[Ansteorra] ideas was Presentation at Round Table

[Ld.blackmoon]

greetings

well thought out and well said  : )

Be Safe , Be Happy, Have Fun .
Arthur
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dragonetti" <dragonetti at generich.com>
To: "'Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc.'" <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 11:01 AM
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] ideas was Presentation at Round Table


> 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
>
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