Weapons/props policy?

[Black Kawaii Kitty]

Lol wut?

Some brat claiming she was a rover kept following/hounding us while we were in our DMC costumes and wouldn't leave us alone. She forced us to go from the side of the Hilton to the Marriott just so con ops could make sure my top was appropriate because apparently she was the authority on it. When we got there they had no idea why she dragged us all the way over for that and said I was fine. From what I remember there were quite a few complaints about her on the forums I think, may them be fanime or cos.com I don't recall. They need to be more careful on who they make rovers this year.

@Steve- No I actually complained to the staff when I was dragged in there for the reason I just typed. What I meant was that you don't hear anything because most people complain after the convention, it's common knowledge that many tell what happened AFTER, there's always tons of threads whether good or bad happened. Some people aren't aware or don't bother to complain, but when they post in these threads they find out the same thing happened to other people as well.

I commented on your contradiction because how YOU worded it. You should have been more clear.

"I do not want a guy carrying an assault rifle replica waving it around on the sidewalk and getting the SWAT team called on you." I just said in my previous post that guns are the total norm to regulate (because having ones that looked real would be bad yes?) so your use of this example doesn't relate to what I briefly stated before.

"Rovers have mandatory training and adhere to a stricter code of conduct than most other staff." -you might want to make doubly sure this time around because what I typed first was an obvious abuse of power.

"14 y/o male showing off to his friends may start swinging the weapons around and hurts someone?" -That's when you guys come in and go tell the kid to put the thing back in his room before he does hurt someone.

"Rovers are fans/cosplayers just like you." -yeah I know they're all fans, but it's common knowledge that most of staff don't cosplay. I've been told this by multiple people, some of them being staff at this con and others.

"Rules are rules, if you have a lenient rover peace bind your equipment, great. If you have a more stricter enforcer, tough luck." -you just contradicted yourself again. if rules were rules and carried out appropriately and made fairly then there wouldn't be a problem. That's like saying a judge will give a cosplayer Best in Show to their friend even if their costume was a piece of crap.


to your latest post, threatening isn't very smart on your behalf, and extremely unprofessional. We are trying to explain to you our point of view and you are not understanding what we are even saying when we have been clear in our wording. Even BumbleB has given you photographs to prove her point, but you're trying to twist it to shamelessly defend yourself.
Giving threats like that makes you and those under you look extremely bad to the rest of us and you lose trust as a leader. The illegal weapons for a felony would be the realistic guns, steels swords and other similar items. If I had a somewhat large prop made out of foam,wood or some other non-harmful material and went out for a photoshoot with a friend, the cops wouldn't even bother as long as I didn't look threatening, yeah they may come over and ask just to make sure but there's no way they'd take it out of proportion. I've talked to a couple of people in other departments of staff and I've even been told information about someone on staff taking advantage of underage drunk girls, etc. and here you are preaching that there's nothing wrong and everyone is doing what they're supposed to? yeah sure.

and we're too busy actually enjoying the convention in costume so there's no way we'd join rovers, especially with these flip-floppy excuses you give. You are supposed to ask cosplayers if it's peace bonded that's not harassment that's your JOB. If someone nicely came up and asked me I'd be totally fine with that, but if they come over and act like an ass then that's unprofessional may they be volunteer or staff.

[Kuporoth]

The apparent "policy" regarding wooden swords, or any props (I could not locate a current copy of the weapon policy on the fanime website, so I am going from memory) has always been poorly implemented.  The level of staff training (and maturity) varies widely. Some staff are courteous, and perfectly willing to inspect a prop to make sure it is not a hazard to others, before marking it with peace bonding to show that the cosplayer has been informed of and agrees to abide by the weapon policy.

Some staff, on the other hand, are rude and employ a "scorched earth policy when it comes to props.  I once had a rover peace bond a plastic katana (cheap toys r us ninja sword) to my back. Not only did it make photos look bad,  with the peace bonding being quite visible on each end, but the sword itself was permanently damaged because of it.

The practice of bonding a prop sword to someone's costume is not only an inconveniance, but may be dangerous to the cosplayer and to those around them. A cosplayer that is conscientious of their surroundings will make sure his or her prop is not a hazard, but go an tie that prop to their costume in such a way that it cannot be removed, and suddenly they lose some of the control they might have had. 

Now, instead of being able to hold a sword close to the body to keep it out of the way, there is a wooden protrusion from the front and back. I have seen hakama and peace-bonded swords become entangled going up stairs and the cosplayer falling to the ground because of it. One of these ill-guided "peace bondings" will result in an injury someday, and rather than preventing an accident the policies put forth will have contributed to one.

Rather than inconveniencing those that follow the rules, why not actually take the time and actually go after the ones that flagrantly break them and pose a risk. If someone does not have a band on their prop, direct them to con ops to get one. If someone is swinging a prop around in a dangerous manner, I have a novel solution.  KICK 'EM OUT! Strong-arming the locals may seem like an easy way to keep things under control, but you'll get a lot more accomplished and make more people happy if you look for those that are a real danger.

When I first attended fanime, peace-bonding  as I understood it was to show that the prop in question had been inspected, and the cosplayer understood the rules by which they were to abide. Now, instead of  giving the cosplayer the benefit of the doubt,  there seems to be a condescending atmosphere from many of the staff.  Rather than treating them with maturity, cosplayers are seen as ill-behaved children where, given the opportunity, they will break the rules. Many of my friends have stopped attending Fanime as the atmosphere has become less of a "By fans, for fans" feel, and more of a poorly managed and badly staffed industry show.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have props to make for Anime Expo.

[ewu]

Quite simply, our weapons policies are for the safety of our members and staff. They are established with clear logic and reason. They proactively prevent injury or otherwise before it occurs. We simply cannot take the risk and take a reactive stance AFTER an incident occurs.

Staffing inconsistencies are inherent with such a large staff and we are aware of such incidences. We are constantly adapting and changing our training regimen to address the aforementioned issues as well as dealing with a constantly changing con.

Many of the incidences you cite may be true, but there are also many considerations. They may have been outside the convention center, have yet to be peace bonded, or simply and blatantly violating the rules. As with all things at con, they are addressed in a case by case basis. If you see something different from what the rules are, your logic may differ significantly from those that peace bonded it. If you are in doubt, please draw it to the attention of the nearest staff member.

What Steve says is very true and he draws that truth from years of experience. Members have tremendous leeway with staff, the convention center, and the SJPD with regards to weapons and Fanime has worked hard for their trust. If there are only a few incidents that signal this leeway is not deserved the city will be forced to do things "by the book." So please cooperate with our policies. If you feel that an individual staffer has incorrectly interpreted the policies, please ask for the shift lead and they will kindly address your concerns.

If you have any specific concerns, please email roversATfanimeDOTcom.

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