Zarpies

ZARPIES

A tale of true appreciation

ZARPIES! Never heard of it? The 5th annual Zarpies took place in a discrete location in southern Ontario. Under the dim lights of a century-old schoolhouse was an event crafted of admiration. A feast, countless hilarious stories, recaptured memories of the greatest moments, meme reel and even an intriguing cybernetic reveal. Few outsiders ever get to bear witness to this closed doors event. Our very own Sasha the Vampire slid onto the guest list, armed with only a tablespoon of wit, broken Engrish, and a box of pastries. We would like to share our experiences of what made this the best appreciation event ever attended.

Organization

Let’s get right into it. This appreciation event was well organized. It started in the evening which made the most sense to open with a feast and get them bellies full. Opening statements than an award ceremony with accompanying projector reel of highlights. Followed by Break, a meme reel and part 2 of the awards. Ending with a large reveal and closing statements. Unlike other appreciation events in the past from different organizations. This was truly well structured, no sit around and mingle for a few hours or imprompt bard competition for entertainment. Zarpies were very inclusive because of how it was organized, which made it very entertaining as a bat in the shadows or a fly on the wall.

What are some takeaways, if you’re planning your own appreciation event?

• Make a schedule
• Choose a location that is easy to get to
• Time is important to know how long you are going and when to end it.

Content

The awards took an enormous amount of work in the back end. There were multiple award categories. As seen in the photo, so many awards. Under each award, there were multiple nominees. Each nominee the organizers would share a story of why they were chosen and if that wasn’t enough also honorable mentions. The amount of content that was presented would have taken days if not weeks to put together. However, not only did the organizers put in the leg work but there were a few categories of awards for the directors. So the players presented awards to the directors in the same fashion. On both ends, most stories that were not FOIG (found out in-game) got a great response and made the event super entertaining. Nothing makes an individual feel more appreciated than sharing their story of contribution to the group. Sasha managed to sneak a little footage out of the Zarpies (Shhh…)

Takeaways, simple
Get to know your players and take notice of their accomplishments

Ending Thoughts

If your organization is already doing appreciation events with this level of admiration, fantastic. Unfortunately, it’s the exception rather than the norm. Thank you Z-World LARP for allowing an outsider to attend your event. If anyone is looking to attend the 6th annual Zarpies, Z-World 2020 season starts March 6th.

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