In 2019 the Save College of Wizardry crowdfunding campaign completed successfully. Since then the intention was that eventually the stewardship of the Witchards universe should be in the hands of our community.
The road here hasn’t been easy, but we’re finally here.
The Company P is stepping back from production of College of Wizardry, Bothwell School of Witchcraft, Thalenberg: Institut des Verlorenen and Werewar.
Witchards Society will be taking the reins.
First, a giant thank you …
Since the Save College of Wizardry campaign all of our finances – ticket sales, expenses, etc. – have gone through Company P, and they’ve absorbed some significant losses from supporting the events during times that have been, to put it mildly, interesting; from running a crowdfunding campaign, through a pandemic and a myriad of other unforeseen challenges.
We want to extend our gratitude to Christopher for his hard work in keeping the magic alive. He has taken immense risks, and kept this amazing thing afloat through some incredibly difficult years, and Witchards, College of Wizardry, Bothwell, Thalenberg and Werewar would not exist without him.
Now though, it’s time for the events and community to stand on their own.
Okay, but this association? What’s the big idea?
The short version is that the society is registered as an FMBA in Denmark – that’s a non-profit association with limited liability – and will be responsible for running Witchards events. Currently that’s College of Wizardry, Bothwell, Werewar and Thalenberg, as well as producing community events by other organisers. Members of the association will be able to vote on resolutions at the yearly general assembly.
The running of events will still be handled by producers and their teams so we do not expect any significant change in the way they are run. Here’s a more detailed rundown of the association, though, for those that want it.
Day to day business of Witchards Society will be run by the board – at its foundation the board consists of Laura Sirola, David Norris, Holly Baldwin, Paula Terhardt and is chaired by Thomas Mertz, per our articles of association. To summarise it though:
- While the day to day running of the association will be the responsibility of the board, the association’s members are its highest authority, and by Danish law this kind of organisation is required to work primarily for the benefit of its members. Membership of the association costs 50 euros per year, but membership is not required to attend our events.
- The board will act as the stewards of the in-game universe, helping chart the course and direction – making sure that all our games don’t contradict each other, and hopefully making it a lot easier to make sense of this wonderful cauldron of chaos we have created together.
- As a non profit organisation, any money remaining after events are run will be put back into the association – we’ll use this to pay for operational costs, improvement of scenography, training and so on.
- Board members will serve for two years, during which they are required to hold monthly board meetings and to organise a yearly general assembly attended by the board and members.
Fine, fine. But when is the next event?
We’re pressing the pause button for a bit. Witchards events have had a pretty unrelenting schedule since their inception, and it has almost always felt like we’ve been on the back foot. So, we’ve allowed ourselves a small break.
The next events take place in the spring of 2024, with the inaugural run of Thalenberg: Institut des Verlorenen and the 26th Classic College of Wizardry.
And then the future of College of Wizardry, Bothwell, Thalenberg and the entirety of Witchard society will truly be in the hands of the community.
People are magic,
Thomas, Laura, Holly, Paula and David
Imagined Frequently Asked Questions
Okay, cool, but what does that mean for me as a player?
By and large, nothing. Events will be announced and run as they have so far. It will simply be a volunteer effort from now on. So unless you want to engage and help us grow this thing, you can simply attend as you have before.
Our social media will update to reflect our view as us being one big community, instead of the smaller groupings centred around the big events.
For privacy related reasons, we have not taken over the user database from The company P, which means you will need to create a new account on Witchards.com. We know that sucks, but there’s no way around it.
Why should I join, then?
You should join the association if you want to help us maintain and grow this wonderful community and universe. We’re rapidly approaching ten years of magic school, and we would be pretty excited about making sure it is around for another ten years. There’s a lot to do, and a lot of space for someone to make their mark. You can check out our volunteer page to see if anything tickles your fancy.
Do members get any perks?
Only members can vote on who sits on the board at our general assembly. You also get a small discount on a ticket of your choice, as well as a cool t-shirt. And last but certainly not least you help keep the magic alive.
Where do I join?
Right here.
Does this mean I can run my own games in the Witchards Universe?
Yes, it absolutely does. Several people already have games in the works, and we’re very excited about bringing them to you. We’ll have a whole lot more to share about that and how that works, but the very short elevator pitch is that we want to help you – no matter if you’re an experienced larpwright or just want to dip your toes in the pool. We have tools, knowledge and a lot more to offer. Essentially we’ll help produce the events, and you get to focus on the fun part of telling amazing stories.
And as this thing grows with more games, the bigger and richer our magical universe becomes.
