ANST - To Become Principalities Or Not

[Raymond Catz]

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I was not going to dive into this thing quite so soon, but it sounds as if
Sigrid is beginning to cut through to the heart of the matter, although I
can't agree with all of her conclusions.

> Those who travel will always travel, and those who don't, 
> won't. However, I really don't want to have to cross 
> kingdom borders to travel to some of my favorite places to 
> play. I came into this game travelling, and I still do. 
> Even as a newbie, I'd go down to Bjornsborg, Emerald Keep, 
> or Stargate from Eldern hills. To fund the travels, I'd 
> share the ride. I don't like the idea of carving up 
> Ansteorra like a trussed up pig. 

Absolutely right.  I have never thought the travel argument held up.  If we
are to assume a kingdom divided into principalities, but still retaining
its own overriding identity, we also must assume that our travel habits
will remain substantially unchanged.  Unless, of course, you buy into the
proposition that by their very existence, principalities will cause the
membership to pay more attention to regional events.  There may be
something to this, but overall, I think that most of us will choose to play
the way we always have.

> There are people in my Barony and even in my Household that 
> I can't stand the sight of. I deal with it. All the parts 
> make up the whole.

Absolutely right, and anyone who thinks that the existence of
principalities will somehow make it easier to avoid people they don't like
is definitely barking up the wrong tree.  The exclusion of a barony or
household is a rotten reason to decide a principality boundary, and IMHO,
is a recipe for disaster.

As an aside, I think that this whole line of reasoning is grossly unfair to
the head of the household of which we are usually speaking.  He can hardly
be blamed for the fact that he is about the best trainer in the kingdom, or
that he cares enough about the SCA and its members to have taken a fair
amount of responsibility at a kingdom and corporate level for its well
being.  The plain fact is that we owe the man more than we know. 
Personally, I wouldn't think twice before welcoming the Stargate as a
member barony of any principality in which I lived.
  
> I've heard it said that it will relieve the kingdom 
> calendar. How can adding Principality events to the Kindom 
> list relieve the calendar? That argument doesn't wash.

Actually, it does wash.  Although it is not even close to being the primary
reason that I support the idea of principalities.  What will not be
accomplished is any real reduction in the total number of events held on a
given weekend, so in this regard you are correct.  However, what will be
accomplished is that regions will have more freedom to schedule events
without regard to what is going on elsewhere in the kingdom.  The present
method of administering the kingdom calendar is a nightmare for the
Seneschal, and is not likely to get any less cumbersome as the kingdom
grows.

The beauty of the principality concept is that smaller groups will have
greater freedom to throw small events within the borders of the
principality, while the kingdom Seneschal no longer has to worry about
whether such an event will conflict with a large barony blow-out in the
next region.  What is being argued for here is nothing less than a sweeping
change in the way we schedule, hold, and conceive of events.  

> I've also heard that it would help with paperwork. Well, an 
> active Principality (or three) would just add to the 
> already big pile of paper, what with one (maybe three) new 
> Royal couple to keep track of.

It will help with paperwork, but not in the way most people think.  Once
again, you are correct in you observation that the total amount of required
paperwork will not likely be diminished.  However, what will be diminished
is the amount of work that any given officer will be required to perform. 
Right now, the Seneschal and great officers are responsible almost directly
for kingdom operations within their organizational jurisdictions.  The
amount of work this entails is daunting, when you consider the number of
shire and baronial vancancies that exist at any given time.

The principality organization will shift primary responsibility to
principality officers (who of necessity are likely to be much more
responsive to regional and local needs).    

The upshot is that the kingdom officers become supervisors and only have to
deal with the regional reports, while the principality officers, only have
to deal with a region, instead of a whole kingdom.  A side effect is that
more people than ever are afforded the opportunity to distinguish
themselves by service to the membership,  and the kingdom ultimately
benifits by the resulting larger pool of experience. 

> If Ansteorra was  divided into three Principalities, and 
> those Principalities eventually became Kingdoms (it is, 
> after all, possible), then Ansteorra would cease to exist. 
> This, more than anything else, is my strongest objection.

Not necessarily.  It is possible to constitute a principality in a manner
that denies it the option to go kingdom.  It is also possible to constitute
a principality so that a specific amount of time must pass before it is
allowed to consider going kingdom.  Not that I think it's a good idea to do
this.

Most all of us have very strong feelings on this matter which militates
against our running off to form another kingdom.  However, I will point out
that, if it should come to pass at some remote point in the future, it will
be because the people desire it.

Although, some proponents of this idea have couched their arguments in
organizational terms, I don't think this boils down to organizational
issues.  I think it boils down to questions about where we are going.  It
is proper that we should be debating this.

The main idea here, as I see it, is to allow for the further development of
regional identities in a way that is ultimately healthy and benificial. 
Such identities are already solidifying as I write this, as I don't think
we would be having this discussion unless we understood this on some level.


Personally, I think this business would be a great deal of work and a
greater deal of fun.  I remember what it was like, being there as Ansteorra
was being built.  I would hate to deny that experience to others simply
because I was afraid of the possibilities.


					Jeremy Scurlock
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