Hey Club Goers! Guess what?

Field Trip!!! Similar to our FANIME trip this past summer, UNM Anime Club will be attending ALA – an anime convention going down during Winter Break. Where is it held? When is it happening? How can I sign up? The answers to there questions and more after the break! Get excited:

What is ALA?
ALA stands for Anime Los Angeles. It’s a three-day anime convention held in (duh) Los Angeles, California. UNM Anime Club is planning to attend as a group, and YOU’RE invited!

What is an anime convention?
Put simply, an anime convention is a big gathering of anime fans and industry types. To elaborate, it’s a weekend-long extravaganza that plays host to lots of great events and a lively, fun atmosphere. You can find out more at the Anime Los Angeles site.

When and where is this being held?
ALA is held at the Los Angeles Airport Marriot from Janurary 8-10, 2010.

How are we getting there?
Los Angeles is a 12-Hour drive from Albuquerque – We’ll be carpooling to and from- the convention center. And don’t worry – we’ve factored in an extra travel day both ways, so you drivers can all breathe a sigh of relief.

What are the dates of travel?
Thursday, 1/07/10 – Monday, 1/11/10. We’ll leave in the morning on the way there, and arrive in the evening on the way back.

Where will we be staying?
The Con Hotel: Los Angeles Airport Marriott. We’ll book rooms based on the number of people going.

How much will this cost?
$150 -paid to Anime Club – will cover for your registration, gas both ways, and a hotel room for all nights of travel. If you’re not an official member, it’ll cost $155 (the $5 extra will apply towards membership dues ^^).

Should I bring extra money?
ABSOLUTELY. The $150 won’t cover food, so – if nothing else – bring some money to spend on nourishment (AT LEAST $20/day). Aside from that, bring whatever spending money you can responsibly burn – they’ll be TONS of alluring anime and game merchandise in the dealers room, in addition to all the fanworks available for purchase in artist’s alley.

How do I sign up?
Talk to an Officer during an intermission, or see us during our office hours throughout the week. They’ll be a form to fill out, and a waiver to sign – all standard procedure.

Is there a deadline?
If you’d like to go, please tell us an as soon as possible so we can get an idea of how many con-goers to anticipate. To show commitment, we’re requiring a $50 deposit by November 7th, with the rest to be paid by December 12th (our last meeting of the semester).

What if I need to cancel?
We can refund half your total deposit if you cancel before the December 12th deadline. Unfortunately, if you need to cancel at any time after that date, all your deposit will be forfeit.

REMEMBER: BRING YOUR OWN CONTROLLER!

And without further ado, the rundown:

Set-Up at 12:00 noon If you have a station you can volunteer (TV, Wii, and Brawl), or if you want to get some friendlies matches in for practice, that’s the time to show up!

Registration at 1:00pm We’ll be registering for both Teams and Singles starting at this time. We’ll be cutting off team sign-ups at 1:45 so that we have time to draw up the bracket, but Singles registration will be ongoing until the team matches have finished.

TEAM Matches at 2:00pm gl hf

SINGLE Matches take place AFTER TEAMS Depending on the number of entrants, this could be earlier or later. A good rule of thumb is to show up a little early – around 3, 3:30-ish – if you want to play in Singles but not in Teams.

The nitty-gritty rules are after the link. Yummy!

UPDATE: The rules have been changed to reflect the following last minute revisions:

1. The Chain Grab limit is set to 5 MAXIMUM, not 300% as it was originally
2. There is a planking (jumping off, then re-grabbing the ledge) limit of 5 per instance. If – at the end of the round – a player has amassed more than 50 “planks,” they forfeit the round.

General rules:

• 3 Stock
• 8 minute timer
• Items are set to “off” and “none”
• All sets with the exception of winner’s finals, loser’s finals, and the championship are best of 3 matches (best of 5 and above should be played out for any “finals” matches)
• In the event of a dispute, controller ports will be selected by Rock-Paper-Scissors
• No player may choose a stage they have already won on in that set unless agreed upon by both players.
• In team matches, the ports will be determined in a 1221 fashion; whoever wins the RPS will choose first, then the opposing team will get their ports, and then the teammate of the RPS winner will get the last port.
• If the timer runs out, the victor is determined first by stock and then by percentage.
• Metaknight’s Infinite Cape glitch is banned.
• If a game ends with Bowser doing his suicide klaw and it ends in sudden death, the sudden death will be ignored and that game will count as a win for Bowser.
• You are responsible for your own controller and name tag. Any malfunctions or errors that occur are your responsibility, so bring an extra controller if possible and always check to make sure you’re using the correct settings BEFORE a match is played. If a match is to be restarted due to controller functions, it must be agreed upon by both parties.
• Any action that can prevent the game from continuing (i.e., freezing, disappearing characters, game reset, etc.) will result in a forfeit of that match for the player that initiated the action. You are responsible for knowing your own character, and must be wary about accidentally triggering one of these effects.
• Stalling is banned.
• Stalling: The act of deliberately avoiding any and all conflict so that one may make the game unplayable. Running away from an opponent to reach a better position is not stalling, while doing an infinite grab endlessly against a wall is. Any infinite chain grabs must end quickly after 300% has been reached so as to prevent excessive stalling. Chain grab chains are capped at 5.
• Planking: The act of dropping, then re-grabbing a ledge is limited to 5 per instance. If – at the end of the round – a player as amassed more than 50 “planks” that player forfeits the round.

Set format (In Order of Procedure):

1. Opponents choose their characters for the first match in a double-blind fashion
2. Opponents start the stage striking procedure
3. Each player may announce one stage to be banned for counterpicks of the set
4. The first game is played, using the stage chosen during step 2
5. The loser of the previous match announces the next match’s stage from either the Starter Stage List or the Counter Stage List
6. The winner of the previous match chooses their character
7. The loser of the previous match chooses their character
8. Repeat steps 5-7 for all proceeding matches

Stage Lists

The SBR Recommended rule list uses the stage striking system. In this system, players take turns striking stages from the starter list until only one remains; these stages are not banned and can be counterpicked later in the set.

Starter

• Battlefield
• Final Destination
• Smashville
• Pokemon Stadium 1
• Yoshi’s Island

Counter

• Castle Siege
• Halberd
• Lylat Cruise
• Brinstar
• Delfino
• Frigate Orpheon
• Jungle Japes
• Pictochat
• Pirate Ship
• Rainbow Cruise
• Norfair

Banned

• Everything else (If you want to play a banned stage, ask your opponent if they’re up for it too, if both players agree, it’s fair game)

Rules for Doubles Play

• Life Stealing is allowed
• Set team attack to ON

Additional Rules

• Resolving Ties: Any games ending in time running out should always be decided by stock, and then percents. If percents are the same or both players die simultaneously, there will be a 1 stock overttime.3 Bowser’s suicide klaw is exempt from this rule.
• Wiimotes and Classic Controller users should know to take the batteries out of their controllers after finishing a set; not only will this save battery life, but it prevents accidental intereference and delay for tournament matches.
• Pirated copies of Brawl or modded Wii consoles will not be used for tournament matches.
• The Mages DQ rule: After a match has been called, if a player is two minutes late he will receive a warning. At 4 minutes late, he will be given a loss for the first game of the set. After six minutes, he will be given a loss of the entire set.

First of all, thanks to everyone for a Bang-Up meeting this past Saturday! 63 people is nothing to scoff at, and I hope each and every one of you had a good time! As I mentioned Saturday (I did mention this, didn’t I?), Club relies on member input to function, so if you have any ideas for future events (like our Otaku Bingo) or suggestions for Anime to show, let us know! If you don’t know how you can help, but would like to anyway, let us know also – we’d love for you to get involved!

That in mind, I’d like to introduce a recurring event for us to get to know each other better – The “Cool Kid’s” Cafeteria Table! Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 12pm-1pm, we’ll be having chow down in the SUB Lobo Lair, right outside our office (1031). Short notice, but I’ll be there today with my sack lunch… and I’ve got the offer of Granola Bar for Snack Pack out there for the record. :p So yeah… bring your brownbag, your Chick Fil-a, or whatever you want and hang out with us!

Lastly, a bit of record keeping. There are a couple of new pages on the site: How to Join, and Newsletters. How to Join documents exactly that, so hit the link if you’d like more information on becoming an Anime Club card carrier, as well as some of the benefits! As for Newsletters – I guess they’re both self-explanatory. :p In any case, we’re here for any further questions or suggestions you might have!

Justin out.

Change of plans! Due to the restrictions created by SAC’s themed days, we’ll only be set up by the Duck Pond on THURSDAY. We’ll see you all then!

That’s not to say we don’t plumb a little deeper, though. In store for the upcoming semester, we have Contests (with prizes!), Field Days, Artistic Workshops, Cosplay Events, Anime and Manga How-To’s, and much, much more! Be sure to keep an eye on this webspace and/or REGISTER with our site to receive the weekly newsletter.

Our first meeting of the semester will be August 29th, from 4pm until 8pm in the University of New Mexico Student Union Bldg. You needn’t be a UNM student to come and enjoy what we have to offer, so come check us out! And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us – we’re addicted to email. Fire one off to anime@unm.edu

Embrace your inner otaku!

UNM Anime Club will be at the Fuddrucker’s at Yale and Gibson tonight to celebrate the beginning of Summer and the dawn of FANIME week with burgers and shakes! Come by @ 6:00pm and mention ‘Anime Club’ when you order your food to help us put money into our San Jose Rainy-Day fund!

Also, if you’re going to FANIME, we’ll be giving out some necessary info, so try your best to be there!

Any questions, pose ‘em at (505) 879-8940. Alternatively, hit the comments box! We’ll see you all there!

Meta Knight is back in. Corneria is back as a counter-pick. And Gamestop giftcards are back as prizes. The rest is pretty much the same, so come by and have some fun Smashing! It’ll be the last Tourney we host for the foreseeable future, so let’s make it a big one!

Here’s all you need to know:

• Super Smash Bros. Brawl Solo (1v1) and Team (2v2) Tournament; semi-competitive.
• Held Saturday April 25th in Lobo A/B; 3rd Floor of the UNM Student Union Bldg.
• Registration for both brackets begins at 1:00 pm on the Mall Level of the SUB (2nd Floor).
  
• Team Matches start at 2:30 pm; Solo Matches will begin after the Team Bracket finals.
• Entry fee is $5.00 per player, $10.00 per team.
• Prizes (GameStop Gift Cards) will be awarded to the top 2 teams and the top 3 solo players.

Solo Bracket Rules:

• 3 Stock Match Play
• 8 Minute Time Limit
• Items set to Off and None
• Double-Elimination, Best 2 out of 3 for qualifiers; Best 3 out of 5 for finals

Team Bracket Rules:

• 3 Stock Match Play
• 8 Minute Time Limit
• Items set to Off and None
• Double-Elimination, Best 2 out of 3 for qualifiers; Best 3 out of 5 for finals
• Life Stealing is allowed
• Team Attack set to ON

More details and rules follow the link:

Match progression:

1. Players choose their characters in a double-blind fashion.
2. Each player may ban a stage for the match from the counterpick selection.
3. First game on a random, neutral stage.
4. Loser chooses their counterpick stage.
5. Winner chooses their character.
6. Loser chooses their character.
7. Next game is played.
8. If a third game is necessary, repeat steps 4-7.

Additional Rules:

• Players are responsible for their own controller/control scheme and name tag, and should confirm settings before the start of the match.
• In the event of a dispute, controller ports will be decided by Rock, Paper, Scissors.
• In the event of time expiry, the winner is chosen by by lowest percentage instead of sudden death.
• Any action that can prevent the game from continuing (i.e., freezing, disappearing characters, game reset, etc.) will result in a forfeit of that match for the player that initiated the action.
• Stalling is banned (i.e. the act of deliberately avoiding any and all conflict so that one may make the game unplayable).

Character-Specific:

• Metaknight’s Infinite Cape glitch is banned.
• If a game ends with Bowser doing his suicide klaw and it ends in sudden death, the sudden death will be ignored and that game will count as a win for Bowser.

Neutral Stages:

• Battlefield
• Final Destination
• Yoshi’s Island
• Smashville
• Lylat Cruise

Counterpick Stages

• Brinstar
• Corneria
• Castle Siege
• Delfino
• Distant Planet
• Frigate Orpheon
• Halberd
• Jungle Japes
• Luigi’s Mansion
• Lylat Cruise
• Norfair
• Pictochat
• Pirate Ship
• Pokemon Stadium 1
• Pokemon Stadium 2
• Rainbow Cruise

With that over and done with, we can finally start working on the bits and bytes of the road-trip! Keep an eye on your inboxes, Fanimephiles!

Devon here, friendly UNM Anime Club secretary, just wanting to remind you that the deadline for your second payment for FANIME is due Tuesday, the 31^st.

This is also the cancellation deadline, if you do not cancel by the 31^st we will not be able to give you your $25 reimbursement.

In practical terms that means you should get the money to us by Saturday’s meeting (officers will be there at 3:00 so you can show up early).  I’ll also be in the Anime Club’s office (SUB Room 1049, in the Lobo Lair) from 12:30 to 5:30 on Monday if you wish to drop it off then.

If you’ve already paid in full or are not going, just ignore this.

Hope to see you soon.

This Saturday’s meeting will play host to Southwest Animation Confrence & Expo’s first meet and greet! If you have any ideas for panels, events, etc; or if you’d like to volunteer to be a part of the SWACE staff; or if you’d just like to interact with the people of SWACE and learn more about the convention, we’ll be on the third floor of the Student Union Bldg. (as usual) in Acoma A/B and Fiesta A/B at 4:00pm sharp!

Here’s the official spiel:

March 28, 2009, 4:00 PM @ The University of New Mexico’s Student Union building in the [Acoma A/B] room located on the third floor. We’ll be meeting with the University of NM Anime Club and anyone else interested in staffing the convention or help us get the word out. Our goal is to bring a show to the community that is catered to you guys, the community. We are looking for people who are full of ideas and suggestions on how we can make this the BEST Animation convention in New Mexico! Feel free to contact us about the Meet and Greet and we look forward to meeting all of you!

UPDATE: Due to some complications with the room we were scheduled for, we’ll be in Acoma A/B as opposed to Lobo. There’s some official-type explanation after the break.

To Whom It May Concern,
We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, however the Lobo room is undergoing wall repairs this Saturday, 3/28.  We needed to place you in the Acoma A & B room just for this Saturday. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us. Thank you and have a great day.
SUB Event Planning