NTX 2020 planning re: COVID-19

We probably don't want to admit that things are not going back to normal anytime soon. Because admitting that is painful. This is not a 2-month hardship. Life has changed. We've been told this was coming for decades. I watched entertaining documentaries 10 years ago about this very event while eating chips and salsa. It could have been far worse. The virtual con is an interesting idea. Though I admit that the breadth and impact of "now" is disallowing me to consider cons in any context. My beloved uncle has tested positive and his symptoms are not improving for the moment. My wife is out of work. My eldest drove cross country w/ her newborn to stay with us through this. So yeah, lives are so upended right now with no clear resolution. 2020 is probably not the (hopefully inevitable) bounce-back's time frame. But I do continue working on game materials, helping my local crew through the trauma with game night. And I do hope we can have cons again soon-as-safe in a normal sense. Still, I'm hopeful we'll get a vaccine quicker than the dire 1-year prediction. And i'm hopeful that all of this ultimately brings us closer together. Games seem like a great foundation for that very thing.

Today’s update:

== We want to have the Con if we can, but know that even if there is no stay at home order by the time Jun 3rd arrives, it will be an individuals choice to come or not. I want everyone to be safe... and being at a higher risk myself, I'll be safe and remind others to throughout the Con... and if I can get extra masks I will ! This Con will create some challenges if it happens or not as it will be a mixed real/virtual Con if it happens and all virtual if it doesn't... and I'll have to define a way to "allow" attendance for Knight Ranks since this is not something anyone has control over. But I'll touch base on what tings might change when it all goes down.. TShirts, Bags etc will will still be available depending on how badges are kept/donates/rolled over etc... or just purchased... many things will change this year and hopefully only for this year. But you might end up with something more unique if you don't attend vs if you do.... we'll make it a fun "non-event" if it ends up that way.

==

Allan.

And Mike's additional reply in-thread:

Being nine weeks out is such a drip drip drip of negative news all day. But Doug and I talked and we hope to have a definitive answer by May 1st. If shelter in place orders extend beyond that, we may to think more online rather than not having it at all. Still up in the air, which we know is frustrating. But know that if you are older or a health risk think of yourself first, the con will go on. And I'm intrigued by the amount of people who were not going to attend who have volunteered to run games online, so I'm leaning towards doing something online regardless.

From https://www.facebook.com/groups/310434204630/permalink/10157960454164631/?comment_id=10157960787789631

Allan.