Announcing Global Mysterium

Shorah friends

Happy #Myst25 day! Myst was first released 25 years ago today, and we thought we’d add to the celebrations by announcing a new project we’re working on: Global Mysterium Day.

(We’re still working on the name… Mass Mysteria, maybe?)

We often get messages like “you should bring Mysterium to X city,” or “will Mysterium ever come to Europe/Australia/etc?” We would love to bring Mysterium to every major North American city, but as an all-volunteer organization it’s just not possible. As for other countries, we’re always happy to give advice and support to any group trying to organize a Myst convention/gathering, but it’s such a daunting task that no one really wants to take it on.

In the past, it’s been a tradition for local groups to plan “mini-Mysterium” gatherings: local fans would all agree to meet in a nearby city on a specific date and time. Maybe they’d explore museums, or grab a bite to eat, or just sit in a park and nerd out about Myst. These mini-Mysteria were a way to meet and hang out with other Myst fans for a day without all the work of putting together a big convention.

We thought it’s about time we bring that back in a more significant form, to help people all over the world connect with other local Myst fans. Not everyone can travel to Mysterium, but maybe we can bring a little piece of Mysterium to everyone. And we need your help to organize it!

Our Role

We will pick a date and time sometime next year (probably a Saturday somewhere between February and April). Next, we’ll help build a list of local fans who will lead the groups in their cities. Then, we’ll publish the list of cities/meeting places and help get the news out to as many fans as possible.

On the selected day, groups around the world will meet up with other local Myst fans. We’ll provide suggestions for activities, possibly some puzzle packets or a fun photo scavenger hunt, but ultimately what you do is up to you and your local group. After it’s all over, we’ll aggregate stories and photos so the whole Myst community can see what different cities did during the day.

What We Need From You

We need three things from you:

First, signup for news about Global Mysterium here. We promise emails will be infrequent and not spammy.

Second, spread the news! This only works if we get as many people as possible to show up. Our posts reach a lot of Myst fans, but we know there are plenty more who don’t follow us because they can’t make it to our normal conventions. So help us by spreading this post around to every Myst fan you know!

Third, volunteer to help lead your local Mysterium group. This isn’t going to be a ton of work, but we need to have a local contact for each city we include in our list. You’ll be responsible for helping to pick a good meeting location, and we may ask you to share contact information so that folks who get lost can find your group on the day of the event. If that sounds like something you’d like to do, fill out this quick form here, and we’ll be in touch.

This hasn’t really been tried before within our community, so we’re figuring things out as we go. We’ll have more details for you as we get closer to the event, so stay tuned. We may even get some Cyan involvement, but we can’t promise anything just yet. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can always contact us through our website here.

Other News

We’re still working away behind the scenes on Mysterium 2019. Odo is doing his hotel dance, and we’re lining up some very special guests that we hope to announce in a few months.

Also, we know many people were interested in buying the exclusive pins we made for Mysterium 2018.

We have some left, so we’re selling them in sets of 3 for $20. We won’t be making them again, so if you want a set you should grab them while you can! You can find the store here: http://store.mysterium.net/. (We wish we could sell them to everyone, but unfortunately we are only able to ship them within the US)

That’s all for now. Until next time,

-Taniith
Your friendly neighborhood Esher

Mysterium 2018 Videos

Greetings all,

It’s been just over a month since Mysterium and the committee is finally caught up on sleep. Well… most of us, anyway. On the bright side, we’ve been able to edit all of the videos from this year’s convention!

You can find all of the Mysterium 2018 videos in this handy YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxkV43WY77wEM8VMrtSOEKvdFtUHIoXdR

A few notes:

  • As previously noted, the Myst Documentary presentation was for attendees only and that video will not be posted
  • Due to several simultaneous technical snafus, Rob Santos’s presentation on making games was only partially recorded
  • The entire Mysterium Showtunes session is one long video, but jump-links to each performance can be found in the video description.

You can find all the showtunes lyrics we have in this Google Drive folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hQl0W3mvM1SEh8OC5AYI5zeE276qXKfs. If you wrote one of the songs that was performed but haven’t sent us the lyrics, please do so!

And with that, we officially wrap up Mysterium 2018. Stay tuned in the coming months for 2019 info. We also hope to have a very special announcement for you in late September to coincide with the Myst 25th anniversary date!

Until then,
-Taniith
Mysterium PR Bah’ro

What To Know When You Get There

Greetings all!

With only a week to go until Mysterium 2018, we wanted to give you some last minute news, as well as a roundup of what to expect when you get to St. Louis.

Reminders

If you are interested in attending the City Museum group excursion on Friday evening, please remember to register in advance. We will stop selling those tickets on Tuesday.

Also, don’t forget to submit your ideas for the Mysterium unconference. If you’ve ever had a Myst/Obduction/fandom topic you wanted to have a mini-discussion on with other people, now is the time to submit it!

Communication

Earlier this year we launched our official Mysterium Discord server. We have created a special channel for on-site communications (#mysterium-2018). We will post and pin any announcements there, and we encourage you to coordinate food and exploration with other attendees there too! This may be especially useful for anyone who arrives early or is staying in town after Sunday.

If you need to get the attention of Mysterium staff in a hurry, you can mention the “@Grand Master” group to notify us.

Policies & Reporting Problems

Please remember to review our policies and code of conduct before arriving at the convention. Copies will also be available at the registration desk. Remember that we have a zero tolerance policy for harassment of any kind.

If you witness any problems or feel you have been a victim of harassment, please find a Mysterium staff member and let us know. You can also private message one of us on Discord (Taniith, Odo, Capella, or m13), or use this page to submit a report: https://mysterium.net/harassment/.

Getting to the Hotel

Check out our Location page for info on how to get to the hotel. It includes directions from the airport, train/bus depots, and the highway. It also includes information on how to receive our negotiated rate for parking at the hotel.

We strongly encourage you to use public transit when possible, rather than renting a car. Our hotel is easily accessible via public transit, and details are available on the location page.

Once You Arrive

The convention will be in the Broadway Room at the hotel, starting on Friday morning:

  • From the lobby, walk past the front desk, pass through the grey double-doors, and follow that hallway to the back of the hotel.
  • From the parking garage, use the entrance closest to the parking structure, facing the convention center buildings.
  • From the hotel elevators, turn right and use the grey double-doors.

Our registration table will be located just inside of the doors to the Broadway Room, starting at 9:30 on Friday morning.

Breakfast is available in the restaurant off the lobby, near the revolving doors. There is no charge for the buffet if you are staying in our room-block at the hotel. As we are a large group, the hotel has informed us that we are free to use the high-top seating near the bar if necessary.

What to Wear

St. Louis is hot and sunny in the summer, so dress accordingly and remember to stay hydrated. There is also the chance of rain or intermittent thunderstorms, so you may want to pack an umbrella or rain coat. Your doctor would probably remind you to wear sunscreen when you go outside, too.

On the flip side, hotels tend to be cooler. So pack a sweater if you get cold easily!

What to Do!

You can find our schedule of activities on our schedule page. Unless otherwise noted, all activities will be located in the Broadway Room.

We have also put together a map of nearby food and attractions that may interest you. You can find it on the Location page. There are many food options within walking distance, along with a grocery store. While the hotel allows food delivery to the lobby, we remind you that food is not allowed inside the convention room.

Swag!

If you follow us on social media, you may have seen us teasing our con-swag over the past few days. Every attendee will receive a full set of these 3 pins, exclusive to Mysterium 2018. We will also have extras on sale for $2.50 each.

Before anyone asks, unfortunately we cannot sell these online and ship them to people. They will only be available on-site at the convention. If you can’t make it this year, ask a friend at the con to buy you some!

That’s all for today. We hope this post is helpful as you plan your trip. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

We look forward to seeing all of you next week!

-Mysterium 2018 PR Team

March Reminders

Hi all!

This is just a quick reminder that events submissions are currently open. If you have an idea for a fun presentation, a group activity, or anything else, please submit it! You don’t necessarily have to run it, either. We’re always interested to hear new ideas of all kinds.

Also, a reminder that registration and hotel reservations are now open. You can find that information here.

Finally, a reminder that we recently launched a Mysterium Discord server. This is a great place to find someone to share a hotel room, to discuss and flesh out an event idea you might have, or just to nerd out with other Myst and Cyan fans. We hope you’ll join the fun!

-Taniith

Mysterium Discord

Shorah All!

I am excited to announce a couple of things that we’ve been planning for a while now. The first is an official Mysterium Discord server!

If you are unfamiliar with Discord, it is a powerful free chat system that has been gaining popularity in the past few years. Think of it like IRC or Slack, with a combination of private messages and semi-public chat rooms. Discord has very nice clients for mobile, desktop, and browser use, so there’s an option for just about everyone.

Why are we starting a Discord? Several reasons. First, to give us a more central location for things like room-and-ride share posts and public Mysterium planning discussions. Second, to help fill the gap left by CyanChat. Back in the day, CyanChat was often used by on-site attendees to talk to those who couldn’t make it, and to help people stay in touch between conventions.

More generally, given how fractured the Myst/Cyan community has become, and how many people use Discord these days, we felt it could be worthwhile to provide a new space for realtime discussion by the fandom. Who knows? We may even convince past and present Cyan members to join in the chat!

If you are interested in joining the Mysterium Discord server, please follow this link: https://discord.gg/xXvSA7E

Secondly, I wanted to point out some changes to folks who may not have directly visited our site recently. Earlier this year we switched web hosts and took the opportunity to start renovating the site. You should find the new site much quicker to load, and *much* more mobile friendly. Also, we hope you enjoy the new header artwork by the wonderful Kelly Coston!

Expect more changes as we get closer to this year’s Mysterium. We hope to update the site to be a quick and intuitive place to get all the info you need about Mysterium.

That’s all I have for now. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments. And I hope to see you in Discord!

-Taniith
Falling Man Group President/Mysterium Helper Bah’ro