For a few years now the Christian Expeditionary Force has been a fellowship of believers that have delved into crisscrossing worlds that have had some things in common but are generally very different from one another.

Their journey has not been without trials and tribulations but they have weathered the storms and come out stronger than before. Now it is our pleasure here at the Chronicle to join them on their journey and get first-hand accounts of their triumphs and defeats.

To the men and women of Christian Expeditionary Force: our goal here at the Chronicle is, to report the truth about your operations, to keep your members informed and update on the current status of your expedition, and to provide some entertainment as your read our pages.

The Chronicles Begin!

By: Kahn

The Expedition Chronicles goes live! It is with a great joy that this reporter writes the announcement of the long awaited news reports from the Christian Expeditionary Force. As the editor and reporters have hammered out the details of how this paper would be operated the reporters have been anxiously waiting to put pen to parchment and record the efforts of these mighty people.

For a few years now the Christian Expeditionary Force has been a fellowship of believers that have delved into crisscrossing worlds that have had some things in common but are generally very different from one another.

Their journey has not been without trials and tribulations but they have weathered the storms and come out stronger than before. Now it is our pleasure here at the Chronicle to join them on their journey and get first-hand accounts of their triumphs and defeats.

To the men and women of Christian Expeditionary Force: our goal here at the Chronicle is, to report the truth about your operations, to keep your members informed and update on the current status of your expedition, and to provide some entertainment as your read our pages.

Contents

Forward by Matthew Edmund

Meet the Staff by Stephen Goodale

Q & A: Return & Restructuring by Nazbrantook

A Word from the Chronicle by Stephen Goodale

Forward

By: Matthew Edmund

It has been a real pleasure working with Stephen to get this going. Since our early days of Guild Wars (5+ years ago) its been a dream of mine to get a guild periodicle up and going. A few months ago, Stephen approached me after sending a shout out for volunteers offering to take on this project. I can't express in words how great of a blessing Stephen has been. I'm just totally blown away with how enthusiastic he is to do this project. His enthusiasm is contagious!

The whole idea of this chronicle is to make the many activities of the guild come alive while using the God-given talents of Stephen and the other writers who may contribute in the future. Both Stephen and I are looking for feedback. Do you want to add something? Then let us know! Write something up and submit it!

Again, a big huge THANK YOU to Stephen for setting aside the time to do this project. I am so grateful for his contribution and I sure look forward to our next issue!

Return to Top

Meet the Staff

By: Stephen Goodale

Kahn - Greetings Christian Expeditionary Force! Most of you know who I am as I have run many dungeons with the lot of you. I am the death knight KahnDorloc. Before my fall into darkness and despair I was a paladin with a thirst for knowledge and spreading that knowledge. When I was released from the Lich Kings grasp I chose once more to pursue this end using the very power the Lich King had granted to me find out the information I sought. Until recently that was information on his defeat, but now that it has happened I have turned my attention once more to spreading knowledge across the lands. I will be your chief correspondent and lead writer on much of the articles you read in the Chronicle. Just don’t tell the dwarf he gets a little jealous and reverts to his dwarvish ways whenever I mention my lead role around him.

Nazbrantook - Hello my fellow knowledge seekers it is an honor to be writing these words for you to read! I am Nazbrantook and as I have only recently begun my journeys outside of the mountain I doubt that any of you know my name. I am a paladin, and I am a dwarf. I’m also a bit more refined than my dwarven brethren. It was my duty to aid in the recording of my people’s legends and myths before becoming a paladin. However I grew tired of looking into the hearsay and rumors shifting through the quagmire of lies to find the one nugget of truth that may be buried deep within the lore of my people. So I joined the ranks of the paladins to travel the world and learn what I could about the other races. And I must say it is an honor beyond measure to have come across your guild and be expected into its ranks as a reporter. Oh and no matter what the good for nothing, low-life scumbag, forsaken Death Knight tells you I will be doing most of the writing in this here Chronicle!

Shadowkahn - I lurk deep within the shadows drawing upon their power to destroy my enemies as I watch and listen to what is going on around me. It will probably be a rare that you will see my name in a byline of this Chronicle, but when you do read it for it shall be a glorious piece of written work field with mayhem and destruction of our enemies on the frontline.

Return to Top

Q & A: Return and Restructure

By: Nazbrantook

For five years Matthew Edmund has lead CEF pouring into it everything that he could. Recently though he took a much needed, and deserved, break. However, he is now seeking to return full force not only to Azeroth but to the guild as well! With his return he is also bringing a restructuring of how the guild is set up and how the guild will be ran. I took it upon myself to locate and sit down with Mr. Edmund and discuss some of the reasons for the changes that are being implemented.

Q: You took a hiatus from the game for a while, but what I'm curious about is what was the main reason for you return to Azeroth?

A: To be honest, my main reason for returning is that I miss the fellowship here. I've developed some relationships over the years here that I just felt empty without.

Q: With your return you have begun an overhaul of the guilds structure, care to briefly highlight some of the changes that you have already put into play?

A: I think the most notable change has been the addition of guild ranks, and ones that fluctuate depending on what a player is willing to put into the guild. Although these changes are still in the works, it’s possible to see the structure for it forming.

Another change is the mentoring program. We've had a lot of people say they feel a bit out of place. When you have a close knit group of people that have known each other for a long time it may be intimidating to folks new to the block. The mentoring program is supposed to help make the transition from "trial member" to "full member" smooth and fun.

I've also been in talks with some of our officers. We felt that their interests and time commitments were conflicting with the commitments and leadership we need to keep the guild healthy and fresh. They have graciously stepped aside or taken lower roles to make room for some of the folks who are really hyped up to be included in the administration of the clan.

Q: Perhaps you could give us a preview of some of the other changes, if any, that may be coming in the future?

A: I touched on it briefly in the previous question, but I think the biggest change will be our new ranking system. Before players more or less were arbitrarily promoted. This was okay for lower ranks, but for higher ranks that had leadership responsibilities, we found this wasn't fostering guild growth. It also left leaders feeling trapped with responsibilities they couldn't or no longer wanted to have. This new ranking system will allow periodic assessment of basic activity and participation in the guild. Those who have more time and a greater desire to contribute will automatically increase in rank. Those who have less interest or less time to contribute will automatically be demoted in a non-disciplinary way. By that I mean it'll be a natural part of being a guild member just like gaining experience or dying in-game is a natural part of playing.

Besides the new ranking system we will also be creating specific roles for future officers and those remaining. I hope that this will help focus members into areas they are gifted and capitalize on their God-given passions.

Q: We've talked about the changes to the guild itself, but what are some of major reasons for these changes?

A: It was obvious to everyone things just weren't working. My hiatus was due in large part to having a difficult time getting volunteers. A guild can't be run by one person. Especially one that focuses on a fellowship, a community. To return would require a total change in the way we do things to make sure we don't get stuck in this rut again.

A guild is supposed to be fun and uplifting to all its members; from the newest to the top of the leadership. It wasn't for a lot of us, and that's something we'll change.

Q: What is the goal for all of the changes that you are making to how the guild is structured and operated?

A: The goal is to make the guild self-sufficient and reinforce the community aspect. I created this guild with the idea of providing a place for friends to play together while at the same time maintaining our integrity and relationship with Christ.

My hope is that the guild restructuring will promote participation of all of its members and leaders so that everyone will feel encouraged to contribute, and be properly rewarded for their contributions.

Q: With the restructuring of the guild do you foresee the focus of the guild changing at all?

A: I feel that the restructuring of the guild won't necessarily change our focus, but refocus us on the original founding ideas of this guild. Leaders were feeling like work horses and some members were feeling excluded. Ideally, the guild is a group of friends playing a game together. The leaders are here merely to provide direction and the necessary management, but ultimately they are members too. We're all brothers and sisters in Christ and we share this common interest of gaming. My hope is that these changes will help us refocus our attention on each other, rather than self, and towards progressing our fellowship and relationships, while at the same time enabling us to tackle more difficult challenges in-game.

That was all the questions I had time for on this interview but I do believe that they give us a look into the restructuring of the guild that is underway. As more changes occur you can expect to see more interviews with the leader as we seek to get the vision behind the changes. May God bless your journey’s and may the light shine down upon you, this is Nazbrantook saying be safe.

Return to Top

A Word from the Chronicle

By: Stephen Goodale

A newspaper is only as good as the information it prints. Having returned the world of Azeroth myself, I can gather better information and firsthand accounts; however there is still a problem. I can’t be everywhere at once. I need the help my fellow guild mates to provide me with information on events that I was unable to attend, and even on those events that I was at because I cannot see everything.

So here is what you can do to help me, and yourself really. Submit your stories! Send me a PM with the details of the story you want to see printed. I’ll then write it up in an article name you as the informant (unless you wish to remain anonymous) and put into the Chronicle. Feel free to submit screen shots as well!

The more information and stories you guys give me the more of the type of things you want to see in this paper will be in this paper! Also if anyone is good at drawing a comic strip and would be interested in doing some WoW comics for this paper that would be awesome. I’m trying to make the Chronicle as fun as it is supposed to be informative.

Things you can expect to see in coming issues: Character Interviews-Nazbrantook will travel the globe or call people to him to conduct a role playing interview and then write up the interview for the chronicle! Front Line Reports- ShadowKahn shall be reporting on pvp aspects of the guild as they happen. Raid Warnings- reports concerning any raiding the guild undertakes. These are but a few of things that could be added to this paper, if anyone has any ideas or suggestions feel free to send me a pm.

Return to Top