I really need to update the Gamers web pages, though I've been busy working on other bits of the Phoenyx that will impact them. But Carl and I were thinking, as we were buying my sister and her husband a gift certificate at a bed-and-breakfast, that it was about time to schedule another Phoenyx Gathering. Maybe not at this particular lodge (though it's in the KC area, which is usually better than Wichita for cheap flights), unless everyone's seriously into fishing and/or RVing, but possibly at some nice "retreat" sort of spot... no renfaires this time, nor gaming conventions (though we also hope to have a Phoenyx dinner or some such at GenCon next summer), just sitting around gaming and talking about gaming. I'm thinking someplace like Roman Nose (which is, as I understand it, a nice campground with both dorm-type cabins for cheap, and hotel-ish accommodations for a little more), only closer to airports (RN being out in the Oklahoma wilderness). Kansas City is actually a fairly nice area, nature-wise (you've got the Flint Hills, the last gasp of texture before you hit the treeless plains of I-70 to the west, which define Kansas for most people). Any interest? And if so, any date/venue preferences? -- Karen J. Cravens silver@phoenyx.net ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
I really need to update the Gamers web pages, though I've been busy working on other bits of the Phoenyx that will impact them. But Carl and I were thinking, as we were buying my sister and her husband a gift certificate at a bed-and-breakfast, that it was about time to schedule another Phoenyx Gathering. Maybe not at this particular lodge (though it's in the KC area, which is usually better than Wichita for cheap flights), unless everyone's seriously into fishing and/or RVing, but possibly at some nice "retreat" sort of spot... no renfaires this time, nor gaming conventions (though we also hope to have a Phoenyx dinner or some such at GenCon next summer), just sitting around gaming and talking about gaming. I'm thinking someplace like Roman Nose (which is, as I understand it, a nice campground with both dorm-type cabins for cheap, and hotel-ish accommodations for a little more), only closer to airports (RN being out in the Oklahoma wilderness). Kansas City is actually a fairly nice area, nature-wise (you've got the Flint Hills, the last gasp of texture before you hit the treeless plains of I-70 to the west, which define Kansas for most people). Any interest? And if so, any date/venue preferences? -- Karen J. Cravens silver@phoenyx.net ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
On Thu, Dec 22, 2005 at 12:46:57PM -0600, Karen J. Cravens wrote: > Any interest? And if so, any date/venue preferences? Always interest. My preference would be mid June or early July. Late July wouldn't work for me. *But* -- I may be moving this summer, in which case I might not make it at all. And I've not made it ever in the past, so you shouldn't tune anything to me. But I might really try to make it this year, if it works out. What's the weekend plan? How much gaming vs. other stuff typically goes on? Were I to come, would you want me to run a one-shot of some sort? -Rob -- --Prof. Robert Knop Department of Physics & Astronomy, Vanderbilt University robert.a.knop@vanderbilt.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
On Thu, 22 Dec 2005, Robert A. Knop Jr. wrote: RAKJ>My preference would be mid June or early July. Late July wouldn't work for RAKJ>me. I'm figuring we wouldn't want it too close to GenCon, plus it gets ridiculous hot here, so either spring or early fall, yeah. RAKJ>*But* -- I may be moving this summer, in which case I might not make it at RAKJ>all. And I've not made it ever in the past, so you shouldn't tune anything RAKJ>to me. But I might really try to make it this year, if it works out. Moving to a new town, or just moving house? We're looking at doing... well, both, technically, though in the former case just 20 miles or so out of town, at most. (I've already threatened to merge the Gathering with Helping The Cravens Move...) RAKJ>What's the weekend plan? How much gaming vs. other stuff typically goes on? RAKJ>Were I to come, would you want me to run a one-shot of some sort? Historically, we've done renfaires (KCRF and KRF) and stuff like that, but this time around we'd like to do more gaming. Some of it depends on how many people there are... the second Boston gathering was mostly just us and the Feldhusens. Of course, depending on where we end up, we might have a day trip sort of thing. If we're near Hutchinson, we're morally obligated to go play in Apollo 13 at the Cosmosphere, for instance. (Well, okay, you just get to play in the White Room, but still.) And if we're near Wichita, we'll drag everybody out to the Prairie Rose for a chuckwagon dinner and cowboy music. -- Karen J. Cravens silver@phoenyx.net ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
On Thu, 22 Dec 2005, Karen J. Cravens wrote: > Of course, depending on where we end up, we might have a day trip sort of > thing. If we're near Hutchinson, we're morally obligated to go play in > Apollo 13 at the Cosmosphere, for instance. (Well, okay, you just get to > play in the White Room, but still.) > > And if we're near Wichita, we'll drag everybody out to the Prairie Rose > for a chuckwagon dinner and cowboy music. I dunno... this is the kind of thing that kept us from gaming at previous Gatherings. The Cosmosphere is a good full afternoon to see the whole thing. Something like Prairie Rose, which eats up a full evening, might work if we've had plenty of gaming during the day. But I was really envisioning something where there weren't other attractions to eat up our time. If you've had enough gaming for awhile, take the hiking trail around the lake or skip a few rocks across it... but don't take a six-hour side-trip to go to a museum or a show. That's what I was talking about when I mentioned the Sons of Kryos did this with just their gaming group... they got a big cabin on a lake and did nothing but game and enjoy nature for three days. -- Carl D Cravens (raven@phoenyx.net) Gamers List Owner [ Wichita RP Community Resource -- http://www.wichitagamers.com/ ] Everyone is gifted... Some open the package sooner. ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
On Thu, 22 Dec 2005, Carl D Cravens wrote:
CDC>I dunno... this is the kind of thing that kept us from gaming at
CDC>previous Gatherings. The Cosmosphere is a good full afternoon to see
CDC>the whole thing. Something like Prairie Rose, which eats up a full
CDC>evening, might work if we've had plenty of gaming during the day.
Yeah, see, I'm thinking we're all dressed as our Firef... uh, Gavilan
characters and we'll fit right in at the Rose. ("How come y'all's gun has
LEDs on it?" "Uh...")
CDC>But I was really envisioning something where there weren't other
CDC>attractions to eat up our time. If you've had enough gaming for
CDC>awhile, take the hiking trail around the lake or skip a few rocks
CDC>across it... but don't take a six-hour side-trip to go to a museum or
CDC>a show.
Depends on how many people there are, and if some people want to come
halfway across the country (or around the world) and sightsee, let 'em.
CDC>That's what I was talking about when I mentioned the Sons of Kryos did
CDC>this with just their gaming group... they got a big cabin on a lake
CDC>and did nothing but game and enjoy nature for three days.
That'd be the core track, yep.
--
Karen J. Cravens silver@phoenyx.net
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I have spent many a weekend at the Kansas City Renaissance Faire in Bonner Springs. Some of my friends were musicians there (the Jolly Rogers, Bully Ruse, Emerald Skye, were some of the names they went under. I was also fond of Tourdion and Dr. Dumpe, the Jolly Rogers, Matty Striker, Bob the Incredible Juggler, John Mallory & Family, and Puke & Snot.) Guy ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
On Thu, 22 Dec 2005, Guy Hoyle wrote: GH>I have spent many a weekend at the Kansas City GH>Renaissance Faire in Bonner Springs. Some of my GH>friends were musicians there (the Jolly Rogers, Bully GH>Ruse, Emerald Skye, were some of the names they went GH>under. I was also fond of Tourdion and Dr. Dumpe, the GH>Jolly Rogers, Matty Striker, Bob the Incredible GH>Juggler, John Mallory & Family, and Puke & Snot.) Well, we might well organize a Phoenyx KCRF Invasion (if we can manage to GO this year), though that'd likely be a separate event. In a perfect world, I'd make the Gathering calendarically adjacent to an event like that (GorillaCon or something) but then that would make it not-a-weekend which wouldn't work at all. -- Karen J. Cravens silver@phoenyx.net ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
On Thu, 22 Dec 2005, Karen J. Cravens wrote:
> That'd be the core track, yep.
No, that was the whole point... to get away from distractions and do
some serious gaming. Not to try to get some gaming done in between
distractions.
If we reach a point where we're all gamed-out and we feel like taking
a break with some sightseeing, that's fine... we'll do whatever feels
right at the time. But I don't want to _schedule_ non-gaming events
to disrupt the gaming. We let that happen three Gatherings in a
row... I'd like this one to _really_ be about gaming this time, and
not just in spirit. I don't want to mislead people about what this
event is about.
A weekend is a very short amount of time, and much of it is going to
get eaten up by people's travel time. I want to make it clear to
everyone who comes that gaming is what it's all about. I don't want
nine people going off to a museum for half a day, leaving three people
who came for games sitting around wondering what happened to the
gaming they were promised.
I guess I see it as being like camping... you don't invite your
friends to go camping with you and then leave them by themselves in
the tent while you go to the mall to shop and see a movie.
Oh, and people are welcome to have migraine headaches and throw-up in
the kitchen if they need to... I just don't want to put that on the
schedule either. And we won't be having any seafood. (Did I get sick
during the first Gathering? I'm sure I must have, but I can't recall
it.)
--
Carl D Cravens (raven@phoenyx.net) Gamers List Owner
[ Trim Your Quotes! ]
A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
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On Fri, 23 Dec 2005, Carl D Cravens wrote: CDC>Oh, and people are welcome to have migraine headaches and throw-up in CDC>the kitchen if they need to... I just don't want to put that on the CDC>schedule either. And we won't be having any seafood. (Did I get sick CDC>during the first Gathering? I'm sure I must have, but I can't recall CDC>it.) No, I think we just got lost in downtown Kansas City. Which pretty much happens *anytime* I go to KC, so it wasn't unusual. -- Karen J. Cravens silver@phoenyx.net ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
> On Fri, 23 Dec 2005, Carl D Cravens wrote: > > CDC>Oh, and people are welcome to have migraine headaches and throw-up in > CDC>the kitchen if they need to... I just don't want to put that on the > CDC>schedule either. And we won't be having any seafood. (Did I get sick > CDC>during the first Gathering? I'm sure I must have, but I can't recall > CDC>it.) > > No, I think we just got lost in downtown Kansas City. Which pretty much > happens *anytime* I go to KC, so it wasn't unusual. Karen's right. As far as I recall you did not get sick but we did get lost trying to find the restaurant at least once. -- Michael Feldhusen mike_f@io.com caulay@gmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
On Sat, 24 Dec 2005, Michael Feldhusen wrote: MF>Karen's right. As far as I recall you did not get sick but we did get MF>lost trying to find the restaurant at least once. Oh yeah, that. Wherein I proved that I am clearly of Lawful alignment because despite the streets being thoroughly deserted, I went way 'round to find a one-way street that went the *right* way... (And I've since been told that that was the *wrong* Famous Kansas City Restaurant.) -- Karen J. Cravens silver@phoenyx.net ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
On Thu, Dec 22, 2005 at 02:23:35PM -0600, Karen J. Cravens wrote: > Moving to a new town, or just moving house? We're looking at doing... > well, both, technically, though in the former case just 20 miles or so out > of town, at most. If it happens, it would be a new town. I'm applying for faculty positions at small liberal arts colleges, considering a move to there from Vanderbilt. I won't know for a couple of months (at least) if I even have any offers, and if I do, it's not yet a foregone conclusion that I will leave Vanderbilt. -Rob -- --Prof. Robert Knop Department of Physics & Astronomy, Vanderbilt University robert.a.knop@vanderbilt.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
On Thu, 22 Dec 2005, Robert A. Knop Jr. wrote: RAKJ>I'm applying for faculty positions at small liberal arts colleges, RAKJ>considering a move to there from Vanderbilt. I won't know for a couple of RAKJ>months (at least) if I even have any offers, and if I do, it's not yet a RAKJ>foregone conclusion that I will leave Vanderbilt. U of Kansas isn't a small LA college, but it's got astronomy stuff (yes, I can be more vague upon request). Lawrence is a couple-three hours from here, but if we move up to Newton, that'd shave half an hour or so off your travel time. I'm just sayin'. -- Karen J. Cravens silver@phoenyx.net ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
Oh, and how can I leave out Tullamore??? ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
On Thu, 22 Dec 2005, Robert A. Knop Jr. wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 22, 2005 at 12:46:57PM -0600, Karen J. Cravens wrote:
> What's the weekend plan? How much gaming vs. other stuff typically
> goes on? Were I to come, would you want me to run a one-shot of some
> sort?
We managed to not do a lot of gaming in the past... we had renfaires,
armory museums and such (not to mention a migraine headache at the
worst possible moment). What we're looking at doing here is getting
away from all that... lock ourselves in some wilderness retreat and
not come out until we can't take it any more.
I'm liking the idea of a lodge-type accomodation with a kitchen and
the like, where we can do our own cooking, can watch a DVD or two on a
big-screen TV if we like. If we have a lot of people, a place with
adjacent cabins and a central lodge meeting place would be good.
This is the place Karen was looking at today (not the one we're
getting for her sister)...
http://www.basswoodresort.com/truman.html
It's $289 a night for up to 8. Three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, full
kitchen, BBQ grill.
Outside of there, you can go all the way from pitching your own tent,
to a one-room cabin with no frills, to fancier cabins, all within
various walking distances of the lodge.
But that's just one option. There are all kinds of things we could
look at. About a dozen from rec.games.frp.advocacy did something like
this in August of '97 and had a blast... I didn't make it because it
was in Canada and I couldn't afford the trip. They started out in an
elementary school, sleeping on the floor in the gym, and got kicked
out half-way through because some bureaucrat decided they shouldn't
be there.
And yes, we'd ask for volunteers to come planning to run some one-shot
adventures. The way the rgfa guys did it was for prospective GMs to
put forth possible games and the folks who were planning to be there
got to choose... there was some negotiation, and players got to
prepare for most of the games in advance.
--
Carl D Cravens (raven@phoenyx.net) Gamers List Owner
[ Fudge Factor Webzine -- http://www.fudgefactor.org/ ]
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