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Draft Programme

Note: This programme is provisional. Anything in it might change.

If you would like to take part in the cabaret, see the instructions here: cabaret sign-ups

In addition, there will be a filk stream, details will appear here nearer the convention.

Friday 31 July

Dealers' room open 4pm-7pm.

1. Freeform filk circle: If you arrive early, come along and meet fellow singers, musicians and listeners!
2. Opening ceremony: Meet the committee and the guests, and find out what we have in store for you.
3. War in SF and fantasy: War is all too often a backdrop in fiction, a quick and easy way of shaking up your characters and getting the plot going. How do you escape the cliches and address conflict realistically and sensitively? {Steph Swainston, David Damerell, Simon Bradshaw, Hilarity Allen (mod)}
4. If we write it, will they come?: How to get into the gaming industry for love and/or profit, persuade gamers to read, play and even buy your work, and still manage not to crack under the pressure. Our panellists prognosticate about gaming's future. {Sean Punch, Nicholas Caldwel}
5. Grand Tribunal meet and greet: A chance for people to meet Ars Magica authors, and gamers from far-flung Tribunals. Traditionally this devolves into an extended discussion session with beer.
6. Grand Tribunal tabletop session 1: Table-top game session for those who can drag themselves away from the meet and greet. Game TBA.
7. Instaband sign-up: Instabands, a chance to sign up and create a band that will perform a song on Saturday afternoon.
8. Not the Hugos: The panellists consider the Hugo novel nominees and try to predict which will win. Nominees are: Anathem by Neal Stephenson, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, Saturn's Children by Charles Stross, and Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi. {Duncan MacGregor, Liz Batty, Dave Clements}
9. Willing suspension of scientific belief: Making SF RPGs playable frequently involves suspending significant scientific facts. What are the unintended consequences of suppressing a scientific law or three? Conversely, what changes have to be made to SF games for valiant attempts at "hard SF" for some arbitrary degree of hardness? {Phil Masters, Bob Dowling, Roger Burton West}
10. Playing Rapunzel: Mich and Marilisa and far too many instruments. Playing Rapunzel are a gigging folk duo (with friends!) and definitely worth hearing!
11. Guest of Honour: Henry Gee: Henry Gee talks about the Nature Futures fiction series. {Henry Gee}
12. This campaign is not just for Christmas: Some games are too good to end. How can GMs and players create campaigns that have the staying power to run and remain enjoyable for many years of real-world (and game world) time? {Sean Punch, Mike Cule, Phil Nanson, Simon Burley}
13. Ju: German filker, excellent songs, and a brilliant fantasy author.
14. Book discussion: Roger Zelazny: A discussion of the works of Roger Zelazny. {Led by Ian Jackson}
15. Baron Munchausen: Pray tell me baron, about the time you strangled a lion using only your left sock. Or perchance the time you convinced the Earl of Wessex to disown his own sister? Can I draw you to expound on the thirty-three sub-types of sunsets and how each may be used to greatest effect on the field of battle? Come, come, sir, such reticence does not become you. Perhaps if I buy you another drink... Come and join in the famous game of bragging and story-telling. {Clare Boothby}
16. Grand Tribunal tabletop session 2: Game TBA.
17. Open filking: fantasy/gaming: We'll start the circle with songs about gaming and fantasy worlds and then degenerate as usual...

Saturday 1 August

Dealers' Room open 9:30am-6pm.

Meals
breakfast: 8am-9am (for those who have booked accommodation in the college)
lunch: 12.30 - 1.30
dinner: 6.30 - 7.30

20. Armchair futurology: How might Cambridge look in 100 years' time? 1000 years'? Predictions from the frivolous to the serious. {Peter Harrow, Hilarity Allen, Rhodri James, Senji (mod)}
21. The importance of being systematic: What makes a rules system work? What breaks them? Do genres and settings make for special cases? Can broken rules still be fun? {Sean Punch, Marcus Rowland, John Dallman, Simon Burley}
22. Workshop: Improv and theatre games: Want to play in an 'emotion orchestra' or suddenly end up in a foreign film? Then the improv workshop that will introduce you to the art, method (and madness) of theatre games is the place for you to be! This workshop will be outside in the gardens. From the front desk, walk along the main corridor of the college, past the bar and the dealers' room. When you get outside, turn right. In case of bad weather, keep an eye on the con noticeboard. {Led by Sib Machat}
23. Writing for Ars Magica: How do you start a Saga, design a character, write an adventure, or even get published? Which order do you do it in? Does beer help?
24. Grand Tribunal tabletop session 3: Game TBA.
25. Knitting circle / instaband rehearsal: Bring your knitting/craft items with you and join others in being 'crafty'.
26. New myths for old: Myths and folklore have a great influence on many modern writers. This panel discusses how to incorporate the old into the new. How do you bring fresh life to familiar old stories? Can we reference without rehashing? {Steph Swainston, Kari Sperring, Ju Honisch, Peter Wareham (mod)}
27. How to run a LARP: A round table discussion on what makes a good Live Action Role-Playing game. Newcomers to LARPing particularly welcome! {Maddz, Tim Ellis, James Bunnett, Chess}
28. Workshop: World Domination - Getting Things Done: What's stopping you achieving your goals? This training session will look at some useful tools and skills for addressing blockages on the road to power, using a number of case studies. The facilitator welcomes user-submitted cases for inclusion in the training session. If you wish, please submit a short description to the front desk no later than 2 hours before the start of the session. Cases studied will be at the facilitator's discretion. (Limited to 20 places, please sign up at the front desk.) {Led by Rachel}
29. Vocal technique workshop: Come to the workshop to improve your singing. All welcome! {Led by Rhodri James}
30. What did Tolkien ever do for us?: How would fantasy be different if Tolkien had never written? What would hack fantasy be like now, who would the imitators be imitating? {Henry Gee, Duncan MacGregor, Matthew Woodcraft, Mark Waller (mod)}
31. Miles, dice and PCs: Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan has captivated SF fandom and critics alike. The Vorkosigan Saga Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game is imminent. This cross-over SF and gaming panel will look at Miles, his universe, and how to run games in this setting. {Sean Punch, David Damerell, Judith Proctor}
32. I rolled vs law, and the law won: Your character has been hauled in front of the local magistrate, or is being sued for return of that valuable old book. Or maybe has to prove that she - or it - has rights rather than being available for sale, or even burning. Whatever's happened, it's courtroom time; Simon Bradshaw looks at whether there's more to gaming legal proceedings than rolling against Fast Talk.
33. Games in SF: How well do games translate into fiction? From The Player of Games to The Squares of the City, via Alice in Wonderland and Only You Can Save Mankind, there are numerous books which take games as their theme or structure. {Ian Watson, Sebastian Bleasdale, Matthew, John Coxon (mod)}
34. Book discussion: The Year of Our War: The Unnamed Book Club hosts a discussion of Steph Swainston's first novel, The Year of Our War.
35. Grand Tribunal charity raffle: The raffle is a tradition of Grand Tribunal. Prizes are donated by attendees and are often (but not always) related to Ars Magica. Tickets are sold before and during the event. The holder of each winning ticket gets to pick immediately from the remaining items and then draw the ticket for the next prize. If the holder of the ticket isn't present, they forfeit the chance and another ticket is drawn - and so on until all prizes are claimed. If you can't be at the draw, don't buy a ticket unless you understand the system. This year all profits go to Practical Action, which helps provide realistic technical solutions to poor communities. See http://www.practicalaction.org/
36. Classic filk: A chance to hear (or sing) songs that have been around so long that the newcomers may never have heard the original.
37. GoH interview: Steph Swainston: Interviewed by Owen Dunn. {Steph Swainston, Owen Dunn}
38. In 1000 Years: Guest of Honour Sib Machat will be on hand to talk about the 'In 1000 Years' art project. Come along and ask her questions, and add your postcard to the display.
39. Grand Tribunal freeform: An Invitation to Dinner: The Lord Mortain has invited the scholars from Flavius Valerius to dinner as his guests. As Flavius Valerius stands on land which is nominally Lord Mortian's, no doubt they will attend. Word has spread and others also gather for there is a sense of something in the wind. Around him the Lord has his few knights and principal retainers, but what of the scholars and other visitors to his hall? This is just dinner but it may well be an interesting evening's dinner.
40. Grand Tribunal tabletop session 4: Twilight's Inheritance: Julianus Magnus, last magus of the Covenant "Concilium Sylvestris" is deemed to have fallen into Final Twilight and passed beyond the world ... so the Covenant's resources are free to be claimed. You and your companions have been sent by the senior Mages of your own Covenant to locate and claim the lost Vis sources.
41. Robert Rosenfeld: Boston (USA) Filker, hear songs you won't hear anyone else singing, yet! (lj: filkosopher)
42. What makes a classic?: Why do some books stand the test of time? Can we pin down the qualities which define a classic? {Ian Watson, Roger Robinson, Caroline Mullan, Ian Whates (mod)}
43. The future of Unicon + Unicon bid session: A Unicon Steering Committee meeting, open to anyone interested, to discuss the future of Unicons and charter changes necessary to keep them alive. This will be followed by a bid session for anybody interested in running the next Unicon. These conventions are run by volunteers; and without them they won't happen. Please consider offering to help run the next Unicon. Let the committee know if you'd like to offer your services. {Duncan MacGregor}
44. Matt/Soir: Soir (and friends) create wonderful music.
45. Nat: Without the aid of accompaniment, Nat's songs will imagine what would happen if Nanny Ogg ran Ten Forward, just why are there so many filks about dragons, and the connection between Doctor Who and The Littlest Hobo.
46. A load of old rubbish?: We all know that archaeologists have a life of adventure searching for lost treasures whilst battling the bad guys and getting the girl. Is it really all about dodging dinosaurs, Nazis and Ninjas? Our resident archaeologist offers a brief insight into what they really get up to, including some of the more humorous perils and pitfalls. {Uitlander}
47. On the box: Not sure when (or whether) to bother turning on your TV? What's hot and what's not in TV SF and fantasy. {Duncan MacGregor, Owen Dunn, John Coxon}
48. Valerie Housden: Needs no introduction, but here's one anyway! Folk and filk singer, and writer of songs about space flight, cats, Vin Diesel and Antonio Banderas. If it's pink, it's hers!
49. Instaband panic time!: Last minute rehearsals and string changing (eek!)
50. After the apocalypse: Disasters and cataclysms abound in SF, whether natural, man-made, alien or just plain mysterious. The panelists discuss how to keep the story going after the world has ended. {Sib Machat, The Bellinghman, Marcus Rowland, Dave Clements (mod)}
51. Workshop: Creating characters: If you start with good characters, your story practically writes itself. Steph Swainston gives some tips on how to build characters and how they can set your plot zipping along. (Limited to 8 places, please sign up at the front desk.)
52. Instabands: Come and cheer on bands that didn't exist at this time yesterday!
53. GoH: Sean Punch: Q&A with Guest of Honour Sean Punch.
54. A sense of place: How does the place you live affect what you write? The panel discusses books with a strong sense of place and whether it's best to write about places you know or places that can only be imagined. {Henry Gee, Kari Sperring, Chaz Brenchley, Clare Boothby (mod)}
55. Book discussion: Un Lun Dun: A discussion of Un Lun Dun by China Mieville. {Led by Hilarity Allen}
56. Cabaret sign-up / sound check: If you want to perform in the cabaret you MUST turn up during this slot, or contact the cabaret team via the front desk to arrange another time. It will only take a few minutes. Tell us what you want to do, and try out any pre-recorded music you want to play. {Ross Younger, Judith Proctor}
57. Time-travel etiquette: We all know that if you travel back in time you shouldn't kill your grandfather, but that's only one of the many ways to put your foot in it. This discussion covers the finer points of temporal propriety and offers advice for the well-mannered time traveller. {David Damerell, Peter Harrow, John Coxon, Ian Jackson (mod)}
58. Grand Tribunal tabletop session 5: An Ill-Fated Meeting: Six senior magi have gathered to argue their covenants' Vis rights for a glade deep in a forest bordered by the lands of their respective covenants. They have been brought together by the skilled negotiator, Septus Trianomae of House Bonisagus, gathered at a Chapter-House of Septus' Covenant.
59. Philip Allcock: No song is safe from this hilarious songwriter, excellent guitarist and singer. He also writes wonderful original songs. Thirty minutes of magic.
60. Readings 1: Readings by Henry Gee, Kari Sperring, Chaz Brenchley and Dave Clements
61. GoH: Sib Machat: Songs and silliness from our GoH. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars... is there nothing safe from this woman? ... er, no!
62. Cabaret: Evening entertainment, by fans, for fans. {Ross Younger, Judith Proctor}
63. Writers to watch out for: Recommendations for new or little-known authors you might not have heard of. Come and find out who's the next big thing! {Duncan MacGregor, Rachel, Ian Whates}
64. Collaborative storytelling: Listen to the story so far, tell a piece of the tale, then pass it on. Help us navigate our way through grave dangers and unexpected plot twists to a satisfying ending. Join in or just come and listen. {Matthew}
65. Grand Tribunal tabletop session 6: Game TBA.
66. Open filking: Space/Science: (Starts after the cabaret.) Tonight we'll start with songs about space flight, science and science fiction and then move on to everything else.

Sunday 2 August

Dealers' Room open 9:30am-4pm.

Meals
breakfast: 8am-9am (for those who have booked accommodation in the college)
lunch: 12.30 - 1.30

70. The king's grouter, and other jobs you never hear about: Where are all the little people in fantasy? Who washes the king's socks and does his accounts? The panel discusses fantasy which focuses on the less glamorous jobs. {Steph Swainston, Owen Dunn, Senji, Ian Jackson (mod)}
71. It's a kind of magic: From the thaumaturgic artillery of magic missiles, prismatic sprays and Take That You Fiend to real-world historical beliefs and everything in between. Magic is a staple of fantasy games. What's good, what's bad, what's different and what's just magic with another name? {Sean Punch, Phil Masters, Nicholas Caldwell}
72. Grand Tribunal freeform: The Second Tribunal: It is now 770, three years since the formation of the Order. Trianoma has decided that the Founders should have one final meeting together before followers and filii swear the Oath. All of the Founders have wizards waiting to be members of their nascent Houses, but it has been generally - though not unanimously - agreed that the Founders have a few matters that they must settle among themselves.
73. Grand Tribunal tabletop session 7: Game TBA.
74. Medieval dance workshop/knitting circle: Learn medieval dance, led by Kathy Westhead; or a chance to knit/sew (hopefully quietly!) while listening to lovely music over and over again!
75. RPG auction: A chance to grab a bargain or sell old games on to a new home. See the Programme Book for more information. {Mike Cule, Tim Ellis, Mark Waller}
76. Readings 2: Readings and book giveaways from Newcon Press editor/authors Ian Whates, Ian Watson and Eric Brown, plus others TBA...
77. GoH: Sib Machat: Even more from our GoH, if you saw her yesterday, you'll be back today. If you missed her yesterday, then you *need* to be here! Funny songs about language, films and all sorts of other stuff.
78. Sex and drugs and rock'n'roll: Indulgence, hedonism and addiction. How do you write about excess without going over the top? {Steph Swainston, Rachel, Ian Whates, Chaz Brenchley}
79. Real-life science: Hear about some really cool real-life science from some really cool real-life scientists and scientific editors. {Henry Gee, Liz Batty, Dave Clements, Clare Boothby (mod)}
80. Balancing board games: The basic design for a game is only the first hurdle. A much bigger challenge is balancing the game - making sure it is the right combination of random and fair, the right level of difficulty, and all without making the rule-set too complex. The panel discuss games which get it right and games which get it very, very wrong... {Sebastian Bleasdale, Alex, Laws}
81. Grand Tribunal tabletop session 8: Game TBA.
82. Remakes and reimaginings: Why are so many films and TV series remakes these days? Can you improve on the original or are remakes just a money-spinning exercise? {Judith Proctor, Owen Dunn, Simon Bradshaw, David Haddock}
83. Book discussion: A Companion to Wolves: Discussion of A Companion to Wolves by Sarah Monette & Elizabeth Bear, a fantasy heroic quest novel with a really interesting take on the telepathic companion animal. (Warning: book contains explicit sex scenes.) {Led by Rachel}
84. Main concert: Signup and sing a song, read a poem etc. and if there's time at the end, then anyone that wants to do another song is welcome to come up again. A chance to hear performances from those who didn't get programme spots as well as those that did, or to ask for a concert performance of late night circle songs or things from earlier programme slots to be done again.
85. Intergalactic antiques roadshow: We are delighted to welcome Professor Yaffle and colleagues once again to help you identify things you have which you don't know what they are, and tell you how much they are (probably) worth. Find out whether that mysterious family heirloom is the famed Lost Goblet of Knid or just a broken hyper-teapot... {Ian Watson, Owen Dunn, Hilarity Allen}
86. Closing ceremony: That's (almost) it, folks. Join the committee as we thank our guests and (hopefully) announce the next BRScon and Unicon committees.
87. I'm sorry I haven't an SFing filking LARPing clue: We present the antidote to convention panels. Our teams will be given silly things to do by Owen Dunn, with some of them set to music.
88. Dead dog party: If you're staying at New Hall on Sunday night, or just don't want to leave yet, please stick around, be sociable, and help us drink up any spare beer...
89. Dead dog filking: Room open at 8pm and then as people arrive back from dinner, sing until late!

This programme brought to you by raspberry smoothie ice-lollies and the Last Dance.