Muy Anti-Bueno

I haven't been to an SCA event in quite a while, but we couldn't have picked one better than Tryggvy's War. Except for forgetting to bring any non-social activities for downtime, it was great.

The site for the event had been changed at the last moment (speculation about leet-haxorring of the park registry abounds), but the new site was a pleasant one we'd been to before (Cheagle Lake Park, in Lebanon). The scenery there is wonderful, if you ignore the roving septic tank trunks, lumber mill (which I didn't mind), and occasional chainlink fence.

The highlight was the actual war, which was everything but conventional. Games involved longboat battles (the "longboats", unfortunately, broke pretty quickly), resource-gathering, and a soccer-like game played with a big box that was drug around the field. The Hospitalers fought valiantly, with Larry acting very much like Lord Francesco.

The rapier fights on the side were very interesting for me. The rapier fighters, while a smaller bunch, I think are also a nicer and more entertaining bunch. Rapier tends to be less competitive. They were also demonstrating a cut-and-thrust style of rapier fighting that's pending approval in An Tir.

The Iron Viking competition involved both heavy combat participation and wrestling in three different styles (the first two relatively conventional, the last involving both contestants hanging onto the same wooden pole and trying to force each other off a wooden platform). For fun, the Prince of the Summits also joined in (alongside a Duke who was doing the whole of the Iron Viking). The women of our camp were much appeased when I notified them to half-naked men grappling.

The Sundown Tourney was delayed into becoming the low-participant-count-dim-Torchlight
Tourney, due to far too many pointy hats being present at Court (which dragged on for hours). Beforehand I, personally, got a bit of entertainment by being sold into slavery by my mother and Jan in exchange for a bota bag.

The most vital thing to my pleasurable experience at this event was good garb. Instead of the 12th Century Irish tunics, which were made for a period of time and place that was much colder than late July in Oregon, I had a 16th Century ruffle-necked-and-collared shirt and pantaloons. The Renaissance has much more comfortable summer clothing (for men).

In August there's two other interesting events (The Blade and Bow rapier and archery college, and the Long and the Short of It), so I'll likely be spending the closing days of my summer in the Current Middle Ages.