Consulting Partners (brainstorming this idea)

[Jharviss]

Hence why designers should be paired up at similar stages in the project.  (Or, if they'd prefer, dissimilar stages.)  I could easily see one person wanting to be a brainstorm springboard and another person wanting to be a heavy reviewer.

Honestly, I think a lot of issues will work out if people simply get the consultants that they want. ^_^

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Honestly, I think a lot of issues will work out if people simply get the consultants that they want. ^_^

:-p
But how do we do that and still ensure everyone gets a partner?

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Okay, so it sounds like everyone is good with both the idea and the goal.

And it seems no one objects to the method of getting partners, i.e. you submit a list of settings you'd be willing to help with, and get paired up, OR you can ask someone directly if you want a particular project.


So now I'd like to ask everyone the question again about guidelines: Do we need them?
What should they be?


[ic=Specifically, please sound off on]
1. Should a person be able to officially consult on two settings?

2. Should there be any kind of guideline on how frequently a consultant should respond to requests from an author?

3. Is an author asking a consultant to read whatever he feels like and provide feedback a reasonable request?

4. Should an author be expected to maintain his project? (to protect the consultant from working on something he hasn't been informed is defunct)[/ic]


[spoiler=pitfalls]I posted these a while back and no one seemed too worried about them. I just want to make sure before I try to redraft this project.

So, please sound-out on whether you think each is serious and how we deal with it.
-Getting a consultant then abandoning the project after a couple of weeks

-One partner offering more than the other either because one is more prolific, or one has more time/drive/inspiration/etc.

-Should members be allowed to submit more than one project? (Knowing that would mean consulting one more than one themselves).

-Should a project be allowed more than one consultant? (I'm thinking no because that could leave some settings with several and others with none).[/spoiler]

Soon, I will try to post a new draft of the project mission statement. Then we can get started.

[LordVreeg]

1. Should a person be able to officially consult on two settings?
yes.  AS long as they stand up to the compact.

2. Should there be any kind of guideline on how frequently a consultant should respond to requests from an author?
there should ne a compact set up by both in the beginning, and a new thread where they reviews they give each other should go.

3. Is an author asking a consultant to read whatever he feels like and provide feedback a reasonable request?
defined per compact.

4. Should an author be expected to maintain his project? (to protect the consultant from working on something he hasn't been informed is defunct) how the fuck are we goiing to enforce this?  Have Cheo send depressing email spam at them if they bail?  Have the Wandering Portal Repairman ignore service calls until they post?  
I think a partner is not responsible for psoting/reviewing on any site that has not seen an update in 3 weeks, but that's just me.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Well I shouldn't think we (the CBG at large or me personally) would be enforcing any guidelines. Only setting up ones people agree with and tending to the honor system to get people to try to follow them (try being the operative word, since real life takes precedence over hobbies).

The idea that the arrangement should be different for each partner pair is interesting and not something I'd considered. Might require slightly more work when accepting a consultant, but probably easiest in the long run. The guidelines could then be replaced with "questions you might want to ask up front."

a new thread where they reviews they give each other should go.

I think a partner is not responsible for psoting/reviewing on any site that has not seen an update in 3 weeks, but that's just me.[/quote]
Also a good idea. I think we could say a month to make give plenty of leeway. But then maybe that's the time when a consultant becomes a free agent?

[Jharviss]

New Threads
I'm not sure how I feel about having new threads.  First (though not necessarily the most important), it would unnecessarily clog the boards.  Only the two people would be using the thread, and I wouldn't want those on that lovely main feed on the frontpage.

I think simply sending messages to each other would suffice.

Maintaining
Yes, both people should be maintaining their work.  If somebody goes on vacation (from work, for an extended period of time), the consulting partner should be notified.  But Phoenix would be right (though I enjoyed how Vreeg put it), this would be on the honor system.  

Plus, if you don't think a consulting partnership is work, you could always break up.  (This I think could be the bigger issue than anything we've mentioned thus far... what happens when the partnership wants to end?)

I do believe that each partnership will be different from every other, but it's not up to us to designate why or how.  It just will be, and the consultantship can decide how so.

[Xeviat]

So, who wanted to help me/get my help? I am currently at a huge fluff juncture; since I am switching to using Mutants and Masterminds for my setting, I do not need to work on crunch at all (strange, hu?) for a long time (I might end up working on house rules eventually, but that is a big might).

I am working on detailing the history of my main region, as well as detailing each of the races and cultures. One big focus I need to work on is the animistic religion as a whole, as well as specifics for Greater Spirits.

So, if that sounds interesting to you, let me know. As for what I am good at, I am especially good at crunch and other game-balance related things. I have a fair knowledge of classic mythology and epic literature, if you think that is something that could apply. I could help on a setting that is being built from the ground up, or one that needs detailing.

At the moment, I am putting final touches on my race stats (one of the only bits of crunch I need to work on); this is difficult because I am stating out two new races.

-------

I second Jharviss; no new threads.

Rules for this would be bad; as long as both partners feel they are getting their times worth, then this idea can work.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

So, who wanted to help me/get my help?

I'm open to working on almost anything. Though I've never played M&M.


It sounds like the best idea here is not to have guidelines, but rather to mention a few things you might want to discuss with your partner up front. Working out how often each should expect posting, how to end the partnership for whatever reason, and that sort of thing.