mikekn

Yep - that time again. Time for the post-Pennsic post.

( Read more... )

Overall a very good year.

Only two weeks left to submit game classes for Pennsic 38.  Just go to: http://pennsicwar.org/penn38/AANDS/PENNU/univform.html and fill out the form for each class. Be sure to select "Games" for the Type of Class, so that we can schedule you in the Game Tent.

This year the Games Tent is being moved. Instead of our usual spot across from the camp store, we will be in with the A&S class tents. Most likely behind lost and found near where the heralds used to be (it is expected that the heralds will also be moving).

I don't know what effects the move will have on us - other then no more ice truck to try and teach over - so I am taking a wait and see attitude with it.

We still need volunteers to help keep the tent running! If you've got a couple hours for a day or two and want to help out, please let us know.

You can sign up at our Yahoo group if you'd like to help out:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pennsicgames/

Time again for the annual post-Pennsic post.

The weather was some of the best we've had in years. Numbers were only down a little, but it seemed a lot less crowded then the past few years.

( It's a bit long )

Overall, one the best Pennsics I've had in a long time.

A few links I've promised folks during Pennsic.

Wholesale wood craft pieces (where I got the pieces for my four player backgammon sets)
http://www.craftparts.com
For local folks, I will be placing another order later this week.

The tiny url to Sonja Musser's Dissertation on Alfonso X's Book of Games
http://tinyurl.com/6syt4c (6 MB PDF file)

And finally a link to all my class handouts:
http://www.knauer.org/mike/sca/classes/
I still need to write up and add a cheat sheet for Gleek, but I think that is the only thing missing.

I spent a little bit of time playing with maps and my GPS unit (a TomTom One). They have a feature that lets you overlay the map on top of an image. This lets you load satellite images and such. I had the "clever" idea of making one for Pennsic. So I grabbed the Pennsic site map, figure out what the latitude and longitude was of each of the corners and set it up.

In the process I learned two things - many of the Pennsic roads are part of the Tele Atlas map set:
http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/MikeKn/63567

TomTom bought Tele Atlas, and so these same roads are already on my GPS, so when combined with my overlay, I get the following sorts of views:


They aren't perfect, but it should be fun to play with them a little :)

EDIT: Here are the files needed to add the overlay to a TomTom
http://www.knauer.org/files/Pennsic_TomTom.zip (200k)

Speaking of map stuff, paquerette just reminded me that Pennsic was captured by Google's Street View. Fun stuff!

For the past 5 years or so I've been teaching some combination of the following classes at Pennsic:
Introduction to the Game of Go, Introduction to the Game of Tarot, Tafl Games - Fitchneal & Tablut, and Losing Loadum

This year I need to do something new. I'll teach Losing Loadum again, but not the other three. The only other class I have prepared is an introduction to period games which goes over a brief time line and teaches Alquerques, Nine-Man-Morris, and Fox and Geese. Depending on what else gets submitted, I may teach some or all of those.

I'd like to try reconstructing something again, even if it means working on a new reconstruction of something that is already out there. I've got a few ideas in mind (four player backgammon from Alphonso's book, another card game from Francis Willughby’s book), but need to sit down and see if any of them are really doable. Another option would be to get permission to teach someone else game class (like I've done in the past with jducoeur's Astronomical Tables or Laugh and Lie Down).

Any suggestions or requests out there?

Pennsic 36 was a good follow up to Pennsic 35. The nice mix of activities I did last year were improved on and continued. No real progress was made on the changes I wanted to work on last year, but most of this year has been that way.
( Post-Pennsic Post )

Pennsic remains not a vacation, but it is turning into a nice event with little risk of burn out.

From asim:
"The initial class schedulefor Pennsic University is now online! We'll be adding updates and corrections as we go, as per usual; what's online now reflects the information that will be in the Pennsic Booklet itself. Please feel free to start planning your Pennsic leaning now. :)

And if you think you'll have a couple of hours, feel free to offer to help us out at A&S Point! We're always in need of a few folks to help teachers and students have that much the better of a Pennsic.

Offers to help, Corrections, and Questions may, of course, be directed to me, Master Asim. Also feel free to pass the word about both class postings and volunteering to whatever lists or persons you see fit.

-----Asim, Pennsic Chancellor for Pennsic War XXXVI"

Got my Exchequer report in on time (yay!)
Didn't get my Pennsic class stuff dealt with (boo!)
We're having two archery practices this week (yay!)
I forgot to bring my archery stuff with me (boo!)

We just emptied violet_amy's car, so once again it's time for the ( post-Pennsic post )

Made it home from Pennsic about a half hour ago (4 1/2 hour trip - a new personal best!).

I'm still unloading the car, then I'll check LJ and email (and try and track down all the new LJ folks I spoke with)

This year violet_amy and I are camping with Eldenwood (friends of ours who were also in the Sin Pit at one time). We just got word on our block assignment, and thankfully they haven't gotten bumped from their usual spot in E10. I'm guessing that we will be in the middle of the block with the Great Dark Horde on one side and House Drachenstein on the other (is it Drachenstein that has the "Island of Misfit Peers" sign?). E10 is probably closer to the Games Tent then any other block on site, so I'm pretty happy with it.

My Pennsic schedule is filling up pretty quickly again - not really a surprise this year. It starts on the 12th, when I teach a 10 AM class, then have 11 AM and 2 PM order meetings. I've got three more classes through the week; there is an SCA History thing on Thursday (9 am - 3) then EK Curia at 4; and I need to get in at least two shifts at the archery range. Any time left over will probably be split between the Games Tent and helping Galen with his merchanting (will work for games!).

I've not looked at the rest of the class list to see if there is anything I want to take. The last few years I've missed more interesting classes then I've attended. I'm sure there are a bunch of other things I should at least thing about attending, but I've not gotten that far yet.

I was thinking about some stuff that jljonsn said recently, and decided I'd like to upgrade my game boxes to something a little more period looking (if not actually documentable). Currently I have a 14 gallon rubbermaid tote and sturdy cardboard file box (so, plenty of room for improvement). I'd love to get two reasonably light weight wooden boxes to hold everything (one for my stuff, and one for the shire stuff). Of course then I will probably need a new method to transport them (currently using a small luggage cart). I don't even know where to begin trying to research this stuff nor do I know if what I want is realistic (it all still has to fit in the car with the rest of the gear...)

Things to think about though.