about the AMTGARD V9 team
AMTGARD V9 COMMITTEE - CORE MEMBERS
Last Updated: July 24, 2023
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The V9 Committee can be contacted directly via: Official V9 Discord Server, Amtgard V9 Facebook Page, or v9@amtgard.com.
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Director / Team Lead – Wunjo (Tyler Salvador)
Wunjo (Tyler Salvador) is a Flame Knight, Master Smith, and Paragon Reeve from the Kingdom of the Nine Blades. He is the creator of the Phoenix League, as well as a prominent voice of support for the class, reeving, and teamwork aspects of the game. Wunjo is also an experienced Game Designer and Event Planner, both in-and-out of Amtgard. He joined Amtgard in 2002.
Rules Rep Organizer (RRO) – Manama (Craig Plazony)
Manama (Craig Plazony) is a Serpent Knight, Warlord, Battlemaster, and Master Smith of the Rising Winds and is heavily involved with the competitive, full-class aspects of Amtgard like Phoenix League. He was the creator of one of the original independent V9 teams and is now the current RRO for Amtgard V8 as well as an active member of the Rules Revision Community prior to his elevation. Manama joined Amtgard in 1999.
Core Team Member – Gorovan (Jason Katzner)
Gorovan (Jason Katzner) is a Flame Knight, Paragon Reeve, and Rules Representative from the Kingdom of Goldenvale. He has served in various capacities at the kingdom and interkingdom level despite his comparatively short time in Amtgard. He is a member of the Rules Clarification Team and brings a purely V8 perspective to the team. Gorovan joined Amtgard in 2015.
Core Team Member – Kord (Kent Patten)
Kord (Kent Patten) is a Crown and Flame Knight from the Iron Mountains. Kord has been an avid participant in interkingdom Amtgard for many years. He was a member of the V8 committee, and was a founding member and former President of the Amtgard International Board of Directors. Kord joined Amtgard in 1995.
Core Team Member – Heron (Chris Lane)
Heron (Chris Lane) is a Battlemaster, Master Smith, and Rules Representative from the Kingdom of Northern Lights. She is an avid fighter, and a highly active member of the Amtgard community both on and offline. She has served as Kingdom Champion on multiple occasions, and brings significant experience in battlegame and tournament design. Heron joined Amtgard in 2016
EXTENDED V9 DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RULES REPRESENTATIVES
Last Updated: July 18, 2023
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Every Rules Representative (RR) of Amtgard has been invited to join the V9 development process in an advisory role beneath the core team. While the Rules Rep Organizer (RRO) sits on the core V9 team itself, the individual RRs will be engaged directly through their own Rules Rep channel where they can provide the opinions and insight of their own Kingdom for consideration.
Click HERE to view a list of all Rules Representatives who have accepted the invitation to join the V9 development process. If your Rules Representative has changed, please notify the V9 Committee so that we can make sure the proper individuals are added.
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ADVISORY COUNCILS
In Phase 3, the V9 Committee introduced several advisory councils designed to review the V9 Committee's plans and advise them in the areas of:
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Women/Non-Men Insensitivities and Issues
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Disability/Accessibility Insensitivities and Issues
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Ethnic/Racial Insensitivities and Issues
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These Advisory Councils were formed with careful consideration and recommendations from players who are directly affected by these issues. Their goal is to be a diverse group of passionate representatives that can be the voice of the voiceless in regards to these very sensitive topics.
At this time, the member lists will remain private until everyone is comfortable in the role and willing to be listed here.
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For more information, please reach out to the Amtgard V9 Team directly via v9@amtgard.com or Amtgard V9 on Facebook.
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OPEN ALPHA PLAYTESTERS
Last Updated: July 24, 2023
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PHASE 4 UPDATE: This initiative will be opening to the public as soon as server renovations are complete, sometime in August 2023, if not sooner. Until then, participation will remain limited to the parks registered for the Phase 3 Closed Playtesting.
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Starting in August 2023, all Amtgarders are welcome to join the Amtgard V9 Discord server to provide feedback and participate in public discussion.
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Click here to join the Amtgard V9 Discord Server!
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OTHER SUPPORTERS & CONTRIBUTORS
Many other individuals are have contributed their time or otherwise assisted us with various external tasks such a wiki, website, and social media support. These individuals are not directly involved with the design process but their contributions are integral to the success of the overall project.
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You can find the full list of V9 Design Credits and Acknowledgements HERE.
COMMITTEE HISTORY
Before 2019: Unofficial Teams
Prior to 2018, the idea of Amtgard V9 development was being explored by two separate, unofficial teams. One led by former Amtgard V8 developper, Kord, and another by Rising Winds Rules Rep and eventual RRO, Manama.
2019-2020: The Merger
At Gathering of the Clans 2019, with approval from the Circle of Monarchs, the two teams merged together and were christened as an official committee under Amtgard International. Over the next year, the team would refine it's membership and slowly put together an operational structure and long-term development plan.
During this time, the team was led jointly by Kord and Manama, and the members remaining after the merge were Wunjo, Gorovan, Wat, and Rel.
Shortly after, Rel left the committee to pursue work overseas, and the global COVID-19 pandemic forced the world into lockdown, including all Amtgard Kingdoms.
2020-2022: Research & Development
At Gathering of the Clans 2020, with unanimous approval from the Circle of Monarchs and his committee peers, Wunjo was promoted to Committee Lead and Director of V9 Development. Under Wunjo's leadership, the V9 team began their four-year development plan.
Also during this time, Heron was recruited to the core team and Wat stepped down but continues to contribute as an extended team member.
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2022: Green Light to Proceed
At the 2022 AICOM meeting, the V9 Committee was on the docket to either be dissolved or empowered. The vote to dissolve the committee failed by a super-majority (14 votes to 8) and the vote to empower the committee passed with over 81% approval (18 votes to 4).
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The results of this meeting updated the V9 Committee's mandate from just "research V9" to "playtest, build, and present a complete V9 ruleset to the AICOM for consideration in 2024".
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With fresh wind in their sails and support from the AICOM, the V9 Committee entered Phase 3 of development - Alpha Playtesting.
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2023: Closed Playtesting
Heading into 2023, the V9 Committee launched the closed Alpha playtest of the Militia Ruleset. This was an opt-in phase of playtesting that required parks to register to gain access. The intent was give the on-going V8 Development breathing room (at the request of the AICOM), however leaks and misinformation began to run rampant among the unregistered crowds who were curious and anxious about what they couldn't see happening behind the closed doors.
This culminated at the 2023 AICOM meeting, where the V9 Committee was once again on the docket to be dissolved, this time including a second proposal to release all the survey data to the public. Unfortunately, both of these proposals were heavily influenced by waves of misinformation and a growing fear of the unknown.
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Thankfully, the AICOM vote to dissolve the V9 committee failed (13 votes against, 10 votes in favor), and the vote to release the data also failed (13 votes against, 10 votes in favor); however it was now clear that closed playtesting was doing more harm than good and a new approach was necessary if the team was going to secure the 75% support needed to become the official ruleset.
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With another dissolution vote behind them, the V9 Committee entered Phase 4 of development, ready to squash misinformation with the move to Open Playtesting and release of the Class Rules, the most anticipated release since the inception of V9.
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