With the new Council being set up in Sutrium, rumours amongst our people have been circulating about where we stand in this new order of The Land. Our leader, the D’rekta thinks that it would be wise to establish a committee of gypsies who will be able to speak to the Council on the gypsies’ behalf.
We are organising a set of competitions to determine those among us who have the skill and diplomacy to represent the interests of all gypsies.
These competitions will be in the form of what our ancestors referred to as ‘Debates’:
discussions in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposalHow will workA new round of debates will start every couple of weeks. Please go to the thread entitled
“Debate signup†to see when the next one is on and if you wish to be a part of it. From there, the Moonfairies will assign you to your teams. The people in your team are whom you are to work with you to present your argument.
As soon as teams are assigned, there will be three new threads opened up for each debate topic:
1 - The ‘affirmative team’s’ place to discuss ideas
2 - The ‘negative team’s’ place to discuss ideas
3 - The debate thread, where teams come together to discuss/rebut etc.
The idea of the team threads it to work together to develop your argument and have someone post up the team idea.
Please note the time that each debate topic will be open for (as some debates may run longer or shorter). This period will be the time in which your arguments for the topic will be assessed. At the end of the period we ask members to please PM the moonfairy who they think should be the winner of the round.
Please base your
Judging criteria on the following:
Winners of each round will be judged on their argument style:
- Is it clear (succinct, expression, tone)
- Is it plausible (reasoning, evidence, development)
- Is it entertaining (causes one to think, humour)
Entries do not necessarily have to display all these qualities, but if they do then all the better to will work in your favour!
Consideration should also be given to how
well you work together as a team.
At the end of the two weeks, you will be given the opportunity to sign up once more. You’ll be placed in new teams with new topics and the process starts all over again!
PointageParticipation in a debate will earn you
5 guild points. Participation means
meaningful contributions in your team assigned thread. If you do sign up to a debate, and because of reasons unforeseen, you are unable to make an posts, then I’m afraid we shall not be able to give you points. It wouldn’t be fair after all.
Each member of the winning team of each round will receive
5 points each.
PMing a Moonfair with your vote who you think should win the current debate will earn you
1 guild point.
Questions
I can see the other team’s thread!!Yes yes, all threads will be viewable by all members. We realise this presents you with the opportunity to ‘suss out’ the competition, but please keep in mind the judging criteria ;).
NOTE - Change!I missed out on sign up, but I would really like to be able to participate in this debate!Since we are trying to work out delegation of people who will be fit to represent us, how well you work as a team is most important. If you decide within the first week of debates opening that you would like to join in, please say so in the Debate sign up thread and we, the lovely Moonfairies, will
assign you a team, i.e. you do not get to choose.
In any case, there will still be a general comment thread open though for members who are not part of the current debate to voice their opinions.
The actual debate topic thread will remain open after the specific period, so anyone wishing to express their opinion after then there can feel free to add their own comments.
How will voting be fair since people could just vote for their team or friends?Ultimately, the decision who wins each round will be left up to the Moonfairies, but they encourage you to send in your reasons why you think a particular team should win. We shall also take into consideration the difficulty of your topic, so don't feel that just because it seems blatantly obvious what the answer is - and you're arguing against it - that you will be less likely to succeed.
When will we know the next debate topic?Debate topics will not be revealed until after allocation to teams. This is to ensure that everyone has the same amount of time to develop their arguments.
Plus, it's always fun to make it a bit of a surprise!
I don't like the topic/I want to be on to be on the other team.You do not have to participate in the debate if you really do not like your allocation, but remember guild points are given for active participation,
in your team's thread. Please don't go swapping to suit which viewpoint you wish to argue for. We will be unable to award you guild points if you do.
We shall be deleting posts we deem inappropriate.Please keep in mind, that this is all meant to be in good fun :). So think outside the box a little - you'd be surprised what you can come up with!
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If you have any questions - please feel free to ask in this thread.
Good luck - we look forward to your all your views!