KLONDIKE, CP Army Headquarters- The CPAHQ administration, alongside the Head Judges of CPAHQ, are excited to spark discussion about how judging is managed in our community, and how we can improve things.
For clarity’s sake, nothing in this post is finalized or already in motion. This post is expressing opinions from the CPAHQ Administration and Head Judge team. As always, we will notify the community of any changes we make to the judging system.
Since 2018, judging departments operate attached to a larger organization. Club Penguin Online Army League, Club Penguin Armies, Club Penguin Army Media, Club Penguin Army League, and Club Penguin Army Hub all managed their own judging divisions. This still exists today, as CPAHQ holds a judging system that is very similar in most aspects. However, the closure of CPAH- and subsequent mishandlings in the CPAHQ judging department (by yours truly, no less)- have challenged the idea that judges must be run by an “all-seeing” organization. In truth, organizations running their own judging boards encourages division in the community. People align to whatever organization based on which one they favor. Although valid, this causes tremendous issues for leaders and judges alike. For the leaders, it is now common for battles to be cancelled on the principle that one side does not agree with the judging organization chosen. For the judges, it bottlenecks the amount of battles they can judge, which means more often than not, the judging department at CPAHQ lays dormant.
The biggest concern, though, is the instability in the community. Whenever an organization dies, the judging department perishes alongside it. Why should the judging department vanish for mistakes they did not commit? With how much organizations turn over in modern-day armies, judging departments will continue to deteriorate, both in quality and in activity. All of the closures is a giant turn-off for any aspiring judges in the community. It basically eliminates any job security that one would expect from one of the most important components of armies.
The administration has discussed on numerous occasions about the plights that befall judging in armies. These conversations introduced the idea of overhauling the judging system. What we thought of was an independently run judging organization. This is not a guaranteed change for our organization. We are simply introducing the idea to the community to gauge the interest level behind it.
In order to do this, it would be best if all judges in the community came together in union. Having every judge in one place would greatly reduce the amount of battles that just don’t happen because of judging issues. Furthermore, it would make judging a more attractive position to pursue in the community. This is because a unified, independent judging organization would create a level of stability that has never before been achieved. This would, however, require communication between any organizations with judging systems to ensure a smooth transition.
Obviously, CPAHQ can only control our own judging system. It is our hope that all judging systems could come together to make this a reality. But even if this were not the case, it is still beneficial to detach the judging system from CPAHQ. Doing so would alleviate the concerns that people have about CPAHQ as an organization, since CPAHQ would no longer be running the judging system. That means that the Head Judges would be elevated to the administrators of this judging organization.
Again, this idea is merely a concept. Certain aspects of it require a level of cooperation that has not been reciprocated.
At its fullest, this proposal would result in every judge in the community coming together and separating themselves from their organization. Organizations would communicate with the Head Judges of this organization to secure judges for special events, such as tournaments. All battles would be requested and judged on a server run by the Head Judges. The judging organization would become a cornerstone of the community. A constant that would not waver when its parent organization inevitably closes down.
At the very least, this proposal would result in granting the judges of CPAHQ their own space. A space where they can be directly attributed to the good they do, and the seldom mistakes they make. They would no longer be affected by negative events that involve the CPAHQ administration. The goal would be to show the community that this concept will help improve the community, especially at a time like right now, where it is needed the most.
Below are statements from the four head judges at CPAHQ:
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Back in 2020, CPAH united the armies in the community making it possible to host community wide events, tournaments, battles, and anything else due to the stable judging base it contained. After its collapse, it became very apparent how much the army community relied on having a stable system. Having a unified judging community run by Head Judges where we can allow our community back together by participating in those activities once more without worrying about league affiliations is something I fully support. Being a Head Judge in two separate organizations has shown me just how big the fracture in this community has become with different perspectives on judging and different guides being followed. If we create a unified judging community, we can improve communication with armies and their leaders, prevent dry periods from happening, and have judges with affiliations from all over to eliminate people’s rejection. I feel as though this proposal should be greatly considered as it can only help the army community thrive and bring us together once more.
~Electrumm, CPAHQ Head Judge, CPAN Head Judge, Silver Empire Leader
Currently, we have been dealing with a divided community. Having several organisations is a different reality from the one we experienced in 2020. Last year, CPAH acted as a unifying organisation, an organisation in which armies overall trusted their judging system. Having a judging organisation independent from any league or media organisation is a new concept, and, in my opinion, a problem solver. This judging organisation would have a wider range of judges from several armies, which would allow more transparency, and a fairer judging system, trusted by the armies since it won’t be attached to any league. We know how wars, tournaments and even simple invasions are getting harder to judge due to the lack of that wider range of judges in either of the organisations. This proposed judging organisation is the return to the unification, in terms of judging, that we collectively need.
-df44, CPAHQ Head Judge, CPAN Judge, Smart Penguins Leader
Everyone knows, or ought to know, that judging is one of the most indispensable cogs in CPA, and that without it, things would be in complete disorder–there would be battles without victors and endless bickering. Therefore, in dead periods and times of organizational collapse, it is essential that there is a stable judging base to lean on. That is why I fully endorse this proposal. Judging is so important that it should transcend organizations; it should be designed to outlast them. Because this issue is so relevant and so impactful to all of us in the community, it is my hope that this idea will be executed with the cooperation of many different affiliations–organizational, army, or otherwise–and that we will be open to community input throughout the process. We need to work together, across affiliations for this, because we want to solve problems, not create more. In my mind, that is essential to the sustainability not only of this proposed judging organization, but the sustainability of the CPA community as a whole.
-Lightningmcj, Unaffiliated CPAHQ Head Judge, S/M Legend
Having been a part of the community judging team since mid 2019 and the head judge team since summer 2020, it has become clear to me just how important the judging system is to CPA. In 2020 we were lucky enough to have the CPAH judging system which allowed all armies to be united, with the majority of the community supporting this system. A unified judging system allowed all battles, wars and tournaments to run as smoothly as possible. Permitting the judging team to easily communicate with the army and community leaders, helping to improve the system to make it the best for the community. Especially this year it has become clear just how much the judging community relies on leagues. The closure of CPAH meant the collapse of a stable and trusted judging system, causing a period of time with no judges. Causing a split between the community, two different judging guides and perspectives, people rejecting trusted and experienced judges just because they’re in the wrong league. The lack of a community supported judging system resulted in army leaders selecting judges for the Legends Cup tournament, not only adding more pressure to the leaders on their selection, but also leading to inexperienced judges and judges with the same affiliations being selected.
This is why I support the proposal for a unified judging community unaffiliated with leagues, ensuring that the judging system does not once again die with a league.The unification also allows armies to pick the judges they want for their battles and wars and not having to consider supporting a league. A stable and unified judging system is vital for the survival of the CPA community, not only for practise battles or even battles, but also for wars and the tournaments. A separate community dedicated to judging, run by head judges without the control of leagues will help the judging team to expand and improve the system freely.
-Spotty, Unaffiliated CPAHQ Head Judge
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In full transparency, the current state of judging in armies is stunting wars and battles for every army. It is doing the community no favors in withstanding the ‘September Drop’, as well as the decreasing interest in Club Penguin in general. At times like these, it is paramount for everyone to come together to preserve the future of armies. The time is now to forget about grievances. CPAHQ looks forward to hearing the thoughts from everyone in the community on this idea.
DMT
CP Army Headquarters Director in Chief
