One of my greatest privileges as Independence Fleet’s Commander-in-Chief is to announce the newest members of the Hall of Fame each July. These are the best of the best from throughout our history–those with exemplary service or extraordinary contributions to the fleet, according to the Hall of Fame Charter (pdf). For those who attended our 21st Anniversary Webcast on Saturday, you already know who is being inducted this year. For everyone else, it is now my great pleasure to formally introduce our Hall of Fame Class of 2022:
Inducted by Election:
Commander McGregor Blaine
of the USS Excalibur
A longtime member of the Excalibur, McGregor Blaine still managed to stand out despite being a part of arguably the greatest crew of all time. Finding his niche, he excelled in multiple areas, including writing, leadership, and recruiting. Blaine’s great breadth of contributions led to him earning five total awards, with all five being of different categories: Rookie of the Month, Recruitment, MVP, and two Post awards.
Commander Dusty Redroi
of the USS Excalibur
A member of the Excalibur, Dusty Redroi still managed to stand out despite being a part of arguably the greatest crew of all time. Making his mark with a rare combination of excellently crafted posts involving other characters and high quantity, he was instrumental to the sim’s long-term success. He won four awards over the course of his career, including Funniest Post and two Most Posts.
Captain Zingela
of the USS Washington
The personification of the team player, Zingela did all the little things to foster a cohesive and productive crew. He worked well with players of all types and styles that led to some truly great role playing. He worked his way up the chain, eventually commanding the Washington out of necessity rather than ambition. Zingela tallied five total awards, including three different Post awards and two MVPs.
Inducted by the Veterans Committee:
Admiral Savai N’gellin
of the USS Patriot
A longtime member of the Patriot, Savai N’gellin’s career spanned from IDF’s early period through the middle years. As a crewmember, he earned seven total awards, which still ranks within the top 20 all-time. N’gellin eventually joined the Admiralty and severed for several years, most notably as Director of Fleet Intelligence & Security, during some of the fleet’s most productive periods.
Captain K’lar Rasmehlier
of the USS Conqueror
A true shooting star, the late K’lar Rasmehlier commanded the Conqueror for only nine months. However, it was a nine months for the ages as he led his sim to win the fleet posting title in all nine months with consistently high numbers not seen before or since. In addition to the quantity, he led his crew on imaginative missions that allowed each player collaboratively fulfil their potential.
Congratulations to all five of our 2022 inductees! Well done, and thank you for providing a timeless example for us still role playing to follow. You will hereby forever be remembered for your extraordinary service to Independence Fleet. There are now 38 total members of this most exclusive club.
Harking back to our early history, four of the five inductees represent sims that aren’t currently in our line-up. The two from the Excalibur bring that early-era sim’s record total up to seven inductees. Incredibly, all seven simmed together on the same crew!
Avakhon Khinsharri says:
In regards Kolar Rasmehlier, I can say, that any honor given to a warrior is deserved. That it’s posthumously and nearly 2 decades after his passing into the Black Fleet, is only a matter of timing. This is only because of some things that were of greater importance to others. I was fortunate to know him in his lifetime. As I am his successor to the leadership of the BLA, I am proud that he was chosen for this honor. He not only distinguished himself in his own life but as a writer he was unparalleled by anyone I knew of that time. He was not just a mentor to me, but served as a friend of mine and a type of father figure that I have sought to emulate in the BLA family since he left us. His vision, his presence, and his legacy have not withered or died, even though he has. THAT is the hallmark of a true warrior. His glory exceeds his lifetime, and that’s all a warrior can hope for in his life. That creative spark, which he cultivated and nurtured in others, has shown throughout the Empire of this day. I hold to those principles to this day. Have FUN and no Drama we’re his creed, and are the founding rules of the Broken Lands Alliance ever since. To Kolar! I raise a tankard of his favorite Blood wine, heated and mulled, and sing songs of his deeds to this glorious warrior. Q’plah warrior TGen Kolar Rasmehlier.
Joseph says:
Another year in the book, another Hall of Fame Class inducted. As the longest tenured (consecutive) member of the fleet, I think it necessary for me to say something. I knew all of the inductees, though I never directly played with any of them. They each fully deserve a place in our HoF for there work they did in the fleet and for their sims. For me, while all are deserving, the most deserving may be Captain Zingela. The role of a captain is one that not everyone understands. Being a captain isn’t like being a regular player, because you have to take a step back from posting and playing and become more involved in directing behind the scenes, putting out fires, and dealing with all the duties that a captain does that regular players just take for granted. Captain Zingela was a real pro at these things, putting our fires, helping players work together, and just providing a great place to sim. I admit, I am biased to a degree as Zingela was captain of the Washington, the sim I started on and captain today. I offer congratulations to all our new Hall of Famers, welcome to elite club, and may we have more great simmers join you in the years to come.
Gone but not forgotten says:
congratulations also to Redroi, McGregor and Savai from long long ago.