Orientation Week is the start of the academic bludge. Its the perfect time to get involved in the various clubs, and avoid even starting any work. The Infernal Torment, pizza and soccer are a great way to get to know some of the people in the club, both first years and the old farts.
These are also a good indication of the sorts of things that we end up doing during the year. Infernal Torments, free food, and generally having a lot of silly fun.
Panacea is the O-week tournament. In the words of its writer ...
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Dr. Herman Eckhardt was a dedicated and successful genetic researcher at Northwest General Hospital, one of Australia's leading medical institutions. So why should he one day find that he is locked out of his land and files barred from his work, and fire from the hospital payroll? Who would go to the trouble of framing a doctor for malfeasance, and why? With a habit of thorough research and a professional reputation to uphold Dr Eckhardt enlists some professional help: Topper and Blakefield Investigations. Can the good doctor, with the help of Max Topper, Sally Blakefield, and their newest hireling Christian Sabel, get to the bottom of the mystery? |
There will be pizza available before the scenario, at about 4pm, in the Committee Room in the Union Building.
In addition, we have booked the Main Gym for a game of Indoor Soccer on the Friday afternoon, between 2pm and 4pm. You need white soled shoes of some sort to play, and there are few (if any) rules beyond no killing anyone else (bare feet is not recommended - a few injuries resulted from people not wearing shoes last year).
Infernal Torment
To start the year off with a burst of roleplaying, the first infernal torment will be Quest for the Sage II: The Wedding of the Decade. You don't need to have played the original scenario, for further on is 'In Our Last Exciting Episode ...'; a brief (?) summary of the action.
X-Frogs
X-Frogs is the working title of a tournament-style series of games, (loosely) thematically based upon the X-Files tv show, the works of H.P. Lovecraft and some really silly movies. Approximately once a month, an episode shall be run on the Monday nights, in a vague sort of series. People are more than welcome to pick one of many characters, and stick with that character all the way through the scenarios. More details will be available on the noticeboard as the first date approaches.
AGM
The Annual General Meeting will be held upon the 11th of March, in one of the Mensies Building's lecture theatres (assuming we can book them still), the exact time and date to be announced on the MURP noticeboard as well as at various events.
The AGM is very important - it is at this time MURP elects its committee members for the year. All members that can make it really should - there's no point complaining about people on the committee when you didn't bother to show.
The positions that are to be filled are: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Librarian, ConOrg, Publicist and two First Year Representatives.
Gaming Nights
Every Thursday night, MURP members gather in the Union Building to play or run roleplaying games. These nights start at 6:30pm, and run until 10:30pm. What do we play? Well, what do you want to run?
What usually occurs is GM's decide that they want to run something and ask for players. That's about the limit of the formal organisation on the usual Thursday nights. However, on the 1st night that we start normal games we've found that it helps to sort things out if we try and organise for the GM's and players to get together. To try and help that along, we're asking people who intend to run games to tell us, and leave a list at the O-week desk so that people have a rough idea what games are available.
Players who want to get into a particular style of game (horror, fantasy, science fiction, etc) or who want to play a particular system (Vampire, AD\
Roleplaying Seminars
Once again this year, we have begged, cajoled and simply asked some of the more prominent and notorious roleplayers in Melbourne to come and chat at and with us. What about? Well, about how to draw the most out of your own roleplaying, out of your players, how they flesh out characters, plots, campaigns and worlds, how to present and organise roleplaying material for Conventions and maybe even for printing.
Who are these masked madmen? For the most part, they are people who have written roleplaying material and been successful in getting it published. They are people who are (in?)famous at Arcacon and Conquest and further afield for their exploits and GMing.
But who are they? Come and find out, and have a lot of fun. Bring yourself, an open mind, ideas and relevant anecdotes.
Camp
Come March 29th, MURP is hosting a weekend-long camp in the far off hills of Healesville. The location is Polana Youth Centre, at the end of the Maroondah Highway.
At least once a year MURP hosts these camps, and they are 90\%+ successful. People come along, bring alchohol, board games and (shock) roleplaying material for a weekend of fun. Recently we have held these camps at Portsea, but for a change of pace (read: we were double booked) we decided to move away from the sea and into the hills.
More details are available at the O-week table, or from the document box attached to the noticeboard, or from committee members.
Conquest '96
At Easter every year, Conquest is held. Many people turn up hideously early to University High to play the games that are offered, eat lots of glucose, quaff caffiene and enjoy themselves.
This year, MURP will be sending (and hopefully) sponsoring teams to Conquest. Further information will be available from committee members, but in the meantime, try looking in your local gaming shop for a mauve-covered Conquest booklet and see what you feel would be fun to play.
Arcanacon XIV
Similar, but larger than, Conquest, Arcanacon is another large Convention in Melbourne. Arcanacon is held in the Collingwood Education Center, on Hoddle St.
As with Conquest, MURP often sends sponsored teams to go and roleplay. This is a hallowed tradition, proudly upheld. MURP teams, or ex-club-members are often prize winners, or close runners up.
More details will follow as the date approaches.
Camp: Portsea
What again? Well... yes actually. Camps are fun, camps are good, so we think the more the better. The August camp however, is in Portsea, right at the end of the Nepean Highway, at the Lord Mayor's Children's camp.
The Portsea camp will be similar to the Polana camp, with the added benefit of a cliff to fall off. What rapture, eh? Again, more details will be forthcoming as the date approaches.
CAPRICON VI - The Weird And Novel Gaming CONvention
Capricon is the single largest event that MURP hosts during the year. We usually spend over a thousand dollars organising, advertising and hosting the Convention, from July through to the Con itself, in September.
Capricon is our chance to show off to the rest of Melbourne - and further afield - our roleplaying writers and abilities. Not a few people have written one year for Capricon and the next for Arcanacon.
If you are interested in writing (or organising!) for Capricon, give Damien a yell (9888 1722).