Message-Id: <199401191923.AA18774@world.std.com>
To: carolingia@world.std.com
Subject: Re: principality status
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 1994 14:23:28 -0500
From: Michael Bergman <augment@world.std.com>

Note that the groups that are agitating the most strongly for
principality status are not "so big that the EK's not big enough to
contain them" but rather "so far away that no one comes to their
events (from the rest of the Kingdom)" -- I don't think that going
principality is the answer.  I think increasing the number of events
they have and building up their baronial activities so they are self
sufficient is a possible answer.  I favor principalities being created
by a small number of very large baronies geographically close to each
other joining forces, rather than a large number of small groups.  

The question has been raised "what harm does it do <Barony X> if
<Barony Y> goes principality?  My answer:  little or no.  BUT.  As a
member of the Barony of Carolingia, I am also a member of the East
Kingdom.  I enjoy *both*.  I do feel that it does harm to the East
Kingdom to have bits chopped off.  I am not a member of any polling
order.  I neither lose nor benefit by it being easier or harder to
manage these orders; I think that running a magazine such as Pikestaff
well is more a matter of technique than size; I have more
opportunities to get to RP events than I wish to take advantage of.  

One of the things that I enjoy about Kingdom events & Pennsic is the
opportunity to get together with people from far-flung sections of the
Kingdom who don't normally come to our local events, and whose local
events I don't go to.  If we chop the Kingdom up into lots of small
pieces, each with its own coronet/crown, its own
investiture/coronation, and its own university, 12th night, and
special events such as Ice Dragon, then it will become much more
difficult for me to see those people, attend their lectures, watch
them compete in tourneys, dance with them.  This I would consider a
loss.  I've lost Storvik already.  It looks like I am not likely to
again go to Pittsburgh for Crown Tourney.  At least, not the EK Crown.

When these events are so big that we can't find halls for them, we'll
*have* to split the Kingdom.  It would be prudent to do so before we
quite reach that point.  

Catrin o'r Rhyd For said:

>For me personally (and it is a personal opinion for each of us), the 
>best part of the SCA is the ability to participate in activities - not 
>awards or paperwork.  I can't conscience making it harder for people in 
>the northernmost reaches to play in order to up our chances for getting 
>awards, being on the throne or having offices with less paperwork.  
>That's not the point for me...personally as I said.  We're located close 
>enough to the center of the kingdom.  Our options are already so much 
>greater that theirs.  Let's let the outskirts have more of a chance to 
>play the pomp and circumstance parts themselves.

I have to agreee with this point of view, but will be sorry to see
them go...and refuse to be dragged along.