Mordengaard

The Revival of the Wetlands Campaign
Official Entry #1
April 7, 2003

Unto the Monarchy, Nobility and Populace of the Wetlands,

First, the omnipresent disclaimer, because I want to make myself perfectly clear and leave as little room for doubt in the minds of those folks who always seem to take offense at what I say. What I am going to be posting over the next few days is for the benefit of the entire Kingdom, though it might seem like I am singling out Granyte Spyre. GS is just the chapter closest to my home, and, as this project progresses, I will be expanding its reach to include all the chapters who care to follow it through. Additionally, it may seem like I am pointing fingers or laying blame for one situation or another; this simply is not so, and any examples I might pull from recent history should serve as EXAMPLES only. The time for positive action is now, and henceforth, so far as I am concerned, all previous negativity is water under the bridge so to speak. If you get your feelings hurt, or otherwise take offense at something I say, then maybe you should just start deleting this thread now because I'm probably going to be stepping on a few toes - and if yours are delicate, get the hell out of the way, cuz I'm a big guy and I plan to do some stomping. If, at any time, you feel the need to reply in anger, just keep it to yourself, because I'm not going to bother defending my beliefs to anyone. This is "just the way I see it" and nothing your hurt wittle feewings can say is going to change my mind. That unpleasantness aside, read on if you dare.

THE STATE OF THE WETLANDS

It's easy to look around at events and weekly meetings and see that the population of yesteryear is dwindling fast. In two short years we have gone from a kingdom of 14 groups with five Duchies (and a Grand Duchy) to a kingdom of 9 groups with one Duchy. The number of Old Timers are dropping off, as can be expected of any recreational hobby which requires the continual expenditure of energy as Amtgard. The elder knights are slowly disappearing and the Founding Fathers of the Wetlands have all but turned over the "reigns of power" to younger, more enthusiastic leaders. Ordinarily, this would not be a problem, except that the "talent base" of new members is not growing at the same rate as the drop-outs.

If the Wetlands is to survive another ten years, we have got to start recruiting and we've got to start soon. But there is far more to it than just getting players out to the park. We've got to keep them coming back - and therein lies the controversial part of this mission. If we are to thrive in the Age of Everquest, we have to begin to change the way we see ourselves, and, most importantly, we've got to change a few of the things we have grown complacent in allowing.

So, in as much detail as I can muster, I have listed a few thoughts on how to Revive the Wetlands.

FIND NEW PLAYERS

This is the Big Enchilada of the Revival - finding and keeping new like-minded players. Without new blood, we are doomed to wither and die. Listed below are expositions on the types of new players and how to go about recruiting them.

High Schools -

From area high schools come many young players, full of energy and enthusiasm. Many of our long-term players started out as high school students. On the plus side, they generally run in packs, so if we recruit one, we usually get several. On the downside, they rarely have their own transportation, so they end up starting a new group at whatever school they represent. If we can prevent this from happening, then I'd be more prone to condoning recruitment at this level. Also, Amtgard is, despite the howls of many Amt-parents, NOT KID FRIENDLY, especially to those children with parents who, you know, CARE what their kids are up to. How to reach these kids? I heard an idea about placing ads in the school newspapers, but that could get expensive (especially in a place like Houston with over 100 different high schools). Also, public schools get really picky about what kinds of businesses/organizations are allowed to recruit and/or post flyers on campus. I have to say, forget the kids. They'll come on their own.

Community Colleges and Universities -

While not such a pack mentality, recruiting players at this level is far preferable to high school kids, just by virtue of the average age. The biggest plus to these institutions is they have community bulletin boards and student unions. Both of these places can be used to hang or distribute flyers, and the Powers-That-Be are usually a LOT more amenable to organizations recruiting on campus, especially we historical and educational-types. Also, it would behoove us to single out History, Humanities, Music, Art and Religious Studies Departments and get a handful of flyers to each.

Traditional Venues -

Book Stores (like Waldenbooks), Comic Book Stores, Movie Premiers and Game Stores. These are our bread-and-butter! These are the businesses we should be BOMBING with flyers and personal appearances. Don't call. Don't schedule a demo. JUST SHOW UP! AND SHOW UP EVERY WEEK! We are over-looking one of the biggest draws of all, and that is the amount of attention six guys (and gals) in garb and armor can create on their own. No self-respecting comic book/ game store would kick us out and, once we're gone, we leave a pile of flyers in our wake.

Non-traditional Venues -

Irish Bars, Tattoo Parlors, Head Shops (like Bizarre Bazzar or Erotic Cabaret - MARS NEEDS WOMEN!), Copy Shops (like Copydotcom), Grocery Stores, Coffee Shops (like Starbucks and Deitrichs) - all of these places let weirdos like us hang signs in their windows publicizing Coming Events and Attractions. Well, we're an attraction, aren't we? We have events, don't we? Even if we can't patronize these places every weekend, we can at least show up once a month and change the flyers!

SEEK OUT OLD PLAYERS AND CONVERTS

People play games for a variety of reasons, and quit for just as many reasons. This should be our second "big push". There are literally hundreds of people out there who USED to play Amtgard and don't any longer. The main reasons for quitting are usually a) BURN-OUT/BOREDOM, b) PERSONALITY CONFLICTS or c) LOSS OF APPEAL. While b) may be the hardest to overcome, the other two are easily solved by simple phone calls.

Retirees -

I bet four of us Old Timers could sit under a tree and come up with fifty names of people we haven't seen in years. Grab a phone book and look up those names (REAL NAMES, ninnies!) and explain to those folks that the Kingdom is changing, there are new rules on the way, a Revival is happening and the fun is reaching an all-time high. Whatever line of shit it takes to get them to come back out. Then we gotta PROVE it (see CHANGING THE PARADIGM, below).

Vampires, Klingons and SCAdians -

Our biggest competitors should get ROBBED by this Campaign. No kidding, this is WAR, ladies and gentlemen. If we are to survive, we have got to ruthlessly attract players from other societies. Vampire-LARPers will love the chance to engage in full-contact gaming and SCAdians will enjoy the softer side of combat without sprains and bruises. Klingons, well, they can come fight until their blood-thirsty hearts are content. All of these groups can be contacted via the Internet for meeting times and places. Then, a few of us show up, offer to help out their club (NOT) if we can hand out some flyers. Wholesale robbery ensues.

Rennies -

How many of you work at the Renaissance Festival or attend so regularly as to be permanent fixtures? Now, how many of you know someone at the Fair who DOESN'T play Amtgard? See, you've already been slacking! Pick up the phone and invite your similarly-geeky friends to come out to the park. Easy cheesy, lemon squeezy. These should be the easiest converts of all, because we're not competing with the Fair except for a few weeks a year (when most of us are there, anyway).

CHANGES IN THE PARADIGM

Okay, prepare for the controversy. And, like I said at the beginning, keep your hurt feelings to yourself or someone who cares, cuz I don't want to hear it. I was asked to help revive the Kingdom and, therefore, I am giving my two pesos regarding how to do that. Feel free to disagree, but please save the crying for another forum (like Livejournal. You can start a page and cry to the world about Big Mean Luke and his Dastardly Opinions)

Weekly Meetings -

This is almost always the first face seen by new players and is the number one reason for players not coming back. If weekly meetings are a joke of sitting under a tree and bullshitting, then no one is going to be interested. Have something planned for EVERY WEEKEND. Period. I can not stress this enough. Ditch battles and Ring-the-Bell are NOT enough. Plan a Quest, a battlegame, a tournament, SOMETHING. If you get more than three newbies on any day, teach an impromptu class on weapon construction, shield making or basic garbing. Show them a little love, make it interesting and they'll come running back.

Events -

Our events pretty much rock. The biggest complaint I hear from newbies comes from Court and who is getting recognized for what. This can't be helped, mostly because the folks who are getting recognized are long overdue and have been doing it for a long time. One thing I would advise, however, is that the Kingdom Monarch hand out a few low level awards every now and then. Yeah, yeah, I know you've got policies about letting the local leaders handle what they can - but you gotta admit, awards from the King or Regent are a LOT more impressive than from a Baron or Sheriff - especially if it's for something that happened at the event (like a Dragon or Owl for exceptional A&S entries, or a Rose for standing extra shifts at gate). Try it, it won't hurt, and chances are, that newbie will be back!

The Wetlist -

Here is the tough one. The Wetlist sucks ass. No offense to the moderators, but it's WAY out of control in some areas (namely the continual barrage of almost-flames between Old Timers). I have heard from no fewer than four newbies that the Wetlist is making them lose all respect for the game in general and the Wetlands as a whole. I'll be the first to admit I start more than my fair share of crap on the list, but it's usually meant in either good fun or from a sincere attempt to impress an issue on the populace. SOME folks just want to be rude and point fingers and call names and pat themselves on the back. While there is a time and place for all those things, in front of the newbies ain't it. I recommend to the Moderators: start a new list just for players of less than a year experience and maybe five to ten Old Timers who are genuinely interested in their welfare - and unsubscribe them from the main Wetlist until they are ingrained enough in our culture to understand our rampant abuse of one other in cyberspace. Recommended Old Timers for this Newbie List: myself, Fionnghal, Chewie, Trelath, Dughan, Snicker, Feral, Jeardan, O'Banion and Denah. A fine cross-section of native Wetlanders, outsiders, role-players, stick jocks, politicians and artisans (all of which are capable of talking good smack, but FAR more capable to teaching new players about Amtgard on a personal level)

MARKETING THE GAME

As I said before, this is the Age of Everquest (and other on-line, vicarious-thrill games) - in order to make our mark in this day and age, we've got to offer something more than just war games. We've got to offer games, exercise, adventure, outdoor activities, educational experiences and, above all, friendship. We've got to go up to the Mundanes who are watching and be nice to them. Hand them a sword and offer to spar. KEEP THEM AWAY FROM THE STICK JOCKS for the first time out. No one is going to come back after Targ'et hands them their ass for the eightieth time in a row.

Advertise -

Advertise. Advertise. Throughout this post I make mention of advertising as the way to recruit. No kidding, gang. You gotta spend money to make money. And this holds true for recruitment, as well. You have got to be SEEN and SEEN OFTEN. We've got to appear professional, "together" and like we know what we're doing. We've got to have eye-catching, full color flyers. We've got have on-the-spot business contact cards for each barony.

The Houston Chronicle -

The Houston Press. The Daily Cougar (U of H newspaper), The Village News. The Greensheet. These are the places where are advertisement dollars will pay off the most and best. Forget the high school papers, we have bigger fish to fry!

To make matters even better, we NEVER have to pay a graphic designer for anything. :)

FUNDING

In closing this post, let's talk about money. This campaign is going to take some bucks. I hereby pledge $100 of my personal money for advertising costs. I also pledge all the design time and paper stock necessary to make it happen. The Kingdom Monarch (Thanks, Spyn!) has also generously offered to help kick down to off-set the cost of printing. What would YOU like to donate? Hmmm?

I'd also like to nominate Sir Feral, Prime Minister of Granyte Spyre, to act as Treasurer for the Revival. While I haven't known him for long, I genuinely feel he is trustworthy, universally reachable and concerned about the State of the Amtgard today. Sir Feral, if you would, please consider this your Unofficial Appointment to the Revival Committee. I'll be getting my extra cash to you ASAP.

AT LAST…THE END

Thank you all for getting this far and bearing with this rather long-winded post. I hope I didn't step on too many toes, and, if I did step on yours, please don’t take it too poorly. I'm only trying to help.

More to come, probably as the list explodes with controversy,
Luke

© 2003 Lukas Wyndgarde.

Document edited for style by Meggido.