[Artemisia] A New Debate - Pay to Play

[ravenmacleod at comcast.net]

I think that there is some confusion about what is being meant by "pay to play". Right now the policies are that in orer to participate in the "advanced" areas of the society, for example; entering competitions skilled, artisan, or martial, to autocrat events, to hold offices and to achieve certain levels of recognition a person has to be a member. To just show up at events or at fighter practice people are welcome to come and go as they please, all we ask of them is that they pay a site fee (plus a nonmember surcharge) and that they make an attempt at pre 16th century garb, and were pretty flexible about that. Were not saying that people who can only afford come to the occasional event have to scrounge through their pockets to pay membership first, these are our friends, and we want them to be there. But if they want to be the threads of the tapestry rather than the cloth that makes up the background, the commitment is of a higher and more costly nature.
 
I believe that we should pay to play, but showing up is free, except site fees and what not  ;)

--
Raven MacLeod 
Sergeant, Student, Vassal 

En fides abunde virtus, en virtus abunde fides. 

If people knew how hard I worked to gain my mastery, it wouldnt seem so wonderful after all. --Michelangelo