Why am I here?

All,

I'm not quite sure how I came to be on the IFIS mailing list. However, it
could be quite useful (stop groaning at the back!)

I am currently setting up a Laser Tag club at the Uni, and need at least
20 prospective members to get it ratified.

Now, seeing as you IFIS lot are into this sort of sci-fi entertainment, I
thought it may interest you to know about this. Laser Tag is a generic
name for Laser Quest, Darklight, Megazone, Quasar and other related games.
Basically the idea is that you have to shoot other people using your
laser gun. Games take place in a darkened arena and generally last about
twenty minutes (believe me, you'll be knackered after that).

If you are interested or would like more info and perhaps to try laser
tag at some point, contact me by e-mail or by phone!

Thanks a lot for listening, and don't chop me off the mailing list, I may
join IFIS :)

Martin

=============================
== Martin Greenaway ==
== marting@ ==
== 0958 656706 ==
=============================

Previously, Martin Greenaway wrote....
Well you were put on cos someone told me to put you on. I'll check just in
case they got it wrong.
Um well "techinically" GameSoc (which already exists) does Laser Tag stuff.
It's not been done in a while mainly cos the local Quaser in Slough has
closed and because no-one has bothered organising it. Now it'd probably be
easier for you to run it from within Gamesoc than to start and maintain a
new society.
Well you can find us down the Royal Ascot every thursdays or at one of our
many videos evenings (tonights is in the Main Lecture Theatre) and there
should be someone around to sign you up.

Chris

---

chris@ #include <stddisclaimer.h> http://www.instituteofcorrection.org.uk/

"So this is really me? A no-style gimbo with teeth druids could use as a
place of worship" - Duaine Dibley (Red Dwarf - "Back to Reality")

Martin Greenaway said:
Pass. I suspect some committee person gave me your address back when I
was managing the lists.
[sigh]

GameSoc already does Laser Tag... and Paintball, and LARP, and
everything else. I suspect that if you DO set up a Laser Tag Soc,
you'll just be duplicating effort, and unless you're very lucky,
you're likely to go the same way that the "WarGames" soc went when
THEY tried duplicating our efforts too. Ah well, up to you...

You might do better to turn up to a GameSoc meeting or 2 and promote
yourself as an organiser of Laser Tag games. Richard Mines used to be
our usual organiser, but since Slough Quasar closed down earlier in
the year, we've not done much.
Yeah, we all know, we've all done it. IFIS and GameSoc have a huge
number of shared members.

Out of curiosity, where DO you reccommend now that Slough has closed
down? We've gone to LQ in Reading a few times, and guildford (stupid
amount of driving time) once. Anywhere else worth going?
You might do better to join GameSoc, and/or get on the GameSoc
mailing-list which is gamesoc@ mail chris@ to
be added to it if you're not already on it.

---

Nick Waterman. Network Consultant / Sysadmin - LEOnet
nick@ Team *AMIGA*!
The light at the end of the tunnel may be an oncoming dragon.

On Thu, 11 Dec 1997, Nick Waterman wrote:
AAgh, well then if it was publicised, now....

Since I didn't know it already existed, then thats why I'm trying. How do
I join GameSoc? (Since I never even knew it existed, despite being a
second year)
Well there are loads of arenas around. However I would be pleased to
organise games, but have a not inconsiderable list of people wanting to
join a laser tag club. I'm not sure they will want to join gamesoc unless
I can get (very) frequent games organised.
But not entirely shared
Yeah, loads of places near here. Kingston, Guildford, Woking, Isleworth
etc.etc.

In that case, could I be put on the gamesoc mailing list pls (chris)?

I would like to join initially to find out how frequent the laser quest
trips can be arranged. It may be the case that gamesoc cannot arrange
enough trips, or trips when those of us considering setting up a laserag
club cannot attend. In those circumstances I cannot see a problem with
setting another club up. However, I would like to be added to the list to
see what happens.

Thanks

Martin

=============================
== Martin Greenaway ==
== marting@ ==
== 0958 656706 ==
=============================

Martin Greenaway said:
Nothing personal, but this annoys me. I've used a lot of my days off
work in the past 3 or 4 years just to go to fresher's fayre and lose
my voice and damage my lungs shouting things like "JOIN GAMESOC! SHOOT
PEOPLE!" at the top of my voice. The fact that ANYONE could have gone
to fresher's faye and NOT known about us is, to say the least,
upsetting!

IFIS and GameSoc share most of their memebrship (the SU have even
tried to merge the societies on at least one occasion), so you can
either turn up to an IFIS video evening (EG tonight, 7pm, Main Lecture
Theatre in founders - "The Relic" is the video), or to a GameSoc
meeting (which is mostly board-games, wargames, trading-card games,
and rolepalying games) on Monday evenings in Lec A, or probably best
of all, go to the joint IFIS and GameSoc social evenings in the Ascot
every Thursday (eg tonight after the video) - usually go in, turn
right, and we've taken over most of that half of the pub.
They won't want to join GameSoc, yet they will want to join a Laser
Tag soc, even though GameSoc offers them Laser Tag AND ALSO offers
them Paintball, LARP, RPG, WarGames, board games, card games, and
plenty more? Or is there something I've missed?
No, we have to offer seperate membership to keep the SU happy that we
ARE 2 societies, even though most people who go to the GameSoc stand
are interested in Sci-Fi/Fantasy and vise-versa.
One or other of us is still missing the point. If you can organise 4
trips a month and call yourself "Laser Tag Soc", what's stopping you
organising 4 trips a month as part of GameSoc? Societies don't run
themselves, you know, MEMBERS make them what they are. If a member (EG
YOU!) wants to organise 4 trips a month, then other members will
almost certainly be able to make up numbers.

This is EXACTLY the same as the WarGames bloke who said "you guys
never do any wargames, I'll organise my own society", and then once
he'd set it up, all our wargamers wondered why on earth he hadn't
organised wargames AT GAMESOC when they had been so willing to play
wargames with anyone who had actually SAID anything about it.

Join GameSoc. Then DON'T sit there and wait for something to happen,
because, as I said, we've not done much since slough Quasar closed
earlier in the year. If you want Laser Tag games to happen, then
ORGANISE them, but DON'T feel you have to organise them as some sort
of seperate society when there are so many willing participants who
are already GameSoc members... There is a limit to the number of
membership fees people will pay, as the WarGameSoc blokey found out.

TELL people you want to play LQ, Quasar, whatever, TELL people when,
TELL people where, TELL people ow much, and things will happen.
Nothing ever happens when everyone sits there waiting for other people
to do something. If you think things "just happen", you've
misunderstood how societies work.

---

Nick Waterman. Network Consultant / Sysadmin - LEOnet
nick@ Team *AMIGA*!
society is suspicious of those who value silence. -John Lahr

On Thu, 11 Dec 1997, Nick Waterman wrote:
I didn't say that at all, its just that they have not already joined
gamesoc, have they, like me, so perhaps they don't want to. Look, I've
never met you and don't want to be enemies over this, for god's sake.

Why are you slagging me off? Its a valid point.

I have no intention of treading on toes, annoying people I have never met
etc. Hell, I just got about ten mails back all going to ifis-announce. I
bet theyre sick of hearing this.
<LOOKS OUT FROM BEHIND THE SOFA> Did I touch a raw nerve or what?
Exactly why I was going to start a society to get some games going.

Lets clear up the current situation as it stands.

1: There is already a club/soc that covers laser gaming.
2: I am going to join that club/soc.
3: Once a member, I *WILL* try to organise games and trips
4: *IF* it is not popular as part of gamesoc or if I get an indifferent
response, I will attempt to get laser tag club ratified *but ONLY IF I
can't do it from within Gamesoc*.
5: Please, believe me, I don't /want/ to tread on toes here.
=============================
== Martin Greenaway ==
== Lake Internet Solutions ==
== marting@ ==
== 0958 656706 ==
=============================

Martin Greenaway said:
OK, sorry if it seemed like I was slagging you off... With Email, when
you can't see each other's faces, it's easy to get the wrong
impression, and it's also easy to GIVE the wrong impression. I wasn't
trying to slag you off, just trying to make sure you don't make the
same mistake that the WarGameSoc blokey made. From this last email, it
sounds like you're not about to, so I'll respectfully back out.

If/when you get around to organising LaserTag games, though, PLEASE
let me know. If they're outside working hours, excellent! If they're
DURING working hours, I'm still interested, but won't be able to make
it quite so often because I DO have other things to spend my leave
days on!
Excellent. An announcement to gamesoc@ will also help to
pull in a lot of the non-student members (like myself, and the St
Judes Road gang) who may not otherwise see your adverts or hear your
announcements.
It seems unlikely. we don't ecactly go our of our way to stop people
organising LaserTag trips, Paintball trips, LARP trips (hmm, which
reminds me...), etc... Or make things difficult for them. A lot of our
members are interested, hell, a lot of our members probably only
joined BECAUSE they were interested...

----------------------------------------------------------------------

ANYWAY, whilst I remember, Labyrinthe (www.labyrinthe.demon.co.uk)
recently found my address somewhere, and decided they wanted to send
GameSoc an information package. I gave them my home address, to avoid
losing anything in the SU pigeon-hole system, and I should recieve all
sorts of info and discount vouchers and stuff soon.

Labyrinthe organise weekly Live Action Roleplay sessions in a 5-mile
underground cave system (part of chislehurst caves). A lot of the
older GameSoc members (including myself) used to go semi-regularly,
but it started going downhill a bit, and we gradually gave up. It's
now been a while, and the place seems to have undergone a change of
management or two, so it's probably about time we went there again. If
you fancy going deep underground into a winding cavern system and
hitting people with rubber swords, swashing your buckle and all that,
let me know, and I'll organise a trip sometime next term, and maybe
something semi-regularly if it's improved a bit since last time. It's
GOT to be done AT LEAST once.

---

Nick Waterman. Network Consultant / Sysadmin - LEOnet
nick@ Team *AMIGA*!
Do not open sun roof when car is covered with snow.