What I Want to See

With elections for Caligo and Ember Shoals officers in the near future, my thoughts have turned to the things I'd like to see in our park and in South Florida.

More Cooperation
A few years ago, the various parks in the tri-county area were very active in supporting each other. That support has faded, and it seems that the groups are increasingly insular. I would like us to reverse that trend. How can we do that?

• Bi-Monthly Joint Battles - We used to do these. Every other month, one of the local parks would sponsor a joint battle. The other parks would make a maximum effort to attend. This would result in much larger battles than our normal weekend fare. It would also forge ties among the members of the various parks.
• Annual Campout - Right now, the only larger, weekend-long events are held in central/north Florida. If you can't travel that far, then you miss out on the fun. Why can't we bring the fun south? Once we get used to cooperating with each other to host joint battles, we can consider holding our own campout.

I think that we should reach out to our neighbor parks in South Florida and start the process of organizing these events.

More Atmosphere

While it's fun hitting people, to me Dagorhir and Amtgard shine when we create a shared fantasy world. Thus, I would like to see more effort to create a medieval/fantasy atmosphere.

• Garb - Looking the part really evokes the correct atmosphere. Remember when Robb wore an orc's mask? It made it a lot easier to believe we were fighting the dreaded raider Tarhogg Spearchewer rather than Robb. Well, an easy way to do this is to wear garb. It doesn't have to be difficult to put together a basic kit. I want to come up with creative ways to encourage garb. I don't want to punish or prevent people from playing. Perhaps give more incentives for garb. I'd love to hear your ideas.
• Game Names - I believe that using game names can also evoke the proper atmosphere. If you don't have one yet, let's talk. I'll help you come up with one. If you have one, get used to using it, and encourage others to use it as well. One way to do this is to refuse to respond to your mundane name while you are at the park. If they persist, you can say "I don't know who that is. My name is ________."
• Titles - When I was in the Adrian Empire, titles were far more common than in Dagorhir/Amtgard. As you walked around at an event, you'd hear people referred to as Sir ____, Lord ____, or Lady _____, etc. I felt that it helped foster that medieval atmosphere. I'd love to have more titles at our park. Fortunately, we could use our independence to come up with our own Caligo titles (e.g. I'd like to start an independent order of knighthood dedicated to service to the realm).
• Lore Battles - I love battlegames with a lore element to them. They have a backstory and the results of the game affect our shared fantasy world. They can be difficult to plan, however, so I don't know if we can do more than what we are already doing. I still want to continue with them.

What do you want to see? How can we achieve it?