Event Design Help

[Aaron]

Good Morrow,

I've got time to think because I don't watch movies or TV...and I've been thinking of hosting something fighting-related quarterly some months after my family and I get to Maryland.

Requirements:
1. Piss off the fewest number of people possible. And especially make sure the nobility is happy as a group.
2. Don't interfer with others events (see #1)
3. Counted blows to X, no simulated wounds, etc...
4. Grand melee type where everyone can get their fill of fighting with no waiting.
5. Historically based if possible.
6. Minimal to no talking.
7. Maybe a feast afterwards.
8. Three to thirty participants.
9. Simple, one-day event.

Could you help design such an event?

It is especially important that I don't piss the peerage off. I have an absoltuely amazing ability to do that, and while it might be historical I have no wish to showcase that vile talent of mine.

[BdeB]

Aaron,

Once you get to Maryland you are going to find there are already a lot of events on the Atlantian calander that will fullfill most of your needs. SCA events have to be sponsered by a local group. (now if you are talking about doing your own private thing outside the sca that is another story, but you said event, so that is what I am going on.)

One easy suggestion I would have for you is that you get active in your local group/groups (maryland depending on what part has a lot of sca activity) and offer to help with stuff. Once you know folks and see what thier culture is, you will have a better chance at pitching the type of event that you would like to see.

Realize that making something happen in the SCA fighting wise, usually means that you aren't going to get to do too much fighting yourself. (That is just my experience.) Of course, in Atlantia, you have to go through a warrenting process as a marshall to run a tourney in the first place, but there is always the chance you _might_ be able to find someone to run it for you, once you have taken the time to get to know folks.

One thing I will say is that the Atlantian tourney schedule is fairly packed, and you might be able to just come in and find what you want, providing that you are willing to travel a bit.

Hope your tour goes smooth and you come home safe.

[Corby de la Flamme]

To avoid pissing people off, you should start by getting to know the folks in the local group where you're going to live. Do you know yet? You have to work with some seneschal, marshal, MOL, etc to get an event on the calendar.

Work with them--I assume you're planning an "official" sca event. If not, then not such a big deal.

You're on a very tight time schedule if "some months" <4. Maryland is a very densely populated SCA area with the Baronies of Stovik, Ponte Alto, Dun Carriag, Lochmere,Highland Ford, Stierbach and various Atlantian shires all in easy driving distance from each other and all competing for weekends--then throw in the proximity to many Aethelmarc events and scheduling becomes a real issue. Looking at the Atlantian calendar I see that on average approximately 3 out of 4 weekends for the next 3 months there's an event in the Northern VA/DC/Maryland area.

As a corollary to that, it is very difficult to tightly set your fighter range. A small event could have 30 fighters if the weather is good. If you're not up against something else, the numbers could go higher.

Northern Atlantia is more tolerant of pomp, counted blows and period tourney forms than the southern reaches. Sites are also expensive and rare in the north--local groups are rightly very protective of the places they've developed relationships with, because some of them are irreplaceable.

If you want to be a real hero, find the Northern Atlantian SCA a site that allows alcohol, has a reasonable feast kitchen, no mandatory catering, cabin camping, good sized hall, lots of outdoor space, a rain location for fighting and doesn't cost $20/head/night.

[Uneg]

If you want to be a real hero, find the Northern Atlantian SCA a site that allows alcohol, has a reasonable feast kitchen, no mandatory catering, cabin camping, good sized hall, lots of outdoor space, a rain location for fighting and doesn't cost $20/head/night.

Or build one!

[Aaron]

Thanks!

I just wanted to make sure that we had something, and I really like hosting small events. It's in the blood to be a good host, we've got the feast-gear for at least 20 and like to cook using crock-pots.

Maybe I can get something going around Ft. Mead.

I've chatted with lots of people in Bright Hills (Batlimore) and Storvik (Washington, DC) and haven't heard of something like this yet. Maybe I missed it somehow.

Just a "get together bash" if you will, with some food afterwards for the cool-down. I've had them here in Japan and everyone who attended them enjoyed them a lot.

There were some people who decided not to attend and were miffed that I held events like that, so I'd like to keep "don't piss people off" as a primary objective if at all possible.

And I won't be fighting for awhile. I'm selling my suit to generate income for a spring-steel suit of the same type but lighter and more form fitting. A friend and I will be working on it together and if I'm there to do the exact fitting it would be great.

Josh doing cartwheels has put me to shame, because I know I'm acrobatic normaly, but not in my current suit. I'll be working with help from Sir Rhys on the correct forms for pollaxe in the meantime.

[Corby de la Flamme]

Sounds to me like you're more interested in an unofficial thing--a sunday "practice" and food after.

No one would get upset about something like that.

[Aaron]

Sounds to me like you're more interested in an unofficial thing--a sunday "practice" and food after.

No one would get upset about something like that.

Good Morrow Good Sir Knight,

You have a talent for summing up long winded phrases of mine into concise and accurate renderings.

That was perfect! A "Sunday Practice with Food". Not a bad idea at all, and basicaly what I was going for.

Thank you for helping me out with that. You did me a great service in helping pull my head around from the twist it had wrapped itself up into.

I need some good rest. Work is productive, but tiring.

[InsaneIrish]

1. Piss off the fewest number of people possible. And especially make sure the nobility is happy as a group.

I have found that things like personal invites go along way to getting attendance and making people feel special. Since you are planning a small un-official event. You can invite anyone you want. Just make sure that you make it VERY clear that the event is NOT an SCA event. That way there is no insurance or corpora problems.


3. Counted blows to X, no simulated wounds, etc...
4. Grand melee type where everyone can get their fill of fighting with no waiting.
5. Historically based if possible.

Being an un-offical event, you can place ever restrictions on that you want. but, to keep "ruffled feathers" to a minimum, I would make sure that EVERYONE knows what to expect in the fighting before hand.

6. Minimal to no talking.

LOL, well you can try, one thing I have found out about the SCA. We LOVE to talk. We talk about talking, we talk about the rules, we talk about talking about the rules, we talk about NOT talking about the rules, we talk about talking during engagement, etc. So good luck with that.

If you event is focused on fighting, then try and plan it opposite a non-fighting event. Or if you are planning something more local, try for a day where there is nothing going on around you. Remember, ASK. Invite the chivalry as a whole to the event, play no favorites, let the invitees decide whether to go or not.

Good luck,

Sounds like fun

[Aaron]

Good Morrow,

An excellent gentleman of the chivalry gave me a fantastic idea.

I'll just find out what events are going on, and offer my help as an assistant autocrat. It's being a host that I miss most, and that will fill my need to be useful and entertaining.

Maybe some event needs someone to be a juggler or jester or autocrat or someone to serve at the tables.

That doesn't annoy anyone AND I get to be useful.