If you are starting out in the Society for Creative Anachronism or or just want to learn more about it, this page is intended to provide some of the basic guidelines and–in some cases–”ground rules” for participants.

Membership

Membership is not required for many SCA activities, nor is it required to attend SCA events. As a general rule, membership is only required for those who hold offices or serve as royalty. However, membership supports the administrative “overhead” required to serve and support a member base numbering in the thousands. A printable membership form can be found at http://www.sca.org/members/us-mem-form.pdf

Events and Gatherings

Most SCA members travel to regional/national events as well as participate in local meetings, moots and demos. See the Local Calendar as well as the Regional Calendar web pages for more information about upcoming events.

In addition, local members also get together to work on projects, or generally just hang out together. These gatherings, sometimes called “moots”, are listed on the Shire’s Local Calendar.

Family-friendly Activities

Many families have kids that are ‘growing up’ in the SCA, learning a lot in the process, and making real contributions to their groups. Many events have activities specifically for children. If in doubt, contact the person running the event (a.k.a the “autocrat” or “event steward” for an event to ask what kinds of age-appropriate activities are planned.

Important Note: For those under 18 to attend events, with or without their parents, a signed minor waiver is ALWAYS required at entrance. Please do not plan to drop unsupervised children off at meetings or events:  Babysitting services are not provided.

Costume and “Looking Medieval”

Most SCA events require attendees to make an attempt at medieval style dress, a.k.a. “garb”. This can be something as simple as a tunic. Many SCA groups, including Rokeclif, maintain a small collection of “loaner garb” for new members or prospective members to wear during events. Contact one of the local group officers for more information about loaner garb.

If, however, you are planning to make your own garb for an SCA event, there are a few items that you should avoid because of their significance within the SCA culture and organizational structure. A short list follows:

  • Belts of white, red, yellow, or green cloth or leather (these signify that a person is a Knight, squire, apprentice, etc.)
  • Crowns, tiaras, or circlets of any kind (these signify royalty or that a person has a special award)
  • Large chains around the neck (in gold, these signify knighthood; in silver, squirehood)
  • Coats-of-arms or other heraldry, as you have not yet had time to register your own, and what you wear may be similar to someone else’s and cause confusion
  • Wreaths of laurel leaves, whether real, plastic, or on jewelry (these signify the wearer has a Laurel, a high-level arts and sciences award)

Martial (Fighting) Activities, or “Going Medieval”

The martial arts practiced in the SCA include fighting in armor (a.k.a. “heavy weapons”), fencing (a.k.a. “rapier”), archery, and thrown weapons. Each activity is supervised by an officer known as a “Marshal”.

All martial activities are rigorously controlled for safety. You must be 18 (and a paid SCA member) to participate in martial activities. For questions regarding armored fighting, rapier, archery, thrown weapons, etc., see the officers page for contact information for our marshalls, i.e. the folks in charge of the various martial activities.

Medieval Names

Members usually find a name for themselves during their first year or so in the Society by doing research. You may wish to do the same, but don’t rush into it–whatever you choose will probably stick! If in doubt, it’s fine to use your regular name temporarily plus a locative name for your home Shire, e.g. “Megan of Rokeclif”.