On Fighting in a Crown Tourney: Musings of a "still not King"

For many SCA members winning a Crown Tourney and reigning as monarch over one of the sovereign Kingdoms is the highest aspiration they have in the SCA. To my mind this is both a great and noble thing, and a path frought with danger. Of course, it''s greatness and nobility is enhanced by virtue of the obstacles and pitfalls following this road can bring.

I utterly commend to any fighter to pursue the goal of being victorious over a talented field in a Crown Tourney. It is my belief that before entering one should examine why you want to win a Crown Tourney.

Though in Lochac every victor has either been a member of the Chivalry or become one before they are crowned it is not an automatic. Non-knights have reigned in other kingdoms, and even if you win, it does not mean that you meet all the criteria for elevation to that peerage.

If you think it's all about the power, think again. Legend has it that one of the sets of crowns in the Known World has the words "You rule because they believe" inscribed inside the rims of the crowns. In reality, the power that a King and Queen has is more of a function of the power they are granted by the rest of the Kingdom's folks than inherent in the position. Historically, royalty who have misused, disrespected or abused power have found themselves lacking power very quickly (William II of England, for example). The same can happen in the SCA, though not in the form of a "hunting tragedy". ;) The Royalty's powers are an "in-game" feature. Anything that affects real world issues or authority is well beyond the purview of modern day SCA monarchy. Kingdom laws can be changed back immediately by one's successors (we've seen evidence of that here in Lochac). laws have to be vetted and go through a process that includes Kingdom Officers who may kick dubious decisions upstairs to Society level if they are concerned. The people you deal with have real lives first and foremost. You cannot order Lord Bob of the Marshes to attend an event if Robert Smith (the real person behind the SCA persona) can't afford it, has unavoidable real world conflicts, or simply doesn't want to go. It's the Rule #7 of the Lists extrapolated to a broader stage; you don't have to participate if you don't want to.

If you think it'll make you popular you probably deserve to be deluded. As soon as you win there will be sycophants mobbing you. People you barely associate with become your new, best friends. Rest assured most, if not all, of them will disappear as soon as you have your own succesors or step down. In fact, your true friends are the ones who will pull you up and stop you making a poor decision or a fool of yourself.

If you think it's going to be easy being Royalty then you need to quickly check on the status of reality. The stress of travelling, even to a minimal number of events, in a land as vast as Lochac is serious alone. Then there are the phone calls, emails, reports to be received, decisions to be made, consultation to be had. It's rare that someone contacts you to tell you what a great job you're doing. If the phone rings, it's most likely a problem (or a tele-salesman, but they don't understand SCA royalty).

So, what are good reasons to enter a Crown Tourney? Bearing in mind that all contained in this document is my opinion, I can think of several valid reasons.

Probably the best reason is that you have the opportunity to make the game come alive for everyone. A good reign doesn't have to be a laugh a minute. It can be pompous and serious. It should always be good theatre that involves as many people as possible, giving everyone not only a part to play, and thus making them stakeholders, but also the chance to sit back and drink the atmosphere in.

It may be, for you, a way to honor your consort.

You may have a solution to an issue, or a great idea that you could initiate if you were sitting on the thrones.

It may be that winning a Crown vindicates all the training and effort you have made as a combatant.

It may be that you really don't have a chance of winning, but by your participation you honor the list, and ensure the test is just that little bit harder for the contenders. It may also be a chance to take the field against people you rarely have the opportunity to fight, especially those of reknown.