Being such a young chapter and with regard to these requirements, how does Vuka have a champion at all? Were these requirements circumvented somehow?
I guess the point I'm trying to make is, I've seen people genuinely strive for years to make it past squire. Getting a Belt is no joke and most of the time it's more trouble than it's worth. If one custom is "Here have this belt because we think you're cool." and another is "Go through this cumbersome and excruciating process for years until you can pass a panel interview as well as an actual test administered in game." it makes those definitions of a "knight" highly variable.
We are a new chapter and have only been around since 2017. In that time, we have had a total of 20ish games and have seen our numbers grow from 32 Players when Jesse opened us up, to 180+ on the books and we continue to grow! We currently have anywhere from 40 PCs to 80 PCs on the regular basis.
As a plot team, we didn't want any form of PC nobility to begin with, but now we NEED it to help govern the various types of characters that attend our games. We are most likely going to make 3-5 players Barons/Lords/Knights within the next 6 months. And yes, they haven't gone through the 2-5 years of training that other folks have gone through in other... older chapters. But as a chapter, we have a fresh slate. We can dictate how we start our "nobility program" in whatever capacity we choose.
When we look at potential candidates we ask ourselves the following questions:
OOG-
1) What time have they put in for the betterment of the game?
2) What have they done to improve the game for others?
3) Do they go out of their way to involve others? (i.e. New players, Veteran Players, etc)
4) Have they been accused of cheating since their time with Alliance LARP Utah?
5) Have they violated any chapters codes of conduct since their time with Alliance LARP Utah?
IG-
1) Are they in good standing with the nobles around them?
2) How does the town of PCs feel about this person?
3) Have they committed any "unforgivable acts?" (Murder, Necromancy, etc)
If a person is a good fit and meets all the above requirements, we approach them out of game and ask them if they are looking to go down a path of nobility. If they say yes, then we begin the "noble plot lines" to fit their backstory and their character development. Like Oregon, we have an OOG PC Leadership policy, and we will monitor the character very carefully to make sure there is no abuse.