Households

It's hard to go to an event - especially a camping event - without being aware of the various households in the SCA. Whether it's House of York, The Brotherhood, or Rolling Thunder, event sites are filled with the mini communities we call households.

But what are households? Households are simply groups of like-minded individuals who choose to associate with each other. They are most visible at events as either encampments or units on the battlefield.

Why do people join households? Generally for one of two reasons: politics or camaraderie. In other words, they either see something to gain from joining the household or they simply like the people envolved. An example of a political household is the old Blackwing Company. While I'm sure they weren't started as trying to be the be-all and end-all of the fencing community, it did quickly evolve beyond simply a community of fencers into an organization that gave all appearances to being the deciders in all things rapier.

As for an example of a household of comrades, there are just too many to list (and, I hate to admit it, I'm so lousy with names that I can't remember any). But the one that sticks in my head is William Kyle of the Widerness'. Their main concerns are fighting, feasting and fun.

There are, of course, those households that straddle the two. The Brotherhood of the Black Unicorn is one such household. Their main concern is fighting, followed closely by having fun. But they have, on occasion, pushed for changes on the melee field. In all honesty, though, considering the number of peers and former royalty within the Brotherhood, they have managed to keep a very low profile on the political end, clearly differentiating between household and personal opinions.

There's too many different styles of households to truly define how a household is put together. But they do, in general have one thing in common: a central leader. These heads of household could simply be the guy who's organized enough to set up the camping and feeding and such, or they could be a charismatic leader who draws followers to them like flies, or they could be the one guy who missed the household meeting and got "volunteered" to be the boss. It doesn't matter how they were decided on, really, all that matters is that the members of the household answer to some central character.

So, in a world filled with households, and everyone naturally wanting to be a part of something bigger, why haven't I joined a household? For the record, I have joined two over the many years I've been in the SCA. The first was your basic household of friends that I simply outgrew. They were a mildly active bunch who really didn't get out and play much and, after a while, became inbred to the point where what they were playing wasn't the SCA, but their idea of what the SCA should be, while I continued to exist in the mainstream of the SCA. That would have been bad enough, but they also tried to impose their views on everyone around them, including the shire as a whole. The household eventually withdrew from the SCA, after helping successfully burning out an entire town's worth of SCAdians. Thankfully, I'd withdrawn from the household early on in their grab for power, but as a result of those fights, I'm leery of ever holding office again.

That was the first household I joined. The second was Blackwing. 'Nuff said. Well, maybe not. I was an extremely late comer to Blackwing, not joining until the Northern Garrison was formed, under the command of Albion. It wasn't that I hadn't heard about Blackwing, I'd heard plenty, and not been impressed. Too snooty, too political, or at least that's how they came across. What finally got me to join was Albion: a man of impeccable character who I knew, respected and trusted, asking me directly to join. It was the first time in the existence of the company that someone had taken the time to ask me to join, not just make a general announcement that the Company was looking for members. I stayed with Blackwing until I left in service to King and Country and then, while I was gone, the company was disbanded.

Since my return, I haven't joined any households, though. I have been asked to join a couple, but have turned both offers down. In one, it simply wasn't my cup of tea: a piratical house lead by a gentle who - nice enough though he may be - built the house in an attempt for personal prestige. I'm afraid I just don't do posses. The other offer was made by a gentle that I like and respect, but whose house just didn't appeal to me. No specific reason, it just didn't grab me.

Okay, a big reason I haven't joined any household is that I don't really make a good follower. There's a part of me who sees himself as that great charismatic leader whom everyone should be flocking to follow, not following some schmuck who thinks he's better than me. But I'm enough of a realist to know that I'm not a people person. Okay, that's an understatement. I don't do chit-chat. I don't do bull-sessions. I don't really care who did what, where, or with whom. To put it bluntly, I don't like people. As a result, I tend to do the Lone Ranger bit, keeping to myself and a rather select group of friends. Not a household, no. More a set of alliances.

And I kind of like it that way.