Society for Creative Anachronism?

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Is anyone familiar with this? I was recently reading a fanfiction which took place at an SCA event, and I thought about checking it out because it seemed like it might be a good way to find a social group. I would have fun immersing myself in the historical fantasy play (and maybe I could learn some cool skills), and it seems like there might be a high percentage of geeky people there. Plus there seems to be more structure to the interactions and relationships than in most groups, which would be helpful. Structured social events are much more comfortable for me than unstructured ones.

Here is a link to the Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_fo ... nachronism

In college I belonged to a very geeky role-playing group (which included some diagnosed Aspies and some others I thought were probably on the Spectrum), and I loved some of the activities like bop-swording and laser tag. This group seems sort of similar (although the details of the activities would be different of course).

I went to a super geeky school for undergrad, and then attended a super non-geeky graduate program. I really miss being around fellow geeks! (most of whom seem to have at least one foot on the Spectrum)

Something tells me these are the people you see at all the Renfaires (Renaissance Faires). Never got the Middle Ages reenacting, prefer technology; n***a KNOW technology...

You are too smart to be wasting your time on such nonsense.

If one is "too smart" to be partaking in "such nonsense", then the SCA is the place to do it. Unlike the "renfaires" at which one sees scantily-clad Xena: Warrior Princess -types gallivanting around with faerie wings and elf ears, the SCA is actually dedicated to recreating and reviving the most important and best-loved aspects and skills of the Middle ages all around the globe.

"The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is a not-for-profit educational
organization devoted to the study of pre-seventeenth century Western Culture. It
concentrates on the European Middle Ages, Renaissance, and members work to
recreate the arts and skills of this era. Some members study the Middle East and
explore the interaction between Europe and Asia during the period under study.
The SCA was incorporated in 1968, but recognizes a tournament held in
Berkeley, California, on May 1, 1966, as its founding date."

"For Further Information
Several kingdoms have a specific guide for newcomers giving details about the
kingdom's operation, structure, and practices. If none is available at a local
meeting, write to the kingdom chatelaine or information officer to obtain one.
There may be a small fee.
Through the Office of the Stock Clerk (P.O. Box 360743, Milpitas, CA 95036-0743
USA) the SCA sells a number of helpful publications at modest prices. The most
comprehensive is the Known World Handbook which contains over 200 pages of
information on dozens of topics to help the newcomer learn about the SCA, as well as some "how-to" articles. Ask for a list of publications from the Stock Clerk.
You can also visit the online store at www.sca.org.
If you have any suggestions or additions for this newcomer's guide, if something
was not clear or was difficult to understand, or if something was missing that
you needed to know, please write to the SCA at the address above and let us
know.
Keep in mind the three "P's": patience, persistence, and politeness. Be patient
with yourself while you are learning about the Society's medieval world. Be
patient with those you meet who may be so involved with their own affairs that
they fail to notice a new person. Persist in asking questions, seeking information,
and coming to meeting. Be polite and courteous in your dealings with other
Society members. Keep these guidelines in mind and you will soon be a welcome
member of the SCA."


(Copied from their official .pdf introductory literature, "Forward into the Past".)


Some links:
www.sca.org --- (Official SCA website)
http://www.sca.org/sca-intro.html --- (This is a brief history and explanation of the SCA and its origins.)
www.scademo.com --- (This site gives a preview of activities available to members, including many arts, sciences, sports, and combat skills.)
http://www.sca.org/findsca.html --- (This is a site to help you find a local SCA group near you)

There are many other links on the "links" page of the official website. I hope this information proves useful!

it's a social sort of club - very heavily built on a set of "laws" and "customs" that have evolved within the "kingdoms" over the last several decades. an alternate social setting, as it were. i've known about and been on the fringes of SCA for about 35 years, though i do not participate. (love the history, hate the social aspects of it all.) you can have a lot of fun with it. there are some nice people involved. there are also some real head cases, just like in the "mundane" (aka everyday) world. for some reason, i've met more of the "can't fit in to every day life so i've sought refuge here" types, but i have no idea if that's the norm.

as long as you don't let it take over your life, you don't let yourself believe that world is the actual world you live in and, thus, spend all your time devoted to it to the neglect of the day-to-day, you can have quite a good time. especially if you have a very specific period of history/place in which you are interested and you run across others with those same interests.

you will find some SCA around renfaires. you'll also find a lot of wannabes who wear historically inaccurate clothing that allows them to flash otherwise covered body parts who butcher what they think the language and manners of "the time" were.... a really serious sca person has their persona (the person they become from a particular time and place) down perfectly.

have a good time!

Nan's experience parallels my own. I was a member in college decades ago, got disgusted with the politics and egos, quit, and rejoined a few years ago. This time I limit my participation. I enjoy watching the tourneys, have met some really nice folk, and enjoy the occasional classes. The clash of egos, the rules, and the seriously strange folk are still there, but I mostly ignore them.

Thanks for all the information, guys. I think I will definitely check it out.
I'm not interested in the politics at all so hopefully I'll be able to avoid some of that mess- what I'd like is to find a set of people interested in a specific skill or activity from that time that I might enjoy, so that I could get together with them and work on it.

Hopefully I'll be able to meet some cool people and avoid the not-so-nice ones.

OH WOW!! !!

I almost fell outta my chair when I saw this post. I have been involved w/ SCA
in some form or fashion since the very early 1980's Great to see the youngsters
are getting involved!

Woo Hoo!

He's a witch! BURN HIM!! !!

Me, too, off and on since 1975.

The interesting thing about the SCA is that, in the 40 years of its existence, it has grown into more of a social subculture than a mere social club. I wouldn't be surprised to meet families who now have three generations involved in it. Basically, if anything artistic, constructive, or martial was done during its time frame (roughly CE 600 to CE 1650—essentially, from the fall of Imperial Rome to the discovery and colonization of the New World), then someone does it or people would love to see it developed as an art and a passtime. The stylized combat gets the most attention in general (let's face it: two people in wearing a fair fraction of their weight in metal and hardened leather, swinging rattan replicas of medieval weapons at each other, tends to be noticable), but there's something happening in the organization for almost anyone. Me, I don't fight: I do calligraphy and some heraldry. My wife does illumination (manuscript painting), almost any kind of fiber art (embroidery, knitting, weaving, etc.) that you can imagine, and brewing. It's well worth scoping out.

Last edited by Koldune on 11 Sep 2008, 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Huh?

Me, I'm a musician, and personally I'd love to get into that aspect of the SCA. I love performing old Celtic and Gaelic songs. I sing and play pennywhistle. I'd love to find a group of people with the same interests to perhaps get involved that way. I also have a love for archery, though I can profess to be far better at music than I am with a bow. lol But if you could all help me out with info as to who to see or where to go to break onto that scene, it would be much appreciated.

Well, since you were the one who posted the Internet links, including the Society's Web site, I would guess that you know how to use the Web site to find a local branch. (I don't know where you are, so I can't tell how close you might be to a branch.) The next step would be to contact that group's Arts and Sciences Minister, if it has one, or its seneschal. Going further afield, you could also seek out those officers in an larger, adjoining branch. A sure winning bet, though, would be to ask the Arts and Sciences minister for the kingdom where you reside. You can find his or her contact information on your kingdom's Web sight, under "Kingdom Officers," "Regnum," or something similar. He or she should know what's going on for music and where, or will be able to point you toward someone who does.