ÖTG - Österreichische Tolkiengesellschaft

Dear friends!

One year has passed and another Grand Annual Meeting of Slovene
Tolkien Society Gil-Galad is approaching. I am sending this invitation
to you and all fellow members of your Tolkien Societies. Please pass
it on as you fell appropriate.

Almost all known information about GAM 13 are included in the
invitation, but please feel free to contact me with any possible
questions about it!

Namárië !

Jaka Mur,
STD Gil-Galad Foreign Affairs Representative

——————-

WHEN?
The 13th Grand Annual Meeting (VLS) of the Slovene Tolkien society Gil-galad will take place
from Thursday, 11th, to Sunday, 14th of August 2011. We look forward to having as many of you
as possible come over and join us in celebration of Tolkien’s works and the friendships they
have sparked!

LOCATION
The hut where VLS 13 will take place is located in the woods of Pšenk, a hill above the town
of Idrija. It is hidden in the forest and there is a small stream bubbling its way past it, so be
prepared for an unforgettable experience in nature’s bosom!
There are toilet facilities and showers in the hut, a large communal area and a kitchen. The
upper floor is a sleeping area. There is a meadow behind the hut where you will be able to
put up tents. If you do not have a tent and would like to sleep in one, let us know when you
register for the VLS and we will do our best to provide one for you! If sleeping in a tent is not
exactly your thing, you can sleep in the hut, but the place is limited (20-25 people) and the
rule is: the early bird gets the better bed.

ACCESS
By car:
1. driving to Idrija will be most practical along this route: driving along the Ljubljana-Koper
highway, you take the exit for Logatec and follow the directions for Idrija. Drive past Kalce
and Hotedrščica until you get to Idrija.
2. Once you to Idrija, cross the bridge and turn left towards the town centre and Vojsko. You
continue past the bus station and follow the direction for Vojsko (left turn) at the crossroads.
When you get to the next crossroads, turn left again and follow the directions for Čekovnik.
The last crossroads is at the edge of the town; take the right there towards Čekovnik. The
path goes on windingly until it reaches a crossroads where there will be a large VLS 13 sign.
Turn off the asphalt road there and continue down the dirt road across a small stream. You
will see the hut about 100m later.
By public transport:
1. Take the train to Ljubljana and from there, a bus to Idrija. The bus ride
takes around 1h 20min and costs 6.30€. The departures from Ljubljana are at:
06:15 08:15 10:15 11:15 12:15 12:45 14:15 15:15 16:15 17:50 19:15 20:15. If you are arriving
by bus, let us know beforehand so someone will come and pick you up.
To make it easier for you to find us, we have included a map on the next page.
COSTS
It will be possible to register for the VLS via a form on our website until July 30th – the
cost will be higher for those who fail to do so! We need to know how many people will be
participating and registration helps us do so. The total cost for the weekend (Thursday-
Sunday) is 50€ for those registered and 59€ for those that are not. This includes food
(breakfast, lunch, dinner and something between those for the hobbits among us), camping
place or sleeping in the hut and the costs of all activities that will take place during that
time.

PROGRAMME
As has been the tradition during our last several VLS events, a theme is chosen each year
and the week-long programme is centred on that theme. This year’s VLS will, in our minds at
least, be taking place in the lands west of the sea of Rhun and south of the Iron Hills. We will
become orcs of a clan ruled over by three fearsome shamans. The programme, therefore,
will be more or less orc-centric:
Thu: foreign visitors arrive – a warm reception. If they are lucky, they do not get cooked.
Fri: a hike to a nearby hill, creative workshops, a show in the evening
Sat: orc-themed LARP throughout the day, big feast, orc ritual in the evening
Sun: cleaning up, traditional watermelon cutting, saying farewell
Of course, there will also be plenty of time for all sorts of other spontaneous activities,
games (frizball, club-fighting, Vikings, trollball, board games) and interaction with people
from all over that share a common interest and love of fantasy. Every visitor adds their part
to the VLS experience, everyone is a participant and not only an observer, which is why this
programme is only a base to work from, not a bunch of rules set in stone. VLS 13 will be what
we all make it to be. Therefore, we are open to any sort of suggestion or addition to the
programme. You can contact us at any time at the email below.

LARP
Live action role-playing, as it is commonly known, is a game where participants physically
act as their characters (as opposed to other games, where figurines and similar are usually
used) in a realistic environment representing some fictional world. In our case, of course, this
fictional world is Middle-earth.
Anybody can join the Saturday LARP, as long as they have at least a semblance of a costume.
If you do not have a costume and would still like to participate in one of the most fun
experiences you can have, let us know beforehand and we will try and provide you with
something. Many members have more than one costume and will be glad to lend you
something, provided you take care of it. Participation is, of course, voluntary. We will explain
the rules themselves at the VLS, so don’t worry if you have no idea yet about how it is
supposed to look. 
There will be an orc camp on site which will serve as a LARP area throughout the event. You
will only be allowed to enter the camp in a costume and as your character (IC – in-character).

STS Gil-galad
The Grand Annual Meeting is not a public event, but a meeting of members of Tolkien
societies. Participation in the VLS is therefore limited to members of STS Gil-galad and sister
Tolkien societies. If anyone else would like to participate, however, they are free to contact
us, as we are glad to welcome any new Tolkien enthusiasts among us.

CONTACT
Write to us on the email account vls13@drustvogil-galad.si for any additional information, or
visit our forum – you can access it via our website: http://www.drustvogil-galad.si .