Well Grand Tribunal (the Ars Magica con) is a lot cheaper! Ours is about £25 a night, and with as much support to the terminally broke as possible -- but if you have the cash to go to Consequences, it's very good I believe -- a specialist freeform convention.
cj x
OK, rather than create a mailing list and spam people with mail, I have just added a section to the Saga Locator site. It's at sagalocator.myfreeforum.org/
and has more details, a place to sign up to express interest and a place to ask questions or add ideas and make suggestions.
If you are planning to come do pop over and comment - tell us about yourself, what you would like to see etc...
I'd much prefer to handle it this way than send out emails which may annoy and set up yet another list!
cj x
Just a quick update ---
[size=150]Grand Tribunal 2007
Saturday November 17th
Cheltenham, UK
A Festival of Ars Magica[/size]
Including a freeform ars larp, ars boardgames, ars rpg sessions, medieval music and food and a Ars raffle of rarities!
People are welcome to arrive on the Friday night, and I will ensure that those staying till Sunday have plenty to do, but the main events are on the Saturday. It's possibly the first Ars Magica dedicated rpg convention ever, unless you know better?
If you plan to come do sign up in the Planning to Attend thread! And do tell us your ideas or what you would like to see at the event.
Getting here
Trains from BRISTOL, CARDIFF and BIRMINGHAM are frequent, and all three have good AIRPORTS. A return railway ticket from these locations is currently about 18 Euro, and the trip takes under an hour and is simple with frequent trains. STANSTED and HEATHROW connect to Cheltenham via National Express coaches, but services are infrequent and difficult, and trains from London are expensive. From London Cheltenham is one and a half to two hours via car - M4 to Swindon turn off, then Cirencester, then Cheltenham. By bus there are many cut price deals available, and hopefully lifts can be arranged via the website when I get that far...
The Venues
Cheltenham is a sizeable town with excellent shopping and many superb bars and restaurants. We are currently arranging the friday night pub venue, where the storyteller and folk music will be in a private room, with a blues band upstairs we believe. The main gaming venue is a sizeable community centre with severla gaming rooms, situated five minutes from a 24 hour Tesco an ten minutes walk from teh city centre. We will endeavour to meet trains by request...
Accomodation
There will be some sleeping bag only floorspace accommodation for those happy to rough it, but very good hotel accommodation can be had for 60 euros a night, including breakfast. Bed & Breakfast is much cheaper, starting at around 22 Euros a night. There is a seperate thread on this forum for us to help you arrange accomodation
[size=150]Planned Itinerary - subject to change[/size]
Friday 16th - Ars Pub Meet - down the pub to talk Ars, with a folk band, a storyteller, and good real ale! Gaming space available.
Saturday 17th --GRAND TRIBUNAL
Morning will involve gathering in Cheltenham for a light lunch and a decent discussion. The event will now commence formally at 12 noon.
Afternoon Session 12 pm till 6pm
Choose from
6 pm Dinner - with Ars Panel discussion! Harass authors as they eat! Throw bread rolls at them for what they did to your fave house or tribunal! Also the Raffle for Ars and Atlas rarities is drawn
7pm : Ars Authors Panel Discussion
Various well know Ars folks (and CJ) discuss their favourite game! Featuring Sheila, Neil Taylor, CJ, and hopefully our transatlantic guests of honour!
8pm till late - the Night session
Late night gaming, singing of Festive songs down the phone to David Chart , burning of authors you don't like in effigy, beer, and well Ars Magica or other Atlas games!
Midnight Ghost Walk For those interested on a spooky tour of Cheltenham by night!
Sunday Morning - the hangover session
8am till 12 noon - last minute gaming, meet for breakfast and general shopping for neglected WAGS and S'O's. Or last minute rpg gaming - you decide!
You can help!
if you would like to attend, or have an idea or event to hemp making this a "magical" experience do not hesitate to post it on the forum or email cj at cj@falster23.freeserve.co.uk
There will be a small charge for the actual con - book now for £5 per head waged, £3 unwaged (non-returnable). The price will increase as time passes - this is the early bird discount! All profits will be ploughed back in to the weekend and entertainment! If you would like to reserve you place now send funds to paypal@falster23.freeserve.co.uk with a message with your name, contact details and mentioning what it's for - GRAND TRIBUNAL 2007.
Hope this is of interest - apologies for taking up list time! For those reading this on another format or forum, the site forum is part of my Saga Locator project at sagalocator.myfreeforum.org/index.php
Do register if interested!
all the best
cj x
Damnation! That's my birthday!
And I even have family in the UK... o land of my birth....
V
Does that mean that you are coming?
Xavi
I am planning to be there (I believe I'm one of the "transatlantic guests of honor" CJ mentions). It's quite the trek for me, but I must say I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone and dodging rolls at dinner. 
and I haven't had an effigy of me burned since high school. I, too, am planning on attending.
Matt Ryan
Matt, can we burn you instead? You look like an efigy of yourself, after all..... 
I am also planning to attend if I can. You'll have to cope with my spoken English, that is even more dreadful than my written one! 
Xavi
I thought we all had to speak Latin?
That would certainly be a warm welcome. Perhaps I'll switch my name tag with Erik's, or he is going to be set ablaze too?
Matt
How about we burn the nametags! They're sympathetic connections, right?
I think we might just do that! And thanks for reminding me - nametags, lost of them! Recent news about the opening up of the transatlantic air routes could lead to VERY cheap fares by November. Anyone know more on this?
cj x
Considering that I work on route development for the airport of Barcelona, I am likely to know in due time. The agreement still needs to be fully developed and implemented, but the companies rthat do not fly the pond are eyeing the oportunities for sure. British might offer nice options as well, since they are worried of losing market share on this route (one of their more profitable ones) to the newcomers.
Completely OT, but you did ask
Agreed on the name tags. I will start to eye for a suitably barroque staff to carry around. 
Xavi
Excellent! Sign ups have been a bit slow - ok, two people have paid so far, but I am happy to confirm Sheila Thomas and Neil Taylor will definitely be in attendance. Neil and I represent The Mysteries Revised, and Neil also wrote for Covenants & Faerie Stories and Sheila has worked on several books - Covenants, Living Lore, and was proof reader for Ars 5th! However I am sure they need no introduction to you!
Matt & Erik are also attending (fingers crossed) but I won't list their many contributions till we have secured their air tickets! So we really have a good selection of authors. It is just sad David Chart and the Nephews can't make it. 
I really hope to try and persuade some more authors to attend to be burnt in effigy and have bread rolls thrown at them...
cj x
Hi chaps, many thanks to Sheila for drawing to my attention that a race meeting has been scheduled for the same weekend as our event. Accommodation is therefore at a premium, and i have therefore had to cast the net wider in search of rooms. The good news is we have found some, from £12 a person - the bad news is that means sharing with each other and a 20 minute drive or train journey! We will attempt to arrange lifts.
However, there is still accommodation available in Cheltenham and Gloucester itself, and we are VERY keen to help you book rooms. Don't delay though - leave it much longer and it will be impossible.
I have updated the wiki at grandtribunal.ekkaia.org/pie.php?page=News
and the Grand Tribunal 2007 forum at Sagalocator
sagalocator.myfreeforum.org/forum12.php
is a good place to ask about accommodation. A general update and registration forms will go out in the next 24 hours.
Thanks!
cj x
Is it too late to change the date by a week either way? That might make it easier to get accommodation.
I would, but people have booked flights I believe, and i have booked the venue, and others have booked accomodation. As everyone involved is reading the thread?
However there is one ridicolously cheap option I have mentioned on the GT forum and on the wiki as well, which I think might work well, and i shall arrange transport from there to the venue instead of moving the date.
This is one con anyone can afford, if they can get to London or Birmingham, as you can book very cheap coach tickest from there.
cj x
Well, I had to play devil's advocate.
It's a good plan Mark. Still, if i arrange minibus transport you can currently get a room for 3 in a room 12 miles from the venue for £23 a night, that's just £8 a person. Single rooms are quite cheap too, and if a lot of folks are staying there it could be a really good atmosphere. I'm tempted to book a room myself!
cj x
I see a time when hotels up and down the land will battle it out for the honour of hosting the UK Ars convention. We'll have function rooms, late night bars, floors filled with attendees, honoured guests schmoozing late into the night, and grand meta-plots discussed and derided.
But until that time... start small with three to a room.