IAAPA Mentors Program

Coordinator: Eric Manchakowsky
Edition: 1.11

Table of Contents:

I.	New IAAPA Member Section
A.	Joining the Mentor Program
B.	Goal of the Mentor Program
C.	FAQ on Bidding and the Association Government
D.	Who to contact within the Mentor Program
II.	Mentor Section
A.	What you need to have as a Mentor
B.	Mentor Guide
III.	Glossary of Terms
A.	Recommended Association  Abbreviations
B.	Official Game Terms
IV.	Credits

I. New IAAPA Member Section

A.	Joining the Mentor Program

Joining the program is simple. Simply email the Mentorship Coordinator (mentors@axisandallies.net) at any time after you have passed the Final Hurdle.  

B.	Goal of the Mentorship Program.

The goal of the mentorship program is to lessen the overwhelming feeling a new player gets when joining the IAAPA.  The enormous amount of information to memorize and learn can be confusing, especially for someone who has never played an online e-mail game before.  The mentorship program was established to reduce the confusion and provide a lifeline to new members.  This is to keep you, the new member, as an active and contributing member of the association.

C.	FAQ on Bidding and the Association Government

For a complete listing of FAQ’s, or other information, please visit http://www.axisandallies.net/public/rulesfaq.html 

Q: What exactly does the association government do?
A: The association government maintains the association and ensures a fair gaming environment for the membership. Government members maintain the web site, the rules are enforced and maintained by government officers, and the periodicals and other association resources are implemented and administered by members of government.

Q: Who do I contact within the government to ….?
A: The Minister of Communications is the phonebook of the government. Get in contact with him, and he will connect you to the right parties.  You can also ask your mentor, and they should be able to direct you as well.

Current Minister of Communications
Tusk
who@axisandallies.net

D.	Who should I contact within the Mentorship Program?

As of this Mentorship Program Edition, this is who to contact:

Mentorship Coordinator: Eric Manchakowsky
Association E-Mail: mentors@axisandallies.net
AIM: Raist88

II. Mentor Section

A.	What you need to have as a Mentor.

There are a few qualities we are looking for to be mentors for our new players.  First off, we need someone who is on-line frequently. We need people who are available to answer questions that the new member assigned to you asks. It is imperative that you answer promptly and make sure they understand the answer. We need mentors that can answer these questions without making the member feel patronized or stupid.  All of us had some pretty major questions at one point at our involvement in IAAPA, and many of our procedures and rules are not necessarily intuitive. We also need for you to be their friend.  All of these things we are looking for within a mentor.
We also need mentors with a firm grasp of the rules and processes of the IAAPA.   We are also looking for multilingual mentors to help those who primary language is not English.
To help mentors, we have made a Mentors Guide. Try to convey the information in this guide over time. Don’t dump it all on their heads at once. Let it flow out and use your instincts to know when to tell them something and when to hold off. Basically it is your job to establish a dialog and help this member. Remember to be nice and give them places to begin. Let them ask questions and inform them on the areas they missed. Don’t take “Oh yeah I know that area” and let them off the hook. Make sure they know what to do, and make sure to reinforce them and not make them feel stupid.

B.	Mentor Guide

I.	The First Weeks
A.	Welcome your New Member
1.	Send them an e-mail welcoming them into IAAPA and identifying you as their mentor. Give them ways to contact you and encourage them to get AIM or ICQ if they does not have it already.
2.	After they has acknowledged that you are their mentor, get to know them; tell them something about yourself and start a dialog with them.
3.	Also note that this guide is not a strict and rigid structure.  They may not need all of it, but use it to check off what you have done, and if they ask about something, address it right then.
B.	Start with the basics
1.	Abbreviations are the mainstay of Axis and Allies gaming online. It is good to prepare a list with the recommended IAAPA abbreviations, unless they are way off the norm, then stick with the basics.
2.	Show the member the sample turn provided in the Downloads Section of the web site, to give them an idea of the format their turns should take.
3.	After they do the abbreviations and the turn form, present to them the bidding rules. Give them advice on bidding, but not too much. Leave the majority of it for them to work out, just get them started and answer any questions on the subject.
4.	Then show them how to use the dice server, and roll a few battles so they get an idea of how it works.
II.	The First Game
A.	The basics are important and your New Member should be ready for their first game.  You should assist them when starting their first game, with the use of the dice server.  Get them to include you in their turns.
B.	Also important to note is that you should try and steer them away from asking you strategy questions. You are not their cheat sheet on Axis and Allies, so don’t give them a lot of advice. It is all right to start them off, but keep it simple.
C.	This time is to start talking to them about other things in the IAAPA. 
1.	The BBS
a.	Show them here, and give a simple explanation on what each is used for and the etiquette need for each.
b.	Make sure they know how to use it correctly. This is simple and may not be needed, but some people are not web savvy, especially those who are new to the web.
2.	The Government
a.	Inform them about our Association government.  Ask them to look it over and answer any questions they may have. Refer them to the people who know if you don’t.
D. Try to talk to them once a week. Ask them how things are going in their game and offer moral support or hoorahs to their luck. 
III.	After the first game is ended.
A.	Time to let them go.
1.	After the first game is ended, it is time to let them go, but not completely.
2.	Hopefully by now you have established a rapport with the member.  Encourage them to contact you in the future for advice, suggestions, etc.
B.	Your job has not ended. 
1.	Now your job becomes important to the IAAPA. Please take the time to file a report with the Mentorship Coordinator on what kinds of questions were asked, how you think they will adapt to the IAAPA, and if you think they enjoyed their mentorship.
2.	Don’t challenge them for a while, please. Wait till they have played at least 3 games before you challenge them.
3.	Make sure to let the Mentorship Coordinator know when the game is complete.  This way we can talk to the new member about whether or not they wish to formally join IAAPA.
III.	Failure is an Option
A.	You may not get through to this recruit, and they may quit. The important thing is to keep at it, and if you get nothing, then send a report to the Mentorship Coordinator.
B.	By being friendly and allowing them a place to get answers, the chances of them staying increase
III. Glossary of Terms

A.	Recommended Association Abbreviations

Please visit http://www.axisandallies.net/public/abbrev.gif for a complete picture.

B. Official Game Terms

SBR	Strategic Bombing Raid
WD 	Weapons Development
FTR	Fighter
BMB	Bomber
INF	Infantry
ARM	Armor
AA	Anti Aircraft Gun
IC	Industrial Complex
SUB	Submarine
AC	Aircraft Carrier
BB	Battleship

WI	Walk In
BZ	Blitz

Use capitals for units to make them stand out from other communication.

IV.	Credits

	Thanks go to Bernie Cannariato for the original format of the IAAPA Mentorship Program.  While I have made a few changes to it, the majority of it was his work.