SURGe update
Well, things have been resolved slightly with regards to SURGe. Debs met up with some Exec people to clarify exactly what's been happening. Turns out the situation is something like this: new LGBT chairman is uncomfortable with clubs using the LGBT room on weekends, because it's been left in a mess before. LGBT chairman mentions this fact to Equal Ops convener on Union Exec. Equal Ops convener then decides that SURGe should be barred from the Annex. Hilarity[1] ensues.
After lots of running around after people, Debs has managed to extract assurances that we'll still be able to get into the Annex, that we'll have the use of the halls and the back room, that we'll get tables and chairs and heaters for the halls, and that they'll get some people to help move all the stuff out of the back room, since it's currently being used for storage. Whether or not we'll actually get any of this stuff remains to be seen, but it's a damn sight better than nothing.
In case things all go pear-shaped, pretty much all the Strathclyde students in SURGe[2] have volunteered as candidates for the Union Student Representative Council. We'll probably only get a few people elected, but the council have the power to overrule the Exec if necessary, and at least we could try and get our voices heard rather than dealing with official channels that mostly lead to brick walls. We also seem to have support from SUR (Strathclyde Uni Radio) and the Retro Gaming Soc, which is nice.
In the meantime, a couple of games have moved to peoples' flats, but we're still left with three groups trying to run in a hallway. This is going to be an interesting few weeks, and possibly an interesting few months or even years - it's entirely possible, I guess, that things could get even worse and we end up without a venue at all, in which case I suppose we'd have to split up into little gaming groups running wherever we can find space, or something similar.
I've got my fingers crossed for the best rather than the worst, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
[1] May not actually be at all hilarious.
[2] Actually a surprisingly small number - before Freshers Week, there was only one gaming group out of four that contained any students at all; now we have about 14 students in a society of 30-odd people.
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I'm making progress with my Paradise game. I'm keeping most of the material on my ExaltedWiki userpage, if anyone's interested. Hopefully SURGe'll still be around by the time I have enough finished stuff to actually run the game.
Also, it occurred to me the other night that I really dislike the "Right, now write down these cryptic headings on a blank sheet of paper..." part of pen-n-paper character creation, and that I couldn't use stock Exalted character sheets because I'm using a customised version of the system. So, I took a few hours and worked up some character sheets (page 1, page 2) in Photoshop. The font is Dead Postman 2004 for future reference.
Originally I'd hoped to use a lot of multimedia content when I was running the game - using neko to play effect sounds and music, and to show random images - but now my only laptop is an 11lb back-breaker, I'm not so sure. For one, there's the reluctance to lug a massive laptop in every week. For two, the game's already eating into my spare time and I've only just started preparation for it. I guess I'll see how it goes, if it goes at all.
After lots of running around after people, Debs has managed to extract assurances that we'll still be able to get into the Annex, that we'll have the use of the halls and the back room, that we'll get tables and chairs and heaters for the halls, and that they'll get some people to help move all the stuff out of the back room, since it's currently being used for storage. Whether or not we'll actually get any of this stuff remains to be seen, but it's a damn sight better than nothing.
In case things all go pear-shaped, pretty much all the Strathclyde students in SURGe[2] have volunteered as candidates for the Union Student Representative Council. We'll probably only get a few people elected, but the council have the power to overrule the Exec if necessary, and at least we could try and get our voices heard rather than dealing with official channels that mostly lead to brick walls. We also seem to have support from SUR (Strathclyde Uni Radio) and the Retro Gaming Soc, which is nice.
In the meantime, a couple of games have moved to peoples' flats, but we're still left with three groups trying to run in a hallway. This is going to be an interesting few weeks, and possibly an interesting few months or even years - it's entirely possible, I guess, that things could get even worse and we end up without a venue at all, in which case I suppose we'd have to split up into little gaming groups running wherever we can find space, or something similar.
I've got my fingers crossed for the best rather than the worst, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
[1] May not actually be at all hilarious.
[2] Actually a surprisingly small number - before Freshers Week, there was only one gaming group out of four that contained any students at all; now we have about 14 students in a society of 30-odd people.
----
I'm making progress with my Paradise game. I'm keeping most of the material on my ExaltedWiki userpage, if anyone's interested. Hopefully SURGe'll still be around by the time I have enough finished stuff to actually run the game.
Also, it occurred to me the other night that I really dislike the "Right, now write down these cryptic headings on a blank sheet of paper..." part of pen-n-paper character creation, and that I couldn't use stock Exalted character sheets because I'm using a customised version of the system. So, I took a few hours and worked up some character sheets (page 1, page 2) in Photoshop. The font is Dead Postman 2004 for future reference.
Originally I'd hoped to use a lot of multimedia content when I was running the game - using neko to play effect sounds and music, and to show random images - but now my only laptop is an 11lb back-breaker, I'm not so sure. For one, there's the reluctance to lug a massive laptop in every week. For two, the game's already eating into my spare time and I've only just started preparation for it. I guess I'll see how it goes, if it goes at all.