It's #gxc on irc.chatspike.net . Like Mariah Jimenez said, the new chat is "hawt" so you should consider checking it out.

For those of us who know little to nothing about IRC (Internet Relay Chat), the following is a brief "how to" that should be helpful.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IRC is an instant messaging platform like AIM and MSN. To join it, you need to get an "IRC client". Pidgin (which pretty much runs on all major operating systems) is one of the clients that was suggested to me so that's what this tutorial will be based on.

1. Download Pidgin here.

2. Once you're done with the download process, you'll be prompted to "Add" an account

3. From amongst the options of possible IM services, remember to select "IRC"

4. Also remember to type in irc.chatspike.net as the Server of choice.

5. When you're done, type in /join #gxc as the channel you want to connect to, and voila:

6. If you're interested in taking advantage of IRC's many features, a handy list of IRC commands can be found here.

7. More IRC clients can also be found here.

Thanks to Quint for restarting the channel, and for digging up much of the info in this post!

Update: It's probably a good idea to sign up with your GXC name, so that people can immediately identify you. Cheers.

GXC Family Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 02:26:00 +0000

So.

Aimee Hart has, unfortunately, succeeded where the most brilliant minds of our generation have failed; she has fashioned the (partial) * GXC Family Tree.

* click on the names with dotted lines to view other branches of the tree.

Please be warned that GXC assumes no responsibility for any mental trauma that might be suffered as a result of clicking the link above. Amongst other horrors, it reveals that Leah Hosteler is in a scandalous four way relationship with phillip morrin, Cid Campeador and Matthew Ahn, and that Emma Elfeirr happens to be, simultaneously, the love child of Aimee and Cid as well as the spawn of an unholy union between herself and Sydney...

The entire thing is pretty upsetting, to be honest. Again, viewer discretion is emphatically advised.

In a related matter, I seem to be in the market for marriage to a person, apparently, known as "Mom". Applicants must be healthy, big boned, and whose only mode of transportation is the MC Hammer slide.

Thank you.

Update: the tree has been updated. Emma is no longer from the collective womb of Aimee/Cid/Emma/Sydney. Instead, James Tabush is his own father.

Update: the link to the tree has been removed because it was sadly defiled early this morning. But we have a secret weapon: LOVE. Happy Holidays, everybody! *Love vibes to all*

GXC Update: Game Pause

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:49:00 +0000

A three day turn is currently in effect, to allow us all room to enjoy the holidays without distraction. For example, turn 37 of the All India Bollywood Championship! will now change on Saturday 27th December.

Finally, thanks for an incredible 2008! It goes without saying that it is your invaluable feedback that has carried us so far, and we're extremely excited for the many promises of 2009.

Happy Holidays, GXC!

Regards,
The GXC Team.

Update: Lightning games will continue to run as scheduled!

GXC Press: And Jay got married!!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:45:00 +0000

Yup. Cdr. James Westmoreland (mentioned in the What Makes a Great Commander? post) just got hitched.

Is it just me or is there a trend developing...?

CONGRATULATIONS, Jay!

GXC Press: MARJORIE JUST GOT ENGAGED!!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:33:00 +0000

Jedi Cdr. Marjorie Dorime just got engaged, people! Swing by the Game Chat of the Star Wars game to wish her your best!!

GXC meetup at the wedding? :)

What Makes a Great Commander?

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:06:00 +0000

Enlightened leadership can make all the difference. Even with superior numbers, a team without fast thinking people at the helm will find that it will soon be cannibalized by smaller but better organized teams. So what makes for great commanding?

Too many cooks...

Team dynamics will ultimately determine if the command structure will be an inclusive meritocracy, or will become something more closely resembling a military dictatorship. A handy rule of thumb, however, is that the fewer the people calling the shots, the less opportunity there is for miscommunication.

Unless significant effort is put into assigning roles, it is inevitable that Commanders will find themselves issuing contradicting orders and possibly scaring off potential allies as a result. And of course, every additional Commander is yet another opportunity for an enterprising spy to maneuver his way into a position to cause maximum damage, an unfortunate lesson that the Jedis had to learn recently in the Star Wars game.

The danger of too few commanders, however, is that good ideas might never come to the table. An atmosphere conducive for players to contribute tactical suggestions via team chat is one compromise.

Commander roles

The various functions that a commander has to perform can be grouped into four broad "commander types":

1. The Diplomat: who coordinates alliances and overseers spy efforts.

2. The Tactician: in charge of finalizing troop movements.

3. The Punisher: who enforces site rules and mediates between disputing players.

4. The Comrade: who maintains high team morale and a fun atmosphere.

The relative order of importance of these roles is up for debate, and commanders will find that different points in the game will call for different approaches. The majority of players certainly seems to agree that the Tactician's job is more important than the Diplomat's, and that both of them are more important than the Comrade and the Punisher, respectively.

My personal order is Comrade, Tactician, Diplomat and Punisher, due to my experience in my very first GXC game, GoCrossZodiac (any GXZodiac veterans around?). The team was Gemini & Cancer, and as victory seemed increasingly assured, a treacherous ally quickly whittled us down to one territory. Although defeat was very clearly imminent (we didn't have force shields then) the inspiring leadership of Cdr. James Westmoreland and Cdr. Karen Mack reminded us that the glory was not in the winning, but in the experience. We would go on to repeatedly fireball our way through the territories of our encircling enemies, and even long after we were eliminated, the members of team Gemini & Cancer could be found actively engaging each other on the team chat - a team spirit reinforced by the camaraderie encouraged by the commanders.

Tactics, diplomacy and the enforcement of rules will all result in victory, but the game should never get in the way of a good time. It is atmosphere that will encourage players to recruit friends unto the team, and make playing worthwhile.

A Winning Formula

Unlike most other games, GXC is pretty easy to jump into. This is reflective in the fact that people who are active on the chats, rather than players who have previously served as Commanders, are more likely to be voted Commander.

Nothing appeals like success, however. Commanders who have the Battle Plan up promptly, those who interact frequently on the chats and those whose tactics bring in the territories are less likely to face the guillotine than nice Commanders who are simply ineffective. In fact, players are more likely to tolerate a tactless Commander than a genial, but hapless one. Charisma simply cannot make up for incompetence.

What makes a great Commander?

Vision, agility, and an enlightened recognition of your responsibilities towards your teammates. And this. And also possibly this.

Players have their own scorecard, though, and some were kind enough to reveal theirs to us:

Robert Dodson (4)
Emma Elfeirr (4)
Shreyan Sen (4)

phillip morrin (3)

Thomas Chi (2)
Andrew Hoy (2)
Brian Lee (2)
Justine Sanger (2)
"Spooky Voodoo" Patrick Smith (2)

Carlos Arata
James Deyerle
Nicolas Feltman
Patrick Frenzer
Inar Graur
Benji Li
Joshua "RiceRiceRiceRice" Lin
Ding Ma
Mark "Daggor" Nagy

The favourite, of course, was:

some guy/can't remember/me/myself (5)

Thanks to all those who took part in the survey!

GXC Press: HMC Wins Tech School Cyberbattle

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:25:00 +0000

HMC Wins Tech School Cyberbattle on the Harvey

Mudd College website, about the Tech Tournament '08.

Excerpts:

"The game has been a great activity for the school, both internally and externally," said Tyler Wolf '09, one of the HMC team commanders. "Around here, it has brought together a lot of people who otherwise would not interact much. For example, as a commander, I met several freshman from other dorms who wanted to help out."

"Several students also wrote computer programs to simulate battles, enabling the commanders to make better decisions. The programs told the commanders the degree of certainty involved in any attack."

"From this we were able to track the participation levels for each team in the game, and observe trends," explained Wolf, a computer science major. "For instance, we observed that separating one of a team's territory away from the rest of their empire resulted in a drastic reduction in participation. Presumably, the players who were cut off from their team became demoralized and stopped playing. This observation informed our strategizing, and we were able to use the same tactic to great success many more times."

Lightning GXC: Weekly Roundup!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:03:00 +0000

Congratulations to the following teams and their commanders for games well played!

MONDAY

The Justice League in the Superheroes on the Internet! game
Cdr. Angel Hudgins '11
Cdr. Emma Elfeirr '13
Cdr. phillip morrin '08

====

TUESDAY

The Pink Ranger in the Power Rangers in Washington DC! game
Cdr. Emma Elfeirr '13
Cdr. Emma Elfeirr '13

====

WEDNESDAY

The Orcs in the Lord of the Rings in Charity City! game
Cdr. James Tabush '10
Cdr. Emma Elfeirr '13
Cdr. phillip morrin '08

====

THURSDAY

Manufacturing in the Industries in Manhattan game
Cdr. Dan Panzarella '12
Cdr. Patrick Llllll '12
Cdr. Matthew Smerud '11
Cdr. Chad Edwards '10
Cdr. J C '10
Cdr. Emmanuel Quartey
Cdr. Chase Bonnette '11
Cdr. Jeff Woodworth '06

The New Kids on the Block in the Boybands in Space! game

(no commanders at game end!)

====

FRIDAY

Mr. Tumnus in the Narnia in New England! game
Cdr. David Fantarella

====

SATURDAY

Stegosaurus in the Dinosaurs in Eastern America game
Cdr. James Tabush '10
Cdr. phillip morrin '08

Horror in the Movie Genres in the US! game
Cdr. Inar Graur '08
Cdr. Patrick Frenzer '11
Cdr. Jake Sundstrom
Cdr. Matthew Ahn '08

====

SUNDAY

The PC in Consoles in the Consoles in India! game
Cdr. David Fantarella
Cdr. John Pole '11

Opera in the Browsers in India! game
Cdr. Thomas Ferguson '08
Cdr. James Tabush '10

====

Blog Update

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:22:00 +0000

Dear GXC,

We've decided to discontinue daily lightning updates, replacing them with a weekly rundown of the winning teams and commanders for all that week's lightning games.

This is because the information in the daily updates is readily available on demand from the site itself, and we would like to redirect our energies (:D) towards blog posts that are more uniquely informative as well as entertaining.

As always, kindly forward anything of interest that you would like published, and we'll try and have it up as soon as possible.

See you on the battlefield!

Update: The survey is now closed. Thanks to all those who participated!

What Makes a Great Commander?

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:45:00 +0000

Hey guys,

I'm working on a blog post about great commanding, and I thought a little feedback from you would flesh out the article nicely. I have created a short survey asking what you consider good commanding to be, which you can find here. The survey runs until midnight on Saturday, and the results will be revealed along with the blog post.

Commanders, this is a great opportunity to learn what works best.

Players, this is good time to tell your Commanders what you expect of them.

Thanks, all!

Lightning GXC: Industries in Manhattan, Boy Bands in Space!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 07:22:00 +0000

Recap: Congratulations to the Orcs for reclaiming Middle Earth (or rather, Charity City) in yesterday's Lord of The Rings game! The orc chieftains were:

Cdr. James Tabush '10
Cdr. Emma Elfeirr '13
Cdr. phillip morrin '08

===============================================================

Today's lightning games are:

1. Industries in Manhattan!

Teams

1. The Mob
2. Media
3. Finance
4. Manufacturing
5. Retail

Map: Manhattan

Time: 11:30am EST

============================

2. Boy Bands in Space!

Teams

1. Backstreet Boys
2. Hanson
3. NSYNC
4. Jonas Brothers
5. New Kids on the Block

Map: Space

Time: 10pm EST

Subscribe to schedule: iCal | Google Calender | XML

Lightning GXC: Lord of the Rings in Charity City!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:33:00 +0000

Recap: Congratulations to the Pink Ranger for coming out on top in yesterday's Power Rangers game! Commanders were . . . sorry . . . had to make sure of this . . . commanders were:

Cdr. Emma Elfeirr '13
Cdr. Emma Elfeirr '13

* This is going to become a habit , isn't it? This was organised.
===============================================================

Today's lightning game is Lord of the Rings in Charity City!

Teams:

1. Elves
2. Ents
3. Hobbits
4. Men
5. Orcs
6. Dwarves

Map: Charity City

Time: 9pm EST

Subscribe to schedule: iCal | Google Calender | XML

Lightning GXC: Power Rangers in Washington DC!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:54:00 +0000

Recap: Congratulations to the Justice League for laying down the law in yesterday's Superhero teams game! Commanders were:

Cdr. Angel Hudgins '11
Cdr. Emma Elfeirr '13
Cdr. phillip morrin '08

===============================================================

Today's lightning game is Power Rangers in Washington DC!

Teams:

1. Blue Power Ranger
2. Green Power Ranger
3. Pink Power Ranger
4. Red Power Ranger
5. Yellow Power Ranger

Map: Washington DC

Time: 9pm EST

Subscribe to schedule: iCal | Google Calender | XML

Lightning GXC: Superhero Teams on the Internet!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmanuel) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:59:00 +0000

Recap: Congratulations to Plankton for dominating in yesterday's Ocean Animals in Space game, and to Classical music in the Music game! Bragging rights earned by:

Ocean Animals:

Cdr. Adam Lewis '12

Classical (someone please explain this one to me. . . :)

Cdr. Ateria Hindel
Cdr. Chris Donnelly '08
Cdr. John Laird '10
Cdr. Ho Lee '12
Cdr. Megan Strong '09
Cdr. Jay Jackson '09
Cdr. Adriana Fitzgerald '12
Cdr. Gideon Klionsky '11
Cdr. Stephen Kendrex '10
Cdr. Luke Peden '12
Cdr. Mark Nagy
Cdr. Ben Alsop '10
Cdr. Smiles Morales
Cdr. Julio Oyola '09
Cdr. Elizabeth Dawson
Cdr. Leo Sutkin '06
Cdr. James Johnston '07
Cdr. Matt Mitgang '12
Cdr. Aaron Kirk '10
Cdr. Angela Albanese '11
Cdr. LUke Oldfield '11
Cdr. Michael Eastwood '12
Cdr. Potter Fan
Cdr. Leah Hostler '09
Cdr. Chris Barnum '12
Cdr. Becky Strubberg '11
Cdr. Kenneth Barry '08
Cdr. Brian Wacker '12
Cdr. Eliza Beban
Cdr. Jay Rock
Cdr. Daniel Barratt '10
Cdr. Gregory Meyer '12
Cdr. J C '10
Cdr. Emma Elfeirr '13
Cdr. James Tabush '10
Cdr. Chase Bonnette '11
Cdr. Keri Sanborn '11
Cdr. Katy Svatek '09
Cdr. Chen Huang '12
Cdr. Jerica Fox
Cdr. Seth Reptar '10
Cdr. phillip morrin '08.

===============================================================

Today's lightning game is Superhero Teams on the Internet!

Teams:

1. Fantastic Four
2. Green Lantern Corps.
3. Justice League
4. X-Men
5. Avengers
6. Teen Titans

Map: xkcd map of internet communities

Time: 9pm EST

Subscribe to schedule: iCal | Google Calender | XML