The LAN Party Association of New England was created in the Spring of 2004 when the New England LAN parties united with hopes of strengthening their friendships and improving their events. The success of this new organization came to you in the form of Nor'Easter 2005 where more than 350 people attended. This year, the event returns as Nor'Easter 2008 — a 500 person, multi-day event that is the largest, most professional LAN Party in the New England area.
For the gamers. This is our chance to make gaming history in the area. We want to give you a LAN experience that you will remember for a long time to come.
For charity. All proceeds from the event will be going to help support the Hospitals established by the Shrine of North America. These hospitals provide expert orthopaedic and burn care to children absolutely free of charge. It is our goal to raise as much money as possible for the Shriner's organization.
Be a part of New England gaming history. Read up on all of the details and register today!
Shriner's Auditorium 99 Fordham Road Wilmington, MA 01887
Date:
June 28th-29th, 2008
Time:
9:00 AM Saturday - 5:00 PM Sunday
Players:
500
Tournaments:
TBA
Cost:
$30 Feburary 15th to March 15th $40 March 16th to June 20th $50 at the door
For anyone traveling a long distance, you have two options:
Sleeping at the Event
We have a 6000 square foot carpeted room designated for sleeping. This will be a quiet area at all times. You can bring your pillows, sleeping bags, etc and crash in this area at anytime during the event.
Hotel
There are many nearby hotels. Here are a few of them:
Registering for the event is simple. Just go to the registration page and fill out the form and you will be automatically added to the attendees page. Please note that while registration is immediate, your seat at the event is not guaranteed until you send in your payment.
Seats are available on a first come, first served basis. We are offering a Early Bird Special - if you prepay before March 15th, the cost is $30. From March 16th until registration closes on June 20th, the cost is $40. If there are seats still available, they will be sold at the door for $50. Please note that we expect seats to be filled very quickly, and there is a chance that there will be no available seats the day of the event. You also lose your ability to choose your seat if you don't prepay.
Why pay in advance?
You can save up to $20!
You help us to better prepare for the event.
You are guaranteed a seat next to your fellow group or clan members.
Payment Methods
Credit Card
Our PayPal account is set up to accept all major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
PayPal Transfer
You can send payment using your PayPal account in the form of an instant transfer or eCheck.
Check / Money Order
Please make your check or money order payable to Jonathan Kuipers and include a note that explains what attendee(s) the payment is for so we know who to mark as paid. Send your check and note to the following address:
LPANE Nor'Easter 2008
c/o Jonathan Kuipers
68 Morton St.
Andover, MA 01810
To initiate your electronic payment, we've placed a PayPal button in your My Event area that conveniently fills in some of your personal information. Log in to make your payment.
Payment Processing
Credit Card payments and PayPal transfers are processed immediately through PayPal's service, and you should see yourself marked a paid immediately. DO NOT send in a payment without going through the form on the My Event section. This will cause uneccessary delays. Checks, money orders and eChecks are processed when they clear.
Payment Deadline
All payments must clear by midnight on Friday, June 20th. We will not be able to accept any payments after this date. If you are paying by check or money order, it is highly recommended that you do not wait until the last minute to make your payment.
Payment Refund
If you have registered and paid but can not attend the event for any reason, let us know by Friday, June 20th and we will send you a full refund. We are not able to refund any registration payments after this date. Please note that if you paid through Paypal and request a refund after more than 60 days, the Paypal fee will not be refunded.
While there will be many reasons to come to Nor'Easter 2008, our top priority is providing everyone with incredibly fast, reliable, and entertaining gaming. Our Server Administrator and his team will be maintaining an elite server farm that will be hosting all of your favorite game titles and mods. There will be both vanilla configurations and custom ones to satisfy all different types of gamers.
The basis for determining how many game servers to run for each title comes from the data provided by attendees when they register. To give you an idea of what games will be popular at Nor'Easter 2008, the top 10 games as chosen by gamers like you is as follows:
This is not an exclusive list. Please keep in mind that there are dozens of games that registered players have selected as games they will be interested in playing at the event. With 500 gamers, you're are almost guaranteed to find someone who is interested in the games that you like to play!
Public Servers
Responding to many requests, we will be accepting public servers for Nor'Easter 2008 with a current limit of 8 machines. We will only provide you with a power plug and network connection, so you must have some form of remote control software set up. If you are interested in bringing a dedicated server, please send us your request using the contact page.
Your registration fee gets you all of the following:
The excitement and experience of being part of the largest gaming event in New England history!
2 days of lag-free gaming with 499 other gamers on an ultra-fast network and stable, high-end dedicated servers.
The opportunity to win over $1,000 in incredible prize giveaways. No gaming skills required!
The ability to leave your equipment unattended as a result of strict security.
All the latest game patches, operating system updates, common hardware drivers, free software, and game demos available on our high-speed file servers.
Free swag (Hats, T-Shirts, stickers, etc)
A list of local food establishments and an internal food stand for purchasing inexpensive, common lunch items. LPANE will not be able to provide food at Nor'Easter 2008 due to logistics and cost. The internal food stand is open during meal time hours and operated by the Shriners who receive all proceeds.
Many companies, both large and small, have partnered with us to add to the Nor'Easter 2008 experience. It is our goal to only partner with those who have something of value and interest to offer to our attendees.
As of a result of our sponsors' generosity, we will have over $1,000 worth of prizes and swag to give away at the event! Almost all of the prizes will be given out in the form of random giveaways, while others may be used for non-gaming competitions or mini-events.
Check out the sponsors page for a full list of current sponsors which includes company descriptions, links and listings of items or services donated.
Get ready for an added bonus to the normal LAN party experience! We've invited a select group of sponsors to make an appearance at Nor'Easter 2008 as event exhibitors.
Now, when you want to take a quick break from the gaming madness, there will be several companies with exhibit booths for you to visit. Exhibitors will be showing off hardware, performing product demonstrations, hosting mini events, selling their products and giving out free swag. This is an excellent opportunity for you to get an up close and personal look at the products that interest you, from the companies that make those products. Visit the exhibitors page for all the details!
Each attendee is required to sign a release of liability form in order to attend. If you are under 18 years of age, the waiver must be co-signed by your parent or legal guardian at the event during check in.
Download the current release of liability online. The release is subject to change at any time and all registered players will be notified via email in the event changes are made.
We understand that some people may not be able to have their parent present with them the day of the event due to carpooling and unavailability. In this case, the waiver may be signed by the attendee's parent or legal guardian prior to the event, but must be notarized.
If the LPANE staff suspects that an attendee is a minor and is not being truthful about his or her age in order to avoid obtaining proper parental or legal guardian permission, we reserve the right to ask that person for identification and/or refuse entry to that attendee.
Every player who registers for the event agrees to the following rules. The LPANE staff has the right to eject any player found violating any of these rules without prior warning, and without reimbursement of the registration fee. The proper authorities will also be called if necessary. Please help us keep the event a safe and enjoyable experience for all!
Spectators
Nor'Easter 2008 is now allowing spectator passes to be purchased. Spectators will be charged $5 for a pass to gain access to the building but will not be able to bring a computer. One Parent/Guardian of a gamer under 18 will be granted a spectator pass at no charge. Spectators must register on the Spectator Registration page, and can prepay using the My Event section just like normal players.
Equipment Limit
Each attendee is limited to bringing one (1) personal computer. Extra machines including game servers, laptops, console gaming systems and televisions are not allowed.
Entry/Exit
For security reasons the building will be locked during night hours of 12:00AM - 5:00AM. People may exit the building during this time, but may not enter.
Uninterruptible Power Supplies
No UPS units or large battery backups are allowed at the party.
Speakers and Subwoofers
Speakers and subwoofers are not allowed at the party. Make sure to bring headphones.
Disruptive Behavior
Violent or severely annoying behavior that is offensive and/or disrupts the experience of other attendees will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to obsessive yelling and cursing, aggressiveness towards other players, etc. If anyone is having an issue with another player, please find a LPANE staff member. Everyone deserves to have the best possible time!
Fraudulent and Mischievous Acts
An Event (or lifetime) Ban will be issued to any individual or group that is found to be tampering with LPANE’s Events, Staff, or Guests. Any Users that are banned in this manner will forfeit any pre-existing payments that have been made to the event, No Refunds.
These Acts can be defined as:*
–Providing false information to other Guests or outside individuals with the intent to deceive or harm those involved or LPANE.
–Posing as an LPANE representative or guest.
–Verbally abusing or attacking Staff or Guests.
–Intentionally causing any damage to another person’s property (this includes tampering with data, corrupting or stealing a users personal files).
–Intentionally damaging any on-site property.
–Special Circumstances that may not be listed above will be dealt with by on-site Staff or Staff that is most reachable during the Occurrence
*ALL INCIDENTS ARE SUBJECT TO REVIEW BY LPANE DIRECTORS & ALL DECISION WILL BE FINAL
Vending
The selling of any food or merchandise is restricted to authorized event exhibitors. Attendees may use the event to complete private transactions with other attendees, such at those started in the LPANE For Sale or Trade forum.
Viruses
A LAN party is a perfect environment for a nasty computer virus to spread, especially if there are open network shares. LPANE is not responsible for any viruses that travel on our network, but we do guarantee that our game and file servers will be virus free. Please be responsible and do a full scan of your machine the night before the event.
Illegal Software
LPANE does not support nor condone the use and trading of pirated software and copyrighted media, however we can not and will not police our network or client machines looking for such items. Each person at the event is responsible for observing copyright laws associated with the software and media that exists on his or her machine.
Pornography
Displaying or sharing adult media including pictures, movies, and audio files is absolutely prohibited at the event. Anyone caught publicly displaying or distributing pornography will be ejected immediately. Leave it at home, boys.
Drugs and Alcohol
Alcohol, drugs, and any illegal substances are forbidden at the event, in the building, and on the surrounding property. If any person is discovered to have these items, they will be immediately ejected from the event and the proper authorities will be informed.
Cheating
LPANE has a strict "Zero Tolerance" policy on cheating. Any player caught using any form of cheat for any game at the event will immediately be asked to leave. Keep it fair and keep it fun, or take your game elsewhere.
Security for Nor'Easter 2008 will be taken very seriously. During check-in, a description of all computer hardware you bring in will be noted in our check-in web system so that it can be verified when you leave. We will also be checking bags for any illegal items.
During the hours of 12AM to 6AM, no one will be allowed to leave the building with computer hardware. No one will be able to enter the building during these hours, so if you leave, you won't be allowed back in. These hours are not final and are subject to change.
We will have video cameras covering all entrances, exits, the party room, and the parking lot. This is for the security of the players in attendance.
As LAN gamers, we understand that you want to sit with your fellow clanmates and friends. This is why we now allow you to chose your own seats. You can do this once you've prepaid by going to the My Event area and selecting "seating". Only those who prepay will be allowed to pick their seat and there are no exceptions.
Your Computer (Every computer part and accessory you need to game)
Gaming CDs
Operating System and driver CDs (Just in case the unthinkable happens)
Power Strip
Headphones (Speakers are not allowed at the event)
25 foot ethernet cable
We also suggest bringing a small tool kit in case machine requires any hardware maintenance. We will provide a list of local computer parts vendors upon request.
Due to popular demand, we will be running tournaments at Nor'Easter 2008.
Tournament rules and schedules are to be announced.
Although the LPANE organization itself does not have an executive hierarchy, several admins have stepped forward to take on leadership roles for the facilitation of the event. These guys put their pants on just like you - one leg at a time. The only difference is, once their pants are on, they throw killer LAN events.
Jonathan "DeathDealer" Kuipers Director / Finance Administrator
