Re: [Epic] Re: SCA

From: Brett Hollindale <agro_at_...>
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 1997 07:16:49 GMT

A brief caveat about that caveat:

>A brief caveat about the SCA:
>
>While there are a number of perfectly normal, well-adjusted people who enjoy
>the medieval re-creation, there are a number of people who are attracted
>because it is 100% escapist. They have disfunctional mundane lives. Still,
>there are some good folks.


In my experience the nice guys outnumber the wierdos (that's why I'm still
here...)


>The other thing is that everyone who is a member is convinced that they are
>medieval historian despite the fact that a number of completely unfounded or
>just plain wrong beliefs are passed around the society as gospel truth. I
>have a friend with a degree in medieval studies and several master's classes
>under his belt who has had joe schmoe the carpenter turned squire argue
>until he was blue in the face about the intracacies of medieval culture
>without a spec of experience or knowledge outside of the SCA.


Sounds like you encountered a problem case/bunch of problem cases there. I
would have expected an acedemic like the one you described would have found
just the opposite. That is people with a reasonable knowledge of medieval
history/culture willing (and able) to discuss his specialist field with some
vigour...


>Oh, yeah. If you are a guy, you are pretty much expected to fight (despite
>their protests to the contrary). The generic "SCA event" centers around the
>tournament, and if you're not into bashing people with sticks, oh well.


I guess you don't want to hear my "protests to the contrary"...

(But if you got involved on a military base, I can see as there might have
been a certain "expectation" as you suggest...)


>Still, I had a lot of fun bashing people over the course of about 4 years.
>And I did learn how to brew my own beer/mead/wine.


I'll bet that isn't all you learned!


>Temp


I'm kinda surprised that you gave it four years and then quit. In my
experience, folks either quit within a year or stick around forever...

(I've been playing in the current middle ages for about thirteen years now,
and my wife has been around a little longer...)

Agro
Received on Wed Feb 19 1997 - 07:16:49 UTC