[Bards] What happened to the College, and what it means to a new college

[T'Star]

Thank you for your full and complete candor, sir.  (New enough that I'm
lacking titles for everyone I am falling back to my military ettiquettes.)
The point of the question was not to make the college all things to all
people, but to highlight the very real potentiall for the oposite problem
from the one you mention:  People going "You are not from my group or a near
by group, sorry I can't help you."   Or worse the college itself going "Well
most of our current leadership is from this region of Ansteorra and we can't
help you because you're in that... talk to your own bards."   Not even
intending it cruelly, but that is a theme I'm seeing repeated in many of the
stories.  Not intentional neglect, but apparently real.  Do I expect Bards
from Steppes to make sure that they visit every group out there?  No.
That's silly.  No more so than I'd expect ANY individual to do so.  I WOULD
expect a Steppes bard, or a Moonechadeen bard or any other bard from any
other group to at least do their best to answer questions posed them.  Or
say "I don't know, but try this person."  Not 'somone else' but someone
specific, or a group or something like that.  Reguardless of which group the
questioner origionated from.  That is what I expect the College to be
evenhanded about. I don't expect to see defiance of physics or of sanity.
Just an even handed effort.

The College is not an individual.  The College itself cannot afford to say
"We are out of Steppes" or "We are out of ElfSea"  or "We are out of North
Keep".   That is too close a step to becomming "Weisenfeuer's College of
Bards" or "Stargate's College of Bards".  Which may all be very well and
good, but they are not the purpose of having an Ansteorran Bardic College or
Bardic Guild.   Perhaps a better way of phrasing it would have been: If the
College itself is going to play favorites it should not be formed.

~Svetlana Andreivna Volkova


1. "If there is a College will it give EQUAL suport to bards in ALL regions
> of Ansteorra?"
> No, it can no more do this than any other institution in the history of
> the world can.  When I've worked with two bards in my area, and a third one
> comes up for help, should I say, "No, I'm sorry but I can't help anybody
> else from the Central region until I get out to the Coastal region again"?
> That is precisely and exactly what is required by a demand that the college
> guarantee EQUAL support.
>
> All the college can do is give all the help it can everywhere it can, but,
> no, I do not promise to cut some people off from help until I make quota.
>
> I can tell you this: as Premier Bard the first time, I took the Kingdom
> Eisteddfod out to Bonwicke.  As Principal of the College, I organized a
> Bardic Colloquium out in Black Lake, bringing in many teachers to help the
> bards in the Western Region.  A few years later, I organized the classes for
> Autumn Fires, again bringing many teachers to the Western Region.
>
> A new college will do the same -- it will help bring teachers and
> supporters to the Western Region, and elsewhere.  But it will not set up a
> quota system, and I will help people in the Steppes and Elfsea more than I
> help in any other branch, simply because that's where I live.
>
> And, according to the original questioner, this means that the College
> "should not exist".
>
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