The Kingdom of the Emerald Hills

Oh yeah....

and after all the non-duchies demote themselves we can start looking at Golden Plains and get them to drop their Kingdom status. Does anyone really still believe they (GP) can hold the numbers needed to be a kingdom?

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I swear, Delphos and Brennon really just remind me of a couple of bad Spock and Bones impersonators.

"Nevron disagrees with and dislikes me. He is, however, rational".- Brennon

"I'll admit, I trolled the smack forum." - Shady Troll

As PM of Finders Keep and a somewhat active member for the past two years. I have seen our park go from and average of 15-20 people down to an average of 5-10 people, and back up again. The winter months have hit us hard and our average may be down now. We have worked hard to maintain the numbers we have and will continue to work hard to maintain them. In five years when we are still here we will see what our numbers have done. We have room to grow yet I seriously doubt that we will ever reach Duchy status. Most of us are fine with that. I personally am not offended that any parks that have Duchy status and are not maintaining numbers remain Duchies. At one point in time those parks worked hard to reach that status. Though if a park chooses to voluntarily reduce it's status that is the parks descision.

I am in favor of park demotion but like dreaven said it should be a last resort. I also agree with tolkien that to keep a duchy status we should at least have an average of 20 people

I have tried to recruit at my school but no one ever comes out. I even offer to pick them up and take them to the park

I think we need to make flyers like Sutra said but let them be helpful.
For example have the kingdom site and a link to were the listed parks are, and maybe have how to construct an amtgard sword on the back so we wont have to provide all the newbies with swords.

Thangorn-

IMHO, I believe Draven hit on it and Sutra just about spelled it out.
I see alot of energy here being used in this thread to try and determine downgrades, maybe some of that should be spent to what we can do to upgrade the numbers once again.
I have been to many of comic and book stores in my days passing out flyers and talking with new people and bringing new people to this game.
I think making up some new flyers to pass out and then going and passing them out would be energy better spent and anything else along those lines, promo's, talking to new people etc and encourage others to do the same.

IMO if more of this was going on like it had in years past then we may not even be having this discussion.

My thoughts after reading this thread.

How much energy would you say was used in this thread? I'll bet it was less than 300 calories. If I buy Forest a donut, can we call it even?

Only if we make him jump through the donut hole!

I need to make a documentary for a class - I was thinking about making it an Amtgard documentary - and a lot of people have asked me about Amtgard. If I was armed with something that I could give them it would be way cool. A flyer or even a pamphlet ( which I could easily design and have printed ).

Anyway I am going to be fimling on Saturday 18th at Mightnight Sun for the documentary if anyone is interested in helping or being in it.

Maybe we can come up with some ideas for promoting amtgard?

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Anthea Starfyre
anthea@darkemerald.org
BLOG: http://www.everythingmagical.net/diary/

Actually change of date - it is going to have to be THIS Saturday the 11th at Midnight Sun. I have a meeting on the 18th and this would be the only time I get to film.

So once again if anyone wants to be on film - come on down

_________________
Anthea Starfyre
anthea@darkemerald.org
BLOG: http://www.everythingmagical.net/diary/

Due to other problems with the camera, this has been reset to Sunday the 19th of Feb. at Mourning Wood Glen.

What you need to be asking, is not if parks should be demoted... do you think for a moment that BL ever considers demoting themselves since thier park can't keep kingdom level attendance?? HELL NO!

What you need to be asking is why have our numbers dropped so much over the course of the last 2 years...


What is different?
What is the same?
What causes people to leave?
What keeps people playing?

When I ask those no longer active, I get a mix of answers.
But one answer I get from everyone I ask is the same...
It's no Fun anymore.

IMO, the people who have taken the RP out of the game and replaced it with pure sport for the sole sake of Winning...
They are the major reason we have such a low population.

A little over two years ago, before the "New Age", the populace of EH was growing & most everyone was having a good time playing Amtgard.
Then we moved into the present with a different collective mindset, the emphasis changing from playing a game to competeing in a sport.

Now our numbers are such that we look at demoting our parks, when instead, we should be facing the problem.

You can't go passing out fliers for a "Fantasy Roleplying Game" when all you have to offer is a hard hitting, smack talking, ring the bell, trench monkey, knock your ass into the ground contact sport.
Not to say there's no place for that in Amtgard... There is!
But... We have to balance it out with the very thing that makes us different from any mundane sport... fantasy role playing.

There is, however, Hope!
Some of our newer players have seen a glimpse of what the "good times" were like and are working with some of our old players towards a future where Amtgard is again more than just a sport, or a game... it's a society of different people, all with a common interest and a common goal...
to escape the mundane and play in a fantasy world of wonder and magic.

Do your Part... PLAY AMTGARD!!!!!

Delphos

Here Here! Delphos!

Very eloquent and oh so very true. You are a wise and honorable person and I am deeply honored to be able to call you friend.

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Anthea Starfyre
anthea@darkemerald.org
BLOG: http://www.everythingmagical.net/diary/

I do not see how reconciling the parks' status with their attendance prevents anyone from attempting to increase numbers. I realize that you have an agenda to push, and whether or not I support that agenda, it does not change the fact that I am embarassed to call my home park a duchy. I'm sorry that my mentioning the Barony of the Midnight Sun prevents you from Living the Dream, but I don't know how to fix that.

If you see me DOING something that reduces attendance, call me on it.

If you have some ideas for things I can DO to increase attendance, let me know.

But you don't chew me out for taking 5 minutes out of my day to go for a walk or read some comic strips; why do you chew me out for taking 5 minutes out of my day to respond to this thread voicing my belief that the Midnight Sun's numbers do not justify being a duchy? What is the inconsistency between thinking the Midnight Sun is not a duchy and at the same time wanting to do everything I can to increase attendance?

Did I miss something
Why is Kodiak feeling chewed on??
If it's from my post, then I'm sorry you feel that way Kodiak.

I have no "agenda" other than trying to help keep the game I've been playing for almost 20 years alive and Fun.
I could care less what status any park has at this point in time...
going from Duchy to Barony to Shire, whatever.
Hell the entire area could be a shire and it would effect me not.

It would, however, effect our ability to give kingdom level orders, or to make Knights. And what Kingdom would we be under??

No, demotion is not the answer, though rightly considered by numbers counting alone.

So, to anyone out there, go ahead, lower park status so that it fits the level of attendance today... perhaps it will grow tomorrow, perhaps not.
That park may never get the status back, it may even have to be lowered again...

A Kingdom of Shires...
I can live with that...
can you?

I know that's harsh, but once demotion is used on a regular basis... whose to say where it will end.

Will we become the Barony of the Emerald Hills??
... The Shire of the Emerald Hills??

Delphos

ps. Really Kodiak, you looked great in the Zebra outfit...
I loved it !!! Now that's Playing Amtgard!!!

YA , I didn’t see anyone chewing you out either Kodiak and my point was to take the energy (mental energy), which doesn’t really have much to do with calories but rather time spent in thought about a problem and the solution to any problem is thought on a solution (from what I know anyway).

BTW Delphos great post, great insight, I’m working on some things in that direction and have also thought that it might be good to pass info in that direction out in some flyers/pamphlets along with some general info to help generate inspiration for other potentially new people who might enjoy Amtgard. (after some ground work of course).

I don’t believe anyone was raggin on you Kodiak and if you got that impression from me then I apologize, I’m glad you brought the topic up actually. /bow

Heh. Guess I read a bit too much into a few words, innit. I just felt like people were saying "anyone who is talking about demoting parks needs to focus on making Amtgard better instead!" And that's a frustrating thing to hear, because I am just as devastated as anyone at the population we have right now, but I'm at a loss for what to do about it - I've never been good at the 'recruiting' part of the game.