ANST - P-words...in a nut-shell.

dssweet at okway.okstate.edu dssweet at okway.okstate.edu
Thu Feb 19 08:07:28 PST 1998



Sir Kief stated:

>We were the third most populous Kingdom in the Known World but a few 
>short years ago... Now we are about the seventh. 

     But the SCA's created, what, 3 or 4 new kingdoms since then? I 
haven't seen the statistics on it, but I imagine that new kingdoms would 
tend to encourage more paid memberships (at the beginning, at least). 
There would probably be a grand reshuffling of the kingdoms, from most 
to least; the population figures would be very interesting to look at. 
It could be possible that, statistically, Ansteorra has not changed 
relative to the other sca-kingdoms.

>We have dropped from over 50 groups to 40 or less... 

     Perhaps the kingdom as it is currently set up can only accommodate/ 
function comfortably with around 40 groups. It's somewhat similar to the 
way Mooneschadowe used to function: ie, we'd get around 30 populace 
members and be ok, but when more than 30 were active, things tended to 
explode and after the dust had cleared there'd be about 10-15 people 
left to rebuild. While the fallout is not so dramatic at the Kingdom 
level, it does seem somewhat similar. New growth (new groups) cannot be 
expected to succeed until changes in the way the Kingdom operates occur. 
IMHO, this means Principalities. 

Several others have stated that with the Regions we've already got the 
administration / officer-reporting side of things going. Admittedly with 
a somewhat bumpy track record. However, I don't believe some of the 
regional officers have felt the *same* duty, responsibility and 
commitment to their region (just luck as to where one mundanely lives) 
as they would feel towards the same office in a principality (where 
one's feelings are involved). Why not go ahead and add the ceremony part 
of a principality? It will help alleviate the burden of awarding 
recognition that the Crown has; it will allow more people to become 
(royalty? nobility? Viscounts!) & provide training to be Crown; it will 
broaden the possibilities of the playing field for the average person in 
that it might become possible to become the Prince/Princess, or their 
herald/ lady-in-waiting/other staff member (which in the Kingdom now is 
a rather unrealistic goal for most people unless they have prior 
experience or know the Crown personally); and most important, it will be 
more FUN than any one person should legally have!!


>Some have said the calendar is "too crowded" good folks there are open 
>dates on the calendar in the very near future...! I think that Regional 
>Events are one answer... Even bi-Regional Events. Get out and see what 
>you and your neighbors can accomplish... This is one way to engender 
>population flow and generate interest with new comers and others... 

     Therefore, there is plenty of room on the calendar for coronet 
lists & coronations. Hmm. Principality/regional... not much difference 
here.


>Shucks folks, how many of you know someone, or several someones, that 
>hold multiple offices... At a local level...!!! Or have held one office 
>after another because, "...no one else will ever volunteer...!" 

     In my experience those people are the ones that "over commit"; as 
soon as they hear that "we need a steward" or "I'm stepping down in x 
months" they immediately volunteer. And because someone has volunteered 
to do it, no one else steps forward and says "but I'd really like to do 
it." They just shrug and say maybe next time. 

>Sure enough I can read your replies... "But a principality will do just
>that...!" "It will fix the problems..." Will it? Or will we end up with 
>2 or 3 or more principalities in a few years...? To what end?  

     A-ha, until every city and town over 20,000 people has an sca 
branch....  no, wait, I'm not finished... but I don't want to ride in 
big white van... there's nothing in Vinita... I don't want to go 
there.....


     Estrill 
     Mooneschadoweshire
     Nordsteorra
     Ansteorra

>Quite the contrary... We are, however, having one of our "little" 
>differences of opinion about one of our favorite subjects....

     Ain't we just!


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