RWAV - Issue 10

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Other Stuff

Welcome to another Science Fiction Society (IFIS) and GameSoc newsletter. To our new members greetings and to our old members welcome back to another year. Like last year we hope to bring you more exciting events, such as quiz nights. video showings and general pub meets. This year the science fiction library is still in Penrose under the care of Chris Haynes. Vile will be buying more books (some recent ones as welll). We hope that more people will use this, as that is where all the society money goes. As per usual we will be holding our normal meetings in the Ascot pub, just down the road on the A30, every Thursday at 8.00pm. Feel free to turn up, if not then think about using our library as we have over 1000 books covering most, if not all aspects of science fiction and fantasy.

In previous years GameSoc has suffered from a lack of a day for the board games. This may have been the fault of the organisers or it may just be apathy on behalf of the membership. If another day is wanted, whether it is for board games, campaigns, marathons tell a committee member and we can probably arrange something. Ninety percent of all our meetings will be in lecture block A/B. We have already booked Tuesday and Friday 7.00pm to 11.00pm. These are free to use for any sort of games, campaigns etc. Tha.t?s if the college confirm these bookings! Details about who makes up the committees can be found later in this newsletter. Talking of committees (how?s that for a subtle link) there is an empty space in the GameSoc committee, that of ?Publicly Officer?. This was left open after the previous member clidn?t get funded for his Ph.D. So if you want to get a position on the GameSoc committee just say so (it always looks good on a CV).

The most important thing we need from our membership is ideas about books, events, films etc,. This will help us to give you want you want. We are not mind-readers. We require some input to give some output. We could also do with some articles for the newsletter, we try to produce a newsletter at least every term. This tends to become harder as material for it becomes rarer. So if you see yourself as an author, reviewer, short story writer feel free to send your contribution to us. We are reachable in Physics, room W154 or by any other committee member. The article can be on any media. For instance Vax and IBM 5 1/4in disks, IBM and Amiga 3 1/2in disks, Vax email, printed on paper, hand written on paper, toilet paper, sweet wrappers, five pound notes. You see we don?t care, so long as it gets to us. The preferred media is probably the last mentioned or on an IBM disk. That is the boring bit over. Hope to see you at the introductory meetings for both societies, details of which will be released when the college deem fit to confirm our room bookings. Hopefully we will know by the Freshers? Fair. If not we will put posters out before hand.

The lecture block is opposite Founders, at the top of the car park. These will be short meetings, to show people where the library will be and maybe actually move it there, organise games, go to the pub and introduce the committees.

Editorial

Daniel has probably waflled on in his editorial so I shall include in this short piece a description of both societies. The Games Society has a regular meeting every Tuesday in the Lecture block to play board games. This is an opportunity to meet new people and relax after a hard day of lectures. In addition two other days have been booked for role playing campaigns to provide a meeting place for the groups concerned. lf you wish to advertise a cam? paign and gain new members then let us know and we will produce a review in the next newsletter. Finally the society helps organize Live action RPG?s which most often occur in Kingswood Woods. If you're interested but not quite sure what a live action RPG is then please ask any committee member. The Science Fiction Society owns a book library of over a thousand books which as well as SF includes Fantasy and Horror titles. This library will be stored in Penrose 14 room 3 and books may be taken out each Thursday from 7pm to 8pm and each Tuesday 6-30pm to 7pm. The society is also known to organize Video nights to see some popular releases .

If you have any questions about either society then please ask a committee member who will be all too pleased to help you (won?t we lads).

FUCK YOU ASSHOLE

Ok at this stage you?re saying to yourself, ?What a bunch of arseholes? or something rather similar. I don?t blame you, I did. The sad fact is that the waifs and strays that invariably end up on IFIS?S doors are, in too many instances, socially inept. Are you surprised'? I?m not. A society that is based around reading books has got to be a non-starter in the social sense, especially one of cheap fiction catering for the suspect whims of pubescent adolescents. Put these misguided individuals who have turned to Science Fiction to compensate for their social failings in unfamiliar surroundings and group ?em together and you have your worst nightmare ? all those people that are just like you pretend that they?re not. And to make it worse they are all complete arseholes who pretend that they don't like normal student pursuits like chasing women and getting ' smashed/ stoned ? though they could _ do if they wanted! lf we are going to be honest, how many of you would rather be at a seedy overpriced pub with a bunch of weirdos than making a good impression with the ladies (or others) down the Union. Lets face it, if you could make that good impression you wouldn?t be here now. Now you have to face up to the fact that one of your major interests in life involves mixing with some of the most hopeless dregs of humanity including the prick who lives next door/is in the same class/knows your parents and you make every effort to be as far away from as possible. The sad thing is that he is misguided enough to think the same about you but he?ll try and help you out by being your friend!

That's the problem, but what?s the cure? For the hopeless cases I'm afraid it's terminal ? you always have been, are and always will be a complete arsehole. Stick around anyway ?cos there is some good news. For the redeemable, hang on out and it. You can be saved but for godsakes make your mind up what you want to be and be it, don?t sit on the fence. If you only turn up for the company so what (apart from your distinct lack of taste) or if you really like SciFi let us know (we had one of these 2 years ago). IFIS has a long history in taking the socially leprous and turning them into real characters (though the success rate could still be higher). The secret is to make the most of yourself and those around you. lf you think the company you keep is full of jerks then use you?re superior character to help them become like you, a well adjusted but marginally eccentric character. Finally to those normal members of society who are here by mistake, face up to the fact that you?re not. Nobody would be here if they were and frankly we wouldn't want them. Normal is for squares, for those that try to fit in. You don?t have to be a round peg to join IFIS but you do needito accept that your edges aren't all as perpendicular as you'd like to think they are and that being slightly kooky is not so bad after all. If that ?s too much for you then the Union's still open, the beers cheaper, the music louder and the male/ female ratio is significantly higher.

That just brings me on to my last burblings for those unfortunates of the gentle sex that have joined and are now regretting their somewhat ill-advised move. The bad news is that you are outnumbered and mostly in the company of a bunch of sexually repressed social morons. The good news is that they get a lot better. the society recognises character not the mundane trappings of sex or class and I'm here.

Review of campaigns on and around campus.

The departure of the last third year has left a gap in the number of campaigns around but here follows a summery of whats left. If you wish to start a campaign please let us know.

Organiser:Daniel Oelano.
System: AD&D
Location: Lecture Block Fridays 7pm- llpm.
This is a new campaign but if it's anything like the old one then complexity is its middle name. A series of plots interwoven will give countless hours of head scratching and also space out the monster hacks. The theme will be Oriential (lst edition) and the level, lowish (around 2 to start). New players especially wanted.

Organiser: Paul somebody.
System: God knows!
Location : Lecture block (probably!)
Not a lot is known about this campaign as it hasn?t started yet and I haven?t seen the person whose supposed to be running it for 12 weeks. However I do know that the G.M. will be using his own system written by himself and it will be a historically based scenerio. (The Guy?s a history student and is really hot on those details.)

(NOTE: So Probably Paul Strong then)

Organiser: Simon Richardson.
System: Runequest
Location : Englefield Green. 7pm till late.
Space in this campaign is extremely limited and applicants may well have to wait for someone else to drop out. But don?t let that put you off if you like the wierd and wacky. So put on your mirror shades and join the cult of Misty morning where you will meet a woman called Modesty riding a monocycle, Mr CANNON FODDER and the rest of the wierdos. This campaign has to be experienced to be believed so if you get the opportunity take it (and don?t blame me afterwards.) I would suggest experienced players only.

Here follows a list of the marathon role playing events that may be occuring in the near future:

Organiser: Christopher Haynes + Paul.
48 hour Marathon: AD&D
Location: Lecture Block. Soon.
This will be one of the marathons runing this year and places are already disappearing fast. This is a continuation of a series of marathons that began 2 years ago. Only four or five of the original players remain so new BLOOD is definitely beinglooked for. I hope to have around ten to twelve players in all and ten people have already shown strong intrest so get your pitch in quick. This will Aundoubtably be the best marathon being run this year as this adventure is bound for the places which other campaigns cannot reach.

Organiser: Daniel Celano and Domonic Thomas
48 hour Marathon:
Location: Lecture Block.
This one is still in the pipeline but should be occuring sometime. The theme is science fiction and will probably be a reasonable play. If you ca11?t get into the stunning master piece advertised above then this one is definitely worth a go.

Live-Action Role Playing

What it is, where it's at, and why we do it.

Role-playing, for those of you who don't already know, involves acting out a given scenario, using a particular character, usually not yourself. You have to image the game setting, complete with dragons, monsters, castles, etc. and decide what you would do, were you placed in that situation . Standard Role-Playing generally involves lots of dice-rolling and leafing through books. (I know this is unfair to some people, but frequency this is what occurs.) Standard Role-Playing frequency involves discussions about how far a given character may run, or what they can carry, or whether they should actually have heard that monster creeping behind them, before it tapped them on the shoulder.

These trivialities are easily solved with Live-Action Role-Playing, where questions such as "Can I hear anything?" are almost never asked. Live-Action Role-Playing (LRP) is very fast moving, because it's taken out all the extraneous rules-checking, and the time consuming statements of "What PM going to do next? by the players. As a result, you have to think and react quickly to sudden occurrences. You have to stay alert, and aware of what all the different people milling around you are actually trying to do: it's certainly not a game for the dim-witted.

On top of all this. of course, is the actual thrill of personally (PHYSICALLY) acting out the scenarios you previously only imagined. Rescuing the imprisoned, slaying foul ogres, and romping off with all the treasure is only the start of it. Charging into battle waving a great sword and shouting obscene battle cries, is a definite lure to a great many people.

Surprisingly enough, the game is beginning to attract women as well as men. There are several women who regularly turn up, and thoroughly embarrass some of the less-able men with their feats of bravery and daring-do. The game is almost completely safe, with the only real danger of accident coming from hidden tree-stumps which can leap into your path at the most inconvenient of moments, unless you watch where you're going, and look before you leap. The large and fearsome-looking weapons used in the combats are actually very soft and no real danger at all.

LRP adventures occur in the woods behind Kingswood Hall, during the night, so that no-one can see us. They are completely free, since they are run by enthusiasts in the society, and by a collection of ex-college members and locals. Dress is informal and practical; costumes are encouraged, but definitely optional, and very, very few people actually bother with them. Torches are useful, and anyone who wants to bring their own weapons, or wishes to make some, is enthusiastically urged to do so.

Our main aim LRP is to make it fun, and something that almost anybody should enjoy. Because it's free and very informal, we have removed a lot of the stress associated with most commercial enterprises, and the sort of loud, obnoxious, power-hungry player who delights in spoiling the fun of others will find that they don't get invited along for any more adventures.

So if the notion of real, live action roleplaying appeals to you, (or if you'd just like to hear a bit more about it), the people you want to talk to are Dominic or Daniel. Dominic can be difficult to get hold of, but generally turn up to the Science Fiction Society meetings, and Daniel can contacted as detailed elsewhere in this newsletter.

The Committees

Now for some boring and not?so boring official business, first the committee:

Science Fiction Chairpeople - Nick Waterman and Estelle Sharpe
Science Fiction Secretary - Daniel Celano
Science Fiction Treasurer - Chris Haynes
Vogon Security Officer - Oliver Gr..ter
Science Fiction Treasurer - Chris Haynes

GameSoc Chairman - Rob Sparks, see rest of magazine.
GameSoc Secretary - Darrel Greenhill
GameSoc Treasurer - Moffy Ali
GameSoc Publicity Officer - Any offers!
GameSoc Idiot -Chris Lyth

As you can see we need a volunteer for the post of GameSoc publicity officer, a special kind of person, willing to do some work. We are are open to any offers? bribes, gifts or nominations.

SCIENCE FICTION LIFE MEMBER RULES

Last AGM, we discussed the following rules about life members and came to the conclusion that... well, read on.

Requirements.

1. The person suggested for life membership must have held a post on the committee for one full year prior to being made a life member.
2. The person must be proposed and seconded for life membership by the current members of the committee.
3. Person currently serving on the committee may not be proposed as life members.
4. The decision to make the person a life member must be passed by the society members in. a vote at the general meeting of the society.
5. The person proposed need not be present, or awake during the general meeting in which the decision is taken. Item 5 was questioned and later approved in a separate vote.
6. The person proposed need not be alive when elected a life member, the duration of life membership being for a minimum of one year after the election. Item 6, was questioned and later approved in a separate vote. No members found abusing penguins during the general meeting will be allowed to vote. This was amended and the word "physically" added.
7. No members found physically abusing penguins during the general meeting will be allowed to vote. No members found to be unconscious, catatonic, asleep, or dead (including deceased life members) will be allowed to vote. Similarly ineligible are any members currently under the influence of mind-affecting drugs or alcohol to the extent of being unable to say their own name three times without falling over. This was amended and the word "name" changed to "full name and title".
8. No members found to be unconscious, catatonic, asleep, or dead (including deceased life members) will be allowed to vote. Similarly ineligible, are any members currently under the influence of mind?affecting drugs or alcohol to the extent of being unableto say their own full name and titles three times without falling over.

I hope this will avoid any further confusion about how to become a life member. The effects of, being a life member will be published at a later date, or are available on request.

Next Month

Next month we shall be printing the results of ournational survey, in which 8 out of 10 people said they regularly lie to opinion polls.

We'll be hunting down the strange figure seen walking the streets bearing a placard which proclaims "The end of the recession is nigh".

We'll be attempting to interview the previously elected chairman of the GameSoc, who was declared unwell and unfit to continue during his summer holiday.

And we'll be printing an interview with Opus the penguin, new chairman of GameSoc, who earlier declared him to be the ruler odf the known Universe

Forthcoming Events

LRP - frequently, probably on Saturdays, possibly other days if there is demand (while weather permits). LRP - re-running of the Cthulhu game if there is demand. QUIZ - sometime really soon. VIDEO showing - sometime really soon.

Ex-Student Meeting

Every first Friday in the Month we meet in Richmond, to have a pint and discuss the old times. Why not come along! Richmond station, 7.00-7.30pm.

Science Fiction Society

Keep your eyes open for details of it.

See us at the fresher fair.

Find out where the libray is and how to use it.

Games Society

See us at the fresher fair.

Come to our first meeting.

Discover our Wide collection of games.

Copyright

COPYRIGHT RHBNC SF and Games Society, No part of this may be reproduced without the committee knowning about it.