I am enthused that the "Club Forum" has become the useful, and certainly well used, soapbox upon which so many of us have climbed to address our suggestions for improvement of the club, divergent viewpoints concerning club matters on the table, and to share diverse ideas about role-playing games and related items. There was a flurry of activity in this issue's column and I hope it continues in this manner. In a strange coincidence for me at work and as a member of a volunteer fire department, communication had broken down among the participants and is only now being slowly restored. Along this rocky road there were many misunderstandings, bad feelings, and lack of direct, polite discussion, all which produced low morale, bred anger, and yielded poor productivity. Nobody actually set out to create these negativities, but neither did they act to prevent them, and thus things continued deteriorating until firm, corrective action was initiated and supported. The prime remediation was simply kind and frank discussion, followed by a commitment to use the points addressed as a foundation for improvement.

I mention this situation because I see it paralleled within the club, though recently the measure of the problem has been thankfully decreasing. Before the "Club Forum" the membership was isolated, and through the lack of a standard, open format to voice concerns was in fact working against itself. Now, wi ' th the column in place to air member opinions, ideas, and views, we are all working to building a communication network that will, hopefully, prevent hardship, anger, and frustration now and for the future, and completely eliminate the problems associated with lack of communication.

It won't solve every communication problem, however. I learned this the hard way, much to my regret, embarrassment, and chagrin, when dealing with the other officers in the conducting of the business and administration of the club. Not only must there be inter-club communication, but also intra-officer communication on the administrative level to keep matters flowing and organized. I have been guilty of unduly aggressive correspondence and for tunnel vision when it came to solutions for problems - "my way or no-way." This was wrong; if you felt misused by me, please accept my apologies and a promise that I will make the highest effort to handle my club responsibilities, whatever they might be, more professionally from hereon.

It is my hope that, as a founding club member, an officer, and (perhaps immodestly) one who has worked so very hard to make the club strong, that everyone will let their voice be heard so that if something is wrong, it will be corrected; if something is good and enjoyable, it will be continued, preferably enhanced; and if something hasn't yet been considered, that it be brought to the club's attention, fairly considered, and if worthy included as part of our club experience.

Now on to current matters....

The special election for Secretary/Treasurer has been completed. As the Special Election Officer, it is my pleasure to announce to you that Jil Conway won and will take over the remaining term of this office. Congratulations Jil!

For those interested in statistics, there were a total of 24 on-time ballots received, providing the necessary one-third membership quorum, with 19 of them voting in favor of Jil. Unfortunately, I received three ballots after the February 3, 1992 due date and these had to be discarded.

So much for the days when I had to beg for submissions! But don't let the current adequacy of submissions lure you into a false sense of security - I still need them for issues to come!

I hadn't considered the potential benefits of the "gift membership" idea proposed by William Onufryk, but was glad that he came up with it, since it is an undeniably valuable method for increasing the membership ranks as well as increasing one's own XP total. I never foresaw it when I wrote the basic EPS rules, but I guess I don't realize my own genius! Anyway, thanks to him for adding more incentive to join and participate in the club!

Furthermore, his detailed description for PBM game player XP awards makes sense and has successfully persuaded me to change my opinion about the matter. I see the necessity and validity of rewarding players in member-sponsored PBM games in light of the fact that it will enhance interactions among the membership. But we need someone to make a proposal, send it into the President, and follow up on it thereafter!

I read Ben Gregory's commentary about the use of club titles for CM articles, correspondence, etc. in this issue's "Club Forum." To date I have received a limited response to the inclusion of titles, with seven people liking, one person neutral, and now with Ben's comment, one against their inclusion in normal club routine. I must continue to go with the majority opinion which, even though it is admittedly a slim cross section of the membership, is still a majority. If you agree or disagree with Ben's fair opinion, please let the club know by submitting your view to me and to the "ClubForum" manager, Jil Conway, so the majority opinion may be tallied and followed. We can only change things if we hear from you!

When considering an alternative procedure for EPS modification or addition, remember that there is no rule on how many times a petition, in one form or another, may be presented for JC consideration. It's not perfect and perhaps not preferable to the membership petition alternative under discussion currently, but is a usable dimension of the EPS.

I never considered saying "thank you" to members who renew with some XP, but it is an idea I like and should be explored.

Mattias' comments about the review of an EPS petition brought to light an important lack in that only a small fraction of the membership will review such a petition under the current rules, and further asks that the tone of letters submitted to the "Forum" be constructive, not destructive. This is sound advice and I would appreciate everyone's cooperation to review their submissions to assure that they are kind in tone, and support the club and its members.

If I understand Will Nesbitt correctly, he has suggested that balloting of the membership for decisions on club topics be done with a two-line statement in Chain-Mail. This is not possible under the current By-laws, which in Article II Section 2, stipulates a procedure performed by the Secretary and entails distribution of a ballot and issue summary to the membership for important events. Even if it fell within the jurisdiction of the Editor and CM, such a process would certainly take up much more than the "two measly lines" suggested. Furthermore, the Sec/Tres is responsible for ballot tabulation, not the Vice-president as possibly suggested. Will's ideas are valid ones, but circumvent the current, established club rules. If any club member wishes to pursue these alternatives, then please draft a By-law modification or addition and submit it so the matter is eligible for membership consideration.

The one interesting thing I have noted is that, while there has been much recent discussion on the EPS, when it was first proposed and comments about it were requested, it received then nowhere near the intense debate which it has received recently! Well, better late than never! Yet it would have been much more useful had these comments been put forth earlier, so the EPS could have been made excellent system instead of just a good one. Friends, let's not just talk the issue ad nauseam: if the debate has shown a change is needed, then please, someone take the necessary steps within the framework of the club's rules to get the ball rolling. If you want to change it, make an official Proposal and submit it to the President.

In response to Alan's concern about the possibility of inaccurate XP awards, the President stated in his open letter (which was included with the mailing of CM #20) that any member may obtain a copy of his XP award breakdown by sending a SASE and appropriate request to him. If the member who obtains such deems the XP total incorrect, he should ask for a review by the EPS JC. As a member of that committee, I can assure you that it will be gladly given!

As a friendly reminder to everyone, for a CM to have his PBM game qualify under the EPS he must run a minimum of six turns in the calendar year for a club member, and gets his 200 XP per member player per each game position he runs. A "game position" refers to separate scenarios the GM conducts. It is possible for a player to run more than one PC in each single scenario, but in such cases the CM receives only one reward of 200 XP for all the PCs that one player runs, not 200 XP for each PC a member might play in a single scenario. If the GM has several unique, distinctly separate scenarios, he may receive more than one 200 XP award for each even if the same players participate in these many different scenarios. Stats of "average members per position" and "total number of turns" have no direct use in the EPS for XP determination.

I have completed the draft of the membership cards for the club. They include the the club's name at the head, member's name, club title and XP level, date issued, a "member since" line, expiration date, and the President's signature on the front, and statement of membership and a small bit of artwork on the back. They will be printed by me this month and forwarded to the President for completion and lamination, then to you with the next issue of CM.

Here are some ideas still floating around that have received only a little (or no) comment; certainly discussion about them is needed!