[RP] All Anonymous Merchandise Swap Throwback Edition

Cenarion Circle and Sisters of Elune
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All Anonymous Merchandise Swap 2023

Throwback Edition

Sign-Ups: Now through Dec. 4th

Assignments: Sent out on Dec. 5th or 6th

Turn-in Period: Dec.6th - Dec. 24th
Gifts must be turned in no later than Dec 24th to be eligible to receive your present

Delivery: Dec. 26th.

PLEASE READ

Keeping this post OOC for ease of communication as this will be longer than usual.

The AAMS’ annual gift swap is coming back, but in a smaller fashion due to time & personal (and personnel!) restrictions. There are only a few active AAMSers left, and we have different schedules and outside commitments. The last two years we’ve expanded the program to include more people and try to be more flexible, but it also made the event more difficult to run.

For a while it was seriously discussed not hosting it at all this year. However, we didn’t want to call it off it when it’s been a part of the community for so long.

As such, we are rolling back to a simpler, more limited program, akin to a modified version of the earlier days of the Merchandise Swap. We’re taking a semi-break without completely cancelling it.

The biggest change:

  • All deliveries will be done via the in-game mail, on Dec. 26th.
    Unfortunately, trying to schedule time to meet with everyone to RP a delivery is particularly stressful with how small the guild has gotten and our disparate schedules. Plus, we can’t schedule a delivery until after someone turns in a present, upping the difficulty. We missed deadlines last year and didn’t get everyone their gift on time. Thus we are simplifying to sending all presents at the same time.

Consequently,

  • Gifts will be limited to in-game items or short descriptions, whatever can fit into an in-game mail.
    (Pro-tip: [Plain Letter]s only take up one mail item slot…)
  • We will not be doing Discord deliveries. : (
    Keeping track of who preferred in-game delivery or not, then coordinating to make sure they received the right kind of gift, added extra complexity and confusion to the process. Finding a way to organize and keep track of both types of presents was a challenge that we met with limited success.

Next year we will be re-evaluating how much time we have to commit to running the All Anonymous Merchandise Swap, and we may expand the program again to include Discord and other outside game options. I have really enjoyed the creativity and opportunities that the expanded program has allowed for people to use in their gift-giving, and I know people will be sad to sit out. We’ll be glad to do that when we are able to 100% commit to it. This year, however, we need to take a step back and not over promise.

Thank you everyone for reading. If you have further questions, please contact me (Derscha/Kezrin) in game or via Discord.

Now for the regularly scheduled FAQ:

I’m new. What is this thing again?
The All Anonymous Merchandise Swap is a Winter’s Veil gift exchange program, open to all AAMS clients, Alliance or Horde or Other! Think: Secret Santa.

If you sign up, you will be asked to purchase a gift for another participant selected at random. In exchange, someone else will be buying you a gift!

It’s all anonymous, so the person receiving your gift will not know who sent it unless you chose to reveal that information.

How do I sign up?
You can leave a reply on this forum post or contact your favorite AAMSer in-game or in the Four Realms Discord.

What should I buy?
Completely up to you! This program is about the spirit of giving, so don’t feel you have to spend a fortune. A little bit of creativity is often more valuable than a pile of gold.

Don’t worry about wrapping your gift; the AAMS will provide complimentary gift wrap.

Some of the more popular gifts we see are pets and toys, but they’re by no means the only options. This is a roleplaying event, so feel free to be creative. We’ve delivered grey items, poems, or just interesting items that felt suited toward a character.

Some of my past favorite examples:
Coffee and donuts for a member of the Watch
A random grey book to represent a storybook for a father to read his children
A dress for a character known to like fashion

Some rules we do have, however:

  • The gift must be something we can do entirely within the game.
    Do not send us store codes, gift card codes, or ask us to send the recipient to an external website. That includes a ban on Blizzard shop items.

  • Don’t wrap the present!
    Complimentary wrapping is provided and we have to store everything in our banks unwrapped so we can properly track presents. Save yourself a few silver.

  • Twelve or fewer items, including any letters!
    Everything must be able to fit inside a single character to character in game mail.

  • The gift must not obviously harm the recipient or the courier.
    That’s just one of our general rules for any package we send, but we thought you might want a reminder.

What if I want the person to know who sent their gift?
If you’d like us to pass on your name, please let us know. Otherwise, we will keep that information a secret.

I’ve selected a present. Now what?
Please either give it to any AAMS guildmember you see online, or you can mail it to Derscha-CenarionCircle on Alliance or Kezrin-CenarionCircle for Horde. We will deliver the present for you. Do not wrap it!

What happens if I don’t turn in a gift?
If you don’t send us a gift for someone else, you will not receive the gift someone sent in for you. That makes everyone sad, particularly the person who worked hard to get you a present!

Can you please pair me up with so-and-so?
No, the pairings are random. We can’t honor requests for specific names or factions; it would go against the program! You are free to ask us to deliver an anonymous present as a separate request outside of the All Anonymous Merchandise Swap.

Can I sign up all my alts?
Please limit yourself to two characters total. So you can have 1 Alliance and 1 Horde, or two from the same faction.

Can I sign up someone else who isn’t me?
You can choose to have someone else receive your gift, but you will still be responsible for buying a present. So Bob can sign up Alice to receive a gift, but Bob will still need to purchase a gift for Carol.

I am not subbed/a member of the Four Realms. Can I sign up?
Unfortunately, this year we are limiting participation to active members of the Four Realms (Blackwater Raiders, Cenarion Circle, Shadow Council, and Sisters of Elune.) We may expand eligibility again next year.