Newsletters, in case you missed them

Sent late 29 September.
State of the union from NZ LARP society

There couldn’t be a better time to introduce the NZ Live Action Role Playing society. The month of October is packed with goodies for all, and indications are it’ll be a busy summer for local LARPers!

This is the bumper first edition newsletter in what’s to be a long line of 'em. Let me know by way of reply if you want to opt out.

What’s in this newsletter:

  1. There is now a NZ LARP society
  2. What that means
  3. Join us.
  4. What’s on in October and early November (heaps)
  5. DIATRIBE growth and plans
  6. Other stuff

THERE IS NOW A NZ LARP SOCIETY

There is!

WHAT THIS MEANS

It means a whole lot of things, most of which are covered here:


It’s soon to become an incorporated society with all the legal bells and whistles. There is a core committee made up of (no particular order) Adam, Rhiannon, Steve, Hans, Mike, Lucy, AJ, Nikki, and Craig.

Largely what it means is that there’ll be a support group to get LARP ideas off the ground and happening with funding, infrastructural support, gear sharing and other such community happy clapping. It’s a good thing - read on!

JOIN US

To promote membership to existing supporters (like you lot on this list), we’re giving away the first year’s membership for the crazy supa-LO-LO once-time-only megaprice of $5 during the month of October. Membership prices will usually be $20/year (cheap) or $10 for unwaged/student types. The benefits of membership go without saying, but I’ll say some anyway:

Discounts on LARP events like Mordavia
Access to our elite parties, LAN nights, tree planting workshops etc
This funky newsletter
Friends on Diatribe
Opportunities galore for GMing or starting your own games
You’ll be supporting a bright future for local LARPs, and that’s a good thing.

To join, pipe up on adamww@ihug.co.nz

Oh, and

We’re gunna make you all nifty little membership cards. LARPTASTIC!

WHAT’S ON IN OCTOBER AND EARLY NOVEMBER

Jeez, there’s heaps! Being a good little webmonkey slave I’ve laid it all out in the DIATRIBE calendar, which should pretty much be your new homepage: calendar.php

For those of you without a left mouse button, here are some details:

4 October: the much hyped IMPROV/CHARACTER WORKSHOP
6pm-9pm October 4th at Guides Auckland Hall, 132 Grange Rd, Mt Eden.
The organiser is Lucy Telford, LARPS community officer. Book with her on 6384332, 021532370 and lucyfur@gmail.com. This is $10 well spent, so sign up quick!

8 October: Mordavia: The Black Woods
Part III in the three part adventure ‘Perilous Paths’ which is a series of high risk excursions. Sign up at your character’s own risk 'cos Dareen’s forests are teeming with nasty NPCs in nasty masks.

22-24 October: This is a stonkin’ long weekend for the scene with NAAMA, Armageddon and an AMERICA run LARP event. AMERICA, as in, the Auckland University RPG club, is running a 1930’s LARP set in a bar (Gailbraiths). This one’s primarily for AMERICA members but I’ve bribed their LARP officer to give me a wink and a nod at the last minute and get some of our people through the door. Keep an eye on the forums.
NAAMA is in the same place as last time, let the folk know on DIATRIBE if you’re keen to join in this year,
ARMAGEDDON is the pulp culture expo that is, of course, bigger and better than ever.
That Monday is Labour day.

29 October: Tentatively, this date could be a community workshop where a bunch of people TALK ABOUT NAAMA and tidy up the mass of costuming mess underneath Ryan’s house. No doubting people will want to TALK ABOUT NAAMA and stuff too.
That night is a Hallowe’en walkthrough environment thing at 1a Ponsonby Rd. It’s a Unitarian Church thing, but if scary environments are your bag, this may be worthwhile.

31 October: Hallowe’en.

2 November: We’ll have the second core committee meeting and brag about our fast-growing membership rate

4-6 November: Nightmare Circle: Jack be Quick.
Raoul hypes: The game is rushing up to greet us. It looks like being a very good game this time. we will be trying out a few experimental things, as well as some tried an true old friends. The game will be played at our usual venue, in Albany, and we will be starting at 8:00 on Friday night.
Join the discussion on the DIATRIBE forums.

How’s that for a rip snortin’ four months of all-LARP action? Very good, I say!

DIATRIBE GROWTH AND PLANS

DIATRIBE is the NZ LARP Community forum you signed up for and why you’re getting this email. We want to grow it BIG so we can show it off to our parents and friends overseas and start doing things like getting funding grants and exchange programs and stuff. We implore you to get all known LARPers there, and introduce people you’d like to play with. If you know what we mean.

Now that it’s set up, the forum is cheap, robust and sexy with a calendar, secret forums for organisers (make some noise and we’ll give you one), and all sorts of other features in the works. You can encourage this growth of the community by your activity at diatribe.co.nz, so we hope to see you there more often!

OTHER STUFF

We’re planning a logo design competition with prizes and stuff.
We’re also planning other stuff, but we don’t want to tell you about it yet. So keep your ear to the ground at DIATRIBE.co.nz and be the first to know.

Subject: LARPing is really good.

It’s been no time at all and the cogs are turning, churning out everything from game ideas to logo designs to complete events for the new Live Action Role Playing Society.

This is the second of monthly newsletters for members of LARPS and Diatribe.co.nz
November 2005

What’s in it:

  1. How awesome October was
  2. How awesome November is going to be
    • Nightmare Circle
    • Executive Decision
    • SKIRMISH
  3. How to join LARPS
  4. What else is new
  5. Help wanted
  6. Some words written at the end

HOW AWESOME WAS OCTOBER?

In Auckland, the activity on the forum speaks for itself; it was way awesome. There was a workshop on improvisation and character with a seasoned professional, a Mordavia daygame where lots of people died in the dark, AMERICA ran an absolute stonker of a 1930’s game with 1001 storylines, and a few people rolled up their sleeves and sorted out the Mordavia gear.

Oh, and I think NAAMA and Armageddon happened in October as well. Dunno, I was distracted with all the LARP.

Perhaps the greatest thing that happened in October was behind the scenes: Mordavia has given itself over to LARPS and is now officially a LARPS project. Countless foam weapons, one hundred pieces of good condition costume, six boxes of props, and $8.20 in five and ten cent pieces are now in Mike Curtis’ shed, ready to lend out for free to other LARPS projects!

But enough about October.

HOW AWESOME NOVEMBER IS GOING TO BE

November got off with a hiss and a roar! There are three games running in Auckland, and they’re all open for more players!

NIGHTMARE CIRCLE: Jack be Quick

The much hyped Lovecraftian 1920s horror game starts tomorrow. There’s still time for last minute registrations if you want to spend the weekend teetering on the edges of insanity in Albany.
Email Raoul r.vanian@quicksilver.net.nz to get involved.

EXECUTIVE DECISION
A white-knuckle game of real-time political crisis

Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I could do better than those fat cats in Washington?” With this game, you have the chance to prove it.

It’s a real time political LARP where you get to be the president or a presidential advisor. It’s happening in a real live honest-to-god board room, with a table and stuff, in a big office on Queen Street.

Wed, 16 November 2005, 6pm
Level 7, Synergy House, 131 Queen St.
$5, or $2 for members of LARPS.
Corporate attire.
Contact Ryan Paddy by PM on DIATRIBE or at ryan@mordavia.com or on 918-6132

SKIRMISH

A simple, foam-weapons-fantasy LARP with goodies and baddies and lots of fighting. It’s on the 27th of November, probably in the domain. PM Mike Curtis to sign up
privmsg.php?mode=post&u=7
And visit the SKIRMISH forum on Diatribe to talk about it.
viewforum.php?f=8

Naturally, there’ll be a discount for LARPS members.

GIVE ME THE DISCOUNTS! SIGN ME UP with the LARP Society!

Membership is now open, yo!
Membership gives you:
=> Discounts to LARP projects
=> 30 % discount to Paddywack weapons
=> Discounts to our LARP events eg improv nights
=> Access to LARP only events, parties etc
=> Promotion of LARP !!! (this is good)
=> Support aplenty for budding game writers

Membership costs $20.00 for one year or $10 for students because we realise you’re seriously poor.

To join e-mail rdayking@yahoo.co.nz (LARPS Secretary) with your:
=> Name
=> Address
=> Phone number
=> Cellular telephone number
=> E-mail
=> Occupation (required by the society constitution)
=> Whether you are over 18 (required for logistics of some games, though birthdate unnecessary)
=> current LARPs you are involved with

Point your monies toward the account number in red here:

Really, signing up is easier than all that made it sound.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Watch out for the LARPS article in the latest Psuedo-Dragon rag put out by Auckland Uni’s role playing club, AMERICA.

There’s a “game ideas” forum on Diatribe where people are tossing about the possibilities they see for more LARP games.

Some of these have migrated to a hidden forum where they are now organising the game in private.

Announced projects in the works are a retro sci-fi game and an ancient Greek game where some people get to be GODS. Oh my!

HELP WANTED

Craig Neilson and Ryan Paddy seek talented third person to help design and create the official LARPS website.

Thanks for all the logo submissions, we’ve decided to change the rules and write a proper creative brief. There are prizes too - hit the forum if you might be able to help out in this department.

Lots of help is wanted for all sorts of things. If you’re helpful, go check out the forum NOW!

SOME WORDS WRITTEN AT THE END

I’m stoked that some people have already made Diatribe their hangout spot. It welcomes more with open arms. We’re attracting wildlife from all over the country, let’s keep it top-shelf quality. Forward this email to all and sundry, and help spread LARPing like Vegemite over the fresh, hot toast of New Zealand.

Craig

Don’t let a quiet end to the year fool you into thinking 2006 is a quiet one for the local LARPing scene!

Indeed the relative silence of December can mean only one thing… PLOTTING! Plotting for a February and March-ful of not-to-be-missed events in Auckland.

This is the third monthly newsletter for members of LARPS and Diatribe.co.nz
January 2006

What’s in it:

  1. Quick-Dates for the calendar (lots)
  2. Mordavia pre-LARP and nzLARPS special meeting
  3. How to join nzLARPS and get free pizza
  4. Coming soon games
  • Mordavia X 2
  • Exodus
  • OG
  1. Other places to be seen

  2. Editors note

  3. DATES FOR CALENDAR

These’ll be explained later, but block out all these days for the full nzLARPS experience:
22 Jan - Gear workshop at Mike the gear guy’s place
01 Feb - Mordavia PreLARP and nzLARPS SGM (see below)
11 Feb - America-run game ‘Exodus’ at BATTLECRY
12 Feb - Mordavia game at BATTLECRY
17 - 19 Feb: MORDAVIA: Reckonings
05 Mar - OG: Smelly!! Light-hearted caveman LARP fun

  1. Mordavia pre-LARP and nzLARPS special meeting

The pre-LARP meet-and-greet-and-hype-and-plot is on Wednesday 1 Feb. Arrive any time from 6, special event at 7.
It’s at the Kiwi Music Cafe Upstairs/ 332 Queen St above Brooklyn Bar (across the road from the picture theatre)

You can bet your life there’ll be dramatic speeches from the writers, dramatic theatresportsy activities, and dramatic laughter from hand-wringing vampires, plotting in the corner.

Plus there’s free pizza, and the meeting holds another purpose:

nzLARPS SGM AND CONSTITUTION RATIFICATION

This will be as exciting as it sounds! Shortly after 7pm there will be a reading of the constitution document, followed by thunderous applause and frenzied votes of approval. We need this approved by the membership in order to become an incorporated society (and that comes with a stamp), so it’s very important to get it passed.

You can view the constitution and make comments here:

Ratification will be followed by more merrymaking and hype.

And there’s free pizza! What? Not a member?

HOW TO JOIN nzLARPS AND GET FREE PIZZA

And other benefits.

Membership costs $20.00 for one year, expiring in September.
$10.00 to students at any time running from September to September.

To join e-mail rdayking@yahoo.co.nz (NZLARPS Secretary) with your:
=> Name
=> Address
=> Phone number
=> Mobile Number
=> E-mail
=> Occupation (required by the society constitution)
=> Over 18?

  1. GAMES COMING SOON

    —Mordavia: Reckonings—
    17th to 19th February

(Mordavia needs no introduction)

There’s still a day or two to get the early bird discount for the game:

Cost for Crew $30
Cost for Players $80 base cost.
Discounts:

  • $10 off for students
  • $10 off if paid before Jan 13th
  • $5 off for members of NZLARPS

Start Friday 17th February 2006. Crew to arrive at 5pm, players at 7pm.
End Sunday 19th February 2006, 3pm.
Venue Motu Moana Scout Camp, Connaught St,
Blockhouse Bay, Auckland

Notice the sizable nzLARPS members’ discount.
More details: mordavia.com/event_18.htm

--Mordavia: The week before Berium--

There’s another Mordavia game on, too, on 12 February (the weekend before). It’s an introductory game being held at the BATTLECRY weekend thanks to AMERICA, the Auckland University role playing peeps. There’ll also be an nzLARPS stall where we’ll be making costume, selling Paddywhack LARP weaponry, and signing up members. Visitors and helpers welcome at Freemans Bay Convention Centre 11-12 December. If you’re into table-top and card gaming as well, this’ll be quite a weekend!

They’re also running this intriguing LARP game on the Saturday night:

--Exodus--

(Details are their secret.)

Links for all this Battlecry stuff:
theamericaclub.net.nz/battlecry2006
theamericaclub.net.nz/
paddywhack.co.nz/
theamericaclub.net.nz/node/23 (Exodus)
profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=12
(Organiser Karen on Diatribe)

And finally,

---Og: Smelly!!---

Oh, gee! It’s OG! Steve Shipway is running a lighthearted game of club-weilding, vocabularily-challenged cavemen on Sunday March 5.
Details at nzlarps.org/ogpage/og.html and discussion at Og game scheduled! to arrange costume and mini-bussing and stuff.
More hype in the weeks to come.

  1. OTHER PLACES TO BE SEEN

GEAR WORKSHOP 22 JANUARY

Mikes sez:
We are holding a Workshop on Sunday 22nd,
10am till 4pm(ish)

The address is:

26 Malvern Road,
Morningside

The focus will be on building gear for 
Og and Mordavia.

We need to do some maintenance on existing
gear (monster weapons), and also build some
new gear (orc armour, tentacles, 
clubs for OG etc). 

Read the rest here:

  1. ED’S NOTE

You can send your friends to nzlarps.org/ to at least prove that we exist. Volunteers still wanted for help with proper website.

Keep the recruiting up and we’ll have more people to play with. See you at Diatribe, then the gear workshop, the prelarp, Battlecry, Reckonings, and Og.