[MR] Permanent Crown event site

[logan]

one quick thing.  please dont refer to the site as "bj penn", while his
ground game is solid and his striking is above par he is so grossly
overrated i find him irritating and that makes it harder for me to
appreciate his skill.  ;^)

on a serious note you bring up many excellent observations on this proposal.
some things to consider and some ideas that come to mind while we are all,
well i hope we all are, brainstorming:



the contract could be for four years with a guaranteed four year extension.

choosing the rotation could be as simple as a lottery type drawing.  throw
all the baronies and shire/strongholds names in a hat and, at an event, have
a child draw the names from a hat until the contract is fulfilled.  if an
extension is put in place simply do the same thing minus the groups that
have already been chosen.  this gives every group in the kingdom an
opportunity to host a well attended event.

if a barony gets a bid they can simply poll their populace and see who is
attending and who wishes to take on one of the very few staff positions
(probably based on past experience).  for example, if lady sue is planning
on going and has been an autocrat she might be willing to volunteer.  if
lady sue is going but has never autocratted but is part of sir billys
household and has a house brother that lives somewhere else and has a lot of
time in as an autocrat and is willing to mentor her then she is covered.  on
the same token if a barony has the bid and isnt sure they have the staff for
it they might have an experienced guild member or household that is part of
their barony that could do it (see clan ebonwoulfe hosting assessments this
year).

there are a ton of other solutions to potential problems and if people spend
more energy looking for solutions and less energy looking for disaster there
is no hurdle that cannot be overcome.  bjp is no further than 6 hours
(according to google which is always slow) from any point in the kingdom as
far as i can tell.



anyway, some things to think about.

regards
logan

"I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was
hell." 
Harry S Truman 
"If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his
vengeance need not be feared"
Niccolo Machiavelli
www.ebonwoulfe.com
www.fighterpractice.com


-----Original Message-----
From: atlantia-bounces at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
[mailto:atlantia-bounces at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org] On Behalf Of Adeliza of
Bristol
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 2:31 PM
To: atlantia at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
Subject: [MR] Permenant Crown event site

Personally, I believe there are a few things I think people need to be
keeping in mind as they discuss this and before they post:

Before you say "what about two or three additional event sites" or "what
about one here and one there" please keep in mind that if such sites were
available, this wouldn't be being proposed. The basic fact is that there has
not been, to this date, any sort of constantly reliable site or bids from
any area or any group. No one can be the "fall back" when Coronation/Crown
is a month away and no one has put in a bid. Now, if you want to go out
there and find those sites, ohhhh please please do!! But until more than one
usable and confirmable site has been found, the suggestion of additional
sites and sites in additional locations is a moot point. TRMajesties
proposed solution addresses the stark lack of groups to be able to plan for
Crown in less than six months (or two, for that matter). A Kingdom at the
mercy of a failing bid process for such important things as Crown and
Coronation is an uncomfortable situation. 

Nothing is written in stone. There will be likely some change to the
policies for holding these events to accomodate for the different style of
hosting. I don't know where the idea that there is a $1500 income guarantee,
but I can tell you from experience that does not always happen. We all have
to work with the money we get, so there can be no income guarantee for any
event, and expenses must always be met first. Hold Crown in one of the
border lands of the Kingdom, especially up here in the mountains of
Hawkwood, and you can bank on not making that much. This also addresses the
complaint that far lying groups won't get to hold a proper event. Right now,
a group in the farthest reaches of the Kingdom will not turn the same profit
as they would holding it at BJ Penn. That is a fact. Too far south, and the
north can't do it, and vice-versa. If it is in the same place with the same
expenses and accomodations, it will be a far greater benefit to everyone
involved really. Groups will have a real idea of how much income will be
generated by the event, rather than hoping the other half of the Kingdom
makes the trip.

This isn't the re-creation of the wheel, folks. Crusades, Sapphire,  even
Sea Wars maybe (?) and many other events have had permenant locations. The
local groups were not crippled and usually they benefitted from the plan.
How is the Kingdom reusing this site any different from Sacred Stone reusing
Tripplet Farm for WoW each year? From what I have heard, each WoW only gets
easier to deal with as bugs are worked out. Staff is able to pass on
knowledge to those who take their place. Autocrats have fewer surprises to
deal with. There is a  whole lot of potential for good things coming of
this.

If Crown is in one place, you know to plan to go there six months in
advance. No different from going to any war or stationary event. If your a
merchant, you decide on potential profit vs. expenses, just like any
stationary event in the Kingdom, only now you know better what those figures
are in advance. Only traveling to Crown if it is within X hours is going to
be no different than avoiding it completely simply because it will always be
X hours away. If it is a good money opportunity, then it is a good one
whether it is two our eight hours away. Just like WoW and other constant
events, you commit to what you can and when. No matter if it is next door,
you may not make any money or you may not make it to the event at all, no
matter the location or distance.

No matter where Crown is held, someone is going to complain it isn't close
to them. However, I don't hear people complain that Pennsic is never close,
nor Gulf Wars, nor Crusades when it was going strong, nor WoW for that
matter. If you want to attend bad enough, you will. Someone is *always*
closer to the site. I would propose to all that *prior* to complaining, have
an answer to the situation to propose. There has been frequent complaints
that bids were turned down due to distance. Well, that will not be a problem
with this proposal as the distance will remain the same and the Crown will
not have the option to choose a local bid over a far off one. It will
require those who run the event to have the proper expertise to know how to
run an event that is not in their back yard, therein relying on the whole
Kingdom, not just their buddies and local group. Nothing bad can come of
that! If you want to run Kingdom events, you have to learn how to run an
event that includes the whole Kingdom. Additionally, those around our
Kingdom who are proficient with running Kingdom events can be leaned on in
case of serious need. If the hosting group doesn't have anyone who can run
the event, someone can be found to do so for them, instead of forcing people
to do something they may prefer not to. The hosting group should never be
shouldering all the duties of a Kingdom event. That is what the Kingdom's
Officers, Orders, the Peerages and a plethora of other people are out here
for. This may force them all to be implemented as they should be!!

The welfare of the Kingdom needs to have some priority here. Yes, it is
important to keep the groups and individuals in mind, but throwing the baby
out with the bathwater makes no sense. Kingdom events are becoming more and
more in danger of not occuring, and some already have (Universities
specifically). It seems to be the knee jerk to say "what about me" or "what
about us" but we and us don't mean a thing when Crown is held in someone's
back yard due to no bids, sites, or people to run the event. So, keeping in
mind that there is no plan whatsoever for Crown Tourney in November, only
six or so months from now, is there any other idea that will fix this
problem today? Next month even? Suggesting using multiple sites in different
areas only works if those sites and areas are all ready to go. They are not
and have yet to be at any point in the semi-recent past. Implementing this
idea now secures the site for Crown for the next few times, and if the
situation with bids lightens up then this can all be revisited. Essentially,
the Kingdom is "off the hook" for at least two of its events per year (or
four if you throw in Coronation too). This may give a needed gap to allow
the groups to start finding ways to fix the situation, that is if the groups
actually find real issues with the situation worth addressing. Keep in mind
that only two or four events are secured with this, there are still six or
eight Kingdom events no one is turning in bids for. This strikes me as a
simply a healthy drop in the bucket of a larger problem.

Again, this will not be carved in stone for all time. If things should
change and groups suddenly be able to host Crown or Coronation locally more
often, then I expect this will be revisited and appropriate changes made.
Right now today, all those who enter Crown must keep in mind they will have
to deal with the fact their Coronation and Crown is up in the air and
dependant on someone out here find a place and put in a bid. As if there
isn't enough on the plate of new Heirs, now they also have to figure out who
to try and get to hold events. I just don't see that as fair really.

Obviously, I see a whole lot of pro's to this recommendation as a way to
address this situation as it stands right now today. There are a few things
regarding policies and administration that I look forward to seeing how they
are handled, but I have faith in those being worked through when we get
there. I truly believe that if we all look at the issue with this specific
Kingdom event, and exclude our personal interests and all the "what-ifs"
that could be addressed when and if they apply, the solution will be obvious
and this permentant site, even if only for the next few years, may be the
most viable option.

If there is another option, that is what I really need to hear before I feel
this one is out. What we have is absolutely not working and complaining
about proposals to fix it without providing working options really isn't
productive. No proposal will be without flaws, and if it appeared to be, I
promise someone will come up with some. The thing is to find a proposal that
fixes the serious problem, even if it has a few flaws too. 

Which flaw is greater, not having Crown Tourney or people always having to
travel the same distance to attend be it near or far? Limiting attendance at
Crown because it had to be held at someone's home or local Rec. Center, or
the populace having to plan the trip every six months if they want to
attend? Coronation being on the weekend it normally is no matter what, or
having to choose between family commitments during a holiday weekend because
it had to be moved to accomodate a site's availability?? Is anyone else
tired of not being able to plan attendance at one of the two biggest Kingdom
events a year, simply because no one has a clue where it will be held until
a couple months prior, at most?! Step back and look at the list of problems
currently being juggled before putting this idea down completely. Perhaps
there is a better idea, but the only way to know is if all the problems are
evaluated and compared.

Ok, that is enough wear and tear on this horse from me.

Baroness Adeliza of Bristol, OP
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