Re: MR-Disc: Instant Correct Heraldry for Newbies

["Thorpe, John" <thorpj@caepo1.columbiaSC.NCR.COM>]

Poster: "Thorpe, John" <thorpj@caepo1.columbiaSC.NCR.COM>


Scripsit Alanna Volchevo Lesa:

%petersr@spiegel.becltd.com (Peters, Rise J.) scripsit:
%>>[...] In the Society in general, if you want something, the quality of
%>> what you get, and how fast you get it, depends on how much work you're
%>> willing to put in and at what level of intensity.[...] You can bear down
%>> hard and learn almost any skill well enough to get, at a minimum, a fun
%>> experience and a usable product within a time frame that qualifies as, 
not
%>> instant, but certainly relatively fast gratification -- fast enough to 
keep
%>> you excited and willing to go on working hard to get more good stuff, to
%>> improve or expand your skills, etc.

%>> Contrast that with heraldry:  [...]  I'd love to have banners and 
tabards
%>>and spiff heraldic stuff.   I figure out the rules (complicated in 
itself),
%>> get the forms, go to the library and do my research, etc. etc. -- and
%then >>submit the paperwork and wait for =months= while the bureaucracy
%grinds.
%>>And in the meantime, I have absolutely nothing to show for my work, and 
no
%>>matter how excited I =was= about the possibility of elaborate heraldic
%>>display, all I can do is wait.

%>>Using this process, or a similar one, you could discourage participation 
in
%>>almost every aspect of the SCA.
%>>               [...] and wait for =months= while the bureaucracy grinds.
%And

Wow!  A pretty fair assessment I must say!  With other aspects of the 
Society,
you get fairly immediate results.  Even if they aren't immediate, you can
at least see progess.  Heraldry does seem to fall into a black hole for a 
while.
You have to wait to get any results (good or bad).

However, this doesn't always have to be the case.  If the local herald has 
the
interest and the cash, he(or she) can subscribe to the various commentaries
that are produced by the College of Arms.  That can help keep track of
your heraldry.  It works out even better if your local herald is part of a
commenting group--but that is definitely an exception rather than a rule.

%Alfredo El Bufon scripsit in reply:

%>I propose the following solution:

%>The College of Arms devises, an assortment of heraldicly
%>correct, attractive-looking badges for some new households.
%>I think seven would be a good number.  To join any one of
%>these houses, a gentle need only be interested in making
%>and/or displaying appropriate heraldic displays featuring
%>the household armory.  The newby would know instantly what
%>device to sew on a tabard, pavilion, or whatever.  Later
%>on, said newby decides to register her own device, she
%>could still remain in the household and continue to display
%>the items she worked on before, and/or give them to a newer
%>member of the household who wants to display the heraldry
%>but is not yet ready to make items.

YEAAAGHHH!  Alfredo, smite yourself....twice.  Don't even
TRY to start pressuring new people to join households right
away.  Years ago, there were problems stemming from
households warring over who would get the next newcomer--
to the point of accosting those poor souls after their first
business meeting and applying pressure to get them to join
before they even knew what the SCA is about.

I reiterate:  Bleh.  Icky-poo.

I have nothing against households in general, but when they
start battling for control of people, things have gotten out of
hand.

%A similar solution was proposed a few months back on SCAHRLDS.  Lady
%Margaret suggested that baronies and shires register 'loaner arms'.   If a
%newcomer likes these arms and wishes to adopt them, the group can release
%them to him.  S/he can then go about making and enjoying heraldic display
%items without having to wait the weary months, because these arms have
%already cleared the CoA.

%Mistress Jaelle, what do you think?  Could the categories for such types of
%arms be established?  The point raised about the waiting time and the
%subsequent loss of interest is quite valid, I believe.

As a neutral minion 8^) I like the idea of having armory ready and available
for people to use.  In practice, it would work sort of like a heraldic 
visitation
in period--people get assigned arms by the College of Arms if they do not
have them....  If this doesn't fly, remind people that they can display the 
badges
of the canton/shire/barony/principality/kingdom that they reside in.

Eldred
Neutral Minion(tm) and not always so humble 8^)
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