In your opinion, what is best thing about the Society?

Master Aleksandr Ruslanovich and Lady Morwenna Westerne (other question responses)
Mistress Caitlin Davies and Master Justin du Coeur (other question responses)
Lady Emmanuelle de Chenonceaux and Master Seamus Donn (other question responses)
Mistress Gwendolyn of Middlemarch and Lord Kali Harlansson of Gotland (other question responses)
Seigneur Jehan du Lac (other question responses)
Master John McGuire (other question responses)
Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva (other question responses)

Master Aleksandr Ruslanovich and Lady Morwenna Westerne :

The combination of fantasy and reality. There are many arenas in which one can be a sword-wielding knight or a master craftsman simply by saying that he is: role-playing, for example.

In the SCA, you can live out your fantasy -- but fantasy only goes so far. If you walk around claiming to be the greatest singer in the world, eventually, people will want to hear you. Conversely, even if you never say anything at all about your singing talents, if you demonstrate them, you will be recognized for them -- possibly formally, certainly informally. The SCA gives participants an outlet to excel with skills or talents that the 'modern' world doesn't necessarily reward. It also encourages behavior that is timeless: courtesy, kindness, and respect for others.

Back to the top.

Mistress Caitlin Davies :

The best thing about our Society is the enormous variety of skills and arts that we learn.

Master Justin du Coeur :

Probably the creative tension inherent in its rather vague definition. That is, the SCA brings together folks with a very broad array of interests in period -- everything from folks who mostly know about period from fantasy to hardcore scholars who focus mainly on one particular topic. The cross-pollination of those attitudes winds up teaching everyone stuff that they didn't know, and leads to a lot of experimentation.

Of course, it's also the Society's great weakness -- that "broad tent" approach means that the SCA has little hope of ever being truly period as an aggregate. Little isolated bits of the SCA can be very authentic, but the larger the scale you look at, the less likely it is to match period models. That's because the Society is basically a gigantic compromise among many differing interests.

But overall, I think it's what defines the SCA, and makes it different both from a simple LARP club and from an academic forum. It combines many different elements in a way that constantly provides new ideas, in all directions...

Back to the top.

Lady Emmanuelle de Chenonceaux :

The ideals that we aspire to.

Master Seamus Donn :

I first joined the society because it seemed an interesting way to learn about history. There wasn't a group where I was so I started one. I have since found many other interesting things in the society. I have learned much about myself, society and the world in general through comparison to historical events and processes. The SCA presents a very personal way to learn such things. Not just what was done but how it was done.

Back to the top.

Mistress Gwendolyn of Middlemarch :

The best thing about the Soceity is the people in the Soceity. The SCA is filled with incredibly talented, intelligent people who are generous with their time and energy, are interested in many aspect of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and are willing to play dress up. I adore doing things I love with the people in the Soceity. After all, I have met many people I admire, some of my best friends, and my husband in the Society.

Lord Kali Harlansson of Gotland :

If you mean, what do I like most about it: it's a wonderfully large group of friends who have a common interest in the Middle Ages, at a common level, and who have found a fun way to do it. A small circle of professional academics in a book club would still count as a medievalist hobby group, but would certainly not have kept my interest all these years.

Back to the top.

Seigneur Jehan du Lac :

Probably the best thing about the Society is it's inclusiveness, the low bar to entry that means that anyone can play. And of course, the worst thing about the Society is the low bar to entry that means that anyone can play. It means that you can have bunny fur barbarians right next to the person who sheared their own sheep, spun, wove, dyed, and hand-stitched their tunic. That can sometimes be frustrating for both of them. But one of the wonders of the Society is that sometimes the bunny fur barbarian can become that Bocksten tunic authenticist. The SCA gives people a place to create themselves in the process of re-creating the past. For a group focused on a very unegalitarian past, it is the most egalitarian organization I know. Anyone willing to work hard can become an honored member of the community. Anyone willing to learn will find many willing to teach. Anyone with a good idea can find people willing to try to create a little magic. People's willingness to volunteer to create an experience for others is a truly wonderful thing in a world that is often greedy, small, and selfish.

This is followed as a very close second by the kindness and generosity of its members. Complete strangers are assumed to be members of the same tribe. You can travel across the country and find a welcome, crash space, a helping hand anywhere.

Back to the top.

Master John McGuire :

Despite all our little arguments and internal politics, we are still a virtual small town. The vast majority of people are willing to be helpful, friendly and polite to anyone. People are amazingly willing to help and give of their time, energy and resources for others they barely know.

Back to the top.

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

We'd have to pick two best things: diversity and tolerance. Without the first, we lose much of what we are. Without the second, the first cannot thrive.

Back to the top.

Return to the main election page.