General Questions
Are You in a Play?
Quick Answer: No.
A common misconception, when people see us in a park, at a restaurant,
or at a festival, is that we might all be part of some play. And
although there are some members who participate in performances,
the majority of SCA members are not in a play but are enjoying historical
recreation through the clothing (or "garb"), the props of daily
living (whether that is making cloth on a loom or working on a blacksmith's
anvil), and the food of the middle ages (everyone loves to eat).
Our entire structure is built on the concept of learning history
through hands-on participation.
You will find that the nature of our events is often "open to
the public" if you are interested in watching and learning what
we do. But there are rarely any set "performance times" even at
our tournaments, and people are encouraged to try wearing clothing
from "period" (typically clothes from Europe between 1000 and 1650)
and learning arts, crafts, sciences, dances, and martial arts of
the period.
Among other things, we do:
Archery, Armoring, Astronomy, Basketry, Beadwork, Belly dancing,
Brewing, Calligraphy, Camping, Chain mail, Chess, Cooking, Costuming,
Dancing, Dollmaking, Drumming, Dyeing, Embroidery, Equestrian Arts,
Feasting, Felting, Fencing, Glassblowing, Hawking,
Heraldry, Herbalism, Illumination, Knife making, Knitting, Lace
making, Leatherworking, Linguistics, Merchanting, Newsletters, Painting,
Research, Serving, Sewing, Shopping, Singing, Soap making, Spinning,
Tent making, Theatre, Volunteering, Weaving, Woodworking.
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Is this the Renaissance Faire?
Quick Answer: No.
"The Renaissance Faire" can be any number of other historical
reenactment clubs, putting on a weekend (or several weekends) of
performances, often with merchants/vendors, plays, processions,
and displays. However, the SCA is unaffiliated with any of these
Renn Faire reenactment societies.
Typically at a Renn Faire, the public pays an admission fee at
the gate. There are set performance times, at one or many stages.
The participants in Faire are all in costume, the paying public
is (usually) not in costume.
The SCA is a society that encourages individual participation.
If a fee is charged at the gate to a tournament, it is usually restricted
to SCA participants, and not the observing public who may wander
by. There are a few events held by the SCA that may charge a fee
to the viewing public, or may be for members only, but these events
are few and far between.
And unlike the Renn Faires, which typically focus on only Elizabethan
England history (and any cultures likely to have come into contact
with the Elizabethan court), the SCA has a broad focus including
"pre-1600 Western Europe and contacting cultures." You may find
SCA members researching as early as the Roman Empire, the high Japanese
court pre-1600, the Mongolian hordes, or the Sultan's court. You'll
often see garb (the SCA word for "historical costume") from every
year between 1000 AD and 1600 AD.
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How much does it cost to be a member?
Quick Answer: Not much, depending on what you choose.
Most SCA members start out participating with their local Shire
or Barony, or the local chapter at their University or College.
Local participation costs nothing at all. You may wish to subscribe
to your local newsletter, which may cost around $10/year. In the
Barony of Lyondemere, which Noe College is a part of, the local
newsletter is called the Tydes
and it is distributed
electronically for free.
As your participation grows, and includes attending events in
neighboring chapters, you may want to start receiving your Kingdom
newsletter. A subscription to your local Kingdom newsletter is included
when you pay $35/year for a Society membership. Membership is handled
exclusively (except for Australian membership) through the SCA,
Inc. office in Milpitas, California. You can reach that office at:
 The
Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
P.O. Box 360789 * Milpitas, California
95036-0789 * Tel (408) 263-9305 * Fax (408) 263-0641
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How often do you guys do this?
Quick Answer: Somewhere between every weekend and once a year
or so.
Local events vary in frequency. Various chapters host between 3-4
tournaments per year, roughly once a quarter. Workshops locally
vary between once a month and once a week. You can find specific
information about our events on this site or on the Barony
of Lyondemere site.
The Kingdom events that many SCA members attend are usually held
on Saturdays. We are very fortunate in Southern California to have
lovely weather nearly all year round, and typically you can find
between 1-3 events every weekend. There are single-day tournaments,
two-day events, and camping events for an entire weekend, over a
3-day holiday, or even longer. There are typically 1-2 events per
year that are between 4-6 days long. Not everyone is available to
attend the full 4-6 days, and it's not unusual for someone to make
just an afternoon of it.
Participation varies from individual to individual. This
is a hobby, and does fit around members' work schedules, class schedules,
and family obligations. Regardless of how frequently you are able
to attend events or workshops, you are always welcome. And extended
absences are always understood.
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Where do you do this stuff?
Quick Answer: Around the entire world, and probably in your hometown.
There are about nineteen Kingdoms around the world now, of SCA
members and local branches. There is a link on the SCA
Inc. main web page that connects you with the Geography of the
SCA, where you can find your local Kingdom and then local branch.
But where do we hold events locally? Business meetings have been
traditionally held in members' living rooms or in large restaurants.
Workshops have been in recreation rooms in apartment complexes,
in parks, in living rooms, or in someone's garage or backyard. Local
tournaments are usually in a community park. Collegiums, full days
devoted to classroom activities, are often held at local community
colleges. High court events, such as the Coronation of a King and
Queen, are often held in churches, community centers, or other public
buildings.
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Rules for Participation
Are there any rules about wearing [purple, crowns,
black, velvet, circlets]?
Quick Answer: Sometimes.
There are very few rules about what you cannot wear in the SCA.
First of all, everyone is considered to be "at least minor
nobility" — even the newest member. No one "starts
out as a peasant" unless they choose to research the lower
classes of society in history. However, depending on your local
Kingdom and local branch of the SCA (see the
SCA Groups link on www.sca.org
to find your kingdom and group) there might be some rules
called "Sumptuary Laws." And there are a few restrictions
that are Society-wide.
Colors and types of fabric are not
restricted. You can wear purple, black, velvet, silk, cotton, wool,
linen, saffron (yellow) — any color or fabric that you like
(and can afford). The type and color of your clothing is completely
up to you. The only requirement is that you "make an attempt
at clothing from the Middle Ages." Jeans and tennis shoes are
not appropriate for events that require garb.
Some circlets on your head are either restricted or limited. The
rule of thumb is that if you see a part of the circlet or coronet
that goes up to a point or up from the headband section, the slang
for that is a "pointy hat" and these are restricted to
persons who have been awarded a rank or station appropriate to that
coronet. Typically if you see someone with coronet on their head,
it is polite to nod and/or curtsey/bow to them. Certainly, treating
them politely and with respect is a good idea.
In some Kingdoms, wearing a metal circlet (called a fillet) itself
is limited to those who have been awarded at least the first level
of rank within the Society: an Award of Arms, or the title "Lord"
or "Lady" (with a capital "L"). This is not
the case in the Kingdom of Caid, where Noe College is located. Anyone
can use a fillet to hold on a veil or keep their hair out of their
eyes.
Read more fully about circlets
and coronets and see some drawings and examples of different
coronets, on the Shire of Darach website.
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How do I get a name or a coat of arms? (Can
I use my family coat of arms?)
Quick Answer: See the Heralds (And, No.)
What should you be called in the SCA? Ah, the fun of picking a
name from the Middle Ages. First of all, you'll be able to get lots
of assistance from the Heralds in the SCA. These are the people
who have volunteered to help members find research about names and
naming practices of the Middle Ages, as well designs for a "coat
of arms." (Heralds do more than just research, but for this
discussion, that's the most important thing to know at first.)
You are not required to pick a name from the Middle Ages, but you
are strongly encouraged to look into it. Until you have an "SCA
Name," we will be glad to call you by your modern name. But
learning about the names of the Middle Ages, and using these names
with one another, adds to the atmosphere and the fun of our re-creation.
Designing a picture to go on a shield or banner also adds to the
atmosphere. It is amazing to go to a tournament and see banner after
banner flying in the breeze. You cannot use your modern "family's
coat of arms" simply because (1) it legally only belongs to
the "head of the clan" or only one member of the family,
not everyone with that family surname, and (2) it doesn't likely
belong to you. Of course, someone might join the SCA who truly does
legally have the right to fly a specific banner device, but 99.99999%
of us do not have the legal right to an existing modern heraldic
device.
So, how do you design one? You can find lots of good heraldic information
from the Activities/Heraldry link on www.sca.org.
If you have specific questions about shield designs, please write
an email to your local herald or any member of your local chapter.
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What about meetings, workshops, practices,
tourneys, and events?
Quick Answer: You are welcome to attend all our meetings, workshops,
practices, tourneys, and events!
Meetings and workshops are almost all conducted in modern clothing.
No special costuming or garb is required. Also, nearly all of them
are free of charge. Some workshops may have a materials charge for
participating, to pay for the handouts' copying costs, the supplies,
or sometimes the gas expenses for a visiting instructor.
Practices for combat-related activities have different levels of
armor requirements, age requirements, and skill or experience requirements.
In most cases, a quick phone call or email to the fighting practice's
host will help you determine if there is any loaner equipment available,
or if you can learn by watching and listening. Certainly most practices
will be glad to have you show up and ask questions and learn just
by talking to participants.
Tournaments and other SCA events are held all over the place. Your
local group probably hosts a few each year, and there are probably
several neighboring local branches that host events within a short
driving distance. In the Long Beach area, you can check out the
events of the Barony
of Lyondemere. In the Orange County area, these events are hosted
by the Barony
of Gyldenholt. Other events nearby can be found on Kingdom
of Caid site (www.sca-caid.org).
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What should I wear?
Quick Answer: Sometimes modern clothing, sometimes "An Attempt
at Clothing from the Middle Ages."
Meetings and workshops are almost all conducted in modern clothing.
No special costuming or garb is required.
For events and tournaments, the usual requirement is that you "make
an attempt at clothing from the Middle Ages." In most cases
you can borrow an outfit from the Newcomer's office in your local
area. In Darach, this contact person is called "Silver Key"
— and there are many outfits available for one-day loan for
events. Sometimes there is a nominal fee (like $1-2) that helps
pay for cleaning and repairs for loaner clothing. Contact your local
Chatelaine, the officer in charge of helping newcomers, to find
out if there is loaner clothing available.
Local sewing workshops are also great for getting ideas about what
kind of clothing to wear at SCA events. The hosts of these workshops
have extensive research libraries and lots of experience helping
people design and make SCA garb (clothing). (It's a good idea to
call ahead, to confirm that the workshop is going to be held as
regularly scheduled.)
You'll need to find your own footwear—there are rarely any
shoes available for loan. Start with paintings and drawings of people
in the Middle Ages, to see what kind of shoes they wore with which
outfits. Frequently simple boots are appropriate. Sometimes little
buckled shoes look remarkably like some shoes from the Middle Ages.
If you are in doubt, please feel free to ask. Tennis shoes will
only work for one or two events, when you are first starting out
and looking for something to wear. Please try to find something
that looks less modern for your next event in clothing from the
Middle Ages.
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What should I bring?
Quick Answer: Some snacks and drinks, something to sit on, and
maybe a camera.
Meetings and workshops rarely require that you bring anything.
However, consider the time of day that the meeting is held. If you
are going to a business meeting after work, you might want to bring
your dinner with you, or eat before the meeting. Consider calling
the meeting host first, to see if people bring snacks or food with
them for the meeting. Certainly many people bring drinks with them.
You can definitely bring a camera to events conducted in garb.
This is one way to get ideas for clothing, shoes, and encampments.
Feel free to take pictures of the large group events, and please
ask people if you can take pictures of their costuming and pavilions.
They may be very happy to tell you about how they researched and
created their outfits, or from which merchant they purchased something.
And for events, you'll definitely want to plan ahead for morning
snacks, lunch, any afternoon snacks, and sometimes your dinner.
Some events advertise a feast available for a fee after the event
has concluded. Most feasts require reservations in advance, so check
the event advertisement. Other times, people make plans with their
friends to go out to a restaurant afterwards. Please feel free to
ask the people you've met in your local branch what they typically
do for dinner.
During the day, at most tournaments, people set out a little buffet
or lunch or snacks for themselves, their families, and/or their
households of friends. Often you can plan in advance to join a little
"potluck" lunch with friends — one person brings
some cheeses and breads, one person brings some salad, one person
brings some entrees, etc. Again, it's a good idea to ask your local
group about their customs and habits, so that you can also participate.
If you know you're traveling to an event where you haven't made
food arrangements in advance, consider packing like this:
- Water, water, water, and more water (dehydration is bad). Something
to drink from that doesn't look overly modern, such as a wooden
or pewter mug or goblet. Some glass goblets are beautiful and
a wonderful option.
- Breads, cheeses, sliced meat. A wooden, metal, or ceramic plate
or platter for the food to be served on and/or eaten off of.
- Fruits and vegetables.
- Something to cover your modern cooler, if you have perishable
items and have packed them in ice. Consider a table cloth or just
a piece of plain cloth that will cover all sides of your cooler.
The illusion of having no modern items looks really nice.
- Something to sit on or at. A card table with a full-length table
cloth is nice to set food and drinks out on, plus has the storage
area underneath for hiding modern items. A wooden stool, a camp-chair,
or directors chair with a cloth over it looks nice for sitting
on. If you don't bring a chair, an area rug or ground cloth is
a nice way to sit on the ground.
- And optional: Something for shade. If you don't have anything
for shade, please contact the Chatelaine. There are usually people
who have plenty of room in their pavilions who would enjoy offering
you a place to hang out for an event. Sometimes the host group
has a pavilion is set up specifically for everyone who doesn't
have their own shade with them.
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How can I write a letter recommending someone
for an award?
Quick Answer: Check out this great
article.
Here's a little excerpt from an article by Barwnes Rhieinwen:
Awards are an important part of the SCA. We are a volunteer organization,
and the way we are "paid" is by the positive feeling
we get by contributing to the SCA, whether at the local level,
in the kitchen, as a Kingdom Officer, etc. Awards are a public
thank you or acknowledgement of accomplishments. (They don't take
the place of a personal, individual word or note—so don't
forget to say "Great event!" to an event steward or
send a "Loved your feast" e-mail to a cook!). Awards
are also an encouragement to a person to continue in the same
vein or direction.
Awards are given at the pleasure of the Crown, but the Crown
can't be everywhere or see the contributions of every member of
the populace. The only way They know if a gentle is worthy is
if They receive recommendations for that person—recommendations
from people such as you.
To read the entire article, check out this PDF
on the Shire of Darach website.
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Fighting Topics
What is that fighting with all the swords and
shields and heavy armor?
Quick Answer: Armored Combat (previously called "Heavy weapons").
There are three main "arena" of SCA participation: the Fighting
arts, the Arts and Sciences, and the Service arts.
In the Fighting, or Martial, arts there are two forms: Armored Combat
and Rapier fencing, and several forms of archery and equestrian
activities.
Armored combat (heavy weapons) is a full-contact, non-choreographed,
martial art that uses solid rattan weapons (swords), shields, assorted
other weapons, and heavy armor. Rattan is a type of bamboo, and
rattan weapons are usually 2"-thick 'sticks' of rattan, usually
wrapped in strapping tape and duct tape.
Among other things, we do:
Archery, Armoring, Astronomy, Basketry, Beadwork, Belly dancing,
Brewing, Calligraphy, Camping, Chain mail, Chess, Cooking, Costuming,
Dancing, Dollmaking, Drumming, Dyeing, Embroidery, Equestrian Arts,
Feasting, Felting, Fencing, Glassblowing, Hawking, Heraldry, Herbalism,
Illumination, Knife making, Knitting, Lace making, Leatherworking,
Linguistics, Merchanting, Newsletters, Painting, Research, Serving,
Sewing, Shopping, Singing, Soap making, Spinning, Tent making, Theatre,
Volunteering, Weaving, Woodworking.
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Are they really hitting each other?
Quick Answer: Yes.
In the above description of armored combat, I mentioned it is
a "full-contact" art. They really are hitting each other, and with
considerable force. There is a standard for "calibrating" blows
so they are forceful enough to have caused damage with an edged
sword against chain mail, and so that they are not so forceful as
to cause actual injury.
It is also a "non-choreographed" art. The fighters have not planned
out in advance who will hit when and where, unlike stage or movie
combat. Fighters do practice typical strikes and blocks, learning
the building blocks for fighting with swords (and shields). However
each fight is new and pits skill and stamina and wit against one
another.
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Does it hurt?
Quick Answer: Sometimes.
Heavy armor is designed to pad the fighter against most blows.
However, there is force being used, and bruises are not uncommon.
Usually if fighters are being bruised regularly, they may need to
increase their armor in that area, repair any damage to their armor,
or learn some new defense to protect them from being hit there anymore.
It is rare that anyone is hurt beyond bumps and bruises. Serious
injuries are most commonly caused by armor failures. However there
have been the occasional sprains, muscle pulls, hurt fingers, etc.
The common rule of thumb is that SCA Armored Combat is safer than
football. But the fitness level of the fighter has something to
do with their injury rate: If you are just an occasional fighter,
without an ongoing fitness program, you are more likely to get hurt.
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How much does it cost to get all that armor?
Quick Answer: As much or as little as you'd like to spend.
Most new armored combat fighters start off spending as little
as $100-$150, maybe $200-$500, or the extreme can range from $700
to more than $1000.
How to Spend Nothing: To start off, most local groups have
some loaner armor available. Old armor, armor that no longer fits
someone, armor from someone that no longer fights—there are
many ways to find armor to give fighting a try without spending
a cent.
After You've Tried it Out a Little Bit: When you're ready
to start investing time, energy, training, and money into fighting,
there are some "starter kits" sold by armorers that will give you
your basics. Rigid elbows, rigid knees, a basket hilt for your sword,
and one for your shield—this might cost you $100-200 at once.
Your helmet could be $100-300, new. Or you might buy and/or barter
with local fighters to acquire used, but still usable, armor pieces,
even helms. You might want to build your own armor—learn to
knit chain mail, dish out some elbow cops and knee cops, boil leather
in wax to make rigid leather pieces, sew a padded gambeson, strap
and rivet pieces together. The best advice is to find fighters to
let you try different types of armor before you invest money in
armor that disappoints you later.
Anyone Can Participate: Please remember this is a hobby,
and that starving college students can play alongside the highest
paid computer consultant. You can do this on a budget, or you can
save and spend lots of money on armor made special and new, just
for you. It's your personal choice.
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Can I learn to do that?
Quick Answer: Yes.
The key, again, is find your local group of fighters. Attend some
fighter practices, watch a few tournaments, go to a war and watch
the unit fighting. Look for different styles of armor, weapons,
and fighting techniques. Talk to everyone, listen to everything.
Then get in and try a little. Find folks willing and able to arm
you up. Take a few hits against a pell (a practice pole or form
against which you can hit a sword and learn different types of blows).
With time, patience, and determination, anyone can learn whether
armored combat is the type of sport they want to participate in.
It's not for everyone, but everyone is welcome to give it a try.
NOTE: There are age requirements!
You must be 18 or older to participate in
SCA Armored Combat. You must be 14 or older to participate in SCA
Rapier Fencing.
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Can women fight?
Quick Answer: YES! ABSOLUTELY!
You may hear some SCA members say "This is the Middle Ages as it
should have been." Or "we recreate the middle ages without the plague,
burnings, or discrimination." These are helpful clichés for
getting a beginning feel for the SCA, but they are not the whole
picture.
You may have heard someone suggest that "women didn't fight in
period." It turns out that is not always true, and there are dozens
of examples of women fighting throughout history—and not just
by cutting their hair and pretending to be boys. In SCA Armored
Combat (and all other forms of SCA fighting, for that matter), women
are encouraged to take up the sword just as any of the men. You
are not required to "pretend to be a boy," although there are occasionally
some female fighters who do adopt a "male persona" in armor. Most
do not. There are women knights in the SCA, women commanders, women
squires, women who have won Crown or Coronet tournaments and become
Queen or Princess by their own right of arms.
If you are interested in more information about women fighters
in the SCA, there are two excellent websites to check out. First,
two of our local women fighters, Lady Eichling and Sir Kolfinna,
have a wonderful site at http://www.swordmaiden.com—including
a discussion forum at http://forum.swordmaiden.com.
There's also a "Known Worlde" resource, called the Iron
Rose. They have both a mailing list and a website at http://www.houseironrose.org.
Then again, you may just want to arm up and give it a try like anyone
else.
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Miscellaneous Questions
Can you come talk to my class/school?
Quick Answer: Yes, we'd love to!
The SCA is specifically a non-profit educational society, registered
as a 501(c)(3) corporation of California. Local chapters usually
have teams of volunteers available to put on demos for schools and
city festivals. Most chapters or groups prefer three months notice
to schedule a demo. To find the local chapter in your area, try
the main Society web page at http://www.sca.org
and click on the link for SCA Groups. This link will take
you to the "Kingdom" web pages for major regions throughout the
world. Each Kingdom has links for finding local chapters in its
borders.
Southern California, the Las Vegas area, and Hawaii are all a
part of the Kingdom of Caid. You can find Caid's web page at http://www.sca-caid.org/, and links to the various chapters
throughout the Kingdom. Local chapters are often named Shires, Baronies,
or Cantons.
If you would like to schedule a demo for your class or school,
you should contact the "Chatelaine" or the "Seneschal" of a local
branch. The Chatelaine is specifically in charge of working with
newcomers to the SCA. The Seneschal is like the chapter "president"
and is responsible for all legal paperwork, such as insurance and
site-related requirements. Some branches may have an "Avant Courier"
in charge of publicity for newspapers, radio, and community boards.
And some branches may have a specific "Demo Coordinator" who works
with the Chatelaine and the Seneschal.
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