Timetable thoughts

Auckland Chimera
#21

If voting happens electronically, the results would be much quicker. I was worried about voting being made fair, if we had QR’s as per the Gordian knot on each of the name badges, a player simply scans their QR, selects their votes and clicks submit. With enough prep time, it could be set up so that when you scan the QR, it automatically picks up your game and character and supplies a list of options for the votes. There would need to be an “Other” option, for drop in’s as that is inevitable.

I think anyone should be able to leave after the game has been called as ended and they have voted. Voting should be the last required thing, once you have done so, you can leave. I’m all for the Prize Giving to be done on Sunday Morning, along with day style games for Sunday morning, 11-3 kind of thing.

Would anyone be keen on a Board Game round on the Sunday Morning. A bit like KapCon, people turn up, play a board game or 3. Rather than having to worry about costuming and roleplaying, but without missing out on a round of gaming.

#22

[quote=“TazzyD”]If voting happens electronically, the results would be much quicker. I was worried about voting being made fair, if we had QR’s as per the Gordian knot on each of the name badges, a player simply scans their QR, selects their votes and clicks submit. With enough prep time, it could be set up so that when you scan the QR, it automatically picks up your game and character and supplies a list of options for the votes. There would need to be an “Other” option, for drop in’s as that is inevitable.
[/quote]

Ooh I really like the idea of using QR codes.

#23

Beccah Curtis and I had a chat about it, and she decided that 5+ minutes of barely-consciousness = ambulance, so she made the call. Better safe than sorry I reckon, and you’re welcome. It’s the response I’d appreciate for myself in the circumstances, even if there are costs attached.

#24

In terms of timing, I’m not sure that you could tighten up the timetable anymore. Adding in the extra venue of Mowgli meant that it was much harder to gather people, and being one of those with accomodation up there I found myself extremely pushed for time.

I think from now on factoring in that new venue will have to be taken into consideration, and I think the Chimera Team did the best they could do this year.

Partly it was my fault, because I kept forgetting things like my badge in my room, and so had to make the trip up there many times over the weekend, but I think tightening up the timetable would just create more stress.

A noise maker, as Anna suggested, would be a great help.

I do concurr about the food, far too ambitious. Simple nutritious and filling food is what you need at a larp, even things like carbohydrates were in low supply which is unusual. However being the first time she had cooked in that kitche, the mix-ups and lateness are extremely understandable.

In terms of the after-flagship part, I do agree that it went a bit long and we did need to keep the energy up or let everyone go. So I’m sorry about that.
A dance party would have been a good way to keep people distracted :slight_smile:, not that it would have worked for everyone. Perhaps announcing the winners of the flagship prizes at the end of the convention, although often there are attendees of the flagship that don’t come to the rest of the weekend.

#25

A lot of good ideas in this thread :slight_smile: Some suggestions:

  • If possible, pre-record the briefing for the flagship. This would eliminate one muster (and therefore circa 30mins), and would have the benefit of ensuring the really cool surprises (e.g. NASA astronauts) would not be revealed pre-game. Provide DVDs, upload to youtube etc so people could get the briefing when it suited them.

  • A 9am start would be easier to handle if the caffiends could get their fix from a coffee van rather than organise a mission to a local cafe. This is probably a good idea regardless of when we start…

  • Hold the musters at the middle hall, which is approximately midway between accommodation areas.

  • Start the musters on time - even if everyone is not there - and put up sheets containing games, participants and starting locations for the latecomers.

  • Encourage the caterers to choose meals that are lower on preparation and higher on volume, and with a goodly amount of carbohydrates. Things like pasta, curry/rice, roast veges.

#26

I liked that the evening meal had a lot of vegetables in it, and wasn’t swimming in fat. And I thought the food all tasted really nice. I agree that the portion sizes were on the small side - I wasn’t hungry, but I’m not the biggest eater around, and I know that some people missed out on the very yummy potato wedges at Sunday lunch. (Recipe available?) I could pay more, if it meant larger servings. I’d be entirely happy with a cold breakfast in the mornings - less stress on the cook. I was glad to see people taking time to volunteer in the kitchens and all. Thanks again for running the kitchen, Elle! Regarding the oven - is the problem that it’s slightly tricky to use, or is it actually not functional? If it’s the latter, I think we should raise it with the scout camp and get it repaired. I liked that dessert got served in the muster room for the Gordian Knot - it was like a reward for getting into your kit in good time.

About rubbish. It always astonishes me how much waste can get generated in 48 hours. It occurred to me after the fact that we could have tried something like getting volunteers to empty the rubbish bins during the weekend so that they never get a chance to overflow - it’d only take a few minutes and make life a lot less icky at the post-con cleanup. Also, would it be feasible to set up stations to take recycling? It’s not just about diverting stuff out of the landfills, the volume of revolting rubbish goes down by a lot if you can sort out the clean recycleables and compostables first.

I don’t think that voting should be compulsory. It’s nice if people get notice for something cool they did, but it takes the shine off if it’s something that people have to do. And I’m cool with the flagship results being announced at the end of the con, like everything else.

Kaizen is a really good word. :wink:

#27

[quote]could get their fix from a coffee van rather than organise a mission to a local cafe. This is probably a good idea regardless of when we start…[/quote]With that one, it might be as easy as inviting someone with a mobile coffee stall to come and visit at key times, and let them decide if it’s economic for them. 120 people isn’t a trivial number of potential customers.

#28

Be nice to Elle and the kitchen crew … she has friends with axes :stuck_out_tongue: :stuck_out_tongue: :stuck_out_tongue:

On a slightly more serious note (cause I don’t want to offend anyone), I’ve worked professional kitchens, catered big and small events, medieval events, and other weekend long things. In all honesty it’s really rare to do something on that scale and please everyone. Someone never gets enough, someone is unexpectedly vegan and didn’t let anyone know, they didn’t like hot breakfasts, why weren’t there hot breakfasts, how come it’s so slow, my tummy hurts, Porl’s touching meeee, I wanna ice cream … errr, hang on, that’s just me lol.

Poor Elle busted a gut over the weekend, she’s actually still hurting from it all. She got next to no sleep trying to stay on top of it, it’s why she wasn’t at The Gordian Knot even though she really wanted to be there and was LOVING the music. :slight_smile: Despite all this, she’ll probably do it again next year. If she decides to, then I’ll probably offer to help make her life easier. Hopefully they’ll even have sorted out that damnable oven and stove top by then. Dear gods what a nightmare working with stoves that didn’t work or only low heated when put on high, and ovens that cooked at differing temps depending on shelf and side!!! 0.o

You too can help! When talk of pre-paid food starts, talk about what you’d like to see, how much you eat (or don’t) … and for the love of all that’s holy please don’t be vegan without TELLING us :stuck_out_tongue:

HUGE HUGS to the rest of the Kitchen Bitches

Robbo
PS: You may now throw your tomatoes at me good people, we know none of you are trying to insult/offend/upset us :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

#29

Personally, I thought everything was fine. I guess you could tweak things to squeeze in an extra half hour, but I don’t really see the point, especially if it’s putting more pressure on those who are organising.

Sure, some costumes take a LOT of preparation, and that’s fair enough. I’m pretty sure that most of us though can get into our suits or robes in under 10 minutes max.

Are people going to be tired on Sunday? Yes. Embrace it, it’s a part of life.

I like the suggestion of noting the games which have shorter run times. That could be useful in giving people a heads up for those who want a bit more preparation time.

I’m just amazed that I got to play in six games in one weekend :smiley:

#30

Is there anyone can program QR codes that would be able to arrange this method of voting for us next year?

#31

Rubbish: I had to stop people from putting rubbish in the OVER FLOWING RUBBISH BAG while I tied it up, put it in the green fenced area and found another bin liner. The rubbish was overflowing!! What I’d like to see is some form of compost bin / leftovers trough, so people don’t precariously balance bowls, plates and DRINKS that still have food / liquid on them, in the black bags.

In regards to Vegan/Vege/Meat-a-sourases - I think 3 different stickers for the food could be a goer? 1 for each variation, the helpers need to know what each sticker is, rather than just going on peoples word. I’m not sure how many people “missed out” on food they paid for, but I think the lateness of the food could have been an issue that caused people to miss out, they get told 5 minutes and it doesnt’ come out, so they toodle off to get changed / make-up’d etc, come back and the food is gone.

I, personally, don’t mind helping out in the kitchen at all. First of, it was about helping out those that put in the effort to prep and cook the food. I hate cooking and then having to clean up at home, so when someone can clean after the cooking, then thats awesome for the cook. I don’t know how well a roster would work a’la Teonn, as people have varying costume requirements for each game, perhaps volunteers could give their details to Anna/Rowena / the desk person, where they are NPC’ing after breakfast/lunch or have little costume requirements?

For Muster, I think a megaphone, air horn or siren could be used to pull people together. A megaphone for poor anna, so she doesn’t have to shout each time. Also starting on time would make those spot prizes worth it, as people are there ontime ready to go. Also 1 envelope for the entire weekend? If people aren’t there, they don’t get a prize and their name goes back in for later. That way those who have won don’t get pulled out twice.

I know its “Anna’s Convention” but could Muster duties be given to other people? Or is there something that i’m missing that really requires Anna to do each one?

Games that require setup. Can players of other games help out? I know Asterix / Forgotten Gods could have done with a few more hands to set up before the game. Obviously GM’s know whats required, but if people are NPC’s for the game, or aren’t busy, they could gather with the GM before muster to help set up, of course, this requires Gear from the pool too.

#32

Different people are there for different parts of the weekend. The current system has an envelope for each round, containing only the people registered for that round. If we pull out names that aren’t there, it’s because they’ve failed to turn up. After the draw, the envelope is thrown away.

Apart from everyone being sick of hearing my voice ( :wink: ) can I ask how this would speed things up? I don’t talk fast enough?

Every year, it’s part of the brief that games have 3 hours in total, in which to set up, pack down, and do everything for their game. If a GM knows their game will need more set up than normal, they should be proactive in gathering volunteers to make it faster.

#33

Yup, understand re: people who are gaming at that round thing, just thought if people were part of the convention they would get equal chances overall, people would still need to be there at each muster to win though. I understand the way it is currently done, and works well. I was just thinking about ways of simplifying things.

I guess this was less about speeding up and more of giving you a chance to bask in the glory that is a superbly run convention. (aka - take a break for yourself)

Re: 3 hours thing, yup! Agree with leaving it in the GM’s hands, just something to mention at muster maybe? Even if its a GM that comes to you just before it kicks off with a request for spare hands?

#34

There is a bit tired, and there is passed out/gone home/unable to function properly. We don’t expect people to go without food, and sleep is no different.

Everyone has different tolerances in terms of sleep. Ensuring people can go to bed by a hard deadline of 11:30pm each night, if they wish, will save a number of players from being absent/subpar at games later in the con. Which is also good for the players, for the GMs of the games those players are in, and for player in games run by GMs who need their sleep. Some people will still be very tired, but fewer will be totally burnt out.

It’s different to a weekend game like Mordavia/Wolfgang/Teonn. With those, the keen beans can stay up all hours and people who need sleep can turn in early. The sleepers will miss some play time, but not a whole game. With a con, you either go to the game that might run until 1pm or you don’t - it’s much hard to leave at 11:30pm with a con game still running… unless your character dies at 11:30pm like mine did at Bad Dreams, which is a convenience you can’t usually rely on.

#35

Every year, it’s part of the brief that games have 3 hours in total, in which to set up, pack down, and do everything for their game. If a GM knows their game will need more set up than normal, they should be proactive in gathering volunteers to make it faster.[/quote]

I know this, and just to be clear: the delay was entirely my own fault and largely preventable. I should have been there by 1pm at the latest, which would have given me time to prepare the gear for Forgotten Gods in advance of the muster. I wasn’t because I was doing the headless chicken at home, due to poor forward planning. Totally mea culpa, and not a timetable issue as I see it.

#36

Anna, I think you did an awesome job mustering. Some people in other situations tend to give you every minor detail that doesn’t concern you (I’ve been in a lot of staff meetings), but I felt like everything was relevant that was brought up so no problems there. As long as you’re ok doing all the musters and not too stressed, it’s all good.

I might be biased seeing as I did win one award, but I think we should keep the awards part. :blush: It made me feel that all the time spent trying to borrow someone’s sewing machine, and then actually learning how to use the darned thing was validated. Plus being a LARP noob and having nothing but my bedsheet to work with as a costume made it extra special for me so I’m surprised and grateful!

#37

[quote=“Ryan Paddy”]There is a bit tired, and there is passed out/gone home/unable to function properly. We don’t expect people to go without food, and sleep is no different.

Everyone has different tolerances in terms of sleep. Ensuring people can go to bed by a hard deadline of 11:30pm each night, if they wish, will save a number of players from being absent/subpar at games later in the con. Which is also good for the players, for the GMs of the games those players are in, and for player in games run by GMs who need their sleep. Some people will still be very tired, but fewer will be totally burnt out.[/quote]
If you go to bed after the end of the evening game and get up half an hour to an hour before breakfast, that gives 7-8 hours of sleep (depending on how quickly you’re capable of nodding off) each night. I don’t see how that could be insufficient for anyone. If you’re not getting that much and it’s affecting your games the next day, it’s your own fault.

Personally, I went to bed on Friday night basically as soon as game end was called - while on Saturday night, I stayed up until 4am. That was how I chose to roll. I know for a fact that you can get your 8 hours of sleep, because I managed it the first night without issue.

The way I see it, the only problem is with not making it clear enough after the flagship when people can slink away. That opportunity needs to be there - and more importantly, people have to know that it’s there.

Pfft, no-one’s sick of your voice.

#38

[quote=“Krintar”]
If you go to bed after the end of the evening game and get up half an hour to an hour before breakfast, that gives 7-8 hours of sleep (depending on how quickly you’re capable of nodding off) each night. I don’t see how that could be insufficient for anyone. If you’re not getting that much and it’s affecting your games the next day, it’s your own fault.[/quote]

it’s fine if you are staying at the camp, but if you are driving in and out each day so that out of towners can have bed there then the amount of sleep time available shrinks dramatically.

#39

Many of the locals are happy to camp, to free up bunks.

#40

Yup, but we had spectacularly good weather this year.

I know, I for one, would not be happy leaving hundreds of dollars worth of gear and costumes in a tent where it might get pinched or ruined through weather.

I’m pretty sure there are others who feel this way as well.

:slight_smile: