Chapter Spotlight : CobaltNova
The latest chapter to step into the 7th Column Spotlight is the Arizona based group known as CobaltNova. These guys are leading the charge with an enormous amount of Halo LAN events including the upcoming $1,000 Running Riot Invitational 3.
I took a few minutes to talk with the founder, emildux, about the chapter and their secrets of success.
What makes CobaltNova unique and successful?
We have a lunatic (me) on our staff who enjoys writing and summarizing all of our events in an amusing format. Right now we have over 30 stories amounting to more than 37,000 words.
We also happen to have a member (me) on the iGames Player's Council and we've opened up a channel between the council and the masses so that their favorite games are picked.
Finally, we host quarterly $1,000 - $2,500 interstate invitiationals and make sure that EVERY SINGLE potential detail is decided upon ahead of time.
To say that CobaltNova is involved with LAN parties is somewhat of an understatement. These guys have been involved with over 21 Halo LAN events since August 02 including some with serious cash prizes. The upcoming Running Riot Invitational 3 carries a $1,000 purse and they're hard at work on a potential event for August that might be as high as $5,000.
I believe our chapter's databases and stories make us unique but they are only the visible manifestations of the true force: enjoying each other's company at LAN's. Good time, good people, and keeping
an honest record of our adventures.
Check out their
Event Summaries database to read up on all of their past adventures.
There are plenty of things that we do that other chapters do as well. Perhaps we simply catalog them better but it's something that every chapter could pick up on and do themselves or improve upon.
A few general rules we live by are:
- Host/attend LAN parties on a monthly basis with both material prizes and personal self-confidence on the line.
- Rank the players and teams that attend our LAN parties in a database
- Use the formatting and database tools over and over until we achieve a look that is aesthetically pleasing
- Go out of our way to make sure that humor and irreverence are present in any of our communications and databases.
What advice would you give to other chapters? 1. Hold LAN parties or attend them and then write about them! Not just what the score was but develop and actual story. Not attending LAN parties makes for a boring chapter.
2. Go out of your way to invite new people to attend your LAN parties.
3. Partner with neighboring chapters in your state.
4. Copy what other chapters are doing very well. In my case it was Haloid and Front Range Company 7
Thanks emildux and CobaltNova for setting a great example for the rest of the 7th Column and helping to spread the LAN love to the masses! I'm sure we'll be hearing more from these guys as we get closer to their next big event.
Remember to share news and events from your chapter by dropping a line to the
7th Column Mailbag