Hello, Adventurers.

Adventure has found you! Are you ready to answer its call!?!

Are you ready to undertake an epic quest to improve your leadership and communication skills? Of course you are!? You’re a Dungeons & Toast guild member! Brave, fearless, and true!

Let me unfurl the Ancient Scroll of Journeys and read you the relevant sections about guild leadership (club officer elections):

Starting on July 1, 2023, the term of office for our party leaders (club officers) will change from semi-annual to annual. Thus, in order to get service credit with the lords and ladies of our realm (Toastmasters International) for your term of service, you must complete the entire year in the club officer role.

Names of candidates were announced at the 4/21 meeting. The deadline to declare candidacy was 11:59 PM PT, on Thursday, 4/20. After this time, interested parties can run from the floor on the night of the elections.

Elections will take place at the 5/5 meeting, during the Business portion of our meeting. We need a quorum of 51% of our active members who are in good standing in order to hold the elections, so please save the date.

If you are running for a club officer position, in case of a contested election (meaning, more than one person is running for a club officer position), please have a two minute campaign speech prepared.

You can self-nominate or nominate another person, who then can either accept or decline the nomination.

If you’d like to be a party leader (club officer) but would like to know more or undertake an apprenticeship (aka be on a club officer’s committee so you can see what being a club officer in that role is all about), reach out to any party leader at a guild meeting, via the aether (email), or on our guild’s Discord server–

• Guildmaster (President) Andrew B.
• Quest Master (Vice President of Education) Greg S.
• Recruitment Master (Vice President of Membership) Beth G.
• Master Bard (Vice President of Public Relations) Loni H.
• Master of Coin (Treasurer) Kelly S.
• Master Scribe (Secretary) — This club officer position is open
• Sergeant-at-Arms Lucas R.
• or myself, the club’s Former Guild Master (Immediate Past President) Patrick V. for more information

You can also go here or here for more info. about the club officer roles. (You must be logged in to see the materials in the second link.)

All guild members are welcome to join the party leaders in the guild council chambers (aka the club officers meeting), which occurs right after the guild meeting on the first Friday of every month. Members who attend are silent–including in the chat–observers and can hold any questions or comments they may have until the end of the meeting, time permitting, or reach out to any party leader (club officer) directly.

The format for voting in contested elections will occur via a secret ballot (aka a Google Form).

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Patrick V.

Former Guild Master (Immediate Past President) and Club Leadership Committee

Image by macrovector on Freepik

Members may notice some recent changes to the guild web site, changes made both in an effort to improve functionality as well as to prepare for the impending transition from the Lost Lair of the Manticore campaign to next year’s Warrens of the Harengon campaign:

Birthday Announcements on Discord

The site will now automatically check for any daily birthdays and announce them in the #town-crier channel of our guild Discord. Be sure to add your birthday to your user profile (under the Background section) so we can all celebrate with you!

Front-End Profile Editing

Elements of a member profile can now be entirely edited through the front-end of the web site, eliminating the need to navigate the cumbersome user profile screen provided by WordPress. Simply click the Edit button in a given section of your profile to open a modal window in which you can make changes.

In a related change, a Reset Password utility is now also available through the guild site front-end, which hopefully eliminates the need to use the old user profile screen altogether.

New Utilities

Members will now find additional utilities listed in the Cog menu that appears at the top right for logged in users. These utilities include a link to the user profile page, all previous achievements, and a progress report of previous roles filled and speeches given during meetings (assuming they were entered into the agenda).

Dungeons & Toast was happy to have two members competing at the District 100 Tall Tales speech contest this year: Andrew B and Loni H.

Andrew’s haunting speech about a late Ama and her widower — entitled “The Sea Giveth and Taketh Away” — placed second:

And Loni’s energetic tale about a circus seamstress and her commitment to her craft — entitled “The Price of Silk” — placed third:

In unrelated but also exciting news, Dungeons & Toast is happy to announce the recent election of new member Angel L to the position of Club Growth Director for District 100! Angel’s commitment to the Toastmasters community and proven leadership skills made them the ideal candidate for this role, and we all look forward to seeing the positive impact they will have on the District in the coming year.

Performed live during our St. Patrick’s Day celebration, “A Visit with a Stranger” features member Greg S expressing appreciation to the listener on their upkeep of his former home and their decision to maintain seating arrangements in “their proper place.” An in-character look at a mischief spirit from Irish folklore — the Pooka — and its modern (and not so modern) analogs. Watch till the end for a fun twist.

St. Patrick’s Day is a time for celebration and revelry, and what better way to mark the occasion than with a hearty Irish toast? President Andrew has written a fantastic St. Patrick’s Day toast that perfectly captures the spirit of the holiday.

The toast begins with a nod to Ireland’s storied history and culture. “To the land that gave us poets, warriors, and kings,” it declares, acknowledging the rich heritage of the Emerald Isle. But this is no somber ode to the past. The toast quickly shifts to a more lighthearted tone, calling out the joys of drinking and revelry. “To the pubs that keep us warm, the beers that keep us full, and the whiskey that keeps us dancing,” it proclaims.

Of course, no St. Patrick’s Day toast would be complete without a nod to the man of the hour himself. “To Saint Patrick, who brought us faith, hope, and a damn good reason to drink,” the toast declares.

But perhaps the best part of this particular toast is its inclusivity. Rather than limiting its focus to one specific group or tradition, it welcomes all who seek to join in the celebration. “To those who are Irish, those who wish they were, and those who are just here for the party,” it declares.

So raise a glass, give a cheer, and let the good times roll (20s). Sláinte!

Dungeons & Toast is proud to have the Tall Tales speech contest winners in both District S and District G! Congratulations to Andrew and Loni for their exceptional speeches and outstanding performances! 🎊👏

Andrew and Loni will be going head-to-head at the District 100 Spring Conference on April 22nd to determine who will be crowned the ultimate champion! 🏆 (Rumor has it that other people may also be in the running.)

We invite all Toastmasters and roleplay enthusiasts to attend and watch this epic showdown of narrative storytelling! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to witness some of the best speeches in District 100! 🤩🎤

Save the date: April 22nd at the District 100 Spring Conference. We hope to see you there! 😃

Special thanks to all members who generously volunteered their time and expertise to making Saturday’s Division Contests successful, including Michael A and Rachael Y!

The beneficent lords and ladies of our realm have decreed that we hold annual verbal jousts (District 100 Speech Contests). Fortune shone down on our guild members as they competed in a few of the verbal jousts this past Saturday. On a starless night and with the moon and the ocean as his background, clad all in black, Andrew B. shined bright as he won the Area S4 Tall Tales Speech Contest! Loni H., one of our verbal joust guild champions this Toastmasters year, clad in seamstresses clothes with a fantasy tailor’s shop background that changed to match her story as it progressed, was a cut above the rest and won the Area G4 Tall Tales Speech Contest! Shukun W. triumphed in the Area G4 International Speech Contest, and showed us why we should take the leap into the unknown.

Congratulations, verbal joust champions! Andrew, Loni, and Shukun will all move onto the next round of the verbal joust competitions and compete at the Division level, which will be held on Saturday, March 25.

Special guild member shout-outs to the following guild members for their service and leadership at the district level and for their help at the speech contests: Michael A. for his service as the 2022-2023 District 100 Chief Judge, Cliff C. for his service as the 2022-2023 District 100 Division L Director.

Shout outs as well go to Hovey Y., Beth G., and Andrew B. for their help at the verbal jousts and to David E. and Michael C. for their attendance at the verbal jousts to support Andrew, Loni, and Shukun.

Please join us at the District 100 Divisions G and Divisions R and S Speech Contests on March 25 to support Andrew, Loni, and Shukun!

On February 17^th, the mighty champions of Dungeons and Toast joined is a verbal joust, hoping to the honor of bearing Dungeons and Toast’s banner in the joust at the Toastmaster’s Area contest in April. There were not one, but two jousts this night, and the audience was treated to quite a thrill.

Under Greg’s careful supervision, a team of timers, ballot counters, and judges was assembled. Cliff C did an admirable job as the herald (Contest Master). All performed under the watchful eye of the Chief Judge, Michael A.

The offerings were dazzling and well done.  When the smoke cleared on first contest, a challenge of Tall Tales, Andrew B was the victor, with Loni H, and Ryan K following on his heels. Andrew’s plans did not permit him to compete for the club, so Loni will carry our banner to the Area, or, should circumstances forbid her competing, Ryan will compete in her stead.

In the second contest of International Speeches, which permits the contestants to speak on any subject in whatever style they choose, Shukun W proved the victor, with Ryan K next in line. Shukun will carry our banner for the next level, with Ryan charged with competing for her, should she not be able to appear.

Congratulations to our winners, kudos to all who competed, and thanks to everyone involved, whether their name appears here or not.  It was the kind of contest that makes one proud to be a member of the august group that is Dungeons and Toast.

Join us tonight at 6:30 PM PT for our guild’s second annual speech contest, dubbed “Tales from the Toast” wherein members will vie for the honor of representing their guildmates in the “Tall Tales” and “International Speech Contest” at Division G, Area 4! Member Michael A will serve as Chief Judge, and the contest itself will be hosted by Greg S and Cliff C.