[Steppes] An informal poll and February Populace

[McFarland, Glenn]

I find myself agreeing pretty much down the line with Robin's list of
pro's and cons as well as the requirements for how we run Warlord today.
Most of the good things people like or find convenient about Canton are
not required for Warlord but are modern conveniences that are hard to
give up once you have them: Hall, nice bathrooms, roads that make moving
about during the wet season much easier, available electricity (saw many
a tent with an A/C unit last year), hotels, etc.

I'm fine with looking for a new site so long as it will accommodate as
much of what we need as possible. There's always tradeoffs and if the
new site improves the things that are important to me I'll be happy and
if it eliminates or degrades those things I'll be unhappy ... same as
everyone else. 

We've been looking for a new site to replace Canton from the 1st day we
set foot there so this isn't new. When we 1st went to Canton we didn't
have the luxury of making a deliberate decision in that we could no
longer use the site we'd been using for many years. We had to move and
so we did ... and  there was bitching and moaning but we were all in it
together and it worked out ok.

I would strongly advise against committing to a new site for Warlord
until the populace has a chance to test drive any proposed new site. The
first event we have at a site should NOT be Steppes Warlord. Hold a
smaller event on the site so everyone can envision how Warlord would
work there. Make sure everyone knows we're looking at the site as a
Warlord replacement to they look at with a critical eye. If the site is
good people will feel much more comfortable about the decision and would
favor the move if a poll were taken asking about Canton vs. new site.

We could team up with Elfsea or Glaslyn or Lindenwood to hold an event.
If the site's a bit pricy for them or us to normally hold a smaller
event we could help with the cost ... we get the benefit of trying the
site without going for broke having Warlord there - a wise investment in
my opinion.

We have no guarantees that we can go back to Canton if we leave so if we
do go then we must consider it for good. Unlike last time we changed we
have a chance to make a deliberate choice.

Regards,
Thorkel