[Ansteorra] ideas was Presentation at Round Table

[Dragonetti]

Greetings from Baron Armand Dragonetti,

First, I applaud the crown's effort to acknowledge and highlight this
problem and to take a systematic approach to analyze and address it. It is a
serious problem without a simple solution. (Otherwise it would have already
been corrected.)

IMHO, declining attendance is the result of numerous contributing factors.
Tight finances in a poor economy. Too much modern familiarity diminishes the
experience for many as well. Some have indicated lack of recognition after
many years of effort. Others simply burn out after too much "drama" or too
much "work". Personally, I suspect the "aging" of the SCA plays a large
role. 

As a new player, I was excited about the "magic", the potential for honor
and chivalry that I found lacking in modern life. When the SCA was
relatively young, the majority of players were new. Over time, veteran
players who achieved some manner of recognition tended to stay active. Those
who did not, tended to move on to other things. So over time, you see a room
full of "hats" and fewer and fewer without "hats". A very different "look"
than those nostalgic early days. A new participant sees a "long road ahead"
to ever attain similar stature, since they quickly learn that a peerage or a
hat tends to come after a long period of time. By definition such achievers
are now older; a veteran with many experiences on their resume.

Naturally, these folks tend to be chosen to lead local groups and autocrat
large events, so as not to waste resources with an unseasoned leader's
ideas/plans that may have proven unsuccessful in the "early days",
ironically, by those same veterans. 

The fun in the good-ole-days of the early SCA was produced by a much less
experienced crew of younger leaders, pioneering the game for us. (The
pioneering itself was much of the "fun" that gets remembered.) Not to be
discriminatory, but what do you suppose was the average age of a
Baron/Baroness in the 1970's or 1980's as compared to the average age of
today's leaders?

I would suggest that older folks, with kids, mortgages, etc, tend to be a
little less "silly" than they were before acquiring those responsibilities.
However, silly often equates to fun.

It also occurs to me that it is much easier to stay in persona with a
stranger or newcomer than with your friend of 15+ years. As a long time
friend, I'm likely to be more interested in what's going on with you in your
modern life. How's your job? Your kids? Your thoughts on the latest movie,
etc. For a stranger or newcomer, I'm interested in your impression of the
SCA and am excited to talk about all it has to offer and to impart whatever
medieval education I feel knowledgeable on.

The creep of the modern-world that diminishes our game is very much the
result of aging participants. It will take a conscious, extra effort to
thwart this effect. And may require purposely choosing some younger, less
experienced leaders, if nothing more than to give a little "hope" to the
newcomers that do manage to find us. And who knows, they might be a little
silly and create a little more "fun" that brings in other, young/new
participants.

Just a few random thoughts off the top of me noggin, 
Bloody Baron Armand Dragonetti