Post by Omar on Jan 12, 2009 12:42:27 GMT -7
"Society for Creative Anachronism is a historical re-creation and living history group founded in 1966, which endeavors to promote the study and recreation of mainly pre-17th century Western European cultures and their histories."
- From the Wikipedia Article
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_for_Creative_Anachronism
If you ask five different people in the SCA what the group is about, you are as likely to get ten different answers. The SCA is alot of things to alot of people. Its alot like any other medieval reenactment/fighting group in alot of ways, yet very different.
www.sca.org
I am fairly certain the SCA is the oldest of the various medieval group in the US, in an established sense. Its certainly the biggest today (that I am aware of) and has been for most (if not all) of its history. It combines fighting, arts and sciences, and a social aspect over a wide area and very broad spectrum so that no matter your interest, chances are you can find it in the SCA.
As this is a fighting related forum, I will explain that. There are various combat styles in the SCA, from Armored Combat (Heavy) to Rapier/Fencing (Light), as well as Archery (both in games and target archery), and a variety of other 'unofficial' styles (I think there was an asian kendo-like style years ago, and I know they are working on developing a 'cut and thrust' style of rapier with heavier hits).
The attitude with Armored Combat is that we pad the people, not the weapons. Generally, attempts are made to create weapons that might of been used to train with in the middle ages. They are made from rattan with strapping and duct tape, and generally should be about the weight/size of actual medieval weapons (but not always, we have no real restrictions on it other than whats safe). Armor is required for your safety, with head (helm), neck (gorget), kidney (belt), hands (gauntlets/sword baskets), elbow and knee (as well as groin) protection being mandatory. Most folks wear a bit more than that, though a few do go with minimum and have no problems with it.
(Helm with gorget and chain drape, leather and plastic armored belt for kidney/mid-body, hidden hockey pads for upper body, hard plastic arm armor forelbow and wrist, shield and sword basket for hand, plastic legs hidden under pants)
As you can see, the variety of armor and persona is only limited to a time period. Technically, its Europe and the places that would of had contact with Europe, but most groups are accepting of 'odd' personas as long as your willing to put the effort in. I have seen Ancient Egyptians and Native Americans, both done very well, as well as Japanese, Mongols, Romans, Russians, Norse, English and French. With the picture above you see Lord Ryokai on the left (late period Japanese), Sir Haroun (9th Century Spanish Moor), and myself, then in a generic suit without any real time/place.
Weekly meetings and practice tends to be different from most other reenactment groups. We do very little 'group' fighting at weekly events, doing a variety of one-on-one fighting at our practices. War Practice (which tends to start up in the fall to prepare for Estrella War) is when we fight in groups, as well as events, which can go from a single day to over a week. Many of our members only participate in the melees, while others prefer single fighting and tournaments. Most of us do both though. Individual skills are improved in single fighting, then we can apply those skills to melee situations and learn to work together as a group.
Some of our bigger local events (which will have both tournaments and melees) include:
Feb (Valentines day week usually) - Estrella War (near Phoenix, AZ)
March (2nd weekend)- Crown Tournament (south)
May (Memorial Day Weekend) - Grand Outlandish (Albuquerque, NM) and Crossroads (northern CO)
July (4th of July Weekend) - Glory War (Southern WY)
August - Barons War
September (2nd weekend) - Crown Tournament (north)
In addition to those you also have some fairly large events in various parts of the country, from Pennsic War (the oldest and biggest SCA event, held in Pennsylvania in Aug/Sep), to Gulf Wars (considered one of the 'big three' SCA events, as well as Pennsic and Estrella, held in the south in the spring).
Part of the social aspect is the organization of groups. The SCA is made up of Shires, Colleges, Cantons, and Baronies, all of which are broken up into different Kingdoms. The SCA is geographically organized, generally by zip-code if there is a question. In Colorado (and working off of my memory) you have 4 Baronies (Colorado Springs, Denver, Boulder, and Ft. Collins). A Barony is a fairly large geographic area which has at least 20 paid members (I believe), as well as other requirements. Under those baronies are a collection of Cantons and Colleges (generally sub-groups, either smaller townzoor within the Barony [Arvada has a Canton under the Denver Barony, for example] or based at a school ). Shires are how most groups start, with at least 5 paid members and a few officers. If they grow and maintain their size for a period of time, the Kingdom Officers and Crown can elevate them to a Barony.
The Crown is an important aspect of the Society. These Shires, Cantons, Colleges, and Baronies are all grouped together into Kingdoms. The Kingdom of the Outlands covers most of Colorado, as well as the whole of New Mexico, most of Wyoming, and El Paso, Texas. Members from the various groups within the Kingdom perform the duties and jobs required for the organization and maintenance of the Kingdom. Some officers stay in their position for years (the Seneschal, for example, who is generally the club 'president'). The Crown, on the other hand, changes every six months. We gather for a tournament, where those who are interested in holding the position (which, while it carries quite a bit of authority, is checked by the other kingdom officers and the Society Board of Directors), and it is fought for. Those who enter must have a consort, who will reign with them should they win. They are the ceremonial 'head of state', while the day to day running of the kingdom is left up to the officers, who are more long-term.
Back to events. I have yet to attend Pennsic, though I would like to. Estrella War on the other hand ( www.estrellawar.com ) I have been to twice, and had a blast. Some pictures of the war are below:
(I am center bottom in the blue, my helm has a brass ring and you can see my gorget sticking out of the back - Estrella XXIII - Feb 07)
(Outlands Marches to War - Their Majesties and Royal Guard in the lead - Estrella XXIV - Feb 08)
(Broken Wall Res Battle - Outlands holds the line for an hour with no breakthrough - Estrella XXIV - Feb 08)
It is a week long event, made up of a variety of fighting and non-fighting events. They have everything from A&S competitions (which count towards which Kingdom wins the war overall), to Tournaments, Equestrian Activities (horseback fighting and target jousting), Classes, and a HUGE Merchant area (it compares to some renaissance festivals, as most of the merchants are regulars there). Parties and revelry every night in some part of the event.
Estrella tends to go from a Monday to the following Monday, while other events are usually Thursday to Sunday. Pennsic goes on for several weeks, or so I am told.
Anyway, I am rambling a bit. Hopefully that explains the basics of the SCA pretty well. If anyone has any questions or would like to come by and see for yourself, please let me know and I will do what I can to help you find local info. Should you be interested in any martial activity, I can also help there, as just about every group has a nice supply of loaner equipment so people can try it before they decide to join.
Hope to see you out there!
- From the Wikipedia Article
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_for_Creative_Anachronism
If you ask five different people in the SCA what the group is about, you are as likely to get ten different answers. The SCA is alot of things to alot of people. Its alot like any other medieval reenactment/fighting group in alot of ways, yet very different.
www.sca.org
I am fairly certain the SCA is the oldest of the various medieval group in the US, in an established sense. Its certainly the biggest today (that I am aware of) and has been for most (if not all) of its history. It combines fighting, arts and sciences, and a social aspect over a wide area and very broad spectrum so that no matter your interest, chances are you can find it in the SCA.
As this is a fighting related forum, I will explain that. There are various combat styles in the SCA, from Armored Combat (Heavy) to Rapier/Fencing (Light), as well as Archery (both in games and target archery), and a variety of other 'unofficial' styles (I think there was an asian kendo-like style years ago, and I know they are working on developing a 'cut and thrust' style of rapier with heavier hits).
The attitude with Armored Combat is that we pad the people, not the weapons. Generally, attempts are made to create weapons that might of been used to train with in the middle ages. They are made from rattan with strapping and duct tape, and generally should be about the weight/size of actual medieval weapons (but not always, we have no real restrictions on it other than whats safe). Armor is required for your safety, with head (helm), neck (gorget), kidney (belt), hands (gauntlets/sword baskets), elbow and knee (as well as groin) protection being mandatory. Most folks wear a bit more than that, though a few do go with minimum and have no problems with it.
(Helm with gorget and chain drape, leather and plastic armored belt for kidney/mid-body, hidden hockey pads for upper body, hard plastic arm armor forelbow and wrist, shield and sword basket for hand, plastic legs hidden under pants)
As you can see, the variety of armor and persona is only limited to a time period. Technically, its Europe and the places that would of had contact with Europe, but most groups are accepting of 'odd' personas as long as your willing to put the effort in. I have seen Ancient Egyptians and Native Americans, both done very well, as well as Japanese, Mongols, Romans, Russians, Norse, English and French. With the picture above you see Lord Ryokai on the left (late period Japanese), Sir Haroun (9th Century Spanish Moor), and myself, then in a generic suit without any real time/place.
Weekly meetings and practice tends to be different from most other reenactment groups. We do very little 'group' fighting at weekly events, doing a variety of one-on-one fighting at our practices. War Practice (which tends to start up in the fall to prepare for Estrella War) is when we fight in groups, as well as events, which can go from a single day to over a week. Many of our members only participate in the melees, while others prefer single fighting and tournaments. Most of us do both though. Individual skills are improved in single fighting, then we can apply those skills to melee situations and learn to work together as a group.
Some of our bigger local events (which will have both tournaments and melees) include:
Feb (Valentines day week usually) - Estrella War (near Phoenix, AZ)
March (2nd weekend)- Crown Tournament (south)
May (Memorial Day Weekend) - Grand Outlandish (Albuquerque, NM) and Crossroads (northern CO)
July (4th of July Weekend) - Glory War (Southern WY)
August - Barons War
September (2nd weekend) - Crown Tournament (north)
In addition to those you also have some fairly large events in various parts of the country, from Pennsic War (the oldest and biggest SCA event, held in Pennsylvania in Aug/Sep), to Gulf Wars (considered one of the 'big three' SCA events, as well as Pennsic and Estrella, held in the south in the spring).
Part of the social aspect is the organization of groups. The SCA is made up of Shires, Colleges, Cantons, and Baronies, all of which are broken up into different Kingdoms. The SCA is geographically organized, generally by zip-code if there is a question. In Colorado (and working off of my memory) you have 4 Baronies (Colorado Springs, Denver, Boulder, and Ft. Collins). A Barony is a fairly large geographic area which has at least 20 paid members (I believe), as well as other requirements. Under those baronies are a collection of Cantons and Colleges (generally sub-groups, either smaller townzoor within the Barony [Arvada has a Canton under the Denver Barony, for example] or based at a school ). Shires are how most groups start, with at least 5 paid members and a few officers. If they grow and maintain their size for a period of time, the Kingdom Officers and Crown can elevate them to a Barony.
The Crown is an important aspect of the Society. These Shires, Cantons, Colleges, and Baronies are all grouped together into Kingdoms. The Kingdom of the Outlands covers most of Colorado, as well as the whole of New Mexico, most of Wyoming, and El Paso, Texas. Members from the various groups within the Kingdom perform the duties and jobs required for the organization and maintenance of the Kingdom. Some officers stay in their position for years (the Seneschal, for example, who is generally the club 'president'). The Crown, on the other hand, changes every six months. We gather for a tournament, where those who are interested in holding the position (which, while it carries quite a bit of authority, is checked by the other kingdom officers and the Society Board of Directors), and it is fought for. Those who enter must have a consort, who will reign with them should they win. They are the ceremonial 'head of state', while the day to day running of the kingdom is left up to the officers, who are more long-term.
Back to events. I have yet to attend Pennsic, though I would like to. Estrella War on the other hand ( www.estrellawar.com ) I have been to twice, and had a blast. Some pictures of the war are below:
(I am center bottom in the blue, my helm has a brass ring and you can see my gorget sticking out of the back - Estrella XXIII - Feb 07)
(Outlands Marches to War - Their Majesties and Royal Guard in the lead - Estrella XXIV - Feb 08)
(Broken Wall Res Battle - Outlands holds the line for an hour with no breakthrough - Estrella XXIV - Feb 08)
It is a week long event, made up of a variety of fighting and non-fighting events. They have everything from A&S competitions (which count towards which Kingdom wins the war overall), to Tournaments, Equestrian Activities (horseback fighting and target jousting), Classes, and a HUGE Merchant area (it compares to some renaissance festivals, as most of the merchants are regulars there). Parties and revelry every night in some part of the event.
Estrella tends to go from a Monday to the following Monday, while other events are usually Thursday to Sunday. Pennsic goes on for several weeks, or so I am told.
Anyway, I am rambling a bit. Hopefully that explains the basics of the SCA pretty well. If anyone has any questions or would like to come by and see for yourself, please let me know and I will do what I can to help you find local info. Should you be interested in any martial activity, I can also help there, as just about every group has a nice supply of loaner equipment so people can try it before they decide to join.
Hope to see you out there!