The Hatching Handbook
(or, how to have as few glitches as possible)
Monaco Weyr, Silver Skies MUSH

Introduction:

The dreaded hatching cycle. The joy and bane of everyone who rides gold. For my first hatching cycle, I was tossed into the deep end of the pool and had to sink or swim. This is all too common for goldriders, and it can be an extremely intimidating thing, particularly if you've suddenly been catapulted into the hotseat of senior.

What do you do? How do you do it? Who's responsible for what? How am I ever going to pull this off?!? -- This handbook attempts to address some of these concerns, focusing on Monaco Weyr specifically. In the sections that follow, we'll go over the miscellaneous 'things to do', come up with a sample schedule, provide sample letters for everything from searchriders to candidates to searchco, go over dragon code and also take a look at other tracking methods (websites, excel sheets), and what roles they can play in your hatching cycle.

As mentioned, these things are specific to Monaco. However, they can likely be adapted anywhere under any weyr leadership. Some places don't require as much lead time for applications, or as much information on their dragons. But these steps have given me three blessedly glitch free hatchings, and that's why I personally recommend them. ;)

-- Briana, Senior Weyrwoman, Monaco Weyr

Table of Contents

1. Hatching Overview and 'Things to Do'

ICly: First, the flight: RP the events leading up to it, the flight itself, picking a winner from the candidates. Then, the queen stays about the weyr, and clutches about an IC month after the flight. If the queen is especially broody, the weyrwoman may even move onto the sands to be with her as she guards her eggs. Search is initiated, with the weyrwoman keeping in touch with the search riders to view the candidates as they become accustomed to the weyr. Then, she witnesses the hatching, working with the weyrleaders and weyrlingmaster to make certain that there is enough space for the new weyrling pairs, that meat is on hand and the like. Then she is responsible for recording the event to be put in the weyr records.

OOCly: Generally speaking, these are the general things that need to be done. The list is made up from a senior POV, but anyone on search committee should be able to contribute to most of these tasks:
(1) Go over all the search information and make sure it is as up to date as possible. This includes revamping lhelp, web pages, applications and the like. Have a weyrmeeting and talk about the upcoming search. Start soliciting volunteers for search riders, search committee, candidate coordinators, etc. Talk to the Weyrleaders about egg and dragon themes.
(2) Set the date for the flight. Look around at riders who are interested in participating. RP the flight and pick the winner.
(3) Have an information meeting for those people interested in applying for search, so that they can ask questions.
(4) Post to the appropriate places that search is now open, and start making decisions on the clutch. Things that need to be decided are: number of eggs, number of PC eggs, whether or not there will be a queen, ideas of numbers of each color dragon, etc. Often these things don't start sorting themselves out until MUCH later in the search cycle.
(5) RECRUIT!
(6) Search applications need to be read and the candidates selected.
(7) During this time, the eggs and dragonets need to be desced by volunteers, and the sands/stands areas double checked to make sure that all the code is in working order. Dragonet personalities need to be given some thought at this point, and you should begin to find people to puppet the dragonets during the hatching.
(8) The date of the clutching should be posted, and the clutching RPed.
(9) Search applications at this point should be closed. Information letters to those both searched and not searched should go out.
(10) After search is 'closed' to new applications, the search committee should begin to match folks with dragons, based on their RP, applications, and OOC interviews, pending final approval from the weyrleaders.
(11) The date of the hatching should be posted, and final decisions made on the new dragonpairs.
(12) A final information meeting should be held for the candidates, so that they know what to do for the hatching. Final color choices should be obtained from candidates. Then, the hatching should be RPed, and the new dragonpairs given over to the weyrlingmaster for training.
(13) 'Support' letters should be sent out by the senior WW to all candidates that did not impress, encouraging them to stay at the weyr as a resident/crafter or apply for the next search, or apply at a different weyr. Complaints should be handled on an individual basis.
(14) Review and assess: what could be improved, what needs to stay the same. Get ready to repeat the process for the next hatching. ;)

Through all of this, copious notes should be taken as to the votes, comments, etc of searchco members. Though the junior may not be chairing the searchco, she can still keep these things (assuming that the voting is not entirely closed ballot, which also has its merits) as a check for the senior WW, and to make certain that no errors are made. And it generally helps keep the stress off the senior WW. I highly recommend an email list and an excel spreadsheet, discussed later in this document. ;)

Now, this is a general overview. In some hatchings, the Weyrleaders will take most of these tasks. In others, they will be farmed out to the junior, clutchsire, or anyone else who wants to contribute. On a MUSH as small as Silver Skies, we've frequently had folks who are not part of Monaco help design dragons and even puppet them on the sands.

2. Volunteers

The sheer amount of text that ends up being produced by hatchings makes volunteers essential. There is no way a goldrider can produce over 20 egg descriptions and inspirations, 8 dragons, and all the hatching emits that need to be written without having massive amounts of help. In the section below, each major quadrant of areas where anyone can help is outlined.

• Search Committee
  Anyone who is a member of Monaco Weyr can be involved in the search committee. Generally, a bbpost is tossed up on the MCW board, asking for volunteers to mail their names, email addresses and passwords (because we keep all the search applications on a password protected webpage - see 'advanced techniques' for more info) to the senior WW and/or WLs. We can get a huge response, and sometimes that makes searchco a trifle unwieldy. However, in the past, when we've had a preset limited number, we've found that didn't work very well with Monaco's population. This is why any member of Monaco, save someone who is applying for search, can sit on the searchco.

  Letters to the search committee providing guidelines and the like are sent out once the people have been decided on. A sample letter can be found under the 'letters' section of this document. One thing is paramount: the topics discussed by the search committee are kept only to the search committee. Any sharing of information about the candidates with others is ground for immediate dismissal from the committee.

• Search Riders
  Any Monaco rider, save goldriders, can ride search at Monaco. Generally, we discourage the Weyrleader from riding search, in case it gives the impression that that candidate will definately impress. However, the Weyrleader and goldriders can use an NPC for searching. We often find that bronzeriders may do the same thing, in that bronzes aren't canonically supposed to be as 'keen' as the chromatics on search.
  
  Letters to the searchriders providing guidelines and the like are sent out as soon as the searchriders are determined, and MUST be sent out before the clutching. Included in this are guidelines as to 'how' to search someone, what to do after they are searched, and information about the search code to mark them as searched. Examples of these letters can be found in the 'letters' section.

• Candidate Coordinators
  Anyone who is a member of Monaco can be a candidate coordinator. Generally, these slots are both IC and OOC, and are involved in settling the candidates into weyr life, coordinating tinyplots they wish to run, and functioning as a first line for questions about candidacy, the hatching and Monaco in general. The important qualities for someone in this position are patience, online time, and approachability. Communication with the clutch parents and the WLs is also essential, as is familiarity with the search materials. Or at least knowing where to go to get the information to answer candidates' questions.

  Letters from the candidate coordinators to the candidates, welcoming them to the weyr, and showing them where the information about the IC and OOC rules are, should be sent out. Samples of these can be found under the 'letters' section of this document.

• Weyrlingmaster(s)
  The Weyrlingmaster and assistants are the most crucial members of the weyr after a hatching cycle. The WLM is determined by the Weyrleaders, and they pick their own assistants. The Weyrlingmaster should be decided upon well before the search cycle begins. They need to participate in search committee, as well as go over the wling pages on the Monaco website, getting them ready for the next group of weyrlings.

• Egg Describers
  Generally, eggs have some sort of 'theme'. Some that have been used in the past on Silver Skies are: songs, Faerie tales, famous paintings, important events of the last millenium, gems and minerals, hand crafts and drinks. There should always be a credit, naming the person who submitted the desc, as well as some sort of inspiration. For more information, see the section on 'clutching'.

  Volunteers are usually called for no less than 3 weeks before the clutching, with a bbpost. Generally, the goldrider on the sands is responsible for coordinating the descriptions, and making sure that an inspiration is available, even if the descer didn't provide one. She can choose or not to announce the theme in the bbpost, or only to the volunteers. The goldrider on the sands is also responsible for 'loading' the descriptions into the clutch object, and testing said object before the clutching. For more information, see 'clutching'.

• Dragon Designers
  As with eggs, the dragons usually have some sort of 'theme'. Some of the ones that have been used in the past at Monaco have been: fictional characters, the Nine planets/Greek Gods/Goddesses, Famous people of the 20th century, Memorable movie characters and Travel destinations. The theme is the decision of the goldrider on the sands, though please keep in mind that it's wise to choose open themes, or themes that people can readily find information for on the web. You can have a seperate theme for descriptions, and one for tempers, or they could both be the same. The theme is generally not announced to the weyr as a whole, to keep up the excitement for the candidates on hatching day.

  Volunteers are needed for descriptions, tempers, voices, and inspiration writing. Further details on just what that entails can be found under 'dragon designing'. The Senior WW may hand over all the responsibility to the goldrider having the clutch, or she may designate a 'coordinator' for each one of these groups. These coordinators would then be responsible for recruiting volunteers, editing and sending the information into the Senior WW or another person she appoints. A bbpost on the Monaco board should be made soon after the clutching. Ideally, all of the information is in to the final coordinators no later than 3 days before the hatching, in order to load all of the information onto the dragon objects.

• Dragon Puppeteers
  Generally, the people who deisgn the dragons will more than likely want to puppet them. However, a call for volunteers should be made, as with all the other things. Posts can be made to the bboard, or by sending mail to the dragon deisgners and seeing if they would like to play their 'creation' for one night. Puppeteers should be set a week before the hatching, even if the dragons aren't completely finalized. Letters are usually sent out to the puppeteers three days before the hatching.

3. Advertising

Advertising and recruiting can make or break a search cycle. In general for any event, you should advertise a week before it to insure a good turn out. With search, there are many things that need to be advertised: deadlines, meetings, flight, clutching, egg touchings, etc.

• Advertising on Game
  As mentioned, you should advertise on game at least a week before any event you plan to run as a part of search. This is doubly important for the flight, clutching, hatching and any candidate meetings. For the opening of search, bbposts on the main and Monaco Boards are usually all that is necessary the opening day. Encourage folks to put things like: 'Monaco Searches! +bbread 1/x' in their @doings
  
  
• Webpages
  The webpages should be updated for search, well before search opens. Any changes to the applications and the like must be posted a week before search opens at the latest. The primary files that need to be updated are:
  mwsapps.html, mwscalendar.html, mwsearch.html, mwsfaq.html, mwsoutline.html. Applications are a special case, and will be reviewed in the section for 'advanced techniques'.
  
  
• Advertising ElseMU*
  You are encouraged to recruit and post elsemu*, as long as you do not violate any policies on other MU*s regarding posting. It's advisable to ask the searchco if any of them could post on other games they play on. You may even want to come up with a standard post that can be used across MU*s. You need to include information about which gold is/has risen, which weyr is on search, a general blurb about the setting of silver skies, the game address, and the webpage address for search information, as well as contact people and the date that search closes.

4. The Hatching Cycle

The hatching cycle starts some weeks before OOC search opens. It consists of planning, OOC search, the flight, the clutching, IC Search, candidacy and the hatching.Generally, the entire thing lasts 8-10 weeks, with 5 weeks for applications, 5 for candidacy. The first thing to do is to set the schedule.

• Schedule
  Generally, we allow 4-5 weeks for applications, 2 weeks for eggs descs to come in, and 4-5 weeks of candidacy. Now, these can and should overlap and will likely differ from game to game. The schedule is sent out as it is to the search committee members, and an abbrievated version is posted on the webpage and in the lhelp for the candidates which should include the flight, candidate info meetings, the clutching and the hatching. An example of a schedule is as follows:

Summary of times:
2 weeks for eggs
4 weeks for applications (4 wannabie votes due each monday)
5 weeks of candidacy (5 impressee votes due each monday)
2 SC meetings (3/1 and 3/22 - both wednesdays)

Basically, each monday in March/April is when votes are due on this 'round' of wannabies or impressees.

• Letters
  By the time the search period is over, you will feel as though you've written at least a hundred letters. And you may be right.;) Letters need to go out to the search committee, the search riders, and the candidates, to say the least. You should also check with the applicant's area leader before marking them approved for search, to prevent any confusion. Now, on Silver Skies, we really only need to worry about Fort Weyr. The Senior WW will doublecheck and make certain that people have notified their area leaders, but there's no harm in making absolutely sure before you mark them as searchable.

  Search Committee Letter
  This letter is to generally set the 'rules' for the search committee. It should go out before OOC Search opens to all search committee members. Included in it should be information on how the voting will work, whether or not the WLs have veto rights, etc. Here is the letter we use at Monaco, minus the voting info:

  Welcome to the Search Committee! On behalf of the Weyr, I want to thank you for being willing to participate. As a member, there are several things you'll help with: Recruiting, Search, voting, and helping backstage at the Hatching are the main ones.

  Here are the general guidelines we'll follow:

  * Search Committee discussions and results are secret, even after the Hatching. Protect the confidentiality of our applicants.

  * Recruit!! Each member's goal is two new people. Please let us know who you recruited after they apply so that we can give you credit.

  * Be kind. Newcomers really need it. Those who are welcome tend to stay, too. Come to think of it, we all respond to it well.

  * Deadlines won't be extended. If you can't meet one, please notify one of the Weyrleaders and we'll get what information we can from you. If you're unable to, we'll assume RL has gotten busy for you and that you prefer not to participate further.

  * If an applicant is a RL good friend, roommate, or relative, please abstain from voting on them.

  * As usual, IC relations with applicants and Candidates must remain on a non-familial level. There are too many problems with relationships that go further. And it's nice to have something to RP about AFTER it's all over, right?

  During OOC search, we do the following things: review applications, RP with applicants (or review logs if we can't get to them ourselves), comment on the applicants, vote on who to Search, vote on whom to Impress, and meet to discuss uncertain and difficult choices. We vote on Searches multiple times. For the Hatching, we vote once, about ten days beforehand.

  Commenting Process:
  Comments about candidates should be sent to the mailing list (or to the WLs if you want us to make your comments anonymous). We also have +comment code. If you want to use it, go ahead. There will also be
  comments there from non-committee members, including other Candidates, when we reach that stage.

  The deadline for comments will be posted. Please say so if you're not going to comment on someone, otherwise we'll send you tedious reminders. Be specific about what you like and don't like. It helps others form their opinions.

  When commenting on colors for Impression, remember we try to give candidates their first choice when possible. For metallic applicants, try to comment both on RP ability and administrative potential.
  

  Search Rider Letter
  This letter is sent out to all of the searchriders. It should be sent before IC search begins, preferably a week before the clutching.

  Thanks for volunteering to be a Search rider! We appreciate your willingness to play a role in this critical part of bringing new people into the Weyr. Below are some comments on Search at Monaco.

  Deadline: The Search deadline is <INSERT DATE HERE>.

  General: Spread your Searches out. It's more fun that way. Make sure all the Searchriders get a chance to ride at least one Search.

  Getting information on who's Searchable:
  Search info is available through the +s help commands. '+s help' gives you the help screen. As applicants are approved for search, they'll be marked on the '+slist/ap'. That's where you'll go to find out who can
  be searched. You CAN set dibs, but please don't until the first day of the clutching (tentatively <INSERT DATE HERE>). Once you have searched a candidate, make sure you '+search <name>' to mark them as searched.

  During IC Search:
  Search can sometimes start to seem predictable. Remember, though, that it's a pivotal moment in a character's development. Try to make it an RP they'll remember for a long time.

  Remember to ask them formally to stand for the clutch, to get their things, and mention something about speaking to the Lord, Craftmaster, Weyrleader, Headwoman, their parents, or whomever would be concerned about them up and leaving.

  Leave time in your own schedule to help the new person ICly settle at Monaco. (See below for OOC details.) Search itself can sometimes take so long that everyone has to disconnect after you land at the Weyr. Try to get them installed in the candidate barracks (just off the commons) and point out the
  Weyrhall and a few other important locations (the beach is always good).

  
  The OOC part of Search: Here are the code-foo things to remember to do.

  1. Get the candidate to the Weyr and linked to the candidate barracks.
  2. Have the candidate read the following:
  

  +lhelp candidate
  +lhelp ic rules
  +lhelp ooc rules
  +lhelp search (this will contain the search schedule)

  3. +mail or page a knot admin (WLs, WLM, HW) to add the person to the knot with a position of 'Candidate'.
  4. +search <name> to mark the person off as searched. This will automatically mark them as a candidate on the search code.
  5. Add the candidate to the chore assigner. It is in the candidate barracks, but dark. Just 'l ass' (yes, I'm sick) for directions. Try to spread assignments out evenly.

  Thanks again for volunteering, and have a good time!

Search Denial Letter
This letter should go out to any applicants that applied and were not judged searchable for the hatching cycle. There is generally a due date (usually the last day to search candidates) that this is emailed out from. The Senior Weyrwoman or Weyrleader should be responsible for sending it. If they are unable to, then the goldrider on the sands is responsible.

Hello and greetings from Monaco Weyr at Silver Skies MUSH!

Thank you for applying for search here! Unfortunately, we were unable to search your character at this time. We wanted to let you know well in advance of the hatching, so you would not be left wondering.

There are many reasons we do not search people. It may be because we don't have a clear understanding of your style of roleplay, or we may have wanted to Search you, but never found you online. In some cases, the character may need to grow and develop before a successful Candidacy
is possible.

You are always welcome at Monaco, either as a visitor or a resident, and we hope that you'll take advantage of this. You are welcome to apply again for the next clutch. Fort Weyr has the next clutch on the MUSH as a whole, and Monaco's next Search cycle will happen sometime next year.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Weyrleaders. Again, thank you *very* much for your interest and for applying for search at Monaco.

Candidate Welcome Letter
Some version of this should be sent by the goldrider on the sands or candidate coordinators as candidates are searched into the weyr. While we don't have an example on hand, Some of the things to include in the letter are:

1. References to: +lhelp candidate, +lhelp ic rules, +lhelp ooc rules, +lhelp search (this will contain the search schedule), +lhelp history, +lhelp leadership
2. Information on who the candidate coordinators are
3. Information on who the weyr staff are
4. Tell them how to change their &pos, and what the knot looks like (bright blue and white, with an additional strand of white to mark them as a candidate)
5. The webpage address for Monaco
6. +comment code - candidates are encouraged to use the comment code to comment on their peers
7. Remind them that the only stupid question is the one that remains unasked. We want to hear from them! 8)

Goldrider Letter
In clutches where there is a gold egg on the sands, every effort should be given to let those poor folks who want to ride gold know just what happens when they impress that lump. ;) This is the goldrider letter we have sent to gold candidates in the past:

First, congratulations on being Searched at Monaco Weyr!

If you're receiving this mail it is because you have decided to place gold as a color choice for impression at Monaco Weyr. There are many candidates who want a gold, because in several books, they are the heroines, so it can be quite competitive even on a small MUSH like ours.

People, especially those new to the PernMU*s, often have some misconceptions about riding gold. The letter is intended to help clear up those misconceptions, and to make certain that you are not viewing gold through rose-colored glasses. This letter will sound fairly negative. It isn't meant to be; it is meant to be realistic. Riding a gold can be a really rewarding experience, but there are still moments when you will hate it.

Here at Monaco we allow all colors to participate in search and in making the dragons. If you think that you're going to be totally in charge, particularly as a junior goldrider, then please rethink. We're a
cooperative Weyr, who work together to do everything. Since anyone in the Weyr has the potential to be an OOC leader and all of the IC leadership roles except junior weyrwoman and senior weyrwoman are normally closed to goldriders, at Monaco Weyr being a goldrider is more restrictive than any other role.

The person we will choose will be junior for a long time. They may never see a senior position. Briana has no intention of retiring in the near future, and so any gold we impress this time should expect to be junior for at least 2 years. If you don't think this will suit you, then please, withdraw your application now, or change it to another color first, and save yourself from the spam of this letter. ;)

Riding gold can be a very worthwhile experience. Though there will be times when you wonder why you're doing this, there are (and should be) more times when you are glad that you are. It's kind of like a relationship that way, except your relationship is with the Weyr. There are going to be some rocky times, but if your heart is in it, it can definitely be worth it. However, you must be willing to make some
sacrifices. There will be times when RL is put on hold because something came up online.

You need to resolve yourself to the fact that if you Impress Gold, you'll disappoint every single person in the Weyr at least once. Everyone, at one time or another, without exception and that may apply to other admin - Sr WW, WL, whomever. For every decision you make, at least one person will think you made the wrong choice, and will usually be happy to tell you why. Sometimes these comments will be helpful. Sometimes they will not be. At some point everyone in the Weyr has been that person who is unhappy with /something/ that the Weyrleaders have done or decided. That's a hard thing to deal with all the time, particularly when the thanks are few and far between. But you have to listen to every single one of them. Why? Because you are not the Weyr, yet you are part of the admin team that must keep the Weyr enjoyable for everyone else. That is the primary responsibility of a weyrwoman and goldrider.

Does everyone love you, look up to you and admire you? Definitely not. With any position of authority VR or RL there are those people who believe (a) they could do a better job, (b) you only got the position because you 'knew the right people', (c) you set a bad example, (d) you ignore the residents/chromatic riders/crafters/holders/whomever, (e) they have been around long enough to have done your particular job elsewhere, or any number of other issues. And on the other hand, there are newbies that look up to you and admire you and watch you with an awe that can truly make a person uncomfortable, particularly because it is undeserved.

This sounds so terrible! Can it be fun? Yes. Can it be rewarding? Yes. Your reward will come from knowing you've done what you can to make the Weyr a good place and a place that people enjoy Rping in. Your reward will come from helping others and knowing that you have provided something for them. Your reward will come from doing your part to ensure a fair and cooperative environment. It will never come from personal gain, glory, and benefits and seldom from even a simple thank you. Not as a weyrwoman.

There is a fishbowl effect; no one made that up just to scare candidates away from the gold hatchling. People want to know why you (both as a player and as a character) were seated on that particular bit of code, and given those responsibilities. And, as a representative of the Weyr, everything you say and do, IC and OOC, will be taken apart and dissected for meaning. You can no longer be truly selective in your RP and play with only a small group.

Being a weyrwoman is a dual role IC. And OOCly, you are expected to wear many hats: arbitrator, builder, descer, coder, admin, organizer, friend, confidant (to name a few) and still manage to find time to RP. Please be sure you have the time, the commitment, and the tolerance for this job. And make no mistake; being a weyrwoman - junior or senior - is a job more than anything else. It is often a thankless job, where the only benefit comes from hearing several months after someone joins the Weyr: Oh, I love it that you have X, Y and Z! It makes the Weyr so much more enjoyable! If you come in expecting wine, roses and candlelight, it can take your enjoyment of the game from you very quickly. It is a responsibility, one that you cannot just walk away from when you get tired of it. And everyone gets tired of it sometimes.

In that gold is unlike any other color, even bronze. As a bronzerider, you could become Weyrleader, be WL for a while, decide you need a break, be replaced for a while, and when you feel up to dealing with administrative stuff again, you could become Weyrleader again. If you become senior weyrwoman, and you step down, you probably won't be stepping back up barring unforeseen need. And you may not even get to have another clutch. There is no break for a senior weyrwoman.

It takes a unique breed of person, indeed. You've got to have tough skin and infinite patience, but manage somehow not to become insensitive or distant.

In simple words: everyone expects you to be perfect, and one of the hardest parts of the job is balancing doing your absolute best with not expecting yourself to be perfect. That is always one of the hardest things about being a goldrider; you can be doing a very good job, but how long can you sustain it for if you're constantly battered? An important key is how to not take things personally, delegate wherever possible, and surround yourself with people who help you function at your best. If you do those sorts of things, then you can better enjoy the things that brought you to the role originally. If you can't turn off your own feelings, please consider changing your color preferences. You must be
able to listen to everyone yelling at the choices you have made without prejudice. And without letting the stress of it get to you.

If you've made it this far and these dire predictions haven't scared you off, then in the coming weeks, the weyr staff and I will be seeking you out for an interview, sounding each of you out individually. Since being a goldrider at Monaco Weyr means you'll be organizing events and doing things for the Weyr, we'll also be asking in your interview what event you'd like to organize or task you would like to take on, and then asking you to schedule it with the candidate coordinators.

That said, I do want to wish you all the best of luck, and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask the Weyrleader or myself.

Candidate 'Good Luck' Letter
A letter should always be sent to the candidates before the hatching, soon after the final candidate meeting, by the Senior Weyrwoman and Weyrleader. If they are unable to do so, the clutch parents should send the letter. While we don't have an example on hand, it should just reiterate how much we have enjoyed having the candidates at Monaco. Once again make the offer to stay on after the hatching. Wish them good luck at the hatching, and wherever else they may be on Silver Skies.

Dragon Puppeteers Letter
Yes, we even have a letter for this. Generally, we try to include the body of the letter as below, with the commands for 'piloting' the dragon, as well as an indication of the temper, hatching pose, and impression poses. Usually the Senior Weyrwoman sends out these emails, though it may be delegated to any member of the searchco. One important thing to remember: if the puppeteer is NOT on the searchco (and this has been the case before), DO NOT send any information about the impressee. Make certain you remove the impressee's name from any impression poses or temper. They will find out on hatching day who they will be piloting for, and not before, if they are not on searchco.

Hello!

Thank you very much for helping out with the Monaco Weyr hatching as a puppeteer. The following information is about the dragon you will be puppeting for the hatching.

The hatching date and time is: <insert date here>. I'd like all puppeters to be online and ready to go by <1 hour before start>. You guys will have last minute instructions, and then I can go down to the candidates.

The room we should meet in is #1057. Please send your character object or puppet that will be running the dragon to there for instructions. The puppet should be set INHERIT, so that the commands and locks will work for it.

The hatching will likely last around 2 hours. I'd ideally like to get it done in 1.5, but there's always something unforseen that crops up. ;) If you can puppet the dragon for the whole hatching, until the folks are in the Wling barracks, that would be *wonderful*. But, if you have to go, don't forget to follow the commands to chown the dragon to the new rider.

I'd like everyone to 'play' the dragons for a while after impression, to help flesh out their personality. Too, it makes things much more fun for the new weyrlings to have someone to play off of after impression. The exit you'll need to take off the sands is aliased to 'small chamber', or 'sc'.

You will know the name of your egg, the details of your dragon puppet. The details of the person you impress to will be given to you on hatching day. As always, this is confidential information. Please do not share it with *anyone*.

Again, thank you so much for participating! If there are any problems, or you know you'll have to be offline by a certain time, please email me, and we'll arrange to have you go as one of the first dragons to impress.

Thanks again!

• Search Committee
  Anyone who is a member of Monaco weyr and is not applying for search may be on the search committee. We usually bbpost asking for volunteers about 2 weeks before search will open. The searchco members are sent the appropriate letter above, explaining how it works, and the voting procedures. We don't require that people have previous expreience, merely a desire to contribute.
  

Who's in Charge?
The search committee is run by the Weyrleaders. However, in the past, it has been run by junior weyrwomen before. We do require that the juniors go through an extensive search cycle with us before they ask to be allowed to run searchco on their own, however. And we suggest that in searches where there is a gold egg, that the Weyrleaders run the searchco, to spare everyone else the intense headache that comes with a gold. ;) If the Weyrleaders are absent during search, then the duty will fall to the Weyrsecond. From there, to the goldrider whose queen is on the sands, if she is not the senior. The sire of the clutch is encouraged to sit on the search committee if they are a member of Monaco. If they are not, then it is up to the discretion of the Weyrleaders.

Confidential Information
All information given to the search committee is confidential. Anyone who breaks the confidence of the search committee will immediately be removed from it. The Weyrleaders are the only ones to see the email addresses of the candidates. Any person with information on an 'alt' of a candidate is encouraged not to share it with the rest of the search committee, but instead with the Weyrleaders. We are primarily concerned with what the player has done here on Silver Skies. Everyone deserves second chances, and people do change.

It's sometimes important to remind searchco members that they were once newbies too. Oftentimes, chat on the 'loggers' talk feature used in search code is an endless stream of negative observations. Please feel free to remind people of the 'TMS (Too Much Spam)' codeword we have at Monaco - for you cannot turn the loggers channel off. All you can do is disable it, and we'd prefer not to do that.

Meetings
Generally, we are meeting light when it comes to search. Most people prefer to use the +comment feature and to send comments through the email list. However, there are two meetings built into the schedule: one to discuss any 'marginal' applicants for search, and the other to decide colors for impression. Meetings are usually run by the searchco chair. More may be scheduled as needed, though we've found that this has worked well in the past.

• Clutching
  Okay, you've gotten through the flight and now it's time to get those eggs on the sands. But there are a few things you need to know first.
  
  Themes
  Here at Monaco, we do 'themed' clutches. The theme is entirely at the discretion of the goldrider who will be on the sands. There are themes for both eggs and dragons. They can be related, or completely unrelated. Some themes that have been used in the past are: songs, Faerie tales, famous paintings, important events of the last millenium, gems and minerals, hand crafts and drinks. There should always be a credit, naming the person who submitted the desc, as well as some sort of inspiration. However, as you'll see below in the section on egg descs, we suggest that you stick to subjects that information can easily be found on the web. You may be extremely interested in the different plaid tartans of ancient Ireland and Scotland, but if you don't have a lot of appeal to everyone, you'll be writing a lot of those descs on your own. ;)
  
  Egg Descs
  Now, describing those little suckers! Some weyrs prefer that you stick to the DLG description of eggs, mottled pastel colors and the like. However, we usually let people describe whatever they like. Generally, we like for egg descs to be at least 4-5 lines. If they aren't, you may need to 'wordsmith' them a little, so that people won't look back at descriptions and think: gee, the one I did was only a couple of short lines. Mine sucks! - That decision is generally left to the goldrider running the clutch. An inspiration should be given with each egg, a short (hopefully no more than 4-5 line) blurb about the subject, who designed the desc, and perhaps a reference on where to find more information on it. It's been my experience that the goldrider ends up writing the inspiration more than half the time. Here's an example of one that has been used in clutches past:

  Watery Grave Egg
  Columns of dark, red rust streak the surface of this large egg, tumbling down from a horizontal, gray deck, all seen as though spotlighted through the dark, cold green wash of the sea. Yawning dark holes look down into darkness, as though the occupant were being coy, and hiding there in this watery prison. It seems that the very shell is flaking off from age, and yet, there was once great beauty here. It can be seen in the fine lines waving across the surface, the elegant etchingwork that looks like lace, or perhaps the fine work of a glasscrafter, now broken. There is a sadness here that reaches out and touches the heart - a sense of innocence lost, and lives forgotten in the cold sea.

  Egg Credit: This description was created by Briana, and is based on the sinking of the Cunard liner R.M.S. Titanic April 15, 1912, and its rediscovery in 1987. Titanic has been made a pop culture icon by James Cameron's movie. Yet very few know that this luxury liner was the first to send out the new marconi (telegraph) signal: S.O.S. As a result of the tragedy, maritime law was modified to require lifeboat accommodations for all passengers, and a 24-hour marconi operator. While the sinking of the Titanic was one of the major markers in the industrial revolution, Robert Ballard's rediscovery of the wreck in 1987 also marks the beginning of the era of the exploration of the seas that continues today.

  Code
  The hatcher is a source of amusement to all goldriders. My best advice (for this and for later hatching those egg objects) is: TEST IT! -- Does the code precede the laying pose with the queen's name? What about any resting poses in between? Does it automatically emit the desc when the egg is laid? Can you put it on pause? If you do, will it restart? These are all questions that need to be asked, and I usually have to ask myself before each hatching that I do.
  
  I usually play with the timing (the interval and random commands) as the clutching progresses. It depends a great deal on the interest of the people watching, and how many eggs need to be laid. You can also pause and trigger the clutch as needed. I would definately suggest playing around with these commands before you get to clutching day. It can cause any number of snafus.

• Candidates
  At this point, if all is going well, candidates should be swarming the weyr. The most important part of this is: interact with them! RP with them. Encourage them to ask questions. there will be a candidate coordinator(s) assigned to also help them through the rough snags. The searchriders have instructions to introduce them to the weyr in terms of OOC issues, but it's always nice to check on them as well. You might also mention that the Senior WW gets cranky when she sees references to sweets in @doings or &poses. ;)
  
  Welcoming Candidates
  We usually try to send candidates a welcome letter to orient them to the weyr. The letter can come from the Weyrleaders, the goldrider on the sands, or the candidate coordinators. In it should be information regarding the leadership of the weyr (+lhelp leadership), the specific +lhelp for candidates, and search, as well as who the candidate coordinators are and how to get in touch with them. If there are any TPs planned for them (this includes egg touchings) they should be mentioned.
  
  Rules
  The IC and OOC 'rules' of candidacy should be made clear to candidates. I highly encourage putting them in lhelp so that they can be easily accessed. +mail often times out.
  
  Meetings
  There are two meetings that are for the candidates. One is for applicants, the other is for candidates, right before hatching day. The Weyrleaders will likely run both meetings, one doing the talking, the other playing queuemeister. We have a rather 'open forum' style for meetings here, and encourage questions. If the weyrleaders cannot run the meeting, then the Weyrsecond and clutch dam should do so instead. You can find a set of precanned poses for both the info and hatching meetings, as well as logs of each. In the first meeting, the following information is given: Name of the dam, where to find the applications, the due date of applications, how search is run in general (mention logs, applications, possible interviews), and possible dates for flight/clutching/hatching. In the second meeting, information about: IC tips on the hatching, Hatching night, OOC Dos and Don'ts on the sands, Impression: what happens OOC, About the dragon objects, After the hatching. We have also had a 'colors' meeting in the past. If there's enough interest, there's no problem doing that as well, with any one of the weyr staff available to run it.

• Egg Touchings
  Egg touchings are wonderful things for candidates, boring ones for the weyrwoman running them. ;) However, it's a wonderful thing for candidates to get to be on the sands, RPing with the eggs. One thing that needs to be certain, however, is that the RP is about the candidates, not about you or your dragon. The entire search process is to add to the weyr and get quality people into the weyr, not necessarily to further develop your own character. That usually happens, and it's a great side effect, but while you're involving the candidates, always try to keep things special for them. Because we're on a smaller game, Monaco often gets new folks who have never stood before. We want to make that experience, whether they impress or not, a good one and retain them at the weyr regardless.
  
  
• Tinyplots
  Tinyplots are usually at the heart of any candidacy, and are often asked of the candidates during search cycles involving a gold egg. However, we ask that all candidates clear the tinyplots through the candidate coordinators. they are responsible for scheduling all the different events that re bound to go on. In cases that involve the Monaco area, they need to be cleared by the Weyrleaders. The goldrider running the clutch is always free to run plots for the candidates - anything to help them congeal as a group.
  
  
• Dragon Designing and Code
  Okay, so how do I get eggs from the clutcher into baby dragons? - First, you'll need to @create each of the PC eggs that have been decided upon. Most weyrs do try to get 'special' numbers for their dragons, and Monaco is no exception. Contact the Senior Weyrwoman for information on how to do this without creating garbage on the database. ;)
  
  The dragon designing may be chaired by the WLs, or the goldrider on the sands may take some of it over, after she's had a hatching under her belt. In the past, we have had each one of these sections with a coordinator, and we've handed out individual dragons to volunteers to design from the talons up. At Monaco, most folks who participate seem to want to do an entire dragon, rather than parts, but both options should always be given - take all the help you can get. Anyone save candidates may participate in dragon designing. The theme should be kept secret from the 'general public', however, to make it that much more special for the impressees.
  
  Dragon Descriptions
  The dragon descriptions also conform to a theme that is the decision of the goldrider on the sands. A call for volunteers usually goes out 3 weeks before the hatching. People may only want to do descriptions, or they may want to do descs and tempers, or they may want to do the entire dragon. Take what help you can get. ;) Ideally, all of the hatchling descriptions should be roughly equal in length. We suggest 5-7 lines. The hatchling description should not contain any 'action' poses - "Hatchling steps out of his shell". It should also be crafted so the weyrling only has to change any reference of 'hatchling' to 'dragon', if s/he wants, as the hatchling grows. Keep things canon - while you can use all the colors as highlights, the base color must be one of Anne's five. The description should also be related to the theme. Be sure and let your descers know that you may be making edits, and it's also polite to send the edits back to them before the changes are final. Examples of descriptions can be found off the logs page, under any of the hatching records. NEVER forget to credit the description to the original creator, even if you edit it. In the credit, you can also put the inspiration for the desc, if it differes from the inspiration for the temper.
  
  Hatching Message
  The hatching message should tie into the egg description. PC messages should not include a pose - have the eggs crack and reveal the dragonet only. You may or may not include this as something for the descers to come up with - if they are on the SC, you may wish to ask the person who created the egg desc to provide a Hatching message instead. The hatching message should be between 3-6 lines long. Likewise: don't forget to give credit where it is due.
  
  Impression Messages
  We provide two impression messages - one for the Impressee only to see (&impress.msg), and one that everyone else sees (&impress.omsg). The impressee does NOT see both. If the omsg contains some sort of movement - the dragonet nudges Impressee, or wraps a tail around Impressee's leg - make sure to include that in the impressmsg as well, so they have something to respond to. The impress.omsg should be 2-5 lines long. The impress.msg should be around 5-7 lines long. We generally try to put some indication of the dragon's temper/personality in the impress.msg, and tailor it specifically to the person. Again: credit, credit, credit. Here's an example of both from the test dragon:
  

  Impress.msg: %R%r%t There is an abrupt movement in the fog before you. A dizzying burst of almost electrical excitement rushes over you, pushing any thoughts of the sands, of heat, of other people and hatchlings right out of your head. << HONOR? >> A surprised tenor voice thrusts its way into your consciousness, filling all the empty spaces inside of you with love and devotion, encompassing your thoughts and mind completely. << Oh! It is you! I've found you! We'll do so much together! Lots of adventure and excitement! All the time! >> Just as you begin to wonder at this presence that has surrounded yours, the voice speaks up again. << And I'm Paminth! We've so much to do! But first, I am so hungry!>> And there, at your feet, is the source of this joy: a rangy brown staring up into your face with rapt adoration.
  Impress.omsg: The foggy floor is not so much parted as pierced as a shape comes barreling through the mists at a frighteningly ferocious speed. Stopping at the last moment, mist swirl about the form of a rangy brown, who is staring up at the red-headed form of HONOR in rapt fascination.
  

  Temper
  This should also be called: personality. The dragonet's temper should give the Impressee a good idea of how to play him/her. We include a basic temper, a weyrling temper to give an indication of how they might react in training, how they might react to the opposite sex/in flights, and how they might react to people not their lifemate. With golds/metallics, you may also wish to include how they might react while on the sands. This will frequently be the spammiest part of the dragonet. We recommend at least one paragraph for each section. Again, this section may need editing. Examples can be found in the logs, under the hatchings. And always give credit where it is due.
  
  Voice
  The dragonet's voice section should include both their mental voice and physical. Physical voices will always be baritone or bass - even the greens will rarely travel above tenor. Mental voices have a far larger range, and some dragons will prefer to communicate wordlessly. This can be a single paragraph. Again, credit is important and examples can be found in the logs. ;)
  
  Inspiration
  This is the section detailing what was used as the inspiration for the dragonet's desc and temper. If you can find a good website or two to plunder, you can pretty much cut and paste. You might also want to point the Impressee on to further 'sites by providing the URL. This section is usually the second spammiest, after temper. Again, credit where credit is due. Personally, I end up finding that Microsoft Encarta is invaluable for inspirations.
  
  Puppeteers
  These are the folks that play the dragons that you and the weyr have worked so hard to create. ;) There's a set of commands that are visable from the inside of the egg. Either they or a puppet will need to be inside the egg to puppet it for the hatching. Letters for the puppeteers need to be sent out (usually by the Senior WW, though anyone may be delegated to do so) at least 3 days before the hatching, so that they can have the time to see the commands, and the information on the dragon they will be puppeting. See the puppeteer letter for more information.
  
  Webpage
  Monaco collects all the dragonet information and places it onto a website for viewing. You can see examples of past dragonets from the logs page. Generally, the Senior Weyrwoman is responsible for this, because we have a consistant look/feel for the weyrling class page. This is a BIG draw for people to Monaco. They enjoy all of the detail and care that we put into our dragons. That's why we go through all this spam and hard work. ;)
  

• Hatching Emits
  Here we talk of emits that are not related to PC dragon impressions. Generally, the goldrider on the sands is responsible for determining the flavor of the emits for the clutch. In the past, Monaco has had many different ways of doing 'filler' for the hatching: no NPC emits, non-specific NPC emits, and specific NPC emits. Non-specific NPC emits generally do not give dragon and rider names, where specific emits do. I personally prefer specific emits, as the list can later be sent to the weyrlings and Weyrlingmaster(s) for use in RP.
  
  Emits can be solicited from members of the weyr, egg desc authors, and/or candidates. One thing I always like to do is to give the egg desc authors first crack at a hatching emit for their egg. They can also be used for the PC eggs, when it comes to that. Another wonderful way to get candidates involved is to have them +mail names of NPC candidates they've used in RP and would like to see impress.
  
  

5. Hatching Day

Okay! You've gotten through all this, and the hatching day is looming. Candidates and dragon puppeteers should be there an hour beforehand, for any last minute instructions. Puppeteers have been given the information they need to pilot the dragon puppets. So what happens? Who does what?

ICly, the dragons start humming. We try to broadcast this to all of the ground rooms in the weyr, using an @dolist and the room numbers in an @emit/room. Important rooms are:

Candidates bathe, get robes on, and then go to the sands. Chaos ensues. As pairs impress, they are escorted by the WLMs to a small chamber off the sands proper to feed and oil their lifemates. Those that are left standing are spoken to by the Weyrleaders. Those that do go to the weyrling barracks to be spoken to by the Weyrleaders before they begin their new lives in the weyrling barracks.

OOCly: it's a whole nother story. Usually, the Senior Weyrwoman will set the pace for the hatching, though the junior weyrwoman might also. Ideally, the humming starts, and the Weyrleaders pop into the barracks, along with the WLMs. Last minute robe checks are made, and the candidates lined up to go onto the sands. There is a secret entrance onto the sands from the candidate barracks, to make life easier for everyone involved. The candidates are filed in in alphabetical order. The the chaos starts.

Usually, we try to have 2 hatchlings on the sands at once. In the past it has worked out to be 2 egg rocking poses, and then the egg hatches. 3-4 hatchling poses, and the dragon impresses. In between dragon impressions, there are usually 3-4 NPC impression emits, depending on the size of the clutch. The PC dragonpairs move off the sands into the small chamber. We ask that puppeteers puppet the dragon for the entire hatching, or as much of it as they can attend. Weyrlingmasters shuttle pairs back and forth, until the hatching is all over with.

Then, the Weyrleaders speak to those that didn't impress, and free them up to go to the hatching feast. The new weyrlings move into the barracks, and then the Weyrleaders and clutch parents move there to speak to them. Then everything is dropped OOC, and the Weyrlingmasters take over, after some brief congratulations. Times are usually set up to get together, and code can be started on as needed.

Ideally, all this (with warmup time) takes 3 - 3 and 1/2 hours. Then, you relax!

6. After the Hatching

There are a few things that need to be done after the hatching that are entirely administrative. The Weyrleaders may take care of most of this, or ask that any of the staff handle it. First, update both the MCW and MCA knots to reflect the new positions of everyone involved, weyrlings and former candidates. Then you need to go back and reset the clutching object so that there is no clutch reflected on the sands. Finally, all of the information in +comments needs to be logged, and then cleared, and the search code readied for Fort Weyr.

We do ask that anyone with questions on why they didn't impress be referred to the Weyrleaders.

7. Advanced Techniques

• Web Applications
  One of the nicest inventions since I started MUSHing. ;) However: if you're not comfortable doing cgi script, I wouldn't recommend taking this avenue. Stick with having the questions up online, so that people can see them, and send in their answers to the searchco (or WLs, to be distributed out through the searchco).
  
  However, if you're comfortable making webpages and the like and want to investigate this option, it can be a WONDERFUL time saver for the person running the searchco. At Monaco, we use a search application that is written in perl - when completed, it (1) emails a copy to the Weyrleaders and archives an email copy at the main monaco account, (2) gives the applicant a confirmation page and number, (3) automatically posts the application in a password protected directory so that searchco members can view it and (4) emails the searchco email list to let them know a new application has been received. In the next version, we're planning on having it dump to a database, and create an index of all the applications, logs made, and the like on the fly. However, that has to wait until I learn a bit more about SQL. ;)
  
  There's a big set of drawbacks about the web form: (1) they have to be tested, tested and retested before you release them. (2) changes in the server can violently affect them - if you aren't on good terms with your sysadmin, I wouldn't recommend this. (3) Many people are not comfortable using them. So you do have to provide a 'text only' version of the application, that is easy to cut and paste questions out of the webpage to the email.
  
  
• Password Protecting Search Info
  If you're going to do something like above, and post the applications on the web, you MUST have the directory password protected. If you've ever played sandbox sports, it looks almost exactly like that. ;) The sysadmin will be the one to set this up for you. I prefer doing it this way to emailing the applications to the searchco because while the searchco can then download the individual applications, it just makes me feel a little safer about having the applications 'leave the hands' of the Weyrleaders.
  
  
• Excel Spreadsheet
  I've found that this is invaluable to me when running a hatching. You can set it up to automatically tally searchco votes, keep track of how many male/female applicants there are, how many people want which colors with what level of preference, whether or not a dragon is finished and who did each section, and even NPC eggs, names and colors. I've included an example of the spreadsheet that we use at Monaco, though I've removed all of the voting information on it and any names of candidates or impressees. If you'd like a working copy of this, just email Briana, and she'll be happy to send one to you. All you need to do is add your own voting procedure.