Role playing in the SCA

Ok so how many of you saw the word role playing and immediately envisaged that YouTube clip with the guy running around yelling "lightning bolt!" at people? (If you haven't seen it yet, prepare to be amazed...).

That clip is of an actual live action role-playing (LARP) game (and yes, they're really playing a game, it's not just a joke). When I watched this, and after I recovered from fits of uncontrollable laughter, I was struck by the terrifying thought that I might just be as strange as these people. I mean, the SCA wants you to create a persona right? And you're pretending to be that person in a make believe kingdom right?

Oh dear, I'm a LARPer!

How do I regain my dignity? Well in a shameless attempt to convince myself that I am marginally cooler than LARPers* I put together a list of things about SCA role playing that make it cool (well, cooler than running around pretending to throw magic at people).

1. There are many acceptable levels of role playing - All the SCA really requires is that you "make an attempt" at pre-1600 clothing and have a vaguely period name. This means there's room in the SCA for the guy who chucks a ratty t-tunic over their jeans as well as the guy with 60 pages of back story, a meticulously researched period garb and 20 years study in Middle English.
2. The SCA only role-plays the better parts of the middle ages - So we're role playing people in the middle ages huh? Ok, dysentery for all! Not so in the SCA. The basic tenets of the SCA seem to be, do things from the middle ages that are cool. If something plainly sucks (e.g. coffee was an unknown quantity) then we will 'creatively' ignore it (I LOVE the 'creative' part of the society for creative anachronism).
3. There's little rigidity in the setting - Ok, some people like the idea of recreating something down to the minutest detail and have a very defined era (e.g. let's recreate the town of blah in the month of November, 1067). This is not so in the SCA. Hello Mr. Samurai, why of course you can chat to that Tudor Fop over there, Elizabethan? Go talk to Mr. Viking over there. The SCA doesn't recreate a particular time so much as anything from the whole period and we 'creatively' ignore the fact that Mr. Eastern Persona should be trying to kill Mr. Crusader right now.
4. There's little rigidity in persona - So I'm a 12th Century German Crusader. But I also fence (generally 15th century onwards). And I'm making a Cotehardie (14th Century garb). Shock, horror, disbelief! And I don't speak German! And I don't murder anyone who looks at me cockeyed. Oh the shame of it all... Except in the SCA that's normal. If you feel like being an English dandy from the 16th century one day and a murderous Viking the next, go ahead! (Just don't mix the costumes, vikings in pumpkin pants aren't cool... well no-one in pumpkin pants is cool).
5. Less reliance on imagination - Ok this sounds really weird but what I mean here is we don't pretend to throw lightning bolts at people. We don't hit each other with paper swords and mime a grievous injury. Most of what we do is physically observable, with changes made for safety's sake. So I'll hit you with a piece of furniture cane rather than a bloody great big knife. Ok I didn't kill you but at least the visceral thrill of combat is preserved. We have enough to do suspending our knowledge of the mundane world, we don't need to complicate it with elves and dragons and magic.

So for me the best thing about the SCA is flexibility and the fact that there is a place for most people, no matter their aversion to role-playing in general. My lady Cinara always says that she enjoys wearing funny hats and silly clothes with friends and that's the level of role playing she's interested in. In the SCA she's found a home whereas in a LARP she'd just be laughing at the guy insisting he just killed her with a fireball. Geeks don't like being laughed at, she'd probably get an equally non-threatening disintegration for that one...

The SCA - Role playing without D20's, pixies and wool-knit chain mail. Gotta love it.

Bechtold (who is starting to worry that his hatred of pumpkin pants borders on the pathological...)

* My apologies to any LARPers out there. I'm sure you're actually really cool. Keep striving for that dream. May all your rolled up paper balls representing unimaginable magical power be on target.

Fencing versus Armoured Combat

Yay! Third post in one day. Work is really buzzing right now :)I've recently had my first training session in period fencing after participating in heavy combat for a year or so (I'm still trying to be a good heavy, I just break easy and need to do something when I don't feel like being used as a tent peg). Anyway, I wanted to post some initial impressions on the differences between the two arts (oh yeah, I called heavy combat an art, don't tell the heavies or they might feel it makes the sport too girly).

Differences between armoured combat and fencing:

1. There's a lot more thinking before blades cross in fencing: A lot of heavies I've fought charge in and have a whack and then think about what happened and what to do differently. Fencers seem to spend a lot more time thinking about what to do before they cross blades (which can be drastically dull for an audience!)
2. Fencers pose a LOT more: Okay it may just be that they're changing stances a lot before engaging but fencers like to stand around in cool poses a lot. Perhaps its got to do with the fancy finery they often wear but they do like to strike a pose. Heavies on the other hand strike poses over your defeated corpse.
3. My hearing isn't threatened when I fence: One of the most amazing things I discovered as a heavy was that getting hit in the helmet causes a ringing that is really bad for your ears. I'm mundanely a Speech Pathologist! That can't be good. Still, no heavy has had a blade break off, stab through their mask through their eye into their brain! Okay that happened in Olympic fencing but there's a tiny part of my brain that screams at me every time I pick up a rapier.
4. There's less visceral thrill in fencing: Yep, it's a chess game alright. The cerebral thrill of defeating someones guard is undeniably cool but there's nothing like beating someone silly with a big stick to get the heart pumping.
5. Fencing doesn't make you gay: Had to throw this one in! Some of the heavies seem to feel like their manhood would be sucked from their soul if they ever picked up a rapier. I can confidently say I still look at my lady Cinara the same way since picking up the rapier. That being said, I haven't fenced in pumpkin pants (and won't by the way, not even for money).

So which is better? I'm going to cop out on that one and say they're both pretty cool. Besides, this way I get to fight in twice as many tournaments (and lose twice as many times. Yay!).

Bechtold (now worried that his choice of both fencing and cooking in the SCA may have some unintended consequences...)

Newcomers

Ah being a newbie in the SCA. That wonderful feeling of terror coupled with an intense desire to join the people beating each other over the head with whacky sticks...

There's been a recent flurry of discussion in Aneala about newcomers and whether the SCA is encouraging and supportive of them. While debate has been focused on some particular individuals and their experiences, I thought that as someone who has recently emerged from newbie status (at least in my own mind!), that I would offer some advice to newcomers. So without further adieu, here is my undoubtedly biased, decidedly unscientific advice for newcomers to the SCA:

Bechtold's Rules for Newcomer's to the SCA (beta*)

1. SCAdians are, as a general rule, SHY - Your average SCAdian is not the most extroverted person in the world. Lots of SCAdians are the grown up versions of the kid who was picked on in school for being a nerd (that was me!). Remember this when you're at an SCA event and don't feel bad if someone doesn't come and talk to you. They're probably just as afraid of talking to you as you are of talking to them.
2. SCAdians are, as a general rule, OBSESSIVE - Your average SCAdian has a few medieval topics for which they could write a thesis on. Some of the amateur recreations produced by SCA members rival those produced by professionals and I'd argue some of the research conducted by SCAdians is more thorough than that produced in academic circles. This means that if you see someone doing something cool, if you ask them about it they won't be able to help themselves and will talk to you for hours! The heavy combatants in the SCA may disagree with the research obsession but ask any of them about their opinions on fighting and be sure to have a comfy chair to sit on, you'll be there a while!
3. The SCA is just as political as anywhere else, no more, no less - Don't come into the SCA thinking you can avoid politics completely. You can't. It's human nature to scheme, and play politics at every opportunity. Don't think you can avoid it, just try not to take it so seriously.
4. No-one knows what you are thinking - One of the big mistakes newbies make is to think that people know what they are thinking. For example, newbies will complain that people saw them standing around and didn't come and talk to them. For all everyone knows you might like to be alone for a while. Many SCAdians need a break from people every so often so if you're standing around by yourself people will probably assume you're happy with the situation. I fell into this trap a lot (still do!) so if you're feeling lonely, just go up to people otherwise they won't know. Can't find anyone to talk to? Go to the Baronial pavilion. The Baron and Baroness are typically stuck in their pavilion for much of the day and would probably welcome the company.
5. The SCA Award System Sucks!!! - Probably just sour grapes here but the SCA award system is slow, unscientific, often unfair and not particularly transparent. For example, some of the people who received Award of Arms before me had joined the SCA at a tournament I was simultaneously autocrating and heralding. Try to judge your success at integrating into the SCA in terms of the reception others give you rather than the awards you receive. It was a big moment for me to realise that people were sad when I didn't go to an event and that feeling of being valued was far better than a pretty scroll.

Well there's lots more I can think of but this post is already in danger of becoming a patented Bechtold "monster post" so in conclusion I'll just wish newcomers the best of luck. The SCA is awesome but I can sympathise with those who feel that its the world's largest clique. To some extent it kind of is, but stick with it and soon you'll be a valued member of the coolest clique around.

Bechtold (the not so newbie anymore)

*I use beta here in the sense that Google does with GMail in that this is actually a final release version but if anyone criticises it I can just say "but it's only a beta!". Nice work Google!

First Post

Imaginitive title huh?

Welcome to my blog. If you've found this site you probably know who I am, since who searches for 'Bechtold Vollarc' on a random whim? Don't answer that question, I don't want to know...

Anyway I'll be using this blog to talk about my time in the Society for Creative Anachronism. Original idea I know! Here I'll catalogue my adventures and misadventures, bitch about stuff that annoys me and generally use this as a self indulgent forum for waxing lyrical on whatever subject takes my fancy (within the bounds of the SCA of course, for details of my personal life, meet me in a darkened alley at 2am... never mind).

Please comment, keeping in mind that I will gleefully wield the moderators axe on innapropriate comments. Or not, depends how funny they are.

In short, if you enjoy tangential rants about SCA life with far too many bracketed comments (like this one) please visit.

Bechtold (obviously...)