Authors Note: As a professional / technical writing major, I'll probably edit this every time I look at it.  But the content and themes expressed herein won't change.  Also, this is NOT a justification for my disappearance.  Instead, I'm just looking for a public medium to vent my frustrations and disappointments over the past two years.

It's been said that you can always go home again.

I think that's a correct statement now.  And I think it's incredibly ironic that it took Star Fleet Battles to make me realize this.

Back in the Winter of 2000, I came up with a crazy idea: What if an Economy of Force Mini-Campaign (T2.0) could be run through PBEM.  I had loved playing EoF campaigns when I was at home and had people to play locally, but there was never any persistence.  We never did extra rounds.  We never really saw other tactics spring forward.  It never went anywhere.  But with the wonderful community that I had discovered online for SFB, I suddenly realized that I could use this resource to its full advantage.  I understood that a persistent, long-running campaign was possible.

The response I got was amazing.  People flocked towards the campaign, eager to flex their PBEM muscles, team up with a group of five other players, and beat the living tar out of another player... not just for a personal victory, but to help the team towards victory as well.  For several months, things rolled along without incident.  SOP's were processed.  Shots were fired.  Ships were deftly maneuvered through space.  Taunts were sent hurtling through the darkness.

But then everything changed.  I'm not into melodrama, but I feel I should get this all off my chest.  If you want to leave it at "problems," then just continue reading.  If you want to see my list of gripes, click here.

Due to the problems, I was unable to process SOP's for EoF anymore, both on the physical (time) level and the mental level.  It was definitely not a good situation.  I was torn between disappointing twelve people I had grown to consider friends or doing a shoddy job and having them eventually disappointed in me anyway.  What a choice...  People on the message boards always mention that Real Life ^TM gets in the way too often.  I know now how that feels.

But like every thunderstorm, this eventually passed as well.  I'm now entering my final three semesters of college, the class work is light, and life isn't looking so damned gloomy.  And the SFB bug has caught me again.  There's a couple people that I've "trained" who now play around here, and I've been actively reading and commenting on the message boards for about a month now.  It's a great feeling to reconnect with something that you really truly loved.

But here's the crazy part.  I have also come to realize that EoF was more than just a dream.  It was a passion.  And I don't really feel right just letting that passion die.  "What the hell is he thinking?" will come the resounding roar of thought from those who have just read this previous line.  It will probably be followed shortly by a "Is he going to say what I think he's going to say?"

The answer is: YES.  I would like to bring EoF back from the dead.  I know that there were a lot of disappointed people when I went AWOL, including myself.  And I don't think that I can just let EoF fade into history without trying to bring it roaring back from the dead.  And I would hate to see the hours upon hours upon hours of effort that twelve dedicated players put into the game go to waste.  And, I'll admit, there is more than a bit of me attempting to redeem myself veiled in this request.

So, before this little manifesto grows any farther, I ask for everyone to flood my Inbox with mail (francois@purdue.edu).  Let me know what the community thinks I should do.  Right now, I see three options:

1. Resume EoF #1.  I'm quite certain that not all of the original players will be able to come back, but those that can will get their ships back, and we can attempt to recruit to find players to fill the shoes of the rest.  I've also introduced my roommate to SFB PBEM, and he's become enthralled with it.  While he hasn't done anything official yet, I plan on showing him the ropes and pitfalls of moderation.  Thus, there is someone to pick up the slack if things get too busy for me.
2. Trash EoF #1, and start with a fresh slate.  EoF #2 will dispense with the Y160 nonsense, and ram the battle straight to Y182 (since I just picked up Modules J and K... no more borrowing from the store!).  Fighters, PF's, BATS, and late war ships... hooray!  I could even be (easily) convinced to purchase one of the C modules if there was a strong push to play a non Basic Set race.
3. Tell me that I'm completely insane, and that I should just go away.

Thank you for listening this far.  I appreciate it.

Happy hunting!

-Matthew J. Francois