From: bq434@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Michael A. Chance)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Help!! Please!!
Date: 19 Aug 92 18:19:01 GMT
Reply-To: bq434@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Michael A. Chance)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)


[NOTE: I tried to send this via Email to save bandwidth, but the
destination host mail software replied that the poster doesn't have an
Email mailbox currently. MAC]

Joe,

This newsgroup is for and about the members and activities of an
organization called the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA).  It's a
group that researches and re-creates the Middle Ages and Renaissance in
Europe (as well as the other culture that it came in regular contact
with, like the Middle East).

The SCA, unlike other re-enactment groups, focuses on individual
efforts, rather than trying to specifically re-create or re-enact a
specific time and/or place.  Thus, there can be a wide variance in the
level of the authenticity of the re-creation, based on the time,
talents, and financial resources of the individuals invovled.

Many members are just interested in things medieval; some are serious
scholars who enjoy "getting their hands dirty" rather than (or in
addition to) the theorectical knowledge gained by pure research.  The
average tends to be somewhere in between.

The SCA is not "live action role-playing"; it is intended to be a
serious effort at historical re-creation.  This doesn't mean it isn't
fun; quite the opposite!  Most of the organizations efforts are geared
toward the local groups hosting approximate re-creations of medieval
tournaments, fairs, courts, and feasts.  While these have the same
feeling as the Renassance Fairs that you've been to (which are all money
making ventures, by the way), the difference is that everyone in
attendance is portraying someone who might have lived in the Middle Ages
or Renaissance.  The intrusion of things modern is kept to a minimum,
and (usually) everyone is an active participant, rather than a gawking
spectator.

There are some periodic postings in the newsgroup that help explain what
we're about; the one explaining what "the Rialto" (our nickname for the
newsgroup) is appeared just a few days ago.  If you have FTP capability,
I can track down the location of an anonymous FTP site where you can get
the FAQ files a little quicker.

In the meantime, just listen in and enjoy!  We may get a little rowdy at
times, and there will probably be some stuff you won't understand for a
bit.  If you're interested at all, you might try locating the nearest
branch of the SCA to you.  The friendly folks there will be glad to
answer as many of your questions as they can.

Hope this has helped a bit,

Michael A. Chance
known in the Society as Mikjal Annarbjorn

--
Michael A. Chance          St. Louis, Missouri, USA    "At play in the fields
Work: mc3078@sw1sta.sbc.com                             of St. Vidicon"
Play: bq434@cleveland.freenet.edu
      mchance@nyx.cs.du.edu

-- 
Michael A. Chance          St. Louis, Missouri, USA    "At play in the fields
Work: mc3078@sw1sta.sbc.com                             of St. Vidicon"
Play: bq434@cleveland.freenet.edu
      mchance@nyx.cs.du.edu
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca