[Ansteorra] Change in Ansteorra (was Re: Results of Vambrace Poll)

[Sir Lyonel Oliver Grace]

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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