FW: Contest #10 results - further discussion

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "Hillman, Lee" <lee_hillman at u...> wrote:

> These are all great ideas and with you ladies' permission, I 
> will pass them on to my friend, who wanted some ideas for a 
> situation in a role-playing game. 

Anyone who wants my ideas for HP style Ren Faire is welcome to them.

> in the situation where these games and ideas will be put to 
> (virtual) "use," the hosts of the faire DO have access to 
> magic. They have to be careful, just like wizards, and no, 
> they are not wizards, but they are NOT LIMITED to what is 
> technologically possible. In other words, they could make 
> broomsticks fly, if they wanted.
> 
> So, if you had access to magic and could overhaul a 
> Renaissance Pleasure Faire into a Harry Potter themed faire, 
> what would you do? Please join me on OT-Chatter to discuss this.

Oh, with magic!

All the fortune-tellers can stay the same, except putting a sign 
up in their booths: PROFESSOR TRELAWNEY WAS RIGHT.

All the money that is legal tender at the Faire is Galleons, Sickles, 
and Knuts. Customers can change their money at a booth implausibly 
labelled Gringotts as they arrive and leave.

Owls are flying around the faire, delivering notes to lost companions 
and doorprize winners. The food booths can have everything they have 
now, but should add pumpkin juice, butterbeer, treacle tart, and some 
of the magic candies. The biggest & best food booth is implausibly 
labelled The Three Broomsticks. The pictures for sale in art booths 
contain moving images. Might there be a small zoo with some of the 
less dangerous fabulous beasts? Rats who skip rope with their tails?  

My first thought had been some game with trying to put tennis ball 
type objects into baskets by levitating them with the wand. The balls 
are different colors and the baskets are different colors and you 
have to put each ball in the same color basket without dropping any 
of the balls anywhere except its right basket, and the balls are 
somehow stacked in such a way that even the cleverest strategist has 
to pick up three of them to get at the fourth which is the first that 
can be put in a basket -- I guess the baskets are piled up, and fly 
off the pile once they get a ball, and the basket on top is the one 
that matches ball number 4...

It could be named The Sorting Hat game, with a picture of the Sorting 
Hat on the booth's sign, the balls in the four House collars, and the 
baskets marked with the House mascots instead of being painted a 
color. That's the way people to whom a magic game was commonplace 
would give that game a Harry Potter theme.

Children or Muggles would find a broomstick ride (no sexual innuendo 
intended) as thrilling as children find a pony ride. There could be a 
Quidditch game to watch instead of horse-back tourneys and/or 
rounders, and exhibitions of wizard duelling instead of exhibitions 
of fencing. The costumed actors who wander about interacting with the 
customers would do things like lead them in a sing-a-long with the 
words coming out of their wand like a purple ribbon. Produce flowers 
from their wands and hand them to the lady customers with a bow and a 
kiss of the hand.