How would you like to help?
- Promotion, workshops, event logistics
- Promotion, workshops, combat marshalling
- Promotion, workshops, nothing at the events themselves
- Promotion, event logistics
- Promotion, combat marshalling
- Workshops, event logistics
- Workshops, combat marshalling
- Promotion only
- Workshops only
- Combat marshalling only
0 voters
Last night the NZLARPS committee approved a project called Grand Battle. For information about the project you can read the Project Definition, which is the document that the committee approved.
I just want to repeat what I said last night about this project, for the benefit of people who weren’t at the meeting, and find out in what ways people would like to help.
Here’s a quote from the Project Definition defining what Grand Battle is:
[quote=“Grand Battle Project Definition”]A series of costumed medieval battle days aimed at the general public, using larp weapons. The main battle events are intended to include 500-2000 participants and require some 100 or more volunteers to run them.
The events are intended to be played in accessible public venues with plenty of space for a battle. The events will be high on spectacle, and an interactive storyline played out by volunteers will tie the battles of the day together and create a sense of immersive fiction to further relate the events to larp.[/quote]
The purposes of Grand Battle are twofold:
- To raise the public profile of larp in New Zealand, and create a positive buzz around it.
- To raise money for a medieval venue.
The Grand Battle events will also raise public awareness of medieval interests and medieval martial arts. This is a side-effect from the perspective of NZLARPS as it doesn’t relate directly to larp, but it’s an important consideration for people with medieval interests who may wish to help the success of the events even if they are not specifically interested in larp.
A condition of the project’s approval is that all money raised by running Grand Battle events will be donated to a separate legal entity (that doesn’t yet exist) that is committed to creating a medieval venue in the Auckland region. It is hoped that over time the project will be able to contribute tens of thousands of dollars to a medieval venue. This is another factor that we hope will motivate people with medieval interests but no interest in larp to help with the project.
The reason I’m stressing the need for help is that this project will need a lot of volunteer effort to succeed. For the main events to reach the target size of 500-2000 participants, they will need in the region of 50-100 volunteers to help promote, prepare, and run them.
I’d like to get an idea of how the community represented on Diatribe feels about helping with this project. I think this is a great opportunity for NZLARPS to reach a lot of people with a “larp is fun” message, and I’m really excited about the vision of starting the ball rolling on a medieval venue. But we’re going to need heaps of help to make it happen.
I’ve added a poll at the top asking what sort of general volunteer help you’d want to give. Unfortunately you can’t select multiple options in the polls, so I’ve created answers for all combinations. Feel free to also post the ways that you’d like to help. There wasn’t space for “event logistics only”, so just post if that’s your interest.
I’m also interested in hearing from individuals who would like to lead teams within the project in the following areas:
Promotion Manager
Reaching the target audience (initially high schoolers over 16 years) with the Grand Battle message. This will involve a lot of foot work. Approaches such as flyers outside schools as students are leaving may be taken.
Equipment Manager
Designing the DIY kits, organising workshops to package the kits and build items for sale and hire, taking orders, mailing orders out, checking equipment safety on the day, selling and hiring equipment on the day.
Event Manager
Organising the events: venue, food sales, stage performance (potentially including sound system), and any other logistical concerns with running the events themselves.
Marshall Manager
Leading and training the large team of combat marshalls, who will ensure the safety of combat at the event.
PM me if you’re interested in one or more of those management roles. Personally, I’ll be filling the roles of overall project manager, treasurer, and scenario designer.
The effort is likely to start Feb-Mar in 2007. Some preparation work will be required before then. I’m interested to hear all feedback on it, and any sorts of volunteer effort that I’ve missed out.
Before anyone asks, no I’m not “closing down Mordavia” to run this. It’s just serendipity. This isn’t what I imagined doing next after Mordavia, but it’s all fallen into place. I see this as something that needs doing to promote larp in our wider community and to take that hard first step on the road to a medieval venue, but I also think these events will be a huge amount of fun and will be an end in themselves.