Dear assholes who think you can sell stolen armor back to us...

[Crossbow]

Was the lady in your story the woman who worked the guy over with a pewter tankard? I heard that happened down in the Swamp (which is where I live). We do have a problem with townies down there.

No, she had a walking stick. Duchess Sir someone-or-other... This happened up near the Serengetti.

I camp in E11, on Hill Road, right next to the highway. We routinely get people jumping the fence from I-79, right across the road from our camp, usually at night.
We have a small, way-too-damn-many candlepower spotlight that we keep around for picking them out. Jacklighting drunks is worth a hell of a lot of laughs.

BTW: Don't try anything with us. We're not stickjocks, but EVERYONE in my camp has a bow or crossbow....

[Samaliel]

Reminds me of the LARP association of which I was a member. Three players were cops. All of them always had their handcuffs with them. One of them was with the Renseignements Généraux (French equivalent of the FBI). Another was in an anti-riot squad.

Yet, one newb thought it was a good idea to let his fingers through other's people belongings. Got caught red handed. With 3 law enforcement people at hand, he was handled by the book until the nice people from the local police force came and took him into custody. Charges weren't pressed, but he did spend a night in custody. And of course, he was banned from ever playing with us again.

[protege]

The SCA is very protective of their own... unless you break the laws then you better hope the cops get you before they do. Getting minors drunk or messing with a minor is a very quick way to alot of pain.

Not just the SCA...I know of several people who are like that, including myself

Some of you might remember me talking about the night someone tried to break into my grandmother's place. I was there alone, since she was in the hospital after an auto accident. Late one night, some idiot tried to force the (solid oak, and very heavy) front door in

Whoever it was, ran off when the porch lights came on. Considering I had an exam the next morning, I was a bit pissed--I grabbed the pitchfork off the kitchen porch...and ran after the bastard. The guy apparently ran towards the highway...and I'm sure he crapped his pants all the way to the PA/WV state line less than 10 miles away Oddly enough, I never had that problem again.

People like that are exactly why quite a few landowners will shoot at trespassers. They assume that any intruders are up to no good. Throw in the meth labs (yep, it's a growing problem in rural SW PA, unfortunately), and you'd have to be an idiot and/or suicidal to attempt a break-in.

Getting back on topic here, I'm sure that any gains from burglaries are hauled off to garage sales and local flea markets, possibly even in the same town or county. Most of the stuff usually stolen (cash, DVDs, electronics, etc.) are common enough to not arouse suspicions.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Well, if you look at the map, our block is a cul de sac. Either you are supposed to be down there or you aren't supposed to be down there. You don't come through our block on your way anywhere else.

And we all pretty much know each other, at least by sight.

[Nohbody]

As a 'dane (as in mun-, not the Scandanavian folks), I have to ask: In the context of SCA, what's a "townie"?

I tried googling, but I had no luck there. Dunno if that was me using the wrong search terms or what, but nothing that I saw was at all enlightening.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I doubt you'll find it in Google. It's SCA slang for local outsiders who jump the fence and invade an event in search of free booze, partying, and troublemaking.

Townies are a problem because they have no respect for our scene and they treat it like it's a place they can come act like jackasses and not have to face consequences.

Local outsiders who DO respect our scene, and who show up, follow the rules, and act like they have some sense are not called townies. They are called newbies or guests.

The word is often used disparagingly.

[Nohbody]

Yeah, I did at least get the connotation from the context.

Anyway, thanks. Kinda what I suspected to start with, but I was unsure enough to ask to be certain.

[Andara Bledin]

Yeah, the whole "protect our own" thing isn't something special in the SCA.

It's pretty much a show folk thing, regardless of what your show is. You've got SCAdians, Rennies, LARPers, carnies... all tend to be fairly tight-knit groups that spend a lot of time together doing something they love, and woe betide any who try to cause trouble, even from within the ranks.

Back at a Renn faire in Palm Springs we had a newer member of one of he live steel groups get drunk, and then wander around the grounds with his sword in hand. He even tried to swing it out with someone who told him to put it down and go back to bed.

The crew he was with collected him, disarmed him (he was so drunk, he was more a danger to himself than anyone else), and then 'escorted' him back to their encampment. I understand he... fell down... a lot on the way over. He wasn't feeling anything that night, but he must have felt like hell the next morning, with a hangover, to boot.

^-.-^

[EvilEmpryss]

LOL!!! The uninitiated don't realize that each set of armor is as distinctive and personalized as a car's VIN! Not to mention it's generally sized for the wearer only and would take knowledgeable modification to make it fit someone else... at last it would to make it fit effectively. I fought in borrowed armor, and it's not only uncomfortable, it chaffs!

I never got to go to Pennsic, but as a belly dancer I had my fair share of tough guys playing body guard for me at the local fairs. It really doesn't take much to inspire a herd of stick jocks with an ale-pickled senses of medieval chivalry to protect a scantily-clad young lady's honor. Especially when they (erroneously) think that such protection will earn them an invitation back to her hotel room.

*sigh* I miss the SCA. I was really getting into learning to make armor.

[Bliss]

It sounds like a good close-knit community

It's really more of a close knight community, really.

[AccountingDrone]

Ah! Pentwyvern! Met Az for the first time since we've became good friends six or so years ago (I know. Weird.) Spent many a morning up at Pentwyvern having coffee with very interesting and wonderful people.

I'm down in X09 in Court of Miracles (Yeah. "gypsy" camp. The lowest point, both physically and socioeconomically, at Pennsic.) It's all too easy for townies to jump the fence down there in the Swamp. We've actually had our camp ransacked one year. Guy didn't get caught because it got done while we were out.

Which blows my mind. Again, armed nutjobs roaming around a dark Swamp at night. If a townie got beaten or stabbed or whatever, you think any of the proud-to-be-lowlifes down there would "see" anything? Nobody would see squat in a situation like that. It's dark as the inside of a dog down there, and all of us have each other's backs. It's a real good place to get very badly fucked up, if you are an outsider intent on pulling something uncool.

Our camp is frequently booby trapped now, as a result of that invasion. One year, our alarm system went off and within half a minute, the peremeter was swarming with large, heavily armed men intent on delivering an ass kicking of biblical proportions. Turned out to be a racoon. If it hadn't...wow.

There is always someone in our camp at all times. Typically me =) being a gimp, I don't tend to get out of camp other than to shop or do the occasional class. I haven't been able to get to Pennsic for 3 years for health reasons, but we may have a loaner scooter for me for the next one.

I tell you, I was camp mommy for Bloodguard on the serenghetti before Ice made king, hot dry and you couldn't pay me to camp there. Although the tornado touching down was exciting. I seriously prefer where we are now. Although we did have a turtle rampage [slowly] through the camp one morning. Our typical invader tends to be smallish kids wanting to fish and mooch snacks =) I think we get a better class of campers where we are - it is all pretty much established camps. I think the last new faces we got was about 6 or 7 years ago when someone started camping on the other side of the road in what used to be a poison ivy patch of epic proportions. Their first pig roast ever could have turned out epic fail ... they didnt realize you couldnt start a whole pig roasting at noon and expect it to be done at sundown. The pig bits brought back to me were mostly raw, well under rare. Tossed them onto the grill for a few to get them up to temp before eating. THey got better the next year though, someone had a talk to them about it I guess.

What people at pennsic should do is butterfly the pigs and use a china box Cooks much faster, and is a lot easier than promoting a bunch of people to turn a spit, or rent a power spit. You can make smores over it while waiting for the piggy to get done =)

It's really more of a close knight community, really.

I have to admit, I have dropped all the email lists I was on because of the politics but most of the best people I know I met in the SCA [other than the military folk I know, but then the SCA has a seriously large military community in proportion.]

I have noticed though, the demographics have shifted over the years. It used to be a lot more SF/fantasy university geeks [it originated as a party in Berkley of a bunch of fantasy fans and sort of took off from there] and is now a lot more mainstream. Well, as mainstream as history and fantasy gets

It has also gotten a lot more historical and less forgiving of fantasy, which I rather deplore ... it started as sheer fantasy, and a home for fantasy fen. I may be seriously into fantasy, but I have over 10 000 hours and a fairly expensive research library for my personas. Although I scored one of the 13 pound copies of Queen ELizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd [I had been searching for it and found it on Amazon's british site .... way mismarked at 13 pounds plus shipping ... ordered it immediately and spread the news on a couple of clothing oriented email lists. We caused a run on the book that made them notice it was mismarked. I think there were about 30 of us that ordered and got the price before they could get it off the page and remarked ] I also scored an unmutilated copy of Tilkes oriental costumes because the bookseller had no clue and marked it $5US ...

[poofy_puff]

Although I scored one of the 13 pound copies of Queen ELizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd [I had been searching for it and found it on Amazon's british site .... way mismarked at 13 pounds plus shipping ... ordered it immediately and spread the news on a couple of clothing oriented email lists. We caused a run on the book that made them notice it was mismarked. I think there were about 30 of us that ordered and got the price before they could get it off the page and remarked ] I also scored an unmutilated copy of Tilkes oriental costumes because the bookseller had no clue and marked it $5US ...

That is amazing; I'm not in the SCA, but I'm doing a lot of reading about the kings and queens of England and Scotland, particularly during the medieval era, as well as other aspects of the medieval era such as food. Again, that price is incredible; they must have forgotten to add a zero at the end.

[AccountingDrone]

That is amazing; I'm not in the SCA, but I'm doing a lot of reading about the kings and queens of England and Scotland, particularly during the medieval era, as well as other aspects of the medieval era such as food. Again, that price is incredible; they must have forgotten to add a zero at the end.

Ah, let me corrupt you into joining the SCA ...

My buddy Stef has a killer page, the Florithingy he has with permission created a database of a lot of email lists and usenet groups on a huge amount of correspondence about innumerable subjects. Ask me if you have any questions and Ill have a go at answering. There are a lot of people doing amazing research. We *love* to do research

[poofy_puff]

I do own a copy of The Known World Handbook... I am just way too stuck at home with my cats. I am on the SCATowers mailing list and let's see... the Cook's Guild mailing list. I'm sort of an armchair philosopher when it comes to medieval stuff. Not that it doesn't LOOK like fun. Maybe one of these days.

[Stormraven]

I used to be in the SCA - Calontir at the time. I wandered out of it once I moved West. There was just a lot less 'play' than I was used to, and it didn't feel right to me. But if I ever move back to Calontir, I'll almost certainly give it another try.