[Ansteorra] A Question (or 2)

[Eadric Anstapa]

zubeydah at northkeep.org wrote:
> Out of curiosity...
>
> - Have you ever attended Estrella War?  If so, what were your experiences? What 
> made it awesome? What would you change?
>
> - Are you considering attending the 2008 Estrella War?  
>
> - Do you consider yourself primarily :
> a) a chivalric fighter  b) a rapier fighter or c) a combat archer?
>
> And in semi related question:
> - Are there Ansteorran households, guilds, fighting units, etc, that are made 
> up exclusively (or in a majority) of combat archers?
>
> Curiously,
>
> Zubeydah Jamilla al-Badawiyyah
> Nosy chick from up North
>   

I have been to Estrella several times.  Primarily while I was the 
Society Combat Archery Marshal to deal with CA issues there.

It's not a CA friendly war nor are Atenveldt, Outlands, or Artemesia 
particularly CA friendly kingdoms.  They are large tube ammo kingdoms so 
basically there is no Ansteorran CA equipment that can be used there.  
Their rules governing CA tend to be exclusive rather than inclusive with 
rules like "no fiberglass prods".  In general they tend to be very 
restrictive on CA engagement with at various times rules like, archers 
must make eye contract to have a valid target (completely rules out 
indirect fire), or rules like "only face shots count", or "plate is 
proof against arrows" (even though SCA standards say we are to all judge 
blows as if we were wearing chainmail).  Caid is more CA friendly but 
they generally get out-voted in the Estrella treaties on matters 
concerning CA.

I also found the marshallate inspection points to be poorly staffed, 
organized, and run when compared to our standards.   My observations 
there are largely based on the CA inspection but all the armored 
inspection was done at the same spot by a different set of marshals so I 
got to observe it as well.  While I was the SCA CA Marshal I could never 
get any adequate reporting from Estrella War.

I'll let these folks refute what I say or speak for themselves but my 
recollection is that at a single Estrella I saw Duke Patrick Michael 
take himself off the field because he was having to hit people "like he 
wanted to hurt them" to get them to call blows, I saw HRM Ulsted ( it 
was during his last reign) send someone back to camp for his unpadded 
glaive so he could get people to call blows, and Mistress Nessa really 
really upset because she simply couldn't hit people hard enough to get 
them to call her blows.

Saw lots of ninja wannabee's sneaking around up behind people with 
little daggers  reaching around them and  saying "death from behind".

There was some nice parties at night.

I don't plan on going back to an Estrella again unless I have another 
SCA position that requires me to, or  unless I have a good friend win 
crown and ask me to go with them, or unless I hear that things there 
have changed radically.

I consider myself primarily an Archer, not an combat archer - an 
archer.  I do both target and combat archery and I expect my students to 
do both target and combat archery.  Most others would probably say I am 
primarily a Combat Archer.

The Company of St. Sebastian is an Ansteorran War Company that is 
primarily all Archers but many of our folks will pick up an sword and 
shield or spear to support the crown when it is needed (or when we are 
out of ammo).   Five or six (mebbe a couple more) of us are ready and 
equipped to do CA on the Rapier field as well if need and if time 
permits.  The war company has among our members four Companions of the 
Order of the Arc d'Or of Ansteorra, four members who have won the Royal 
Huntsman Tournament one or more times, and some of the finest archer 
craftsmen in Ansteorra.   At the coming Gulf Wars one of our members 
will be the CA Marshal in Charge for the war and another will be the 
Target Archery Marshal in Charge at the war.  We will work LOTS and LOTS 
of hours setting up and taking down the battlefields and archery ranges, 
running the ranges, marshaling the battles, and manning the inspecting 
points.  We should have 15-18 folks take the field this Saturday at BAM 
and plan for 12-15 at Gulf War.

Regards,

Eadric Anstapa