Nullus Anxietas News

Fan club meetups around the country!

2013-04-07T16:54:38+10:00

Hello Pratchett fans!

Well, Nullus Anxietas IV may be over, and Nullus Anxietas V is still two years away, but in the mean time, you can meet up with fans in your local area and have fun!

Info for all the fan clubs (that we know about) can be found here.
Please let us know if there’s inaccurate information there!

SYDNEY

The Drummers Downunder usually meet on the first Monday of the month at 6.30pm at Maloneys Hotel on the corner of Pitt and Goulburn Streets (across from World Square). There is usually food, drink and a quiz!

Due to Easter, April’s gathering is actually TOMORROW, Mon April 8th! Click here for the Facebook event.

PERTH

The Drummers Downunder (Perth) usually meet on the first Monday of the month at 6pm at The Vic Hotel, 226 Hay St, Subiaco. They have Thud! to play, and possibly more.

Due to Easter, April’s gathering is actually TOMORROW, Mon April 8th! Click here for the Facebook event.

ADELAIDE

The City of Small Gods usually meet on the last Thursday of the month at 6.30pm at the Ed Castle, 233 Currie St, Adelaide. They eat, drink, and play games like Werewolf, Munchkin and Fluxx. CoSG also have many other events that run at random times, see this page for more information and to join the mailing list.

Due to Anzac Day, April’s gathering will be a Board Game afternoon and evening, on Thursday, April 25th, from 1pm-9pm at Pellegrini Cafe, 169 Unley Rd, Unley. They plan to play all sorts of boardgame, including but not limited to Ankh-Morpork and Thud. Click here for the Facebook event.

BRISBANE

The Pratchett Partisans is a BRAND NEW group trying to gain traction in Queensland’s capital! The first meeting will be held on SATURDAY, APRIL 27 at 4pm at Groove Train, King George Square, Brisbane. If you’re a Brisvegan or can get there for the the meetup, it’d be great for Brisbane to try and get their fan club working as well as
the other major cities. Click here for the Facebook event. Click here for the Meetup event.

MELBOURNE (and Geelong)

Although there are no regular gatherings for those in Melbourne (and Geelong), there are plenty of fans who get together on the odd occasion.
You can find out more via their Facebook group.

OTHER PLACES

Want to try and get together with Pratchett fans wherever you happen to be? Feel free to organise something and we will help you publicise it.

NEWS FROM NULLUS ANXIETAS V

For those eagerly awaiting the next Australian Discworld Convention, we can reliably inform you that Nullus Anxietas V will be held on
April 10-12, 2015 at the Novotel Paramatta, Church St, Paramatta, NSW (Yes, that’s Sydney). As this is two years away, it will be a little bit of time before tickets are available to purchase, but if you’d like to keep up with the news, be sure to Like the NAV Facebook page and let them know if you plan to be attending!

Major announcements will also come out via the mailing list when it’s time to announce such things! Make sure you are subscribed

—
Australian Discworld Conventions
http://www.ausdwcon.org

And NAIV is done!

2013-03-14T21:08:40+11:00

What a marvelous weekend! Running from Friday to Sunday at Rydges, Nullus Anxietas IV was an unqualified success.

From the Beard Making through to the Fourecks Factor, everybody was involved and all involved seemed to have a ball.

There are hundreds of photos on our Flickr Page and comments abound on Facebook and Twitter

After a short break to take a breath, we will start looking to the future, Nullus Anxietas V and Sydney.

The NAIV committee want to thank everybody who was involved in the Melbourne convention. Among the many (and I know I’ll leave some out here) who donated their time and their expertise:

Sir Terry Pratchett and Rob Wilkins. They were most upset at not being able to join us, and bent over backwards to be involved in the convention in a number of ways. From Skype conversations to sneak peaks and an exclusive announcement (Raising Steam!) they were as involved as people on the other side of the planet could be.

Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen – also involved. Also very geographically disadvantaged. Definitely entertaining. More news!

Nick Heath and Pace Advertising. Nick was involved in a crazy number of events and Pace gave us our postcards and programmes, amongst many other things.

Liz Gridley, our artist in residence, who went above and beyond the call of duty to bring our convention to the people in glorious graphic art.

Louise McNally and Dymocks Melbourne. Louise has been a staunch supporter of NAIV since we hijacked Pratchett Palooza. She was a gem over the weekend as well.

The Discworld Emporium – Ian and Reb were a joy to deal with and provided lots of huge news and marvelous toys to play with. Bernard joined us via the magic of Hex vision and helped a lot of young children dramatically increase their vocabulary. The Discworld Emporium were incredibly generous throughout the convention.

The Australian Costumers Guild – responsible for a number of very cool Discworld costumes.

Random House – donated books for prizes

Snowgum Films and Daniel Knight – gave up massive amounts of time and one very intricate troll bridge to the NAIV cause.

Treefrog Games and Martin Wallace. Witches was a lot of fun to play, and rumour has it that he’s not done with Discworld Games yet!

Backspindle Games – donated a number of games to the auction and provided us with copies of Clacks to test run at the convention. It was a popular game and I look forward to owning a copy.

The Fourgones – our Quaff and Scoff Band, who donated their time to help the cause of Alzheimers and the Sea Turtles. They had everybody up on the dance floor at one stage or another.

Wikki Stix – provided us with lots of crafty stuff for Miss Susan’s.

Ambivalent Overlord Games – ran a number of games over the weekend and gave us a sneak preview of their new game – prerelease!

The list will go on.

Guild Chapters now under the control of Dibblers. Vetinari unavailable for comment.

2013-03-06T20:04:11+11:00

Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler announced in a surprise press release today that Dibblers International have big plans for the guilds, their goal being to improve the financial success of these ancient organisations.
‘The Dibbler clan have a great respect for what wonderful work the Dark Clerks and his Lordship have been doing in Ankh-Morpork, but it is time to move on into the Century of The Anchovy. Guilds need to yield more culture and profit and that’s exactly what Dibblers do,’ CMOT Dibbler was heard to say.

CMOT Dibbler continued on to outline some of the corporation’s plans for the immediate future, including the upcoming Cultural Event in Fourecks, recruitment drives, games and attending activities designed to help guild members do what they do so much better.

What does this mean for attendees of the event? For the first time at a Fourecks event guilds will have activities with a ‘Guild Stamp of Approval’. These events will be:
Make Your Own Stepper – Alchemists
Gentleman’s Sport – Assassins
Bloody Stupid Instruments – Buskers
Beard Crafting – Seamstresses
Card Making – Thieves

These activities are still going to be open to anyone that has an interest in attending, however there is a chance that if you attend an activity that has a stamp of approval for your guild you may earn your guild bonus points.¹

Guilds at the Cultural Event are strongly encouraged to behave in a socially friendly and inclusive manner. As such they are encouraged to run small activities in their downtime designed to help other guild members, help people make new friends and have fun².

The Dibblers also feel that the Guild Heads are not noticeable enough and as such would like to see the Guild Heads wearing newly crafted hats at the Madame Threeswords Imitation Wax Museum³. The Dibblers apparently are supplying one blank hat to each guild and some communal craft items for guilds to help their leaders be the very best in this endeavor.

It has been announced that recruitment stands will be allowed at the Cultural Event for guilds to recruit non-guild affiliated members; this is to be done in a non-disruptive and fun way². Again there will be some communal craft supplies available to help in this endeavor.

The Dibblers closed their public announcement with the following statement: ‘We want to ensure that people have the most fun possible and to that endeavor we are striving. We understand that guilds will still engage in their normal activities however the greatest reward lies in fostering a sense of family and making sure that this Cultural Event is a friendly and enjoyable experience for everyone. To that end all employees of Dibblers International will be given the power to award points to people that help this event encompass all that is good about this wonderful world we are celebrating. If that isn’t a modern notion then I’m cutting me own throat.’

Lord Vetinari was unavailable for comment. When asked about the announcement, a senior official at the Oblong Office had this to say:
‘Dibbler can say he’s taken over the guilds all he wants. I can’t imagine Lord Downey being all that impressed with such a statement. All I’m saying is, he better return them safe and sound to us on Monday or the Patrician will want to have a very strongly worded chat with the man.’

¹ Points are awarded at the discretion of people running events: Dibblers, committee members, committee guild liaisons and Dark Clarks. These same people have the right to deduct points from guilds at their whim for bad behaviour, antisocial attitudes and actions as well as general disruptiveness.

² If possible it is encouraged for guild members to come to the Guild Introductions panel on Friday to get more information and direction in regards to these activities before they are organised.

³ There will be some kind of winner in this endeavor.

Rob goes digital

2013-03-05T22:24:40+11:00

We are sad to announce that Rob Wilkins will not be attending NAIV. He is needed more helping Terry write than chatting with us. However, while we will miss him in the flesh, be assured that he plans on breaking the Interwebs with his cheerful digital presence.

We are looking forward to Rob’s bedtime stories.

Mobile Guidebook for NAIV

2013-03-05T22:13:57+11:00

MADAME THREESWORDS DISASTER!

2013-02-14T21:20:59+11:00

By now you may have heard news that Madame Threeswords Wax Museum’s visit to Fourecks has hit a sticky situation – this is somewhat true, but never fear! The exhibition still goes ahead.

On our way to Bugarup we failed to account for the increased temperatures this close to the Rim. When Ridcully’s nose started to run down his beard we thought we were in trouble, but when we found the Seriph’s head sunk into his own pantaloons we were forced to come up with a new format.

So for the first time on the Disc we present MADAME THREESWORDS IMITATION WAX MUSEUM. We present to you a variety of the finest actors and costumers imitating wax imitations of famous personalities from across the Disc.

We are willingly accepting volunteers – anyone with a costume, or just a vague resemblance to a known Disc personality may pose for the masses at Nullus Anxietas on the Saturday segment of the event, just before the Quaff ‘n’ Scoff. Even if you look like rabble off the street, you can help to reproduce our ‘Rabble Off The Street Display’.

Come one and all and see this most unique Imitation Imitation Exhibition!

Guests, Games and other G words

2013-02-04T20:13:31+11:00

Time for a news update. Only 34 sleeps until Nullus Anxietas IV (which means no more sleeps for the committee!)

1. Guests

We are ecstatic to welcome Rob Wilkins (Terry’s right-hand-man) at NAIV. Considering the amount of money spent on his airline PJs at NAIII, I am sure this announcement will generate a lot of interest!

As well as Ian and Reb from The Discworld Emporium (who will be here in the flesh), Bernard Pearson will join us, via the science of Roundworld, as a virtual guest.

You may already know that Martin Pearson will be joining us on Friday and Saturday. This is especially good news, seeing as how we are competing for his attentions with the Port Fairy Folk Festival. Make the most of him while he is around! He’s a fantastic talent and a contender for “most likely to be an actual Discworld character”.

Martin Wallace of Treefrog Games will be swinging by the convention seemingly in the middle of his move to NZ and will bring an advance copy of The Witches – the new Discworld Game.

2. Games

On the subject of games, Backspindle Games have kindly donated a copy of their new Discworld game Clacks. We will have it set up in the games room for members to test.

We will also have copies of The Witches to play, although maybe not all of the final art. This is a real coup, and I’ll be first in line.

Finally, we’ll have the staples: Thud!, Ankh-Morpork and Guards! Guards! (with the revised rules).

And if that’s not enough, we’ll be play-testing games from Ambivalent Overlord, including the Discworld game Significant Quest.

3. Guilds

The Guilds are starting to fire up on the NAIV forums. The big event right now is the Scavenger Hunt and the entries are flowing thick and fast (thick as thieves and fast as pedestrians walking past a dodgy busker). The Buskers are working on musical entries and the Thieves have already stolen a couple of entries for themselves (leaving a receipt behind, of course).

The leaders of the guilds are as follows:

Thieves – Danielle Clark
Assassins – Nick Pace (yes I will watch him)
Buskers – Christopher Boote
Seamstresses – Beth Stitt
Alchemists – Catherine Stapleton

Wish them well and get involved! It makes for an ultra fun convention.

4. Gongs¹

The Fourecks Factor is still looking for entries. The Discworld’s greatest Reality Stage Show² is debuting at Nullus Anxietas IV and WE NEED YOU! We have a couple of entries already, but you will see from the failed auditions that we still have spaces left.

5. Grapes of Mirth

Finally, take a look at the Hall of Curiosities. Arising out of an idea from The Truth, the Hall is a collection of curiously-shaped fruits and vegetables, sourced by you, the viewing audience. We’re looking for originals, rather than Internet-sourced veggies, but if you find a funny ladyfinger or a preposterous potato, please post it on our Flickr page!

¹ It started with G.

² We’re not mentioning Ankh-Morpork Has Talent or So You Think You Can Morris

NAIV Tours

2013-01-30T12:43:53+11:00

There are two tours running for Nullus Anxietas IV:

1. The Walking Tour of Melbourne

It runs on Thursday 7th of March and is designed to give visitors an introduction to our fair city before they are immersed in the word of Pratchett for the weekend.

So far, we’ve sold two tickets to this, and we need a few more before the tour will run.

Buy tickets from our shop

2. The Brewery tour

The Brewery Tour is the farewell to NAIV. A bus tour through Yarra Glen, with beer a plenty and food to line your stomach with.

Buy tickets from the company

Both of these tours will be closing soon – so get in now! A cruisy start and relaxing end to a phenomenal convention.

The Bad Ladies - from the Pink Pussycat Club to you.

2013-01-19T22:14:15+11:00

The Bad Ladies are joining us for Nullus Anxietas IV. In the tradition of the Pink Pussycat Club, they will be teaching Burlesque dancing to our members over the weekend. They will also be hosting a photo booth for all you costumed creatives.

Spread the Word

2013-01-15T16:23:33+11:00

Damian the Official People Botherer and all of his minions have been very busy making sure that as many people know about Nullus Anxietas IV as possible.

Now it’s your turn. With a little help from our farflung neighbours, we could let the whole world know about our little get together.

I first saw this when They Might Be Giants did it last time they hit Australia. Now NADWCon have come up with a brilliant idea, that I will now steal:

Download the Nullus Anxietas IV advertising poster
Print it off (it’s set for A3, but you can resize it to A4 if that helps).
Take it to your local bookstores, libraries and coffee houses and ask them to display it for you.
Let us know (email Hex) to tell us where it is being displayed, for our records.
Bask in the glory of a job well done.

MADAME THREESWORDS SENSATIONAL WAX MUSEUM IS COMING TO FOURECKS!

2013-01-12T16:42:22+11:00

Come along and marvel at the incredibly life like representations of the rich and famous of the Discworld. 95% of our mannequins are 100% pure wax!*

Bring your Iconographs, Take home images of yourselves shaking hands with world leaders, bearing arms besides mighty warriors, or meeting our famous wax invisible man! Please refrain from rude or impersonal activities with our sculptures, as it takes time to clean the wax afterwards.

All this and more at Nullus Anxietas IV!

*The other 5% are mostly wax, and are there to honour those that have strangely gone missing after having their likeness copied. We commemorate those unfortunate souls and kindly ask patrons to ignore the statues cries for help, out of respect for the dearly departed.

Last chance at cheaper tickets!

2013-01-02T08:33:52+11:00

Happy New Year!

And sadly, with a new year, comes new membership prices!

But happily, with a new year, comes NULLUS ANXIETAS IV!

If you are even considering coming along and you haven’t bought your tickets yet, at least buy a supporting membership before January 5 so that you can upgrade later at the 2012 membership price.

Martin Pearson confirmed for NAIV

2012-12-03T11:24:27+11:00

Great news! Martin Pearson will be joining us for Nullus Anxietas IV.

Martin will be at the con on the Friday evening and all day Saturday.

For anyone who doesn’t know Martin Pearson, he is a small god of Folk Music. He has released a number of cds, my favourite being LOTR – the musical. He does an incredible Hedgehog Song. And he is a regular at Nullus Anxietas.

First Annual Pizzard's Wicnic!

2012-10-23T18:07:51+11:00

On November 25, 2012, Nullus Anxietas IV is hosting the First Annual Pizzard’s Wicnic. This is a multi-fandom event for wizards of all shapes, ages, sizes and species!

We’ll even allow Muggles (or whatever a non-magic person in called in your fandom) to tag along, but we’d like to see everybody dressed in wizard’s garbs and/or fake beards.

Location: Emerald Park Lake (Victoria)
Time: 12pm. Date: 25th November.
We have organised a pre picnic ride on puffing billy. If you would like to take part, places are stricly limited. Please contact 0419592317 or hex@[removeforspam]ausdwcon.org

Theme: Wizards of any brand. Eg; Harry Potter, Discworld, Lord of the Rings, World of Warcraft, Earthsea, Harry Dresden… who have I missed?

Join the event on Facebook
or Google+

Discworld Emporium at Nullus Anxietas IV

2012-10-06T10:14:14+10:00

We are excited to announce that, after some clever wheeling and dealing by our Chair, and due to the endless good favour of Bernard Pearson, the Discworld Emporium is joining us at Nullus Anxietas IV!

Bernard “The Cunning Artificer” is lending us Ian Mitchell and Reb Voyce, who will be touting their wares.

For those unaware of the Discworld Emporium (call yourselves Discworld fans?) check out their Facebook page and their website

Narrativia - Sir Terry Pratchett launches production company

2012-10-01T19:27:32+10:00

1st October 2012, London – International bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett today launched NARRATIVIA, a new multimedia production company with exclusive worldwide rights to all of the writer’s work across Film, Television, Merchandising and Digital Media.

NARRATIVIA will bring the management and development of the Pratchett brand under one roof and the executive team, headed by Managing Director Rod Brown, will be based in Soho London. Brown will work closely with the author, and NARRATIVIA directors, Pratchett’s business manager Rob Wilkins and author’s daughter and fellow writer, Rhianna Pratchett, on a day to day basis, to drive the company forward.

NARRATIVIA is already working on a number of Pratchett related Television and Film projects with high profile production partners and script writers, details of which will be announced in due course.

NARRATIVIA will ensure that projects stay true to the author’s intelligent and empathetic vision, while diversifying into the formats that will introduce the work, both old and new, to new territories and audiences.

Sir Terry Pratchett said, “This is an exciting and natural development for me and my works, and I look forward to working closely with the team to develop new stories in areas other than just print and ebooks and, of course, seeing my first Big Screen project come to fruition.”

Rod Brown said, “This is a dream challenge for me! Having worked very happily with Terry, Rob and Rhianna over the past decade on the three mini series for Sky 1, I have grown to love the world and characters Terry has created so when Terry invited me to head up the company for him, it was easy to say yes… please!”

Sir Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is one of the most popular authors writing today.He is the acclaimed creator of the DiscworldTM series, the first title of which, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. His first DiscworldTM novel for children, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, was awarded the 2001 Carnegie Medal. Worldwide sales of his books are now over 80 million, and they have been translated into 38 languages. Terry Pratchett was knighted for services to literature in 2009.

Rod Brown

Rod Brown is a leading writer, director and producer of commercial television with more than 23 years of industry experience working across both factual and drama formats. His series credits as producer and executive producer, working with TV production companies Mob Film and Prime Focus include the long-running Sky1 series Dream Team, Goal and The Show Must Go On. In 2006 Brown produced the BAFTA award-winning adaptation of Sir Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather, which was followed in 2008 by the The Colour of Magic.

Rob Wilkins

Rob Wilkins has worked with Sir Terry for more than a decade in every aspect of the DiscworldTM empire; from the words to the TV adaptations and BAFTA award winning documentaries.

Rhianna Pratchett

Rhianna Pratchett is a screenplay writer, specialising in videogames, comics and film. Her credits include titles such as Heavenly Sword, Mirror’s Edge, the Overlord series and the upcoming Tomb Raider.

New site launch. NA IV ticket sales up and running

2012-08-14T19:45:10+10:00

Thanks to the hard work of our resident web genius Molokov, on loan to us from the Unseen Univeristy, the AusDW Con site has been revamped to make it easier for you all to spend money… er, I mean, find out all of the fun things that will happen at Nullus Anxietas IV in Melbourne.

Part of the upgrade means that you can now buy tickets (at Early Bird prices until the end of August) for the convention, and the Quaff and Scoff dinner.

And don’t forget to get involved in the Great Game, once you have your tickets! The convention activities start soon, not just on the Labour Day weekend!

Unseen University Convivium - Thank you Class of 2012!

2012-07-13T11:46:21+10:00

Dearest Graduates,

Wow. Just wow. We are completely amazed at how well the Unseen University Convivium went, and we hope that everyone had as great a time as the Faculty did. We are tremendously appreciative of the support given by you, the attendees; our guests Martin, Daniel and Pamela; balloon wrangler Matt Falloon; the Unseen Theatre Company; and our sponsors Dymocks Adelaide, the Adelaide Comics Centre, Random House Australia, Pace Advertising, Marketing & PR, the Australian Costumers’ Guild and Higher Ground. Thank you to everyone who supported and helped us make the Convivium an event to be remembered.

We would like to hear feedback – both good and bad – on what you think worked and didn’t work, and how such Discworld events can be improved in the future. Please send your feedback to UnseenUni2012@gmail.com.

Iconographs of the celebrations are starting to go up – you can see some from the Faculty on our Facebook page and a much larger range at our Flickr group – we encourage you to upload your own iconographs to Flickr and then share them with the group too!

If you missed the weekend shenanigans, you can follow some of what happened via Facebook or Twitter, and also search for hashtag #dwoz. It was quite amusing when we were using Twitter to talk to ourselves on the Winery and Gourmett Tours.

We hope the convention has given you a taste of what Discworld/Pratchett fandom in Australia can be like.

The City of Small Gods in Adelaide would love to welcome you along to our regular monthly dinner & games nights (last Thursday of the month at the Ed Castle), and we’re definitely sending a group along to see Unseen Theatre Company’s “Reaper Man” in September.
Join our mailing list here or Facebook group here.

If you would like to become involved in your local fan club, check out details here.. If there isn’t a group in your area yet – why not try and start one?

We are also all looking forward to Nullus Anxietas IV, to be held March 8-10, 2013 at the Bell Rydges, Preston, Victoria. Many details of the convention will be going up at http://www.ausdwcon.org during the next few months, so keep your eyes peeled and ensure you’re subscribed to the mailing list.

All the best,

The Faculty
Unseen University Convivium

PS. If you would like to be involved in organising future Discworld fan events in Adelaide, please join our association, Round World Events SA Inc. Email us on RoundWorldEventsSA@gmail.com to find out more.

Australian Discworld Conventions AGM Sunday 5 August 2012

2012-07-06T17:38:55+10:00

Hi the AGM for Australian Discworld Conventions Inc, will be held on Sunday the 5th August 12.30pm, behind the Uniting Church situated on the corner of ~~Mary~~ Merri St and Sydney Road Brunswick Melbourne Victoria. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. It is expected the meeting will take between 5 and 10 minutes. The Agenda will follow shortly.

One week to go: Some last minute information

2012-06-28T21:29:20+10:00

Dear Ladies, Gentlemen and Students,

There is now only one week remaining until the Unseen University Convivium, and we are all sure to have a blast! No, not an actual one, Dean, put that fireball spell away! You know how much it cost to repair the roof last time!

Anyway, where was I? Right.

The Faculty and I wish to thank you all for signing up, and we’d like to give you some last-minute information about what is coming up next week. I know there is quite a few items on the agenda, but it is well worth your while to read through it all.

1. Please familiarise yourself with the Rules & Policies of the Convivium. . This is just to ensure that we keep everyone safe, and that everyone will leave the same shape as they arrived, except perhaps with slightly larger stomachs. Any transmogrification into frogs or other creatures that happen during the weekend should be reverted by the time you leave. If you’re feeling a little croaky on Monday morning, don’t panic, just avoid eating flies.

2. A virtual clacks-driven Sator Square is taking place on the forums. . Please participate in these discussions and ask any burning questions you may have. (Note: this does not include questions about burning, see the Alchemists’ Guild in this case). I recommend reading the threads about arrival times, billeting and Lord Vetinari’s convivial debate.

3. For early arrivals, or curious locals: On Thursday, 5th July, we will be holding a special City of Small Gods gathering for dinner, drinks and games at the Ed Castle, 233 Currie St, at 6.30pm. Attendance is by no means compulsory, just come if you like. Please contact the Lecturer in Recent Runes by Tuesday if you will join us for dinner, so we can ensure a large enough table is booked. Arriving later just for drinks/games is fine, no need to RSVP.

4. Friday 6th July, the Faculty will be hard at work setting up for the Convivium from 12.30pm at Adelaide University. If you have the afternoon free and can assist us, that would be fantastic. Please contact the Professor of Cruel & Unusual Geography if you can help with the heavy lifting or general set up.

5. Friday night’s activities begin with Scrawn Money (registration) at 6.00pm, followed by the Entrance Examination (Quiz), and some Omniscope calls. All ticket-holders, including Day Passes, are welcome to join us on Friday night. Please note that drinks can be purchased at the bar provided, so do not bring your own (except water).

We are fortunate (I think) to have CMOT Debbler from the Almond Tree Training Cafe selling snack food on Friday night and lunches on Saturday and Sunday! If you do not find her delicacies all that delicate, there are plenty of other food places in the nearby North Terrace/Rundle Mall shopping districts.

Saturday registration begins at 9.00am. You can see the full programme here and the timetable here.

6. If you’re geographically misplaced around this fair Roundworld city, some handy maps of how to find the Convivium venue are available at here and here and you can find information about transport options here.

7. If you are planning to make an appearance as one of your favourite characters, please don’t forget to enter the Maskerade costume contest! Full details and entry forms can be found here. To assist this transformation, you can have your face or body painted by professional artists as part of the Transmogrification activity. Bookings for this must be done by Thursday – details here.

7a. There are a few seats remaining on both the Winery and Gourmet tours held next Monday (9th). If you would like to join us for these, please ask at Student Services as we will be trying to sell these seats to fill the buses! More information here.

9. If you have friends who unfortunately did not register in time, tickets will be available at the door! However, these are a little more expensive, call it a ‘late’ penalty! Gaudy night tickets are no longer available.

10. Mr. Stibbons has informed me that those of you who are twits, sorry, tweeters may wish to send messages using the hashtag #dwoz during the Convivium, so that we can all collectively share our experiences. (The whole thing sounds daft to me, are you birds or imbeciles? Probably both.)
Don’t forget you can find us as @UnseenUni on Twitter and UnseenUni on Facebook.
Also, if you have iconographs to share during or after the event, please submit them to this group on Flickr.

11. AOB. None? Good.

Now that the agenda is demolished, it’s time for tea and chocolate biscuits.

Wishing you all well until we see you next Friday,

Yours academically,

Mustrum Ridcully
Archchancellor
Unseen University Convivium
University of Adelaide, 6-8 July 2012
http://ausdwcon.org

One week left to register/update!

2012-06-15T09:59:31+10:00

Hello again, my fine fellows! (and fellowettes)

This is your final reminder that there is now only ONE WEEK remaining to do all your online registration for the Unseen University Convivium.

Friday, June 22nd is the closing date for:

Memberships
- Tickets will be available at the door, but they cost more!
Supporters upgrading to attending memberships
- Don’t forget! We know there’s at least eight of you are coming that still need to upgrade!
Gaudy Night
- Absolute last chance! Once the deadline passes, you will NOT be able to get a dinner ticket.
Winery & Gourmet Tours
- Only 3 seats left on the Winery Tour! 7 seats left on the Gourmet tour.

Also please don’t forget the following!

Discussion forums
- Lord Vetinari would still appreciate volunteers for the Great Debate
Maskerade
Transmogrification (Body/Face painting). Appointments must be booked by July 5th.
Volunteers! If you can help out at Ops or registration for an hour during the weekend, please complete this form.
- We also would like someone who knows their way around a mixer, amp and microphones to be our audio tech wizard – if that’s you, please volunteer!

Thank you kindly, and we shall see you in three weeks!

Yours academically,

The Faculty
Unseen University Convivium
6-8 July 2012, University of Adelaide
http://ausdwcon.org

PS. If you are in Melbourne (whether or not you’re attending the Convivium), Dymocks Melbourne are hosting Pratchett Palooza throughout the month of July.
More details available here.

Pratchett-Palooza!

2012-06-13T14:29:28+10:00

- – - – - Breaking News – - – - -

We interrupt your normal hex-debugging to deliver this sensational update to all fans of the Disc! Dymocks Melbourne are having a Pratchett Palooza for the month of July and you are all invited!!!!!!

There will be loads of fun and chaos happening including a fan art competition for all you talented artists out there. The category looks to be huge and will include the awesome album covers and any crafty ‘fan art’ type thing you can come up with!

All works will be on display in store and voting open to the public so stay tuned for more details shortly.

And they haven’t forgotten the budding writers among us — there will also be a fanfiction comp! What wondrous tale of wizardly whimsy or journalistic jeopardy can you weave?

Lots more details in the next few weeks so keep a look out for the official announcements soon. And remember, you heard it here first.

While you’re waiting, go buy some Pratchett books

You may now resume your regular wizarding.

Two weeks left to register online!

2012-06-08T10:17:34+10:00

Dearest colleagues and not-so-dearest students,

This is a gentle reminder that online registration for the Unseen University Convivium closes in two weeks on June 22nd.

This closing date is for the following:

Memberships
Supporters upgrading to attending memberships
Gaudy Night
Winery & Gourmet Tours
- Only 3 seats left on the Winery Tour! 7 seats left on the Gourmet tour.

Over these last few weeks before the Convivium we would encourage you to regularly participate in the various discussions being held on the forums.. Feel free to create your own threads too!

Don’t forget about the Maskerade! If you wish to show of your costume, or perform a little skit in character, this is the opportunity to do so!

You can also make yourself look prettier (or uglier) with specialised face/body painting done by professional artists as part of Transmogrification. Appointments must be booked by July 5th. More information here.

We also would like to let you know that Random House Books Australia has kindly donated several copies of Unseen Academicals, I Shall Wear Midnight, Snuff and The Long Earth for us to give away as prizes! You can see photos on our Facebook page. We are being good and resisting temptation to read The Long Earth before its release date!

You will be able to buy your own copies (if you don’t win them) of these books and more from Dymocks Adelaide and comics and t-shirts from Adelaide Comics Centre who will have stalls at the Convivium in the Uncommon Room.

We would also like to thank Pace Advertising, Marketing & PR, Higher Ground and The Australian Costumers’ Guild for their generous sponsorship of the Convivium.

Thank you kindly, and we shall see you in four weeks!

Yours academically,

The Faculty
Unseen University Convivium
6-8 July 2012, University of Adelaide
http://ausdwcon.org

Convivium Exclusive T-Shirts & Scarfs - LAST DAY TO ORDER!

2012-06-06T10:21:02+10:00

Today (Wed 6 June) is the LAST DAY to order your exclusive Convivium T-Shirt and Scarf – no exceptions. If we don’t have your order by tonight, you won’t get a shirt or scarf!

Shhh! It's a secret!

2012-06-06T09:12:56+10:00

Aspiring actors and script writers! We need a handful of volunteers willing to draft a short Discworld based script and act it out for a very special upcoming event (in Melbourne). It is an exciting opportunity where you will be able to torture friends and strangers with the sheer power of your presence and language skills! If you think you have what it takes then please email the imps and they will pass you on to the puppet master….mwah haha!

Scarfs & Shirts - 1 week left to order!

2012-05-30T10:39:32+10:00

Are you attending the Convivium? Want to proclaim to the world your wizardly wonderfulness?

The Convivium exclusive t-shirts and scarfs need to be ordered by June 6 which is one week from now!

Scarf – new design!

We have had to, for various reasons, make a design change to the scarf – but on the whole, we think it’s for the better! The new scarf is navy blue woven acrylic with red, black & grey stripes at either end, and is 205×27cm, a big improvement on the earlier design.

Here is the new design (complete with ugly model)

T-shirts

These t-shirts, proclaiming that you “can spell like a Wizzard” (a pune or play on words) are available in Men’s & Women’s styles in a range of sizes. They will ONLY be available for Convivium attendees, so get in quick if you want one!

Once again, orders close next week, June 6.

Other merchandise

For those not fortunate enough to be at the Convivium, you can console yourself with the vast range of fantastic UUC merchandise available at our Cafepress store

The Convivium is fast approaching!

2012-05-24T11:12:09+10:00

Dear Ladies, Gentlemen, and Students,

Time has crept up on us! Well, I guess considering he used to be both a thief and a history monk, we should have expected it, but there is now a mere few weeks remaining until the Unseen University Convivium begins – on July 6, 2012. Now is definitely the time for those last minute registrations, merchandise purchases and costume design sessions.

Deadlines

June 6th

Convivium Exclusive t-shirt and scarf orders close.
If you want to proclaim your wizardly nature, or wrap up warm for winter, be sure to get your order in!
Buy here

June 22nd

Online Convivium registrations close.
This is also the last date for Supporters to upgrade to an attending membership.
Tickets will be available at the door, but they are more expensive!
Buy here
Info here

Gaudy Night ticket sales close.
This is an extension kindly granted by the caterers. However, if you would like to go to the dinner and have dietary requirements, please register as soon as possible.
Buy here
Info including Menu here

Winery and Gourmet ticket sales close.
Only a few seats remaining on both tours! Register early to guarantee your seat.
Buy here
Info here

July 5th

Transmogrification appointments must be completed. You can get your face or body painted by professional artists!
Info & booking here

So what’s going to happen at the Convivium?

We now have a full and detailed programme of activities available for you to peruse. Read all about the activities here and see the new timetable here.

Some highlights:

Omniscope calls with Professor Sir Terry Pratchett, Bernard Pearson, Professor Ian Stewart and Doctor Jack Cohen
The Maskerade costume contest ( Entry forms available here )
Troll Bridge – Behind the Scenes – from Snowgum Films’ writer/director Daniel Knight
Performances by Unseen Theatre Company, folk singer Martin Pearson, and Matt Falloon and his Trained Balloons
Entrance Examination – a Discworld and Roundworld quiz
Games! Ankh-Morpork, Guards! Guards!, Werewolf, Thud, and more…
Try Wizarding children’s activties (suitable for childish adults, too)

We are also incredibly pleased to announce that Dymocks Adelaide and the Adelaide Comics Centre will have stalls selling books, comics and t-shirts at the Convivium.

Volunteers required!

There are several jobs around the Convivium which still require your assistance! If you can help us out with any of the following, please send an email to the Librarian.

Technician for operation of audio equipment. We will have microphones, mixers, speakers etc all set up, but if you know how to use them and can help us, we’d greatly appreciate it!

Ops / Registration helpers
Bledlows (Security, First Aid)
General gophering

Activity volunteers needed:

Entrance Exam (quiz) – judge, general gophers
Commencement (opening ceremony) – If you have a wizard costume and would like to be in the procession, let us know! (No acting required)
Games – supervisors, “Learn to play Thud” instructor, Werewolf game runners
Try Wizarding – assistants
Terry’s Shorts – short story readers
The Great Debate – debaters, moderator. See this forum thread

News from Nullus Anxietas IV

Plans are well underway by the Dark Clerks for next year’s Discworld Convention to be held in Melbourne. You can find the latest news and information and purchase tickets here.

Their second Ankh-Morpork board game tournament will be held on Sunday, 27 May at 11.30am at Good Games, 3/66-70 Railway Rd, Blackburn, Victoria. You can find out more here.

The NAIV team are also holding a fundraising screening of “Cabin in the Woods”, Joss Whedon’s love letter to horror movies. This will be on Thursday, June 14 at Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria.
You can find out more here and buy tickets here.

Signing off

Thank you all for your support for the Unseen University Convivium. We hope it to be a smashing good time for you all.

For those of you unable to attend, you can still adorn yourself like a wizard with our fantastic merchandise available at Cafepress. Use the code AFF30 for a 30% discount off your total (until 1st June, we think).

Yours academically,
Archchancellor Ridcully and the Faculty.

Unseen University Convivium
6-8 July 2012, University of Adelaide, South Australia, Roundworld.
http://ausdwcon.org
http://facebook.com/UnseenUni
http://twitter.com/UnseenUni

Nullus fundraiser - Cabin in the Woods

2012-05-07T20:19:49+10:00

Joss Whedon & Drew Goddard’s Cabin in the Woods is showing for one night only at Cinema Nova in Carlton on June 14. And Nullus Anxietas has tickets!

Come along. Buy tickets here

I’ve got my ticket. See you there.

Nullus Anxietas memberships are go!

2012-05-06T17:58:11+10:00

At last, the moment you have all been waiting for: you can get in before the rest of the world and buy your early bird memberships and supporting memberships now before the prices go up!

Buy memberships now!

Continnuum 8, Gaudy Night, Ankh-Morpork and more!

2012-05-04T10:16:30+10:00

Continuum 8 – Another Fan Convention!

Continuum 8 is coming up soon! The 51st Australian National SF convention will be held June 8-11, 2012, in Melbourne and Guests of Honour Kelly Link, Alison Goodman and Sue Ann Barber will be there for a weekend of discussions, panels, workshops, presentations, and other special events. Continuum is an annual Melbourne speculative fiction and pop culture convention celebrating creativity across genre and media. From hard-edge science fiction to high-flown fantasy, comic books to film noir, high culture to sub-culture… we sink our teeth into it all! For more information, see http://www.continuum.org.au

And in related news, Sydney fan artist and Discworld enthusiast Rhianna Williams has been nominated for a Ditmar award for Best Fan Artist for her work in the Nullus Anxietas III Convention Programme Book. The Ditmar awards will be presented at Continuum 8. You can vote for her here.
You can see examples of Rhianna’s artwork here.

Get Ready for a Wizard’s Big Dinner!

The menu for the Convivium’s Gaudy Night is now up – and ticket sales close in a few weeks. We are still a little short of our minimum numbers, so if you were thinking of attending the dinner, please register now!

If you are a supporting member, you can still buy Gaudy Night tickets before you upgrade their main membership!

Time is running out for the Ankh-Morpork prize draw!

If you would like to go into the running to win a Deluxe copy of the Ankh-Morpork board game from Treefrog Games, you need to purchase tickets and order merchandise by MAY 15!

For each purchase, you will earn at least one entry into the prize draw.

A Full, Concession, or Child membership is worth 2 entries
A Day Pass membership is worth 1 entry
A Gaudy Night ticket is worth 1 entry
A Winery or Gourmet Tour ticket is worth 1 entry
An exclusive merchandise order, containing at least one t-shirt and one scarf, is worth 1 entry. (Limit 1 entry per person per order)

Thus, if you have a ticket to the Convivium, Gaudy Night, and the Gourmet Tour, and have ordered a t-shirt and a scarf, you will have 5 entries in the prize draw!

Supporting members who are intending to come to the Convivium should consider upgrading, or buying Gaudy Night/Tours tickets or merchandise NOW, to get more entries into the prize draw!

Details of the competition are available here

The Numbers Game

Want to know where we’re at with numbers?

Attendees: 3 Guests, 5 Virtual Guests (including Terry Pratchett!), 65 Attendees, and 24 Supporters
Gaudy Night: 49 people registered – our MINIMUM numbers are 60 – so we really want a few more signing up!
Winery Tour: 16 of a MAXIMUM of 21 – so only 5 seats left!
Gourmet Tour: 12 of a MAXIMUM of 21 – so 9 seats left!

Enjoy your weekend, and to borrow from another popular franchise, May the Fourth be with you!

Yours academically,
The Faculty

Unseen University Convivium
University of Adelaide, South Australia, 6-8 July 2012
http://ausdwcon.org

Nullus Anxietas News

Fan club meetups around the country!

SYDNEY

PERTH

ADELAIDE

BRISBANE

MELBOURNE (and Geelong)

OTHER PLACES

NEWS FROM NULLUS ANXIETAS V

And NAIV is done!

Guild Chapters now under the control of Dibblers. Vetinari unavailable for comment.

Rob goes digital

Mobile Guidebook for NAIV

MADAME THREESWORDS DISASTER!

Guests, Games and other G words

1. Guests

2. Games

3. Guilds

4. Gongs1

5. Grapes of Mirth

NAIV Tours

1. The Walking Tour of Melbourne

2. The Brewery tour

The Bad Ladies - from the Pink Pussycat Club to you.

Spread the Word

MADAME THREESWORDS SENSATIONAL WAX MUSEUM IS COMING TO FOURECKS!

Last chance at cheaper tickets!

Martin Pearson confirmed for NAIV

First Annual Pizzard's Wicnic!

Discworld Emporium at Nullus Anxietas IV

Narrativia - Sir Terry Pratchett launches production company

New site launch. NA IV ticket sales up and running

Unseen University Convivium - Thank you Class of 2012!

Australian Discworld Conventions AGM Sunday 5 August 2012

One week to go: Some last minute information

One week left to register/update!

Pratchett-Palooza!

Two weeks left to register online!

Convivium Exclusive T-Shirts & Scarfs - LAST DAY TO ORDER!

Shhh! It's a secret!

Scarfs & Shirts - 1 week left to order!

Scarf – new design!

T-shirts

Other merchandise

The Convivium is fast approaching!

Deadlines

So what’s going to happen at the Convivium?

Volunteers required!

News from Nullus Anxietas IV

Signing off

Nullus fundraiser - Cabin in the Woods

Nullus Anxietas memberships are go!

Continnuum 8, Gaudy Night, Ankh-Morpork and more!

Continuum 8 – Another Fan Convention!

Get Ready for a Wizard’s Big Dinner!

Time is running out for the Ankh-Morpork prize draw!

The Numbers Game

4. Gongs¹