Greetings, adventurers!
We’ve got a big update for you today, including ballot results and the all-important dates for GEAS returning in the new term. A summary has been included at the bottom for a quick overview, but please refer back to the main body for more details.
Moving to Discord
Over the summer the committee have been preparing to move GEAS entirely online for the upcoming semester, as the university has advised all societies to host their events online whenever social distancing guidelines can’t be met. This means that for the foreseeable future all GEAS events will be held on our Discord server, which can be accessed at: http://geas.org.uk/discord
Discord does require for you to have an account; a basic account is free and all you need to join our server. We have several service bots running to help moderate the server and two dice bots to make sure you can always keep playing. Vivek put together some fantastic resources on the server, explaining how to game safely online and make the most of the resources available.
Welcome Week Events
Members of the committee will be appearing on GEASLive, the society’s Twitch channel, for a night of gaming and shenanigans. You can find us all at 6pm on the 15th September, at the link: https://www.twitch.tv/geaslive
Our traditional Welcome Week one shots will be taking place on the 19th September, running from 6pm till 10pm. This will be hosted on the Discord server and will run in much the same manner that you can expect from the term time campaigns. We’re asking any GMs interested in running a one shot to register their game with us 24 hours in advance, so that the server moderators have time to prepare the game channels. More information on how to do this will come out closer to Welcome Week.
Game Pitches
Our regular weekly sessions will begin at 6pm on the 23rd September for Wednesday games, 1pm on the 27th September for Sunday afternoon games, followed by 6pm evening pitches. GMs will need to submit their games to the committee 24 hours in advance of when they are to be pitched, to allow server moderators to set up the correct channels and grant GMs the right permissions.
We’re currently working on a detailed explanation on how the pitches will be handled on the night, which will be released in the coming weeks, but please rest assured that a lot of effort has gone into preserving the spirit of the event. GMs will be able to pitch their game via video chat if they’re comfortable doing so. New members will then get first pick as usual, with returning members filling the remaining spaces.
Start of Term Social
We’ll also be hosting our first social of the year on the GEAS Discord server on the 26th September from 7pm onwards. This will be run in a similar format to our online social earlier this summer, with a main channel for voice chat and ‘breakout rooms’ available for smaller groups to hang out in. This will be a great chance to catch up with those you haven’t seen over the summer and to meet some incoming members.
Ballot Results
Thank you to everyone who participated at such short notice in our on-line ballot to reduce our membership fees. We appreciate the support from our members in helping us run the Society, and the way this is reflected in the strong turnout for the ballot.
The ballot to reduce the membership fees for the forthcoming academic year has been carried. Full details of the results can be found at the following link: http://geas.org.uk/fees
The membership fees in the forthcoming academic year for both students and non-students will be as follows:
First Semester: £0
Second Semester: £1.50
Full Year: £1.50
Committee will now write to EUSA to request that the membership fees are updated in the Societies Portal. Once this has been updated, we will let our members know when they should start buying their membership. Please remember to check on the Announcements channel on our Discord for further updates (http://geas.org.uk/discord).
Even though there is no fee for membership in the first semester, we still need members to ‘buy’ membership from the EUSA portal so they can be registered as our members. This is to ensure EUSA has a record of our membership numbers, so that they can take this into account when allocating us venues for the subsequent semester.
Summary
- We have a Discord and that’s where we’re running for now. Please assume all events are being hosted there, unless explicitly told otherwise. Link to join: http://geas.org.uk/discord
- A Committee Liveplay is going to be happening at 6pm on the 15th September. Come for the comedy, stay for the chaos. Link: https://www.twitch.tv/geaslive
- Welcome Week one shots are at 6pm on the 19th September. We’d sure love to have some new players, so bring your friends and spread the word.
- Campaign pitches will be at 6pm on the 23rd September for Wednesday sessions, with Sunday pitches on the 27th September; starting at 1pm for afternoon sessions and 6pm for evening ones.
- The start of term social will be held on the 26th September at 7pm. Not as intimate as a pub social, but a chance to catch up with folks and get some of that social interaction we’ve all been craving.
- The society voted in favour of lowering this year’s membership fees. The first semester is effectively free, but please make sure you register for the society by ‘buying’ your membership via the EUSA portal. This is key to getting rooms for next semester.
If you have any questions about the move online or anything else, please reach out to us at geas.committee or at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/geasedinburgh/
For the glory of GEAS,
The GEAS Committee
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