So you’ve thrown your first event and you are now eligible to attend your first Event Holder’s Meeting (EHM). What is it like? What can you expect? This article will let you know how to get the most from the Meeting.
Brutal- The EHM is brutal. Basically the meeting consists of hearing a person’s ideas (thoughts and opinions that they all think are great concepts) and then shooting holes in each of them. It is not for the thin-skinned and over-sensitive. And yet the methodology is a wonderful process for what it is meant to do- create the best LARP system. It is really hard for weak ideas or not completely thought out proposals to pass the muster of the EHM. The process of tearing apart a proposal means we either make it stronger or determine it is not strong enough to pass into our rule set. It is not a pretty or nice process, but it is highly effective.
Expect to be shot down. With the purpose of the EHM being to find the weaknesses of a rules proposal it means someone there will find something about your proposal that they do not like. It is going to happen and knowing that means you will not be blind-sided.
Do not take it personally. I have been to many, many EHM and I have yet to see a proposal shot down simply because a person did not like the person making the proposal. (It may have happened but I have not noticed it.) That being said, when a proposal is “attacked” the person making the statements is actually finding weaknesses in the proposal, not the person making the proposal. Remember that and it will be easier to take these “attacks”.
Be aware of the past. If a proposal failed to pass for the past 3 years there is likely some fundamental reason for it. You are of course free to make the proposal again but do not be surprised when the entire room comes down on you.
Be courteous. It is possible to point out the flaws in a proposal or counter-argument without attacking the person making the proposal. Always try and attack the proposal in your arguments and not the person. Remember, after the EHM we will be still be playing this game together on the next weekend.
Be respectful for the coordinators. The EHM can at times get a bit chaotic. The coordinators are there to make sure all the proposals are covered within a reasonable amount of time-that’s why we let them in the door in the first place. Ignoring them will cause the process to take much longer than needed. It is a really good idea to listen to them and follow their lead.
Keep notes. You will want to keep notes both during the discussion and on the final outcome. Often someone may say something you want to respond to or you have a response you wish to give, but some time may elapse before you have a chance to talk. Keeping notes during the discussion will keep your thoughts clear and focused. Also with so much going on it is possible to miss the final outcome of a vote so making yourself write it down will make sure you have the right outcome recorded instead of relying on your memory.
Come prepared. Try and print out all the proposals ahead of time. This will allow you to keep pace with the proposals. In addition, this printout is a good place to keep those notes you should be taking. Also the meeting is long, so bringing some food and drink is strongly advised to keep yourself going with full alertness.
Time conservation. The meeting can take a long time, usually over eight hours. By paying attention and not being disruptive the meeting will flow faster. Also, while everyone wants to contribute this does not mean you should say something just to have something to say. If a concept has already been addressed there is no need to repeat what someone else has already said (“I agree” is not helpful). If your point was covered by someone who talked before you, let your statement pass.
The Event Holder’s Meeting is both a great privilege (you get to have a significant say in how the game is played) and a great responsibility (the changes made will affect the entire playing populace of the Realms-for better or worse). Remember that the goal of the meeting is to make the Realms rule system stronger and more enjoyable.