Rantipants McRant

[hurly_burly]

 

So, we were planning to run an event called Brass Monkey War. We booked a site at which to hold said event. Then we realised that, what with one RL thing and another, we actually didn't have the time to run the event, so six weeks before it was meant to be run, we cancelled it. No bookings had been taken, no other plans had been made, there was nothing to do but inform the Seneschal and B&B that we were no longer going to be running the event, and put an email to that effect on the list.
Two other worthies decided that rather than let the event die, they would assume command and run the event instead. We handed over the site booking details, and thought we'd washed our hands of the whole affair. We went to the feast, which was poorly organised (and I'm being quite caritable here) and attended by about 12 people.

The next week we hear from several sources that certain people (one is a certifiable loon, but the other is a fucking Pel and really shouldn't behave like this) are blaming us for the fact that the event was so dreadful. Wait, whut? Oh, yes, apparently we failed to hand over all the information, and we had an unrealistic pricing structure in our event info form due to the fact that we were going to use our underground network of contacts to get all the supplies for the event really cheaply. We were planning on doing most of the shopping at the local fruit and veg/butcher, who I'm pretty sure sells to other people and not just us, and anyway the new stewards should have submitted their own event info form complete with their own pricing schedule.

So, our fault that hardly anyone bothered to turn up. Our fault that the hall was not decorated, and that it was filled with piles of people's mundane and fencing crap, which I have to say detracted somewhat from the medieval atmosphere. Our fault that almost no-one made an effort to dress according to the theme (or rather, themes, since there were several; our original 14th C time period, plus blue for the Bal d'Azure and Middle Eastern for the feast, what a fucking mishmash!), although nothing else about the event gave any hint as to said themes either (probably also our fault). Our fault that the fencing ran several hours over time and that the feast was dished out and getting cold and the steward failed to actually alert anyone to this fact. Our fault that no-one brought cushions to sit on to add to the Middle Eastern theme for the feast.

That's right, these people are oddly similar to the Australian cricket team, who when they lost the Ashes immediately starting whinging about how it wasn't their fault.

I now feel overwhelmingly disenchanted with the SCA, and really, really, don't feel like running another event while this particular Pelican still roams the Earth. Gosh, she's doing a good job with fostering enthusiasm and encouraging people to run events, isn't she?

Comments

[kareina.livejournal.com]

I must admit that over the past 25+ years in the SCA I'd never encountered individuals who made me want to be somewhere else, before moving to Tassie and encountering such individuals (perhaps the same ones?) as you describe above. They didn't manage to make me drop out, but they left a bad taste in my mouth and a profound relief to have gotten a job offer *elsewhere* so that I can leave them behind. The fact that one of them in a Pelican leaves me with profound worries for the rest of the Barony, and I sincerely hope that the group can thrive despite her negative energy.

[glass-violet.livejournal.com]

I'm reasonably sure some of the individuals involved with this shemozzle are the same ones you've had issues with ;)