“Secure The Stand Down”

Published by: CX-X Canik

Written by: CX-X Shnuffles, CT Momentum

Pictures found by: CX-X Canik

Introduction

From the frying pan and into the fire, where D&D brought us stability in a world we crafted for ourselves, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege brings us to a chaotic reality where every avenue of approach is open to exploit. Forget crossing the threshold of a home, why not just blow open a new one? Or take the scenic route, and use some rope to rappel in from the second story. Where Dungeon Masters and Game Masters rolled for success, Ubisoft leaves the player to make their own. Delve into the competitive world of Rainbow Six Siege with the News Team’s second installment of our two part series as we highlight the many gaming communities found within the Legion’s ranks.

While fewer in number and found scattered among the furthest corners of the unit, Siege fans continue to meet and queue up for matches on rather sporadic schedules. Far from the organization involved in Dungeons & Dragons, Siege requires little to no setup or organization. Allowing players to sit down and get right into the thick of it, no questions asked.

What is Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege?

At its most basic concept, “Rainbow Six Siege” is a cooperative team based shooter that rewards teamwork and planning instead of bum rushes and quick reflexes. The game is played in a 5v5 setting with an attacking and defending side. More uniquely, it follows the “Hero” trend of shooters with characters called “Operators.” We won't bore you with all the details, but its game play style is rather unique in the shooter space and brings with it a very large fan base. With a large fan base, there are bound to be players that can be competitive. We were lucky enough to get some time with some of the more well known siege players in the unit to talk to them about it. 

CM Beast

News team: What team are you apart of? Who leads that team? 

Beast : I play by myself primarily, and when I do play with others I’ll party up with members of the unit such as Jackson, Weiss, and Narrator.

NT: How long have you been playing siege?

B: Depends, I played Siege on console for a long time before coming onto PC, in total now it’s been around three years since I’ve started. On my main account I moved well past level 100 and beyond on my console, while I’m level 105 on my PC account as of now.

NT: Was anyone involved in this process that might’ve driven you to getting it?

B:  I don’t remember, the game was out for well over a year before I started playing and by the time I did start, it was in a closed group of friends.

NT: Do you find yourself as more of a casual player or a competitive one?

B:  I’m up for either, though I won’t play ranked with just anyone. If I’m queued for ranked, I’m queued to win. I only play Siege competitively in that sense with certain people, otherwise I’ll play casually.

NT: How does competitive play apply to your Siege team? Is your group well-versed in the game or rather casual during your tournaments? 

B: The only way you’re going to get better is when you’re playing against better people. We’ll get better at the game by learning the maps we play and landing our shots.

NT: How does the siege community stand out amongst the other communities found throughout the 501st? 

B: Siege differs from communities centered around games like D&D, namely in its game-play. I’m not one to take a chance on dice, but I’ll take my chances in my own skills when playing Siege. There’s a lot more guarantee, and less uncertainty.

NT: Is it just one of the many vague shooters fielded by the unit? Or is the community’s involvement more in tune with that of the D&D Community despite existing on an entirely different game. 

B: Compared to other first-person shooters, I find Siege to be more cemented in the unit. Though when viewing other games found throughout the unit, it’s like comparing apples to oranges. There’s no clear definitive game in the spotlight of our unit.

NT: Despite recent cancellations, would you be interested in seeing another unit-wide tournament held over Siege?

B:  I would love to see a unit-wide tournament held over siege. Even more-so, I’d be a part of it. Though I wouldn’t be so inclined to hold back when competing, we’re all going to be competing to win and I don’t intend to hinder my own teammates.

NT: What are the biggest challenges when you’re trying to find time to participate in these tournaments? 

B: For me, my family is a major challenge when participating in one of these tournaments. Crazy things can happen, and the only thing that would hold me back from going to one of these tournaments would be my family. Otherwise I’d do my best to participate. I think that we should hold an interest meeting, gather up anyone we can, and hammer out a date that’ll work for everyone. If anyone has any issues, just communicate it to the organizers and we can work it from there.

NT: Do you believe these conflicts stem from a lack of interest? 

B: It could be a lack of interest, because I for one am not opposed to playing custom games in the unit. Not everyone’s interests will align, but that shouldn’t stop them from playing siege. Whether it be custom, casual, or ranked, I’m open to playing it. No matter what I’m doing I’ll be honing my skills and refining them.

CP Weiss

NT: What team are you apart of? Who leads that team?

Weiss: I’m a member of Team Thanos LAAT, headed by CX Jackson.

NT: How long have you been playing siege? 

W: Since launch, Siege has been a prevalent game for me.

NT: Was anyone involved in this process that might’ve driven you to getting it?

W: A bunch of my IRL friends all signed up for the beta and got into it. Initially it was a turn off as the gameplay varied greatly from the original Rainbow Six games. Rainbow Six Siege took a more competitive approach, more akin to CS:GO.

NT: Do you find yourself as more of a casual player or a competitive one? 

W: Competitive. I play to win.

NT: How does competitive play apply to your Siege team? Is your group well-versed in the game or rather casual during your tournaments?

W:  I try to play competitively with people who have a good game-sense and are well-versed in map knowledge. We’re able to communicate and feed information to each other that helps us win.

NT: How does the siege community stand out amongst the other communities found throughout the 501st? 

W: I think siege has its place in the unit alongside other gaming communities found throughout the 501st.

NT: Is it just one of the many vague shooters fielded by the unit? Or is the community’s involvement more in tune with that of the D&D Community despite existing on an entirely different game. 

W: I believe Siege manages to stand out on its own with a lot of its core functions, but the “5v5 Competitive Shooter” has become a common feature in most shooter games. Similar to League of Legends’ 5 v 5 setup. Siege brings new things to the table, such as the varying operators and their gadgets.

NT: Despite recent cancellations, would you be interested in seeing another unit-wide tournament held over Siege?

W: Yes.

NT: What are the biggest challenges when you’re trying to find time to participate in these tournaments? 

W: The tournament’s planning should be done with consideration taken towards platoon operations in the 501st. With Winter Stand Down coming to an end, it’s important for large turnouts during the Galactic Campaign and for the platoons to show up in force.

CX Jackson

NT: What team do you lead?

Jackson: I lead Team Thanos LAAT, the largest of the 501st teams.

NT: How long have you been playing siege?

J: I have been playing Siege for about 4 years, started on xbox and transitioned to PC a couple years ago.

NT: Do you find yourself as more of a casual player or a competitive one? 

J: I play casually with 501st members and friends, but I play competitively with my university’s team.

NT: How does competitive play apply to your Siege team? Is your group well-versed in the game or rather casual during your tournaments?

J:  I wish Team Thanos LAAT was active enough and willing enough to learn some competitive strategies, but they aren’t - And none of the other teams are particularly active in tournaments.

NT: How does the siege community stand out amongst the other communities found throughout the 501st? 

J: The Siege community in the 501st is more casual and relaxed, most events aren’t even planned. If you feel like playing siege, you’ll just look to see if anyone is currently playing and join them.

NT: Were you apart of the tournaments held on the 9th and 24th of March last year? 

J: I was present at the March 8th Tournament. I thought it was a lot of fun for my team, but it wasn’t fun for the Zeta Bois team.

NT: Would you be interested in seeing another unit-wide tournament held over Siege? 

J: I would love to have another tournament, it’s just difficult to get others to attend.

“Round Starts in…”

As we’ve seen there is a desire from people in the unit to be active and competitive, but it seems most of us don’t mind playing casuals and calling it a night. Obviously, there is no right way to play, drone in casuals, play Low tier Operators, or just rushing an objective with 5 recruits. From Ranked to Terrorist Hunt, to the seasonal events all the way to “Pistols only”, there's plenty of ways to keep yourself entertained in Rainbow Six. And, with an Invitational coming soon, there's more things to do than ever. So, look for a squad and get to it.

The good news, is that with a little digging you'll be able to find people to play with. Be sure to check out the 501st Siege discord (CLICK HERE), and post in the “other games” channel in 501st main. You might be surprised who you can get a squad going with. In the meantime, the news team will keep checking cams and looking for stories around every corner. We hope you've enjoyed this two part series on two of the other games members of the 501st play.  Well see you soon, and hopefully we can have a bit of a Discord going forward. 

Dungeons For Dummies

 Published by: CX-X Canik

Written by: CX-X Shnuffles, CT Goddest

Pictures found by: CT Shifty

Introduction

With the week’s cycle of Operations, FTX’s, and squad trainings coming to a close, many of the Legion’s troopers are faced with long stretches of time away from battle. During this time, a variety of groups within the community thrive in the channels both above and below Task Force Radio. From Siege to Stellaris, and Minecraft to Skribbl.io, one could descend into a seemingly endless night of games to occupy themselves with. However one community stands out from the rest with respect to both size and the diversity of the groups it's comprised of.

Dungeons & Dragons fans have saturated the gaming communities of the Web since it’s creation. Even the Legion resides within the D&D community’s influence with many groups found throughout the unit’s ranks. With the community still expanding, the News Team has decided to take an in-depth look into both the board game and its numerous followers.

What Is Dungeons & Dragons?

Dungeons & Dragons, or “D&D” is a roleplaying game with an easily interchangeable and adaptable rule system to fit the needs of its players. Its success in the game industry can be attributed to a distinguishing characteristic of its platform. Where a majority of traditional games have overarching stories and characters fabricated for a player to navigate throughout an on-the-rails experience, Dungeons & Dragons pits the players’ minds to the test, inviting them to envision and create a character from the ground up in a sense. This ranges from race, class, occupation, morals, and traits. Even a character’s allegiances or alignment are all left up to the player’s desire, giving an enormous range of freedom and diversity for every D&D session. The number of variations between each session can lead to completely different experiences from game to game. 

Additionally, the pre-fabricated story is not necessarily waiting for its players in Dungeons & Dragons, instead the adventure is left to a Dungeon Master, or DM. The Dungeon Master is not only responsible for refereeing the D&D session for all the players, but also accounts for the storytelling aspect of the player’s adventure. A great deal of their time is spent on immersing players into a fantasy world through depicting expansive environments sprawling with diverse scenery. Coupled with this, the DM is also tasked with playing the role of numerous inhabitants of the ingame world. Every inhabitant or “NPC” that players will come across will be essentially “puppeteered” by the DM. Once contact has been made, players can interact with the same environment that the Dungeon Master has established, allowing them to solve conflicts through either violent or peaceful means. All of this being done with the option of players forming parties and gaining experience to level their characters up and gradually become stronger with every session.

T Time

Quotes provided from interviews with Sr. Corporal Tee and Trooper Teacup

Interviewer

Would you say that Dungeons & Dragons has an enriching factor / benefit to the 501st?

Teacup

I think so … We are a group of really close friends, you can say it’s almost like a brotherhood of sorts. You’re not just dawning a helmet and blaster to go start tackling droids like we do during our operations, you’re taking your friends into a tailor-made adventure full of new and exciting experiences.

Tee

Being a community that’s quite literally rooted in Star Wars, I’m able to offer my group their own homemade “Star Wars Story”. The game gives players the freedom to experience characters’ stories and allow them to leave a small or large impact on the world that they’re introduced to. Players will commonly end their own character’s story in order to create a new one - willingly. This same tendency prevents players from being locked into a character’s tale that may end abruptly or leave them unable to be apart of the group’s party, instead opening a new avenue to players and giving a sense of both development and completion to everyone’s characters.

Interviewer

While many friendships develop from games, is D&D one of those games? A game where one can make friends basically.

Teacup

Absolutely. Some of my best friends in the community feel like brothers to me now. Many of whom I never knew when I was first introduced to Dungeons and Dragons. My brother worked with them and one day he invited me to play as well, I agreed, a decision I wouldn’t regret. That was seven or eight years ago, sometime in between then I actually moved in with some of those same friends when my life reached a really hard point. Despite my own hardships, they were there for me when life seemed to bottom out from under me. D&D builds new relationships, strengthens already existing ones, and can connect you with new people that you might’ve never met had you not chosen to spend time with them.

Interviewer

  Just to wrap things up, we’ve gone through most of these questions and interviews with people who’ve already played and experienced Dungeons and Dragons, to those who haven’t though - Should they try it?

Tee

Honestly, give it a shot. Any Star Wars fan who's seen some of the newer movies that have come out in recent years like Rogue One and The Last Jedi have seen the adventures unfold with the characters interacting with the bigger parts of the universes they reside in. You could even connect the new Mandalorian series with D&D, it’s basically giving players a new “unique” story in the Star Wars universe.

And to add on to that - When you try it out, don’t let your experience be hindered by just your first one. Because the first character you try to make will reflect your own traits. It’s the second character that will involve more creativity and risk taking. Be a little more creative, the unit [501st] couldn’t succeed on its own without a touch of creativity.

Teacup

100 Percent. The game itself has driven players to kick start thought processes in their brains that normally wouldn’t occur, challenging them to become both creative and problem solvers over the course of a playthrough. Furthermore, with the level of interaction between players achieved through role playing we’re able to help others go above and beyond their own comfort zones. This comes in handy when playing a character that may be vastly different in comparison to how you normally are. This same acting element carries over into any other environment whether it be on stage or in game when one is called upon to depict a vastly different persona.

As The Dice Fall

As we’ve seen through two different interviews with members of the unit, DnD brings people together and keeps our community together when not in the servers. So if you prefer the hard hitting Warrior or the sneaky thief Rogue, or the mystical Sorcerer, there is sure to be a play style for you. With plenty of resources to start your own campaigns or plenty of people willing to play, in DnD your imagination is your limit, from raiding dungeons to waging wars and conducting sieges you can do anything you set your mind to. And if you prefer a different kind of siege, a more fast paced, and modern one, I suggest you keep an eye on our next article.

Unit Promotions For The Week

Effective with this posting the following individuals have completed the requirements set forth by the 501st Legion Command Team. They are promoted to the grade and rank as listed. Please congratulate the following troopers on their promotions.

Senior Trooper Roster

Senior Trooper Viperz

Senior Trooper Raven

Senior Trooper Brad

Corporal Osprey 

Welcome to the Galactic Republic 501st Legion website. We are clone troopers in the Star Wars Universe. The website is a work in progress, so please, wipe your feet when you enter.