Hey, everyone! I wanted to touch base and let you know what to expect starting tomorrow.

The new system as posted previously (http://forums.play.net/forums/GemStone%20IV/Meeting%20Hall%20Organizations%20(MHOs)/Announcements/view/76) will be in effect starting January 1, 2021. However, the actual tools I need on my side aren't going to be ready for awhile. It shouldn't change anything on your end really though, except for how you are referenced as a Tier 1, 2, or 3 ingame.

2020 Tiers
* All Tier 1s will become Tier 2s in the current system (this will be the Prominent Tier once all coding infrastructure is complete)

-- You need to complete 1 event per year to stay in the MHO system
-- You will be eligible for Renowned Tier status at the end of 2021 as long as you do your 1 event and submit your Post-Event Report (PER).

* All Tier 2s will become Tier 3s in the current system (this will be the Renowned Tier for 2021)
-- You need to complete 2 events per year to stay in the MHO system

* All Tier 3s stay Tier 3s

Please note! I had 3 T1 MHOs with no events in 2020 that did not reach out to me. For those that reached out to me, you were automatically granted credit. For those that did not, the risk was that you would lose MHO status for 2021. There were a handful of T3 MHOs that were showing as no events when I initially posted about this, but all of them reached out to me, and therefore, all of them were automatically granted credit.

Given the absolute dumpster fire that is 2020, I'm going to be lenient here, since it is only 3 MHOs. I'll roll everyone over into 2021 as-is.

Getting The Word Out About Events
Right now, T3/Renowned are the only ones who get calendar items, and they only get 1. It can be a recurring one, just FYI. In addition, this is an area I'll revisit once I get everything else done and caught up, to see if we can increase this slightly.

Please don't forget to use HALL NEWS so I can get your events into NEWS 4, and I know TownCrier has their own system you can submit to as well, that a lot of players follow.

You can also create your criers using HALL.

For anything require GM review, please try to give a lot of lead time. I am getting A LOT of very last minute requests, and while I try to be available almost every day to review news, calendar, and crier items, if there is any sort of back and forth needed, you run the risk of missing out on these. I recommend 2-3 weeks in advance minimum and 30 days for calendar items.

Submitting Post-Event Reports

Tier 2s/Prominents only need to submit 1 PER, and Tier 3s/Renowneds only need to submit 2 PERs. Please do not submit more than the required number! This will cut WAY down on your paperwork and mine.

You should absolutely go hogwild with doing events! Just only submit 1 or 2 qualifying PERs depending on your tier. Focus on doing events, not paperwork!

Upcoming Updates

* Prize Closet Updates -- these are one of my top priorities, with the intention being I get them completed in 2Q2020

* MHO Guidance Document -- This is now considered out-of-date and will be preserved for historical purposes. An updated one with 2021 and beyond guidance will be completed as soon as possible.

* Long-Term Benefits -- fulfilling all of these is definitely on the docket

* New structures for the final, eligible T3s: I have 3 in the works and 3 more to reach out to.
--In the works: TownCrier, Hand of the Arkati, and Order of the Shadow
--Eligible: ICICLE, Ilyan Syndicate, and Caeruil Atelier [While I'll send an email out soon, if you're an officer reading this, please feel free to email me with your primary contact person's name and info!]

* In-game updates to reflect correct tier terminology -- while definitely a priority, I'd like to get the more manual things done first that impact you the most (long-term benefits, prize closet updates, guidance documents, etc)

Looking To The Future
One of my long-term goals is to find ways to still reward our incredible MHOs and their amazing officers and members, but in a way that doesn't spiral out of control and become a "GM-killer" because of its time consuming nature. To that end, I have marked down numerous ideas from all of you as well as ideas I've got myself, about adding funcationality to the MHO Halls, for items you can rent and roleplay with, etc. I make no promises on these at this time -- I've got a lot of stuff to do under the upcoming section, as well as other GM duties and passion projects (those wonderful things that keep us motivated and are super important to be able to do!), but I wanted you all to know that I absolutely intend on working on this in 2021.

--Xynwen--
World Team, MHO GM
>Emails for MHO business should go to GS4-MHO@PLAY.NET
"My real name is Mephistopheles, but you can call me baby"

Hey Xynwen,

Quick question - several of us are working on event ideas for this year and I'd like to get a point of clarification.

>>To maintain Renowned status, the MHO must solely host 2 events per year, open to all, and advertised via NEWS 4 or the calendar.

Does this mean events that are coordinated as part of player-run festivals (Winterfest as an example) don't count? Even if the MHO hosts/runs on its own but schedules it as part of a fest?

/seo, wheels and skulls department/

That obviously looks like a ton of work to be done.

Are there any timelines for accepting new MHO applications yet at this point? I understand if there isn't. Thanks!