Eclectic adventures in lots of things.
General Musings
IMA, LARP and Co-ops
Aug 10th
As Gordon Olmstead-Dean has pointed out, Intercon Mid-Atlantic has transformed from a venue to develop innovative and unusual LARP into something of an albatross that has waned in its attendance and community support. What would it take to create a sustainable venue that meets its obligations while being responsive to the community it serves?
1. Remove the focus on one organizer. By placing the leadership and financial focus on one person or a small group of closely interconnected people, the project will tank if the cost of time or money become too great for that organizer to maintain. By having responsible individuals in an organized structure (Nonprofit or for profit business structure to insulate individuals from losses and the project from “taking my toys and quitting” behaviors,) the project is thrust into a many hands make light work situation. The kudos for a good event is borne by this group but also the blame for a disaster as well. The focus should *not* be on profit taking, but on creating art and ‘art byproducts’.
2. Buy in, buy in, buy in. By stating it three times I am emphasizing that the buy in has to come at three different levels. Initially the project organization will need start up money, for incorporation, insurance, and the first two to three events. The first buy in is by the individuals running the project. As such, they receive shares to the project and some oversight capabilities, and the duty to protect their investment. The second level of buy in is that the content providers buy into the event at a minimal fee to help cover the following: housing, run space, and other items such as event insurance, and when possible food and goodies. This could be a yearly membership fee in the concept of a co-op in that they pay once and run at your events (note the plural) for that fee for the year. This is not to say that they bear the weight of the cost of the event, but that they offset some of the cost for their participation. If they can push registrations to the event with a SOLID number of referrals who actually pay, this buy in is offset and ignored, due to the fact that they just brought 20 door fees to you for little to no work. It also creates an environment of bringing quality work to the event as they are investing their funds into the creation of their event and no one wants to waste money. The last buy in is for the consumer of the project/event. You have two ways you can generate this funding: admission fees and patron memberships. Your admission fees are buy in for a particular event or series of events and are should eventually be your bread and butter. Patron Memberships are purchased by supporters who are unwilling or unable to make the larger commitment of sharing in the project’s operation but believe in the mission. These are the people you need to acknowledge and freely thank early and often. If they are at your event and they are amenable to it (some aren’t,) thank them at the end or another appropriate time. Give them the free T-shirts or swag that you use for in house sales. Take care of them; hold a special event for them once a year that recognizes their contributions. To wit, money is what makes the event possible. Money is the elephant in the corner that no one likes to talk about; in this context it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to acknowledge. We are all grownups, and it is time to start treating our hobbies like we are. If you want to shuffle your feet and pout in the corner about how LARP should be free, go somewhere else, I don’t care. Like it or not, all art requires funding of some kind; LARP requires more than most, since it is designed to interact with you in a meaningful way. I am past the age where PB&J, ramen, and pizza are acceptable fare to sustain myself and I bet most of the people who read this are of the same bent.
3. Interact with other communities and events. The project should endeavor to build contacts with other groups; attend some of the events in the region that LARPers don’t normally deal with directly. Anime cons, comic cons, and other events are all good places to buy a spot in the program or see if you can drop off fliers. Run LARP if they have that capability, bring things that are fun and inclusive and not filled with regional in-jokes and Byzantine LARP crap. Help with other LARPs in your region and try to foster good will. Participate. It won’t always be easy, but it will pay off. Ponder the inclusion of those communities into your event to offset costs. Sometimes a cheap joint venture appeals to the folks who are looking for a second event without the planning overhead associated with a full convention or event. You may not pull the general public, but you will get exposure among people who are at least open to different experiences.
4. Have a plan. A business plan is a must. Other things including the ability to say no, stay within the budget, and a strong leadership who can make firm decisions while being responsible for their success or failure are also vital to making this work. Who will you deal with the invested people who want to leave? How will you maintain the organization when the inevitable schism occurs? This and more has to be codified at the outset and hardwired into the organization.
This is just a few of my off the top of my head thoughts about what could come after IMA, or how to ‘fix’ it. I think that NEIL has done a fine job for their convention, and that their structure works well for the location and audience that they have. IMA has been a different animal with greater overhead and lower payoff to the organizers and needs a mercy killing or an evolutionary step to better serve the people associated with it. I spent a lot of time on money stuff, mainly because of the aforementioned overhead that mid-Atlantic conventions bear when trying to be within a decent distance of a major transportation hub and in a facility that isn’t a roach motel. It may be that an organization like the one I propose would have to begin as 30 people running and playing 4 hour games in a community center on a Saturday and Sunday, crashing at friends’ homes; but it is better than being on an untenable path of one person or couple being slowly ground down over a number of years supporting an event until they burn out or lose their assets trying to prop up a second priority event.
Jerusalem. Less than two weeks away.
Dec 2nd
8 days from heading up for the build of a damned ambitious set of scenes. I MUST REMEMBER TO BRING A CAMERA DAMMIT.
Must make it bigger better and all encompassing. NO! That Way Lies Madness!
And now for something completely different… More >
Intercon G: The missing report.
Dec 2nd
Arrival at the Intercon G hotel was pretty uneventful, we immediately set the room up for the run of M and Ravenrose’s Gaiman based game, World’s End; (we had gotten a suite for this express purpose.) I wound up playing in that game, which was a cozy story telling experience, with a lot of smoke and mirrors in people’s characters, masking the Character they were based on. (I was an opium dealer based on Dream from Sandman.) The game ran well and people had a good time.
The next morning I played Gordon Olmstead-Dean’s satire of the Build Your Own Character genre, aptly entitled “Now SPIT!” I chose to play King Leonidas, and was definitely screwed to start out. In the end I managed to turn an enemy into an ally (or at least a docile not-enemy,) hired an arms merchant to my cause, and had Benjamin Franklin on a short leash. (It was a great game, all the players were wonderful!)
After SPIT! I hustled off to get my drama together. I ran The Awful Truth for a younger crowd overall that I had at IMA. I am not disappointed, however, I can see distinct differences and correlations regarding median age and play styles. It turned out much the same as the original run, and the majority of players were digging on the groove. There was one or two who I feel lacked the ability to play on the same field as the more serious actors. The space was almost too big for the 25 people we had in the room, however I managed to narrow it down some by using strategic placement of furniture. The elder participants had more confidence and more ability to handle characters that had basic direction but required an effort to portray. In all the majority of the cast were impressive and helped the weaker members through a fairly complex and difficult scenario.
Post Truth, I attempted a nap with middling success, and was somewhat rested for the evening’s game, The Dance and the Dawn, a game centered around dancing and interpersonal interaction. It was a fun game, though I did have to turn of my GM critiquing engine so that I could enjoy someone else’s run style.
Flew the Coop was supposed to run Sunday morning, however I didn’t get my minimum, which reinforces my idea that a decent game can run twice an excellent event can run three times and it’s ok to help another game out when you are way short of what you need at a con.
I spent a fair amount of time smogging and packing Sunday, then we took the long drive home, all the way on a con high.
Dr. Savage’s Travelling Roadshow
Dec 2nd
Last week on Thursday, M and I set out for Intercon G in the oncoming rain. We had all of our props, costuming and other sundry items packed in the back of the truck. We pulled into Danbury in steady cold rain that was starting to feel more like slush. We drug ourselves into the hotel there and she made arrangements for the room while I was looking for a place to park where we wouldn’t get towed or broken into. Lacking a safe place to park, I decided to bring in the items in the back of the truck. (Well there was also the fact that we hadn’t really packed with much joint planning in mind, so we were opening the bins to locate our clothes and other important items like Deodorant.)
As I wheeled the loaded baggage cart into the hotel, dripping water from my jacket and pouring from the bins, I got a disgusted look from the girl at night desk. I thought little of it, since I was exhausted from the cold and wet. We slept soundly on what could only be described as a box spring with sheets. It was the kind of tired you get from being on the road far longer than you expected.
We got up in the morning and started getting ready for the final leg of the trip, I decided to go load the bins in to the truck. I exited the room with the bins, (much drier this time,) and I headed to the cart. Some of the other guests were in the lobby and stared at the growing pile of Bins on the cart as though it was something unpleasant.
The thought kind of hit me out of the blue, as I made a few connections here and there in my sleep refreshed brain.
“We are the next group of Entertainers. We have traded Sterilite Bins for steamer trunks and Automobiles for Pullman Sleepers.”
If you look at it from that perspective, those that write Interactive Theatre and LARP are essentially the Vaudeville and Carnies of our times. We aren’t that big yet, but we are starting to tap into the masses of people who are tearing themselves away from movies and TV for interactions with real people.
Most who participate in our art are of the mind to have experiences that they could not normally have. Slaying the dragon or rescuing one’s friends from certain doom are things that as people, we just don’t get any more. That’s where our art comes in. We use many of the stagecraft and carnival ideas of producing a show for an audience. What’s more, instead of a passive audience, our audience is IN our show. They are flying without a net by not having a script or knowledge that the outcome will be as they expect. And my dear friends, we are giving that to them. Indulging their fantasies by indulging our own as writers and directors, we manage to touch them in ways that less personal entertainment cannot.
Gordon Olmstead-Dean gave me a copy of the Knudepunkt book to read through and honestly, the preface is as far as I have gotten. (More time soon, I’m Sure) But the preface is a small discussion on why they chose the title “Lifelike” for the book. It was pretty insightful and really hit a chord.
Next Update: Intercon G and Awful Truths
