Minden News #37: Arrival of Grenadier & Artillery Companies

[OriginalHobo]

Issue #37: "The sword is the axis of the world and its power is absolute."

GRENADIER COMPANY HAS ARRIVED - "Company will fix bayonets!" The 51st Regiment of Foot has a reputation for melee; We see it as an integral skill to train and we pride ourselves on being one of the best melee regiments in the Holdfast community. Our attitude and commitment to training melee means many of our players have a good grasp of the melee system in Holdfast and some have even won tournaments in the past. As such, we are finally rolling out changes to Grenadier Company. Grenadier Company will be the regiment's elite melee company, of which the best melee players in the regiment will form the backbone. However, anyone who is Regular or above may apply. To decide which players make the cut, there will be a short application process to join Grenadier Company. As part of the application process, there will be a melee assessment to test your melee ability. This will be arranged for a time when both applicant and assessor are available. In addition, there will be intra-clan tournaments every 2-3 months to decide the best melee player within Grenadier Company and the winner(s) will be granted the prestigious rank of Guardsman. Keep in mind that these ranks distinguish members by their skill level, not by their seniority. You can make an application to join Grenadier Company via this forum thread. Furthermore, all current Grenadiers and Guardsmen will be given the new rank of Kingsman, which will serve as the senior enlisted rank within Centre Company. The rank of Kingsman will be held by experienced veterans who have consistently shown exemplary performance in linebattles and other events. The rank of Grenadier will be granted to those accepted into Grenadier Company, as was previously the case. Finally, we are introducing a new rank called Chosen Man. Those members who are not a part of Grenadier Company, but who have shown great dedication and loyalty to the regiment will be granted this exclusive rank. This rank it is meant for those who have consistently attended events and, in addition, have proven themselves to be invaluable members of the regiment. This is now the highest rank an enlisted member can achieve in Centre Company and Artillery Company, and is equivalent to the rank of Guardsman. As such, the highest enlisted ranks in the regiment are now Chosen Man and Guardsman. The second highest rank is Kingsman, followed by Grenadier. To summarise: • Minimum rank of Regular to apply for Grenadier Company. • Melee assessment on application. • Intra-clan dual tournaments every 2-3 months to decide the Guardsmen. • Those accepted into Grenadier Company will still be given the Grenadier rank. • Apply via the forum thread. • All current Grenadiers and Guardsmen are granted the new rank of Kingsman, which is now the second-highest enlisted rank after Chosen Man and Guardsman. • A new rank has been introduced called Chosen Man. It is equivalent to the Guardsman rank and is the highest rank a member can achieve in Centre Company and Artillery Company. For those who feel they are not good enough for Grenadier Company, know that it isn't completely out of reach. See membership of Grenadier Company as a challenge to conquer and strive to get better - practise makes perfect! If you want to improve your melee skills outside of structured training sessions, we encourage you to play on public melee servers. Beginners or those who want to master the basics can have a look at our 0.41 Melee Combat Guide. ARTILLERY COMPANY HAS ARRIVED - "All guns commence firing!" The 51st Regiment of Foot has a wide pool of talent. There are many skills to hone in Holdfast and we pride ourselves on having talented members that excel at many of these skills. During particular linebattles or siege events, some members are required to operate cannons and/or rockets. To support our line infantry in the field, the 51st Regiment of Foot requires a dedicated team of Artillerymen to provide a firing solution to the artillery question. To satisfy this requirement, Artillery Company has been established and is seeking members. Artillery Company is a support company, meaning it will provide support to our lines of infantry during linebattles and other events. Artillery Company will be comprised of members of Centre Company who excel at playing Cannoneer, Rocketeer or Sapper. As such, the the most experienced members of the regiment in those areas will have the opportunity to be accepted into the ranks. Artillery Company will have a short application process to decide who is deemed capable enough to represent the regiment. The candidate requirements are that you must be Regular or above, be competent in the use of cannons, and be competent in use of the Sapper class. As previously stated, Artillery Company will be recruiting members directly from Centre Company, meaning you cannot be a member of Grenadier Company if you wish to apply. You can make an application to join Artillery Company via this forum thread. As Artillery Company is a support company, members will maintain their Centre Company ranks. There will be no changes to ranks for those of you who decided to join the artillery crew. To summarise: • Members will remain part of Centre Company. • Minimum rank of Regular to apply for Artillery Company. • Artillery competency test on application. • Must not be a member of Grenadier Company. • Centre Company ranks will be maintained. • Apply via the forum thread. For those who may be interested in Artillery Company, get practising and hone your gunnery skills. When you feel you're up to the standard, you may apply via the thread and perchance you might earn your place as an artilleryman. Full Release & Playerbase Boost Recently, Holdfast received the 1.0 update, marking full release after more than 2 years of continuous development from the team at Anvil Game Studios. Additions to the game this update include a myriad of quality-of-life updates along with the very noteworthy addition of the Russian Faction! With the game now finally out of early access there has been a huge influx of new players. Join those public servers and do your bit, get playing and get recruiting for the 51st to bolster our ranks! As expected with the boost in player numbers, there has been a considerable number of new recruits over the previous two weeks. I'd like to extend a warm welcome to everyone who has recently joined the 51st and wish you the best of luck in our regiment! Be sure to spend time on the TeamSpeak or Discord, and get to know other community members. We usually play a lot of games other than Holdfast outside of events, so don't be afraid to get involved! If you have any questions, feel free to ask an Officer or NCO. They will be happy to help with any queries you may have. Current Schedule: Monday — Naval Battle — 20:00 CET / 2:00 PM EST Tuesday — Siege — 20:00 CET / 2:00 PM EST Wednesday — Training — 20:00 CET / 2:00 PM EST Thursday — Linebattle — 20:00 CET / 2:00 PM EST Friday — Linebattle — 20:00 CET / 2:00 PM EST Saturday — Game Night — 20:00 CET / 2:00 PM EST Sunday — Bootcamp & Linebattle — 19:00 CET / 1:00 PM EST On that bombshell, that's the Minden News article for the month of March. Remember Minden! Note from the editor: I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you the stunningly beautiful banner at the top of this article as this will be the last edition before Saint Patrick's Day on the 17th of March. As current writer and editor for the Minden News, I would like to remind readers (for no particular reason) that my role is strictly unbiased and disinterested. For example, I would never shamelessly abuse my position to benefit myself or to promote my own personal beliefs. Having said that..  I don't know about you, but I'll be having a few scoops this Tuesday! God Save Ireland! Big thanks to our Patreon patrons! Hero of Minden: Copperfield and Nick Vogel Platinum: Hunter Silver: Jamster, Shady, Tachang, Ulfgrim, Whale_Scrotum Bronze: Fortune, Kitty_DK, Stalker Lead: Hobo, MarkvA, and Steiner

[Mark]

A wonderful and non-biased post Hobo!

And good luck everybody with their Grenadier Company and Artillery Company applications!

[James_Stukov]

Happy St. Patrick's day to all you Irish (when it arrives)

Stay safe friends, from Corona and from all the dangers outside.

Keep on recruiting and keep the Regiment stonk

Remember Minden boys, remember Minden.

[Walki]

Is Coy. really the right abbreviation for company?

[Mark]

Based on the feedback we received so far, we have made a change to the above: Kingsman will be the second-highest enlisted rank instead of Grenadier. Guardsman is still the highest enlisted rank. We've also clarified that Guardsman is not limited to one person; there can be more than one Guardsman. It's unlikely there will be more than two at this time, however.

[James_Stukov]

Based on the feedback we received so far, we have made a change to the above: Kingsman will be the second-highest enlisted rank instead of Grenadier. Guardsman is still the highest enlisted rank. We've also clarified that Guardsman is not limited to one person; there can be more than one Guardsman. It's unlikely there will be more than two at this time, however.

How is the Guardsman chosen then? Will there be 1 Guardsman from the Grenadier Company, who is chosen through the Tournament and 1 Guardsman through just sheer dedication and other stuff for Centre Company? (or Enlisteds)

[Mark]

Based on the feedback we received so far, we have made a change to the above: Kingsman will be the second-highest enlisted rank instead of Grenadier. Guardsman is still the highest enlisted rank. We've also clarified that Guardsman is not limited to one person; there can be more than one Guardsman. It's unlikely there will be more than two at this time, however.

How is the Guardsman chosen then? Will there be 1 Guardsman from the Grenadier Company, who is chosen through the Tournament and 1 Guardsman through just sheer dedication and other stuff for Centre Company? (or Enlisteds)

As it stands, Guardsmen will still only be chosen based on the results of the intra-clan melee tournament. However (as was previously the case), members from any company are allowed to participate in the tournament. If a member wasn't a part of Grenadier Company when they're promoted to the rank of Guardsman, they will be moved into Grenadier Company.

We'll have a discussion with Marternus later today when everybody's around to discuss these changes and the feedback he gave to determine our next steps.

[FireFork]

The best kind of news is the unbiased, irish kind.

[OriginalHobo]

Is Coy. really the right abbreviation for company?

Yes, in Irish/British and Commonwealth use.

[Mark]

The news post has been updated with the following:

Finally, we are introducing a new rank called "Chosen Man". Those members who are not a part of Grenadier Company, but who have shown great dedication and loyalty to the regiment will be granted this exclusive rank. This rank it is meant for those who have consistently attended events and, in addition, have proven themselves to be invaluable members of the regiment. This is now the highest rank an enlisted member can achieve in Centre Company and Artillery Company, and is equivalent to the rank of Guardsman.

[Doc.Prophet]

Glory to the 51st!

I agree with all that said! awesome news and developments in the regiment! That's the best thing that makes us who we are lads!

Also, Happy St. Patrick's to all! Wish there were parades this year (fuck virus honestly). But did that measly flu ever stopped a true fighting spirit, eh?

A proper one for all!