If you.re reading this, you are invited to the Order of the Golden Heart's Heartmending Retreat in January 2017! This is an invite only event because it.s heavy ballgowning and we want to make sure we.re comfortable with the people attending. That said if there.s anyone you think we've missed or want to invite please discreetly ask.
Heartmending retreat is a near-zero risk social event although there will be a pageant which involves fighting with live (IC) blades so please bring arms and armour. Hopefully there will be some healers there.
This event will be held at the Jarman Centre in Cambridgeshire, 119 Duchess Drive, Newmarket, CB8 9HB.
The event is run from 13th - 15th January 2017. The Saturday will be time in from 10.00am until whenever we all get tired and go to sleep. Friday night will be OC social and Sunday morning will be for tidying up and getting off site.
Saturday is fully catered but you will need to ensure you have your own food for Friday night. Breakfast will be provided on Sunday.
Cost is £50, to be paid by 1st December 2016 (or, for late bookers, before the event starts!
We.ll be publishing an IC and OC list of attendees so feel free to put all your titles and other IC information people may want to hear on the booking form.
For site logistics, booking, food and payment queries please contact rjw76@cantab.net (Rosemary Warner)
For queries about the game or IC queries please contact either julianjames.lynch@gmail.com (Julian Lynch) or Arthur or Lizy.
We plan to experiment this event with Ars Amandi . a system for phys repping physical intimacy up to and including sex between characters without actually doing those things OC, primarily by touches to the hands and arms up to the shoulders. We intend to run a workshop on the Friday night so we can all get the hang of it, but no one is obliged to participate in either the workshop or in that part of the game. People who are participating will be provided with a small piece of ribbon or similar marker they can wear during the game to show they.re taking part. Obviously IC sexytimes mustn't be happening in the main room, although Ars Amandi covers more than that. There will be a separate room set aside IC for such things. None of this is intended to supplant or override PD.s usual equality, diversity and safety rules, all of which can be assumed to apply as normal. Equally this isn.t intended to override things you might otherwise choose to do between consenting players even if that goes beyond the contact allowed in Ars Amandi. The organisers reserve the right to rule out the use of Ars Amandi if it doesn.t seem to be working or if it is making anyone uncomfortable, and to require any individual not to take part or to cease taking part. We also reserve the right to remove anyone from site who is breaking the rules or making other players feel unsafe and uncomfortable. No refund will be given in such circumstances. If you have any concerns at any stage you can always contact us on julianjames.lynch@gmail.com or speak to Lizy. We will treat any enquiries with total confidence and consult you on any action to be taken.
Julian, Lizy and Arthur have written up rules for how Ars Amandi will work at the Heartmending Retreat here - they are somewhat cut down from many implementations in that we will not be using touches anywhere other than the arms, and the rules will only apply in designated rooms of the event (and definitely not the main hall or kitchen).
Meals provided as part of the cost of the event will be Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner, and Sunday breakfast. You are welcome to use the kitchens on Friday and Sunday to prepare your own food, but please label anything as yours that you take in there and wash up after yourself. There is a microwave upstairs in the smaller kitchen as well as the usual industrial kitchen supplies, and there is a shop between the site and the station that will sell you basic food.
There are places which do pizza, kebab, chinese and curry delivery/collection nearby which we can verify are good and not far.
There is enough bed space for 50 people to sleep indoors at the Jarman Centre and it is heated. There are bunk rooms of 6 beds downstairs and mattresses to lay out on the floor in loft rooms upstairs. Unfortunately some of the bunk beds are only six feet long, so if you are shorter than that we ask that you volunteer to sleep in them so that taller people can fit elsewhere (or bring their own longer mattresses for the floor upstairs). If you are mad enough to want to camp, you theoretically can, but there won't be water on the campsites and they're a fair way from the house.
It will be JANUARY. It will be COLD. Bring more layers than you think you will need, if you possibly can.
This is a Guide camp. If anyone gets antisocially drunk, they will be asked to leave; we are responsible for the site and what happens there, so please work with us on this. Tipsy is fine; acting IC hammered is hilarious; being OC hammered isn't OK.
We also wish to remind you of Profound Decisions' Equality and Diversity rules, which apply to all player events unless otherwise stated. They apply to this player event, and can be found here: http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/equalityanddiversity?1
If anyone has a car and is willing to offer lifts from the train station, it would be greatly appreciated. Alternatively, 1 Taxis can be contacted at 01638 560660.