[ANSTHRLD] A question for the more experienced heralds, please

[Ron]

>> http://www.goldenstag.net/OandA, where I found a downloadable application 
>> to
>> use to run conflict checks, etc. This looks like a wonderful thing to me,
>> but I know that I have a tremendous amount to learn.
>>
>> Is this reallly as wonderful an idea as I am hoping that it is?

It works well on narrowing the search, similar to using the online O and A. 
However, you still have to take each individual device on the list and check 
it against the Rules for Submissions to see if there is a conflict. And you 
have to know the precedents of what to check against in addition to the 
charge you're looking at. For instance, a drakkar prow also is checked 
against a dragon's head.

> I recommend that you learn to conflict check by manually going through
> the Ordinary categories before relying on any search programs,
> honestly.  I've been doing this awhile and there are idiosynchracies
> in the listed blazons that sometimes even slip past Morsulus' attempts
> to coherently categorlize them.  That we cannot help, but I've always
> been willing to pit my personal skills against any computer-aided
> conflict checking to see who's better, and haven't lost yet.

It is a tool to be used in addition to your personal knowledge, so 
definitely learn to conflict without it. There are some peculiarities in 
using the program you will have to learn and knowing how to check without it 
makes that easier.

> I am not on a PC, unfortunately, so cannot stress-test the program
> (find out if I'm looking for argent dogs does it bring up the beagle
> and saluki, does it find slow matches when searching for annulets, if
> you're conflict checking a borage flower will it pull up the roses,
> and other odd little things that are out there).

Good thing that I am and have used the program, huh Tec?  It is only as up 
to date as the O&A files are. You have to get them from the O&A page on the 
Laurel site and import them. This will take up hard drive space and it does 
run under Vista.

Searching for dog : argent returned 427 items and finds:

demi-greyhounds, fox, greyhound, wolf, talbot, terrier, Maltese Spaniel, 
dog, Pyrenean mountain dog, hound, Great Dane, Afghan hound, Saluki, theow, 
wolfhound, whippet, mastiff, Norwegian elkhound, Scottish deerhound, beagle 
(winged), brachet, Irish Setter, Samoyed, Hyena, poodle, Russian wolfhound, 
Norse wolf, vixen, bearded collie, bullldog, Great Pyrenees dog, and the 
various winged, demi or multi-headed varieties of the above. The search 
wasn't limited to the number of the charges so that varied also.

Tec, if you want a detailed test, contact me privately.

> But before relying on a program, learn the old-fashioned way.  Rare it
> was that someone who wasn't a herald versed in conflict checking sent
> in a submission thety'd found clear that didn't get returned at
> kingdom for glaring conflict in my tenure as submissions herald.  You
> need to know what to look for before you can find it.  Once you've got
> the basics down, you might very well be able to employ Hirsch's lovely
> effort and get good results.

What she said and more. I spent many years attending decision meetings, 
commenting meetings and learning the rules for submissions before I found 
that program. I use it to do conflict checks when I don't have Internet 
access or if I have lots of checks to do and need to do them quickly. I'd 
recommend finding a commenting group near your or finding someone that you 
can learn from about commenting. It will help you learn faster and you won't 
have to worry so much about making mistakes that you find out about in 
decision meetings.

Lord Eirik Halfdanarson