CT Sideways, Chief News Editor

Wednesday, May 25th 2019

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To my Fellow 501st members and all GARC members, a special report.

The Return of Checkpoints RP

     From delivery drivers to drug lords, backwater storytellers and bartenders, and all the Coruscant guard members in between: after a long hiatus, Checkpoints RP is back.

All the Galaxy’s a Stage….

     The premise is simple: participants are divided into two groups, the actors and the Guard. The actors get to be whatever they want. On this day of fantasy, some chose laborers such as hospital workers. Others became hungry for power and chose to serve their own ambitions.

A Hive of Fun and Villainy

     Perhaps unsurprisingly for a game mode which revolves around border crossing hi jinks, a group of weapons smugglers were the fan-favorite actors. The actors in question had snuck weapons through the checkpoint to sell on the market. Once in town, the smugglers became disgusted with the living conditions facing the poor people in the town.

     As they witnessed the horrible taxation of the people, the smugglers became sympathetic to the commoners’ cause. Overwhelmed by a sense of justice, the smugglers turned revolutionary and staged a protest.

     It became violent very quickly. After a fierce firefight, manhunt, and an eventual hostage situation, the rebellion was squashed. Historians are still analyzing the rebellions effects to this day.

Move Along, Move Along

     The other side of the struggle for revolutionary justice is also worth exploring. Like with every town, there are laws and regulations, and there are those commissioned to ensure any loose nails are hammered back into place. The constables of the town surrounded by the titular checkpoints were the Coruscant Guard. These guard were very, very busy.

     Aside from the mountainous task of dealing with a splatter painting of unrestrained shenanigans, they also had the duty of collecting taxes,  performing cargo checks and frisking incoming citizens for contraband. The Coruscant Guard kept order with foot patrols, vehicle transports, and of course LAAT surveillance.

     Anyone caught breaking the rules would be detained and sent to court. There, a judge would deal a punishment to fit the crime. The judge, like the Guard, had a very active Saturday.

Execute Order 404

     But so too did the servers. A queue to get in had to be formed almost immediately. Some members of the unit waited hours to get in, with the highest reported wait time pushing six hours. Some people never got to login at all. Unfortunately for them, it was a blast. After such a long break from Checkpoints RP, it’s unsurprising to many unit members that there was a significant turnout. Still others are pushing to make the event a recurring one as it was in years past.

The Eye in the Sky

    Speaking to CC Player gave some enlightenment into how much work goes into these events. Player ran 3 sessions on Sunday, each about 3 hours long. Including setup and organization, Player says he spent about 11 hours in front of his computer. Not only that, he had to make sure the Coruscant guard leadership knew their responsibilities, map editing, and all the other things required to run a smooth operation.

    After CC Player announced his intent to revive Checkpoints RP, CC Lava, a veteran of some of the older Tatooine Checkpoints RPs, wanted in. It was his first run as Zeus for the event, but his experience with former CW-O Lindsey left him more than prepared.

     Some of Lava’s favorite activities where the Geonosian invasion, the rebel insurrection, and Coward’s rousing speech rallying his troops. The Lieutenant was disappointed at the lack of turnout at his personal go kart track, which had been open to scum and villainy alike despite the limited use. Player also had some favorite memories of the event. In particular he enjoyed seeing a pilot giving helicopter tours of the city, the Porg invasion of the checkpoints, and seeing members of GARC come out.

     When asked if we would see another Checkpoints RP before the third anniversary, Lava responded: “that's to be determined.” Player was a little more optimistic but thinks it needs to grow small and organically.

     “CT Pro’s Trouble in Quarantine Town is a great example of how it could work. He's started small, organizing his events and his zeus's. If it was handed off and someone tried to make it as big as it is now off the bat, it might not go as well.”

      As always, make sure to give CC Lava and CC Player a big thank you for all their hard work during the event.

     Until next time.

     CR-C Momentum, signing off.
     Edited by CP Hoodoo

The following article was written by our very own CC Cruisie:

    Two years ago, give or take a day or two, I was talking to one of the founding members of the 501st Legion - a guy named Piner. This guy that I've known for the past year or two, with Jay, while talking to him about the 501st Legion he told me something that sticks with me to this day. He told me that Jay ,and himself will find away to keep this unit up for a long time. He might not know how the unit would turn out, or that he would be kicked out for doing something stupid, but the unit is still up, still growing, and still kicking ass. Sadly I am the third longest member in the unit, Shiv in second, and Jay in first.... The sad part is, Jay never talked to me about the Starsim unit, I had to go to him.... I asked him, "What does a guy gotta do to join this Star Wars unit?", he  replied: "You guys got to answer one question, do you like Star Wars?". I sat there thinking, I've known this guy for almost two years, played other games, like Star Trek Online, and others.... So I replied "No I don't like Star Wars, Star Wars is life!". I did not think I would be here today making sure the servers are up and running on our own Dedicated Server Box that I help built, that all of you help funded. I also didn't think we would be using the same TeamSpeak 3 server that Jay bought back in 2015 for a team that uses a Star Wars symbol for the logo. After a month of the unit creation, I built a website for shit's and giggles to show it off to Jay, and the other members in leadership - last week the website had 5,988 users login via Steam today, that is at 6,014 and growing. 6,014 people have come and gone from the unit, not only has the unit been alive for two years now, it's got over six thousand people coming to our website to either join, check us out, to see what the 501st Legion Star Sim unit is about. We have had a few bad apples come, and try to destroy the 501st Legion, but failed, it show who can be trusted, and who cannot. As I see it, it was a means of shaking out  the flakes in the unit, to keep the loyal, and the people who want to see the unit grow strong. Yes I did forget that fireworks mission that I had made last year anniversary, but there is always next year!

    The last week has been a great anniversary for the 501st. I’ve personally seen many great things not only in the last few days, but in my entire journey of the 501st. Back in late 2017 I joined because I had seen a video of someone being executed from a huge amount of clones.

     I was amazed, as I had never seen a Star Wars mod this large with the capabilities of Arma III. With some time I rose through the ranks and now it’s been almost two full years since. I have many stories to share and many important memories and experiences inside the unit. Many of the people who were here in late 2017, when I joined, are still around, in many different positions and holding many different ranks. These loyal members and myself continue to maintain the unit in hopes that more people will come to gain these memories and form new experiences. With the last anniversary weekend, we had over 90 people trying to come play the old-school checkpoints RP. There was a 3 hour long queue to join! This was a major reason for a large majority of our members joining and even to this day, people are willing to join the 501st to experience such a large community together. Let us now work together for the future of the Legion and here’s to another two good years of the 501st.

-CT Sideways

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Avalanche HQ -

“I was promoted this week, however I still feel the same.” - CC Player

Avalanche 1 -

Aeon (CR-C to CT)

“1st Platoon is taking names and kicking ass and is ready for the FTX cycle and the Olympics” - CS-M Point

1st Platoon game night is after the 1st Platoon FTX/Op and everyone is welcome

Avalanche 2 -

Urse (CT to CP)

“Lava is a closet Scotsman” - CS-M Crisis

Avalanche 3 -

Zoro (CT to Sr. CT), Trip (CT to Sr. CT), Leon (CT to Sr. CT), Snoopy (CT to Sr. CT), Husky (CT to Sr. CT)
"We're doing good." - CC Ewik

Avalanche 4 -

“While we are not saying 5th Platoon does exist, we're not willing to admit it's not real” - CS-M Coward

Acklay -

"Regarding last week, I found out that CC Ewik dips pineapple pizza in milk!" - CC Lava

Onyx -

“We’re about to be filling in a lot of positions for the detachment very soon” - CS-M Crow

Razor -

“Congrats to Razor class 16. Roster is almost full, however the next class will be delayed.” - CX Scuba

Mynock -

“Mynock is excited to hold our FTX next week. Additionally Mynock is looking to fill our two remaining slots and is finishing up on our needed documentation.” - CS-M Jan

Zeta -

“Full speed ahead” - CP Fancy

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DID YOU KNOW?

Hitting DEL (Delete) on your keyboard while driving a vehicle will activate the cruise control, allowing you to maintain a slower speed.

501st Trivia

CP Delta is SCP-1567*

501st Discord

501st Patreon

501st Donation Page

^{501st News opinion doesn’t necessarily reflect the opinion of the entire community. If you’d like to help the news team, you can in many ways, including but not limited to, signing up for the news team, submitting an article, posting a piece of media or getting publicity for an event. For those interested, please contact either CT Sideways or CP Sense for more information. Your voice matters, let it be heard. We’re currently looking for journalists to collect stories, media and content and story writers to write articles. Also please consider donating to the 501st to help pay for server costs and help keep this community alive and well maintained. Photo credits: Me, CT Kuro, CM-C Flourite, CX-P Kushiban and CP Hoodoo. Extra graphics by: CT Daku}

^{Chief News Editor: CT Sideways}

^{News Editor:CT Sense}

^{Writers and Journalists: CT Daku, CP Hoodoo, CT Ruse, CT Stone and CR-C Momentum}

^{*note: CP Delta is not actually SCP-1567}

CT Sideways, Chief News Editor
Saturday, May 16th, 2019

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LIBERATION!

     Disaster, Deprivation and Lawlessness. As the Clone War rages across the stars, numerous refugees flock to the independent planet of Lok to escape the travesties and malicious brutality of the Separatist Forces. Unknown to them, the opportunistic scum and villainy within the growing communities seek to take advantage of these starving people with gleeful, gluttonous credit filled hands.

     The planet Lok is currently transitioning into the winter, mountain tops are snowy but rest of the planet remains temperate until late into the winter season. The population is a mixture of refugees and survivors of the war, living in villages, trying to move on. The rest are expected to be spacers, mercenaries and other various vagrant groups with limited technology. Doing their best to get by, they’ve resorted to many new lifestyles trying to recover from the conflict. Some groups have even gone so far as to have made claims that the Republic is attacking them. Repeating broadcasts are being sent out with the message that they are being attacked by Republic forces and need help. It’s public knowledge that we have no forces there.



     Lok has had its infamy with individuals who have drifted toward it throughout history, looking to hide or avoid suspicions. Is not aligned with the Republic or the Confederacy and will now make it’s name in galactic history.

      By order of the Republic Senate itself; the 501st Clone Legion, Hailstorm Battalion deploys in full force onto the planet to restore order and bring liberation to the people of Lok. As expected by Republic Intelligence; Separatist spies have begun sending propaganda signals of terror to the planet’s would-be occupiers and the many Droid fleets that ravage exposed worlds.

     Brave and determined clone forces fight through villainous pockets of Separatist Terrorist Cells to liberate and bring each village into the warm embrace of the Republic for the quickening winter that approaches; threatening to bring these starving refugees into more dire circumstances..

     This news team would like to ensure the people of Lok that we come to help. Stay within your homes, cooperate with the Clones that come to assist and free you but otherwise remain out of danger. Finally, the Confederacy of Independent Systems are not your friends and will seek to destroy what little of your livelihoods you have left.



    The following article was commissioned by the 501st News Team and received from CP Klown with information regarding his very own MOUT (Military Operations on Urban Terrain) trainings that he has hosted for quite some time.

    Topic of Teamwork, Cohesion and Communication

     Teamwork in the context of CQC is, at its core, defined by the level of respect and trust a fireteam has between its members. A fireteam in which nobody trusts each other is just four individuals being glued together by the rules, whereas a fireteam that has members who respect and trust each other gain a synergy that cannot be achieved otherwise. This enables said fireteam to shine as well as bring out each individual’s best aspects.
     Communication is just the same, you can’t get above a basic level if you don’t have strong cohesion. The more tight-knit your unit is, the less likely it is for communication to break down when shit hits the fan, and that is the only time when it truly matters.

MOUT Tips and Tricks

     There is only one tip I have for you. Stay alive.

      Surround everything that you do with that objective in mind and you will succeed in anything. Any mission, no matter the difficulty, can be completed as long as one condition remains true: there is someone to finish the job. If you want more generic crap advice like keeping your gun on full auto and shit, you came to the wrong person. Risk management is the single most important thing you need to be aware of, and is the core of survivability. Every move you make exposes you to a whole new batch of risks. The challenge of MOUT is being able to critically assess these risks and take them without losing trust in yourself or your team. The greatest enemy you will ever have to deal with is not a b2, a squad of B1s, or an IG88, but your ability to stay cool and deal with the situation as it develops.  Break down every engagement to its core elements, see it for what it is, deal with one problem at a time, and I guarantee you will succeed in whatever task is before you. I would say this applies to most things in life actually.

Clearing Buildings

      The standard fireteam breach commonly taught in initial is good for beginners, but it is not an effective method at all. This does not mean that what you are taught in Initial is useless, but breaching and clearing is not something that you should standardize if you want to be truly good at it. There are dozens of methods one can use in order to breach and clear a building. Determining the best one for your situation depends on more factors than I would be able to write without this turning into one massive word wall; breaching and clearing is an art form, and should be treated as such. Think outside the box, try new things, do what works for you, and forget what doesn’t. Refine your method through trial and error.

MOUT Planning

     Planning for a MOUT operation is like planning your road trip based entirely on the weather prognosis. It’s not always wrong, but your plan is 1 dimensional and will be found lacking at some point. One should always attempt to plan in a manner that will force the enemy to have the fewest moves possible while enabling the most wiggle room for your unit. As a simple example, when pushing into a city, do so with your flanks covered so you take away the droids ability to flank you. If there is an MSR that the droids could use to flank you with AATs or MK2s, block it off or mine it if possible; at the very least keep your flank in the back of your mind and check it regularly. If they have a QRF base or mortar emplacement on the outskirts, prioritize those; generally, make an effort to remove outlying force multipliers before going in. Limiting and forcing your opponent into a corner makes him predictable, and you always want to fight the enemy you know rather than the one you don’t. MOUT will always be the most unpredictable environment of all, but bringing an umbrella even if the forecast calls for clear skies, it might just be worth the small burden. Stay adaptable, be ready for anything, and remember the old saying, “no battle plan survives first contact”. Taking a proactive and dynamic approach will always be the most difficult but also the best; reality doesn’t care about how well written your OPORD is.

Final statement

     Experience outranks everything. Training is simply passing experience down quickly from those who have it to those who don’t, but training alone cannot ever hope to substitute firsthand experience.

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Battalion HQ -

"It's been a hell of a ride, hitting 2 years this weekend, and we hope to see all of you here for many more years to come!" - BC Jay

Avalanche 1 -

“Did a good job on Llanic and looking forward to Lok, my quote is better than Pompano’s quote” - CS Legia

Avalanche 2 -

Cursed (CT to CP)

“2nd platoon is geared up and ready to take on whatever lies ahead.” - CS Pompano

Avalanche 3 -

Darkstar (CT to CP)

“3rd Platoon is doing all good and excited for the upcoming 501st anniversary” - CS Andromeda

Acklay -

"Did you know that CC Ewik dips his pizza in milk?" - CC Lava

Onyx -

“With Trainings and Operations on the up, we’re continuing to refine ourselves as an effective unit. We look forward to the anniversary, and look forward to another year of the 501st.” - CS George

Razor -

"Everyone DM CX-X Namenai: ~Happy Birthday Script Lord~" CX- Scuba

Mynock -

“Everything is going according to plan …” - CC Klein

Zeta -

“The Boys are back in town.” - CP Fancy

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DID YOU KNOW?

You have to stun an enemy in the legs in order for the effect to be successful.

501st Trivia

Lt. Euler can sometimes get “fustrated”.

501st Discord

501st Patreon

501st Donation Page

^{501st News opinion doesn’t necessarily reflect the opinion of the entire community. If you’d like to help the news team, you can in many ways, including but not limited to, signing up for the news team, submitting an article, posting a piece of media or getting publicity for an event. For those interested, please contact either CT Sideways or CI Daedalus for more information. Your voice matters, let it be heard. We’re currently looking for journalists to collect stories, media and content and story writers to write articles. Also please consider donating to the 501st to help pay for server costs and help keep this community alive and well maintained. Photo credits: CM-P Navo, CT Chaser, CT Raykan, CT September and Me  Extra graphics by: CT Daku}

^{Chief News Editor: CT Sideways}

^{News Editor:CT Sense}

^{Writers and Journalists: CT Daku, CP Hoodoo, CT Ruse and CR-C Momentum.}

CT Sideways, Chief News Editor
Tuesday, May 14th, 2019

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TROUBLE IN QUARANTINE TOWN
by CT Ruse and the 501st News team

     Once upon a late-night fun op, I participated in a mini-game on 501st servers called Trouble in Terrorist Town, which was itself a reproduction of a popular Counter Strike custom game of the same name.
     I had no idea what I was doing, but the community kept the game rolling, like the ancient players who told and retold the classic stories in the amphitheatres. Over time, the game gained traction, details were changed, and it became Trouble in Quarantine Town.
     The 501st Journalist CT Ruse sat down with CT Pro, the creator of the custom game, to discuss its past and future.

Cops and Robbers for Millenials

     While Trouble in Quarantine Town has its roots in the classic custom game, it’s got several unique rules that come from this community’s unique penchant for RP.

     “I referenced the original TTT [Trouble in Terrorist Town], the good old gmod game mod - but there’s a lot more to it now. TTT was just the base for TQT when we started. Basically, now, you have three factions: the terrorists, the military, and the civilians."

The Terrorists’ main goal is to cause so much trouble as much as possible. They have to assault three hard targets. After that, they have two other objectives: to kill or capture the two HVTs. These HVTs are the senator and the military commander. If the terrorists complete all their objectives, they win the round.

The military’s goal is to kill all of the terrorists, but there’s a catch - the terrorists are rolling around with the civilians.

Then you have the civilian roles as well. They are just there to keep the game interesting. Even though development is pretty much complete, that doesn't mean that we won’t throw something new in there to make the game more interesting once a awhile.”

From Humble Beginnings

The idea for TQT has been around for a while, just not in its current form. As mentioned, existing custom games, as well as group games played before the age of electronics are the basis for TQT, wherein some players cause chaos while a small group of enforces tries to retain order. Pro describes the inception of the idea:

     “Well, we ended up doing a role playing event called Dark Business, and basically it was a PvP game, where you have 3 factions, you have the pirates, the Clones, and the Droids. So basically, that kinda got me thinking that this was interesting…. Around the time we had the second event - it was just a few months later - I got thinking: do I want to make something more of this?”

     The answer, of course, was yes. And the community would rally in support. Pro continues, “I started planning TQT for at least 3 or 4 months to make sure I actually planned it out properly. I got around to pitching my idea to other people, then i was told to talk to this person and this other person, until it kind of fell on deaf ears. Because of that, I ended up doing most of the stuff on my own. I think it's because people are not fond of role playing events."

     “Also, at the time, PvP events weren’t that popular and weren’t going over so well from what I’d heard from other people on fun ops. That's why I want people to give me input on every single TQT event that I do: to make it better for everyone.”

The Pantheon

     As the popularity of his creation grew, Pro found himself adding more features and depth to the game. He was soon in need of loyal lieutenants to ensure the scenario flowed smoothly. He describes the staff of TQT:

     “At the moment i’m still the lead developer of TQT, but I do have some staff to help me out with. I like to call them game masters. They help me Zeus the events, work together, and talk about new ideas etc, etc."

     However, in all honesty TQT was launched pretty much whole and it was pretty rock solid idea when it came out. The set of rules we have implemented in TQT are well done, too, and we have tweaked a few little things over the past months.

     Largely, development has already been completed because I made sure that everything was spic n span before we did anything else with TQT.”

Looking to the Future

     The popularity of TQT has taken off, and Pro has some plans for the future for his roleplaying events. When asked for any word on what the future might hold, Pro says:

     “Well I would say don’t do drugs kids, but in all seriousness, though, TQT is a lot of fun, and the whole reason that I started it was because I really love RP."

      “It’s a shame that I can’t go down there to play because I have to host the events, but I am planning to be making a second host in the future, so I can have a day off and actually play the game mode with everyone else."

Star Wars RP: RP

     As a game maker, Pro has not rested on his laurels following the takeoff success of TQT. He and his cadre are thinking of new ideas for fun ops and mini games. When asked if he’s making any more games, he states:

     “For right now, yes, and I won’t go into detail because I’m actually still talking to my staff about it a the moment. I can so that it’s going to be a lot bigger then what TQT and a lot more detailed as well. Also it will definitely be roleplaying mode too.”

He concludes: “Come join! I mean, it’s worth it to join at least once and to see for yourself if you like it or not.”

CT Pro's next TQT event has been announced for the 24th of May and more information can be found here:

CT Pro's TQT Discord

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Battalion HQ -

Fancy is taking over Zeta responsibilities.
Andromeda is taking over UTC. The “Overseer” role was removed as it was a placeholder.
Odin was promoted the Company CS-M

Avalanche HQ -

Odin (CS to CS-M)

Sense (CT to CP), Skittles (CP to Sr. CP)

Myrola (CT to Sr. CT), Fiend (CT to Sr. CT)

News is that we as Avalanche company will now be accepting CR-C's into our platoons as long as they have completed UTC and completed at least one check in with Zeta company. We are also looking for active people who are interested in leadership to talk with platoon leaders and inquire about how to continue moving forward in the unit.

"If the number (21) is twenty one and the number (31) is thirty one then why is the number (11) eleven?” - CC Player

Avalanche 1 -

Simon (CT to Sr. CT)
“First platoon is still kicking ass and taking names” - CS-M Point

Avalanche 2 -

Soviet (CM to CM-P)

Avalanche 3 -

Nevermore (CT to CP), Schames (CT to CP), Dimitri (CT to CP)

CT Rayne (CT to Sr. CT), Deci (CT to Sr. CT), Sour (CT to Sr. CT), Bjorn (CT to Sr. CT)
"We're doing good." - CC Ewik

Avalanche 4 -

Turkey (CT to Sr. CT)

"Wait, I can just say anything and you'll put it in the newsletter? Let me think of something." - CS-M Coward

Acklay -

"We're all doing good here." - CC Lava

Onyx -

"We're preparing for our campaign operations this weekend and working on trainings, nothing else new" - CS-M Crow

Mynock -

“We are running in normal parameters and are Finishing up the last Things to be fully operational.”  - CS-M Jan

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DID YOU KNOW?

Pressing backspace while in Zeus will remove the HUD elements, allowing you to take great screenshots.

501st Trivia

LT. Euler is currently the mod lead of the TCW mod.

501st Discord

501st Patreon

501st Donation Page

^{501st News opinion doesn’t necessarily reflect the opinion of the entire community. If you’d like to help the news team, you can in many ways, including but not limited to, signing up for the news team, submitting an article, posting a piece of media or getting publicity for an event. For those interested, please contact either CT Sideways or CT Sense for more information. Your voice matters, let it be heard. We’re currently looking for journalists to collect stories, media and content and story writers to write articles. Also please consider donating to the 501st to help pay for server costs and help keep this community alive and well maintained. Photo credits:}

^{Chief News Editor: CT Sideways}

^{News Editor:CT Sense}

^{Writers and Journalists: CT Daku, CT Stone, CP Hoodoo and CT Ruse}

CT Sideways, Chief News Editor
Friday, May 3rd, 2019

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      Hello everybody! With the legion approaching to the summer months, the staff of the 501st prepares for a large recruitment cycle to replenish from lost casualties in the war against the Confederacy! To bring combat ineffective units back up full strength, the Legion relies on it's vast amount of training personnel to cover the selection and training of all the new generations of clones sent to the front! CT Ruse and CT Hoodoo had the chance to take an in-depth look into the workings and history of CTC.

CTC, UTC, Baby You and Me, Girl: A History of the 501st’s Training Program

     The basic initial test is a crucible of gamers. Twice a week, hopeful newcomers stand shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers to attempt a live-fire course where every corner, every killzone is optimized for lethality of the participants and thrills of the spectators. The task of these greenhorns seems suicidal, and for many, it is. If they triumph, they will together, and their reward is sweeter than their success itself: a one-way ticket to Upsilon Training Corps.

     In the fall of 2017 and before, the initial test was considered the end of the targeted training of newer players. Recruits of the surviving class were made Cadets on the spot and sent off to be forged into elite riflemen in a nurturing squad environment. As membership has increased, so too has the need for training beyond the initial test.

    In addition to metering the flow of new members, CTC, or Cadet Training Corps, was introduced in the winter of 2017-18 to ensure new members had more supervised training hours under their belts before they were thrown into active duty. CS Andromeda, UTC commandant and former CTC instructor, recounts:

     “They were building up CTC to be something between BCT [Basic Combat Training] and just throwing people right into the unit so that people needed to know what to learn to become great troops in the community.”

     However, CTC was not without its issues. Each class of CTC Cadets comprised up to eight squads of cadets. The instructor of each class reported directly to the class commandant. This structure meant that command was centralized. In addition, the cadets advanced (or did not advance) through the course as a squad. Andromeda elaborates:

     “CTC had a lot less communication than what we have now between instructors and upper staff; recruits would fall through the cracks in the old system, and with the amount of recruits that we were getting, it was too much for the old system can handle…. Classes would sometimes not have a instructor because the instructors’ schedules couldn’t line up with their classes or with CTC all together.”

     It was for these reasons among others that CTC replaced by UTC as the 501st’s training program during the winter of 2018-19. However, more than just a C to a U was changed during UTC’s creation. There is now a platoon of instructors and cadets with a decentralized command structure. The pace of the course has been reworked to minimize the downtime for individuals who exceeded expectations. CT Nevermore is a former UTC instructor with experience in both programs. He explains the adjusted focus of UTC:

     “It’s more about the individual training than the entire group, so if one recruit is ready to move on to phase red (which is more of a combat training rather than information training), that individual recruit gets to move on while the others remain in phase green. It’s less of a group effort and more towards making sure that each recruit is ready on their own to move on, rather than as a group.”

     Commandant Andromeda explains that the long-term goal of the switch to UTC - it needed a greater instructor role and a simplification of the chain of command. As new members roll in, Andromeda’s “instructors have a greater range of [UTC Cadets] to work with.” In addition, fresh folks are exposed to new members more quickly.

     A more immediate benefit of restructuring the program was that UTC cadets no longer all have to log on at the same time as their peers to progress. As a result, UTC cadets with isolated time zones get to be in a squad just like everyone else. Nevermore continues:

     “The New system allows people with disparate schedules get the training that they need in a timely manner. Where the old system used to take three weeks to get everyone done in CTC, this new system can get some done faster, and still get everyone else caught up.”

     With the removal of the time zone barrier and the increase in class size, some UTC instructors find that they’re unable to make as strong of a connection with their Cadets as they had in CTC. Andromeda describes weighing the pros and cons of the switch:

     “We wanted to fit everybody into a public squad, instead of one person being by themselves and not getting the same opportunity as anyone else gets in UCT, we wanted to bring out the team aspect and the squad aspect and what it means to be in this unit this time around in UTC.”

     Another downside of a training corps structured on company lines is the need for qualified existing members to staff each element at the company, platoon and squad level. Nevermore himself recently stepped down from UTC for availability reasons - the time commitment is significant. CM Bronson, a Senior UTC instructor, admits the lack of instructor availability is an issue:

     “We’re trying to get more staff and people into the program. Yes we did have a fair amount of instructors and upper staff that left UTC but they couldn’t make the times any more,so they left or in some cases went to a different unit all together or went up in the chain of command to be moved into the section system. With all of that we need more instructors then we had in the past.”

     This turnover of instructors is a healthy part of achieving the goal of the program. Bronson elaborates on the growing pains of the company:

     “I think a lot of it is growing pains, any expansion in the unit. Blizzard and Zeta [Companies] had the same issues when they came out, and this was a big thing that had happened in CTC at the time. So along with that ambition, there’s a period to expand the unit and feel out what we want it to be. There was a vision to achieve.”

     CS Legia, former assistant commandant to Andromeda, agrees with Bronson’s assessment. He says:

     “People leave. It’s that some of them don’t have the time for the more rigid format. I would say in that regard that's upsetting but it will allow us to make the changes that we need in UTC for the system to work for everyone.”

     Andromeda concludes:

    “We’re expecting an increase in recruits coming in the starting summer, and I admit that we are understaffed at the moment. That’s why we are opening up applications for UTC, so when we get more Jr. Instructors to help out with the recruits, we can get them going faster through the first, second, and the third phases as well.”

      More recruits need more instructors. More instructors beget more recruits. This is a perpetual cycle, the heartbeat of the unit, with those graduates who return as instructors doing a particularly poetic service. That the purpose of the training company is dual served is an apt reflection of our unit: UTC, like the 501st as a whole, bridges the gap between combat training and community.

Upsilon Training Company is currently recruiting instructors in anticipation of the summer membership surge.

Credit:

CS Andromeda

CS Legia

CT Nevermore

CM Bronson

CM Pipit

     With the Galactic Campaign underway and the month of July approaching fast, we here at the 501st News Team bid hopes and good fortunes to the members of the UTC personnel during those times. Stay around for more news from the 501st in next week's newsletter!



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Avalanche HQ -

“It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.” - CC Player

Avalanche 1 -

“This past weekend Avalanche 1 performed valiantly on the field and successfully [REDACTED]” - CS Legia

Avalanche 2 -

"2nd platoon is doing well and looking forward to this weekend." - CS Pompano

Avalanche 3 -

"3rd's doing good." - CC Ewik

Acklay -

“Surely there's no reason we cant be civilised about all this." - CC Lava

ARC -

“...continuing to practice and improve with FTX’s and we look forward to the anniversary of the Unit’s creation!”  - CS-M Crow

Razor -

"Razor recruitment is open, go to #razor-open in pinned messages on discord for information. As long as you are eligible for UTC you are eligible to participate to become a pilot." - CX Scuba

Mynock -

"Mynock is excellent and very diligent in their training. We should be done very soon and ready to provide support to the rest of the Battalion." - CI Zulu

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^{501st News opinion doesn’t necessarily reflect the opinion of the entire community. If you’d like to help the news team, you can in many ways, including but not limited to, signing up for the news team, submitting an article, posting a piece of media or getting publicity for an event. For those interested, please contact either CT Sideways or CI Daedalus for more information. Your voice matters, let it be heard. We’re currently looking for journalists to collect stories, media and content and story writers to write articles. Also please consider donating to the 501st to help pay for server costs and help keep this community alive and well maintained. Photo credits: CM-C Ifrus, CT Swanny, CM-P Navo and Me. Extra graphics by: CT Daku and CT Shifty.}

^{Chief News Editor: CT Sideways}

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^{Writers and Journalists: CT Daku, CT Stone, CP Hoodoo}