Zdeněk Burian
Zdeněk from České Budějovice known as PG has prepared September’s iteration of PLatariáda convention, whose he founded as result of general decay of other conventions during ingenerous year of 2020 in both our and other countries.
Right at this place, or better date, conventions has surprisingly worked out. As the event was pleasing one, sequels were made in next years.
However, another ominous conditions has occurred in 2022. First, the weather got worse rapidly since the beginning of September. Even more, weather forecast has announced major cool down for the time of event, even to zero. Ouch.
Specifically, many of regular visitors has canceled the attendance. No term suits the all, that is normal, however this was significant amount of people. There has even been talk of cancelling the event. However brave PG has claimed, that eventual loss for the rent won’t beat him and went for it.
Personally, I got a logistic issue, because people from Olomouc were completely out of business, including Honza giving me a lift in his Fábia last year. I was desperate already, however I got an option to get to František’s place (known as Fandal) by borrowing someone else’s diesel Octavia.
I’ve arrived in place on Friday about ten minutes before planned departure because of complications before departure. I could not recognize it after several years of absence here, luckily Fandal has rushed out of the house during my arrival. Mysteriously divined me somehow via extrasensory.
We have traveled to Kutná Hora to pick up Marek called Poison and then to the crime scene. That is, Fandal went to his accommodation after arrival in Budějovice, not far from the place of convention. Marek was watching him, thinking deeply and accommodated also in the end. Such a normally looking house in the line of others normally looking ones.
It was non-short travel after all, so our arrival was not early; many people were present already. One room of our usual cottage was occupied (which is middle of three), that is. Nobody with a computer was in the second room, that is normally hosting mainly people with larger machines.
This shows significantly lower attendance, nevertheless the first, mostly 8bit session was full, so it looked all right there. Yes, I haven’t seen anything like Atari ST or Falcon, only delegates of smaller machines.
15 people were enlisted at sign list, address pl.atariada.cz. 12 of them really participated, which is good considering the massive cancellation.
Maybe because of concentration of us all in single room, I’ve gained an impression of maybe 15 present people during the peak, changing the composition from Friday to Sunday in 20 different visitors.
I’ve written in good intention fast information in club’s mailing list. However, remembering later who was not enlisted, couldn’t remember anybody. Oh dear!
I’ve discussed the problem later with PG and few others, however it was hard to remember. Luckily, organizer kept paper list of paying visitors, showing the presence of non-enlisted Logout. Somebody else could be present for a short time then.
Small Ataris were placed on central table, portable PCs running emulators on better cases, two present confessors of C64, Sillicon and Wotnau had at least one of their machine, regretfully I didn’t make an overview.
And our rEVERz had some other significant brand, he looked like he’s been bringing up or fixing hardware emulator, possibly ZX Spectrum clone. I didn’t want to interrupt his work by annoying questions and then, well, simply forgotten.
I’ve placed my portable PC again in hard to accessible corner outside of the main table, to not make it seen. It is not just outside of the spot of the convention, but I haven’t performed any emulations or any other partially justifiable activities. In fact I’ve turned it on just occasionally in rare non-busy moments for reading few information from the Internet accessible thanks to Wi-Fi AP.
I’ve enjoyed this convention with less people than usual more than ever. I didn’t go outside at all to check the recent appearance of plaza, which I do usually on regular basic, and no food shopping in Kaufland neither. I simply could do with my modest stock and local cooking.
Indeed, organizer PG with usage of some electrical, quite huge, machine made toasts on Friday’s evening and on Saturday, as regular event of the program, barbecued, or more of grilled objects, like multiple kinds of sausages or other meat.
I have no idea about the weather outside, it was maybe raining occasionally, it was cold for sure, however it was not freezing as threaten. There was no cold in the room with computers and not significantly in the other one, more or less empty.
Naturally, we have kept all doors closed, the inner one are kept opened practically all the time in the spring with exception of the evenings because of insects and also windows including metal plate window shutters, surviving only with inner artificial light. This is the reason why I have no much of idea about weather outside, Sun and such.
No, we didn’t burn intentionally, which was subject asked later at club’s meetings.
I didn’t sleep outside on the grass as in the spring, however somebody tough, maybe MaPa, slept on concrete veranda of the next cottage, where somebody usually sleeps in the spring. Also two tents were built by someone outside.
I’ve stayed in the main room. I wanted to go sleep in sleeping cottage on Saturday, because sleeper in horizontal position obstructs in such a relatively small space, but I’ve found only one room opened, so I didn’t went to join others for reason of making noises, as they usually are not happy about that.
I’ve departed just on Saturday, but I consider that as part of convention, as it was regarding Miroslav Talíř’s museum. Three new people attended the visit, including Mr.Holub, arriving to České Budějovice for the first time at all. And myself, because there was unused free space in car, although I’ve visited the same place about month ago in August during while coincidentally travelling around.
Next member of the group was unexpectedly Miroslav’s wife, however she didn’t visit the museum at all and gathered basket of mushrooms in the neighbourhood.
I’ve spent about most of time by playing board games with Fandal and others in the empty room, having the large empty table at disposal because of that.
We have played knowledge quiz with world map, not for the first time, but we haven’t used all question cards yet. Some of questions are, as Fandal said, foxy. Naturally I don’t know most of these. Game contains three sets of questions, apparently should be sorted by difficulty, however we can’t see the significant difference.
Most of time was spent with various versions of Carcassonne. Basic classic game with several extensions and two modifications.
Hunters and gatherers has the different motivation, no medieval cities, thus cannot be mixed. Interesting, but rules are practically the same.
Discoverers are truly different. Not because there is a lot of seas on the game board, but the rules are completely different, it has taken us some time to remember these. And are really interesting, for example there is no insidious capturing the region by simple majority of own units. Nevertheless it is obvious that this version also belongs to the same family.
As Fandal said years ago already, he can play with a computer at home alone, but not such games. So we have properly enjoyed these, meaning we, who were interested. Personally, I’m satisfied.
These cabinets, being inventory of camper’s union, practically activities of school youth, contains more desktop game boxes, but learn these from beginning takes a lot of time, our convention would have to take about week and it might not be enough. I believe that I would like it.
Also, there was a question at next club meeting regarding convention photos. Well, this is the part where it hurts. Even at convention, maybe on Saturday in close to the evening, I’ve realised in horror that we have forgotten for regular group photo. And it hurts!
Possibly because absence of Bohdan and Honza, who use their cameras for this activity. I didn’t make photos at all, because lighting in closed room is usually inconvenient.
I’ve tried my flat phone's camera, being given to me not long ago for long-time use from owner, whom lied around unused for year. Brother was forced to buy a new one, because of some important feature.
So, innocent attendants were not tortured by lighting, which is good, however only few emergency photos came out, low-quality ones. It makes me sad. Brother’s new one makes more quality photos, I guess.
I don’t remember any diligent photographer with better camera. I don’t remember any. If they existed, I would be interested in their creation.
Compared to other events, it was significantly less of us, however it was also less chaotic. Small events has something. I’m very happy that I’ve made it.
I will also mention something about place itself, who knows it, can skip this part. It is wooden ground-level cabin, we call it also log cabin, although it is not made of logs. There are two larger rooms inside, passage partially stuffed by some junk, maybe mower and garbage bin, toilet with sink, and likely some small mysterious closet, locked for us all the time. Very likely they’ll have there some tools, how it usually goes in mini-rooms without windows.
I don’t know any way how to get to the space under the roof, which is not very steep. The second cottage, for us usually dedicated for sleep has several smaller rooms and also we sleep in attic. Sometime in the past, when there was exceptionally many of us, we used to stay in this cottage also over the day, so we were disadvantageously separated.
Water inflow works for several years, thus even toilet works. I have problem to remember, how it used to be. Probably wooden toilet, so called dry, was outside. And we have brought bought water in.
Microwave oven and electric kettle are normal here. Wi-fi AP also. It has its outages but it comes handy. Our organizer personally brings in cooling box for last several years, it turns it on near the sink. It is not very large, but it pleases.
Locals have bought laser cutter few years ago for some wooden materials, we have seen there apparently balsa ornaments. Honza Křupka and maybe others ones were attracted by this, but nobody has touched it as far as I know.
Our convention called NEPLatariáda was very nice in general, unfortunately it finished though. In group of two cars, we have departed around 2PM to our common eating place called Country Saloon in place or village called Řípec. I don’t know whether this is regular village or such a region, but there are few houses. It is simply neatly close to the highway leading to Tábor and boys are there usually satisfied with food.
rEVERz a MaPa were in second car. Third usual car of Olomouc was missing. We have said good bye at around half past three after the meal and departed towards our different goals.
Adding the original Web enlist of visitors truncated for arrivals only.
This text has been written by Zdeněk Burian clearly via personal perception, thus it is not completely objective and exhaustive. Deal with it.