[Ponte Alto] Building the Baronial Army and Recruitment.

Wed Apr 25 19:41:54 PDT 2007

Sir Guy, 

  Please let me give you my recent perspective on joining the local chapter of the SCA.  After reading your and Lord Will's e-mail I think you might find my thoughts helpful.  

  I have been trying to join for a while now.  It has been a good experience so far, particularly the coaching I have received from Strykheart and Cosmo.  I am motivated to be involved but my participation has been limited by lack of armor.  I don't want to spend twice so I need to choose my armor purchases wisely.  I cannot choose wisely without experience.  I cannot get meaningful experience without fighting.  Reading Bellatrix is a great start, but I need to get into the pit and start really learning.  To this, I need to drop lots of money on armor I do not intend to keep or I need to borrow gear.  Thus far, I have not identified heavy gear to use.  I admit I have only asked a few people, but the system in place does not make it easy for a new guy to chat up strangers and ask if they have any left over greaves they are no longer using.    

  More directly, I have a string of ideas that leads to a conclusion.  Many will not be news, just the path to the conclusion. 

  Let me put them in order, as they pertain to Heavy Fighting.  (Light is a bit easier)

  Advertising is good.  Brings new people.  
  New people have only once to get a good impression.  
  A good impression helps them come back.
  You have a few sessions before people need to get into the game.
  Full armor is expensive and hard to come by, most starters cannot afford it.  Many potential joins will leave that this point.  This is an avoidable loss.  
  Loaner Armor is very, very good.  
  If you have new people showing up when loaner armor is available, you are good.  
  (I saw this in Michigan.  Barony of Andelcrag, Canton of Rimsholt.  Jointed pickle barrels for all noobs, returned at the end of the day.)
  If you have average people showing up in greater numbers than you have gear to loan, many will leave.  
  Those that leave because there was not enough loaner armor are lost and no longer candidates.  They were recruited at the wrong time.  
  Recruiting the right people at the wrong time is counter productive.  
  It would be better to have them come when there is loaner armor available.  Retention is improved if you recruited the right people at the right time.  

  Conclusion: recruitment is very good, but do not exceed your ability to integrate them into the game.  

Marine Corps training tells me not to complain unless I have a solution in mind.  My solution, we get a small group of laborers and a couple of knowledgeable armor benders and make a number of full sets of jointed plastic armor, factory style.  You tell me just how many sets of plastic pickle barrel armor 6 people and one trained riveter can make in an afternoon.  Call it an armor quilting bee.  

  The plastic armor has two other advantages.  First, it allows an instant measure of the combatants skill.  There is a rough scale of plastic and time in combat.  You know to take it easy on the plastic ones and that they should be open for teaching.  
  Advantage number two, most people want to get out of it.  They will spend the coin more readily to upgrade.  If the loaner armor is overly nice, you may never get it back.  (In my short time I have already seen this.  I assume it is commonplace)  

  I am afraid I don't have a good suggestion on the helms but I hear that almost everyone has upgraded from a starter helm to a more advanced helm.  Are those cast-offs available for loaners?  Has anyone asked?  I also can't help but notice that there is a long list of people that no longer come.  That is under used gear.  On the other hand, asking retired fighters if they are really really done with that armor is a good way to get them back to the field.  Time may have healed the disillusionment of the past.  

  Just a few thoughts from someone trying hard to join, but spend his money and time wisely.  Take it for what it is worth.  Maybe nothing.  Over to you.  

  Mark Costner
  Persona to be determined ......

guylestran at aol.com wrote:
    An SCA member who will be moving to the Fort Mead Aree came up with this plan try try and get enough people to fill two triads.  Well really 4 people since he and his wife are fighting. 

  I wonder if we have done this sort of research into Ponte Alto and takn a more organized aspect to recruitment.  I noticed there was a comic book thing in Tysons Cornor every monthor so.  Is this the sort of thing we want to get the word out at.

  What kind of ideas do we have.  Is there anyplce around Goerge Mason (thought I would think they are going into finals) where we could practice in where people could see us.  While our park is well estabished it doesn't seem to help our numbers.  

  What sort of ideas does everyone have?

  Do we have any sort of flyers we could give out during the practice on Sunday?

  Sir Guy

  see below Lord Will's plan.
      <<We would recruit for the Baronâ€™s Bunch, AFTER the additional three sets of armour are done and ready to be put on people. We won't recruit until we're ready to put people actually in the Baron's Bunch loaner armour. The draw would be that newbies can just step right into the armour and fight with us at the triad practices as a "test drive".
  Weâ€™d advertise at the seven movie theaters and ten comic book shops to capitalize on the romanticism of fighting. 
  Weâ€™d advertise at the gyms to focus on the exercise of fighting. 
  Weâ€™d advertise at the malls and schools to get the masses. Possibly a demo would even be good. I could work it with the schools for the historical aspect and the malls for the "mass-draw" aspect of free advertising ("Come watch the fight!").
  Weâ€™d advertise at the police forces to get people who are trained in shield wall tactics, but might not get a chance to use them as much as theyâ€™d like. This would also be our in with the local government. If someone complains about us the police we have in the triads can say weâ€™re OK and weâ€™re training for riot control sort of.
  Weâ€™d advertise at the archery range to see if we can get combat archers. I know that people donâ€™t like combat archers, but it would be so we can focus on the combined arms concept of warfare. Maybe we could even get some siege engine people out of it.

  Within a 10 mile radius there are:
  Movie Theaters (7):
  Muvico Egyptian 24 - 7000 Arundel Mills Cir, Hanover, MD (443) 755-8992
  Cinema Depot LLC, 8955 Henkels Ln, Annapolis Jct, MD, (301) 604-0894
  Pasadena Theatre Co Inc 8377 Jumpers Hole Rd, Millersville, MD (410) 975-0200 
  Jumpers Cinemas 8120 Jumpers Hole Rd, Pasadena, MD (410) 768-9999
  Movies At Marley Station 7900 Ritchie Hwy, Glen Burnie, MD (410) 760-3300 
  U A Marley Station 8 7900 Governor Ritchie Hwy, Glen Burnie, MD (410) 760-3300 
  Stagefront Tickets Inc 14502 Greenview Drive, Laurel, MD (800) 250-2525 
  Gyms (10)
  Premier Fitness 1103 Annapolis Rd, Odenton, MD (410) 672-1888 
  Curves 1215 Annapolis Rd, Odenton, MD (410) 305-1370 
  Odenton Barber Tanning & Ftnss 1141 Annapolis Rd, Odenton, MD (410) 674-6801 
  Transformations Fitness-Women 2288 Blue Water Blvd, Odenton, MD (410) 674-7403 Bee Fit for Life, 129 Hidden Hill circle, Odentom, MD (410) 674-5647 
  Severn Valley Tennis Club 740 State Route 3 S, Gambrills, MD (410) 923-2100 
  Lady of America Fitness Center 2664 Chapel Lake Dr, Gambrills, MD (410) 451-0077
  Boxing Xtreme & Fitness 1131 Benfield Blvd # M-Q, Millersville, MD (410) 729-3900
  SK Divers 502 Fanleaf Ct, Severn, MD (301) 440-0135 
  Severna Park Racquetball Club 8514 Veterans Hwy, Millersville, MD (410) 987-0980 
  Comic Book Shops (10)
  Empyre Comics Inc 330 Hospital Dr, Glen Burnie, MD (410) 761-8224
  America's Heroes 300 Crain Hwy S, Glen Burnie, MD (410) 761-9797
  Twilight Zone Comics The 18 Crain Hwy N, Glen Burnie, MD (410) 766-0480
  Games & Comics & Stuff 7476 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd, Glen Burnie, MD (410) 863-7410
  Alliance Comics 6820 Race Track Rd # 101, Bowie, MD (301) 352-4322
  Comic Classics 365 Main St, Laurel, MD (301) 490-9811 
  Comics To Astonish 9400 Snowden River Pkwy # 112, Columbia, MD (410) 381-2732
  Fudds Rabbithole of Ceramics 8519 Fort Smallwood Rd, Pasadena, MD (410) 437-2191
  Elmer J Banister Jr 8519 Fort Smallwood Rd, Pasadena, MD (410) 437-5542
  Fudds Rabbit Hole 8519 Fort Smallwood Rd # A, Pasadena, MD (410) 437-5542 
  Malls (2)
  Severna Park Mall 555 Ritchie Hwy, Severna Park, MD (410) 647-9106 
  Laurel Centre Mall Management 14828 Baltimore Ave, Laurel, MD (301) 953-3300 
  Colleges (3)
  University of MD College Park Zimborski Ave, Odenton, MD (410) 674-7012 
  Anne Arundel Community College 8601 Zimborski Ave, Ft George Meade, MD (410) 672-3554 
  Strayer University 1520 Jabez Run, Millersville, MD (410) 923-2212 
  Maryland Institute of Justice 8424 Veterans Hwy # 3, Millersville, MD (410) 987-6665 
  Police Forces (4)
  Anne Arundel County Police 8495 Veterans Hwy, Millersville, MD (410) 222-8050 
  Directorate of Emergency Services Law Enforcement Division 8042 Leslie Rd, Fort George G Meade, MD (410) 672-4212
  Crofton Police Dept 1576 Crofton Pkwy, Crofton, MD (410) 721-2301 
  Maryland State Police: Glen Burnie Barrack P 6800 Aviation Blvd, Glen Burnie, MD (410) 761-5130 
  Archery (1)
  Bay Country Archery 5 Light Street Ave, Pasadena, MD (410) 647-7595 >>

  "Knighthood Is Only The Beginning."

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