[Bards] the Rules-well sort of.

[Cisco Cividanes]

The conversation of late has gotten me thinking.

What if, just maybe, we assembled a written document that lays out the 
standards a bard should adhere to? I'm not talking about a binding 
document with penalties, but a code of expected conduct as applied to 
bards.

What do we have the right to demand as bards? (no bard should ever feel 
like they have to be subject to humiliation or punishment, no matter how 
bad they are)

What do we only have the privilege to ask for? (Their is no right, as I 
understand it, to perform in a feast hall. You perform with fest 
steward's blessing as the very minimum)

What should our conduct be in a feast hall, before or after court, 
around a list field? (When I performed as Wiesenfeuer Baronial's feast, 
I told the servers, in no uncertain terms, "If I get in the way, don't 
hesitate to just kick me." I also limited my performances to local ones, 
just for a table at a time. And lastly, while not a traditional bardic 
trait, I made quite a show out of dramatically flinging clear of servers 
(a la Wilie Coyote VS brick wall style) which proved its own 
entertainment at times)

Who should we generally seek out in advance before performing? (The 
feast steward for example, and DONT ask her five minutes before feast. 
And don't bother the baron or the crown directly, they likely have 
heralds or aids to manage requests like yours.)


When and What should we generally refrain from performing? (their are 
times and pieces that most of us know are generally inappropriate for 
bardic in the SCA, but some new people may not honestly know this.)

Again, I'm not talking about any legally binding document, but rather a 
collection of written statements reflecting the lessons learned by us, 
so we can generate a basic measure against which others can compare 
their decisions. A consensus document containing the lowest common 
denominators, so to speak, of bardic etiquette.

Their is nothing saying that it is binding, or even static, we are more 
than capable of updating it as time passes and the kingdom changes. But 
as it stands right now, the best way to learn these lessons is from 
other bards, and that in and of itself can be a limiting factor for people.

Ivo Blackhawk