Arts and Sciences

Your first S.C.A event
"It's my first event and I'm looking forward to the dressing up and the feasting afterward, but at the same time I'm as nervous as all heck as I don't want to stand out from the rest of the people and I don't want to offend anyone by doing something wrong, wearing these cloths the wrong way or saying the wrong thing or anything else that will mark me as being NEW." Yes, we have all been in this position, the excitement is almost too much to bear, right. Now for most of us this first event was a great time and that's why we are still playing today, but for some there illusion is shattered the moment they walk into the feasting hall. Why you ask?

Well what we expect is for our newcomers to walk in, to be asked are you booked and are you members, then told that they must sign a waiver. They then walk into the room to see many groups of people talking around the tables, none of whom give them a second look and they are all in their best costume that oozes history, some maybe a little too much history, and our children playing together rather loudly around the hall, while there is music playing in the background trying to drown out the children and then there are those people at that table set apart from the rest who look even better dressed than the others. It's all wonderful right, just what we expect at any royal feast.

But our nervous newcomers see something completely different, like a big room with people in their set little groups talking and laughing but too involve with their own group to notice them. Then they start to notice that what they have been given to wear doesn't look that good up against what the other people in the room are wearing even though this is what they were given to wear by that lady last night at the meeting. "This isn't too good they think, we are starting to feel different."

Now they manage to find two seats next to each other between two groups of people and start to relax a bit as they are seated and don't stand out as much but the people on either side of them are still caught up in their own group of friends and are talking amongst themselves. Our newcomers are starting to feel really left out at this point and the food hasn't turned up yet even though it said on the flyer that it was to start at 7.00 and it's now 8.00," oh no" they think "were we late and missed the food!" Just then a man with a very loud voice says that the first remove has been served please make your way up to the table. With this people start getting up in no discernable order and lining up, they eventually do too. When they get to the table where they were told that there was soup of some sort they couldn't see what they were being served and if it was indeed soup and each new course had a similar story.

On the way back that man got up again and started shouting something about there will be court in 5 minutes. What is this about? What have we gotten ourselves into? Ah at least the music is nice, what! What happened to the music! Why are those people sitting there now they weren't there before? Oh everyone is standing/ sitting now, O.M.G they are calling people up, they hope they are not called up, what are they doing this is all too much and just then the person next to us says are you having a good time and they say yes but really they are thinking we don't know what you people are doing on any level we want out of here.

After court our newcomers decide they have had enough as no one has really spoken to them and their outfits are nothing like what the others are wearing and they are still hungry because nothing looked like normal food and in the candle light it was hard to see anything and those kids were running screaming and shouting all night long through the hall.

Coming Back…..?

Now do you think we will be seeing those newcomers again once they hand back there borrowed garb and that's if they didn't hand it back that night. Do you really think we'll see them again? Not very likely is it. Ok I know that this story sounds a bit over the top, but its closer to the truth than you may think. As we forget how what we do on a regular basis at events is foreign to most new people. So what can we do about this and make everyone's SCA experience great? Well first we should remember that we are a re-creation group and with that we have an expectation to be medieval on some level but with soft edges. We expect courtesy and honour from everyone. We both give and receive respect and believe it is a right unless proven otherwise. We show this in every greeting by referring to each other as lady and lord and when we do have new people turn up to our events, fill them in on our customs. We also respect each other's space and their right to have a good time without putting people down or in danger. We also manage to have a good time without overdoing the language and Alcohol.

The following are the basics for any public gathering but in the SCA they are the unwritten rules.

The Crown

The King and Queen rule our kingdom and when they step down from that roll they are given the rank of Count and Countess. Then if they serve as King and Queen again they become a Duke and a Duchess. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess are those who are about to step up and reign for the next 6 months. Baron and Baroness are the voice of the King and Queen in their Baronies and should be treated as such. You will also find Baron and Baronesses that don't oversee a Barony these and know as Court Baronies as they are either a previous landed Baron or Baroness or they have been given the rank by the King and Queen for the outstanding service to the Kingdom. Anyone wearing a Crown or Coronet is to be treated with the full respect and courtesy of their station; they have worked hard for this right.

Court

Court can be a worry for not only your new comer, but even long term members get a little concerned when faced with having to get up in court. Approaching the Crown, is it a Baronial court or a Royal one, it can be nerve raking, like public speaking to 100 strangers. So we show our respect to the Crown by first bowing as we approach, then kneeing at their feet. After dealing with the business, you then get up and bowing again and moving away by not turning you back on the Crown until you are no longer within their personal space. The audience also has a part to play in all this it is their job to remain quiet during court and responding to the cues given them by the herald.

Feast

The feast is a wonderful experience within our group, but it can so easily go wrong, as with our newcomer in the story above. How often have you been at the tables and seen things like soft drink cans/bottles, plastic bags, lolly rappers, torches and those green shopping bags. These of course are what our mundane life says we need at events, but we don't need to show them off. Leave them in your basket or box if it doesn't have a lid, cover it with a cloth, it's not that hard. Your feast kit should have appropriate plates, cutlery and cup, but don't worry if you don't as most groups can supply you with a feasting kit and in fact some groups have so much they may even sell some to you. In any case you can still cover you kit until you need to use it and no one is going to say anything then as long as it's not too out there that is. The rule here is if you haven't seen it in a manuscript or wall hanging then it didn't happen, this is a good rule to use in all aspects of the SCA. The feast itself can be served in one of three ways. First, it can be served directly to you, second, it can be served to the table and you share amongst the people around you or thirdly, in can be a buffet style were you get up and serve yourself or sometimes be served at the table. It doesn't matter how the general populous is served, the high table with the Crown is always served first. The Steward or the Herald will direct you to how the meal will be served. If you are unsure about the contents of the meal there should be a menu close at hand which will list the contents of the meal and you should also have been asked when booking if you were unable to eat certain foods, this way we can cater for different diets, within reason. If at all possible, please do not disturb the cooks during the event as they can get pretty stress out and may not appreciate your input, it's also not a good idea to go into the kitchen without permission. Most of the venues that the SCA uses allow alcohol, however, you must remember that there are a lot of underage persons at our events and it is illegal to give minors alcohol. It is also your responsibility not to drink too much as no one likes a drunk be them loud or not. Not to mention our drink driving rules.

Tourney

There are a few things about tourneys you need to be aware of, firstly, the list area is for the combatants and marshals, these are the only person who is allowed to be in there. If for some reason, someone does step into the list field during play, HOLD will be shouted and is to be obeyed at once. HOLD is called because there is a safety issue and means everything must stop immediately. When the marshal has given his OK then the game can start again. At a tournament, we tend to move around a bit more than at a feast so you need to be aware that when you pass in front of the Royal pavilion, at a reasonably close distance, you need to stop, bow then walk on, this is the same rule if you were to pass by the high table at a feast too.

Camping

A camping event is one event that you really don't know if you'll enjoy or not as it is very different from mundane camping as you are trying to keep the atmosphere of a medieval encampment this is hard enough for some people for a one day event, but over the 5 days that is Rowany Festival it can be a nightmare if you don't follow these simple rules. Don't pitch your tent to close to someone else's. Poly dome tents are see through at night if you have a light on in the tent, they are also not sound proof. Camping events often have curfews, as there are a lot of families that attend camping and you don't want an irate mum on your hands at 5am and on your door step when you only just fell asleep an hour ago, because you kept her and her child up all night with your partying. If you are feeling the pressure, go off sight for a while or even to your car, the last thing you need is for the entire camp to know that you and your other half are fighting over who left his armour bag at home. Do bring extra clothes both garb and mundane, keep them in your car, camping events attract the rain, sometimes a lot of it ,I have seen the whole of a groups campsite washed down the hill at a festival site on the first night of the encampment, and our children's tent had a river go through it, we survived because our main tent had had cars going around it earlier that day and created some ruts lucky I had all the kids stuff in plastic boxes but their bedding got very wet. If you are with a food fund, make sure you pull your weight; life will become very uncomfortable if you don't. Make sure you know when it's you turn to do the cooking as if you are late with the food there will be hell to pay. So camping can be lots of fun if you just remember that if the weather is getting you down or the closeness of other people then it's most likely getting others down too so be prepared and you'll be fine.

Children

"Ah kids wonderful little darling aren't they when they are asleep" Well that's exactly how a few people think, I'm very sorry but that's how it is and there will always be those people in any group who don't think that kids belong and the SCA is no different. The only way to combat this is to prove to those few, and many others that do like the children, that they can be a part of the SCA and be treasured members to boot. Please remember, know one looks after your children better than you do. Please do not expect others to look after them, keep an eye for them or be responsible for them. I am a mum of 4 children that have grown up in the SCA. I call them my over achievers as they all are a part of the mouse guard and all have their AOA's all by the age of 13.They did this because they help out at every event they attend and not because I've told them to do so, they enjoy helping in the kitchen or being gofers. Sometimes they would get up and sing with us and then my youngest two discovered that they liked to put on plays. Now lovely story I here you say, but little Johnny doesn't do well in the kitchen and I'm not sure I want him to be where I'm not, so you volunteer too, when he see's you doing this stuff then he'll start wanting to do it too. Really there are a lot of simple things that the kids can do even though mundane laws won't let us do kids activities within the SCA. They can still help set up tables or chop vegies; they can be runners for the list mistress or servers for the afternoon tea or even the Baroness's/Queens special little helper. Free play can only go so far before kids become bored of what is available to play with and as we can't have a page school right now, there can be no structure for any of us to lead them either, so let them help were they are needed. Kids that grow up in the SCA become better adults as they become confident in themselves and we all want that don't we. And when you see your 6yr old son carrying a big tray of beef to the high table followed by his 5yr old sister and stop in front of the King and ask would he like some meat for dinner and he looks down in shock and says, oh their down there, it is priceless and out comes the camera.

Garb

It is written that an attempt at pre 1600 costume is all that is required in the SCA . This is true and I'm the first to say keep it simple but at the same time dress for the occasion, we live in Queensland and it gets hot and steamy you don't want to be wearing three layers of wool from November to March as you will fall over dead, but you don't want to go the other way and wear an over the shoulder bodice with no under dress as the sunburn will get you and you may attract more attention than you would like, modesty is the best policy during summer with light weight materials and guys, shorts are never good ever, try lightweight long lose pants in light colours. Remember too that kids are a part of our group and need to be in costume too the sunburn thing gets to them as well and can be worse as they forget to come inside even when they feel themselves burning. Long armed light weight smocks work really well; all year round just layer them in the cooler months. Straw hats are a good way to keep the feel of the event and by keeping the sun off. If you can manage to leave those sunglasses at home please do. Ladies, eyeliner has been used for years to help with glare from the sun, just don't put too much on. So with our garb remember what we are trying to portray here and the different ways in which you can achieve this while being comfortable and still keeping the look we are all after while not offending anyone.

Helping Out

The best way to make new friends within the SCA is to volunteer at events. It can be a big job to run an event and there are always things that need to be done from helping on the troll desk to working in the kitchen. There is always a need for people to help setting up for an event and helping to bring it down at the end of the day and of course the bigger the event the more work there is to do. So please help out when you can, you won't be sorry and you will make even more friends within the group.

Awards

Well we spoke about helping out now let's say something about rewarding that help. Within the SCA there are a number of ways to reward a person for what they do within the group most come under these categories Service, Combat and Arts & Sciences. They also come in different levels within the group for example Baronial awards, Kingdom awards and Society wide awards. For those who are a part of a Barony, Baronial awards are usually your first levels followed by the Kingdom awards, which works on a multi level system you have Award of Arms level, your first level in all three categories and then you have the Grant of Arms level from there it goes onto specialized awards for entertainment and outstanding costume or prowess on the field and then we have the peerages which are recognised society wide and are invitational orders only. There are many awards within the group most of them you are invited to recommend people for by writing to the Crown and letting them know why they deserve to be recognized you can do this via the Lochac web site in the Royal pages.

Final thoughts

These are just a few bits and pieces and my thoughts and experiences in the SCA. Hopefully they help play the game better and make your feast tourney or Camping event a better one and maybe when next you are at an event next and a newcomer comes in looking like they are about to be sick with nerves you can say to them " Hi I'm --------- would you like to sit with us for the night, we can explain what is happening as we go along. Wouldn't it be good.