ARN - Heavy Rapier Only?

[gptaylor]

>Please note that I did not call anyone a second class citizen.

Please note, below, I will use the word, "you" in the context of a general,
miscellaneous person, not Duncan, a very honorable and well intentioned man, in
particular.

Ahhhh...but not calling someone a "second class citizen" and having them see
themselves as second class because of circumstances you create...are two
separate issues.  If you create circumstances that are exclusive, you will have
folks popping up with this second feeling, no matter what.  If it's not an
"important" tourney, they may grumble a little, label you a snob, and be done
with it.  However, they will really roar if it's a title or tourney that used to
be inclusive...and you have now cut them out because their perfectly legal and
acceptible Ansteorran weapon form isn't "good enough" or "period enough" or
"whatever-it-is enough" for the tourney sponsor.  This "enough" is the crux of
the problem and -does- reflect preferential selection and/or judgement on the
part of the tourney designer.

> But while we are using that term, let me remind you that the current status
> quo makes HR fighters the second class citizens, because they are the ones
> having sideline tourneys.

"Second Class" because of choice.  If someone wants to exclude the epee, which
is still very much a standard in Ansteorra, from their own repretoire of fighing
styles, that's their right.  I imagine that they are finding more and more folk
who will match them on the field.

>Just by giving HR main billing, it would not magically turn non-HR princes
>into second class frogs.

We're evolving.  Del Tins are catching on and more and more folks are playing
HR.  I expect someone to come up with some very nifty HR tourney that will fly
quite nicely and create its own mysteique in Ansteorran history.  But, unless
folks want to see a huge wall go up between those who play HR, and the more
experienced fighters who fight epee preferentially, AT THIS TIME, it would be
best not to make once-open tourneys exclusive.  Particularly not GoG, which
"belongs" to everyone because of its place in Ansteorran history.  Letting the
epeeists play in additional or "other" tourneys isn't sufficient to make up the
exclusion, in this case...as these tourneys -will- be second class tourneys, in
a relative sense.  And I speak this as a person who CAN easily participate in a
HR only tourney....

Sincerely,

Isobel

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