Recognition of deserving gentles, a further look

["Jonathan Blackbow" <blackbow@sprynet.com>]

Greetings to all who read this!

Something I had noticed in the past with regard to haphazard recognition of
deserving gentles...

Ansteorra has a ranking system in its army based, IIRC, on the number of
weapons forms a fighters is authorized in.  This is a tangible, simple
system of recognition.

While it works well, I don't know if they have a similar system for the arts
and sciences.  It seems to me to be essentially similar to a system of merit
badges, like that of the Scouts.

Would it be possible/desirable to institute a similar system here?  I
envision something like this:

Rank A for X tourney victories with weapon/shield (or perhaps a point system
based on the opponent, such as 3 points for a Duke, 2 for a Count, 3 for a
knight, etc.)

Rank B for Y tourney victories with (other weapons form A)

Rank C for Y tourney victories with (other weapons form B)

And so on.  This would also have the side effect of encouraging VARIETY IN
WEAPONS FORMS AND TOURNEYS, something we don't have enough of, IMO.  As it
stands right now, the only people that enter a typical tourney with anything
other than weapon & shield are those people good enough / crazy enough /
unconcerned with victory enough / entering a tourney specifically for that
weapon.  Because let's face it, w/s is the dominant form out there with the
rules as they are, and they aren't likely to change any time soon.

This would, of course, assume something similar for the Arts and Sciences.
Perhaps something like this:

1 Point for entry in an A&S COMPETITION (NOT merely a display)
3 Points for any win or 2 for any honorable mention or such in same
competition

X (bonus?) points for any entry or performance or whatever CLEARLY outside
that person's specialty (this means you don't get any bonus points, Count
Daffyd ;>)

This way, it would be awfully easy to look at Fighter X or Lady Y and say
"he/she has C ranking or X points...perhaps we should consider watching
so-and-so for Award Z."

Mind you, I'm not saying that it should take X points for a knighthood or Y
for a Laurel or whatever, but it would at least be a starting point.  And in
the meantime, a bunch of people who ordinarily wouldn't get recognized (due
to lack of consistent activity, or lack of the right political connections,
or this, or that, or the other) would have something TANGIBLE to feel good
about.

And if Lord/Lady Q has a couple of hundred points in fighting/A&S and people
are starting to wonder why he/she isn't being considered for
knighthood/peerage, the chivalry/peerage doesn't have to feel the need to
explain its rationale, because they'd be two completely different systems.

This would also have the kingdom-wide effect of instituting a level of
recognition between baronial awards and kingdom awards, and yet it still
doesn't have to rank in the OOP.

If enough people get interested, I'd be glad to flesh this out into a
more-fully-described critter.

Regards,

Ld. Jonathan Blackbow
Clan O'Shannon