Terath DrethanJul 27, 2017Jul 27, 2017 at 10:33 PM
#1
On the desk to the right of the door in the Fighter's Guild hall as one enters, there is a stack of parchment left out for members to read. Terath would've told others about it in hopes that they would read it and pass on word to other members to read it.
I am writing this report to log the happenings of the troll hunt. Bethany contracted the Fighter's Guild to hunt a troll. She had very simple requirements and asked that we use our heads to take down the troll. Killing it would've been easy with the blades we had available with a little planning. The whole point of this test was to get members to use their heads. Think outside of the box. Assess what tools and environment variables are available, and use them to your advantage. This was a hard test, but not impossible.
I pushed the requirements further and turned this into a test of our own. Bethany did not require the no fighting rule, that was my choice. I wanted to see how the members would handle themselves outside of their comfort zone. We had a number of green members and prospective members there as well who needed to learn that we aren't just an organization that gets a contract, then kills something. To this end, some did better than others. I made mistakes in framing this as well.
My largest mistake was not establishing who was leading this prior to everything taking place. I wanted to coach and guide the newer members, rather than focus on the leaders at first, but this led to confusion when it came time to make a decision. It also kept the leaders from guiding it how they may have wished to. To this end, I do wish that more people of the group had taken initiative, leaders or not.
I was given permission to copy this list of things that went wrong. Please review them:
1. Relied HEAVILY on one person’s magicka.
2. Relied heavily on chance that the troll would walk over the rope.
3. Used the rope even after being told it probably wouldn’t hold.
4. Forgot about the second troll.
5. When the second troll came out they panicked.
6. Let go of the rope without an order to do so, causing those still holding it to get injured.
7. Ja’hann attacked the troll, against orders.
8. Disenyl attacked the troll, against orders.
9. Storm attacked the troll, against orders.
10. J’varr attacked the troll, against orders.
11. Assumed poison would work, did not research what they were hunting.
12. Didn’t check to see if the large troll was dead.
I would like to add that a solid plan that was brought up in the town before reaching the cave was either forgotten or ignored. Crushing the beast from above could have been a simple solution. I believe the group is lucky the the troll did not thrash too hard, the rope would have snapped if it did. Getting the troll to run off the cliff would have been risky, but I believe it to be the best option that was brought up, while outside the cave at least. It is also worth mentioning more time could have been bought had the group stepped away from the mouth of the cave, instead of standing right where the troll could see everyone or smell them.
It is worth noting that I expected people to fight, should something go wrong. I did not want the members to not fight at all costs. This was part of the test. If the group was about to lose members or risk death, they needed to defend themselves. The group passed this part. Yes they disobeyed orders, but they protected each other. We are nothing without each other on the battlefield.
I have left other sheets of parchment and the quill for others who wish to leave notes, though I am happy to speak in person as well. If you have read this, please at least sign your name, whether you are a guild member or not. It’s good to know who is taking the time to think and improve.
Where do we go from here? How do we learn from this? We work on it. We put members in challenging situations where they can learn and help one another. I am open to ideas on how to train in this respect, though I do have some ideas in the works myself. This hunt was more successful than it feels. Do not be discouraged, simply learn from it. We are all stronger for it.
-Terath Drethan
I am writing this report to log the happenings of the troll hunt. Bethany contracted the Fighter's Guild to hunt a troll. She had very simple requirements and asked that we use our heads to take down the troll. Killing it would've been easy with the blades we had available with a little planning. The whole point of this test was to get members to use their heads. Think outside of the box. Assess what tools and environment variables are available, and use them to your advantage. This was a hard test, but not impossible.
I pushed the requirements further and turned this into a test of our own. Bethany did not require the no fighting rule, that was my choice. I wanted to see how the members would handle themselves outside of their comfort zone. We had a number of green members and prospective members there as well who needed to learn that we aren't just an organization that gets a contract, then kills something. To this end, some did better than others. I made mistakes in framing this as well.
My largest mistake was not establishing who was leading this prior to everything taking place. I wanted to coach and guide the newer members, rather than focus on the leaders at first, but this led to confusion when it came time to make a decision. It also kept the leaders from guiding it how they may have wished to. To this end, I do wish that more people of the group had taken initiative, leaders or not.
I was given permission to copy this list of things that went wrong. Please review them:
1. Relied HEAVILY on one person’s magicka.
2. Relied heavily on chance that the troll would walk over the rope.
3. Used the rope even after being told it probably wouldn’t hold.
4. Forgot about the second troll.
5. When the second troll came out they panicked.
6. Let go of the rope without an order to do so, causing those still holding it to get injured.
7. Ja’hann attacked the troll, against orders.
8. Disenyl attacked the troll, against orders.
9. Storm attacked the troll, against orders.
10. J’varr attacked the troll, against orders.
11. Assumed poison would work, did not research what they were hunting.
12. Didn’t check to see if the large troll was dead.
I would like to add that a solid plan that was brought up in the town before reaching the cave was either forgotten or ignored. Crushing the beast from above could have been a simple solution. I believe the group is lucky the the troll did not thrash too hard, the rope would have snapped if it did. Getting the troll to run off the cliff would have been risky, but I believe it to be the best option that was brought up, while outside the cave at least. It is also worth mentioning more time could have been bought had the group stepped away from the mouth of the cave, instead of standing right where the troll could see everyone or smell them.
It is worth noting that I expected people to fight, should something go wrong. I did not want the members to not fight at all costs. This was part of the test. If the group was about to lose members or risk death, they needed to defend themselves. The group passed this part. Yes they disobeyed orders, but they protected each other. We are nothing without each other on the battlefield.
I have left other sheets of parchment and the quill for others who wish to leave notes, though I am happy to speak in person as well. If you have read this, please at least sign your name, whether you are a guild member or not. It’s good to know who is taking the time to think and improve.
Where do we go from here? How do we learn from this? We work on it. We put members in challenging situations where they can learn and help one another. I am open to ideas on how to train in this respect, though I do have some ideas in the works myself. This hunt was more successful than it feels. Do not be discouraged, simply learn from it. We are all stronger for it.
-Terath Drethan
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