Lockdown starts again on Thursday 5th November.
Yesterday Boris shared the worst-kept secret in the world; that Covid-19 is still a big deal. The nation goes on lockdown for at least a month, and we’re already hearing rumblings that the lockdown could be longer.
This is in equal parts terrifying, and kind of a relief. Having a bar/games shop is not a goldmine in good years, and 2020 hasn’t been that. However, we are happy that at least some positive action is coming from the government to help us all stay safer for longer. We’re grateful to have a place with lots of wood to knock on as we think about everyone being safe. After a lot of working very very hard, we will collectively be having a little sit.
A lot of you will have questions, and we’ll do our best to answer the easy ones here. The harder ones… and more details on some of the easy ones… we’re working on.
Q. How long are you shut until?
A. Until the government lets us be open. Hopefully that’s before Christmas, but honestly, it’s not our call if the rules change again.
Q. What about my prerelease/event/regular drinkies?
A. All events are, in the immediate term, cancelled. If you were hoping to pick up Vivid Voltage packs, your window to do so has shrunk a lot. We are open until Wednesday, so before then is best for collections. We’re figuring out if for any games we can do online events. Watch this space on that front.
Q. Do you deliver?
A. Right now, no we don’t. We’re working on some plans delivery-wise, but it’s tough for us to suddenly compete with the world of internet businesses. We’ll do an announcement once we have more we can do.
Q. Are there any good collection options right now?
A. We believe that click and collect services are still a possibility, and are trying to set up a click and collect day for Vivid Voltage for the up-coming weekend. To be clear, this isn’t a good option (we’d far rather you came before then), but it is the last immediate option we have just for now.
Q. What about Sub Zero?
A. Sub Zero, our performance space below Rule Zero, is also closed while the government deems such things necessary. We will have lovely things in there just as soon as we’re allowed, but that might be a while. If you haven’t been there yet, it’s real nice.
Q. How can we support you while you’re closed?
A. First, thanks so much for asking! It is likely to be lean times for us here, and any support we can get is massively appreciated. Obviously, as always, we’re open to being sent cat pictures. The cat picture economy doesn’t let us pay the rent with it though. To that end, we’re looking at setting up a new Patreon/reopening the old one, with things we can reasonably do during lockdown to keep you entertained.
Q. Can I have a hug?
A. Probably not in 2020, but at some point in the future, we hope so. We kind of want one too.
Q. How can I find out what is going on with Rule Zero?
A. Our Facebook remains a great place to start. We are also setting up a mailing list. We will let you know how this works once it’s in place. As a starting point, members and previous Patreon members will be on it (with the option to drop out of course). Our goal is to be the least spammy mailing list around (unless we’re referencing the Monty Python sketch), but we will do updates through that too.
Q. What are all the staff going to do during lockdown?
A. Probably something like this. Tim will spend a lot of time on finishing writing his book. Gav will hang out with his cat Toki and watch the only Star Wars films that matter. Josie will fight (and likely succumb to) the urge to play a lot of video games. Luke will design the tattoo he’s getting once parlours open back up. Kim will play a whole bunch of games on the internet. Rob will have a jolly old time on a boat. Rory will be lost in his new love, a Fender Jazz bass. Sarah will score a movie… as you do. Kathryn will make, then take photos of, various foods. Kyle will have sufficient time to see if his new gaming PC actually works. Will will still have to study, because schools aren’t shut! Hah!
Our goal is to have substantially better communications than at least the government on what we have going on. Unlike a lot of 2020 goals, that one seems super achievable. In the meantime, stay safe, and be nice to people where you can, in real life or on the internet. Everyone’s having kind of a rough time right now, let’s all look out for one another.