[Northkeep] Fwd: Diodanier Tourniment

[Alton lePeto]

>From: "Marc Carlson" <marccarlson20 at hotmail.com>
>Wilhelm is having some problems posting to the list.
>
>>From: FARMING20 at webtv.net
>>To: northkeep-owner at ansteorra.org
While talking to people and making music, I did not at the
>>beginning notce the fighting.  It wasnt until some people I had talked
>>to about the honor and chivelry, nobility, ect involved, that they came
>>back saying they sure didnt see anything chivilerious about the fighting
>>they had seen.

Wilhelm, youve been playing this game alot longer than me so you probably 
have a better perspective of how things have changed "in-game", but from 
what Iv seen from my decade of demos and events is our fighting is more or 
less a sport.  Thats not a bad thing. It has evolved from a (probably lsd 
induced)1967  back yard party where ppl grabbed some broom stick handles and 
were having some kicks on a summer afternoon.  Over the years it was just 
natural that rules would get adopted, methods and weapons would get used and 
replaced until you see what we have today.  You can see the influences of 
70's martial arts craze and the same stuff that germinated alot of other 
adventure sports or x game kind of activity.  The point Im getting to is 
that because it is a sport, if you dont have some idea of the rules the 
fighting can look pretty chaotic, especially melees (I remember watching my 
first sca melee fighing at Norman Med Fair in 1988, I had no idea of what 
was happening, but it looked really fun).  Aside from the fact that as a 
matter of "rules" the ...degree..ahem.. of chivralic behavior is up to each 
individual and there is really a wide gulf of distance between exceptable 
and unexceptable behavior in fights.  Basically, I cant hit you (in a 
tourney format) if don't have a weapon in your hand or strike you from 
behind if we we not previously engaged and you turned around.  Other than 
that, its all pretty much open to individual fighters interpretation.    In 
the past few years there has been some success at holding tourneys and some 
melee events within the rules structure of historical tournaments.  These 
are probably alot easier for non fighters and folks new to the SCA to follow 
from the side line becasue they have alot more structure and sometimes 
chivralic behavior is actually part of the rules of that paticular style.  
However that said, as a former hospitaler with some success at recruiting 
new members, thats an unimportant concern.  Doesnt matter one flip at a demo 
(demos are for recruiting as well as education)  if people understand what 
they are seeing.  People who want to get involved in heavy fighting do it 
cause it looks like something thats fun, same reason that people get 
involved in all the other activities.  Someone who is really into sewing or 
singing is not that concerned with the "rules structure" of the game, thats 
part of the draw, doing things you find fun with people who are having fun 
at it too.
The most successful demos are the ones where everyone participating are 
having fun and not carping about sca politics or complaining about so and 
so's non period shoes, etc. (if members out there reading this were not 
aware of it, people at demos are hyper aware and hear all that stuff being 
said)  You at least have to give the illusion or at least convey some sense 
of hope to the people watching that this is a bunch of friends who are 
having a good time.  Live bait and all that.  By the way, for some of the 
newer members to the barony, Wilhelm is possibly one the most tireless and 
successful recruiters Northkeep has.  Not to mention all of the long hours 
of working in cold and rainy pre and post event activitys like hauling 
firewood and other thankless tasks that make a February (or any) event 
successful.  At demos Wilhelm can always be found working the crowd between 
rounds and getting people interested in this fabulous game we all enjoy.  
Thank you Wilhelm!


Alton

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