The invitation process has revealed itself to be more of an obstacle than I first anticipated. One of the invites didn't go through, so now I'm stuck with just three, and there's no obvious option to send more. Worse still, if I can't find a way to send them, my union will be cancelled for thirty whole days -- it makes no sense to me. Why punish founding fathers so severely for succumbing to a glitch in a system that they have no control over? I'm fighting as hard as I can to stop my application from being terminated, but it's not easy. I read a post that didn't exactly put my fears to rest: "I've never met anyone who didn't have a problem with the invite system". Clearly the setup process was flawed to begin with, and needs improvement. I'm not sure exactly where to point this out, but when I am, I'll definitely bring this up.

Recruitment is coming along as well as could be expected -- I only need one more recruit before I can start it up officially. I have someone in mind, but have had difficulty getting into contact with him. I'll probably see him this weekend though, so it's all fine.

I've been posting up information across a few forums to find charter members, so now I guess I have to play the waiting game. Which sucks because I am usually impatient. I'm like the DMV, I'm about getting things done! OK maybe not the DMV ... anyway, here's the text of the advertisement:

OK, so I'm thinking of founding a union entirely based on the multiplayer aspect of Ring of Fates. It'll be a kind of Battle Tactics and Chronicles discussion group, where players come together to discuss different battle plans and gambits, and tell each other what works and what doesn't work. In the Board of the union will be several stickied threads, each with a different purpose:

Clan Primer Thread: Here each member of the union has one post which they update as time goes on. The post will hold information such as the name of their group that they play with, information about each member (what tribe, etc), and how many quests and tasks that clan has accomplished.

Gambit Manual: In this thread each post holds information about a particular tactic or manoeuvre a group of tribes can pull off, which and how many of each tribe is required, any gear or abilities required, and then finally how to pull it off. If available, a video of the technique being executed could be uploaded to the Videos area of the union.

Bestiary: A log of all the monsters any clan may have encountered. Each post contains the name of the monster, the name of the clan who fought it, and what gambits/spells/abilities are ideal for vanquishing it.

Clan Support Noticeboard: Clans can apply for help with certain quests or monsters in this thread, and others can reply and offer advice on how to tackle the situation.

The Other Stuff: The usual clutter of other threads, user-created, off-topic, etc.

As is union creation policy, I'll need the support of four other members before the union can take off. Because the game hasn't been released in English-speaking countries yet, it will need a bit of a boost. I was hoping I could Affiliate with the Crystal Chronicles union.

Please reply to this thread if you're interested in helping me get this project off the ground.I

I hope that there's enough general interest in the game for the odd reader to think about joining. Coincidentally, if you're reading this plog post and thinking "Hey, I might be interested in this 'Outpost Union', where do I sign up?", then comment on this post expressing your interest!

Just to further plan and flesh out my idea for the Ring of Fates Tactics and Chronicles thread, I was thinking of going beyond that. I might create a union with that theme in mind, where RoF gamers commune. In that sense, there would be further opportunities for the discussion of battle tactics, thanks to the features unions have to offer. For example, members could upload videos of their adventuring party pulling off a particular gambit, to show others how it's done. I see great potential in this idea, mainly because of a blog post I read on the Official News site for the game: namely that of Mitsuru Kamiyama, the game's Director. However the union's fate is ultimately decided by the game's popularity. Hopefully I'll be able to create a fun environment where fans of the series can assist each other in their quests, as opposed to those same fans resorting to the cold, impersonal help of a walkthrough. Honestly, where's the enjoyment there?

Well there are only 14 days left (as of today) until the game's American release, and I hope as an Australian resident I won't have much longer to wait. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some Iced Coffee to enjoy!

In order to ward off the boredom brought about by my inordinate supply of free time, as is plain to see; I've resorted to writing in my profile's log. In my opinion it should really be called a plog. In fact that's what I'll call it.

To begin with, I've had an idea with regards to the imminent release of the DS game Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates. However I can't really devote myself to it yet, because the plan depends on the game being released in America and the other countries, especially my own homeland of Australia. Still there's no harm in planning and plotting in my plog.

So I'll just start plogging the plan, then. As anyone who has researched the game would know, it will have a strong emphasis on co-operative multiplayer, my personal favourite means of gaming. Considering the name of the game, particularly the word "Chronicles", I thought it might be interesting to create a thread in the Crystal Chronicles Union boards dedicated to the actual Chronicles and reports of those fortunate gamers that may enjoy pillaging dungeons with their buddies. A kind of ... "Adventure Archive", if you will. In this thread there could also be the discussion of tactics and popular battle plans employed by FF:CC:ROF players.

Well, it could take off, it could bite the dust, but I've got nothing else to do with my time anyway, so I'll do it regardless!