[Ansteorra] Change in Ansteorra (was Re: Results of Vambrace Poll)
Sir Lyonel Oliver Grace
sirlyonel at hotmail.com
Tue Nov 7 09:19:26 PST 2006
Salut cozyns,
La Comtesse Kat dit qe:
>It is hardly a secret that quite a few society officers who have dealt
>with Ansteorra's rebellious streak would've dearly loved to pull us
>under the "corporate rules umbrella."
Wow. That's a stretch, Excellency. First, no one has suggested putting us
under any corporate umbrella. The only change we've recommended would remove
the convoluted Armor Standards portion of the Ansteorran Participant's
Handbook and replace it with a brief paragraph directing the reader to the
SCA Marshal's Handbook for Armor Standards. Second, this suggestion came
from within. I don't believe we've even discussed this on the SCA Chivalry
list, so I'd be surprised to find that any one at the corporate level has
heard about the discussion. Third, honestly, that whole rebellious Ansteorra
thang is ancient history.
>Almost since I was a newcomer, campfire talk in the fighting community
>has included lines like "our shield wall needs to be more like that
>kingdom over there" and "our fighters need to focus less on sword &
>shield and more on (insert your favorite weapon style)" and "our
>kingdom's calibration should be more like Kingdom X" and "our fighting
>awards need to be more like Kingdom A" or "we should encourage our
>fighters to start buying helms like the ones worn in Kingdom Y" and
>even (gasp!) "we need to adjust our armor standards to be more in line
>with Kingdom Q." And those are just the ones I can think of off the top
>of my head.
I've been in this kingdom for a dozen years (yes, including a big hiatus),
and it's talk like this that has always made me feel like an outsider. I
would respectfully suggest, Comtesse, that the suggestions in each case came
about in one of two ways. One possibility is that the initiator saw a lack
or problem in our kingdom and a possible solution in another. Such was the
case in recent discussions of emulating Calontir's fyrd. Another
possibility, as in the case of the question about armor standards, is that
someone saw a lack or problem in our kingdom, suggested a solution and was
asked for examples to demonstrate that the solution is viable. In either
case, the defensive response to suggested change in this kingdom is too
often an accusation that such a suggestion is un-Ansteorran or will somehow
dilute our essential Ansteorranness.
So, since I apparently did not make myself clear in my response to Sir
Burke, as for the suggestion that "we need to adjust our armor standards to
be more in line with Kingdom Q," please put it out of your head. No one made
that suggestion. No one. This is a non-issue.
As for the idea that eliminating our Armor standards will make us less
Ansteorran, let's examine the changes in light of that suggestion. Will
allowing the foolhardy to fight without vambraces make them less Ansteorran?
Will removing an 1/8" of padding from the kidney belt make you fight more
like an Atlantian? Perhaps a less padded gorget would make you fight like an
Easterner?
>The thing about the SCA is that everything is cyclical. It doesn't
>matter how many lessons we learn the hard way (ex. Ansteorrans hit hard
>and arms get broken, etc.), someone down the line will want to go back
>to the drawing board because they don't realize that the new and better
>idea is something we left behind ages ago. Maybe those old ideas will
>work better now. Maybe they won't. (please don't mistake me for
>someone who cares whether or not vambraces are required)
I'm sorry, Your Excellency, but this would only work if the SCA armor
standard today were exactly the same as when Ansteorra started making
changes to our version of the standard. Both standards have evolved. The
problem is that the two lines of evolution make the results needlessly
complicated. One set of simple rules would be easier to teach, administer,
and enforce. I'm not advocating going back to some old way of doing things.
I'm advocating simplification.
>Would the decision to forgo our own set of rules, independent of those
>at the corporate level, make us less Ansteorran? I don't think anyone
>can answer that. We can predict all we want, but there is no way to
>know for sure what long-term effects such a sweeping change would
>bring. Personally, I believe the risk exists.
I think this argument is slippery slope rhetoric. For one thing, I am not
advocating foregoing our own set of rules. I am advocating foregoing a
handful of additions to the Armor Standards, which is really only a small
portion of our Participant's Handbook. Sweeping change? Hardly.
As Centurion Ysfael pointed out earlier, it is the combat and tournament
conventions and practices that make our fighting style unique, not how much
foam we put under our gorgets.
Risk? Well, if you honestly perceive a potential risk, I'd love to hear
about it. As for diluting our essential Ansteorranness, you'll have to show
me exactly where you see that danger.
lo vostre per vos servir
Meser Lyonel Oliver Grace,
Knight and Pelican of Ansteorra
_____________________________
Dum doceo disco
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