đź“– Fraught Squad Era
GENs 1-2/1st FraughtMovie Administration
The Fraught Squad Era commenced on December 7th, 2012, coinciding with the creation of the FraughtMovie Channel. At this juncture, the community existed in its most primitive form. The modest following that FraughtMovie had garnered by the end of the Pre-Fraughtian era transformed into a consistent group of individuals who actively participated in most, if not all, of his Minecraft minigames.
The FraughtMovie Channel
The FraughtMovie Channel provided the fledgling community with a common ground outside of the Xbox environment. Although it was created in late 2012, its initial subscribers gradually joined throughout 2013. Originally, the YouTube channel aimed to showcase FraughtMovie’s minigames and host a "Let’s Play" series, akin to popular content creators like SkyDoesMinecraft. However, on July 20th, the channel transitioned to a variety "Let’s Play" channel, featuring a Pokémon Emerald playthrough. This shift was prompted by the perceived low quality of the Minecraft videos and inspiration drawn from the Game Grumps channel.
Throughout most of 2013, the channel refrained from posting Minecraft-related content. The community remained primarily focused on Minecraft minigames on Xbox, with interest in the YouTube channel limited to close friends or fans of the minigames. However, on December 8th and 9th, 2013, the channel returned to Minecraft content after the acquisition of a capture card. First, the “Golden Creepers” partnership with Bman702 was announced, followed by the start of a second Minecraft survival “Let’s Play” series. This return to form brought the channel and the community together, setting the foundation for the next era.
Country Map, Deseo, and Mastercraft
On December 12th, 2012, Country Map was released. Originally conceived as another map to be built in creative mode and played in survival, it evolved into a strategy-based game reminiscent of Civilization (CIV). The objective was to build a country and take over the world. This map marked a significant milestone for the community, and members requested daily play sessions to advance their objectives.
Due to persistent in-game conflicts and prolonged PvP “wars,” most members sharpened their PvP abilities. Matches could extend beyond a day and typically involved attrition. These experiences laid the foundation for the “Fraughtian Battling Style,” encapsulated in the motto: “Outlast, never outpower.”
Additionally, the recently released Parkour map “Mastercraft 2”, a sequel to the original parkour course, gained popularity and became infamous for its difficulty. Both maps captured the interests of most of the community.
Months later, on June 30th, 2013, the survival-adventure map “Deseo” began development and soon joined the minigame lineup and also achieved huge success, occasionally surpassing Country Map in playtime during a given week. Deseo progressively released an overarching story through “legends” in the “Temple of Time”. The game’s “gods” (called Deseos) also served as a pseudo-mascot for the community. These “big three” maps provided the community with recognizable and unique experiences, eventually becoming part of its identity. Frequent players often debated which of the three minigames was superior.Â
Players who subscribed to the FraughtMovie Channel became part of Fraught’s squad, leading to the adoption of the name “Fraught Squad” for his subscribers and fans. On July 5th, 2013, The Fraught Squad map began development. Essentially, the Fraught Squad was a Minecraft world that hosted various minigames, specifically geared towards “squad” members. This distinction, separating ordinary players from those who also subscribed, served as an early example of “membership” that would later become a common practice within the community.
