The esteemed Symposium Games Pin awarded to the champions of each game.

Greetings gentlefolk,

The Steampunk Empire Symposium is just a few weeks away and so are the Symposium Games. Each registered airship or group will of course be wanting to know where and when to send their representatives to compete. Below you will find the scheduled times for each official event taking place in the BLUE ASH ROOM at the hotel. There are six events (races or games) in the Blue Ash room that will be worth championship points. There are also other events in other rooms throughout the weekend that will also be worth points. I will list those events and their locations below as well. There MAY be other unscheduled ways to earn points, so keep your ears open once you arrive at the symposium.

Friday:

Curiosities Exhibit Registration 1:30PM - 6:30PM - CATEGORIES - UPDATE - Boardroom 2
This is the first Curiosities Exhibit registrations period. This event has 200 points on the line spread across all it’s categories. Judging and voting begins on Saturday with results announced on Sunday.

Bocce at 8PM to 9PM RULES - Blue Ash Ballroom
This game is squeezed between two other events and may take some time, it is very important that each group’s participants show up and be ready on schedule. This event REQUIRES two participants from each group. 100 points spread across 1st, 2nd and 3rd place

Saturday:

Curiosities Exhibit Registration 8:30AM - 10:00AM CATEGORIES - UPDATE - Boardroom 2
This is the second Curiosities Exhibit registrations period. This event has 200 points on the line spread across all it’s categories. Judging and voting begins on Saturday with results announced on Sunday.

Pod Races at 10AM to 11AM RULES - UPDATE - Blue Ash Ballroom
The early bird gets the worm! Each group will have to send 3 participants to this one: One driver, and two people to act as engines for the pod racer. Don’t forget to bring your own “pod racer” for extra points and a chance to win more if you win the pod racer design competition. If you do not have your own pod racer, we will provide one for your team to borrow. 100 points spread across 1st, 2nd and 3rd place

NERF Dueling at 11AM to Noon RULES - Blue Ash Ballroom
The NERF Dueling currently only guarantees ONE participant per group, but send your alternate as well, depending on how fast we get setup and how smooth things go, we may be able to allow two participants for each group. 100 points spread across 1st, 2nd and 3rd place

Tea Dueling at 2PM to 3PM RULES - Blue Ash Ballroom
Wilhelmina Frame will be hosting our Tea Duel this year! Due to time constraints, we can only guarantee one duelist from each group will be able to compete, but we might get some extra time on the back end, so send your alternates! 100 points spread across 1st, 2nd and 3rd place

Lightsaber Cricket at 4PM to 5PM RULES - Blue Ash Ballroom
This event should move quickly, make sure you send your alternates, but remember that we are only guaranteeing ONE participant per group, if things move fast, we’ll be able to let two from each compete. 100 points spread across 1st, 2nd and 3rd place

Steampunk Pinup Contest at 5PM - FACEBOOK - Hunt (Workshops)
The Steampunk Pinup Contest hosted by Bang Bang Salon. Points TBD

SteamWars Fashion Contest at 7PM - Hunt (Workshops)
The SteamWars Fashion contest, judged by the in-famous Apparition Abolishers, will determine the best Steampunk or Steampunk Starwars costumes and fashion. You can register for this at the main symposium registration desk when you check in. Points TBD.

Beard and Mustache Competition at 8PM - Hunt (Workshops)
Bring your face in all it’s hirsute glory. Judged by the in-famous Apparition Abolishers, will determine who’s facial hair is the most astounding. You can register for this at the main symposium registration desk when you check in. Points TBD.

Sunday:

Dirigible Races 10AM to Noon. RULES - UPDATE - Blue Ash Ballroom
Setup for the Dirigible Races begins bright and early at 10AM. RC Dirigible pilots and engineers will want to make sure they set an alarm and don’t get to wild the night before. Races are scheduled to start at 11AM but we may start earlier if the course and a pilot is ready before then. Races worth 100 points for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Design Competition worth 80 for each of two categories.

The esteemed Symposium Games Pin awarded to the champions of each game.

Greetings future Symposium Games participating Airships and Groups! The 1914… I mean the 2014 Symposium Games are just over a couple of months away and representation by the various airships and groups has been much greater than expected. Well, that’s not true, we expected greater participation than last year, what we didn’t expect was how FAST groups would register. As the number of registered Airships grew, a full two months before the Symposium, we had to make an executive decision to cap Symposium Games group registration at 13. (We hadn’t planned to end registration till later). You see, this year the Symposium Games is sharing the field with other events and activities and our time is short. We calculated the the MOST number of groups we could handle in the time allotted for each competition had already been reached.

In addition to the number of groups we have being an issue, it’s possible the number of participants allowed for each group could be an issue. For this reason we have to ask that each registered group may provide only ONE primary, and ONE secondary participant for each scheduled competition. Each primary participant that shows up to a game on time will be guaranteed a chance to participate. If the primary participant cannot for whatever reason make it to the playing area by the beginning of the session (with a 5 minute maximum grace period), then the secondary can take their spot IF they also arrive on time.

Now IF for some reason we decide on the spot that we DO have time for ALL secondary participants who arrived on time to compete, then they will be allowed to compete. Historically, not all groups send someone to every game, so it’s possible there may be time, but don’t count on it. We really do wish we had time for more people to play our games, cause we know they will be fun and challenging, but alas time is not our ally. (Unless someone brings a working time machine).

SO. . . Now that you have this news. What will the registered airships and groups do? May we suggest that in the two months remaining until the Symposium, your airship or group could hold tryouts. Each country participating in the Olympics sends their best in each sport. You have access to the rules for every game in the symposium, you know the size of the field of play (46 feet long by 33 feet wide). Try to find a space, collect equipment and start practicing and see who you have that’s the best at each game. We already know of at least one group that is doing exactly that.

Adelaide Lucille D’Aubingy, also known as Amber Brandenburg, is the 2012 Umbrella Dueling Champion, a year later she was working with security at the Symposium and now in 2013 she is the Chief of Security for the Pandora Society and the Symposium.

Brandenburg also works at the Old West Festival in Cincinnati which is where she first got into Steampunk when in the fall of 2011 the Festival held their first annual Steampunk Weekend. Several Old West Festival cast members decided to attend the first Symposium the following spring and invited her to join their small airship - The Dancing Dirigibles. It was their only year flying together, but Amber had so much fun she couldn’t stay away, and now she is in the senior ranks of the Symposium.

She considers herself a Jill-of-all-Trades, “I’m good at jerry-rigging things to make them work and seeing the missing pieces (accessorizing and noting the small details). I’m also an intimidating tiny red head. Always handy when defending the aether!” For the 2014 Symposium Brandenburg plans to continue defending the convention with her crew of well trained security officers under her new Steampunk name, but with the same dedication and resolve as in previous years, “My goal is to help make the SES a safe and welcoming environment to all.”

Looking back at the 2012 Symposium Amber reflects, “With it being my first major steampunk event, it felt amazing to win something, be celebrated by new friends, and to be welcomed into this culture with such open arms from everyone I encountered.” Her advice to newcomers to the Symposium, “Don’t feel obligated to join an airship just because it may seem big and mighty. Do your research and find a ship that will provide what you are looking for. Take your time. It’s just like Firefly - you will know your ship when you find her.”

Count William Lawley of the Her Majesty’s Airship Omnipotent

Count William Lawley of the Her Majesty’s Airship Omnipotent has won many of the Symposium Games . . . in 2012 he took first place for Dirigible Design and second place Dirigible Races . . . in 2013 he won the Silhouette Challenge, the Penny Farthing Race (with Olivia Lawley), and Her Majesty’s Airship Omnipotent was the overall runner up for the 2013 Symposium Games.

The Count got into Steampunk when his daughter, Commodore Autumn Lawley, wanted them to go to the first Symposium. So he checked it out, and found out that he’d liked this style for years! Then he read about the Dirigible Races and was hooked.

For 2014 Lawley plans on bringing “More Dirigibles!!! We have an armada of four steampunk dirigibles ready for an assault.” He has also been growing a handlebar mustache for the mustache races. For anyone competing in the 2014 Games, Lawley advises, “Heave to and make way for Her Majesty’s Airship Omnipotent of the Glorious Unspeakable Empire of Cheviot!”

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Aether, we are excited to announce that we have a full line up of Airships competing in the 2014 Symposium Games!

Alas due to time constraints the 2014 Games are limited to a (baker’s) dozen Airships, so at this time registration is closed. If, however, you still wish to compete in the Games, but are not registered there will be opportunities to form alliances with registered Airships and enter the Games as an honorary crew member.

Captain Jordan Pain, of Her Majesty’s Airship Exodia, is the 2013 Penny Farthing race winner.

Captain Pain was introduced to Steampunk by her sister, Captain Autumn Lawley, by the use of music videos such as “HoneyBee” by Steampowered Giraffe and “Just Glue Some Gears on it and Call It Steampunk” by Sir Reginald Pikedevant, Esquire.

Jordan considers herself the best at Penny Farthing because she and her father have been racing with tricycles ever since she was old enough to ride one. “I felt trimendous joy in knowing that all of my training in riding a broken tricycle on my knees paid off and helped me in claiming the name of Penny Farthing Champion,” says Captain Pain. For 2014 however, she is looking forward to winning the Dirigible Races with her improved Airship Exodia.

Pains advice to new competitors is “Don’t drop your controller. It will stop working in the middle of the race,” and her motto is “Adventure’s out there!”