Slashdot Mirror

Seriously. Join the SCA.

About half of us are IT nerds of one stripe or another. We are a society of aging nerds that have to keep in shape to keep doing what we do - swordfighting is very physically taxing. So we have a fairly large support community that works hard to solve this very problem. A good place to start is the Armour Archive. Search the forums for fitness tips, you'll find plenty.

And if you have motivation problems (we all do somewhat), this SCA is great for fixing that. Nothing in the world will motivate you to get up off the couch and do some situps like knowing Duke So-and-so next weekend is going to pound the ever living crap out of you if you aren't prepared.

Speaking as an ex-"reenactor" (Society for Creative Anachronism, http://www.sca.org/ I can offer the following firsthand observations:

1. The quality of fitting to the individual is probably the single most important factor in how burdensome a given suit of armor is, from the point of view of the ability to move quickly. Leggings are by far the hardest to fit correctly; they also tend to shift around the most in response to movement, so a good fitting can become a bad fitting very quickly.
2. In melee combat, the legs are hit far more often than any target other than the head. Leg armor may be encumbering, but when it comes to hand to hand combat you can't do without it.
3. When faced with archers, an unshielded fighter takes it in the arms and torso more than anywhere else.
4. Breathing difficulties are usually caused by poor ventilation in a closed-face helm, or a side effect of heat. Which brings us to:
5. Overheating is what is going to exhaust you. You're wearing not just armor, but heavy padding as well. The number one factor an SCA medic sees at a large battle is overwhelmingly heat exhaustion/heatstroke/dehydration.

Not sure how far an eye patch or peg leg will get you. You'll also not really do much more up here in PDX than blend in... :/

http://www.sca.org/
http://www.dresslikeapirate.com/

meetup.com

Thanks. One place I was interested in is the Loft. However I went there years ago and it seems more for classes than simple writers meetings. In Florida I was a member of 3 writers groups, at the college I attended, at a Barnes and Noble, and at a public library. Each one was run differently but at all of them we could just talk or share what we were working on. I also attended meetings of other groups such as the local kingdom of the Society of Creative Anachronism, SCA. Speaking of which, I'm looking forward to the Renfest.

Falcon

As a calligrapher, I'd just as soon children be taught chancery cursive (or italic, call it what you will).

You're joking, right? Carolingian Minuscule is where it's at (although a good Insular Majiscule isn't to be sneezed at for long term archival text).

All kidding aside, Carolingian Minuscule is a good foundation script. Just remember that the letters need to be drawn, more than "written" at the start. Follow the strokes from a good Ductus to see how to efficiently and easily draw each character.

Many good calligraphy references may be found by fossicking through SCA references, as they have a culture of keeping ancient calligraphy and illumination techniques alive.

Local SciFi/Fantasy conventions are a panacea for the Geek to rub elbows with fellow geeks.

Even better: find your local chapter of http://www.sca.org/

If you have guns and ammo, you can get food and water. The opposite is not true.

The opposite IS true, I can grow my own food without guns or ammo.

On the other hand, you cannot defend same without guns and ammo.

Sure I can. I know how to make traps and trapped animals as a teen. And unless the person has antibiotics they won't live long once they step in an Apache foot trap dipped in human feces. In the army my MOS, Military Occupation Speciality, was 11B, infantry, and I loved setting up booby traps. Though it's been years I used to practice archery and would like to learn to make bows and arrows. I would also like to learn metallurgy and make blade weapons. Prior to moving years ago I was a member of the local kingdom of the Society of Creative Anachronism where I lived.

Even if I couldn't do these things though I could make arrangements with people who could provide defense in exchange for food. Besides if all a person knows is how to shoot once their firearm is inoperable or they're out of ammo, they're out of food too. There are no tools I can't make myself that I need to grow food or trap animals. On top of that, I could fast, go without eating food. I used to be in the natural and health food scene and for health reasons I'd fast occasionally, anywhere from days to weeks. How much strength would many people have after not eating for two or three weeks? Even those weeks I did fast I still rode my bike 200+ miles a week. I admit all this is unusual but for as long as I can recall I've tried to be self-sufficient. Actually now, I'd rather be dead than continue living as I have the past years.

Falcon

What you're saying remains true so long as those who are attacking you are either small in number, or not particularly persistent. You are correct that an infected wound, caused by a trap, will kill without antibiotics. However, that may not immediately incapacitate them. They may still retain the ability to attack. In short, a defender without firearms will likely be defeated by attackers with firearms. If not in the first encounter, it will happen soon there after.

As to the assertion that a person who only knows how to shoot will run out of food when they run out of ammo, all things being equal you are correct. Thus, firearms and ammo are not a survival strategy by themselves. They do on the other hand greatly enhance one's ability to survive and to retain the other supplies they have stockpiled or are actively producing.

In short, depending on the particular survival profile, firearms should primarily be used for defense, as you are correct that traps and gardens are more efficient at food procurement. That defense angle should not be underestimated.

The opposite IS true, I can grow my own food without guns or ammo.

On the other hand, you cannot defend same without guns and ammo.

Sure I can. I know how to make traps and trapped animals as a teen. And unless the person has antibiotics they won't live long once they step in an Apache foot trap dipped in human feces. In the army my MOS, Military Occupation Speciality, was 11B, infantry, and I loved setting up booby traps. Though it's been years I used to practice archery and would like to learn to make bows and arrows. I would also like to learn metallurgy and make blade weapons. Prior to moving years ago I was a member of the local kingdom of the Society of Creative Anachronism where I lived.

Even if I couldn't do these things though I could make arrangements with people who could provide defense in exchange for food. Besides if all a person knows is how to shoot once their firearm is inoperable or they're out of ammo, they're out of food too. There are no tools I can't make myself that I need to grow food or trap animals. On top of that, I could fast, go without eating food. I used to be in the natural and health food scene and for health reasons I'd fast occasionally, anywhere from days to weeks. How much strength would many people have after not eating for two or three weeks? Even those weeks I did fast I still rode my bike 200+ miles a week. I admit all this is unusual but for as long as I can recall I've tried to be self-sufficient. Actually now, I'd rather be dead than continue living as I have the past years.

Falcon

This is an intense and physically demanding sport, and most of the people involved are in IT, math, engineering, academia, or some other /. style pursuit.

And FWIW, your physical performance does matter. Always. Not just in sports. Your body is the machine that keeps you tied to the planet earth. Any advice to make you healthier (read that as 'keep you alive longer') is automatically useful, IMHO.

Exactly, with fiat currency, the numbers in the bank only mean something because enough people say so.

Inside the crown of one of the kingdoms in the Society for Creative Anachronism (http://www.sca.org/)is the inscription "You rule because they believe".

Yes, from political power to the shoes on our feet, it's a matter of agreement. Now, the value and ownership of virtual items, is a facinating phenomenon.

Consider that people who play in virtual realities, online, in the SCA, in tabletop RPGs, or otherwise, do play within a set of rules. The players know what everyone owns, and have ideas as to the value of said items, irregardless of whether any meatspace value in currency is assigned to them.

If my Paladin has a +5 longsword, he'd better still have it the next day, save if the party's Rougue stole it, fair and square, within the rules of the game. I certainly place value on that longsword, as something useful to me in-game, and it does effect me personally in some manner, which is not described within the game. The game may describe how my character feels about the +5 longsword, but not me.

Selling the item for meatspace currency, is simply a translation of that understanding, into a market-value. I feel an emotional attachment to the sword; others share a similar attachment. This attachment occurs in RL, and is not in-game. It is appropriate that RL currency be assigned to an RL emotion.

--

Elvish grove for sale.

Exactly, with fiat currency, the numbers in the bank only mean something because enough people say so.

Inside the crown of one of the kingdoms in the Society for Creative Anachronism (http://www.sca.org/)is the inscription "You rule because they believe".

The medium is a bit retro perhaps, but the message is the same. Money rules because we believe in the accounts. Or at least that ATM dispenses stuff that people believe in, and will probably continue to do so until 1 loaf of bread = 1 wheelbarrow of dollars.

My WoW bank and characters are very real to me for several hours most days.

For those who don't know but can't be bothered*, http://www.sca.org/ (The Society for Creative Anachronism).

* ... so why do I care? Bloody sod you! Ignore this post!

It's the ultimate geek exercise, and completely worth getting out of the house for.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_European_martial_arts

You can get into completely authentic Western Martial Arts Practice:
http://www.aemma.org/

You can get hyper-competitive and train to duel:
http://www.novaspada.com/ (my school)
http://www.academieduello.com/

You can a ton of fun just about anywhere you live:
http://www.sca.org/

Or you can really go nuts:
http://forum.rpg.net/forumdisplay.php?f=70

Following your logic, we should all be hunting and gathering instead of shopping for food because now we can't feed ourselves, either.

No, just being able to garden can help a lot though if you're a meat eater you should hunt or fish and clean what you get at least once. Admittedly I haven't fished or hunted in years but I grew up doing both. I used to fish freshwater and saltwater. And for hunting I've used bow and arrow, firearms, and built and set traps. Some people have called me mixed up because I love and wanted to be a scientist but at the same tyme I love the Society for Creative Anachronism.

Falcon

http://www.sca.org/ or http://www.sca.org.au/ if you're in Australia. Society for Creative Anachronism. Brilliant:Jerk ratio relatively high in favor of first term. Amazing what a bit of play-acting can do to drag skills out of you. Oh, and to remain on topic -- there's a fair component of serious archaeology and sociology study mixed in with the play acting. And some damn fine music.

And pie.

Heat metal - smash it with a hammer. Make beautiful things. Very therapeutic. Come home from work, have dinner, then every so often wander out into the garage and fire up the forge.

Have you heard of the Society for Creative Anachronism, SCA? Different Kingdoms, groups in specific areas, hold classes and events in different areas of knowledge including metallurgy.

What's next? Banning SCA http://www.sca.org/ Weapons on campus? Those can do Wayyyyyyyy more damage.

Of course, in my day, we played Highlander (There can be only one) Ever have a sword fight in the service corridor of a mall, or in the center of town..nothing was off limits...we were a bit 'nutz' back then; but we were also LARP players.

"Don't cry for me, HD-early-adopters! The truth is I will never leave you!"

I wonder how long it will be until revisionist historians start telling this over, not as a format war in which one was better than the other, but as a story of martyrdom. I can see it now: "the Toshiba executives, in the interest of promoting better television quality, chose to nobly sacrifice themselves for the good of all mankind."

For that matter, I wonder if there will be some holdouts, such as those in the deep south who still believe that the south shall rise again. Maybe a historical re-enactment society will latch on to the idea, and they can have mock battles in staged boardrooms. Lest we forget.

*TAPS PLAYS SWEETLY ACROSS A BATTLEFIELD*
*CURTAIN*

I love Slashdot, where you can get so offtopic and not be deleted. BTW Calontir rocks.

When all the petroleum is gone, it's the end of the world as we know it.

That's fine with me, in one sense. Though I love technology, and was a Computer Engineering major before an accident ended that, I also have other interests. I love to bike ride, the accident happened while I was riding my bike after classes, and used to ride 100+ miles a week. I also love to garden, organically. I'm growing blueberries, brocolli, cauliflower, three different peppers, strawberries, three different tomatos, and tomatilos now. I'd grow more but I don't have the space to grow everything I want. And as for more "primitive" living, I love The Society for Creative Anachronism, SCA. Though it's been a long tyme since I have I used to go into nature; Everglades, forests, and swamps where I could survive off of what I collect or trap.

the wikipedia page you linked to refers to a Cornell study which claims that using switchgrass for ethanol production is even less efficient than using corn

I don't see a study by Cornell though it does mention UC Berkeley professor Tad Patzek as saying "switchgrass has a negative ethanol fuel energy balance". I missed that when I first read the article, just scanned it really. However a professor at Auburn University, David Bransby, disagrees. He says that for "every unit of energy input, switchgrass yields four units out." Put one unit of petro in and you get 4 units out. Those 4 out can then be used as input so you then have 16 units out on the second generation. This would slow down depletion of petro not speed it up.

My favorite song of her's is "Good Morning Heartache". Then again that was the first song of her's heard that I know of. I knew a dancer that practiced dancing to the song for a stage performance I was working on, back then I jazz danced and worked on dance performances and plays for the theatre stage. If only I still danced, the last tyme I did I took a ballet class for physical therapy after an accident but I wasn't able to dance like I used to.

Ooh, I loved the movie "Ladyhawk". Then again I love other period movies as well and I used to attend SCA, The Society for Creative Anachronism meetings and events.

I was a gamer myself, back in the way-back of long ago. I had a C64 and loads of games. And I was an arcade nut. I'd mow lawns and collect returnable bottles just for a chance to play. Owned an Atari 2600. I later bought an Amiga and had boxes of games for that too. I was nuts for video games, and I couldn't get enough.

Then I graduated college and got a job.

Now, I write software for a living. And the very last thing I want to do when I get home is sit in front of a computer. ANY computer. My PS2 has an inch of dust on it. I bought maybe 3 games for it before I gave up. No XBox 360 for me. No PS3. No thank you.

What I sit around and crave these days is to be outdoors.

I walk in parks. If it's snowing, I go skiing. I joined the SCA and go camping for my vacations. My wife and I own bicycles and go biking whenever we can. I home brew, work with metal, and build tents. If no computer is involved, I'm usually pretty happy. I'm enjoying stripping the paint off the woodwork in a room of my house even.

My friends come over every so often and bug me about video games. "Have you played such-and-such yet?" Nope. I haven't. And I don't really have any interest in doing so either. It's too damn boring! I'm currently struggling through Elder Scrolls Oblivion at my brother's request. Soon as you figure out the combat system it's seriously boring.

And plus, I'm a programmer now. I can watch the characters move around on the screen and I pretty much can guess at the algorithm making them move. Takes the fun out of it when you can.

Nope. Can't play games anymore. Just about anything is better than staring at the screen after my 8 hours are up.

I'm sure you know these things better than I do, so please don't take it as a lecture. All I'm trying to say is why I find the hammers in video games to be, well, unrealistic.

Over twenty years ago, when I was in college, I was introduced to a group called the SCA, "a medieval history re-enactment group," that had, at the time, been around about twenty years. Over several years of various levels of involvement with the group, I watched many of the same impacts described in TFA happen to people's "real" lives. Tens of thousands of dollars were spent on gear for tournaments over some people's lives; there were affairs and break-ups, alcoholism and job loss. I remember people going off to events without their spouses, having a weekend fling while they were there, and writing it off to an excuse of "being in character" for their chosen persona. In the worst cases, I've witnessed people draw "live steel" against one another, meaning real, sharpened blades came out and challenges were made over some perceived insult to a made-up character.

The SCA isn't the only group that this sort of involvement happens in, though. People in our society want, in the worst way, an escape from mundane reality; they want some sort of control over their environment, and want to be appreciated for the things they do. Take any area of interest (Civil War, Star Wars, News for Nerds, etc.), and somewhere there is some sort of group dedicated to its advancement. Get enough people doing it, you have a society. Concentrate hard enough, you have an alternate reality.

Chances are that we're never going to be able to create a real-world society where everyone is happy with their lot in life and how they integrate with the world around them. Until then, we're going to come up with more and better ways to escape the reality we're in, and those escapes are going to have their addicts. It's kind of unfortunate, and, as TFA points out, can be destructive. I've identified my addictive side, and deal with it as best I can. Through force of will, I only delve into addictive things to a certain degree and get out before I get really hooked (though I've recently discovered that my internal clock, otherwise very accurate, stops working when Civ IV is running; I need mechanical assistance). For those that can do the same, or don't have such addictive behaviors, great. For the others, those who pour their lives into something that doesn't add value in the outside world, well, Darwin calls.

Yes, how about that. Get back to me when you are naked, living in the forest, gathering fruits and berries for food.

I used to do that though mostly in the swamps and Everglades of FL. SO it's not really forest. I could tell which plant and plant parts were edible as well as catch fish or trap other animals. Though that was a long tyme ago I miss those days. Then again I get into the SCA, Society for Creative Anachronism. I also was a member of a naturalist club, http://www.naturistsociety.com/ (not this one but another). Next.

What, are ya in the SCA? Seriously though, I'm curious, who else calls their practice "fighter practice" other than us in the SCA?

http://www.sca.org/

There are local chapters damn near everywhere. A whole lot of us, at least "older" folks, got into this THROUGH D&D.

A lot of my SCA buds do games like D&D on a regular basis.

Steve

Every tech repair job I've found, in the last 15 years, has been through an SCA member working there. Nothing like a group of beer drinkers who like to hit people with sticks and fix computers.

I bet most of you thought that WTF? in the subject was for the article but you were wrong it's for the posts. people seem to be really bashing this idea but I think it's great. i do play Second Life a little I get bored quick as there aren't any monsters to bash unless you go get a lot of extra stuff. Anyways I love the idea of blurring the line of MMOs and reality. As people have said this would be even better if it where WOW. you would have to use fake weapons of course but it would be lots of fun. I know I use big clubs that I claim is a sword and bash people over the head every weekend. Check it out http://www.sca.org/, it's a blast if you like clubbing people and drinking a whole lot of liquor. You do have to dress in funny clothes but hey you get to club people and where else can you do that legally. if you live in the south there is a huge event in March, Gulf Wars, http://www.gulfwars.org/, lots of fun check it out. Anyways I hope this starts something and we see more of it. As for the whole ruining of the fantasy part, if you don't know that the really hot girl is probably not really hot or even a girl you need a reality check real bad.

Not quite true; a few are legally required to have it (EG: your bank, which is required to file tax forms with the IRS), but there aren't a lot. Government agencies entitled to ask are also required to provide the statute that says that they can.

in fact, on various forms, I give any of three different names (with or without my middle name, or with middle and first transposed) with my SSN.

You are in general legally allowed to use whatever name you want as an alias, save for purposes of committing criminal fraud. (EG; Johann Gambolputty de von...) I routinely give any of the 26 letter of the alphabet for my middle initial, in order to see where my junk mail comes from. A former freind of mine a few years back had secondary credit cards issued in the name of his SCA persona; he has a blast with telemarketers, since anyone asking for the persona gets to talk with someone extremely patient and polite... but utterly unfamiliar with anything that's happened since 1536. =)

But giving a false SSN (as opposed to a legal alias) is a different story, likely to be a headache for any living legitimate holder of that number (making Nixon's a good choice), and may be criminal fraud under some circumstances. If you're going to play games like that, be sure to check the law carefully first.

Some technologies never go out of style. Blacksmiths are a dying breed? I see plenty of smithys in Upstate New York. Why? People still have wrought iron fencing, riding and work horses still need shoes, and there are plenty of horse-drawn carriages in NYC needing axles, wheels, etc.

Ever been to the Pennsic War? (cf. Society for Creative Anachronism -- It's quite an experience -- one many people are willing to quit their jobs to attend for 2+ weeks every year.)

So, while there is no longer a blacksmith in every town, there are plenty of blacksmiths if you bothered looking in the "yellow pages", and it's not a dying or dead art. If anything, the blacksmith is probably highly sought-after and well-paid. Talent & craftsmanship isn't cheap!

Neither is maintaining and programming mainframes. Right now, it makes a good pension, while web programmers and pc techs that wipe viruses off systems are a dime-a-dozen.

I have no idea if it's just a bad translation, or if they just really have no clue that there are other fantasy role playing games other than Dungeons and Dragons, so they're using it as a generic term.

Also, just because you have folks who are dressed up and have foam weapons, it's not necessarily a LARP. There's also the category 'Live Action Wargamers', who fight, but don't go for that whole character development type stuff. Darkon, Markland, Dagorhir and to some degree, the SCA come to mind. (but the SCAdians will probably take offense to that).

LARPs tend to be less about combat... stuff like NERO and Archaea.

(I have no idea where Amtgard falls, as the only times I've seen their members, they were swinging pretty soft.. and they were using PVC cores, which would break quickly in most wargames, but that might not be all groups)

After following a lot of the news regarding reprisals against palestinians and realizing the IDF acts with a higher degree of autonomy than US forces, I've wondered who-the-heck's influencing them. I've known a considerable variety of people who have played D&D and/or been active in the SCA (The Society for Creative Anachronism) and find most are no more delusional that your average baseball fan, stamp collector or technology geek. I rather expect it's more along the lines of these people really not being easily subverted, unlike some ultra patriot who will do whatever a commanding officer says, even it would strike the man-on-the-street as an outrage.

To launch Air To Ground missiles into civilian areas, which may harm innocent bystanders, plow people's homes because they live too close to the egyptian border and enforce some kind of colonial marshall law in a ghetto takes a special personality, quite likely someone who can be easily broken down and then built up into a new unquestioning soldier, rather than someone who can think for themselves and consider 'hey, this isn't right'

In a case like this, my opinion is that you should bring your concerns about the game and describe what you've heard your Little Brother talking about to his mother. Then the two of you should sit down with your LB and have a nice long chat about the difference between reality and fantasy. Depending on how mature he is, he may be well aware of the line between the two -- and in that case, there may be less of a reason for concern. On the other hand, if the line's blurry, his mother may take action and restrict his access to the game or remove it altogether.

I think you're doing the right thing by being interested in what the kid is doing -- there are, sadly, too many people who think of TV/video games/the Internet as a babysitter, where they can leave their kids with it and forget.

I have one more suggestion: see if there's some way of leveraging his interest in PoP2 into a more general interest. Go out for a meal at a restaurant with a Middle-Eastern decor and food. If he's more interested in the fighting (as is likely) some form of martial arts or something like the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) might capture his interest and give him some additional guidance.

I think a lot of people might agree that in a fabricated environment intended for enjoyment, it'd be reasonable to sacrifice the less pleasant societal aspects like mysogyny, sexism, etc. at the expense of realism.

Certainly The SCA takes that tack. Though I've yet to see a queen take the crown in combat, so it's not quite that egalitarian. It's not as if ATID ever aimed at 100% realism, given that the life of the average egyptian laborer could be considered crushingly dull by today's standards. Then again, this is ATID...

You have people who run around on weekends bashing each other over their heads with plastic swords. You mean you can't get a bunch of people to play Mars base for a few hours?

Try joining the Society for Creative Anachronism, a sort of cross between medieval reenactment and a social Renn Faire. Medievalism is as far from computing as you can get, which explains why so many geeks join it - geeks are logical, see, and it's logical to want to get away from geeking...

The orient, anyway-- there's also some evidence China may have been a source. A website which discusses the origins can be found here, and at least sounds plausible, but whose accuracy I am unqualified to judge. However, notable (and something I remember from may days with the SCA as being accurate) is that the exact pieces, moves, and board played on have varied over the ages. The game we commonly call chess today looks notably different from the Indian original (enough to send Deep Blue into a fit if you set it up for a match), and is a composite from several influences, having changed markedly over the centuries. (There still are a lot of obscure variants out there.)

So, while you're correct that this may have been the church altering history, it may be that life imitates art. This alteration of history might be why the CURRENT European style pieces have the CURRENT moves. You'd really want to ask an expert about it-- or at least, to recommend a good book on the subject. But more likely, it's unprovable at this point.

I am in the SCA and frequently take the time to relax by beating the shit out of my friends with a big stick while wearing armor. You have no idea how cathardic it is to fight legally and then have a beer with these same friends afterward. It has helped me maintain my sanity at work, as it allows me to act out my hostilities towards my co-workers without actually killing any of them.

I work for the government and I'm here to help you... Really!

Well, you could just join your local SCA group, and always go around in period attire. they will think you are crazy, and avoid you, plus it makes it less silly looking to carry a big blade, mace, battleaxe, morning star, whatever.

I'm not certain what London laws are concerning carrying swords; don't you have to be in one of the guilds or something to get away with it? but if that's an option.....

4) 120,000 terrorists in the US? C'mon! Has ANYONE on /. ever met a "terrorist"?

"Can any of you folks reading this tell me about the SCA? I'm thinking of joining as a self-aware Viking longship."

Reminds me of a story. Let me tell you about my tent.

I like going to SCA events. While we're there, we camp. And that means having all of our expensive gear in our tents, all our food, and our booze. Some of our gear can run in the thousands of dollars.

At my favorite event, we camp near the edge of the camp. And idiots from the local village sneak over the fence and rip us off every so often.

So I made a tent with a locking door. I built a yurt, and built into the frame a full sized, 1/2" thick, wood and iron reinforced door. With a working brass good-enough-for-your-house lock.

And while camping one year, a neighbor made fun of me for my efforts. "There's no way that would keep a determined criminal out," he said. It was still a canvas tent, albeit with a wood lattice frame. You could cut a hole through the canvas and break the lattices, easy. The door was too thin, you could kick it down. The lock could be defeated.

And I explained to him that the point was not to be burglar proof, just more burglar resistant than my neighbors.

At that moment, he was enlightened.

Weaselmancer

It should also be notted that getting blank looks at SCA meetings is normal. Somthing about people who get hit in the head with sticks for fun.

One of the primary reasons (even beyond weight and durability) why the SCA uses rattan instead of bamboo for weapon shafts in its mock "heavy" combat is that it does not splinter but instead kind of "pulps" when it breaks. The concern on the battle field is that splinters could easily be driven through helm eyeslots. There's enough risk in taking a blow or falling in armor during normal fighting that extreme hazzards like that are hardly welcome.

After all, we can't have anyone getting hurt during a war, can we?

I'm involved in a historical recreation group call the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA).

I take part in armoured combat, recreate clothing and artefacts of people who could have existed in pre1600 history and attempt to recreate their lifestyle. It's a lot of fun.

In case people don't know, what AC probably saw was the...

Society for Creative Anachronism

...perhaps one of the geekiest organizations in existence. :-)

I don't pretend to follow it all that closely, but the whole sewing/knitting hobby/subculture is alive and kicking. It probably rivals the Ham people in numbers.(Yes, yes, I know "Ham is dying, film at 11")

My wife, for example, is a professional seamstress and in her late 20's. Her job is in the costume/theatre industry. At least half of all the costumes at every show across the country has been at least altered for the actor in that show, unless the show is set in the current day and the costume designer could walk down to wal-mart for the clothing. That's a lot of shows, and a lot of sewing. Within that, there's probably 1-5% new construction in costumes overall for a given show, with some shows being handled locally and some ordering garments. Nearly all of that is specialty, and someone had to sit at a sewing machine to do it. In small community theatres most costumes that aren't available off the shelf or ordered from a rental company are constructed locally, from patterns found in McCalls or other companies.

In addition, and this is a big one, I'm also a member of a historical interest/research/education group with paid membership of over 24,000 nationally and unpaid individuals who also are active in the group numbering upwards of 3 or 4 times that. Of that, I'd say a good 10-30% of the active members (that's out of 100-125,000 people) make their own garments. There are a few catalog/mail order places, and a few merchants who sell clothing at our events, but on the whole the majority of the garments are made by the individuals wearing them or someone close to them.

In fact, between the organisation I'm in and a growing interest in renaissance fairs nationwide, my wife and I have noticed the pattern catalogs carrying a much larger and more correct selection of historical (medieval and renaissance, in our case) patterns. Granted, they aren't perfect, and quite a few of the organisation's members can point out why, but they're a huge step forward from where they were just a few years ago.

Thus, not only does McCalls have plenty of interest in its patterns, I can say firsthand that they're following the changing interests of their targeted consumers as a good business should.

I think this guy's right. If you really want to see a bunch of nerds going crazy with esoteric endeavors, look no further than the Society for Creative Anachronism. They're pretty much the only people left in the world who make battle-quality chain mail, scale mail, and plate mail in the medieval style.