[Artemisia] Fwd: New changes/rules approved

Tue Oct 25 16:20:38 CDT 2011

I can understand your mixed feelings on this Elfwyn.  And it lends itself to
something that has always bothered me.  Appearance.  I am not really
equating this to the newbie fighters.  That issue is something we as the
more experienced fighters should help with, but I will address the issues
separately, and obviously this is coming from a Heavy Fighter point of view,
just so everyone is aware.

1) Experienced Fighters:  There are, as Elfwyn has stated, even Royal peers
that have gear that seems below their station.  And I am not talking about
armor from multiple periods or out of their period altogether, that’s an
even further subtopic.  I see visible sports gear, duct tape, stickers, and
general unkept armor all the time.  To the point to where you have to wonder
if it’s even safe!  I know in the past I have seen shields held together
with bits of twine & strapping tape and so precarious I have to wonder how
the hell it passed inspection in the first place.

If you have put money, time, blood, sweat & tears into this facet of the
game, then take the time to fix what’s broken or at least remove the tape
off your helm.  I was one that didn't pay much attention to the
stickers/duct tape on my helm but after getting some great shots of me in
armor and having the ugly blaring duct tape ruin it, I pay much more
attention now.  I mean how many of us have seen the group shots from Harvest
War this year and they look amazing, except for the horribly placed red or
blue duct tape right in the center of our foreheads!

Even while hockey gloves, etc are not period, if you took the time to use a
sharpie & color in the white, or do something that could cover it in some
way that made it less obvious, it would go a long way for your appearance.
Even simply repairing your ripped pants or making a simple tabard can make
you look 110% better.  My Knight puts a huge emphasis on how his Squires
appear.  We are a reflection on him, our consorts, our King & our Kingdom
and we represent them as envoys when we travel to areas other than our own.

It would seem to me that if you are on the path to Knighthood (or for that
matter already a Knight), appearing as such is of great importance.  It
would reflect upon your Renown, and quite frankly even Prowess to a certain
degree, although judging a fighter's "worth" based on appearance alone is
not something one does twice lol.

As Reinmar states, years ago it was taught that appearing medieval is
something we should all strive for, regardless of the path we choose.  As so
many are starting to consider our fighting “a sport” it seems like we have
gotten away from the medieval aspect and are becoming a lot more
lackadaisical to our appearance because of it.   I think if the focus were
reacquired, we may gain a little more respect in our own appearance as well.

2) Newbie Fighters: We are losing our base of fighters as it is.  The “old
school” Knights are fading with age, illness, etc and we are not replacing
them as fast as we once have.  We need to do everything possible to renew
interest in what we do, not only for ourselves but to bring others in.  That
means making sure our loaner gear is NOT a hodgepodge set of junk that will
hinder a fighter more than help.  Nor should it be obvious sports gear.  If
we as “the experienced fighters” don’t have some sort of standard to offer,
then how can we hold our newbie fighters accountable?

I realize armor is hard to come by, but hand me downs can be repaired,
altered and made presentable in almost every case with some effort.  If that
newbie fighter has gone to all the trouble to make his own armor, or
purchase an entire kit off the internet, would it be so hard to take some
time with them and explain what could improve it even more?  Or for that
matter, give them an older piece of garb that might help them out, I do not
know of any fighter out there that hasn’t been gifted something at one time
or another.  Pay it forward – without expecting anything in return.

A Knight is more than fighting prowess.  You should know the courtly graces,
you should know how to mend your own garb or kit on the fly.  In all honesty
you should know what needs to be fixed without being told.  I am required to
know how to make my own garb, fix my own armor, build my own weapons,
fashion my own shields, etc.  Having that knowledge goes a long way in
helping me do everything else AND helping others.  If I look confident, I
feel confident & I fight confident.  And those of you that have fought me
know I need every edge I can possibly muster >;p

We as the fighting community need to HELP these new fighters, promote proper
ways of doing things and be the change we want to see.  Otherwise we can
chitchat all we want until we are blue in the face, but it will do no good.
 So, whether they are in your household, or they’re a newbie right outta the
box, take time to help them improve (in a friendly and pleasant manner).  They
are in OUR Kingdom and the responsibility rests on OUR shoulders to foster
good will and promote growth, lest we lose the very thing we love, and I for
one am not willing to see that happen any more than it already has.

Along this same line, I would love to see more classes or discussions around
fighting traditions, (even traditions in general) that have been lost or
forgotten.  We pride ourselves on re-creating the best of medieval history
but more times than I care to count we have lost OUR history, OUR traditions
as a Kingdom and as a Society.  Even from 15 years ago I see a huge
difference in the way we play now vs. then and I can only think it has to do
with us losing those that knew what the traditions were.

I have talked to many a Knight and even within the Chivalry views of
traditions are vastly different.  We have new traditions and old, it would
be wonderful if we had a way of keeping track of these, in some fashion or
another.

Just a few thoughts, sorry if I rambled on but this is something near & dear
to my heart.  I am more than willing to help in any way, shape or form, to
encourage our fighting community in a way that fosters growth & renewed hope
for a brighter vision of our future, that represents our past =)

On Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 8:59 PM, Rick & Tina Olson <rtolson25 at gmail.com>wrote:

> This doesn't say you can't use a hockey glove, it just says paint over the
> logo and make some attempt to look period.  I'm all for the new guy that
> made his own body armor from a blue barrel,  he just needs a cool tabbard
> to
> help make it look pleasant to the eye.  These were the principals taught to
> new members 30 years ago and I think they still apply.
> Reinmar
>
> On Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 7:57 PM, Elfwyn Starrsdottir <
> elfwynthedane at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > I have to say, I have very mixed feelings about this. On the one hand,
> > there are people who have had more than ample time and money to put into
> > their kit to where I cannot fathom why they haven't bother to cover the
> > mundane gear (a couple of Royal Peers spring to mind), and on the other
> > hand, making it even harder for new fighters to get on the field seems
> like
> > a Really Bad Idea. As it is, heavy fighting will absolutely devour time,
> > money, and effort in a way that is mind-boggling.
> >
> > Of course, it's also up to Kingdoms whether or not they enforce the
> rules.
> > Down in Ansteorra, marshalling heavy combat tournaments using glaives and
> > spears and other two-handed weapons is utterly commonplace -- marshalling
> > staves are rare. Technically, that is absolutely against Society rules,
> but
> > that's just what they do.
> >
> > On a different level, but a more widespread example, Society rules state
> > that Embattled Coronets are reserved for those of County Rank and above,
> but
> > 7 of the 19 Kingdoms use them for Viscounty rank. It may be a Society
> rule,
> > but when over 1/3 of the Kingdoms do things a different way, the rule is
> > pretty much nullified.
> >
> > I am not implying that ignoring Society Rules is a Good Thing, btw. Just
> > pointing out that it does happen, rather frequently.
> >
> > YIS,
> > Elfwyn the Dane
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> >
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