And while we're on the subject

I ran across this quote recently -- don't know who said it, but it's true.

'People will forget what you said. They will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel!'

He who is full of himself

is full of something else too.

Awards and titles don't make you special. Your actions and words make you special. One of the things that helps make a person special, in any context, is respect for others.

How To Be A Bad King In 3 Easy Lessons

It isn't easy to be a bad king in the SCA. If you don't do anything, you're still an okay king. Being a bad king takes active effort on your part. Fortunately you can do it in three easy steps.

1) Start with a bright idea and don't talk to anybody about it.
Well, you can talk to your buddies if you're sure they won't disagree with you. Above all, don't talk to anyone who might not support your brainstorm. Don't mention it to your officers and be very careful not to reveal it to people in general.

2) Spring it on everybody as a fiat accompli. Don't let anyone know about it until you proclaim it. Preferably catch everyone flat-footed at an inconvenient time, like a week before the event where it goes into force.

3) When the inevitable storm of protest starts, try to weasel your way out of it. Lie about your reasons for the decision, try to shift the blame to others, distort and misrepresent the events leading up to it and never, never, never reverse yourself. Throw temper tantrums if possible to demonstrate the wisdom of your decision.

Of course the decision is almost sure to be overturned as soon as the next king takes the throne. Or if you do a really good job of being a bad king, the Board will overrule you and remove you at King.

See, wasn't that easy?

--Ironsteed

The Power Of The Crown

Although I'm often accused of being an anti-royalist, the truth is that I am perhaps the staunchest royalist in the Kingdom of Atenveldt.

What confuses people is that I deal in the true power of the Crown and not in imaginary prerogatives or what's written into Kingdom law.

The Essence of the Crown's power is spiritual -- manna, if you will. The power flows from the Crown's position as the focus for the dreams, ideals and pageantry of the SCA. A king has power not because Kingdom law or the ukases of the Board grant him power. He has power flowing from the belief of the people.

The truth is that the SCA could be a representative democracy and the King would still be the most powerful person in the Kingdom, followed closely by the Queen.

But the true power of the Crown is a subtle power and it takes a certain amount of skill to exercise effectively. You don't exercise it by pulling bright ideas out of your belly button and issuing orders. Or by acting on your own whims and ignoring the needs and ideals of the Society. If you try to do that the power of the Crown will turn around and bite. And believe me, it can bite hard and deep.

"Are you in a play?" The SCA as a performing art.

One of the ways SCA participants participate is by acting the part. This is the whole point behind having a persona, although personas aren't necessary to act the part. By your actions, your demeanor, by everything you say or do, especially in public, you contribute to everyone's experience at an event.

Back in the early days before anyone knew about the SCA it was common for a group of SCAers out in the real world in garb to be asked "are you in a play". The answer was no, followed by overwhelming the questioner with information about the SCA.

However there is a sense in which the SCA is a play, a play performed for the benefit of the participants rather than an audience. Like any play, the more effort the actors put into it, the more satisfying the outcome.