[MR] The SCA as a "joke"

[egeorges]

Your Grace Logan, I think your comments are somewhat off the mark.

First off, if a person wants relentless authenticity right down to thier
underpants, there are any number of medieval living history groups to
accommodate them.  And yes, some of the people who are in those groups like
to sneer at scadians because we tolerate and emphasize a "reasonable
attempt" at pre-1600 clothing, as opposed to hand sewing every bit of a very
specific 14th century kit from a very specific military regiment in France.
Many of the folks in my barony play both with living history groups and with
the SCA.  And they understand and appreciate the difference between those
groups and the SCA.

What is the difference?  The SCA has a long and noble tradition of making
itself accessible to as many people as it can while still living up to its
educational purpose.  The SCA has long held the idea that it shouldn't be so
difficult to have this kind of fun.  That's why we emphasize a "reasonable
attempt" at pre-1600 clothing.  That's why people squawk when the membership
fees go up.  Yes we are (and have always been) more of the mind that this
should be fun.  And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  As a local
Chatelaine, I can tell you one of the principal obstacles that we face with
a newcomer is not that we are "not authentic enough," but that the struggle
to know what's authentic and what isn't is overwhelming to someone who up
until now knew nothing more about the period than the dubious "fact" that
Henry VIII liked to carry around a turkey leg.  The fact that we have a
rather complicated social structure and awards system on top of all that
just makes it more difficult.  My personal belief is that it is hard enough
to retain newcomers without creating more and more "barriers to entry" for
them.

The truth of the matter is, that the #1 and #2 reason that people stop
playing in the SCA are "too much time" and "too much politics" (this based
on a survey taken by the Kingdom Chatelaine last year).  In other words, the
time and effort to be fairly authentic actually works against our thriving
as a group.  You want to have 2,000 men in armor at Pennsic at the fort
battle?  Be prepared to make some concessions.

Kiri is right.  If you look at the difference between now and even ten years
ago, our overall authenticity level has gone up.  But everyone starts
somewhere.  Most of the Knights in Atlantia (including you, I am sure) have
a freon can and a T-tunic in their past.  It takes time to develop the
capability to produce truly authentic period clothing, or even clothing that
looks really period.  Many of our newcomers have never threaded a sewing
machine, or worked metal in their lives.  I certainly hadn't when I joined
the SCA.

I will agree, that some people do push the bleeding edge of what could be
considered a "reasonable attempt" at period clothing.  I also agree that a
player who has committed 10+ years to the game and can't be bothered to don
something other than blue jeans is demonstrating a remarkable disdain for
the goals of the group.  However, the answer to this problem is NOT to make
lots and lots of detailed rules that wind up confusing and intimidating
people, and making publicly disdainful remaks about the SCA being a "joke."
The answer is to do better at providing resources (both in knowledge and
access to materials), and for more senior members of the group to set an
example in this effort.  (I am glad to hear that you make an effort to do so
with folks in your local group.)   It should be a matter of honor for
long-time players to try and set an example for others in the authenticity
of their game, not a matter of making rules. That's never been our way.
Making more rules and then sitting back and complaining that no one is
following them is a cop out, because you are making it someone else's job to
live up to your standards.  You are also placing an unfair burden on the
newcomer and denying him the opportunity you had to grow into your current
level of authenticity. (please note I am using a general, not a personal
"you" here).

The living history folks in my barony are all fairly new, having gotten
started in the SCA about a year or so ago.  Many had tried to play in the
SCA before, and had given up on it.  Ironically, it was NOT because of the
lack of authenticity, but the lack of hospitality.  That alone should tell
you something.

Luce Antony Venus
Chatelaine, Ponte Alto