ANST - Wamba the Wonder Saxon

Keith Hood jemuga at freewwweb.com
Thu Feb 19 10:04:02 PST 1998


>From Tomonaga:

Some of this kingdom's problems, which are being touted as reasons for
creating principalities, come from the fact that people tend to form
informal groupings with others of similar thought, and don't want to go
outside their comfort group for input.  This is the root of the argument
for principalities being a chance for greater rewards and recognition. 
For who?  Maybe principalities would be fun.  They would also be more
expensive and an added work burden on everyone below the rank of
prince.  They just may kill Wamba.

Everybody in this kingdom has experienced his local chain of command
exhorting him to help make something wonderful, or do work to help pay
for something wonderful, to celebrate the queen's birthday, or give away
to visiting dignitaries, or make a special show at coronation, etc.,
etc., etc.  Those demands will not go away if you create
principalities.  Add princes and princesses, and the demands on everyone
to expend their time, talent, effort, and money on doing things for
swank will at least double because there will be two sets of nobility to
support and impress.

Principalities will not solve the problems with recognizing people
unless the people in the principalities are replaced, or shuffled
around, or undergo some kind of epiphany.  It would still be the same
people deciding who is recognized, picking in the same way for the same
reasons.  Creating principalities will not create more opportunities for
*different* people to gain recognition because it will not increase the
resources available to those who would like to do something for
recognition.  There may be more chances for people to throw medals at
each other, but the faces will not change.

You're concerned about dropping membership?  This is one of the main
reasons why.  Wamba the Wonder Saxon who dug the fire pits and manned
the toll booth at every tournament for five years running gets tired of
seeing the same people get more awards every year, while he gets nothing
but a hearty thanks at the Yule revel.  Principalities will not change
his life because the people who run them will not change.

Nobody will listen to his ideas about events for tournaments because he
doesn't have a Sable Something, or because he wants to commit the
heinous crime of breaking local tradition.  He isn't allowed to exhibit
his work because he isn't a guild member.  Maybe he just can't make
fancy items because he can't afford the materials.  And at the same time
he's being hocked at to help make things to impress people that he
probably can't even recognize because he can't afford to go to
tournaments very often.  He pretty soon reaches the point where he just
can't care anymore.

There are plenty of people out there who would love to do something good
and special in the SCA, but they don't have the resources, or their
family commitments prevent them, or they think its more important to
save their money for emergencies than to buy stones for making jewelry. 
Forming principalities will not help them.  It can cost them.

If you can't think of some way to recognize good work, or reward people
who have done something special, or come up with new and different ways
to have fun in the SCA, without forming principalities, why don't you
talk to Wamba?  Maybe he's got something you haven't thought of before.

-- 
A long bow and a strong bow,
And let the sky grow dark.
The nock to the cord, the shaft to the ear,
And a foreign king for a mark!

      --  Stolen from "The Song of the Bosonian Archers"  --
		     by Robert E. Howard, who should be		    
		       the patron saint of Ansteorra
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