User:Trassin

Trassin is using this space to work out the details of The Blue Elephant Brigade prior to posting it under its own page. Fellow BEB members are welcome and encouraged to participate (I don't know the exact history since I wasn't there at the beginning).

The Blue Elephant Brigade (BEB) is a gaming guild initially founded on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt by a group of Nuclear Technicians. Since its wobbly-kneed beginning it has evolved to include both a forum with over 190 members and has founded numerous gaming guilds within many popular games. It has also received mention in the Rough Rider (news paper printed daily on-board the USS Theodore Roosevelt during deployments) for numerous fist place finishes in various multiplayer game tournaments.

Although the founding members of the BEB all had the common background of being in the United States Navy, as can be seen from the Stories of misery and pain from the navy thread in their forum, it has since grown to include members from all walks of life.

Founding of the BEB

The roots of the BEB stretch back to 1999-2000. The earliest members of the BEB included stalwarts Yobun, Leedon, Mojobacca, Glistam and Mongolio. Shortly after the beginning of this loose alliance of gamers, several factions arose to facilitate competition among the members who regulary played both on-line and table-top games together, which included the Orange Llama Legion, the Grey Gorilla Garrison, and the Rain Panthers. Eventually these factions all dissolved or merged, and the BEB as it is today began to formalize sometime around the end of 2000.

History of the BEB forum

The BEB forum began in August of 2003 on the EzBoard network. Several incidences of wonkiness and bad-neighbory on the part of EzBoard staff and software forced a switch in early 2005 to a PHPBB-based forum hosted by a series of providers. The original EzBoard can be seen here. This original board was damaged heavily by the infamous EzBoard crash of May 31, 2005, and much data was lost and never recovered.

Likewise, the BEB homepage has seen numerous changes. It is currently in development.

BEB Star Wars Galaxies Guild

The BEB SWG guild was active from launch in mid-2003 until sometime after June of 2005, when multiple changes of game mechanics and character class "rebalances", as well as the infamous "Combat Upgrade" forced even the most devoted players to abandon the game in disgust. At its height, circa Feb. 2004, the BEB boasted a membership of nearly 50 on the Naritus server, as well as a few alts on the Kettemoor server.

At this time, SWG is referred to by BEB members with a mixture of nostalgia and revulsion.

Other notable BEB Guilds

The BEB has had several smaller guilds in many other games. Some of these are; Tribes II, MechWarrior 4, Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords, Phantasy Star Online, City of Heroes, Jumpgate,

BEB members have also been known to pop up in Kingdom Of Loathing, though there is not an independent BEB guild in that game at this time.

Memorable Quotes from BEB Members

CHICKEN BOOBIES! - Madhatte

We are the Elitest Elites, but being as good as we are also means that we have a bit of something to share and a responsibility to gather others that are worth while. Our rules state "don't be an asshole", not "you can't post here". Posting in a forum with people you don't know and being a Brigadier are two totally different things. - Leedon

I find it easier to deal with the Navy if I make myself forget what happened at work. I have actually taught myself to forget the day during my drive home. I can only remember the previous day if I concentrate. And, the previous week is entirely lost to me. It's like a retroactive time accelerator. And I love me for this gift I gave myself. - khimaira