Facebook etc? There's lots of very enthusiastic people on there, but probably a very small percentage that would actually do anything as usual.

Sounds about right

In practice, only a proportion of the people who say they'll come will actually show up, too.

It may be better to get a couple of options for dates/places before unleashing it on the thousands, give them something specific to talk about.

As I said at the beginning, it needs someone to come forward and take responsibility for all of the organisation, including handling money/paying deposits/providing transportation etc.

I don't understand how the community can be discussing a meetup and yet also require telling about that meetup.

I think the sooner we get something in place, the better

Taking time off is also an issue, but it's not impossible... and if we do it over the weekend, it's much easier for those who might not be able to take much off - one Monday isn't too bad and most employers have a system for that (mine doesn't; if I don't go in I don't get paid, but still...).

I'm a bit confused as to why this issue keeps coming up.

Nobody has said that the social won't work because people will have to take time off.

The original concern was that in view of the fact that people will have to take Monday off and with nothing happening until Friday night, people will not take the Friday off and people will therefore arrive late on the Friday.

Having spoken to forester, this apparently isn't a problem. But the issue of people having to take time off has never arisen. Virtually every social we have ever done required people to take a day off.

To use it for the gaming idea, however, changes things a little. The meetup would need to be moved to March 2015, with something else taking the place of a Halloween attraction.

By the way, I agree with this, for purely selfish reasons - I'd need that time to save money for this thing, providing it doesn't clash with the other thing I'm doing in March 2015.

Transport can be an issue, but we do have some drivers (who could ferry for petrol money) in the KM Community, and even without, there are buses and taxis available from most stations, and in extreme cases, it is always possible to walk! I've walked the few miles to various locations, again with Woodcraft, for simple reasons like "it's cheaper", "it's easier" or "it's sustainable"!

Taking time off is also an issue, but it's not impossible... and if we do it over the weekend, it's much easier for those who might not be able to take much off - one Monday isn't too bad and most employers have a system for that (mine doesn't; if I don't go in I don't get paid, but still...).

I've been at most of the Knightmare Socials so far (barring London and Florida), and with an expanded group, I see no reason for not taking another one. Let's make it happen.

As mentioned ad nauseum before, Halloween is my "Summer" holiday so I'm game for a trip to Alton Towers Scarefest and Tulleys Farm if they're on the menu.

Also, I'm another with the use of a car and don't mind ferry duties, within reason.

Scarefest is on from 18th Oct to 2 Nov.

Tulleys Farm Halloween runs for selected dates during the same period. - http://www.halloweenattractions.co.uk/shocktoberfest/dates

Another suggestion for Accom would be the YHA @ Ilam Hall.

http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/ilam-hall

1. Within a few £ of Hathersage.

2. Ashbourne is only a short hop away from Alton Towers and civilisation in general.

3. Just LOOK at the place! If that building doesn't scream "Knightmare", what the heck does?!?

I think finding many people willing to take two days off will be tricky, though. At the last Blackpool meetup we struggled to get 15 people to take 1 day off.

To use it for the gaming idea, however, changes things a little. The meetup would need to be moved to March 2015, with something else taking the place of a Halloween attraction.

I have no problem with that at all.

As Forester has correctly pointed out, there are certain things that a trip like this requires. Time off work is one of them, and has always been required in the past for such meetups.

We might still need to keep an eye out for other locations. It's always good to have a plan B.

Besides, as a Londoner, I and a couple of other forum Londoners would jump at the opportunity to get out of there

Alstonefield - Used before, worked before, more than enough people to arrange collection from train station(s) so long as people are given a time to be collected. We've used it twice previously without a problem. The reviews don't give their reasons for rating it so poorly - I certainly don't.

Time off work - Required really for any distant trip that's going to be more than just a Saturday evening & Sunday morning. With advanced notice this shouldn't be a problem. Every larger event we've ever done has always had an element of requiring time off to it.

Hathersage - looks good to me, dates are limited for hiring venue outright. Meaning for a weekend it'd be December or March. Alton Towers opens late March and there is still availability. If we got 18 people it'd be about £64 each for the weekend (Fri - Mon). More people drops the cost. Location gets my support in principle.

To elaborate a little further, the game that's in mind requires sole use of a single venue and location with good features to support it. It's not a murder mystery, it's more a rp scare adventure / quest.

London & other big cities - World doesn't revolve around them, they're not the right setting for the specific idea in mind and hotels there would probably cost the same per night as a Hostel would per person for the weekend.

Ultimately it's entirely down to what people want to do. You could do a casual evening meetup at Tulley's Farm - in fact that could happen in addition to what's been said here. Or we could just meet for an afternoon drinking session in a pub. Greater things require more time, more planning and greater commitment.

(And yes, those inns would make good territory for a pub-quiz, Greystagg.)

Another option, if the Hope Valley is viable, would be Edale. Really nice Old Nag's Head pub just off the Pennine Way, and the views of Kinder Scout and the Great Ridge are stunning.

http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/edale

Hathersage looks very nice there, and easy to get to.

BTW, I've written a Knightmare-themed pub quiz challenge that I'd dearly like to test out on a Knightmare-savvy audience sometime. I'm not saying this to muscle in on Kieran's plans for October, just throwing it out there in case there's interest for some future social/convention.

Right, here we are:

http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/hathersage

Deeper into the peak district

Quarter of a mile to the nearest train station

Higher reviews

Lower prices

Also only 6 miles away from Speedwell cavern

nods Okie dokes, we'll need to check whether it can.support the needs for the games and wotnot

http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/hathersage

Deeper into the peak district

Quarter of a mile to the nearest train station

Higher reviews

Lower prices

Also only 6 miles away from Speedwell cavern

The problem is that we don't know what date the reviews have. It could be that the place has gone downhill.

EDIT: Although I do notice it does okay on tripadvisor.

I'll admit to not being a fan of youth hostels and this one gets particularly poor ratings (1.5 out of 5).

I would balance that rating, wherever it's from, against the personal experiences of the dozen-plus Knightmare community members who have stayed there.

Some background: we used the Alstonefield hostel first in August 2005 for the filming of Knightmare RPG7, for which we were able to book the entire hostel. (For those who don't know, the Knightmare RPGs were a series of fan-made projects, shot mostly against a bluescreen, involving a mixture of original KM characters and new characters.) Its remote location made it ideal for filming, and summer is a good time to escape to the countryside. We liked it enough to return there for a few days in October 2005. That meetup included a day at Alton Towers.

Every potential meetup venue has pros and cons. There's no denying that with Alstonefield, there was a reliance on those with cars. There will always be those who are happy to be chauffeurs and those who just fall into the role.

The whodunnit mentioned earlier in the thread was an evening activity during the August '05 stay, organised by Forester (a.k.a. Aaron, the Knightmare Convention photographer) with input from me. The clues centred around the RPG7 characters and their backstories.

I think you will find that that was noted in 2 very recent posts, a compromise needs to be made on the place to hold this to accommodate the need to be closer to the station without compromising on the views or the cost of staying.

I agree, and that's why I said that the test I'm using is to assume that nobody will be there with a car. Wherever we pick, it needs to be somewhere that public transport serves.

The reason for that is simple - we can't guarantee anyone with a car will be there or that anyone with a car will be willing to do 40 minute round trips to pick people up from the station. The majority of the Knightmare community do not drive. Of those that do, many do not have access to a car.

Now I'm lucky enough that I have a car, will almost certainly drive and am generally willing to ferry people. But I'm not going to allow anyone to rely on me for that in case I have to drop out or don't feel up to it at the time.

Regarding booking the time off, I believe even the most unreasonable of employers would struggle to refuse leave requested on 3 months+ notice, which I think is good that the social is being discussed now, rather than 6-8 weeks prior.

The issue is whether someone will be willing to use up two days holiday. Previous experience shows that, in general, people won't do this. They'll travel after work on the Friday because nothing is scheduled for Friday daytime. I suspect that was Kieran's intent in designing his excellent programme.

Common sense would dictate if one was to travel from London, one would book the Friday off to ensure they get there earlier. If the event was held closer to London, people would have to do the same in order to get down, and accommodation nearer to London is expensive all year round.

You're missing the point. This has nothing to do with London versus not London.

The point is that wherever we hold it, being far away from a train station means that someone has to stay up late in the evening to ferry people between the station and the youth hostel.

I think you will find that that was noted in 2 very recent posts, a compromise needs to be made on the place to hold this to accommodate the need to be closer to the station without compromising on the views or the cost of staying.

Regarding booking the time off, I believe even the most unreasonable of employers would struggle to refuse leave requested on 3 months+ notice, which I think is good that the social is being discussed now, rather than 6-8 weeks prior.

Ravenstor is closer to Buxton Station. It looks a fair bit nicer. Main problem is it can only be reached on B-roads.

http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/ravenstor

There's also Ilam Hall near Ashbourne.

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/YHA-Ilam-Hall/Peak-District/46896?sc_sau=sfab&sc_pos=1

Those places are both much nicer looking and more convenient. Good find!

However, I remain concerned about the remoteness. They are both a 20 minute drive from the train station. That means that anyone going out to pick someone up from the station has a 40 minute drive.

For me, the test has to be whether I could make my own way to the hostel without having to inconvenience anyone. In other words, how would I get there if nobody was available to pick me up? I am not sure I would be up for a 9 mile walk at 9pm. A taxi would apparently cost about 15 to 20 pounds, which is also a bit pricey.