It's the 12 TFs of Christmas (week)!

We may have missed Hanukkah and the Winter Solstice, but darnit, this is going to be the best Christmas/Kwanzaa/Boxing Day/New Year's Day/Bowl Week celebration ever! Because between December 25th and January 2nd, I'll be leading 12 Task Forces, including all 6(ish) of the "Task Force Commander" TFs and all 4 Shadow Shard TFs. It's going to be legen (wait for it)...

Dates and times are up first (and PLEASE, read the stuff in red; I won't invite you if you can't follow simple instructions):

• Saturday, December 25th, 2010, 8:00 pm EST: Positron Task Force. In my opinion, The Rule of Three is the single worst designed TF in the game... which is why they split it and also allowed us to become Dam Heroes in the process! This new, split TF is nowhere near as arduous as the old one, and while there are more than the average number of EBs, none of them are really difficult (and no AVs is also a bonus). You'll also get to defeat evil clones of yourself. If both parts are completed, you'll have received the Rule of Three and Dam Heroes badges, which together combine to award the Positron's Ally badge. We'll be meeting on top of the Cooke's Electronics store in Steel Canyon before we start. The level cap is 15, above which, you'll be auto-exemplared to said level. Total merits awarded: 26.
• Sunday, December 26th, 2010, 1:00 pm EST: Synapse Task Force. It's all Clockwork, all the time in The Fall of the Clockwork King. Really. There's not much else to it. Obviously the clockwork King plays a big role here, as well as one of his larger creations. The Synapse's Cohort badge is awarded upon completion, and Clockstopper will be given if we can manage to take out the aforementioned larger creation (and really, if you don't get Gearsmasher, you'll have already been kicked for not actually playing ). We'll be meeting outside the LaGrange Medical Center in Skyway City before we start, and anybody levels 15-20 may participate. Merits awarded: 58.
• Sunday, December 26th, 2010, 8:00 pm EST: Sister Psyche Task Force. Or the Aurora Borealis Task Force, if you remember that body giving out this TF... Body switches aside, Clamor and Destruction is the order of the day, when you race against time to stop Clamor and her wave of, um, destruction. Long story short, it involves Freaks and former Nazis. Anybody else miss Malaise? Anyway, you'll become Sister Psyche's Comrade at the end of it all. We'll be meeting near the Independence Port base portal before starting, and anybody levels 20-25 may participate. Merits awarded: 50.
• Monday, December 27th, 2010, 8:00 pm EST: Citadel Task Force. In protecting the Bastion of Freedom that is Paragon, you'll have to go toe-to-toe with Citadel's Children. It's 11 missions of robots, Indiana Jones maps, Cobra wannabes, and Vandal (and no mention of Striga Isle whatsoever). Citadel's Assistant is the badge for this one. We'll be meeting on the big blank hill just north of the Talos Island train station, and anybody levels 25-30 may participate. Merits awarded: 40.
• Tuesday, December 28th, 2010, 8:00 pm EST: Manticore Task Force. Following Countess Crey is exactly what it says on the tin; we'll be fighting loads and loads of Crey Corporation's personnel to find out exactly what the Countess is doing behind the scenes. At the end is her personal bodyguard, Hopkins, as well as possible insight into what the Countess really is. Associating with Manticore will grant you the Manticore's Associate badge (sadly, no Paragon Protectors). We'll be gathering on top of the Mashu Bridge in Brickstown. This TF is open to anybody levels 30-35. Merits awarded: 32.
  Wednesday, December 29th, 2010, 8:00 pm EST: Calvin Scott Task Force. Way back in Issue #3, when Sister Psyche was Aurora Borealis and Malaise was sane, an ordinary man worried that his wife was A Mind in Danger. For 16 issues, this TF was MIA, but now, thanks to the wonder of time travel, we get to figure out who or what is interfering with the connection between Psyche and Aurora and how to separate them, or lose two of Paragon's greatest. We'll be meeting in the Pool of Time in Ouroboros before we start, and anybody levels 30-36 may participate (however, no rogues are allowed). Merits awarded: 8.
• Thursday, December 30th, 2010, 8:00 pm EST: Numina Task Force. For a change of pace, saving the Soul of the Woodsman involves fighting some very pissed off plants. Actually, as the last of the 6 numbered Phalanx TFs, it has you fighting a bit of everybody. But the Devouring Earth is the big bad when all is said and done. Speaking of big bads, Jurassik is at the end waiting to ground us into a fine powder. If we avoid becoming NutriPaste, we'll have the Numina's Compatriot badge (though Jurassik himself does not give the The Solution badge; you'll have to kill him in Crey's Folly for that). Recruiting will occur inside the Paragon University campus at Founders Falls, and anybody levels 35-40 may participate. Merits awarded: 36.
• Friday, December 31st, 2010, 9:00 pm EST: Dr. Quaterfield Task Force. I won't lie; Explorers and Exploiters is one [insert female dog reference here] of a task force. It auto-exemps to 44, almost none of it can be stealthed, there's plenty of killall missions, later on there's those annoying simultaneous glowie-clicks, and the second half of the task force takes place all over the game map. The good news is there's no AVs, but rest assured, it's a looonnnggg task force. Those of you who tough it out will be awarded the Portal Smasher badge. This is one of two Shard TFs I'm running that will allow level 40-43 characters. Merits awarded: 122.
• Saturday, January 1st, 2011, 1:00 pm EST: Sara Moore Task Force. Weighing in at 15 missions, The Legend of Ruladak takes place mostly in Cascade Archipelago, with a couple trips to Paragon. At the end is a rather large AV named Ruladak the Strong. Upon completion, the Destroyer of Strength badge will be awarded. This is the other Shard TF I'm running that will allow level 40-43 characters. Merits awarded: 64.
• Saturday, January 1st, 2011, 8:00 pm EST: Justin Augustine Task Force. People say The Saga of Faathim is a very long TF, but what they usually don't know is that the majority of it is defeat X and visit location missions (it has the largest mission count of any TF in the game, yet is one of the shortest time wise). All but the penultimate mission are in the Shadow Shard, and there are no AVs that you have to fight. This one is my favorite for socializing, and you'll get the Protector of Kindness badge for finishing. Merits awarded: 42.
• Sunday, January 2nd, 2011, 1:00 pm EST: Faathim the Kind Task Force. The last of the Shadow Shard TFs (and the original endgame TF before Statesman came in and took its thunder...), The Saga of Lanaru is pleasantly challenging without being too hard. This one is a bit on the longish side, but that's due to a lot of kill all missions and 5 AVs. The first 2/3 of the TF is in the Shadow Shard, then there's three missions and two deliveries back in Paragon, then the visit locations in the Storm Palace, and then the finale. You'll also come face to face with Malaise, Mother Mayhem, Nemesis?, Baphomet, and Lanaru the Mad. Upon completion, you'll be awarded the Slayer of Madness badge, and they'll even toss in the Demon Slayer badge (complete with Behemoth Overlord gladiator) for defeating Baphomet. Merits awarded: 73.
• Sunday, January 2nd, 2011, 8:00 pm EST: Statesman Task Force. Our grand finale has us running through A Gauntlet of Evil. This is supposed to be the ultimate, end-game task force, and it acts like it. There are 16 AVs total, plus the Arachnos Flier. It won't be easy, but once it's over, you'll all get the Diplomat, Heat Seeker, Peerless, and Saved the World badges. You'll also get a shiny Synthetic Hamidon Enhancement if you so choose. We'll be meeting on top of the monorail station in Independence Port for this. You'll also need to be level 45 or higher to participate. Merits awarded in lieu of the Hamidon Enhancement: 37

• What do I have to do to join?
  If you are interested in joining, either post here with your global name plus the TF(s) you intend to join, or send me a global tell/email (@Electric Eddie) with said information. Those people who do so will be put on a list (special note for the Statesman TF: I'll only put on the list those that have signed up/participated in one of the Shard TFs). A half hour before each TF's start time, I'll be in the gathering places mentioned in each TF's description up top (for the 4 Shard TFs, I'll be in Firebase Zulu by the portals to the other shard zones). If you're on the list, just send me a tell at that time, and I'll simply send the invite. About five minutes later, for about fifteen minutes, I'll send tells/invites to the people on the list in order of signup (in case of overbooking, it's first come, first served). After those fifteen minutes, I'll put up an announcement on the regular Freedom global channels. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AT LEAST SIX HOURS SET ASIDE FOR THE TASK FORCE YOU'RE SIGNING UP FOR (or in the case of Dr. Quaterfield, make sure you have at least ten hours set aside)! That's my standard disclaimer; they never actually take that long, but it never hurts to have the time set aside. If you sign up for a TF and don't show up or at least send me a tell/unsign, I'm putting you at the bottom of my list for the rest of the weekend (nothing personal, but I've had a couple issues before which I'd like to avoid). My only other rule is that every two hours, we'll take a 10-minute break. The breaks help alleviate stress and I feel makes for a more refreshing experience. (apologies for having to spell things out like this, but unfortunately, I've had to deal with idiots before; on the upside, if you've read this far, you're probably not an idiot )
• I don't recognize TFs 8-11. What are they?
  Those are part of the Shadow Shard. Go to Peregrine Island and open up your map. You'll find the entrance to the Shard at the north end of the island. The Shadow Shard is a pocket dimension created by the Midnight Squad to contain a really powerful entity. It's now a broken world, with the land now bunches of floating islands. Not much is known beyond that, but there are some excellent threads with theories, some good information at Paragon Wiki, and the clues in the Sara, Justin, and Faathim TFs are good reads.
• What's with the level restrictions?
  Let me clarify: any levels listed are the "operational levels" of said TFs. Anything lower, and you can't be on the TF. Anything higher will automagically exemplar you to the cap (and give you any powers you took in the next 5 levels). Higher levels are more than welcome (though bear in mind that you'll lose your incarnate powers on all but Sara, Justin, Faathim, & Statesman).
• Sounds cool. How quick am I going to get my merits?
  These aren't speed runs. We're here to have fun. This means we generally fight to our objectives, and our pacing is a bit more casual than usual (though I may employ a couple speed-up tactics on the second half of Quaterfield). That being said, we don't lallygag around, and most of your time spent with me will be actually playing the game.
• What about [insert favorite TF here]?
  I only have room for 12 TFs (and I'm already fudging the numbers a bit with both Posis). The 6 Phalanx TFs and the 4 Shard TFs are easiest to group together into coherent blocks. Calvin Scott has been MIA for over 5 years, so he's there for nostalgia (plus there's a Phalanx theme there). Statesman is the only TF I could use to end something this epic (and again, Phalanx).

I won't be in town to make some of the early ones, but if I'm online and you need people, look me up in the usual spot. I'll definitely try to make the Justin and Faathim TFs; my villain badger still needs those two. >.>

I think ill come along for the shard tf's, my globals are @biggreenogre and @bigggreenogre and potentially the stf if im not burnt out already

@iiowyn

Would like to come for all, but I can tentatively come for the Sunday TF's, and can definitely come for the Monday and Tuesday ones.

The rest depend on what level I can make when they come around.

i have ran dr. quarterfield with you b4 a long time ago. was a huge blast and would recommend any body and every body to sign up for these runs. i have been hit and miss on coh for along while. very glad to see you are still doing these runs. good luck and hope you have an awesome turn out for this.

I'm up for Citadel tomorrow.
And to hell with it: sign me up for the shard-a-thon as well lol

Well i need to be crossed off the list for dr. q now, finally got a party invite for new years . Good luck and see you all saturday!