October 06 NZLARPS Committee Meeting
4th October, 7.20-9.30pm
Agenda:
- Previous minutes
- Post larp: a) pirate larp, b) Mordavia: Sanctuary
- Financial update by Steve
- Upcoming larps
- Strategy; overall discussion and ideas for the upcoming year
a) Review of last year’s goals;
ii Short-term
1. Support Mordavia
2. Support LARPing
ii. Long term
1. Promote LARPing community
2. Promote new and existing LARP games
3. Open-minded; no restrictions in types of LARP games
4. Share assets, knowledge (now and future)
b) Growth: how much do we want, and how can we get it? Setting targets for number of larps, number of participants, and number of members over the next year.
c) Marketing
d) Media release
e) Gaining funding and what do we want funding for - Historial venue: do we want one, how to go about it
- Website updates.
a) Craig – update Calendar on Diatribe. Done by giving us access
b) Web tools - Changing fee and membership structure.
a) Changing the constitution
b) Arranging SGM - Newsletter
- Social fund
a) Setting up a social fund in NZLARPS
b) Monthly nzLARPS social gatherings
c) Possible maskerade ball for 2007 - Other Business
Seven members present (Adam, Rhiannon, AJ, Ryan, Nikki, Steve, Mike). Apologies from Anna and Craig.
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Previous minutes were reviewed and accepted by 5 people. Others absent.
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Post Larps
a) Pirate Larp (The Governors Daughter)
Lucy has not done any post-larp budget work or handed in any money.
There were a few hitches, such as the venue change. This was not Lucy’s fault, it appears that the London Bar closed without giving warning, and getting the Bluestone Room on half a day’s notice was great.
We need to make a checklist for the use of new LARP makers that will help them with issues pertaining to the organisation of a game.
b) Mordavia: Sanctuary
Nikki says this needed a separate caterer. Lots of little things were forgotten, like teatowels and dishwashing liquid, and these need to be put on the checklist. There was enough food due to good budgeting, and the game made $203 profit. We spent $300 on food and $432 on accommodation and $20 on 4 new pairs of elf ears for the gear library.
Mike says gear cleanup needs to happen better – more systematic and less chuck-it-someplace. For starters the boxes need to be ordered (gear workshop), and perhaps we need iron-on labels for the clothes to say where to put them. Ideas would be welcomed. -
Financial update from Steve
The checks have all been cashed so we have somewhat less money in the account than before, but still need final statement and money from Sanctuary. Some people have not yet paid – should we implement a ‘no pay, no play’ policy? How would it be policed? Money loss in this fashion has been a problem in the past. -
Upcoming larps
a) Ravenholme (Brian)
Beta rules are up on Diatribe – debate well under hand.
b) Mordavia Weekend Game (Nikki and Ryan)
Financial forecast up. Will be a more expensive game – starting fee raised to $90 because of venue costs. Organisers have decided not to have student discount, only an NZLARPS member discount, as the NZLARPS fee already includes a student discount.
c) Stargate: Next Sunday (Julianne)
Props are being made. This will be an Orientation Game, for the characters to get to know each other and their teams before going out on the long haul. It will also be an ‘open’ game unlike the last one which was restricted to the people Julianne had contacted.
d) SAIL – Anna not here. No Mans Land – no update from Marc. Unity – AJ – busy so beta rules are not done yet. -
Strategy
a) Review of last year’s goals
We seem to have ably covered all of the short term goals, and are well into the long term goals. We will continue to promote the community and both new and existing larps, share assets and knowledge, and make sure we are open-minded about types of larp game. We are also putting systems in place to create and achieve more and higher quality larps.
b) New goals
Growth, marketing, funding, venues.
Larping is currently a niche culture – the wider community does not know about it. Unlike say cricket, where everyone knows about it and they already know whether or not they are interested in it, larping is only known by a few, and we need to reach out and find the people who don’t know but would be interested in playing.
We need bigger games, and more games overall. Basically the more we can expand the better for the community.
- Idea: high-school campaign, with a battle concept. We’d get the higher forms of a college to all take up foam weapons and have a huge battle (or set of them) with as many as possible a side. We could sell make-your-own-weapon kits for say $30 each to the interested, and also tell them about the other sides of larping – creativity of drama and costuming, interaction, problem solving, role-playing, and having a fun time with others as well as just bashing people without it hurting. However there are risks involved with the battle-day concept – main one being that some kids are likely to try and hurt others, or someone will muck up and get hurt, and the ramifications of that. We could split the battle into hard-core and normal, like NAAMA’s head blow and non head blow groups, or perhaps have non-combatant roles like Pacifist Warfare’s healers. A liability/permission form for kids and parents to sign would probably be necessary.
- We would like to have a membership roll of 200 people by the next AGM.
- The project plans should integrate risk management.
-We need a catalogue of venues available (and specifics of each) as a resource.
-How do we want to be seen? How do we want to portray ourselves? In Denmark, about 5% of larp has become an ‘art form’, but as it has better media, it seems to outsiders like that is half the point, which may disinterest people who don’t get to see the rest of what larping has to offer. Do we need a slogan, and if so, what should it be? Some of our main themes are action, diversity, creativity. Ideas include ‘Art, action and adventure’, ‘A creative endeavour’, ‘Good clean fun’, ‘Improv theatre where the cast is the audience’, ‘Creating a gateway to your imagination’, ‘It’s not just bashing about the bush’, ‘Create your own unreality’…
Perhaps we need a forum of suggestions for this.
-Media release – the blurb is ready, but we may need something to attach it to – a documentary or something about a battle day or the weekend game? A TV program like 60 minutes? Maybe this should wait until next year?
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Historical venue
As to whether we want one, of course we do, it’s the getting of it that seems fantastically far-off. One way to do it may be to start a trust, in partnership with other interested parties such as the SCA, NAAMA groups, other re-enactors, drama groups, movie makers… etc. Fundraising over the next few years will also help. A trust will also ensure that the venue can’t be taken over by a bunch of people voting each other in to power. -
Website updates
a) Craig is not here but he has updated the calendar and it looks like we will be able to add new items ourselves. We probably need a better link to the calendar up the top.
b) We need to put up a link to the next 5 events on the main nzLARPS page. We also need web tools such as a page where you can register for events. -
Changing fee and membership structure
Mike proposes and Nikki seconds a motion to put the current fee and membership structure up for change at an SGM. 6 for, 1 against, 2 absent. Motion passed.
To change the constitution, we have to state the changes, and notify the members two weeks before a SGM at which we need a quorum of members to vote on whether or not to implement the changes. These will be voted on individually and we will make a forum in which people will be able to suggest other things that may need changing.
The SGM will be at the Barracks, probably Wednesday the 1st of November. -
Newsletter
This edition was put out by Nikki and Anna in 3 days. Because of the time constraint it has been quite expensive and will certainly be less expensive and even better quality next time. Along with the newsletter itself went several other things including a Mordavia rulebook, an updated rulebook for Stargate and a flyer for Skirmish. The idea of sending this pack out to members in the mail is great because some of us find it difficult to get to a computer. However members should have a choice to make when they sign up whether they want hard copy or email newsletters (or both, or neither).
Nikki and Anna will do research on how to reduce the cost, for example whether it can be fit in a 45c envelope.
The content was fine, but the format needs to be enhanced, eg., double sided. Format wasn’t serious enough.
Mike raised and Adam seconded a motion to pay Nikki back for the money spent on producing this – 6 for, 3 absent. Motion passed. -
Setting up social fund
a) Do we want or need an account for social events? Where is the money going to come from – is fundraising and subsidising the way to go or not? Or should we just treat social events as normal projects and pay-for-what-you-get?
b) Monthly social events and gatherings would be a community-growing activity.
c) We like the idea of having a ball next year. More information to come on this. -
Other business – none noted.
Next meeting – Wednesday 1 November
Action points:
Nikki and Rhiannon: catalogue of venue information
Ryan: arrange for the next 5 events to go up on the front NZLARPS page
Rhiannon: scope out Kaipara College for school battle day
Nikki: check out availability of the S&S trailer for weekend game
Steve: make a post game budget form
Mike: send Adam the media release list again
Nikki: try to get in touch with Stella about cooking at the weekend game
AJ: open a forum for suggestions for ‘game checklist’
Mike: work on ideas for a better ‘gear cleanup’ system
Steve: rewrite the constitutional fee and membership structure for the forum
Adam: re-post media release on forum
Mike: find a date for a Gear Workshop to sort and label the gear