SCA-Rialto-FAQ - 6/2/00

The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) file for the Rialto, the SCA newsgroup,
rec.org.sca. This file is maintained by Robyyan Torr d'Elandris/Dennis R. 
Sherman. A more up-to-date version may be available from other sources,
although this FAQ has not been changing much in recent years.

NOTE: See also the files: SCA-intro-art, 4-newcomers-msg, courtesy-msg,
SCA-courtesy-art.

************************************************************************
NOTICE -

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I  have 
collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date 
back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These 
files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

I  have done  a limited amount  of  editing. Messages having to do  with 
separate topics  were sometimes split into different files and sometimes 
extraneous information was removed. For instance, the  message IDs  were removed 
to save space and remove clutter.

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make  
no claims  as  to the accuracy  of  the information  given  by the individual 
authors.

Please  respect the time  and  efforts of  those who have written  these 
messages. The  copyright status  of these messages  is  unclear  at this time. 
If  information  is  published  from  these  messages, please give credit to the 
originator(s).

Thank you,
    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous
                                          Stefan at florilegium.org
************************************************************************

From: robyyan at mindspring.com
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: rec.org.sca / Rialto Frequently Asked Questions - part01/04
Summary: FAQs with Answers for the Rialto - rec.org.sca and mailing
    list sca at mc.lcs.mit.edu.  The Society for Creative Anachronism is
    an organization that studies the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and
    recreates those parts we find most interesting.
Originator: faqserv at penguin-lust.MIT.EDU
Last-modified: 1997-12-14

Last updated on 7/24/1999.

                   rec.org.sca and sca at mc.lcs.mit.edu FAQ
                                     or
                  Questions Frequently Asked on the Rialto

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Certain topics come up again and again on the Rialto. They are good
questions, but each time they recur much net bandwidth and reader time is
spent on repetitive responses and corrections to incorrect or incomplete
answers.

This article, which is posted in several parts on a regular basis, attempts
to cover these common topics definitively and succinctly, so that discussion
doesn't get bogged down in the repetition. The complete Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) list is available in several formats. The most current
version is always the one available at
http://rialto.ansteorra.org/sca-faq.html. An archive of the most recent
posted version is available via FTP from rtfm.mit.edu in directory
/pub/usenet/rec.org.sca. Those without FTP access should send e-mail to
mail-server at rtfm.mit.edu with "send usenet/news.answers/finding-sources" in
the body of the message to find out how to do FTP by e-mail.

For more complete introductions to the SCA, see the recurring postings "Come
on in -- the water's fine" (by Hal Ravn <whheydt at pacbell.com> ) and "Life in
the Current Middle Ages." (by Arval Benicour <mittle at panix.com> ).
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

Section 1: The Rialto.

   * 1.1 What is the Rialto? What's it for?
   * 1.2 Why is it called the Rialto?
   * 1.3 How do I post to the Rialto?
   * 1.4 What is the SCA Digest? How do I get on/off it?
   * 1.5 Where can I get back issues of the Digest?
   * 1.6 Why do I see the answers before the questions?
   * 1.7 Am I allowed to publish Rialto postings in our newsletter?

Section 2: Other SCA electronic sources.

   * 2.1 Are there other SCA mailing lists?
   * 2.1.1 What other mailing lists of interest are there?
   * 2.2 Are there archives of SCA information?
   * 2.2.1 Archives via FTP?
   * 2.2.2 Archives via Gopher?
   * 2.2.3 Archives via WWW?
   * 2.3 Does anyone have a contact in...?
   * 2.4 What are the Rolls Ethereal?
   * 2.5 What's this alt.sca I found?
   * 2.6 Where can I get songs and lyrics?
   * 2.7 What's PennsicMUD?
   * 2.7.1 How do I connect to PennsicMUD?

Section 3: Miscellaneous questions.

   * 3.1 What does AS stand for?
   * 3.2 Other abbreviations.
   * 3.3 Why don't we have a badge for all the Rialto people...?
   * 3.4 What is Period?
   * 3.5 What is the Grand Council?

Section 4: Recurring events.

   * 4.1 What is Pennsic? When is Pennsic?
   * 4.2 What is Estrella? When is Estrella?
   * 4.3 What is Lilies? When is Lilies?

Section 5: Difficult Topics.

   * 5.0.5 How do I write the Board of Directors?
   * 5.1 Same-Sex Consorts.
   * 5.2 Selecting the Crown.

Section 6: How do you join the SCA?

     Guide to Posting Style.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Section 1: The Rialto.

*1.1 What is the Rialto? What's it for?

The Rialto consists of a Usenet newsgroup, (rec.org.sca) which is propagated
to thousands of machines world-wide, and an electronic mail digest (the SCA
Digest), which is produced on a badly overworked machine at MIT, and mailed
directly to hundreds of people, also world-wide. We are also connected to
Fidonet and other BBS networks.

The Rialto exists to discuss topics of interest to the Society for Creative
Anachronism. The SCA is a non-profit, educational organization of people
that study the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and recreate those parts we find
most interesting.

*1.2 Why is it called the Rialto?

The Rialto is named for a marketplace in Venice in the vicinity of the
Rialto bridge. As people gathered there to gossip and exchange ideas, so do
we gather here.

*1.3 How do I post to the Rialto?

Check with your local system administrator or sysop for instructions for
your exact machine and software. Generally, you either post a message to the
newsgroup rec.org.sca, or send mail to sca at mc.lcs.mit.edu. See elsewhere in
this FAQ for guidelines to posting style.

*1.4 What is the SCA Digest? How do I get on/off it?

The SCA Digest is the electronic mail version of the Rialto. One can
subscribe and unsubscribe by sending email to SCA-Request at mc.lcs.mit.edu,
requesting your addition to or deletion from the list. Expect this to take
up to a week - the people running the Digest are volunteers with other work
to do. If you read rec.org.sca, there is no need for you to subscribe to
SCA-Request, as messages are gatewayed in both directions.

*1.5 Where can I get back issues of the Digest?

You may ask for back issues of any digests by writing to
SCA-Request at mc.lcs.mit.edu and specifying the date(s)/number(s) of the issue
you want mailed to you. That address is serviced by overworked humans so
expect any request to take up to a week to process. Please be reasonable
about the number of back issues you request. ("Everything up to now" is
*not* reasonable :-)

You can also check Stefan's Rialto Archive
(http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/rialto/rialto.html or
ftp://www.pbm.com/pub/sca/rialto, by Stefan li Rous (markh at risc.sps.mot.com)
and Gregory Blount (lindahl at pbm.com).

*1.6 Why do I see the answers before the questions?

The short answer is that messages propagate from one system to another at
varying speeds, and therefore an answer posted on a well-connected machine
may arrive at a less-well-connected machine before the question does. The
longer answer requires paying attention to the fact that the Rialto is both
a Usenet newsgroup and a mailing list, and the gateway between them is
another place where the ordering of messages can be scrambled. There is
nothing that can easily (read cost-effectively) be done about the scrambling
of message order (it would require a complete redesign of the Usenet
newsgroups, just to start with) so please don't ask. This message
scrambling, by the way, is a good reason to paraphrase or quote just enough
of the message you are answering to make clear what you are talking about.

*1.7 Am I allowed to publish Rialto postings in our newsletter?

The legalities of copyright ownership in an electronic medium are currently
murky. In countries that are signatories to the Berne Convention (which
includes the USA and Canada), text is copyrighted from the moment of
creation. However, text submitted to newsgroups and digests _may_ be
different, as it is intended for a wide distribution. There is no clear
answer in the USA at the present time. The polite thing to do, regardless of
whether a lawyer would tell you it is necessary, is contact the author(s) of
the article(s) in question, and ask for permission to publish. Abide by
their wishes. Assuming permission is given, you (or your chronicler)
probably want to save a hardcopy of the message giving you permission.
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Section 2: Other SCA electronic sources.

*2.1 Are there other SCA mailing lists?

    AETHELMEARC Principality of AEthelmarc
    Subscription:  email to sca-aethelmearc-request at andrew.cmu.edu
    Maintainer: Filip of the Marche
    <sca-aethelmearc-request at andrew.cmu.edu>

    AL-JISR Oriental Dance, Music and Drum
    Subscription:   email to majordomo at al-mustarib.org containing the
            following line in the body of the message:
          SUBSCRIBE al-jisr
    Post to:       al-jisr at al-mustarib.org
    Maintainer: <al-jisr-owner at al-mustarib.org>

    AUTHENTICITY An open forum to discuss *all* things authentic
    Subscription: email to authenticity-subscribe at onelist.com
    More information:
           http://www.onelist.com/isregistered.cgi?listname=authenticity
    Maintainer: Melbrigda <catwho at bellsouth.net>

    AVACAL Principality of Avacal
    Subscription: email to rms at uah.ualberta.ca giving your
            SCA name and branch
    More information:  http://www.uah.ualberta.ca/rms/avacal.htm
    Maintainer: Yeoman Mordecai Salzer <rms at uah.ualberta.ca>

    ANSTEORRA Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Subscription:   email to majordomo at ansteorra.org containing the
            following line in the body of the message:
          SUBSCRIBE ansteorra
        OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
          SUBSCRIBE ansteorra-digest
    Post to:       ansteorra at ansteorra.org
    Maintainer: Phelim Gervase/Pug <pug at pug.net>

    ANTIR Kingdom of An-Tir (The Cathedral Steps)
    Subscription:   email to majordomo at mail.orst.edu containing the
           following line in the body of the message:
          SUBSCRIBE antir Your Name <email at address>
    Post to:       antir at mail.orst.edu
    Maintainer: Ivarr Ulfvarinson <antir-request at mail.orst.edu>

    ARMORY making armor for SCA use
    Subscription: email to majordomo at ansteorra.org, containing the following
        line in the body of the message:
          subscribe the-armory <email at address>
    Maintainer: Takashaki Takada (Jason Silver) <battlewear at home.com>

    ARTEMISIA Kingdom of Artemisia (The Aerie)
    Subscription: email to listproc at server.umt.edu containing
        the following line in the body of the message:
          subscribe artemisia Your Name
    Post to: artemisia at server.umt.edu
    Maintainer: Yumitori no Kiyoshi <yumitori at montana.com>

    ATENVELDT Kingdom of Atenveldt
    Subscription:   email to majordomo at lists.primenet.com containing the
        following line in the body of the message:
          SUBSCRIBE atenveldt Your Name <email at address>
    Post to:    atenveldt at atenveldt.org
    Maintainer: Kristoff McLain Cameron <kristoff at atenveldt.org >

    ATLANTIA Kingdom of Atlantia
    Subscription:   email to majordomo at atlantia.sca.org, containing the
        following lines at the top of the message:
          subscribe atlantia
          end
    Maintainers: Elenore Spyrling <eurbanik at leo.vsla.edu>
                 Kendrick Wayfarer <lovelace at netcom.com>

    CALONTIR Kingdom of Calontir
    Subscription:   email to listserv at unl.edu with blank subject line and
        message body of:
            SUB CALONTIR Firstname Lastname
        substituting your name for First and Last name.

    CAROLINGIA Barony of Carolingia (Boston, MA)
    Subscription:   email to carolingia-request at bloom-beacon.mit.edu

    CHIRURGEON Chirurgeonate Mailing List
    Subscription: email to listserver at wyvernhall.com
                   with a message body of
                  subscribe sca-chirurgeon <your name>
    Posting:    email to sca-chirurgeon at wyvernhall.com
    Maintainer: Galen of Ockham (Keith Brandt) <wd9get at amsat.org>

    CHRONICLER discussion of topics relating to SCA publishing
    Subscription:  email to majordomo at midrealm.org, include
                   SUBSCRIBE SCA-CHRONICLER in the body of the message
    Digest:  email to majordomo at midrealm.org, include
                   SUBSCRIBE SCA-CHRONICLER-DIGEST in the body
    Maintainer: Dafydd Blaidd (Dave Majors) <dafydd at midrealm.org>

    COLLEGE OF ST. STEPHEN George Mason University chapter (Fairfax, VA)
    Subscription:  email to listproc at gmu.edu with this line in the body
        of the message:
            subscribe sca user at host.dom
        substituting your email address for user at host.dom
    Post to:  sca at gmu.edu
    Maintainer: Lady Karen Larsdatter med det Usigelige Efternavn fra
    Skyggedal <kgreen2 at osf1.gmu.edu>

    DW-L Drachenwald Mailing List
    Subscription: email to listserv at thenewplanet.com
            with a message body containing the line
              subscribe dw-l
    Maintainer: Jo Jaquinta <jaymin at maths.tcd.ie or jaymin at 
salmon.maths.tcd.ie>
    Archives:   via anonymous FTP at
               ftp://lanczos.maths.tcd.ie/jaymin/sca
            via email - send mail containing the single line HELP to
                info-server at lanczos.maths.tcd.ie

    EQESTRIAN discussion of topics relating to equestrian activities
    Subscription:  email to majordomo at midrealm.org, include
                   SUBSCRIBE SCA-EQUINE in the body of the message
    Digest:  email to majordomo at midrealm.org, include
                   SUBSCRIBE SCA-EQUINE-DIGEST in the body
    Maintainer: Dafydd Blaidd (Dave Majors) <dafydd at midrealm.org>

    EXCHEQUERS Excheqery topics
    Subscription:  mail to majordomo at world.std.com with a message body
        having only the line
            subscribe exchequers
    Posting: exchequers at world.std.com
    Maintainer: Yitzhak ibn Yoshua <turner at blackbear.com>

    FENCING Civilized discussion of fencing in the Known World
    Subscription:  email to majordomo at midrealm.org, include
                   SUBSCRIBE SCA-FENCE in the body of the message
    Digest:  email to majordomo at midrealm.org, include
                   SUBSCRIBE SCA-FENCE-DIGEST in the body of the message
    Postings:   sca-fence at midrealm.org
    Maintainer: Dafydd Wulfsson <dafydd at midrealm.org>

    GRAND COUNCIL Mailing list for the SCA's Grand Council
    Subscription: email to listserv at listserv.aol.com with blank
           subject line and message body of:
          subscribe scagc-l <Your Name Here>
        replacing <Your Name Here> with your first and last names.
    Posting: only members of the Grand Council may post, although anyone
           may read.  Send postings to the editor or any other member
           of the Council.
    Editor: Justin du Coeur <justin at inmet.com>
    Maintainer: Kwellend Njall <vnend at aol.edu>
    Archives: via FTP at ftp://ftp.gc.sca.org:/pub/sca_gc
                 via Gopher at gopher://lists.princeton.edu
              via WWW at http://www.inmet.com/~justin/gc/

    H-NEEDLEWORK Historic Needlework
    Subscription:   email to majordomo at ansteorra.org containing the
            following line in the body of the message:
          SUBSCRIBE h-needlework
        OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
          SUBSCRIBE h-needlework-digest
    Post to:       h-needlework at ansteorra.org
    Maintainer: Perronnelle <charlene at flash.net>

    HERBALIST SCA herbalists
    Subscription:   email to majordomo at ansteorra.org containing the
            following line in the body of the message:
          SUBSCRIBE herbalist
        OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
          SUBSCRIBE herbalist-digest
    Post to:       herbalist at ansteorra.org
    Maintainer: Clare RosMuire St. John <clare at moritu.net>

    Historical Brewing
    Subscription: email to majordomo at pbm.com with a message body of
                  subscribe hist-brewing
                OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
                  subscribe hist-brewing-digest
    Posting:    email to hist-brewing at pbm.com
    Maintainer: Gregory Blount of Isenfir <lindahl at pbm.com>

    Historical Games
    Subscription: email to majordomo at pbm.com with a message body of
                  subscribe hist-games
                OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
                  subscribe hist-games-digest
    Posting:    email to hist-games at pbm.com
    Maintainer: Seaan McAy (Michael McKay) <seaanmcay at aol.com>

    IBERIA Issues pertaining to Iberian peninsula
    Subscription: email to listproc at xcentric.net containing
        the following line in the body of the message:
          subscribe iberia Firstname Lastname
    Post to: iberia at xcentric.net
    Maintainer:

    LOCHAC Principality of Lochac (Australia)
    Subscription: email to majordomo at sca.org.au
                   with a message body of
                  subscribe lochac <your email address>
    Posting:    email to lochac at sca.org.au
    Maintainer: Delbert von Strasberg (David Elson) <del at sca.org.au>

    MAGYAR Medieval Hungary and things Hungarian in SCA.
    Subscription:   email to magyar-request at bransle.ucs.mun.ca
    Postings:   email to magyar at bransle.ucs.mun.ca
    Maintainer: Miklos Sandorfia <andrew at bransle.ucs.mun.ca>
    Archives:   via anonymous FTP at ftp://bransle.ucs.mun.ca/pub/sca/

    MERIDIES Kingdom of Meridies mailing list
    Subscription: email to Majordomo at web.ce.utk.edu with a message body
            containing the line
              subscribe meridies your at email.address
            Automated subscription via the web:
              http://web.ce.utk.edu/meridies/listserv.html
    Postings:      meridies at web.ce.utk.edu
    Maintainer: Lord William MacNachtan <MCNUTT at gateway.ce.utk.edu>

    MIDDLE Middle Kingdom mailing list
    Subscription: email to majordomo at midrealm.org, include
                   SUBSCRIBE SCA-MIDDLE in the body of the message
    Subscription: email to majordomo at midrealm.org, include
                   SUBSCRIBE SCA-MIDDLE-DIGEST in the body of the message
    Postings:   sca-middle at midrealm.org
    Maintainer: Dafydd Blaidd (Dave Majors) <dafydd at midrealm.org>

    MINSTREL Bardic topics
    Subscription:   email to majordomo at pbm.com
                   with a message body of
                  subscribe minstrel your at email.address
    Postings:  minstrel at pbm.com
    Maintainer: Gregory Blount of Isenfir (Greg Lindahl, <lindahl at pbm.com>)

    NORTH East Kingdom Northern Region topics
    Subscription:   email to north-request at bransle.ucs.mun.ca
    Maintainer: Miklos Sandorfia <andrew at bransle.ucs.mun.ca>
    Archives:   via anonymous FTP at ftp://bransle.ucs.mun.ca/pub/sca/

    NORTHSHIELD Principality of Northshield, Middle Kingdom
    Subscription: e-mail to northshield-request at stolaf.edu
    Posting:    e-mail to northshield at stolaf.edu
    Maintainer: Peregrine the Illuminator (Michael Moore)<moore at stolaf.edu>
    Archives:   via e-mail from the administrator

    OUTLANDS Discussion of topics of interest to the Outlands
    Subscription: mail to LISTSERV at mail.unm.edu with message body
                   subscribe outlands Firstname Lastname
            and substituting your name for First and Last name.
    Posting:    outlands at unm.edu
    Maintainer: M'Lord Kilmar (Mathew Anderson) <ladybug at unm.edu>

    RAPIER An Tir Kingdom Rapier discussion list
    Subscription: email to listproc at xcentric.net containing
        the following line in the body of the message:
          subscribe rapier Firstname Lastname
    Post to: rapier at xcentric.net
    Maintainer:

    REFORM Discussion of reforming SCA, Inc., specifically with
                    regard to how the Corporation is governed and the
                    nature of its relationship with the Society.
    Subscription:   mail to majordomo at world.std.com with message body:
                subscribe sca-reform
    Posting:    sca-reform at world.std.com
    Maintainer: Gareth of Stonemarch <sca-reform-approval at world.std.com>

    SCA-ARMORED-COMBAT SCA-wide Armored Combat topics
    Subscription:   email to majordomo at ansteorra.org containing the
            following line in the body of the message:
          SUBSCRIBE sca-armored-combat
        OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
          SUBSCRIBE sca-armored-combat-digest
    Post to:       sca-armored-combat at ansteorra.org
    Maintainer: Therion <therion1 at confed.com>

    SCA-CAID Kingdom of Caid topics
    Subscription:   mail to request-sca-caid at rogues.net with a
        message body having only the line
            subscribe
    Maintainer: Christabel <kethryvis at reachme.net>

    SCA-COOKS SCA-wide cooking and feast topics
    Subscription:   email to majordomo at ansteorra.org containing the
            following line in the body of the message:
          SUBSCRIBE sca-cooks
        OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
          SUBSCRIBE sca-cooks-digest
    Post to:       sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
    Maintainer: Sir Gunthar Jonsson <mfgunter at fnc.fujitsu.com>

    SCA-DANCE SCA Dance
    Subcription:    mail to sca-dance-request at andrew.cmu.edu
    Maintainer: Filip of the March <sca-dance-request at andrew.cmu.edu>

    SCA-EAST East Kingdom topics
    Subscription:  mail to majordomo at indra.com with a message body
        having only the line
            subscribe sca-east
    Posting: sca-east at indra.com
    Maintainer: Boyarina Yelizaveta Medvedeva <eliz at indra.com>

    SCAHRLDS Heraldic discussion
    Subscription:   mail to LISTSERV at LISTSERV.AOL.COM with blank subject
            line and body of:
                SUB SCAHRLDS Firstname Lastname
            substituting your name for First and Last name.
    Posting: mail to SCAHRLDS at LISTSERV.AOL.COM
    Maintainer: Kwellend-Njal Kolskeggsson (vnend at aol.net)
    Digest:     sent twice weekly by Alan Fairfax
            (atterlep at vela.acs.oakland.edu)
            Contact him for details.

    SCA-LAURELS SCA-wide Order of the Laurel topics
    Subscription:   email to majordomo at ansteorra.org containing the
            following line in the body of the message:
          SUBSCRIBE sca-laurels
        OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
          SUBSCRIBE sca-laurels-digest
    Post to:       sca-laurels at ansteorra.org
    Maintainer: Mistress Gunnora Hallakarva <gunnora at bga.com>

    SCA-RAPIER SCA-wide rapier/fencing topics
    Subscription:   email to majordomo at ansteorra.org containing the
            following line in the body of the message:
          SUBSCRIBE sca-rapier
        OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
          SUBSCRIBE sca-rapier-digest
    Post to:       sca-rapier at ansteorra.org
    Maintainer: Don Christian Dore <jtc at io.com>

    SCA-WEST West Kingdom topics
    Subscription:   mail to request-sca-west at rogues.net with a
        message body having only the line
            subscribe
    Maintainer: Christabel <kethryvis at reachme.net>

    SCA-WWW Announcements of SCA WWW resources
    Subscription:  mail to sca-www-request at andrew.cmu.edu
    Maintainer: Filip of the March <sca-www-request at andrew.cmu.edu>

    SCA-Youthissues Children and the SCA
    Subscription:   mail to listserver at wyvernhall.com
    Maintainer: Lady Julleran da Mestre <kathe1 at juno.com>

    SIEGE Siege engines, pre-black powder fortifications
    Subscription:   mail to listserv at morgan.ucs.mun.ca with a blank
            subject line and body of:
                SUB SIEGE Firstname Lastname
            substituting your name for First and Last name.
    Maintainer: Sebastian Goral <amlsmith at plato.ucs.mun.ca>
    Archives: via anonymous FTP at ftp://bransle.ucs.mun.ca/pub/sca/
    Note: postings tend to come in fits and spurts.

    SIEGECRAFT discussion of siegecraft and weapons in the SCA
    Subscription:  email to majordomo at midrealm.org, include
                   SUBSCRIBE SCA-SIEGE in the body of the message
    Maintainer: Dafydd Blaidd (Dave Majors) <dafydd at midrealm.org>

    SIG Slavic Interest Group (Medieval Slavic and Hungarian research)
    Subscription: email to sig-subscribe at onelist.com
    More information:
           http://www.onelist.com/isregistered.cgi?listname=sig
    Maintainer: Ilyana Barsova (Yana) <jdmiller2 at students.wisc.edu>

For a web interface for subscriptions to many SCA lists try:
http://lists.ansteorra.org/lists.html

*2.1.1 What other mailing lists of interest are there?

There are lots of other mailing lists that may be be of interest to SCA
people. Here is a listing of some of them. There are a number of different
mailing list programs, each of which has their own procedure to subscribe to
a list. Try sending mail to LISTSERV at <host address>, or MAJORDOMO at <host
address>, or LISTPROC at <host address>, where <host address> is the part of
the address for the list you're interested in that comes after the  at  sign.
The mail should have nothing in the subject line, and the body of the
message should consist of nothing more than SUB <listname> <yourname> where
<listname> is the name of the mailing list you are subscribing to (the part
*before* the  at  sign) and <yourname> is your name. If this isn't quite the
right format for the mailing list software in use, read the error message
you get in return carefully, and you should be able to figure out the right
format.

If this is unsuccessful, try appending -Request to the name of the list, and
sending mail to that address. E.g., try to subscribe to
h-costume at world.std.com by sending mail to h-costume-Request at 
world.std.com.

Many of these lists are places where modern-world scholars communicate, and
therefore are not places where persona is appropriate -- use your modern
name.

    ALBION-L at USCVM.BITNET           British and Irish history
    ANSAX-L at WVNVM.BITNET            Anglo-Saxon and related subjects
    ARTHURNET at MORGAN.UCS.MUN.CA     Arthurian discussion
    BYZANS-L at MIZZOU1.MISSOURI.EDU   Byzantine studies
    CELTIC-L at IRLEARN.BITNET         Celtic culture
    CHAUCER at UNLINFO.UNL.EDU         Chaucer and Middle English
    EARLYM-L at AEARN.BITNET           Early Music
    ECD at playford.slac.stanford.edu  English Country Dance
    EMHIST-L at RUTVM1.BITNET          Early modern history
    FICINO at UTORONTO.BITNET          Renaissance-Reformation studies
    FOLKLORE at TAMVM1.BITNET          folklore
    FRANCEHS at UWAVM.BITNET           French historical studies
    GAELIC-L at IRLEARN.BITNET         Gaelic language group
    GRMNHIST at USCVM.BITNET           German history from 800 AD
    H-COSTUME at world.std.com         Historic Costume
    IRTRAD-L at IRLEARN.BITNET         Irish traditional music
    ISLAM-L at ULKYVM.BITNET           Islamic studies
    MEDEVLIT at SIUCVMB.BITNET         Mediaeval literature
    MEDFEM-L at INDYCMS.BITNET         Medieval feminist studies
    MEDIEV-L at UKANVM.BITNET          Medieval history
    MEDTEXTL at VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU       Medieval texts
    NUMISM-L at UNIVSCVM.CSD.SCAROLINA.EDU  Coinage up to c.1454
    PERFORM at IUBVM.BITNET            Performance theory and medieval drama
    REED-L at UTORONTO.BITNET          medieval drama
    RENAIS-L at ULKYVM.louisville.edu  early modern history
    RENDANCE at MORGAN.UCS.MUN.CA      RENAISSANCE & BAROQUE DANCE
    TML-L at IUBVM.UCS.INDIANA.EDU     Online medieval Latin music theory texts
    TOLKEIN at JHUVM.BITNET            Tolkein discussion list
    TORAH at MITVMA.BITNET             discussion of the Torah

    Fidonet MEDIEVAL Echo           Inquiries to David Aronson
                                    <postmaster at f120.n109.z1.fidonet.org>

*2.2 Are there archives of SCA information that I can access?

Yes. There are several sites that contain various files of SCA information,
including this file, Corpora, the Heraldic Rules for Submission, the Online
Armorial, several kingdom's laws, rules for combat, and so on. Each site has
a different collection of material, so you may need to investigate more than
one to find what you need.

*2.2.1 Archives via FTP?

Contact your local system administrator to learn how to use anonymous FTP to
retrieve these files. Those without FTP access should send e-mail to
mail-server at rtfm.mit.edu with "send usenet/news.answers/finding-sources" in
the body to find out how to do FTP by e-mail.

ftp://ftp.nau.edu/sca
   maintained by wew at naucse.cse.nau.edu (Bill Wilson)
ftp://bransle.ucs.mun.ca/pub/sca
   maintained by andrew at bransle.ucs.mun.ca (Miklos Sandorfia)
ftp://vela.acs.oakland.edu/pub/heralds
   maintained by atterlep at vela.acs.oakland.edu (Alan Fairfax
Aluricson) ftp://ftp.pbm.com/pub/sca
   maintained by lindahl at pbm.com (Gregory Blount)

*2.2.2 Archives via Gopher?

Contact your local system administrator for a gopher client.

gopher://heort.bsuvc.bsu.edu
   administered by Gwydion ap Myrddin <00mjstum at bsuvc.bsu.edu>

*2.2.3 Archives via World Wide Web?

Contact your local system administrator for a WWW browser. The web pages
available are changing so dynamically that I don't want to attempt to keep a
list up to date here. Instead, use this link, and search for other sites of
interest to you from here. If you have a web page you want to make known,
look at this page to find the most appropriate place to link it in.

http://www.sca.org/

*2.3 Does anyone have a contact in ...

One option for finding people is to look in the Rolls Ethereal. This works
best if you know someone's name.

Another option is to look in the Home Page Listing maintained by Ellisif
Flakkari at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/usr/mjc/www/sca-people.html

*2.4 What are the Rolls Ethereal?

The Rolls Ethereal list people on the Rialto, at least name and electronic
address, and often interests, location, and awards. The Rolls are maintained
by Justin du Coeur <justin at inmet.camb.inmet.com> They are available via
World Wide Web at http://www.inmet.com/~justin/rolls.html For those without
World Wide Web access, send email to rolls at www.inmet.com with only the word
"send" (no quotes) in the Subject: line.

*2.5 What's this alt.sca I found?

The first SCA newsgroup was named alt.sca. When the traffic grew to a
respectable size, we moved to rec.org.sca because the rec hierarchy gets
better distribution. alt.sca is currently defunct, but still carried at some
sites. We recommend that users of alt.sca move over to rec.org.sca, and ask
their system administrator to remove alt.sca from their system, to avoid
future confusion.

*2.6 Where can I get songs and lyrics?

There are a number of sites that archive song sources. Many of these are
dial-up sites, requiring the use of a modem. Please do not ask for technical
help with this on the Rialto -- there are sure to be better sources of this
information close to you.

    TIDMADT, Atlantia           (703) 370-7054
    SCRIBE, Ansteorra           (214) 826-8141
    City of London, Trimaris    (407) 895-1335
    Digital Tradition           FTP to FTP.UWP.EDU, /pub/songs/folk
    Locksley's Lyrics           FTP to mac9.ucc.nau.edu,
    /pub/Misc/SCA/Ioseph bransle.ucs.mun.ca          FTP, /pub/lyrics

*2.7 What's PennsicMUD?

PennsicMUD is a Aber-style Multi-User Dimension that attempts to recreate
the SCA Event Pennsic, with a twist. Pennsic is there in the form of an
interactive text-based world, in which the user can not only interact with
other users, but complete quests - some based on SCAdian urban legends!

For information about including your camp's description, or anything else
about MUDs, contact the organizers at mud at privateer.org.

*2.7.1 How do I connect to PennsicMUD

By using a telnet client, to pennsicmud.privateer.org, port 6969.

For Unix and VMS users, telnet pennsicmud.privateer.org 6969

For DOS and Windows 3.1x, Windows95 and WindowsNT, use your telnet client
set to telnet to pennsicmud.privateer.org port 6969 and be sure to go into
the telnet client configuration and turn LOCAL ECHO ON. Otherwise you won't
be able to see what you are typing!

For MacIntosh Users: Macs are more comfortable in MUD Connections when using
a MUD Client - many of which are available by anonymous FTP. For a list of
clients and ftp sites, email mud at privateer.org and request the list for MAC
Mud Clients.
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Section 3: Miscellaneous questions.

*3.1 What does AS stand for?

Anno Societatis, or Year of the Society, counted from May 1, 1966 CE. (CE =
Common Era, used to avoid the religious connotations of AD, or Anno Domini)

*3.2 Other abbreviations you may run across:

A&S
     Arts and Sciences (not to be confused with AS, above)
BTW
     By The Way
CMA
     Current Middle Ages
FAQ
     Frequently Asked Question(s)
FYI
     For Your Information
IMHO
     In My Honest/Humble Opinion
MKA
     Modernly (or Mundanely) Known As
OOP
     Out Of Period
:-)
     not really an abbreviation, the "smiley" informally indicates humor.
     Turn your head sideways to the left to understand it.

*3.3 Why don't we have a badge for all the Rialto people to wear?

We have an informal agreement that a piece of netting worn on your person or
hanging about your camp indicates you visit the Rialto. Remember there are
people that have nets around that do *not* visit here.

*3.4 What is Period?

The period (and place) of interest to the SCA, as defined in Corpora and the
By-Laws, is Western Europe and cultures that had contact with Western Europe
before the 17th Century.

*3.5 What is the Grand Council?

The Grand Council is a body of 20-40 people, chartered by the Board of
Directors to develop recommendations on improving the structures of the SCA,
Inc. It is not a strictly representative body and has no power to legislate.
Its membership has been chosen to represent as many different viewpoints on
the SCA as possible. Major discussions are open for the public to read, see
the listing for the Grand Council mailing list for details.

Section 4: Recurring events:

*4.1 What is Pennsic? When is Pennsic?

Pennsic is an annual war, with the main contenders being the East and Middle
Kingdoms. It is the largest recurring event in the Laurel Kingdoms, with
attendance in 1996 of just under 10,000. It has taken place since 1972, and
has been held at Coopers Lake Campground near Slippery Rock, PA since 1977.
The main battles of the war are held the third weekend in August, with other
activities taking place the week and weekend preceding that. Pennsic was so
named from "Pennsylvania" on the model of "Punic."

*4.2 What is Estrella? When is Estrella?

Estrella is an annual war, with the main contenders being Atenveldt and
Outlands. It has taken place since 1985, and is held at Schnepf Farms near
Queen Creek, Az. It is held on President's Day weekend (February).

*4.3 What is Lilies? When is Lilies?

Lilies is an annual war that takes place in Calontir. Each year a new
scenario is developed to vary the sides. Past scenarios have included Winter
Queens vs. Summer Queens, Laurels vs. Pelicans, Baronies vs. Shires, and so
on. It takes place at Smithville Lake, near Kansas City, MO. Attendance in
1993 was 1200+.

Section 5: Difficult topics:

There are some topics that recur fairly regularly that are almost guaranteed
to cause heated debate. These topics generally involve matters of opinion,
where debate can be entertaining, amusing, or informative, but often
devolves into name-calling or worse. Below is a listing of some such topics,
including a brief summary of the major points of view on each. If you decide
to bring up one of these topics on the Rialto, be prepared for lengthy, and
perhaps unfriendly, argument. If you seriously are interested in changing
how the SCA as an organization deals with these topics, remember you *MUST*
*WRITE* the Board of Directors with your opinions to effect any change on
the organization as a whole. You will *not* change anything simply through
discussing it on the Rialto.

*5.0.5 How do I write the Board of Directors?

(The following text was written by Ragnar the Bold, known in modern life as
Keith Cartmell, a former member of the Board of Directors.)

What sort of a letter is most likely to influence the Board on a decision?
Some of this will be plainly obvious, but you should see some of the letters
the Board has received. Hope this clears up misconceptions.

Address it to:

    Board of Directors
    P.O. Box 360789
    Milpitas, CA. 95036-0789

Do not send copies to individual directors, or the Society Seneschal, since
copies will be made and sent out in the Board packets.

Keep your letter to one topic. If you wish to address several different
topics, send several letters in the same envelope. The secretary will find
it easier to correctly handle your letter if you clearly state the topic at
the beginning. Letters that address an agenda item will be numbered with it.
If your letter comments on several agenda items, it becomes a nightmare to
correctly file, and find again when wanted. If it does not comment on any
established agenda item, it will be placed into VII, Correspondence. It will
be assigned to a director for a response. Every letter should get a
response. Your letters are carefully read to see if a new agenda item must
be created. This is done at the Committee of the Whole meeting, and any
letters on the same topic will be moved to the new agenda item.

The Board packets add up to a pile of paper that is never less than about 3"
thick. To make the best impression your letter should be clear, and to the
point. The letter is photocopied, and the original filed, so getting
everything on one side of an 8.5 x 11 page helps. Multiple pages should be
clearly labeled 1 of x, 2 of x, ect, and don't staple. The main
consideration in print medium is easy to read. Dark typewritten print is
great. A 9 pin printer in draft mode badly needs a fresh ribbon.
Handwritten; if you must, use dark ink, double space, and be as neat as
possible. For most people (especially me) hand printing is neater than
handwriting. It must be signed, and if your name is printed underneath it
will be spelled that way in the minutes. The Board will not accept anonymous
correspondence.

Timing. Sooner is better. Sending a letter about 2 to 6 weeks *after* the
latest meeting is about ideal, or about 2 months *prior* to the next. The
packets are smaller and the directors are not trying to cope with all the
last minute essentials.

If your letter is a request for the Board to act as the final step in the
channels for complaint and appeal, please include a summary of all the
attempts to resolve the situation. Be meticulous about dates, actions, and
who you send copies to. Remember that Board action will affect the entire
SCA, not just your situation.

*5.1 Same-sex consorts.

Current situation: According to Corpora the Sovereign and Consort must be of
opposite gender, i.e. one male and one female by plumbing, regardless of
affectional preference.

Pro: Those people in favor of allowing same-sex consorts feel that modern
sensibilities are more important than historical practice, and that in the
spirit of making the SCA as inclusive as possible, people should be allowed
to fight in Crown Tourney for their significant other, regardless of their
affectional preference.

Con: Those people against allowing same-sex consorts feel that historical
accuracy is important, and that as there are no historical examples of a
sovereign having a consort of the same sex, the SCA should not permit it. An
additional argument is that the majority of the SCA is heterosexual, and
that by having two members of the same sex on the throne, approximately half
the SCA is deprived of a role model during that reign.

*5.2 Selecting the Crown.

Current situation: In all kingdoms, the Sovereign is chosen by a regularly
recurring, double elimination Crown Tourney. The frequency of this tourney
varies by kingdom. The victor of this tourney becomes the Heir to the throne
(title varies by kingdom), and the person for whom the victor fought becomes
the Heir's Consort. After some period of time as Heirs, they are crowned
Sovereign and Consort.

Proposals: We have seen many varied proposals on the Rialto for alternative
ways of selecting the Sovereign. Each is treated separately below. In all
cases, take as given the opinion (both Pro and Con) "We've never done it
that way before."

1. Allow champions in Crown Tourney. A person would fight in Crown Tourney
for a couple. If that person is victorious, the couple would become
Sovereign and Consort. The fighter, in most versions of this proposal, would
be required to serve as Champion throughout the reign, and would not be
permitted to fight in Crown Tourney while they are Champion. Pro: allows
non-fighters to be Sovereign. Con: people express worries about 'kingmakers'
and hiring of champions.

2. Structure Crown Tourney as some combination of single combat and melee.
Pro: better selects the Sovereign for leadership abilities. Looks more like
historical 'wars of succession' to some people. Con: too much opportunity
for ugly politics in deciding who fights on which team(s). Too unwieldy a
tournament to finish in one day.

3. Select the Sovereign using some methods other than fighting tournament.
Various combinations of A&S combination, archery, fencing, and so on have
all been suggested at one time or another. Pro: allows non-fighters to be
Sovereign. Emphasizes something other than fighting as the way to get ahead.
Con: subjective nature of judging leaves too much opportunity for ugly
politics. There are no historical examples of rulers being chosen by similar
means.

Section 6: How do you join the SCA?

Find your local group and show up. To attend an event, you must wear some
attempt at pre-17th century clothing. If you like it, you may want to become
a registered member, which among other things gets you newsletters. The
Office of the Registry will provide basic introductory material, including a
copy of your kingdom newsletter, on request. They also have packets of
material available for teachers.

            The Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
            Office of the Registry
            P.O. Box 360789
            Milpitas, CA   95036-0789
            USA
            408-263-9305
            408-263-0641 fax

In Australia (The Principality of Lochac), contact:

            Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
            PO Box 1623
            Kersbrook 5231
            South Australia
            AUSTRALIA

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Guide to Posting Style

Each line of text posted to the Rialto is stored on thousands of Usenet
machines, and is also processed through the digestifier software and mailed
out to every recipient of the digest. Many of the readers of the Rialto must
pay for disk space and connect time. Keeping this in mind, here are some
common-sense guidelines for polite use of the Rialto. These are just
suggestions: there are no rules. However, following these guidelines would
be a courtesy to your fellow Rialtans, and to the good and generous
institutions whose machines support our communication. Many of these
suggestions are adapted from regular postings on news.announce.newusers,
notably "Rules for Posting to Usenet," "What is Usenet?", "A Primer on How
to Work with the Usenet," and "Hints on Writing Style for Usenet." If you
have access to that newsgroup, please take the opportunity to read these
postings.

   * Keep it short. Say what you have to say, but in the fewest words
     possible that make your meaning clear. Brevity that obscures meaning is
     not very useful.
   * Quote only what you must from previous articles.
        o Don't quote someone's entire signature, or blank space.
        o Don't include an entire article in order to append a single line
          of text.
        o Often a paraphrase will be clearer and more succinct than a quote.
   * Use white space as necessary for clarity in your posting, and no more.
   * Use a signature, but keep it short. People appreciate knowing who and
     where you are (SCA and modern). Include your email address in your
     signature, and enough of your name, titles, location etc. to ensure an
     unambiguous identification. People do not appreciate paying phone bills
     to transmit over-large signatures, and Usenet etiquette frowns very
     strongly on many-line signatures or signatures with graphics.
   * Reply by mail, unless your message is going to be of general interest.
     Of course, the Rialto is eclectic enough that a serious discussion of
     almost any relevant topic will interest some people. Use your best
     judgement to balance the level of general interest against the cost of
     posting your message to the Rialto. Postings whose content amounts to
     "you're an idiot" or "I demand you apologize for ..." are most
     emphatically *NOT* welcome.
   * If you have a problem reaching someone by e-mail contact your system
     administrator, write to postmaster at your correspondent's node, or ask
     someone on the net who seems to know a lot about e-mail. Please avoid
     posting a message about it - you are trying to send something to
     someone on ONE system. Posting sends it to all the thousands of systems
     throughout the world that make up the Rialto - which is going to cost
     someone, even if not you, a lot of money.
   * Please don't post local event announcements. This is another "balance
     the general interest value against the cost" issue. Local event
     announcements probably will be of interest to only a small fraction of
     the readership of the Rialto. A brief mention of an event in a
     signature, or a 2 or 3 line summary with "email for more information"
     is perfectly in order.
   * Write carefully. People reading your postings can't hear your tone of
     voice or see your expression, and probably don't know you well enough
     to know whether you are serious or joking. Sarcasm is guaranteed to be
     misunderstood by someone. It is better to avoid it entirely, or at
     least clearly mark it with something like <SARCASM ON> ...sarcasm...
     <SARCASM OFF>.
   * LOTS of people read the Rialto, and the newsgroup is completely public.
     Don't post anything you wouldn't want to say in a room filled with
     complete strangers, your boss, your parent's relatives, reporters from
     the National Enquirer, the peerage and royalty of your kingdom, etc.
     They might well be reading. Take the time to re-read your posting, and
     to think whether you *really* want to say that.
   * Don't get offended, and don't offend others - most of the people
     reading the Rialto are SCAdians, and would prefer being your friend to
     the alternative. Treat people well and they will assuredly respond in
     kind. If someone appears to be offended by a posting of yours,
     especially if the offense is unintended, the best response is to
     apologize via email. Also, note that "I'm sorry you took it that way"
     is inadequate as an apology -- better is "I'm sorry I offended you."
     The first implicitly shifts the blame to the offended person, while the
     second does not.
   * Use the subject line. If you can describe your topics in the subject
     line of your posting, please do so. Posting with Subject: Various is
     pretty pointless, isn't it? :-) If you are replying to a previous
     posting, and you have shifted the topic, please correct the subject
     line. Some people will make note of the previous subject like this:
     Subject: Two-sword technique (Was Re: Pennsic)
   * Avoid posting binary files. This includes graphic files (.GIF, .JPG,
     .BMP, etc.) as well as most word processor files, and especially file
     attachments. Even if your email system says it does MIME encoding,
     don't count on the recipients of your message being able to make sense
     of anything but a simple ASCII text file. This includes binary files
     that have been encoded with UUEncode, or a similar program. Such
     encoding will allow the files to pass through news and mail systems
     without damage, but take up very large amounts of space and network
     bandwidth. Instead of posting these files, better to find a place to
     put them that is accessible via ftp or http (World Wide Web), and post
     a note to the Rialto announcing their availability. This will allow
     those who are interested and have the technology available to make use
     of your file to retrieve it at their convenience, while minimizing the
     inconvenience and expense to everyone else.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to all who have contributed to this article.

This article is a work in progress. If you have other topics you'd like to
see included, send me email with the question(s) and your suggested
answer(s). If you have comment on the items included, please send me
(polite) email.

          PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE RIALTO! ! !

The whole point of this effort is to reduce traffic. I will summarize
comments sent to me, if it seems necessary.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robyyan Torr d'Elandris                         Dennis R. Sherman
Kapellenberg, Windmaster's Hill, Atlantia         Chapel Hill, NC
robyyan at mindspring.com              dennis.sherman at mindspring.com
http://www.unc.edu/~sherman/robyyan.html

<the end>
Edited by Mark S. Harris	SCA-Rialto-FAQ