ElectricPaladin
09-03-2013, 12:52 AM
As per BigRed's advice, I'm posting this here as well as in News and Introductions.
I want to have a Holiday Swap. Who's with me?
What's a holiday swap, you ask? Here's my original post:
What's a holiday swap, you ask?
It works like this:
Some kind organizer (that will almost certainly be me) sets everything up.
If you're interested, you post to the thread with what games you play, and what factions you play within those games.
The organizer assigns you a swap partner. You secretly create a package including a wargames gift of some kind and an item characteristic of wherever you live - the organizer will set a price limit - and send it to them.
On a set date, everyone opens their package.
Pictures are posted. Much fun is had by all.
I've done this before - over on the Infinity forums - and it was great fun. However, as you all have increasingly become my main online community (in part because you're awesome, and in part because my work's content filtering doesn't block you :p, and in part because I'm a multi-gamer, so the all-wargames forum is obviously going to be my favorite), I want to do it here. It was a smashing success.
This is not a sign-up thread - though if you want to drop a note saying "I'd be interested; let me know when it happens" that would be good data. This is a thread to gather information and gauge the community's interest. In particular, I'm looking for your answers to the following questions:
What's the most money you'd be willing to spend in such an activity (keep in mind that you would be recieving a similar amount in return)?
Would you prefer a painted swap (you don't just buy your partner a present - you take the time to paint the model/unit/vehicle/whatever yourself) or just a "secret santa"-style arrangement (just send some gifts)?
Would you be willing to act as an angel (that's someone with the time and disposable income to prepare an extra swap package in case someone flakes out on us)?
Would you be willing to ship internationally? I'm willing to make this a North America only swap, but I'd hate to do that (because then there's no way I could get olberon, TDA, or Eldargal as my partner :P).
For context, my last swap had a $35 price limit, but I could see going larger or smaller. There was a little bit of international shipping, but I was able to arrange for everyone who was unable to ship internationally due to cost to have a local swap partner. We only had one flake. The angel who saved the day didn't even need to spend any money beyond shipping, because both the hobby gift and the local item were stuff he had lying around. My wife - who has done many knitting swaps on Ravelry - has informed me that flakes are incredibly rare, so probably we just got unlucky.
My last swap was a painted swap, which everyone enjoyed hugely. It gave a lot of the participants the opportunity to try their hand at a faction they weren't familiar with. I think that this being a painted swap would be even more fun than it was over on the Infinity boards because you never know what you might end up painting. In my last swap, folks just got to paint factions they weren't used to. Here, you could end up painting models from a brand new game. Warhammer 40k, Warhammer Fantasy, Bolt Action, Flames of War, Saga, Infinity... you never know.
I will begin a sign-up thread once I have gathered some information about the community's preferences. My hope is to have everyone assigned a partner by the beginning of October, with a ship date at the end of November so that everyone will definitely have their package by the last week or so of December.
So far, it's come out that some folks wouldn't feel very comfortable painting and would rather focus on using their converting and sculpting skills to create something unique for their partners. This is fine. Other folks have commented that they would rather paint something themselves. This is also fine. In the signup thread, everyone will have a chance to lay out their preferences, which will allow you to stalk your swappee for details. I - who will know everyone's identity and partner - will also be available to act as your sock puppet and ask your partner untraceable questions.
Additionally, the price preference is hovering around $50.
If you want to chime in, feel free to do so here or in my original thread (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?35261-Exploring-the-Possibility-of-a-Holiday-Swap).
I want to have a Holiday Swap. Who's with me?
What's a holiday swap, you ask? Here's my original post:
What's a holiday swap, you ask?
It works like this:
Some kind organizer (that will almost certainly be me) sets everything up.
If you're interested, you post to the thread with what games you play, and what factions you play within those games.
The organizer assigns you a swap partner. You secretly create a package including a wargames gift of some kind and an item characteristic of wherever you live - the organizer will set a price limit - and send it to them.
On a set date, everyone opens their package.
Pictures are posted. Much fun is had by all.
I've done this before - over on the Infinity forums - and it was great fun. However, as you all have increasingly become my main online community (in part because you're awesome, and in part because my work's content filtering doesn't block you :p, and in part because I'm a multi-gamer, so the all-wargames forum is obviously going to be my favorite), I want to do it here. It was a smashing success.
This is not a sign-up thread - though if you want to drop a note saying "I'd be interested; let me know when it happens" that would be good data. This is a thread to gather information and gauge the community's interest. In particular, I'm looking for your answers to the following questions:
What's the most money you'd be willing to spend in such an activity (keep in mind that you would be recieving a similar amount in return)?
Would you prefer a painted swap (you don't just buy your partner a present - you take the time to paint the model/unit/vehicle/whatever yourself) or just a "secret santa"-style arrangement (just send some gifts)?
Would you be willing to act as an angel (that's someone with the time and disposable income to prepare an extra swap package in case someone flakes out on us)?
Would you be willing to ship internationally? I'm willing to make this a North America only swap, but I'd hate to do that (because then there's no way I could get olberon, TDA, or Eldargal as my partner :P).
For context, my last swap had a $35 price limit, but I could see going larger or smaller. There was a little bit of international shipping, but I was able to arrange for everyone who was unable to ship internationally due to cost to have a local swap partner. We only had one flake. The angel who saved the day didn't even need to spend any money beyond shipping, because both the hobby gift and the local item were stuff he had lying around. My wife - who has done many knitting swaps on Ravelry - has informed me that flakes are incredibly rare, so probably we just got unlucky.
My last swap was a painted swap, which everyone enjoyed hugely. It gave a lot of the participants the opportunity to try their hand at a faction they weren't familiar with. I think that this being a painted swap would be even more fun than it was over on the Infinity boards because you never know what you might end up painting. In my last swap, folks just got to paint factions they weren't used to. Here, you could end up painting models from a brand new game. Warhammer 40k, Warhammer Fantasy, Bolt Action, Flames of War, Saga, Infinity... you never know.
I will begin a sign-up thread once I have gathered some information about the community's preferences. My hope is to have everyone assigned a partner by the beginning of October, with a ship date at the end of November so that everyone will definitely have their package by the last week or so of December.
So far, it's come out that some folks wouldn't feel very comfortable painting and would rather focus on using their converting and sculpting skills to create something unique for their partners. This is fine. Other folks have commented that they would rather paint something themselves. This is also fine. In the signup thread, everyone will have a chance to lay out their preferences, which will allow you to stalk your swappee for details. I - who will know everyone's identity and partner - will also be available to act as your sock puppet and ask your partner untraceable questions.
Additionally, the price preference is hovering around $50.
If you want to chime in, feel free to do so here or in my original thread (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?35261-Exploring-the-Possibility-of-a-Holiday-Swap).