ASLOK Thoughts in the Age of Covid

Plans for attending ASLOK XXXV?

  • Wasn't planning on attending anyway...

    Votes: 46 40.0%
  • Will be there, masks or not...

    Votes: 17 14.8%
  • Will be there, but only if masks are required...

    Votes: 1 0.9%
  • Will be there, but only if masks aren't required...

    Votes: 4 3.5%
  • Won't be attending due to Covid, but had been planning on it pre-pandemic...

    Votes: 20 17.4%
  • Might be there - depends on how the pandemic develops by the Fall...

    Votes: 20 17.4%
  • Might be there - depends on non-pandemic things like $, vacation, spousal approval, etc...

    Votes: 7 6.1%

  • Total voters
    115
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Pitman

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That's not fair. If the organisers are allowed to run the thing then responsibility is on those individuals who attend. That's assuming the organisers aren't completely negligent and adhere to any rules/laws incumbent. If a 747 went down over the Atlantic with the Euro contingent on it, is that the organisers' fault for inviting them to attend?
If organizers of an event are aware that their event, by its nature, poses a significant health risk to some of its attendees, and/or others, then of course they would bear a share of the responsibility (and possibly LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY) should people become ill and/or die.
 

pixelgeek

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rdw5150

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Totally agree a real ftf ASLOK would be best, no doubt, but if not a virtual ASLOK via VASL would not be a bad thing.

VASL will help keep the hobby going through these very difficult times and for those isolated are a life preserver for game action.

Well worth a try if you have not already, Vic.
This is coming from a weekly VASSAL (of various games, but years just ASL) player.......

If it were not for VASL I would not have someone I consider a close friend.

If not for VASL I would not be playing ASL (or ton of other games).

But for the life of me I cannot figure out why anyone would take vacation time to play VASL even for just a couple days. Not to mention the monumental task of organizing a cyber VASL ASLOK (I am not a betting man, but I'd bet a ton Brett is not interested in that).

SHRUG

but to each their own.

I would not even consider "attending" a cyber ASLOK. Live games are super easy to arrange.

That being said, as I typed, I did make reservations and am hopeful but as I read through the "relevant" posts (not the soapbox preachers on both sides), I am thinking ASLOK will not happen. Just my gut feeling....... heck it could come down to simple finances. Would an ASLOK with 50 people even break even? I sort of doubt it.

So I say blank this blanking virus..........

Peace

Roger
 

Jacometti

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I think everything that needs to be said has been said in this thread.

I will wait to hear from the ASLOK organisers to see if there is an event for me to attend or not.

Stay safe, everyone (ie don't go near a crazy guy with a gun)
 

rdw5150

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People with asthma and breathing problems don’t have to wear a mask. Please, a little compassion and understanding.

compassion? in this day and age?! :D Surely you jest.:):D

Peace

roger
 

Chas

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If you think you are high risk, don't attend.
Also, individuals should be responsible for their own choices.

Shouldn't common sense be more common. If you are not concerned about the risk, attend at your own risk. If you are, simply don't attend.



If organizers of an event are aware that their event, by its nature, poses a significant health risk to some of its attendees, and/or others, then of course they would bear a share of the responsibility (and possibly LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY) should people become ill and/or die.
 

rdw5150

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At registration, players receive not the traditional tag, but a chair with a sticker on it with their name. They keep the chair along with them throughout the event.

(that said, facemasks or similar devices are the most important step)
Hi!

Serious question and I do not mean to sound snide so please forgive me if I do, but after reading through your posts in this thread, I wonder, why would anyone attend an ASLOK like you imagine?

I get the masks (though I would probably not attend an event where I have to wear a mask for days on end) and hand sanitizer and things like that. But you seem to want to control everyone's movements, what stair cases they can use on in which direction, aisle restrictions, and the like.

That seems over the top for me and not an ASLOK I would attend.

Peace

roger
 

Michael Dorosh

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Can you cite a source for that please? Because according to Wikipedia there were only 36,560 car related deaths in the US in 2018. Which would make Covid 19 far more deadly. Something like 9 times more likely if you factor in the time scale

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in_U.S._by_year
My mistake, I'm far too used to using that stat for the gun control debate.

At any rate, the point is that there is a significant risk to driving an automobile, not to mention the environmental issues, that could be easily done away with by the stroke of a pen and a ban on anything but public transit. We don't do that for obvious reasons.
 

Tooz

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Hand Gel Dispensers (hgD) should be available at several corners of the room.

At registration, players receive not the traditional tag, but a chair with a sticker on it with their name. They keep the chair along with them throughout the event.

(that said, facemasks or similar devices are the most important step)
I also think holding the event downstairs in a venue with better air circulation would be beneficial. We are still talking about an event to be held three months hence. So, rather than offering sanctimonious prolix would it not be better to think of suggestions that may offer solutions or enhance safety to make this cherished event as safe as we can?
Know the risks and then decide. I will be going. Any good, positive advice on how to make my ASLOK experience more safe is most welcome.
Some of the most strident castigators seem to be proclaiming: "Don't go because I say so! Pay attention to me and me alone..."
This thread appears to be more proselytization than real concern.
I am going and to those naysayers let me add that I look forward to your absence.
 

von Marwitz

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That is f'ing ridiculous. Equating attending this tournament to play a GAME, to basically calling everyone who doesn't a pu**y. There is a risk/ reward decision on everything you do. Do you drive your car at 90 mph all the time? Why not, why live in fear?
I drove my car at 135 mph today - but I am German... ;)

But back on topic.

I believe unless regulations forbid ASLOK and thus take the decision from organizers and attendees, then - as obviously all sorts of risks are evaluated diffently by different people - then everyone has to make the decision to attend or refrain from visiting ASLOK based on their personal risk assessment. The heaviest burden lies on the organizers without doubt, as they set the rules on which the players will base their traveling to ASLOK or not.

von Marwitz
 

bendizoid

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I drove my car at 135 mph today - but I am German... ;)

But back on topic.

I believe unless regulations forbid ASLOK and thus take the decision from organizers and attendees, then - as obviously all sorts of risks are evaluated diffently by different people - then everyone has to make the decision to attend or refrain from visiting ASLOK based on their personal risk assessment. The heaviest burden lies on the organizers without doubt, as they set the rules on which the players will base their traveling to ASLOK or not.

von Marwitz
That’s awesome, 135 mph gets the blood flowing, no tailgating !
 

The Purist

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I have absolutely no desire to sit in front of a computer to play ASL.
Mr Sherry,

Until three weeks ago I was hesitant to get in on the VASL play for ASL but I am glad I did. In these past three weeks I have played three live games with VASL/Skype against 'Mr Honus' and another solitaire games just for fun. There is very little difference between live ASL and VASL except pixels and the space needed to play.

Another option your group could use is to set up your physical game but communicate with Skype for movement and using Random. org for dr/DR. Likewise you could set up a camera to face your dice tower (though not necessary if you trust your opponent).

I just completed the entire Dinant CG from CdG 2 using skype audio/video and the physical game with a friend who lives some 300 km away.

In today's electronic environment there is no reason to not play ASL.

Regards.
 

von Marwitz

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Wearing a mask or face shield is the easiest way to help lower the transmission of Covid 19.
This.

I prefer using a dice cup, but if it makes people happy, I use their dicetower. Heck, I even play the IFT despite I prefer the IIFT with CTC.

What is not contested (so I hope...) is that wearing a mask lowers the transmission of Covid 19. So it seems the sensible thing to do. But even if I would not agree, what does it cost me?

The IFT is a nuiscance compared to the IIFT with CTC :p, nothing really bothing in using a dice tower and playing with a mask out of respect for others' concerns is not really a burden to bear.

von Marwitz
 

Pitman

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If you think you are high risk, don't attend.
Also, individuals should be responsible for their own choices.

Shouldn't common sense be more common. If you are not concerned about the risk, attend at your own risk. If you are, simply don't attend.
That would be fine advice if, once you got infected, you could not infect anybody else.

However, the disease is highly infectious, so you are making a decision not only for yourself but also arbitrarily making a decision to risk infect anybody you might subsequently come into contact with. There may be circumstances in which that is hard to avoid, such as certain jobs, but we are talking about a game here, and I find it hard to ethically justify risking the health of other people so that you can have fun playing a game.
 

Michael Dorosh

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However, the disease is highly infectious,
Discussion of how infectious here - https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/rounds/how-scientists-quantify-intensity-of-an-outbreak-like-covid-19

Measles has an R0 of between 12 and 18. Coronavirus is - as calculated at time of writing - between 2 and 3. An R0 of 1 is the line between likely to die out on its own, and not. But as the article points out, is also dependent on health measures taken.

"Highly" is subjective, in other words, and if a controlled environment is possible, as per suggestions above, not necessarily so.
 

Mister T

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I get the masks (though I would probably not attend an event where I have to wear a mask for days on end) and hand sanitizer and things like that. But you seem to want to control everyone's movements, what stair cases they can use on in which direction, aisle restrictions, and the like.
Having paths in and out of the main room doesn't mean "i want to control everyone's movements". I don't know what you mean by "aisle restrictions". You'll be able to move in and out whenever you want! It's just a convenient way to avoid bumping into each other. I don't think it is overly intrusive, it's just a habit to take on the first day. Now i'm making suggestions (instead of others talking only about themselves), they might not all be taken into consideration by the organizers, that's fine, they are in charge and i don't want to be a backseat driver. It would be great if people forget about this potentially stressful context and enjoy their ASLOK stay while minimizing the risk (being aware that risk will never be equal to zero). But i'm confident that attendees will understand that at least some exceptional measures are necessary. Players may laugh about them in a few years when things will return to normalcy, it's okay.

As i said, face masks (or similar items) are the most important step. But there may be others. The organizers will weight pros and cons on each measure. I (and others on this thread) just provide some ideas.

In order to complement my answer, i went on the Wal-Mart site and copy-and pasted the following from here:

Sanitation and Social Distancing

Our associates are working hard to keep stores stocked and sanitized for you. We’re dedicating associates in every store to clean high-traffic, high-touch areas, like checkouts and shopping carts, every day. We’re also installing sneeze guards in our pharmacy and register lanes, and floor decals at both the entrances and checkouts, to help you maintain proper social distancing.
Additionally, we’re using a single, clearly designated entrance and another clearly designated exit at each store to help maintain social distancing and lessen the instances of people closely passing each other. We’re also limiting the number of people in a store at once (...)
On April 20, we began requiring that associates wear masks or other face coverings at work. This includes our stores, clubs, distribution and fulfillment centers, as well as in our corporate offices. We’re also encouraging customers and members to wear face coverings when they shop with us.
Additionally, our stores will host a senior shopping hour every Tuesday for customers age 60 and older who may be more vulnerable. (...)


Have you stopped going to your supermarket (i chose Wal-Mart, it could be another brand) due to this? Are you going to write a letter of complain to them saying they should not "control everyone's movement"?
 

Tooz

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Should ASLOK be cancelled I still would be willing to attend an ASL event held during the same time at the same venue.
 
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