Regional Boundaries (was RE: SR - Lighter fluid for that blaze, a nyone?)

[Zimmermann, Leonard]

Ld Charles MacKinnon wrote:

>   Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the current regional structure
> created by the crown, as an administrative tool? I've thought that the
> coastal region seemed awfully stretched, with groups at one end
> inconveniently far from others. But then, as an 
> administrative measure,
> it works, since all the necessary paperwork travels by mail.

That it works is not really in dispute, we haven't fallen apart yet in our
current structure. That it is inconvenient, however, is up for debate. As it
stands if you are a Regional officer you are expected to support the
regional groups. For a regional marshal that may mean traveling to the other
groups in your region to support local practices and ensure someone is
available to authorize new fighters, for example. As such it certainly makes
more sense to have a regional plan that takes into consideration travel
routes and groups that "play together" so that a regional officer has an
easier time of supporting the regional groups under their purview and of
being more familiar with the individuals in those groups.

For example, Bjornsborg and Bryn Gwlad are virtually sister Baronies. They
are fairly close, geographically, and they are connected by a major
interstate highway, making travel quite easy. Consequently the people on
those Baronies are quite familiar with each other and support each others
endeavors on a fairly regular basis. They are excellent candidates for being
in the same region (as they are). Ravensfort, however, is by geography and
by travel route, much closer to Stargate. Those Baronies have a great deal
of interaction, and while I would not wish in any way to suggest that
Ravensfort was not supportive of the southern region (as HE David St. David
so graciously pointed out), I would suggest that administratively it might
be easier to have those baronies more closely related in adminstrative
structure. 

I would also suggest that those individuals who are so willing to donate
their time and efforts to regional offices do not do so simply to support
the Southern Region, but do so because they see a need and wish to assist in
any way they can. I suggest that if they were part of the Northern Region it
would barely make a whit of difference in that these individuals would still
selflessly offer to assist by taking a regional office. It would be a real
bear for them to have to travel to Oklahoma on a regular basis to provide
that support, but it would be fairly easy for them to travel to Houston. 

Of course that is a simplification of the situation, since Coastal, where
Houston is, is spread quite thin and adding a Barony to that region, as it
stands right now, may be too great a burden. But I do think that the current
regional structure probably does not provide the best division for
administration since most officers provide that administration by more than
just mail, in my experience.

Just some further food for thought (and hopefully NOT fuel for the fire).

Honos Servio,
Lionardo Acquistapace, Bjornsborg
(Lenny Zimmermann, San Antonio)
zarlor at acm.org

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"A soldier uses arms merely with skill, whereas a knight uses them with
virtuous intention. Mercenaries may be excellent soldiers; but an action
which may be praised in a soldier may be blamed in a knight. For a soldier,
the goal is victory: for the knight, since he is ready to go, if necessary,
to certain destruction, the goal is honor."   - Pomponio Torelli, 1596.
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