For those curious about the SCA....

[LadyTevar]

There is usually a session cost or dues (for insurance at the very least). If you wish to aquire your own waster It'll set you back $65-75. SCA combat gear can easily start at over $500 for a beginner's set of armor & weapons.

Actually, you can find them for much less. Nitram's hand-me-down set was only $200. Several beginners get them for even less, as older fighters want to get you armored and started fighting. Most groups have 'loaner gear' until you can get your own, and older fighters will sometimes give away armor when they have built a newer set.

It comes down to what your intrest is, a fantasy medieval culture immersion, or historical recreation of combat techniques. For just as foil fencing is different then real rapier combat, SCA combat is different than actual combat techniques. Of course if you have the time, you can do both.

The SCA is not 'fantasy medieval', we leave that to the RennFaires. Outside of the combat, we strive to recreate the arts & sciences (weaving, sewing, metalworking, cooking, brewing, alchemy, calligraphy/illumination, etc) to the best of our ablities, keeping up with the current research and archeological papers.
We do not use LiveSteel in combat for safety reasons. We use modern equivalents to create our armor for safety reasons. Unlike many LiveSteel demonstrations I've seen, this means that our combat is Full Contact - we are not going at half-speed, we are not holding back our shots, and we dont' have to aim for a shield to prevent bodily harm.
The titles of Lord/Lady, Baron, Duke, Knight, King... all are Meritocratic titles, unlike another group that gives out titles based on the membership fee you pay. I earned my Award of Arms by serving as Chronicler (newletter publisher) of two groups and by serving as Seneschal (president) of a third. I'm far less active in the Society now, so I doubt I'll raise any higher, but you never know until you're called up in front of their Majesties in Court. After all, your fellow Scadians are the ones that recommend you for rewards.

[Kettch]

There is usually a session cost or dues (for insurance at the very least). If you wish to aquire your own waster It'll set you back $65-75. SCA combat gear can easily start at over $500 for a beginner's set of armor & weapons.

Actually, you can find them for much less. Nitram's hand-me-down set was only $200. Several beginners get them for even less, as older fighters want to get you armored and started fighting. Most groups have 'loaner gear' until you can get your own, and older fighters will sometimes give away armor when they have built a newer set.

The pricing I was looking at was for a barrel armor set, steel helm & weapon. It priced out to about $500 when I was looking a while ago. Loaner gear & hand me downs vary based on what is available, though eBay can midigate this a bit. And yes, if one is intrested there is always the cheapest, route, learn how to build it yourself.

It comes down to what your intrest is, a fantasy medieval culture immersion, or historical recreation of combat techniques. For just as foil fencing is different then real rapier combat, SCA combat is different than actual combat techniques. Of course if you have the time, you can do both.

The SCA is not 'fantasy medieval', we leave that to the RennFaires. Outside of the combat, we strive to recreate the arts & sciences (weaving, sewing, metalworking, cooking, brewing, alchemy, calligraphy/illumination, etc) to the best of our ablities, keeping up with the current research and archeological papers.
We do not use LiveSteel in combat for safety reasons. We use modern equivalents to create our armor for safety reasons. Unlike many LiveSteel demonstrations I've seen, this means that our combat is Full Contact - we are not going at half-speed, we are not holding back our shots, and we dont' have to aim for a shield to prevent bodily harm.
The titles of Lord/Lady, Baron, Duke, Knight, King... all are Meritocratic titles, unlike another group that gives out titles based on the membership fee you pay. I earned my Award of Arms by serving as Chronicler (newletter publisher) of two groups and by serving as Seneschal (president) of a third. I'm far less active in the Society now, so I doubt I'll raise any higher, but you never know until you're called up in front of their Majesties in Court. After all, your fellow Scadians are the ones that recommend you for rewards.

Pardon M'Lady but the SCA is a fantasy medievel organization. It is a set up of ficticious kingdoms mapped onto the United States. As you yourself note, titles are based on meritocracy, not birthright or bribery. I am not disputing that many members seek to produce hyper-acurate clothing woven in a correct 14th centry Flemish pattern, or some hardcores don't set up camp at the Penzac Wars as correct medievel encampment. But can dames take the field of combat in SCA tournies? It is a fantasy "setting" even if it is not "sword & sorcery" or "high" fantasy.

The pictures I posted from the Might & Mettle tourney at the CT Ren are Steel on Steel (Metal blades & Metal Armor) not Live Steel (Sharp). They were performing full contact at speed. Now what they were not performing was accurate armor vs armor combat. For that they would have been fighting at the 1/2 sword & using the blades in a very different manner and they would have been grappling. (The Higgins armory does demonstration on special occasions for german style full armor combat, but they use preset Sequences for the demos, eitherway it is really cool.) Full High medeival armor is effectively impervioud to a sword slash, especially from a blunt sword. There is no thrusting because that is an effective breaching manuever for the sword.

The point I'm trying to make is not that the SCA is 'bad' or should be avoid ed, but that one should make a judgement on what one wants to do. If you want lots of contact swinging & big roleplaying get togethers & lots of bad old English accents, & understand that it is a potentially heavy investment, the SCA may be for you. Do you want to learn longsword, or other medieval combat as best as we can recreate it, join a HEMA group. Do you want to slay orcs, join a LARP group. There are a lot of choices & as I said in my last post, one is not restricted to just one.

[weemadando]

Someday, I want to get a replica viking longship, fill it with friends, and sack a rennaissance faire. They'd never see it coming :-p

I'd be up for it. :D

The local SCA would whine about that kind of thing. Like the time I was trying to arrange with some local members to have a group of us (not SCA affiliated, but on the payroll of one of the rival factions) to sneak into the "encampment" during one of their big events and to "assassinate" the king in his bed. Apparently that kind of "unfair" play is frowned upon. Boo.

[LadyTevar]

Someday, I want to get a replica viking longship, fill it with friends, and sack a rennaissance faire. They'd never see it coming :-p

I'd be up for it.

The local SCA would whine about that kind of thing. Like the time I was trying to arrange with some local members to have a group of us (not SCA affiliated, but on the payroll of one of the rival factions) to sneak into the "encampment" during one of their big events and to "assassinate" the king in his bed. Apparently that kind of "unfair" play is frowned upon. Boo.

1. You were going to sneak into a PAID event.
2. You were not SCA members, and thus not covered by our insurance.
3. Some groups would have found that funny, as some Princes have ascended the throne by 'assassination' of their 'father'. But other groups have a stick up their behinds.

[weemadando]

I'd be up for it. :D

The local SCA would whine about that kind of thing. Like the time I was trying to arrange with some local members to have a group of us (not SCA affiliated, but on the payroll of one of the rival factions) to sneak into the "encampment" during one of their big events and to "assassinate" the king in his bed. Apparently that kind of "unfair" play is frowned upon. Boo.

1. You were going to sneak into a PAID event.
2. You were not SCA members, and thus not covered by our insurance.
3. Some groups would have found that funny, as some Princes have ascended the throne by 'assassination' of their 'father'. But other groups have a stick up their behinds.

The local group REALLY falls into the stick up their behind category.

And those of us involved were prepared to fork out the required $5.00 to register for the SCA here in order to "legitimise" the scheme.

[LadyTevar]

:blink: $5?

Wow... that either dates you, or Aussieland rates for Associate Membership is really damn cheap. They raised it several years ago to $10.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Tell me where the unjust kingdom is, and my norse brothers and I will burn it to the ground!

[weemadando]

:blink: $5?

Wow... that either dates you, or Aussieland rates for Associate Membership is really damn cheap. They raised it several years ago to $10. :lol:

Well, to join a society at our uni it was $5.00 for the year.

[LadyTevar]

:blink: $5?

Wow... that either dates you, or Aussieland rates for Associate Membership is really damn cheap. They raised it several years ago to $10.

Well, to join a society at our uni it was $5.00 for the year.

Ahhhhhhhhh. Student Price!

yes, those were the nice days... now, for Nitram and I to be full Supporting Members (because I want the newsletters) is $45. (One Supporting, one Family Member.)

[LadyTevar]

Ok... This was a Must Share:



Gotta love those MidEastern girls they find on Crusade....