Boasting.
Badges, and honesty about what badges are for. You did a thing, here is a mark saying so, and you may show it to people. None of them unlocks anything, because that would make them a currency.
The ones people actually want.
First Meet
For walking into a village hall on your own, which is harder than any of the others.
Forty Chapters
For reading every one of the forty, in order. Held by 812 members.
A Metre of Wall
For building a metre of drystone wall that has not fallen down. Seventy holders, all in two parishes.
A Season
For carrying a plot or a fostered animal from start to finish.
Two Years
The one that actually matters, and the only one nobody games.
Roped In Five
For persuading five people that a jam is worth buying.
What badges are actually for.
A badge is a small piece of social proof you can show to people who understand what it took. That is all it has ever been, from a scout sash to a marathon medal, and it is a perfectly good thing to be.
The mistake almost every platform makes is to turn badges into a currency: collect nine and unlock a discount. At that point they stop being proof of anything and become a chore with a coupon at the end, and everybody can feel it happening.
So none of these unlock anything. No discount, no access, no tier. They sit on your page and you may boast about them, which is the entire and honest purpose.
The moment a badge unlocks a discount it stops being proof and becomes a chore with a coupon at the end.
Every badge, and how many hold it.
| Badge | For | Holders |
|---|---|---|
| First Meet | Attending a parish meet | 1,109 |
| Forty Chapters | Reading the whole archive in order | 812 |
| A Metre of Wall | Building a metre that stands up | 70 |
| A Season | Completing a plot or a fostering season | 486 |
| Two Years | Being here two years | 2,904 |
| Roped In Five | Five successful referrals | 213 |
| Twelve Walks | Twelve parish walks in a year | 58 |
| Warden | Running a parish | 13 |
What a badge gets you.
Yes
- Something to show people
- A permanent mark on your page
- A reason to walk into a hall once
- The Two Years badge, which is the good one
No
- Any discount
- Any access to anything
- Any tier movement
- Any effect on a leaderboard
- Any expiry
Eight badges
And no plan for a ninth unless somebody earns one.
Nothing unlocked
Deliberately.
Turning up counts
First Meet is the most-held badge that requires leaving the house.
No expiry
You did it. It stays done.
And the leaderboards.
Parish level only, and the argument for why is worth reading.
