The Gungan Council
From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.
The Gungan Council (or TGC) was born on November 1st 1999, a creation of then Pennsylvanian High School student Brian Kunkle, more famously known as General Ceel. The board initially operated as a roleplaying forum although throughout the years as much an emphasis is now placed on discussion as roleplaying. Whilst it has remained true to its roleplaying roots, it is now a great place for a veriety of discussion topics; music, movies and sports.
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[edit] The Beginning
Prior to the groups creation, Brian posted under his first ezboard account, Darthbeerman on the SW-Fans.Net message board. The Gungan Council (TGC) was created on the very same day as the General Ceel account and initially served as a roleplaying faction to the greater SwFans universe. However, unlike the other factions in the galaxy, TGC maintained its own roleplaying forum, The Battleground and many of the members conducted the majority of their character development on the board rather than stepping into the intimidating and often tumultuous environment that was SwFans in 2000. The Gungan Council even had it's own group of Jedi. Initially set up by Jedi Prasad in the first two months of TGC's creation, they were known as Jedi Gunga and trained side by side with the Gungan Warriors. However in February 2000, Organa Solo brought a small band of Jedi from the Imperial Palace and The Jedi Council, that still exists to this day, was formed. Despite being a faction of SwFans, the board still hosted some fantastic roleplays, including the legendary Battle of Naboo, a three-pronged attack led by Itala Marzullo's The Sith Council (another SwFans faction) and The Gungan Civil War. This period marked the beginning of what is often referred to as The Golden Age of TGC.
[edit] TGC Independence
Following a series of arguments, debates and criticisms, TGC split from SwFans in January 2001 and became an independent roleplaying galaxy. It already boasted its Jedi Council group and the SwFans faction The Ewok Council decided to align itself with the new, independent TGC. The Naboo Sith Order quickly formed and TGC underwent a period of rapid growth. Factions began to form and new members flooded the community. This continued The Golden Age period.
[edit] The Great Schism
By the summer of 2001, The Golden Age was drawing to an end. Several factions had amassed huge fleets and vast empires. Roleplaying became more a competition than a game. Factions exploited loopholes in the rules to gain the upper-hand, newly-formed factions were wiped out by the larger groups before they could even get started. The Out of Character forum became more volatile than The Battleground, flooded with arguments that rapidly descended into flame wars. Divisions were even apparent among the administration and the staff room became equally explosive. Tensions culminated with the removal of Organa Solo from her position as administrator which immediately led to the formation of a mass exodus to a newly formed roleplaying galaxy, The Rebel Faction. 80% of TGC's members followed the fleeing party, leaving the group teetering on extinction. In truth, the schism was an inevitable and perhaps necessary event in TGC's history. For months things on the board were on a downward spiral and claims that there had been talk of a move several weeks before the removal of Organa Solo may not be far from the truth. However, such a view has only been acquired through hindsight. At the time, those who stayed behind were worried that all had been left was a sinking ship.
[edit] The Era of Revival
The Great Schism had left TGC decimated. With no more than a dozen members, the post count dwindled to a paltry figure. Even those who remained loyal to the community and its contraversial leader must have had one eye on the blossoming new world that was The Rebel Faction. For a few months, the grass certainly looked greener on the other side. The leaders of the majority of the factions had been involved in the exodus, leaving TGC almost groupless. However, the few that did stay knuckled down and created new groups, such as the Spice Mines and the Red Cog Crime Syndicate. The hard-work and dedication soon paid dividends and with the hype surrounding the impending release of Attack of the Clones, new members once again poured in. Like a Phoenix from the Flames, TGC had survived perhaps the greatest hurdle it has had to encounter. Looking back, had it not been for a combination of hard-work and dedication from the remaining members, a resolute belief from General Ceel and the Star Wars frenzy that sweeps the internet in the run up to a new movie, it is highly unlikely that The Gungan Council would exist in the succesful standing it currently finds itself in.
[edit] The Era of Stability
With a healthy memberbase and the Great Schism in the past (although flaming between the two communities continued for a good two years) The Gungan Council entered into a period of relative calm. With the fierce competitive edge removed from roleplaying and a greater emphasis on story and character-building, General Ceel was free to focus his attention on other areas of the forums. More attention was paid to the discussion section of TGC and the Box Office & Entertainment forum quickly became the host to a varied and diverse blend of topics on film, music and sports. The legendary Box Office Prediction Game and NFL Prediction League formed and continues to run today. This period also saw the end of the complex fleet-roleplaying rules. No more would roleplayers have to adhere to the complicated ship-building and shipyard rules. Fleets and capital ships would no be used as a tool to further a storyline rather than an object of might that is used to aid an eventual victory or conquest. The release of the final piece of the Star Wars jigsaw, The Revenge of the Sith, fuelled a huge rise in posting and members and it wasn't uncommon for TGC to enjoy several thousand posts a day for several consecutive days. Many of the newer members see this as the second Golden Era.
[edit] The Great Hack
With the Great Schism a distant memory, the majority of members will point to the events of May 31st 2005 as the greatest source of adversity in TGC's history. Ezboard was hacked and TGC lost 200,000 posts, including the roleplaying archives and character biographies. These posts were never to be recovered. It was a soul-destroying time for the members of TGC who had dedicated so much time to their characters and the stories they featured in. Many began to wonder whether it was all worth it and even some of the community's highest profile members considered giving it all up. However, as it has become so accustomed to in the past, TGC fought back.
[edit] Farewell Ezboard
TGC's home since it's birth was soon to be no more. Ezboard was to unergo a takeover of sorts by a new hosting service, Yuku. The prospect of a switch loomed over TGC for more than two years before the switch finally materialised in June 2008, by which time all the factions had already been converted to the new engine. The move saddened and frustrated most members, but like the community they call their online home has done many times over, they've had to adapt and in the weeks immediately after the switch, the grumbles about Yuku and the longing for Ezboard has died down. Ezboard is now the past, Yuku the future.
[edit] The Modern Era
The community today holds on to its core roleplaying beliefs that have existed since the Schism; the emphasis is on the character and the story rather than the outcome. The discussion section is thriving and it is one of the best places online to get involved in topics and debates on music and latest film releases. 2007 saw the community gain its 1,000,000th post and 2009 will see the 10th birthday of The Gungan Council.
[edit] Current Factions at The Gungan Council
The number of factions at any given time has been as high as 30. However, at the moment the number is limited to 5. This was partly to make the changeover to Yuku easier but also down to the fact that the community had become host to over a dozen factions struggling for activity. Encamping all the members in 5 factions should help TGC maintain 5 active and succesful groups, a sort of quality over quantity scheme.
The Sith Council: With the inevitable move to Yuku approaching fast a new approach to consolidate the players into more streamlined, efficient and strong factions was put in place. This resulted in the merger of the chaotic Regnum In Potestas(RIP) and the established and ancient Dark Sith Order(DSO). The result was of course the most powerful evil that could have been unleashed upon the Galaxy. The Sith Council, was born and every citizen, civilian or Jedi in the Galaxy knew that peace would now be a thing of the distant past.
The Jedi Council: Where there is darkness, there will be light. The Jedi Council was an orthodox and established Jedi faction on TGC even before the reconciliation. The Jedi of TJC bestowed their faith in the Jedi code and stayed true to their role as preservers of the Peace. When The Jedi Brotherhood, an order of aggressive Jedi which sought to bring stability to a chaotic galaxy with the righteous wrath of their sword decided to merge with them it was a clear message to the Galaxy. The vigil would be maintained. No matter what the cost.
The Rebellion: The collapse of the Republic led to the formation of the Rebellion, a fighting force that opposes that oppressive rule of the Empire. The spirit of the Republic lives on wihin the hearts of these rebels.
The Galactic Empire: Peace is not begged for, it is enforced. Nor is freedom a right, it is a privilege that must be earned. In a time of anarchy the Empire remains a looming monolith symbolizing power, authority and stability. The Empire casts a long shadow. Policing it's own borders with absolute authority and tolerating no interference from any faction, the Empire is more than force to be reckoned with.
The Galactic Underworld: First there was the roguish Band of Outlaws, a wretched alliance of thieves, cut purses , mercenaries and Bounty Hunters. Then there was the Crimson Ferret's Revenge. A savage crew of pirates that terrorized the Hyperspace routes and trade lanes for years at an end. But when the Empire and the Republic in a bid to eradicate these two constant and expensive thorns in their side turned up the heat on them, they created a force that few could truly match. Or comprehend how they managed to stick together. Composed of the scum of the galaxy and the dregs of civilization from virtually every world in the Galaxy, TGU is truly a force of nature. If authority is not your thing and profit is, you know that you belong here. TGU, the heart of all crime in the Galaxy. Well most of it anyway.
[edit] Sources
- Danster's brain
