Feedback Guide

Staff always welcomes feedback from players. When delivering that feedback, there is some advice on how to make it have the most impact.

Be direct: Tell us what you like or dislike about a specific thing. Stating "I think that the inn should have bbq sauce for hot dogs" is more useful feedback than "There should be more condiments in the inn".
Use names, don't generalize: When expressing an opinion being able to name who feels this way is going to be more persuasive than "A lot of people think that..." statements. It tells us who to talk to for more feedback.
Remember that this game is many things to many people: This game has been around for a long time and represents many different things to many different people. Recognizing who benefits and who will be negatively impacted by proposals is important.
Remember that staff are volunteers: Everyone involved in this organization from staff to the players have day jobs and lives they are part of between events. Suggestions that require large amounts of work need people to do that work, are you willing to put that work in? If you are, you should say so with the feedback, it will help.
There are many players impacted by changes: A lot of rules suggestions, other things as well, come from a place of "this change would benefit me". This is understandable, seeing first hand something not working gives you a good source for new ideas. However if you really want to sell that feedback, you need to sell why changing something is going to benefit more than just you. Are other people also affected by your issue? Say that. "Characters who use non-martial weapons would benefit from this change..." is better than "I think that non-martial weapons would be better for me if you...".
Give us time: Changes in a large organization run by volunteers can be very hard to implement. Some things we want to change, but want to wait for the right moment when we can communicate the information to a large number of people at once. If we say we are working on something please believe us and show patience. Periodically asking for an update on progress is very reasonable, expecting something to be done immediately often isn't.
This game has an identity of its own: Kingdoms of Novitas has established genres and goals that it tries to represent. We are a full contact but not full force boffer larp. If you enjoy lightest touch boffing, it's ok to say that we'll certainly make a note of which players want a different identity. However, don't expect the game to change because that is what YOU enjoy. A change in the games identity is a major undertaking we would not undergo lightly. It's understandable and reasonable to want something different, but please understand that this feedback more than any other kind of feedback is something we often will not have a response to beyond making a note of it. This covers other topics too, like the fact that we do not have Steampunk or Anime elements in our atmosphere.

We get feedback on what the game 'should be' a LOT, especially from brand new players who can sometimes be disappointed when what we are doesn't match their expectations of what they hoped we would be. It's totally ok to wish we were something different, what people want from a live action experience isn't always the same. Using this as a reason to tell us what we 'should be' is going to go over poorly. This game has lasted for twenty years as what it is, it adapts and changes over time but its fundamental identity is what the people attending want, at least on some level. So while change might be better for one person, please consider who already enjoys the game as is. Instead consider offering suggestions of things we could add to the game that wouldn't change it.

The game's identity does evolve over time: With the rich history of Novitas, a lot of changes have happened over the years. This can be daunting for older players who return after a hiatus, especially now when the game has many new players since moving between sites. If you are one of those older players please understand the game's identity has evolved and what people want from the game has evolved. What was the right answer 10 years ago might not be the right answer now. Unrequested history lessons aren't persuasive arguments; tell us why players now will benefit.