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How to Survive a Tournament

By Catherine Kenda of Stillwater

Part III - July 1986

Setting Up Camp

When you arrive at the tourney, the first person you see will usually be a constable on gate duty. The constable will ask you to sign a waiver and will inform you of any restrictions that may apply to the site (no open fires, no alcohol, etc.) You will be asked for a site fee. This is not required, but it is strongly encouraged that everyone contribute a couple of dollars to defray the cost of the site being used. You will then be directed to a place where you can unload, and told where to park your car. By all means, follow the directions of the constable. Ignoring directions could mean the Society may not be allowed to use the site at some future date.

To the newcomer, a tourney site usually appears rather chaotic. Despite appearances, there is a certain logic to the organization of the site. The two major considerations in SCA campsites are safety and visual effect aimed at creating the impression of a medieval encampment.

In selecting a location for your camp, be aware of some restrictions. There is always a cleared area left in the middle of the site for the fighting that will take place. It will usually be marked off by a rope which is known as the "eric." At one end of the field, space is reserved for the royal pavilions and the lists pavilion. An open pathway is kept free of tents to allow an emergency vehicle to enter the field if necessary.

Tents and pavilions that are set up around the eric should be reasonably medieval in appearance. This enhances the illusion of being part of the Middle Ages and makes the event more enjoyable. Pavilions must be set far enough back from the eric so that there is at least ten foot clearance between the eric and all guy lines. No matter where a tent is set up, the guy lines must be flagged with white cloth for visibility at night.

Certain areas are likely to be rather noisy at night, either due to proximity to the eric or to the privies (restrooms), or due to the party plans of the group next door. If you want quiet, you may wish to set up at some distance from the center; if you like to party, you may want to be in the middle of things. Courtesy and forethought are the keys to a good night's sleep. If you arrive at a late hour, try to do as little setting up as possible, and leave the rest until morning. Your neighbors will appreciate it.

There are a number of things you can do to enhance the medieval atmosphere even without a period pavilion. For example, packing food, clothing, etc., in baskets or wooden crates (instead of paper bags or cardboard boxes) can be an easy way to hide twentieth century cans and clothes. Ice chests can be covered with a tablecloth or scrap of fabric and turned into a small table. A floor-length tablecloth over a table will provide concealed storage space underneath. A throw rug from a second-hand store can be spread in front of your pavilion to provide a "living room." Folding chairs are easily disguised by a cloak thrown over them. Candle lanterns and tiki-type torches [Ed. note: tiki-torches are no longer legal in the West] provide light at night, and are reasonably safe if used carefully. If the "kitchen" is set up behind the pavilion, the front is kept clear of mundane intrusions like camp stoves and aluminum pans. Once you have a banner, hanging it in front will allow friends and acquaintances to find you more easily.

Out of consideration for others, mundane items should be kept as far out of sight as possible. This applies to everything from cars to wristwatches. This allows every one to get further into character and away from the twentieth century, and can help a newcomer make the transition from mundane to medieval more easily.

Finally, a word about garbage. The SCA has an excellent reputation for leaving sites in better condition than we find them. Our illusion of the Middle Ages is not helped by the sight of aluminum cans, paper plates, and other trash lying on the ground. A plastic garbage bag or two kept behind the tent and used will help everyone enjoy the tourney more.

Safety

Most safety precautions, like most rules of etiquette, are basically common sense. With a little care, nothing will happen to disturb the tourney.

One of the most serious dangers, especially during the summer months, is the risk of fire. All cooking should be done on stoves, hibachis, or barbecues, unless the constables have given express permission for open fires. Precautions must be taken with all fire and heat sources. Hibachis and barbecues must be placed on an area of bare earth (no grass for at least five feet in every direction) or on a heat-proof surface. Keep a bucket of water handy at all times, and have someone watching the fire or stove whenever it is lit. DON'T LEAVE ANY FIRE UNATTENDED--there have been several instances where sparks have nearly started serious fires. Always put out the fire when you have finished, and quench coals with water before dumping them. One more precaution which many people are not used to taking is tying back large sleeves before cooking. Even those with experience at camp cooking usually have not dealt with long skirts and sleeves around fires before. BE CAREFUL!

Fire safety includes care in handling candles and lanterns. Please do not use unshielded candles. Keep candles in glass lanterns or large glass jars. They will be less likely to blow out, and they will pose less risk. This is particularly important if you want to take them into your tent. Never use an open flame, not even a candle, in a tent.

Flag all guy ropes with white or light-colored pieces of cloth. Most colors do not show up well in the dark; keep the flags white or yellow and you will reduce the chance of people tripping over your guy lines in the middle of the night (possibly breaking their legs and collapsing your pavilion). Flashlights are an acceptable anachronism for midnight runs to the privies, and will help you avoid the guy lines that someone else may have forgotten to flag.

Remember to take along any medications or allergy remedies that you will need, and use them. Include a shaker of salt in your food supply. At a hot tourney, people can lose salt rapidly; this can cause problems if not corrected. Be sure to drink plenty of non-alcoholic liquids during the day. Beer or wine may be your choice in the evening, but they tend to deplete your body's fluids, which also can lead to problems in the heat.

Check with the autocrat (the person in charge of organizing the event) or in the PAGE for special situations at the site. Sometimes, there will be no drinkable water on site. In this case, bring along enough for washing dishes and cooking as well as drinking--at least two gallons of water per person per day. Other situations can include high fire danger, water hazards (creeks, ponds) or extremely limited parking.

If you play to bring children to the tourney, take special precautions to keep them safe. DON'T LET THEM WANDER OFF. Make sure someone you know is watching them. (Some sites include a rule that all children under the age of ten must be supervised at all times by someone over the age of fourteen.) Creeks, ponds, cliffs, and poisonous plants are not uncommon around tourney sites, and all of them pose risks to children. (In California, you should assume that there will be poison oak around the edges of the tourney site.) Brightly colored tunics may make the children easier to spot in a crowd, but the best precaution is to watch them constantly.

I hope these precautions seem insultingly obvious. If they do, you are probably well-equipped with uncommon sense, and will never need to deal with any of the possibilities mentioned.

Shopping Sources

The best source for SCA equipment is Cost Plus. They have baskets, wooden plates and bowls and goblets, candle lanterns, wooden folding chairs and tables, costume jewelry, rugs, etc. This is the biggest import store in the area, with many branches (check your phone book). The selection varies because their stock is constantly changing, but it usually has appropriate items.

Thrift stores and resale shops are good places to look for metal trays, wooden serving dishes, shawls, candlestick, cheap pots and pans, costume jewelry, tablecloths, etc. Garage sales sometimes have surprisingly appropriate items (like candle lanterns, tents, sleeping bags, or wooden bowls.) Usually they will be the cheapest source, but the most time-consuming way to shop for tourney essentials.

Fabric for garb can be found relatively cheaply at Fabric Warehouse or Yardage Fair or Home Yardage. The stuff on the sale tables is, cheaper than you'll find elsewhere, but the quality and the selection range from excellent to awful. You can buy a bedspread or curtains at either a thrift store or a garage sale and use the fabric for garb.

Lately, pewter tankards have been popular and are widely available at major department stores and gift shops. They may cost more than you want to spend, but they can be suggested to parents and siblings as gift ideas.

Tourney Etiquette & Safety

Proper behavior at a tourney is much like proper behavior at any SCA event, with a little common sense thrown in. Courtesy begins even before you arrive at a tourney. If you are carpooling with someone, check with them to find out how much space they will have (both coming and going) before you assume you can take your entire worldly goods. Asking if there is anything they would like you to bring is also a good idea.

It is proper to address anyone as "My Lord" or "My Lady" if you do not know the person, and even the King will not be insulted if you unknowingly say, "Excuse me, my lord...," rather than "Your Majesty." However, if you attend court at the beginning of the day, you will probably be able to recognize the King and Queen, and the Princes and Princesses who are present. Should you meet them later in the day, a reverence (or curtsey or bow) is expected as a polite acknowledgement of their presence.

When in front of the royal pavilion, you are considered to be in the royal presence whether or not any royal personages are actually there. A reverence to the thrones is polite behavior whenever you pass within about twenty feet of the front of the royal pavilion. If you are called before Their Majesties or Their Highnesses at a court, this is about the distance at which you make a reverence before proceeding closer.

The easiest way to recognize the rank of other people is through the insignia of their awards (See A Chatelaine Book). Just remember that you cannot be wrong if you treat people as if they were of higher rank than they actually are. "Always assume a person is noble, unless they prove otherwise by their actions."

The Society encourages everyone to pretend to be a person who might have actually lived in the Middle Ages. This person that you are pretending to be is referred to as your persona. Developing a persona is a process that takes a certain amount of time, (See Personas in the SCA), so no one will be upset if you barely have a name, much less a complete persona. In fact, many people have personas who only consist of their Society names. You may want to develop your character more fully. This is fine; you will really get into the spirit of the times that way. There are a few medieval attitudes that the SCA does not encourage, such as xenophobia. Even if your persona is a Frankish crusader who would not willingly have stood within five yards of a Saracen or Moor, yelling "Die, infidel!" and charging at him with a broadsword is not courteous behavior. (Although you could have planned this theatrical bit with the Saracen ahead of time.) After all, these are the Current Middle Ages, and in the SCA, you meet all types.

Certain things are simply routine politeness. Always ask permission before entering a pavilion; you would not walk into a person's home without permission, and that is what a pavilion is at a tourney. Likewise, never pick up another person's possessions (cup, cape or weapons) without permission

If you say "please," "thank you," and "you're welcome" whenever appropriate you will gain a reputation of being especially courteous.

PART FOUR

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