Author Archive: rayne

2024 Kick-off

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Shorah!
It’s summertime and we’re already in full swing for planning 2024 Mysterium! Before we dive into that, however, we wanted to share some of the highlights from the 2023 survey that we sent out as well as some other goodies.

Survey Highlights

We work hard to improve Mysterium every year and appreciate the feedback you have been sending in. Some of our experiments work, and sometimes they don’t and need some tweaks, but we always strive to make the experience better. We had a lot of fantastic suggestions and we will definitely consider them for future years!

Some of the highlights of the results:

  • Swag: Pre-ordering the swag was a huge hit! This was a bit of an experiment this year. We were using a new system for registration that allowed us to print badge numbers, pre-order swag, print labels for the swag bags, and pack them in a super-efficient manner, and an all-around amazing system! We will definitely be using this again.
  • Paypal: We had quite a few people ask for Paypal support. Unfortunately, they are, how shall we put this politely, very unkind to organizations like Mysterium. We need to stick to using Square and Stripe for our credit card processing portals.
  • The noise level in the con room: Yep, we hear you. It was frustrating for us too and we’re looking into options on how to improve that.
  • Accessibility: We try to make Mysterium accessible and there were some great suggestions on some things we can tweak! Thank you so much for sending those in!
  • Covid policy: We strive to make Mysterium a safe environment for everyone and appreciate the feedback on our policy. It’s too early to anticipate what 2024’s policy will involve, but our hope is that we can find some solutions that will be more inclusive.
  • Newsletter: The newsletter got a surprising amount of support! Alright, we’ll take a look at doing that this year! We want you to get the information we send out. 🙂

June’s Prompt Winner

June’s creative prompt was “Scream!” as Mysterium drew closer. The winner was redwoodrroad, who submitted this little beauty:

Youtube videos

All of the videos from Mysterium 2023 are now available on our Youtube channel! Check it out here.

Downloadables

We promised, so here they are! The 3D model files for the maze boxes and cryptexes, puzzle packets, and other downloadable files are now available on the website. More items will be added in the future! Please feel free to check them out here: Downloadables

Planning for 2024

If you missed the announcement, Mysterium will be in Canada next year. As exciting as that is, it also means that you will need to plan ahead for international travel. If you do not have a passport, we recommend that you get an early jump on it, as the turnaround time is taking longer than ideal.

More information may be found on the Department of State website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply.html

2024 Kick-off

And without further ado, we’d like to introduce you to your con-chairs for 2024.

Dan Binder (Fused Shadow) –

Dan first attended Mysterium in Orlando in 2017, then after a night at a tiki bar apparently agreed to join staff the following year (details are still a little hazy).

You’ll most likely encounter him working on the Mysterium website and/or posting on the Discord server, the latter especially if someone happens to mention Twilight Princess.

If you’re seeking him out in person, you can find him on a hiking trail or ski slope, or petting the nearest dog.

Hannah Catherine Mills-Woolsey (Annacat) –

Annacat attended her first Mysterium in Philadelphia in 2002, has been part of the Mysterium Committee since 2019, and has become the con’s self-appointed expert on all things Narayan-related. For her day job, she is a supervisor and instructor at a Vocational Education program for people with disabilities.

Her hobbies include participating in community theater, coaching a Special Olympics dance team, hiking, camping, kayaking, and loving every single animal in the world.

2023 Wrap-Up

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Shorah!
Wow, y’all! That was quite a weekend!!
First of all, an enormous thank you to everyone who came to join us at Mysterium this year. We had a record year and the largest crowd Mysterium has ever seen! It was truly a pleasure to be able to celebrate 30 years of Myst with you all.

Survey

Every year we try to make Mysterium a little better. To that end, we’ve put together a survey to gather your thoughts and feedback. Please take a moment and fill it out! The Survey.

Photos with Rand

Did you have your photo taken with Rand? Great! We will have digital copies available until the end of July. The group photo we took at Cyan is also up here, so please snag your photo while they’re up! The Photos.

Friends of Mysterium

We’ve got a lot of great folks at Mysterium who make some pretty amazing things. And they need your help!

Dan’s Good Cookies

If you visited Cyan this year, you probably got to enjoy one (or three) of Dan’s amazing cookies! He has also put together a survey and would appreciate feedback from you! Dan’s Survey.
What was your favorite kind of cookie?

Unwritten

Did you participate in one of the Unwritten sessions over the weekend? Are you interested in playing more? Good news! They launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a sourcebook called Modern D’ni! This book expands beyond the initial core rulebook diving deeper into the present-day era of the Cavern! They even have an exclusive hardcover of the Core Rulebook as a reward for one of the tiers which was previously only available during the initial Unwritten kickstarter. Check it out over at Kickstarter.

Video Game History Foundation

Ok we have to admit, that was one of the coolest presentations we’ve ever seen! In case you missed it, the amazing folks over at the Video Game History Foundation are working directly with Cyan to restore, digitally archive, and preserve their entire video archive. Yes, this includes the old VHS tapes with original Riven footage. However, they need funding to achieve this remarkable goal. More information may be found here: Video Game History Foundation.

Whew! What a weekend!
Post-con blues are a thing, folks. Please be kind to yourself. Hydrate. We love you.

And hopefully, we’ll see you again next year in Montreal! Wait, Montreal? In case you missed it, yes! We will be in Montreal next year! Take a look at the announcement here!

Rayne & m13 signing off as
Mysterium 2023 co-chairs

2 Weeks Away

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Shorah!

We have a few last things to cover before Mysterium, which brings us to our first point:

Mysterium is 2 weeks away!

Scream!! We can’t wait to see everyone, and we’re all hard at work getting last-minute details ironed out. The Committee has a few things to go over with everyone, and we’re all looking forward to our weekend with you.

Registration Closes Tomorrow

Huge reminder to everyone that registration closes tomorrow, Friday, June 16th. While we will have a limited number of standby tickets available to sell at the Registration table, those will be on a first-come, first-served basis on Friday, June 30th only. Stand-By tickets include admission for the weekend, and Mysterium 2023 Lanyard (while supplies last), but DOES NOT include admission to Cyan. Anyone buying a Stand-by ticket (either online, or at the registration table) will have their name placed on a standby list for any last-minute spots that may open up for the Cyan trip on Saturday morning. However, please be aware this does not guarantee a ticket to Cyan.

Bus ticket Deadlines

Bus ticket online sales will end when Registration closes tomorrow, Friday, June 16th. We will be selling the tickets at Mysterium until 8:30am on Saturday July 1st, before leaving for Cyan at 9:00am.

Meet & Greet Details

There will be a few Cyan staff for folks to meet during the Meet & Greet portion of the Cyan visit on Saturday.

For meeting Rand, folks may choose to have either one selfie with Rand or one autograph with Rand. If you choose to have an autograph, it should be a simple autograph without personalization. This is to keep the lines moving and not overwhelm Rand. Please be respectful of Rand’s time during the meet & greet and save your questions for the Q&A panel at 3:00 pm later in the day.

May Prompt Winner

Keith “Tweek” Lord  won the May Prompt! See the submission here:

Con Room Rules

Some reminders for the Convention Space Room as we are quickly approaching convention time.

  • NO food inside the Convention hotel space
  • All drinks must be in covered containers
  • Masks must be worn in the con room (surgical, N95, or equivalent). See COVID page for more information.

See our Policies page for a full list of policies related to Mysterium and the convention room.
Reminders of rules for inside con room (no food, drink etc)

See everyone in two weeks!
Rayne & m13
– Mysterium co-chairs

Saturday Logistics

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Shorah and happy weekend!

Mysterium is right around the corner and we wanted to share some important information regarding some logistics of how Saturday is going to work.

Convention Room Opens

The first thing everyone needs to know about Saturday is that the con room will only be open briefly, between 8-9:00 am, primarily to give everyone time to gather and make their arrangements for getting to Cyan. We strongly encourage you to pick up your badges before Saturday, as we are at capacity.

Badges that are not picked up by 8:30 am on Saturday morning will be considered a no-show and their seat will be given to someone on the stand-by list.

Cyan staff will be checking for attendee badges. If you do not have your badge, you will not be allowed to participate in the events that take place at Cyan. Please check for your badge before we leave for Cyan.

Bus

If you have a seat on the bus, please gather in the con space with staff member Ace at 8:30 am. At 8:45 am, Ace will lead those with bus tickets to the bus to begin boarding through the East entrance of the hotel to where the bus will be parked. At 9:00 am, the con room doors will close and the bus will depart for Cyan. Be punctual!

Arriving at Cyan

Map of Cyan campus

Map of Cyan HQ

The con room doors will close and we will leave for Cyan at 9:00 am, and it will take about a half an hour to arrive. Cyan will be prepared to accept arrivals at 9:30 am (and not before). If you’re taking the bus, it will drop you off in the bus and ride-share drop-off area indicated in green on the map below. Neither bus nor ride-share should attempt to drive past the drop-off area toward the campus. Drivers, please park only in the designated parking lot in blue (the Mag-Lev Depot) below.

Welcome to Cyan

Once you have arrived at Cyan, please proceed into Gehn’s Temple for a welcome message, updates, announcements, and a quick review of the order of events. From there, we will have Cyan’s State of the Union.

Round Robins

Due to the number of people we’re expecting this year, and the variety of activities to do on Cyan’s campus, it can be hard to fit everything in. To make it easier, we’ve split everything into threes:

  • Three time slots
  • Three activities
  • Three groups

The groups are named for three iconic Riven animals:
Three groups: Whark, Ytram, and Sunner

You’ll know what group you’re in from the email you get before the convention, and your animal will be printed on your badge. Each group will have a minimum of two Mysterium Committee members to serve as guides. If you get lost, just find a staff member.

Groups will alternate between eating lunch (“lunch”) at the Squee Conservatory, a guided tour of the campus (“tour”) at DRC Headquarters, and an opportunity to meet some Cyan employees and guests (“meet and greet”) at Gehn’s Temple in three time slots.

Sunner: 11:15-11:55 am: Lunch; 11:55 am-12:35 pm: Tour; 12:35-1:15 pm: Meet and Greet.
Whark: 11:15-11:55 am: Tour; 11:55 am-12:35 pm: Meet and Greet; 12:35-1:15 pm: Lunch.
Ytram: 11:15-11:55 am: Meet and Greet; 11:55 am-12:35 pm: Lunch; 12:35-1:15 pm: Tour.

We will begin to funnel back into Gehn’s Temple at 1:15 pm for the afternoon’s presentations.

Presentations

We have several presentations this year, all of which are fascinating and most of all, a secret! You’ll have to come to Cyan (or stream in!) to see them. 😉

Keynote with Rand Miller

After the secrets presentations, Rand will give a keynote talk, followed by a question and answer session. There will be a microphone in the aisle of Gehn’s Temple, so if you have a question, this will be the time to ask! If you’re watching the stream, feel free to ask your questions there or via Discord; we will have moderators gathering them to ask Rand for you.

Wrap-up

From there, we will leave Cyan around ~4:45 pm to head back to the hotel and break for dinner. We have some fun activities to do in our evening hours.

Alright, that’s all we have for today! More details are coming soon. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions! Discord is the easiest way, but email works as well.
Have a great rest of your weekend everyone!

– Rayne & m13
Mysterium co-chairs

Registration Capacity, Overflow, Bus, Oh my!

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Registration

We are thrilled to have so many of you interested in coming to Mysterium this year!

We have reached our maximum capacity of 250 in-person attendees, as Cyan can only accommodate 250 people. That being said, we have opened up 25 additional tickets at a discounted rate of $40 for those who are not interested in visiting Cyan. If you are interested in purchasing this type of ticket, you may do so by following this link. Additional “Standard Registration” slots may open up if people choose to let us know that they are not interested in touring Cyan on Saturday.

To that end, if you have purchased a ticket already and are interested in changing over to this type of ticket please use this form and we will be in touch with next steps soon.

Bus

A charter bus will be available for those who need a ride to and from Cyan on Saturday. We will have 48 seats available on the bus. To reserve your seat, please log in to Convention Master by following this link, go to the swag section and select Coach Bus to and from Cyan. A non-refundable fee of $15 will apply.

June’s Prompt

It’s almost time for Mysterium, ya’ll. So the creative prompt for June is “Scream”. Interpret this however you wish!

Scream into the void of the starry expanse, the scream of the piranha chicken, or the scream of being eaten by a whark! You decide.

We’re almost there! We’ve got some great stuff coming soon.
Have a great evening!

– Rayne & m13
Mysterium co-chairs