Commentary on Peder's survey

[Bob H]

His survey is here:
http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/Forum4/HTML/002894.html

Commenting there would only make tabulation more difficult, but I'm nearly certain most of us have reasons for our choices. I'll start.

1st choice - L'anse aux Meadows, or other Viking age outpost. I like material culture (not just making or acquiring it, but learning to use it to understand strengths and weaknesses, and to get a feel for life in that time and place). This would work best if there was a regular place for events where the group could build shelters, and the ability to forage, hunt and fish would be a large plus.

2nd choice - A "Nessmuk" group. George Washington Sears (pen name Nessmuk) studied wilderness travel, and achieved an incredible economy of effort in pursuing it - his entire kit weighed 26 pounds including his canoe, and that long before nylon tents and Kevlar boats were known. He often said that he didn't like "roughing it", he liked "smoothing it", and he was good at it.

[Tom Knighton]

1st Choice: 13th Century. This is mostly because of it being the last full century of the Age of Maille, maille being THE defensive material. The armour is cool and the era is cool and all of that, but it's also a time where the tourney is dangerous as hell and, from my meager knowledge, still war training but it's starting to develope into something more.

2nd Choice: 1066 Norman. I'm a decendant from many of the Normans who fought at Hastings. I joined the SCA to honor my ancestors (That and to beat the hell out of my friends like they were baby seals). Hastings was the pinnacle of accomplishment for many of my ancestors, and I've always been drawn to that time to some extent.

BTW, I'm loving the survey. It's amazing how many people have very clear ideas about what living history group they would be involved in if there was no SCA

Bran