A Knightmare in Belfast

[Aidan305]

He always has that air of superiority.

[Fenris]

He always has that air of superiority.

For some reason, despite not knowing him, that doesn't surprise me heh

[SirOphiuchus]

O-kay. It seems like you've misinterpreted the tone of my post completely. The idea was to give a balanced overview of the whole game as we found it, not to either nitpick it or gush about it. It was intended to be for the benefit of those who weren't there, not to mock or belittle what were evidently Trojan efforts to make the game happen at all.

I played the Guardian in Qnightmare and I just felt I should correct a few errors I felt you have made in this post.

Yes, I remember you. I have several photos of you and the other cast members in your costumes, and I was really impressed by the attention to detail.

Apparently the chasm should have vanished but it didn't. ("Gremlins", Brother Mace tutted.)

The chasm was not supposed to vanish. Lilith cast a spell that formed an icy barrier over the chasm. The colour changed from black to blueish, rather than a bridge appearing. Michael Cule was unaware of this until the sequence was replayed and made clear. So, this time, the gremlins were innocent

Thanks for clearing that one up! It was very confusing at the time - none of us spotted anything changing.

The keys were never meant to be found, that was just Lord Fear messing with and taunting you.

Again, thanks! That one was bugging me a little, because I wasn't sure if it was deliberate or not.

More importantly, contrary to your statement, later teams did not have an advantage on you in the form of the scroll. The "scroll" was on the table from the very first run (I know, I helped lay out the props). It was sitting face/text up on the table, waiting to be picked up and read. Your dungeoneer neglected to either describe or pick it up. Following this I rolled the paper into a scroll and secured it with a loose cable tie, since we feared other teams would be equally careless, or miss this valuable clue.

Fair enough - I checked this one with Aidan when we discussed the game on the way home, and he assured me he hadn't seen any scroll. That one's our fault!

The two riddles were reduced to one at the behest of Michael Cule, being considered too difficult. While it's true that none of the cast, including myself, knew the riddle, I would say that Irish folklore is not so commonly known in the north as in the south. You were not the only team to get the question right, although it doesn't matter since only two teams got far enough for the Guardian to aid them.

I didn't know that about the riddles - I wasn't trying to either gripe or boast, just explain developments in the game over the convention, since we did see ourselves as "playtesters", in a sense.

Folklore point - that seems fair enough. It did indeed seem very hard, though I was aware other teams got the question right.

Aidan duly stepped forward, remained the same size as he moved along the perspective bridge (Damn you, gremlins!), and stepped right into the second blade.

I don't think this was a gremlin. The key to the bridge was in taking well placed, and often calculatingly small steps. Also, let it be remembered that it was an amateur production, and the work of one (genius) man. I don't think you should mock the technology of it too harshly, a lot of work went into it.

I'm surprised that you see that as mocking - I considered it more of a humorous reference to the technical problems that were there throughout. Of course it was an amazing production, and I don't think you should just consider it "amateur". The quality of the experience (tech issues notwithstanding) was as good as the original series. But the tech issues were there, and they did deserve a mention. Are you being a bit overdefensive? And I do think we would have managed the bridge without the second blade.

[SirOphiuchus]

The teams that came after us had that second blade removed, more clues, and less questions to answer.

I think I have illustrated, the following teams did not have more clues. The second blade was removed, once again, at the behest of a main figure in the cast. However, it did little to reduce the death rate of the bridge!

The clues point was a mistake on our part. However, it is true that later teams had one blade less and less questions, and that probably was required to make the game slightly less lethal. I'm not actively trying to be judgemental here, just to give a sense of the experience as it developed.

It was an absolutely amazing experience! Would I do it again? Without a second thought - but I don't think we'll be going first next time!

Despite your nitpicking, you seem to have enjoyed the experience and I am glad. The cast had a lot of fun putting on the performance, I know I certainly did.

"Nitpicking" is harsh. Anyone who was there with me - and, indeed, most of my friends and family for the previous two months - would know how excited and enthused I was about taking part in a production like this. The fact that I decied to give a sense of the overall experience rather than my individual experience of how great it was (and, believe me, it was) doesn't mean I didn't appreciate it for what it is. And, incidentally, I really enjoyed your performance. That's why I asked you for a photograph when I spotted you in costume the next day.

I may have come across as abrasive in this post, but I felt I had to address certain issues that you raised. As I said, a lot of work went into Qnightmare, mostly the work of Andrew (Qnightmare Director) and it rankles a little that people pick out little problems in what was essentially an amateur production and a bit of a laugh. Oh, and I couldn't resist the air of slight superiority in your tone heh

Abrasive? Well yes, yes you did. I put a lot of effort into writing up my account of our adventure, and to have you tear it apart because it wasn't overwhelmingly positive throughout was disappointing. What did I actually say? That the game experienced some technical difficulties which I considered minor (true) and that it was made easier for later teams (true - whether it was at the behest of the cast is irrelevant). You seem to ignore the effort I put into describing what was an unforgettable experience for myself. If I didn't enjoy it immensely, why would I have bothered? And obviously the minor problems stood out - there weren't any major ones. If you're going to respond to even implied criticim with "It's just a bit of a laugh," then people won't take your efforts seriously, and this one deserved to be taken seriously. I didn't notice an air of superiority in my post, but I did notice the incredible overdefensiveness of yours, and I was hurt by it.

I had a wonderful experience at Qnightmare - it was the highlight of the convention for me. I do indeed hope to do it again, but your overzealous defence of something that really didn't need it has put me off writing a review the next time.

[Narchy]

My name is Andrew (Not the same Andrew who ran Qnightmare, he's a lot smarter than me), I was one of the organisers of Q-Con. I have some video clips of Qnightmare as I know you are all dying to see them.

Paul testing the corridor of blades:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCe01tJL59A

The intro sequence:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS6Kd-e7cuY

Pictures of the setup and running of Qnightmare can be found here on the QUB Dragonslayers gallery.
http://www.dragonslayers.org.uk/gallery ... nightmare/

Enjoy, there is more to come.

[Fenris]

Ok, your two posts makes it more difficult to quote and reply so I will keep this brief.

And, incidentally, I really enjoyed your performance. That's why I asked you for a photograph when I spotted you in costume the next day.

Obviously I am flattered that you enjoyed my performance.

Abrasive? Well yes, yes you did. I put a lot of effort into writing up my account of our adventure, and to have you tear it apart because it wasn't overwhelmingly positive throughout was disappointing.

This sounds a bit like six and two threes. You are angry because I criticised the post you put a lot of effort into? However I am denied indignation when you slighted a production that took a huge amount of effort to pull off? Interesting.

... it was made easier for later teams (true - whether it was at the behest of the cast is irrelevant).

Back to the perceived idea that you were somehow "cheated". Incidentally I forgot to mention that, while you had one blade more, your team did not have to deal with an element that we introduced - the henchmen. Later teams were harried regularly by the goons. Standing around for ages debating clues and deciding courses of action became a thing of the past. Once you exceeded the time, goons stomped their way onto the screen, ready to cut you down. I noticed after rereading my previous post that I had omitted this piece of information. I would also like to reitterate that removing one blade did not heavily reduce the kill rate of the bridge - it still claimed many lives.

I didn't notice an air of superiority in my post, but I did notice the incredible overdefensiveness of yours, and I was hurt by it.

The air of superiority is what drew me to your post initially! I am not the only one to have noticed it either. Perhaps you should reread it, or have a fesh eye look over it? I might have let it slide as just another person nit-picking, but the entire post seemed to suggest that your team were the best ones there and only failed in the quest because they were somehow screwed over by having a tougher run. It was the clues, the riddles, the extra blade. We were robbed. I didn't think that was a fair judgement. Having watched many teams come and go over the weekend, I have to say quite a few were high quality, and the overall winners took it in their stride. In this case "if only" does no good.

I wouldn't say I was "incredibly overdefensive" since most of my post was geared towards correcting errors you had made in your original post and clearing up "grey areas." I am, of course, a little defensive of something that took considerable effort but still wasn't good enough for some people. I don't think a man who has been "hurt" because I criticised a post he made on a forum should call anybody "incredibly overdefensive" or anything of the like. Pot, kettle, black.

Most people seemed to enjoy Qnightmare immensely, which is, of course, delightful. However the comments of "we should have had film and drama students as actors" and "we should have organised it properly and not left it to the last minute" are still fresh in my mind. It's a little sad that people couldn't take it for what it was - a valiant attempt to recreate in an hour what it took the original series a week to create (i.e one whole episode). We didn't have the luxury of multiple screens, a team of techs, professional actors and so on but for some reason people almost expected it.

I had a wonderful experience at Qnightmare - it was the highlight of the convention for me. I do indeed hope to do it again, but your overzealous defence of something that really didn't need it has put me off writing a review the next time.

As I said before, I am glad you enjoyed Qnightmare overall, it was our goal to create an enjoyable and memorable experience for all the Q-Con attendees. We felt the venture went incredibly well, despite any passing negativities.

I will refer you to my earlier pot-kettle-black comment in response to your assertion that I am "overzealous"

There are no concrete plans to rerun Qnightmare. The idea has been tossed about, but we'll have to see if it is viable and so forth. Maybe you won't have need to write another review after all!

[Fenris]

My name is Andrew (Not the same Andrew who ran Qnightmare, he's a lot smarter than me), I was one of the organisers of Q-Con. I have some video clips of Qnightmare as I know you are all dying to see them.

Paul testing the corridor of blades:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCe01tJL59A

The intro sequence:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS6Kd-e7cuY

Pictures of the setup and running of Qnightmare can be found here on the QUB Dragonslayers gallery.
http://www.dragonslayers.org.uk/gallery ... nightmare/

Enjoy, there is more to come.

You probably shouldn;t show those photos to people, some of us cast members look less than dashing!!

[Aidan305]

Thta's me with my advisors in number 25. I'm the dugeoneer standing beside Michael Cule, the guy in the middle is Sir Ophiuchus. The redshirt is Alex Altman and on the right is Patrick Reily.

[SirOphiuchus]

Just to wrap up this discussion, I'd like to respond to your comments on my comments on your comments - alright, this is getting confusing!

Some of your points were very valid, but I do take issue that you felt I was slighting the production - that was never my intention. I've just reread my original post twice and I can't find anything that could be interepreted as being derogatory toward Qnightmare.

However I am denied indignation when you slighted a production that took a huge amount of effort to pull off? Interesting.

That's the thing, I really don't feel I did. I made a joking reference to technical glitches, but indicated I didn't find them important. I've said it already, but I'll do so again. I absolutely loved Qnightmare and thought it was an amazing production. I didn't actually have a bad word to say about it as an event.

The air of superiority is what drew me to your post initially! I am not the only one to have noticed it either. Perhaps you should reread it, or have a fesh eye look over it? I might have let it slide as just another person nit-picking, but the entire post seemed to suggest that your team were the best ones there and only failed in the quest because they were somehow screwed over by having a tougher run. It was the clues, the riddles, the extra blade. We were robbed. I didn't think that was a fair judgement. Having watched many teams come and go over the weekend, I have to say quite a few were high quality, and the overall winners took it in their stride. In this case "if only" does no good.

Okay, looking back over my post, I see that you're on firmer ground here. I do admit I thought we had a good chance of winning, and that our run was harder because we went first. I didn't realy mean for that to come across in the post to the extent it did, and I'm sorry that what I intended to be an eyewitness account of Qnightmare was overshadowed by it. That's a fair comment, and I accept it.

I am, of course, a little defensive of something that took considerable effort but still wasn't good enough for some people.

Most people seemed to enjoy Qnightmare immensely, which is, of course, delightful. However the comments of "we should have had film and drama students as actors" and "we should have organised it properly and not left it to the last minute" are still fresh in my mind. It's a little sad that people couldn't take it for what it was - a valiant attempt to recreate in an hour what it took the original series a week to create (i.e one whole episode). We didn't have the luxury of multiple screens, a team of techs, professional actors and so on but for some reason people almost expected it.

As I said above, I really had nothing bad to say about Qnightmare except that there were a few minor glitches and that it was hard. Surely one would expect that much? I take your point on overdefensiveness, but I really don't think I criticised it at all. I was a bit arrogant about our run, perhaps, but I never said anything bad about the actual game. Never.

There are no concrete plans to rerun Qnightmare. The idea has been tossed about, but we'll have to see if it is viable and so forth. Maybe you won't have need to write another review after all!

I really do hope you manage to rerun Qnightmare. I really did have a wonderful time (love those photos, by the way!), and I think it was the highlight of the convention. I hope you don't think I was trying to take pot shots at the work you put into it, because that was the furthest thing from my mind.

In summary: I was arrogant, I'm sorry. I didn't, however, say anything bad about Qnightmare. I really did love the game, and I hope that you run it next year.

- Stephen Kenneally

[Fenris]

In summary: I was arrogant, I'm sorry. I didn't, however, say anything bad about Qnightmare. I really did love the game, and I hope that you run it next year.

- Stephen Kenneally

Ok, I think we have thrashed this one out and gotten our various points across. I'm not going to be petty and drag it out for the sake of it. See, I am nowhere near as mean as I bet you thought I was

As I said before, I am glad you enjoyed Qnightmare. I am sorry that all this stuff had to come into this forum but I couldn't let it go without saying something, heh.

You'll have to petition the committee over Qnightmare next year and see what they have to say. I wouldn't mind acting in it again if they did though!

[Narchy]

Hey guys,

Here's a few minutes of edited footage from Qnightmare set to music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNoprHpHK_4

And here's the Q-Con video, just to encourage you to come next year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP-LbhUu0mY

[jk81]

OK everyone, I need a little bit of help. I was part of one of the teams in the last series and our dungeoneer is getting married at the end of February. I wondered if anyone knew how I can obtain/borrow a replica helmet for the occasion please??

PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!!!

Thanks,

Justin

[iziz]

Greetings all,

For anyone that's interested, Q-Con XIV will be happening Friday 22nd - Sunday 24th June, in Belfast. Full details of all the events that are happening are on the website:
http://www.q-con.org.uk

What may be of particular interest (being the Knightmare forums!) is that we will be running our live action remake, 'Qnightmare', once more.

There is even a short trailer, from footage shot from November, for your viewing pleasure!

[SirOphiuchus]

My friends and I will be participating again, hopefully in the first slot like last year.

...If Fenris promises not to eat me. I'll be good!

[leeroymukabgede]

i have just stumbled across this. i couldnt help but lol.
http://www.iziz.co.uk/qnightmare/index.html
LORD FEAR LIVES ! apparently