So, the action plan from the committee meeting is to get a static site up that covers all the basics. It’s likely that some of it will have to be re-designed later to encompass more information & functionality, but that’s life. Having an “under construction” site stub is not a good look.
Overview of content to go on the starting site:
[size=150]HOME[/size]
[size=125]What is NZLARPS?[/size]
The New Zealand Live Action Role Playing Society Incorporated is a non-profit organisation that promotes live action role playing (larp) in New Zealand. The society provides funding, equipment, and expertise to society members who want to run larps and discounts to society members who want to play in them.
larp n. an event where participants improvise the roles of characters in a fictional setting.
[size=125]How To[/size]
Become a member: Being a member gives you discounts on numerous larps and larp products. You pay a small fee and send us your contact details to join. Visit the Membership page and get hooked up with some larping goodness.
Run a project: We want to lend you money, equipment and advice to help you run the larp of your dreams or your larp-related project. Go to the Projects page and apply to run a project with the society now.
Become an associate: Does your organisation have something to do with larp? Go to the Associates page to see what sort of mutual benefits we can gain from each other.
[size=125]Current Projects[/size]
Diatribe: the community hangout.
Mordavia: live-combat dark fantasy campaign.
Og: caveman larp of few words.
May Day: political revolution one-shot.
Nibelungen: SF campaign scheduled for 2007.
The Border Princes: campaign in the Warhammer Fantasy setting.
Epic Greece: Greek mythology one-shot.
[size=125]Current Associates[/size]
Paddywhack: provider of fine larp weapons.
The Nightmare Circle: a Lovecraftian 1920s horror series.
[size=150]MEMBERSHIP[/size]
[size=125]Why Join?[/size]
Being a member of NZLARPS has many benefits. The discounts in particular add up very quickly; you’ll make your membership fee back within a few games and then start making savings.
Benefits:
[size=125]What does it cost?[/size]
Memberships last for a year, from September to September. The fee is:
[size=125]How to Join[/size]
Joining involves just two easy steps:
1) Email your details to secretary@nzlarps.org
Please include:
2) Pay your fee
If you wish to pay by cheque, let the secretary know and they will give you an address to send your cheque to.
Otherwise send payments via bank transfer to:
Account name: NZLARPS
When making a transfer, make sure that:
The LARPS secretary will issue you with a membership card when your payment is received.
[size=150]PROJECTS[/size]
[size=125]What is a Project?[/size]
An NZLARPS project is a larp-related project organised by a member of the society. The organisers has complete creative control over their project. NZLARPS lends funding, equipment, and expertise to the project. NZLARPS retains ownership of any resources created with that funding, so that they can be re-used for other NZLARPS projects. NZLARPS takes all proceeds from projects run under its banner, so that it can have money to lend to future projects - including your own! We always aim to run projects at a slight profit.
A project does not have to be a larp event, although many are. Other examples of NZLARPS projects include the Diatribe online community, improvisational acting nights, and other community get-togethers.
[size=125]How to Run a Project[/size]
We aim to make running a project as easy as possible for our members, that’s our raison d’état. There are lots of ways you can approach yoru larp project, and a lot depends on your previous experience.
The most important thing to bear in mind is that the society committee is made up of volunteers who want to help people create great larps and larp-related projects. They don’t get paid, they do this for fun and for the good of the larp community, so be nice to them and don’t take them for granted.
Let’s assume you’ve got an idea for a project. The first step is to get some feedback on whether the idea is sound. Asking your mum won’t get you an unbiased and informed response. We recommend posting the idea on the Game ideas forum on Diatribe. There you’ll get constructive feedback from the New Zealand larp community and a feel for how much enthusiam there is for the project. You don’t need everyone to like it, but you do need a few people. If other people on Diatribe want to help you, you’ll even be given your own private forum to discuss your project in.
So, you’ve fleshed out your project idea based on public feedback, and you’re ready to get serious. The next step is to submit your project to the NZLARPS committee for approval. Here’s how to do it:
First, go to the NZLARPS forum and make a post saying that you’re going to submit your project for approval. The committee will add your project approval to the agenda for the next committee meeting (on the first Wednesday of every month).
Next, download a copy of the Project Submission Form and fill it out. Email a copy to project.officer@nzlarps.org, so that the committee get a chance to look at your proposal before the next meeting. The Project Officer may contact you to discuss your project. Their job is to liase between you and the committee, and help you polish up your idea for submisssion. They may make suggestions for changes to your submission form - it’s up to you whether you’d like to take this advice and send in a new project submission.
If you need immediate funding, then fill out a Financial Projection Form. The purpose of this form is to let NZLARPS know in advance what your financial requirements are. Email your completed form to treasurer@nzlarps.org, and the Treasurer will give you feedback on it.
Finally, come to the next committee meeting and bring a print-out of your Project Submission Form and Financial Projection Form (if you’ve completed one). When the agenda reaches your project submission, you’ll have a chance to present your ideas and discuss them with the committee. The Project Officer can help you present your idea if you like, or feel free to bring people who will be helping organise the project to help present it. If you can’t make the meeting, the Project Officer can present your project on your behalf.
After you’ve presented your project, the committee will vote on whether it should be approved as an NZLARPS project. There are various reasons that a project could be rejected, and the following are just examples: not really a larp project, it might bring the society into disrepute, the committee does not believe the financial foercast is achievable, the society does not have sufficient cash resources to fund the scale of your project, or the project clashes with the objectives of the society.
If your project is rejected then you are free to alter the project submission details or the financial forecast and submit it again later. Don’t be disheartened, listen to the rejection reasons and go back to the drawing board. Your project will be stronger for it.
If your project is accepted then members of the committee will keep in touch with you to help you utililise the society’s resources. The Treasurer, Equipment Officer, and Project Officer will be the most involved and will give you further information not described on this website. You will need to submit a Financial Forecast to the Treasurer every time that you require funding from the society, and you will need to notify the Equipment Officer of any equipment required for your project.
[size=125]Current Projects[/size]
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Suggest we also have a “contact us” on the starting site, which is just a few email addresses and a link to Diatribe.
Yeah good point.
Other ideas:
The definition of larp I put in the homepage content could be worked into the graphic design in an arty way instead. The idea is for it to look like a dictionary definition.
The list of projects and associates could be put into 2 server-side include files, and then included into both the home page and the relevant page. That way we only have to edit the content in one place. This is very simple.
I reckon having a space for the banner ads near the top would be good. It would tie the site visually to Diatribe and provide visual interest.
Here’s a look, very "web portal"ish. I just can’t figure out any “art” on the site whatsoever without looking “genre specific”. But the files are teeny-tiny.
Agreed on the include file, I think we should have all content sections controlled by include files.
Also agreed on the banner ad, except that these are pretty big and don’t currently fit in this design (made for some 800x600 friendliness)
The About page examples how this works with content on it:
nzlarps.org/about.php (much more substantial)
Yeah, it’s very simple and light and clean, but it’s lacking in character.
Hey, great fast work mate.
Looks like the layout is working. I like the bordered regions (top, left, right, bottom) with gaps between them.
Having the projects & associates on the left is looking good there. We can experiment with positioning a bit later I suppose.
I’m not a big fan of the colour scheme. That tan and yellow and white isn’t saying professional or fun to me, it’s too washed out. The blue titles look like links (but without underlines). I think the exterior background colour could maybe be darker to give more contrast with the white. How about working a repeating pattern into the exterior background, something generic like the swirling patterns on the under construction page? Might give the whole thing more visual appeal. The NZLARPS logo doesn’t seem to have quite enough headroom (it could drop down a few pixels and lose some of the footroom), and I’m not sure if having it black is best. Will depend on the final other colours I suppose.
Perhaps instead of a banner we can have a random image in the content pointing to various project/associate pages. That would involve creating another image for them, but that might be best in order to get a random photo from an event onto the front page. Then again, the 468-wide banner almost fits in the left column.
When listing the projects we should probably separate “Current Projects” and “Upcoming Projects”.
Once we’ve got the graphic design sorted do you think we should split the site into include files for the header, footer, etc? That way we can make design changes in single files and it’ll affect the whole site. Same with putting more design elements into the CSS file(s).
[size=150]ASSOCIATES[/size]
[size=125]What is an Associate?[/size]
An NZLARPS associate is a person, organisation, or business that has a working relationship with the society. The nature of each relationship is agreed on a case-by-case basis. Some typical examples of associates include independant larp groups, businesses that have something to offer to larpers, and societies with members that have an interest in larp.
[size=125]What do we offer?[/size]
Here are a few of things that NZLARPS might offer to associates. These are just examples, we’ll consider any request.
[size=125]What do we get out of it?[/size]
Here are some example of what you might offer to NZLARPS as an associate. Again, we’ll consider any offer.
[size=125]How to Become an Associate[/size]
We suggest opening a discussion on the NZLARPS forum on Diatribe about your organisation becoming an associate. This will giev you ideas about what your organisation and NZLARPS might have to offer each other.
To become an associate:
1) Email secretary@nzlarps.org
Please include:
2) Your proposal will be considered at the next committee meeting.
If it’s approved then a member of the committee will be in touch to discuss our new partnership. If it’s declined you will be given a list of reasons and have the opportunity to submit your application again.
Maybe we should open this forum up to the committee as a place for them to comment on the website, so we can implement their changes.