Difference between revisions of "WARP"
 
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[[Category:Groups]]
 
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''Tomorrow's free time, today.''
 
  
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WARP (the Williams Association of Role-Players) is a club dedicated to roleplaying and similar [[Odd quad | Odd Quad]]-type activities. The club is noted for its laissez-faire organization; traditionally WARP only holds one meeting, at the beginning of the year, and thereafter organizes through its [[listserver]] in smaller groups. (If it sounds fragmented and chaotic, that's because it is.) Although roleplaying is a primary focus of WARP, it coordinates a variety of similar activities. Among them are [[bopswording]], Laser Tag, board games, card games, and whatever else comes to mind.  
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''The unreality of games gives notice that reality is not yet real. Unconsciously, they rehearse the right life.'' - Theodor W. Adorno
  
 +
WARP (the Williams Association of Role-Players) is a club dedicated to roleplaying and similar [[Odd quad | Odd Quad]]-type activities. The club is noted for its laissez-faire organization; traditionally WARP only held one meeting, at the beginning of the year, and thereafter organized through its [[listserver]] in smaller groups. (If it sounds fragmented and chaotic, that's because it is.) Although roleplaying is a primary focus of WARP, it has historically coordinated a variety of related activities. Among them are [[bopswording]], Laser Tag, board games, and card games. In the 2008-2009 year, WARP held free movie showings in Paresky on the weekends. Historically, WARP has organized outings to conventions including [[NonCon]] (circa 2008) and PAX East (in 2015 and 2016). WARP also runs [[Humans vs. Zombies]] during the fall semester and [[KAOS]] during Winter Study.
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 +
In recent years, WARP has gained a more structured organization, with the club hosting a meeting every Saturday night at 7:00pm.  Anyone is welcome to join and play a variety of board games, with [[Avalon]] typically making an appearance in the 2023-2024 school year. The club owns a large volume of board games, which members can sign out for individual games when the club is not in session. Any who do not return the games they signed out will have to face the wrath of the Quartermaster (who has a sword).
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== '''Early History''' ==
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WARP was officially founded in 1989 by Chris Aylott '91 and Toby Elliott '92, but in some sense began in the fall of 1987 when [https://sites.williams.edu/jcruz/| Joe Cruz] '91 (now Professor of Philosophy at the College) started an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons campaign, virtually all of whose members lived in [[Odd Quad]], and whose viewings of Star Trek (the original series) and Twilight Zone in the [[Prospect House]] TV room would regularly attract an after-[[Driscoll]]-dinner audience of 12-20 students.
 +
 +
== '''The Dark Ages''' ==
 +
WARP has generally sustained itself on its ability to entrap a sufficient number of naive, interested freshmen before they come to realize that undergraduate education is actually a time-consuming undertaking. On only one situation did this fail to occur: the Dark Ages of WARP, when the club plumbed the depths of laissez-faire organization by essentially dropping completely off the map. For example, WARP was represented by a stack of books and a sign-up sheet at the 2011 Purple Key Fair. The vaunted listserv became nearly completely abandoned; activities were carried on, preserving the club's lifeblood in secret, but without any sort of formal organization.
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 +
== '''Next Generation of WARP''' ==
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{{outdated}}
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In 2011 a mysterious nobody managed to recruit about 50% of the Japanese department into playing an extended campaign of Dungeons and Dragons 4E, followed by a significant number of other students. With this, WARP was reconstituted in its current incarnation, which focuses on tabletop RPGs, LARP, and nominal supervision of campus-wide live action games such as Humans vs. Zombies and the ever-popular KAOS. Movies, video games, and other forms of entertainment have generally taken a backseat to these activities, but are still carried out in a much diminished form.
 +
 +
== '''Vicarious Living''' ==
 +
{{outdated}}
 
The WARP [[listserver]], in addition to serving as the coordination tool of the club, also serves the valuable purpose of a spam conduit, down which people send links to strange news articles, online games, and other [[procrastinating|procrastination]] aids. The listserver is also a good place to settle important fantasy-battle questions, like "who would win in a fight: a cave troll, or a pack of velociraptors?" Finally, the WARP listserver is an excellent place to observe WARP crust in action, since many WARP members never leave the listserver even after graduation.
 
The WARP [[listserver]], in addition to serving as the coordination tool of the club, also serves the valuable purpose of a spam conduit, down which people send links to strange news articles, online games, and other [[procrastinating|procrastination]] aids. The listserver is also a good place to settle important fantasy-battle questions, like "who would win in a fight: a cave troll, or a pack of velociraptors?" Finally, the WARP listserver is an excellent place to observe WARP crust in action, since many WARP members never leave the listserver even after graduation.
  
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Traditionally WARP has two "real" officer positions: the Figurehead (president) and the Shadowy Grand Vizier (treasurer). The current (07-08) Figurehead is [[Sean Hayes]], and the current Grand Vizier is [[Edward Newkirk]]. In practice, WARP has a long hierarchy of ever-fluctuating ceremonial titles, the most enduring of which is the [[Not-Pope]].
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Unfortunately communication on the Listserv has fallen off dramatically because new generations of WARPies tend to just use email. Probably should let the alumni know we're still alive, huh.
  
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WARP is affiliated with most of the other organizations of the [[Odd quad | Odd Quad]], if only by shared membership. The strongest link is to the [[Deviants]] listserver, which serves as a more neutral socialization branch of essentially the same social group. Other closely-affiliated organizations include the [[Elizabethans]], the [[(Moocho Macho Moocow Military) Marching Band]], and the [[Mad Cow]].  See also: [[Den of Slack]].
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== '''Organization''' ==
 +
Traditionally WARP has two "real" officer positions: the Figurehead (president) and the Shadowy Grand Vizier (treasurer). In practice, WARP has a long hierarchy of ever-fluctuating ceremonial titles, the most enduring of which is the [[Not-Pope]].
  
 
Past leaders have included:
 
Past leaders have included:
 +
* 2018-2019: [[Eily Mixson]] ('20) (Figurehead) and [[Adly Templeton]] ('20) (Shadowy Grand Vizier)
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* 2017-2018: [[Leigh Davidson]] ('18) (Figurehead) and [[Adly Templeton]] ('20) (Shadowy Grand Vizier)
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* 2016-2017: [[Aramis Sanchez]] ('17) (Figurehead and Shadowy Grand Vizier)
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* 2015-2016: [[Sam Ok Park]] ('18) (Figurehead) and [[Darla Torres]] ('18) (Shadowy Grand Vizier)
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* 2014-2015: [[Bryn Reinstadler]] ('15) (Figurehead) and [[Sam Ok Park]] ('18) (Shadowy Grand Vizier)
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* 2013-2014: [[Quinn Griffin]] ('15) (Figurehead) and [[Marina (Rinna) Caldieraro]] ('14) (Shadowy Grand Vizier)
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* 2012-2013: [[Nigel Munoz]] ('15) (Figurehead and Shadowy Grand Vizier, by way of hostile takeover)
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* 2011-2012: [[Gu]], the mysterious stranger.
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* 2009-2011: The Dark Ages. A mystery to everyone.
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* 2008-2009: [[Erik Morton]] ('09) (Figurehead) and [[Edward Newkirk]] ('09) (Shadowy Grand Vizier)
 
* 2007-2008: [[Sean Hayes]] ('08) (Figurehead) and [[Edward Newkirk]] ('09) (Shadowy Grand Vizier)
 
* 2007-2008: [[Sean Hayes]] ('08) (Figurehead) and [[Edward Newkirk]] ('09) (Shadowy Grand Vizier)
 
* 2006-2007: [[Kat Jong]] ('07) (Figurehead) and [[Sean Hayes]] ('08) (Shadowy Grand Vizier)  
 
* 2006-2007: [[Kat Jong]] ('07) (Figurehead) and [[Sean Hayes]] ('08) (Shadowy Grand Vizier)  
 
* 2005-2006: [[Amanda R. Van Rhyn '06]] (Figurehead) and [[Jake F. Manley '07]] (Shadowy Grand Vizier)
 
* 2005-2006: [[Amanda R. Van Rhyn '06]] (Figurehead) and [[Jake F. Manley '07]] (Shadowy Grand Vizier)
 
* 2004-5: [[Jeff Dougherty '05]] and [[Jake Mandel '05]], Co-Presidents and [[Seth Zeren '05]], Holder of the Purse Strings
 
* 2004-5: [[Jeff Dougherty '05]] and [[Jake Mandel '05]], Co-Presidents and [[Seth Zeren '05]], Holder of the Purse Strings
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Around 2013, the "Triumvirate" formed because Quinn, Rinna, and Nigel all wanted control of WARP, and had different visions for the club. Quinn desired more role-playing, a return to a more old-fashioned sort of WARP, whereas Rinna was more pro-board games and LARP, and Nigel was concerned with large-scale roleplaying (KAOS and Humans vs. Zombies). If it has not been modified, WARP's constitution still contains reference to the authority of a Triumvirate, but it is no longer enforced.
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In Spring 2016, President Sam Ok Park ('18) dissolved the Triumvirate and established several new positions.
 +
WARP's Board for 2016-2017 consisted of
 +
* [[Aramis Sanchez]] ('17) (Scoundrel of the Thieves; Figurehead and Shadowy Grand Vizier)
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* [[Granger Carty]] ('19) (Granger of the Rangers)
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* [[Connor Swan]] ('18) (Grand Vizier of the Wizards)
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* [[Leigh Davidson]] ('18) (Chieftain of the Barbarians)
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* [[Kiri Peirce]] ('20) (Champion of the Paladins)
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* [[Julia Goldman]] ('18) (Fili of the Bards/Historian)
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WARP's Board for 2017-2018 consisted of
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* [[Leigh Davidson]] ('18) (Figurehead)
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* [[Granger Carty]] ('19) (Shadowy Grand Vizier, Fall)
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* [[Gus Beirne]] ('18) (Granger of the Rangers)
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* [[Breelyn Karno]] ('20) (Champion of the Paladins)
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* [[Adly Templeton]] ('20) (Chieftain of the Barbarians; Shadowy Grand Vizier, Spring)
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* [[Julia Goldman]] ('18) (Fili of the Bards/Historian)
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* [[Eily Mixson]] ('20) (Wizard of the Wizards)
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* [[Jesse Ames]] ('19) (Court Philosopher)
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WARP's Board for 2018-2019 consisted of
 +
* [[Eily Mixson]] ('20) (Figurehead)
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* [[Adly Templeton]] ('20) (Shadowy Grand Vizier)
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* [[Granger Carty]] ('19) (Granger of the Rangers)
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* [[Jesse Ames]] ('19) (Fili of the Bards/Historian)
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* Other members-at-large, including [[Christian Lockwood]] ('20)
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WARP's Board for 2019-2020 abandoned Sam Ok Park's ceremonial titles in favor of corporate-sounding titles:
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* [[Eily Mixson]] ('20) (Figurehead)
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* [[Adly Templeton]] ('20) (Shadowy Grand Vizier)
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* [[Balint Szollosi]] ('21) (Regional Manager)
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* [[Kiri Peirce]] ('20) (Executive Assistant to the Regional Manager/Historian)
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* [[Christopher Chung]] ('22)? (Terraformer)
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* [[Ronan Howlett]] ('21)? (Administrative Director)
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* [[Christian Lockwood]] ('20) (Member-at-Large?)
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WARP's Board for 2020-2021:
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* [[Odysseas Morgan]] ('22) (President)
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* [[Rebecca Dodgson]] ('23) (Treasurer)
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* Simon (Historian)
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* [[Nick Gonzales (Simon?)]] ('22) & [[Simon Kent]] ('23) (Co-Simons)
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WARP's Board for 2021-2022:
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* [[Odysseas Morgan]] ('22) (President)
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* [[Dylan Chan]] ('23) (Treasurer)
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* Simon (Historian)
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* [[Simon Kent]] ('22) (Simon)
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WARP's Board for 2022-2023:
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* [[Dylan Chan]] ('23) (President)
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* [[Jonathan Geller]] ('24) (Treasurer)
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* [[Simon Kent]] ('23) (Historian)
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* [[Michael Faulkner]] ('25) (Quartermaster) (Forcibly Appointed)
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WARP's Board for 2023-2024 revived the positions of Not-Pope, &c. According to Asher Gladstone, it is worth noting that Asher Gladstone contested the Presidency, though not by his own choice:
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* [[Jonathan Geller]] ('24) (President)
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* [[Austin Osborn]] ('25) (Treasurer)
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* [[Cassie Aretsky]] ('26) (Historian/[[Anti-Not-Pope]])
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* [[Jenna Shuffelton]] ('26) (Quartermaster)
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* [[Tasis Gemmill-Nexon]] ('26) ([[Not-Pope]])
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* [[Lee Benzinger]] ('24) (Pope)
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* [[Maddie Nowbar]] ('26) (Lee)
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* [[Nick Gonzales]] ('22) & [[Asher Gladstone]] ('24) (Co-Simons)
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WARP's Board for 2024-2025:
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In the initial election, [[Maddie Nowbar]] and [[Cassie Aretsky]] were elected as the WARP Figureheads for the Fall and Spring Semesters respectively. According to Nowbar, this election was a "landslide." Shortly after their election, Nowbar abicated the Figureheadipality. Notably, Nowbar abdicated without Aretsky's agreement. This will not be relevant later. Due to a quirk of the WARP constitution stating that the group can only hold one election per year, the future of the Figureheadipality was decided by a simultaneous [[Jumbling Tower]] and Bananagrams game between [[Austin Osborn]] and [[Michael Faulkner]], which Osborne won. Osborne was then crowned as Figurehead.
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The rest of the board, elected as normal, follows hence:
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* [[Michael Faulkner]] (Shadowy Grand Vizier)
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* [[Cassie Aretsky]]/[[Maddie Nowbar]] (Fili of the Bards)
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* [[Madison Rozic]]/[[Izzy Weitzman]] "Two Swords" (Quartermaster)
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* [[Madison Rozic]] (Pope)
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* [[Jenna Shuffelton]] (Not-Pope)
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* [[Cassie Aretsky]] (Anti-Not-Pope)
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* [[Maddie Nowbar]] (Lee)
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* [[Elena Sore]] (Leigh)

Latest revision as of 23:06, May 12, 2024

The unreality of games gives notice that reality is not yet real. Unconsciously, they rehearse the right life. - Theodor W. Adorno

WARP (the Williams Association of Role-Players) is a club dedicated to roleplaying and similar Odd Quad-type activities. The club is noted for its laissez-faire organization; traditionally WARP only held one meeting, at the beginning of the year, and thereafter organized through its listserver in smaller groups. (If it sounds fragmented and chaotic, that's because it is.) Although roleplaying is a primary focus of WARP, it has historically coordinated a variety of related activities. Among them are bopswording, Laser Tag, board games, and card games. In the 2008-2009 year, WARP held free movie showings in Paresky on the weekends. Historically, WARP has organized outings to conventions including NonCon (circa 2008) and PAX East (in 2015 and 2016). WARP also runs Humans vs. Zombies during the fall semester and KAOS during Winter Study.

In recent years, WARP has gained a more structured organization, with the club hosting a meeting every Saturday night at 7:00pm. Anyone is welcome to join and play a variety of board games, with Avalon typically making an appearance in the 2023-2024 school year. The club owns a large volume of board games, which members can sign out for individual games when the club is not in session. Any who do not return the games they signed out will have to face the wrath of the Quartermaster (who has a sword).

Early History

WARP was officially founded in 1989 by Chris Aylott '91 and Toby Elliott '92, but in some sense began in the fall of 1987 when Joe Cruz '91 (now Professor of Philosophy at the College) started an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons campaign, virtually all of whose members lived in Odd Quad, and whose viewings of Star Trek (the original series) and Twilight Zone in the Prospect House TV room would regularly attract an after-Driscoll-dinner audience of 12-20 students.

The Dark Ages

WARP has generally sustained itself on its ability to entrap a sufficient number of naive, interested freshmen before they come to realize that undergraduate education is actually a time-consuming undertaking. On only one situation did this fail to occur: the Dark Ages of WARP, when the club plumbed the depths of laissez-faire organization by essentially dropping completely off the map. For example, WARP was represented by a stack of books and a sign-up sheet at the 2011 Purple Key Fair. The vaunted listserv became nearly completely abandoned; activities were carried on, preserving the club's lifeblood in secret, but without any sort of formal organization.

Next Generation of WARP


In 2011 a mysterious nobody managed to recruit about 50% of the Japanese department into playing an extended campaign of Dungeons and Dragons 4E, followed by a significant number of other students. With this, WARP was reconstituted in its current incarnation, which focuses on tabletop RPGs, LARP, and nominal supervision of campus-wide live action games such as Humans vs. Zombies and the ever-popular KAOS. Movies, video games, and other forms of entertainment have generally taken a backseat to these activities, but are still carried out in a much diminished form.

Vicarious Living


The WARP listserver, in addition to serving as the coordination tool of the club, also serves the valuable purpose of a spam conduit, down which people send links to strange news articles, online games, and other procrastination aids. The listserver is also a good place to settle important fantasy-battle questions, like "who would win in a fight: a cave troll, or a pack of velociraptors?" Finally, the WARP listserver is an excellent place to observe WARP crust in action, since many WARP members never leave the listserver even after graduation.

Unfortunately communication on the Listserv has fallen off dramatically because new generations of WARPies tend to just use email. Probably should let the alumni know we're still alive, huh.

Organization

Traditionally WARP has two "real" officer positions: the Figurehead (president) and the Shadowy Grand Vizier (treasurer). In practice, WARP has a long hierarchy of ever-fluctuating ceremonial titles, the most enduring of which is the Not-Pope.

Past leaders have included:

Around 2013, the "Triumvirate" formed because Quinn, Rinna, and Nigel all wanted control of WARP, and had different visions for the club. Quinn desired more role-playing, a return to a more old-fashioned sort of WARP, whereas Rinna was more pro-board games and LARP, and Nigel was concerned with large-scale roleplaying (KAOS and Humans vs. Zombies). If it has not been modified, WARP's constitution still contains reference to the authority of a Triumvirate, but it is no longer enforced.

In Spring 2016, President Sam Ok Park ('18) dissolved the Triumvirate and established several new positions. WARP's Board for 2016-2017 consisted of

WARP's Board for 2017-2018 consisted of

WARP's Board for 2018-2019 consisted of

WARP's Board for 2019-2020 abandoned Sam Ok Park's ceremonial titles in favor of corporate-sounding titles:

WARP's Board for 2020-2021:

WARP's Board for 2021-2022:

WARP's Board for 2022-2023:

WARP's Board for 2023-2024 revived the positions of Not-Pope, &c. According to Asher Gladstone, it is worth noting that Asher Gladstone contested the Presidency, though not by his own choice:

WARP's Board for 2024-2025: In the initial election, Maddie Nowbar and Cassie Aretsky were elected as the WARP Figureheads for the Fall and Spring Semesters respectively. According to Nowbar, this election was a "landslide." Shortly after their election, Nowbar abicated the Figureheadipality. Notably, Nowbar abdicated without Aretsky's agreement. This will not be relevant later. Due to a quirk of the WARP constitution stating that the group can only hold one election per year, the future of the Figureheadipality was decided by a simultaneous Jumbling Tower and Bananagrams game between Austin Osborn and Michael Faulkner, which Osborne won. Osborne was then crowned as Figurehead.

The rest of the board, elected as normal, follows hence:

Retrieved from "https://wso.williams.edu/wiki/index.php?title=WARP&oldid=24094"