The Dueling Club has been around for the past two years now and has long been one of my favorite aspects of VTM. Before it came along, there were some threads that were among the most interesting on the site, but they were the type of threads that lead to misunderstanding and ill feelings when people posted in them carelessly, so they were banned.

The Dueling Club was started as a solution to the problem. People could join if they promised to have polite, civilized, and intelligent discussion. With a group of people that had agreed to some basic rules the staff felt like we could allow discussion of more interesting and controversial subjects.

We have mostly succeeded, and we would like to keep it going, so in appreciation for those who have been willing to take these discussions to a new level, we've made a couple of changes. For those who are already members and those who are thinking about joining, here are the benefits of joining the Dueling Club:

1. Access to the Great Hall. As always, the primary benefit to membership is the ability to post in the four forums that make up the Great Hall.
2. Upgraded Membership Status. We like to think that those who have been accepted are special because your track record has shown that you can make meaningful contributions to a discussion without causing offense and others will know who you are because your group membership will be listed as "Dueling Club". We hope that all who join VTM will aspire to this.
3. Increased Inbox. As a special token of our appreciation, we have now granted all members of the Dueling Club a larger inbox for their PMs. It's our way of thanking you for raising the bar here at VTM and helping to make this the best HP fansite on the internet.

If you haven't joined the Dueling Club already, please read the following links:

Rules For The Great Hall
How To Become A Dueling Club Member

We hope to see you in the Great Hall, and don't forget to bring your wands!

Albus-wan
The Lowly High Inquisitor of the Great Hall

Very soon, membership to the Great Hall will be opened to every member of the Veritaserum Forums.

Thank you to everyone who gained access to the Great Hall by submitting an application! We really do appreciate your desire to be a Dueling Club member! I will not be upgrading anyone else's status to Dueling Club Member, so you few who have that also have the perks that go along with it to keep as a token of our appreciation for your involvement in the Great Hall.

With the Harry Potter world slowing down, the fan sites are also suffering a bit to keep membership interesting and active. In light of this, we feel it is time to open the Great Hall up to all members. Hopefully this will spark your interest to post and take part in serious conversations about Harry Potter and life in general.

These forums will have stricter rules, so you need to make sure you understand the rules before posting. Posting in the Great Hall shows that you have read and agree to abide by the rules of the forums. Any rule breaking will result in at least a warning. Updated rules will be posted when access to the forum has been changed.



I just wanted you all to know what was coming up and give you something to look forward to!

I will be opening up the Great Hall on February 1st. If you'd still like to receive the Dueling Club member group: go ahead and apply. After the 1st, we won't be taking any more applications and the member group will be closed.

Thanks!