[Bards] Bardic college Events

[Scott Barrett]

On Thursday, October 26, 2006, at 04:34 PM, Alden Drake wrote:

> While it might be late in the schedule for *this* Eisteddfod, is 
> Eisteddfod a biddable event for any group to host?  I have no 
> objection to Steppes hosting it if they desire to do so, as it 
> provides a relatively central location, but there's something to be 
> said for a kingdom championship that rotates through the various 
> regions too.  For one, it might bring experienced bards into regions 
> that are bard-light who might enjoy hearing some performers that they 
> don't get to hear that often.  It could also inspire bards to travel 
> around more, and thereby gain a bit more kingdom-wide renown.
>  
> Alden
>
>

Okay, I'll jump in on this topic.

Eisteddfod used to be a bid event in a way. The current Kingdom bard 
would arrange for the competition to occur within roughly a year at an 
event, a different event than the one previous. I took it at an Emerald 
Keep event, and passed it on at a Stargate Yule Revel. Stargate was 
more than willing to host the event, but that may not always be the 
case. Basically, the Kingdom bard shopped the event around, hoping for 
some likely takers. There were a couple of issues with this.

One, we have had a few Kingdom bards who simply fell off the face of 
the world after winning, usually due to understandable mundane reasons. 
They didn't really pursue the next Eisteddfod until the last minute, 
which led to a lot of folks not knowing where the competition would 
take place, what the format was or what material to prepare.

Second, a number of groups honestly don't worry about bidding for the 
Eisteddfod. It never occurs to them to bid for much of anything beyond 
Crown Tourney and the occasional A&S event. That is nothing to complain 
about, as most groups have plenty on their plates to begin with. I 
recall an Eisteddfod in Weisenfeuer years ago that many people were 
unaware of, both performers and even attendees to the event. When some 
of the folks present realized a kingdom bardic competition was underway 
at the event, their response was one of mild curiousity. They were 
there for a Yule Revel. Everything else was decoration. Nothing wrong 
with that at all, but it presents a problem when trusting groups to bid 
for this event on their own.

My suggestion dovetails with yours, Alden, but with some specific 
ideas. We now have a Deputy Minister for bardic arts (Hi, Ihon, you 
cute little Protestant, you!). This Deputy could be the scheduler for 
the event. They would make sure it visits each region in a particular 
order, just like Crown Tourney. Performers would know which region was 
going to be hosting the event next year even before they competed for 
the title. A Northern performer like myself would know before I offered 
my first piece in an Eisteddfod that if I won, I would have to visit 
the Coastal region next winter.
Regional A&S Ministers could rally their groups to place a bid for this 
event six months out. The event would be held after New years and 
before March.

So, I'm supportive of group bidding if there is a little more structure 
in place for the system.

~Finnacan
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