[MR] Award Recommendations, Suggest Them

[Maestra Cassandra Arabella Giordani]

  Greetings!

Let me explain what those "AoA" or "GoA" indicators after an order name in the 
OP are all about.  It has nothing to do with what awards the individual holds at 
the time of induction into the order.  Nowhere in the OP do we mark any specific 
award as the first award of some rank or level for an individual.

The "AoA" vs. "GoA" distinction is only present in those grant-level orders that 
were elevated from award level to grant level on 4/1/2003 (Pearl, Golden 
Dolphin, Kraken, Sea Stag and Yew Bow).  In some cases, these orders only carry 
an AoA instead of a GoA, so displaying AoA or GoA after the name is specifying 
the rank of that order in this instance.  Every induction into any of these 
elevated orders listed in the OP displays an AoA or GoA "arms qualifier."

Only order members who were Atlantian residents on 4/1/2003 had their order rank 
elevated from AoA to GoA level.  Order members who resided out of Kingdom on 
4/1/2003 remained at AoA level, since, by Corpora, monarchs are not allowed to 
elevate individuals who are not currently Their subjects without permission from 
the intended recipient's current kingdom.  So there are a number of pre 4/1/2003 
order members whose order rank is AoA level.  For example, Duchess Niobe Lais' 
Pearl, Duke Timothy of Arindale's Sea Stag, Mistress Winifred Corbet de 
Wynterwood's Golden Dolphin, Lord Mícheál Ó Comhdhain's Kraken, and Duchess 
Tessa the Huntress' Yew Bow are all AoA level.  If you look at the listing of 
all Atlantians in order of precedence 
(http://op.atlantia.sca.org/atlantian_op.php), you will see a few individuals 
listed in the Orders of Merit section with their highest ranking awards as an 
AoA level version of what are now grant level orders.  Now you know why.  :)

For Atlantian Orders of Merit (Opal, Coral Branch, Osprey, Sea Dragon, King's 
Missiliers and Quintain), the Order of the White Scarf, and Bestowed Peerages 
(Chivalry, Laurel, and Pelican), the level of arms is set (AoA, GoA, and PoA, 
respectively) and has never changed within Atlantia, so there is no need for an 
arms qualifier in the OP.

For all the details about Atlantian awards, please visit the award description 
pages on the OP web site.  The main OP page lists one version, the Atlantian 
Awards link at the top of the main page takes you to others 
(http://op.atlantia.sca.org/awards.php), and there are several different 
breakdowns of the awards structure available.  All of these listings indicate 
the level of the award or order and which arms, if any, each award or order 
carries, often in handy table formats.  :)  Check it out!

More questions on awards or the OP?  Please ask!

In service,
Cassandra

====
Maestra Cassandra Arabella Giordani
Bright Leaf Pursuivant, Atlantian College of Heralds


On 8/23/2010 3:38 PM, Rorik Fredericsson wrote:
> The on-line OP is a wonderful tool. I use it a lot and love the ease of use.
>
> The biggest flaw I've found is that many times a person receiving an
> award of merit (Opal, Coral Branch, Osprey, Sea Dragon, King's
> Missiliers and Quintain) are not noted as having the automatic AoA
> that comes with it if the recipient doesn't already have one. I'd love
> to see "Osprey (AoA)" in these cases. Some have this and others don't.
> You have to research the award to realize that the AoA you are
> recommending already exists for that person... it's just hidden.
>
> This just happened to me... I made an AoA recommendation and only then
> found out the fighting award the gentle had meant that I was way too
> late... by a couple of years.