Initium!
Quest's newsletter
vol. 84 - September 26, 2010
Highlights in this issue:
Events:
Season Passes
Tired of remembering to bring cash or a check? Get a Season Pass!
For $125 (minus the amount you paid for the September event), you can get a pass that gets you into every event Quest runs between now and June 2011. Save money and never worry about having the admission fee on you!
You can either pay by check (Quest Interactive Productions, Inc., PO Box 2322, Middletown, CT 06457-0033) or pay the Treasurer in person at the October event.
Upcoming events
- The Passing - a weekend-long Continuing Game adventure (October 1-3, in Pomfret, CT)
-
Iron & Lace - an afternoon-long event in a Victorian-inspired setting (November 13, in Arlington, MA)
Now with Player Packet available for download, as well as the passenger manifest!
And don't forget the "bring a friend" discount — bring a new player to any game and get $15 off!
Open game slots
The December 2010 slot is still open, as are the spring slots for 2011. Interested? Got an idea, but need some help? Contact the Events Committee at events !
Board of Directors:
The Board has scheduled its big fall meeting for November 14th, 1:00 p.m., in Somerville, MA. If you would like to attend, please contact the Board Secretary, Julie Levy, at secretary for more information. The first part of this meeting will be open to the public; the second part will be closed for our annual non-Board elections!
We'd like to thank our current committee leadership for providing their hard work, effort and their excellent service. Without their dedication, Quest could not continue to function.
We our putting out a call for nominations for the leaders of our committees and teams. The list of officers and their respective duties and details may be found below. We ask you, the Quest community, to assist us by nominating the people you think should serve as officers. Self-nominations are welcome as are nominations for anyone in the community who you think might be suited to a given job. Nominations should be sent to Julie Levy, the Board Secretary, at nominations.
Everyone who is nominated will be contacted by the Board Secretary to ask them if they accept the nomination. All nominations must be made by Thursday, November 11th.
The following committee officer positions are up for election:
- CG Game World Committee Chair
- Rules Committee Chair
- Props Manager
- Wesleyan Scheduler
- Events Coordinator
- Weapons Manager
- Historian
- Publisher
The following Board officer positions are up for election:
- Assistant Director of Operations
We are also accepting nominations for non-officer committee members.
On behalf of the Board,
Julie Lxevy
Secretary, Board of Directors
Quest Interactive Productions, Inc.
secretary
Quest Committee Officers
Who are the Quest Committee Officers?
The committee officers are the people who provide leadership to the
groups within our organization. Officers are, in general, responsible
for the normal operational needs
of Quest, both at and between games. The qualities looked for in a good
officer are commitment, responsibility, and a desire to get things done.
Who can I nominate?
Anyone can nominate anyone for any position. You can suggest someone
new for an office, or nominate the current office holder. You may even
nominate yourself (this is a useful way of letting us know you want to
help out!).
How long is the period of tenure?
Officer positions are one year. This year's term will run from
January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.
Board officer positions up for election:
- Assistant Director of Operations: The Assistant Director of Operations or ADOps are responsible for supporting the Director of Operations in their duties both during and between games. The Operations leadership team is tasked with maintaining a safe and fun environment for the Quest community during events, and are also responsible for supporting and guiding the committee leaders in their ongoing work for the organization. The Operations team help to orient new players, educate the community via workshops, monitor events for safety, and assist in managing and coordinating logistics for the team.
Committee leadership positions up for election:
- Wesleyan Scheduler: The Scheduler is the officer responsible for securing space and is a voting member of the Events Committee.
- Events Coordinator: The Events Coordinator is responsible for making sure that quality games happen. As such, the Events Coordinator chairs the Events Committee and handles various administrative tasks to ensure that games run with reasonable frequency. The Events Coordinator may appoint assistants to help him with these tasks.
- Historian: The Historian is responsible for keeping track of all characters for continuing game worlds and supervising the character related issues of check-in and check-out. The Historian is on the Operations Committee and all Game World committees.
- Weapons Manager: The Weapons Manager is in charge of maintaining weapons, approving weapons safety, and ensuring combat safety during a game. The Weapons Manager is on the Operations Committee, and supervises the Weapons Staff. The Weapons Manager is also expected to sit on the Rules Committee, though this responsibility can be delegated to a Weapons Marshal, if necessary.
- Props Manager: The Props Manager will be accountable for said maintenance to the Director of Operations. There will be three subdivisions of said maintenance: costumes, check-in bins, other equipment. There will be one head of each, and then they will recruit anyone who's interested in helping. Each holds a key to Quest Stock and has rotating "gatekeeper" duty (be available to go to Stock with GMs-- you don't need a car for this, someone can pick you up). Check-in duty is organized among these people as they see fit.
- Publisher: The Publisher is responsible for publishing the rulebook and any other permanent publication, for maintaining the Quest Web site, and for distributing information to the player base (through Initium!, other e-mailings, and snail mailings).
- Game World Chair (Continuing Game): The Game World Chair heads the Game World Committee, which is responsible for approving honor codes and status proposals. The purpose of the Game World Committee is to maintain the continuity and integrity of the game world. They will facilitate flow of information, compile information brought into game by GMs and PCs, and facilitate reconciliation of contradictory material when necessary. They are intended to help, not squelch, people who want to develop more game material. The Game World Chair is a member of the Events Committee; when a proposal for the Game World Chair's gameworld is introduced, the GWC is a voting member; when only proposals for other gameworlds are introduced, the GWC is a nonvoting member and not required to attend.
- Rules Chair: The Rules Chair supervises the Rules Staff and maintains consistencies of rulings. The Rules Chair heads the Rules Committee, and is responsible for maintaining the consistency of rules interpretations both during and between games.
Rules Committee:
Rules Review
The Rules Committee has passed a number of minor rules changes this year, and they now posted for community review at the RC's page. Per the RC Charter, we will be collecting community feedback on these proposals during the month of October. Please send any concerns or comments to rules-chair, and they will be raised to the committee.
Summary of changes (please see the proposal text for the full details of each change):
- The Lame spell has been removed. Because of inconsistent wording between the spell and the disadvantage of the same name, and the observation that the spell was never cast, this spell has been pruned from the Mage list.
- Several minor clarifications have been made for archery conventions. We've removed references to ricochets, since this is redundant with the fact that there are no light hits from arrows.
- Sapping has been made more distinct. 1. Sapping no longer requires the attacker to have a weapon in hand, 2. full head and neck armor is required for Armor to be effective against Sapping, and 3. Sapping no longer drops the attacker's Stealth to onlookers.
Treasurer:
Don't forget that Quest is a tax-exempt organization and that your contributions to Quest are tax-deductible! And if your employer offers a donation-matching or grant-making program, please check out the details with your HR department to find out if your participation in Quest qualifies.
Quest has many expenses beyond the cost of the food and props that you see at games. These include insurance, the printing of handbooks, kitchen supplies, and the maintenance of weapons, spell books, and other props. In the past, corporate donations have covered some of these, but the recession being what it is, these corporate donations are down. We need your help to cover these costs!
Please send your tax-deductible contributions to:
Quest Interactive Productions, Inc.PO Box 2322
Middletown, CT 06457-0033
...or donate online via PayPal!
Donations of materials, such as props and costumes, are also tax-deductable. If you have something you think Quest could use, and would like to donate it (and deduct its value), be sure to check first with the Props Manager (props-mgr) to see if Quest needs the item(s).
Continuing Game News:
September 26, 1010:
Alsoria, Steinlands:
After the distastrous Battle of Duvarna, the armies of Chardreau and Allondell were dismayed to announce the deaths of the crusader kings Harold V of Allondell and Robert IV of Chardreau.
The two long-reigning monarchs had led their vassals into battle, attempting to liberate Bilgosh from its unholy Overlord, but were overrun by the monsters and undead of their foes, and the two fell when the crusaders' front line collapsed and retreated to Alsoria.
Along with the two monarchs, the armies announced the death of numerous nobles and officers who also perished on the Duvarna fields.
Funeral bells tolled in Lorraux and Tolbury, in mourning for the dead.
Alsoria, Steinlands:
In brief field ceremonies lacking much of the usual pomp, Crown Princess Margaret of Allondell and Crown Princess Catherine of Chardreau were crowned Queen Margaret III and Queen Catherine II respectively on July 17, with both ceremonies occurring in the muddy fields of the Steinlands. Both countries' leaders felt it more critical to have a queen immediately leading their people than to send the princesses on a long journey back to their respective capitals for a formal ceremony involving an Anointer. "We'll have plenty of time for such things when the Crusade is won," commented Earl John of Granchester.
The two somber monarchs immediately set about reconstituting their scattered armies.
Alsoria, Steinlands:
Against the advice of her peers, Queen Margaret III of Allondell rallied her troops on August 11 for a renewed push into Bilgosh against Dark Lord Nedelcho and Dark Lady Stoyanka, whose hordes had slain her father.
Queen Catherine of Chardreau cautioned her cousin that the Crusaders' ranks were no longer than before and unlikely to achieve any more success. Queen Margaret, however, insisted that the Bilgosh hordes had also taken heavy losses, and that it was imperative to strike before the Dark Lords could prepare proper defenses.
Duvarna, Bilgosh:
Without the support of the Chardrois or most of the religious orders, Queen Margaret of Allondell advanced her vassals back into Bilgosh on September 6, where they were immediately ambushed.
The Allondines passed through the hills north of Duvarna, just as before, but this time the Bilgosh zombies came not from the east hill, as expected, but were hiding in wait beneath the waters of the river. Their flank totally exposed, the Allondines were sent into panic and disarray as the zombies emerged from the water and ran roughshod over the crusaders. The archers took heavy losses before the Allondine lines broke and retreated into Alsoria once more. Queen Margaret, heavily protected, was unharmed.
Gameworld news comes from GMs, story authors, and other Quest participants, not from the Game World Committee. If you have material to contribute, please email it to cg-chair.
Uncle Lloyd's Tips (from Advice for Aspiring GMs):
Some of your staff will be good, and will do their homework. They'll take the packet, they'll read it all, they'll study their parts, they'll highlight the sections that apply to them, they'll learn the encounters, they'll learn the names of the other NPCs. But others will only read the first five pages, no matter how hard you nag or how long you plead with them to please read it. So what can you do?
In the front of the packet, include a summary of the whole game. This should be an overview, explaining the story basics, and showing how the various sections and paths of the game fit together into a whole. You shouldn't go into the gameplay details — keep it a summary of maybe one or two pages.
Put all the other important stuff in the first five pages, too — anything that's vital for your staff to know (e.g. "at this game, the spell Spirit Speed simply will not work, ever.") Any non-vital stuff should not be in the front.