Introduction
Come this summer, it will be two years since the Dragon Academy under Nyoko was restarted. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed, but that is how this game operates – it continues to march on, and we change along with it. As many of you may know, there are times, long periods of time in fact, when I do not sign on and enjoy the game as I usually do, for whatever reason. This last one started around January or February of last year, and now has only begun to fade and let me enjoy the game again.
In that time, however, it seems as though the Academy has been lost. Indeed, much of the Academy did not continue even before I had left. This was not a failure of ideas, nor intention – I want to make it clear that I greatly appreciate all Nyoko did to make that Academy possible, as well as all the teachers and staff, and it is not my desire to lessen that effort in any way. Without my experience teaching in Nyoko’s Academy, I would not have been able to prepare all of this information today.
My goals in reviving the Academy again are simple.
First: to allow a new generation and hopefully future generations a chance to experience the Academy.
Second: to inspire roleplaying in general.
Third: to create a sense of accomplishment for those who want it.
Fourth: to transform the previous incarnation of the Academy into something that can survive without a centralized leader or extensive effort on the part of the faculty.
Fifth: to spread the dragon cultures both of in-game and player lore, to new players on the server.
I noticed two things were missing from the previous incarnation: a point at which hatchlings could graduate, and that all of the work for it fell on the teacher’s shoulders. As a result, it was more rewarding (or work) for the teachers, and so after a while it became too much of a hassle to continue doing. That fourth goal is intended to address these problems.
While the previous incarnation of the Academy did not produce any elitism of those who had attended over those who had not – and I do not believe this one will either – I do want to note now that it is not appropriate, nor the intention of the Academy to make one hatchling/adult better than another. Its purpose is to help you think about your character in a new way and inspire roleplay that you can use to enrich your character’s life. Moreover, this Academy can be done at any pace one wants, as there are now options for self-directed learning as well as traditional classes, and so anyone, hatchling or adult, can join at any time.
With my goals clear and my intentions elucidated, let us move onto how the Academy will work.