[Ansteorra] Persona stuff

[Theron Bretz]

> Speaking as a "Lion" of Ansteorra that playing persona is not difficult. I
> invite anyone who doesn't believe me to take my persona class some time.
> I've also occasionally heard that those who play persona are stuffy and
> boring. To that assertion, I need only point to Sir Keif, Mistress Mari
and
> a few other adept persona players and defy anyone to honestly call them
> stuff and boring!

[Unlurking for a topic near and dear to my heart]

As a lover of persona-stuff, I'd like to chime in as well.  Doing persona
play right does require a modicum of research.  But at its most basic level,
it's simply thinking before you speak about whether or not a medieval or
renaissance person would likely say things that way.  Edit out the
cutesy-poo-neo-fantasy vocabulary and you're 9/10s of the way there.

Now, here's the secret of doing persona play right.  First off, it's not
something the Lions have a monopoly on.

Secondly, it isn't memorizing a laundry list of dates, places, and people.
It's a lens through which you examine your chosen place and period.  When I
read a book on the history of Venice, I look at it in terms of how I would
have felt about the particular events.  Would I have cared what's going on
back home now that I'm in Ansteorra?

The third thing to know is that persona play is 99% trivia.  Knowing the
exact disposition of the troops at the battle of Bouvines is a good deal
less necessary than knowing what you had for breakfast, what's in your
pocket, the difference between a ducat and a florin*, or who's the Pope.

Fourth, there's presentation.  What's the point of all your research if you
don't share it with the rest of the populace? Recruit some friends and get
out there and do it.  I cannot stress this enough.  If you don't have people
to play persona with, you're a solo performance artist.  Friends make your
job easier because you can play off each other and build stories and
experiences together.  Occasionally a running gag can also be quite useful.
Be prepared to surprise yourself once you get going.

Be prepared to revise. As you get into your research, you'll inevitably find
information that contradicts something you thought you knew.  Adapt and roll
with it.  This isn't a test, it's a hobby.

Most of all have fun.  There's often-times in our Society a rather
ridiculous notion that medieval people had no fun.  Nothing could be further
from the truth.  For much of the monied classes, war and the pursuit of
pleasure were their only occupations.  Games, tournaments, hunts, dancing,
telling stories, all of those things that the framework of the Society
already has, are aspects of medieval and renaissance recreation.

Luciano Malatesta
The Don Formerly Known as Etienne

*The Ducat is the chief coin of Venice.  The Florin is the chief coin of
Florence.  Florins are cut with base metal which can alchemically cause your
other quality money, such as ducats, to rot into dust.  The previous
statement has been brought to you by the Venetian Ministry of Coinage.