[Ansteorra] Advice to a new Baron and Baroness

[tmcd at panix.com]

On Fri, 31 Dec 2010, HerrDetlef <herrdetlef at gmail.com> wrote:
> Court ceremonies are the province of official (that is, appearing in
> the kingdom Order of Precedence) awards and honors and of prizes for
> the day's competitions.

and other good advice.  There's one extra point I'd like to make.

If you give an award, especially a baronial award ... has it been
recorded appropriately?  Their charter (if it even exists) doesn't
help anyone looking them up in a Roll of Precedence.  And things get
lost: e.g., I can't find my Sable Crane charter *or* the nice bone
medallion.

The mottos of the SCA College of Arms are "Non scripta, non est" (If
it's not in writing, it doesn't exist) and "Semper Litteris Mandate"
(Always get it in writing).

So make sure that whoever is heralding your court records everything,
and with kingdom awards, that you sign at least one court report form
afterwards that you're confident will be sent to Zodiacus Herald.
Maybe your retinue can keep some printouts of
http://herald.ansteorra.org/forms/courtreport.pdf handy just in case?

Kingdom doesn't track baronial awards, honors (like champions), and
"cookies", so be extra careful to see that they're noted.

It's a great idea to publish awards in the baronial newsletter, except
those that are in abstentia and "shhh".

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A lesser point: please develop court heralds, like giving newer ones a
chance at a live-fire exercise at revels and opening courts and such
with less pressure, and then working them into the major courts.

But that induces a larger point: give people opportunities to shine in
whatever field.  It's not just good ego boost for them; it gives the
branch some depth on the bench.

Dankyn de Linccolne
-- 
Tim McDaniel; Reply-To: tmcd at panix.com