We’re taking our time with this Intermission, as you’re all aware. To compensate for the extra-long gap between arcs, we’ve arranged a scored Intermission that will create an all-factions Balance of Power. So far, over 100 matches have been played.
Intermission matches per day, as of February 10.
I’d also like to take a moment to specifically thank those Summoners who’ve set up the most matches so far: Revoluxionist, with over 20 matches; XalcXolk and C Drive, with about 10 each; and others including AbiwonKenabi, LegionaireReaver, 2sp00ky, Centuros, and Rextreff, who are all around 5 each. Thank you! Please keep up the good work. I do plan to find a way to reward match runners for taking the initiative to get games going.
Intermission Matches serve a number of purposes. First and foremost, they’re a way for people to play some Factions matches outside of a formal arc, and try out the various factions that you’ll all soon be selecting from to build the next arc’s lineup. They’re also useful as a source of data for the skill-gap balancing algorithm that we use during arcs to adjust point values given the tier matchups of the two teams. In short, each match’s value is weighted based on an assessment of how likely each team is to win based solely on how those rank matchups tend to play out across all Factions matches. This helps correct for rank differences, and make the match more about the strength of the two factions and the efforts of the Summoners to give their best on the Fields in that particular match. The more data points we have, the more accurate the system becomes.
Recruiting volunteers for scoring and match running
So, about that all-factions Balance of Power, which I for one am very curious to see. The first thing we need is to get all these matches scored. We’re going to be breaking scorers up into two teams, so that each match is checked by two scorers, to help catch errors. We need Summoners who’d like to work on this crucial component of the Balance of Power, with an eye toward recruiting onto next arc’s staff list those who distinguish themselves with their Intermission efforts.
It’s PORE OVER, you philistine.
So, I’ve put together a GDoc form—because they’re almost as fun as spreadsheets—for anyone who’d like to help out with scoring or match running. To explain the latter: although of course anyone can start a match anytime, we’d like to get some people lined up who want to make a special effort to run matches regularly and take a leadership role. As with the scoring volunteers, we’ll definitely be looking at match-organizing volunteers when thinking about who we want on staff for next arc.
You can put your name in the hat here.
Thanks again! And have fun. I’m going to start trying to play some more matches myself, even though it does mean less time for GDocs and spreadsheets.
Sorry, I’m not really into spreadsheets
Haha, good one. Wait, really? Huh, okay. Well, you might also consider sending in a pitch for the upcoming editions of the Summoner’s Herald.
—CupcakeTrap
Caitlyn, you monster.
FACTIONS 
[…] recently posted seeking volunteers to help with scoring and organizing matches during the Intermission. This is a good time to also take a moment to thank those Summoners who […]
“Any thoughts on how the Factions match experience can be improved?”
“What about thoughts on scoring and the Balance of Power system? ”
Both these questions are very general and should probably be available to a general audience than people who are signing up for a position.
I’d definitely encourage discussion of those topics on the forum and elsewhere. They’re of particular significance, though, for anyone who’s thinking about volunteering for scoring and match-running, since those people are more likely to end up recruited to matchstaff, whose primary responsibility is improving matches and scoring.