[MR] From a SCA Cook

[Hrothgar]

>
> It is an honor to have royals at your event. It does
> encourage attendance but freebies have never been
> automatic.

It does a bit more than encourage attendance. My experience is that it 
guarentees it. Regardless of the size of an event, attendance will be 
GREATLY increased if its Royal Progress. Court adds a lot to the magic of a 
good event and people will come for that reason.. Not to mention the unsung 
heroes of the SCA, the Royal Retainers. They travel with the Royals, trying 
to lessen Their load a bit with very little thanks for it. Those folks are 
all paying to be at events they might not normally attend, just to work and 
make the magic happen for others. And I don't recall ever having seen one 
sitting at high table, cause they're usually standing behind the bloody 
thing.

>You and your lady typically do very large
> feasts.  I think it's very possible that it's easier
> to arrange for freebies for a large feast with a large
> budget than a small feast.

This was hit upon  before.. Yes, it's less of a trick to pull unpaid meals 
out of a large budget. But the basic logic is still the same. For the most 
part, you just have to shop harder and be flexible on your ingredients in 
order to break even at the point that you've preset. In that case, my first 
reaction would be that the kitchen staff doesn't get fed. But any budget 
we've ever set, whether for a Herne of 80 or 12th Night for 250, always 
included 8 at high table. Our feasts were always planned between 24 and 30 
oz, depending on the event. That's a LOT of food..With that kind of meal, 
it's really easy to adjust portion size to cover pretty much whatever you 
want to do.


>
> As a side tangent: I obviously don't believe anyone
> has a right to assume freebies as this is stealing.

Well, as far as I'm can tell, taking care of the Royals is an event expense. 
It isn't an individual gaining something personal, it's making it easier for 
the Royals to attend feast, thus making the feast a vastly more magical 
event. Since having the Royals in the hall adds to the event, then comping 
them is no different than renting a day shade. (Though I hate to make a 
comparison between our beloved monarchs and some fabric and poles) By the 
same token, I have seen, on several occasions, unexpected foreign Royalty 
show up at events. Since they more than likely did not plan to be at the 
event in time to get on board, it is almost a no brainer that they be 
invited to eat at high table and enjoy the hospitality of Atlantia.. And, as 
was mentioned in an earlier post, an individual who has made themselves 
worthy of high recognition has added
to the event by their deeds and their honor is shared by all when they sit 
at high table..

> There are many people who come to an event as X or Y's
> guest and don't troll in assuming they have the right
> to be free.  Not trolling without checking with event
> staff first to determine whether or not you're free is
> stealing.  This is actually not what we're discussing
> here.

Nope. Paying site fees is not what we're talking about here... The only 
folks who should be coming through the gate free are the Royals and little 
bitty Atlantians.

> Do royals have the right to revoke their attendance
> based on special priveleges?

Well, the Royals are not required to show up for much of anything at all, 
really. If they choose to come to your event, they're kinda doing you a 
favor.. Since this  thread was started about Logan, I'll say this about him 
personally.. He is one of the least demanding Royals I've ever served. Many 
have some pretty specific culinary quirks that can add to the cost of feast. 
The only thing he ever requested was Diet Dr Pepper. And it was just that..a 
request. No demands. No expectations other than for common courtesy.

>.  For a small canton that's just getting
> started the freebies are pretty hard to manage when
> you don't know what the attendance is going to be.

Heck, you never know what attendance is going to be.. You just try to plan 
the best you can and hope for the best.. I've only been involved with one 
feast that wasn't a sell out, but I also can't recall a single one that was 
pre sold out.. It can make your nerves bad...

>
> However if a royal says "I'm not attending your event
> if I don't get X freebie" then I wonder about your
> motivation to be royal.  Are you interested in being
> Crown to be in service or are you interested in being
> Crown for the perks and to be the center of attention?

Hmmm. The Crowns and Coronets ARE the center of attention... Though an 
individual might fight Crown for a great many reasons, once they wear the 
Hat, they represent the heart of what we do. Some are good leaders. Some 
really suck. But they all are basically OUR servants. I think people often 
forget that..

A Royalist Opinion,
Hrothgar