Principalities

[Burke McCrory]

At 01:03 PM 9/23/96 -0500, you wrote:
>Heilsa, Angus!
>
>        My understanding, from what I have heard so far, is that the
>question over who would "keep Ansteorra" has been the biggest stumbling
>block to the idea of principalities all along.  The plan, as it was told to
>me, is that NONE of the principalities would be "Ansteorra", only the
>conglomerate of the principalities.  As the principalities grow and break
>off into independent kingdoms, they would keep their principality name
>leaving the last principality standing with "Ansteorra." But the plan also
>wants to avoid allowing the principalities to ever become kingdoms, though
>this is not going to be possible.  I don't think anyone should be fighting
>for the name "Ansteorra"... after all, when I started playing this game,
>Texas and Oklaholma were "Atenveldt"!  Times change, and names change with
>them.  I think we're just as proud today of the name Ansteorra as we were of
>Atenveldt, and we'll be just as proud of our new principality names in the
>long run.
>
>        Don't sweat the small stuff!  Instead, I'd be thinking of possible
>names and armoury!  What will look neat on our new principality banners?
>How about new principality awards, their functions, badges, etc.  There's a
>lot of interesting, constructive stuff out there to worry about.  
>


Well said.  It is the people inside those colors, NOT the colors that make
up a Kingdom.  When we became a Kingdom those colors were so new they
didn't even have good wrinkles.  The people of these lands made the name
Ansteorra what it is.  We could have been dressed in Argent and Vert and we
still would be the Kingdom we are today.  

As one who started playing this game when we were still a part of Atenvelt,
 I understand the deep feelings that many (if not most) Ansteorrans have
for our kingdom, I feel the same way.  I am proud of what we have all
built, but over the last several years I have noticed something is missing.

When we first become a Kingdom 1979, there were approx 300 people playing
in 15 groups (5 baronies, 9 shires, and 1 collage) kingdom wide.  These
were the people you saw regularly at events all over the Kingdom and it was
possible to get to know these people as you attended the various events.
These feelings of friendship and fellowship helped to create a atmosphere
of family.  People often remarked that they felt they had come home when
the found the SCA and Ansteorra.  We could spend more time working with
newcomers while still attending events all across the Kingdom.  There was
no stigma attached to staying home because there were open weekends to
allow you to take care of mundane business.  Lastly, people wanted to
travel because that was the only way you could get to know people.

Today however our numbers reach to well over 1500 people participating in
43 groups Kingdom wide.  The Kingdom calendar has become so crowded that
events are being taken off calendar. It has become almost impossible to get
to know everyone in your own region let alone Kingdom wide.  We spend so
much time traveling to all of the events that we don't have time to spend
working one on one with newcomers.  I know that there are exceptions to
what I just said, but those people are unfortunately not the norm.  We have
begun to suffer from big kingdom syndrome (kind of like big city syndrome).
 When people try to concentrate on their local areas and regions some (not
all) tend to look down on them as if they are not supporting their Kingdom.
 I think that principalities could go a long way to correcting some of
these problems.  

It really isn't that much of a reach to principalities.  We already have
the administrative structure in place in the regions.  Reducing the number
of regions would just broaden the pool of potential officers.  Events are
already cross checked for conflict within their own region.  The Kingdom
officers have already (for the most part) delegated much of the local
paperwork to their regional deputies.  In the north and west regions you
already see regularly scheduled regional events.  There has even be talk up
north of having a regional warlord.
principalities need not pull the Kingdom apart, they could help bring us
closer together.  They could allow people to work on local and regional
problems thereby leaving other free to work on Kingdom wide concerns.
Principality awards would allow us to recognize those individuals who are
working to strengthen the local areas, where current Kingdom award would be
focused on those who chose to work at the Kingdom level.  Finally, it would
remove the stigma that has become attached to those who choose not to work
at the Kingdom level.

I know that this has been something of a rambling post, now you know why I
am not a bard.



Burke McCrory
burkemc at ionet.net
aka. Sir Burke Kyriell MacDonald