Newcomers

Welcome to Rowany

If you are new to the SCA, welcome! The Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) is a warm and welcoming place, but as it has been around a while and has so much to offer, you may not know where to start. We hope this page puts you on the right path for your interests and helps you enjoy participating in this society with us.

The society is devoted to the research and recreation of life prior to the seventeenth century – with no focus on any particular country or continent. It covers almost any aspect of life pre-1600 that you can think of. Each person has different interests or focuses, with members of the SCA taking part in a range of activities including combat, archery, equestrian activities, costuming, cooking, metalwork, woodworking, music, dance, calligraphy, fiber arts, and much more.

This can make it difficult for you, a newcomer to the group, to find out more about your chosen interests. You likely don’t have time to speak to hundreds or even dozens of people, nor will you know the right questions to ask to get all the great information you want out of this select group of folks you happen to have access to. These pages are here to help you get started.

A Great General Introduction to the Society

You may want to start with the International SCA’s Welcome Site which offers a fantastic overview of the SCA. It covers covering the SCA as a whole, worldwide.

After having a good look through that site, come back here for further information more specific to the Barony of Rowany, or use the following links to find something closer to you if you are not Sydney based.

What “Stuff” Do I Need To Do To Be Part of the SCA?

There are a few things that you will need to do to participate in our events, and to feel like a part of the Society.

  1. Clothing (see section below)
  2. An SCA Name (see section below)
  3. What to do/expect at an event (click link for a separate page)
  4. Stay in contact: how to find out what’s going on (see section below)

Clothing

We have a low bar to participation in our events: Everyone in the SCA must dress in a style of clothing from pre-1600. It does not have to be perfect! It does not have to be accurate or well-researched, it must simply be “an attempt”. You will likely improve your clothing over time, but for your first few events a simple tunic, or medieval-esque dress is enough – a guide to a simple T-tunic can be found here. There are many other sites which can teach you how to make appropriate clothing, a search on google for “SCA garb” will turn up a variety of ideas and instructions. Pinterest is also a great resource for ideas.

You will see many people at SCA events wearing amazingly elaborate clothing. Usually they have made these themselves and often enjoy talking about what they have made and perhaps how you could also make something similar. Feel free to go up to someone whose clothing you admire and ask them about it, it’s one of the best ways to learn.

Names

In the SCA we often choose a name to use within the society, to approximate a name that would have been used prior to 1600. You will likely be encouraged to choose one (although you do not have to choose – some people go by their real name). Heralds in your group are available to help you choose or document a chosen name.

You can just choose any name, however, once you start to feel your way around the SCA, you may want to register the name you use when playing. It’s best to choose something that would have been viable back in the day.

There are some rules around choosing a name that is registerable, but don’t let that scare you. To register, the SCA name you choose must meet certain criteria. You do not have to register, but if you wish to, the name you choose must be accepted by the College of Heralds. The College of St.Gabriel has lots of resources for this, including the article Choosing a Name: Hints for Newcomers

Your real name is often referred to as your “Mundane Name” vs your “SCA Name” and various forms and event bookings will require one or the other, or both.

Staying in Contact or How to Find Out What’s Going On

Our ways of keeping up to date with what’s going on are myriad, so choose the option(s) that suit you. In order of volume of activity:

  1. We have a Facebook Group. There are also other groups relating to specific interest areas. Search Facebook Groups for the keywords “Rowany” and “Lochac” to get a list of groups that may interest you.
  2. There is an email list for the Barony. Likewise there are other email lists for Lochac which may interest you. This is the full list (you may need to cross-reference the groups of Lochac to understand what some of these lists are for).
  3. This website

Resources On This Site

Now that you’re up to speed on the SCA in general, here are some great links to get you going on this site. These are the places that you’ll probably find most useful.

  • Check the menus of this site. The major focus areas have links in the main menu which lead to sub-section where secondary navigation appears on the left hand side
  • The Resources page which provides a more detailed list of resources on other sites.
  • Rowany runs plenty of events. The Regular Events page will give you a good start.