This handbook is the collected wisdom and general advice I have gathered in my many years of autocratting. It is meant as a guide, not a bible. Use the information you find as you see fit. If you disagree with anything I write, then do it differently. These words represent what I have found works, not the final word.

There are no guarantees that if you do everything just as I say, your event will be a smashing success, talked about for years. However, I believe that if you do follow the guide, the event will not fail.

Please be sure to note that this is intended to be a living document, to be added to by future autocrats and updated as the sites and common practices change. Please let me know of any errors you find.

I do hope this is of help to you. And I wish you well in your endeavors.

Mistress Marthe Elsbeth of Oak Hill

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THE JOB.

Autocratting doesn't mean doing everything. It means making sure that everything is done. Experience shows that a good autocrat plans to have almost nothing to do the day of the event. That day will be spent assisting your volunteers, handling things you forgot, or answering questions.

While you may not have a lot to DO if you are an autocrat, you are definitely going to be the hub of the spinning wheel. If you crack under pressure, instead of smiling through it, you owe it to the Barony to assist at a few events, first.

[This is from How to Become a Carolingian Autocrat]

It is your job to be rested, even tempered, available and affable. Autocrating can be physically strenuous, so be sure to get enough sleep and meals.

On the positive side, there is an ineffable thrill to hosting an event, and providing a safe and special place for our events to take place. There is no thrill like it, and it a great way to meet wonderful people.

PERSONAL CONSIDERATIONS.

Even if you have autocrated before, run down this little personality checklist. Don't ask yourself if you *can* do this: ask yourself if you will enjoy your life under the following circumstances:

1. Is your life stable enough that you can plan ahead through the day of the event? Can you control your work travel schedule, can you be home in the evenings, will you relocate, is your health good? Will you be in school, when are finals or mid-terms or theses due? (Once you set an event in motion, a lot of people will do a lot of work. Can you be good to them?)

2. Does being the source and center of attention make you flustered and upset? Can you deal calmly with hysterical people? Are you good in a crisis? (Real examples: a key staff member quits at the last minute, the site becomes unavailable, there is a car accident in the parking lot, the Royalty throw a fit, the police show up.)

3. Can you plan ahead, and do things on a schedule? Can you keep notes well enough that someone can take over for you? Can you provide enough structure and sense to the people who have volunteered to help you? (If your announcements don't hit Pop Chiv you can annoy a lot of folks.)

4. How are your people skills? Will other people work with and for you? Should they? Do you have the social network to get volunteers? Can you be the voice of reason in a world under pressure? (Because, when something goes wrong, they always send for the autocrat.)

5. Are you flexible enough? If you have to cancel the event, can you admit it? If a carefully wrought schedule goes merrily to hell, will you be in tears, or can you roll with the punches?

6. Can you answer the phone, and write and answer letters? Can you make phone calls to strangers? Are you OK with having your name listed in Pop Chiv? (Members of Witness Protection Programs need not apply.)

7. Can you say no, if you have to? Can you say no nicely? Can you swallow your pride, if you must, and ask for help? Can you live with making an error?

Tibor

A. Are YOU Ready?

Autocratting can be the most rewarding, exciting thing you can do in the SCA. It can also be the most depressing, heart rending thing you can do in the SCA. How you approach it makes all the difference.

If you are getting ready to move, have a baby, change jobs, or any other major life change or emotional event happens in your life, I would not recommend you take on the job of autocratting. And it is a job. A part time, temporary job, but a job. Like any job, you can love it or not. But be aware that lots of people are counting on you to be there when and where you say you will be, to organize their weekend in such a way that they will have a great time. If your own house is not in order, this job will eat you up.

I only want to emphasize that autocratting will bring you in contact with (possibly) everyone on site, certainly everyone who has a problem or complaint. You need to be ready for that. If you are stressed to the limit from a real life situation, you will not be able to enjoy your tenure as autocrat.

Autocratting should be an enjoyable experience. If you do it right, you shouldn’t have much to do at the event itself except enjoy all the activities that were planned. Your staff will take care of everything, and you can relax (even get a nap in before feast).

B. What Your Responsibilities Are

So how do you create this wonderful weekend for the world? As Autocrat, you must secure the efforts of a competent, reliable staff to do the myriad tasks required to put on an event. You are responsible for securing the site and event date on the Kingdom calendar (the seneschal may have taken care of this in advance, but you need to verify it’s done). You must make sure publicity gets published in a timely manner, and that reservations are taken efficiently and effectively. Planning of the activities and delights of the event are up to you.

Please note that ‘responsibility’ does not denote that you have to do all these things yourself. You can, and should, delegate tasks to all and sundry, anyone who doesn’t run fast enough, anyone who actually willingly volunteers. The more you don’t do, the more energy you will have to deal with last minute problems, and to enjoy yourself.

So, on to the details.

If you are going to have a particular theme for an event, this can affect your budget and publicity, as well as the activities of the event. A theme is not necessary, just a nicety. Many feasts have a theme, but that doesn’t mean the event must have one also. Themes can range from a period of time, a particular historical event (the Black Plague), or a country (‘Let’s Do Italy’). You can have the activities reflect the theme or not. I have seen theme events that were done really well and came off without being a burden on the participants, as well as the opposite. Think about how much time you have to implement the theme, if you think the populace will enjoy it, and how much extra cost there might be because of the theme.

For example, if you want to do a Roman event in the summer, the populace will probably have a good time, being able to dress the part in comfort. But don’t force everyone to eat Roman period food, or you will have a revolt. Doing a period feast is the hardest part of a theme event, mainly because of the modern palates of the populace in general. If you want to do a Tudor Court theme, don’t be surprised if very few people show up in full Tudor dress, especially in summer. Keep in mind that if the theme includes the fighting activities, you need to poll the fighters to see if they will be happy/cooperate at all.

Theme events can be a lot of fun (all Arabian, with classes in dance, food, etc., comfy garb), but you might be able to get the effect you want by having a theme for only a portion of the event (such as feast).

This task is here because you must have a budget before you can publicize the event. How would you know what to charge people otherwise?

You must consider the following costs:

Site - may be overnight charges, or day charges, depending on the site.

Food - Feast, Breakfast, Other

Prizes - up to $1.00 per person

Rentals

Miscellaneous - average $1.00 per person, more for Crown events or special events

Non-member Fees - see Kingdom Law

Our events run between 125 and 250, depending on the event. Get with the Reeve to determine site costs (see Appendix A for specific costs). Food budgets are as follows:

Feast - $6.00 per person

Breakfast - $1.00 per person per day ($2.00 per person for weekend)

Other - Traveler’s fare, lunch - shouldn’t be more than $1.00 per person.

Prizes can be elaborate or simple. They can be purchased or donated (always a good thing.) Rentals (usually for Silver Hammer) may vary greatly from year to year. You need to check on that when you are formulating your budget. The miscellaneous category includes office supplies, Troll booklets, site tokens, re-stocking trailer supplies, and autocrat expenses.

For example, for a Silver Hammer, you might consider the following:

Site - $1.80 per person per night/ $3.60 per person staying on site, for those who get beds.

Tent Rental - $5.00 per person (includes rental of tent, heater, tables & chairs)

Feast - $6.00 per person, charged to those eating feast

Breakfast - $1.00/person/$2.00 for weekend (charged to those eating feast); this is for Silver Hammer only; for other events, breakfast is only charged to those staying the night.

Prizes - averages $0.50 per person (4-6 competitions $10-25/prize)

Miscellaneous - average $1.00 per person (includes office supplies, toilet paper, Troll booklets, rope for marking parking, site tokens, re-stock trailer supplies, etc.)

First price break should at least break even, with additional profit in later prices. Non-member fees may vary widely, so don’t count those in your formula. Kids under 12 are half price of the non-member price; then subtract if the children are members. Babes in arms are free. They do not get a bed or a chair at feast. Families pay no more than 3 adult fees. For refunds, see Baronial fiscal policy (Appendix D). Anyone on site for 3 hours or more must pay at least the off-site, off-board fee.

Establish and publish the cut off time for holding feast reservations (maybe 2 p.m.) After that, the seat at feast may be re-sold. Guaranteed feast reservations may be had for the asking, but then no refund.

Remember that if you have Royalty in attendance, they get in free, so allow for that in your budget.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The Reeve, the Seneschal, the Baroness will all be willing to assist you in getting it right. Once you have a basic budget, you can determine the price breaks for pre-registrations and the at the door prices.

** [suggested wording] "SCA members may subtract $3 from listed prices. No family will pay more than three adult prices, children 12 and under are 1/2 price (after $3 SCA member discount) and children age 2 and under are free."

Flyers should include as much information as you can fit about the event itself. In addition, notes about the site are very useful to the expected registrants. Such notes as ‘no pets’, ‘no electric heaters or blankets’ (always put this in Silver Hammer flyers), ‘dry site’, and ‘limited parking’ are very useful to people planning to attend your event. Any special activities, such as special A&S competitions, or special prizes could also be noted. Bed and feast space limits, and the feast reservation cut off time should be included. Merchants must contact the autocrat in advance (if the event is large, list a merchant liaison and have the merchants contact them directly.) Remember that you can put additional information on the Baronial web page.

Don’t print that alcohol will be on site if the site is legally dry. Be cautious about competitions. We have gotten waivers from sites in the past, so it doesn’t hurt to ask. But at Big Ridge, for example, just say that it’s a state park, and state parks are legally dry. We have a real good relationship with the rangers because we’ve not taken advantage of this in the past.

The flyer should look as attractive as possible, sometimes very difficult with the size restrictions of the kingdom newsletter. If it’s a kingdom event, remember you have the whole page. For very special events, you can also consider pay for the extra half page. This would come out of the miscellaneous budget.

Be sure to get the first flyer in by the deadline for the Kingdom Chronicler! If you miss another deadline, the chronicler can use an old flyer, but that first one needs to be there! Flyers should be reviewed by the Seneschal, the Reeve, and the Baroness for any changes/corrections before publication.

If you can get the flyer and any other information you want to make available in electronic form, the Baronial Web Minister can help you put it up on the web site. If you have your own site, let the Web Minister know to put a link on the Baronial site.

Keep in mind that web sites are extra publicity, not the only source of information.

The sites are usually reserved well in advance by the Reeve and/or the Seneschal. The date on the kingdom calendar should also be reserved by the Seneschal. Check with them about these items; you may find these tasks have been done.

If you do not have a site, you need to start calling immediately to find whatever you can. The date may have to be changed on the Kingdom calendar to allow the group to have the event as official. [Note: we have in the past had ‘unofficial’ events when there was a conflict on the kingdom calendar or with the site.] If the date is not on the kingdom calendar, bug the Seneschal until it gets done (the Seneschal is the one who can contact the Kingdom Seneschal about calendar dates.)

Be aware of any site restrictions, such as alcohol or pets. Most state parks prohibit alcohol, but at Big Ridge, they’ve never made an issue about it as long as we’re discreet. Most church camps are dry sites as well. Remember at Big Ridge, the field is a public area, i.e. no alcohol or merchanting in open view.

You need to be aware of exactly what kind of cabin space you have. Registrants will have all kinds of questions about the facilities. You will want to know the following:

How many beds are available on site

What kind of beds are they (bunk beds, singles, good quality, marginal, etc.)

What configuration are the beds in? (How many to a cabin or room in a cabin...)

What kind of bathrooms/bath houses are available? Are they in the cabins or separate?

How many showers and toilets? Will you need to rent port-a-johns?

Along these lines, is there camping space available for those who would rather camp or for latecomers? Is this space adjacent to the main activity area or in a separate part of the park?

If it is a camping event only, how many people/tents can you put on the given sites? Is there a limit to how much space a given camp site can take? How does the site charge, by tent or by person?

The feast hall is a major consideration in planning for an event. Are tables and chairs available from the site? If so, how many? Will you need to rent more to allow for the expected number of participants? Depending on the size of the feast hall and/or the size of the kitchen, you may need to limit the number of feast spots. If you have never been to the site, the site caretaker should be able to give you a good idea of the size of the hall. Can the tables and chairs be arranged as you see fit? For Big Ridge, there is a to scale layout of the hall available from Karen Perdue, as well as a suggested table layout (very convenient for feast signup).

At Big Ridge, 120 is about the maximum for feast in the hall (14-15 tables is comfortable). Any others will be outside. Be sure that people are aware of which tables are inside and outside. Feastcrats need full tables, so encourage the populace to fill in tables before going outside. If a group requests a table outside (like at May Tourney), the whole table has to agree.

You need to determine if there is sufficient space for the activities you have planned. A good level field is needed for most tourneys and fighting, large enough for the martial activities and the spectators. Archery activities also need a certain amount of space. Classes and A&S competitions usually need covered space. These might be held in the feast hall, if there’s no scheduling conflict. Court is often held in the same hall as feast (there being only one main hall on the site). If you have two large halls/pavilions, so much the better.

As far as recreation, this is mainly a concern in the hotter summer months, when the main question is: does the site have a pool? This is a nicety that can increase your attendence (if the populace has a way to cool down, they are more willing to come out in the heat). Check to see if you need to provide a life guard. For winter events, look for places for the populace to gather to chat or play board games.

At Silver Hammer, a tent will be needed for feast space, either rented or borrowed. At SH 97, the tent was set up all lengthwise, which seemed to work well. The merchants seemed to be more accessible, 14 tables fit in there for feast, the gutter worked pretty well. Always get a gutter and a heater. Rent only the tables and chairs you need (need to do a table/chair count before ordering the tent).

Most sites have adequate parking or allow parking right by the cabins. If that is not the case, you need to be prepared to direct people to parking areas and enforce the rules. This could include traffic cones set up in strategic places, yellow tape across inviting areas, security personnel on duty Friday night to show people where to park. The Constable should be able to help you with this. Remember to measure parking lanes carefully in large fields.

The main requirements for feast in Thor’s Mountain have always been: good food, served well, and lots of it. The feast should make some attempt at a period flavor, but have enough food for those who have never developed a medieval palate as well as for the vegetarians. The Baroness must approve the feast menu. She (as well as some of the other Laurels in the group) is also available for suggestions and research ideas. The Autocrat should have an approved menu two months before the event.

I’m not a cook, I’m an eater. So be sure you ask the right people the right questions if you are going to cook a feast. The Baroness is a good place to start.

Determine if there is/has to be a limit to the number served at feast. 130 is the max for feast hall at Big Ridge, with outside tables being extra. 120-125 is the usual cutoff for Black Gryphon, due to feast hall space. 125 is the usual number for May Tourney feast, per past attendance numbers. For kingdom events, try to estimate from previous numbers or limit by the size of the hall. This will help you budget.

Encourage the head cook to work on cleanup during feast preparation. Get someone from the feast staff to advise during cleanup after feast. Find out if alcohol is going to be served at feast; make sure there is appropriate supervision for this activity. Alcohol needs to be served individually, not set on a table.

Make sure an ingredients list is posted outside the kitchen. If you can get an ingredients list before the event, posting it on the web site is a plus.

We usually provide two breakfasts, Saturday and Sunday morning. This meal should provide protein and carbs (including vegetarian options), juice (real juice, not Tang), coffee and hot tea, perhaps milk for the children. Otherwise, it’s up to the cook as to what is served.

Other food that has been provided in the past includes lunch on Saturday and dinner on Friday night. The ‘traveler’s fare’ on Friday could be a fundraiser for a particular office or the Kingdom. Same with lunch on Saturday, though we have in the past offered the populace lunch gratis (if this is the case, be sure to include it in your budget).

If there is Royalty, we try to provide lunch for them. This can be simple or elaborate, can be done by the Head Cook or a household. A cook that wants to try out a few dishes but not do a whole feast might be a good choice for this task. Keep the weather in mind. If it’s cold, a pot of hot soup could be all the Royals want.

Be sure the cooks check with the Quartermaster to see if there are staples in the baronial stores that can be used.

Food should be well labeled as to what it’s for, so, for example, the Saturday breakfast cook won’t use the eggs purchased by the Sunday breakfast cook. Most of the time this isn’t a problem, but better safe than have to make a run to the store.

Leftovers will be made available after breakfast on Sunday morning, not before, except with the okay of the Feast Cook. In the past, leftovers have been a benefit to the cleanup crew and hardest workers of the weekend

There are some standard martial things that happen at certain events. At May Tourney, the fighters battle for the right to crown the Queen of Love and Beauty (or the Queen of the May, if you have two lists). The Silver Hammer Tourney is a list fought for a little Thor’s Hammer the winner has to bring back the next year. This tourney includes a presentation of the fighters to the Baroness. The presentation of the prize to the winner takes place in court.

The archers usually have some kind of activity, whether an actual tourney or just practice. See the Baronial Yeoman to coordinate this.

Rapier activities are up to the rapier marshal. Live weapons can be arranged if wanted (Lady Solveig is the contact at present.)

Martial activities should be spread out through the day, so everyone has a chance to do what they want. (So the heavy fighters can do archery, etc.)

A cooler with water (ice water?) and wet towels should be available on the field, probably near the Minister of the Lists, definitely in the shade. Make sure the Minister of the Lists has shelter if not under the Baronial pavilion.

If you decide to have classes (at a non-collegium event), be sure there is appropriate space and time. If it is a collegium, work with the Provost to arrange the class schedule and sign up instructors.

If you decide to have a competition, be sure you have competent judges for it, and there is time for the competition. Make sure an announcement is made in the flyer (unless it’s an improvisational competition), and any special rules are in the site booklet.

Competitions may not be strictly A&S related. You can be real creative here. Best death at feast, Best Beard, Metaphysical Competition, Contest for Best Letter Home, let you imagination go wild. Martial competitions could be Best Death on the Field, Most Chivalrous Fighter. Contest for cooks: siege cooking.

If you decide to have a competition on the field, remember that some items may be damaged by weather. If alcohol is in competition, line up stewards and judges ahead of time (see Kingdom A&S officer for the fluid arts). If the competition is on the field, the Baroness gets to judge, too.

Any ideas for encouraging more entries will be welcome.

If there is going to be some kind of workshop, be sure you have enough separate space and time for it. Again, let everyone know the particulars (do they need to bring anything, is there a cost, etc.) well beforehand.

Usually, Mother Goose takes care of this. But if it’s a theme event, you may want to encourage special activities, such as a boffer tourney for the kids. Depending on what the coordinator wants to do, there may be a request for a small budget for supplies.

Often people request to have special activities or ceremonies at your event, the most common being weddings and vigils. Make sure they realize that any ceremony of a religious nature must be held in a separate place and time from other major activities. Vigils for soon-to-be peers should be arranged so that most of the attendees have a chance to talk to the person on vigil. Work with them to see what they want to do. Many times the peerage has already made most of the arrangements.

If Royalty is present, get with their Chancellor to see what arrangements need to be made. Most of the time, court is after the fighting and before feast, but not always. See what is the pleasure of the Crown. Baronial court will take place at the pleasure of the Crown, or, in the absence of the Crown, whenever the Baroness says. Check with the Baroness when putting together the schedule.

If it looks like court may be long, be sure to keep the Feast Cook appraised of any delays.

Bardic competition at Silver Hammer needs to run throughout the feast but should not hold up feast. If possible, have the entrants perform as close to the center of the hall/tent as possible, so all the populace can hear. The incumbent Bard is responsible for working with the judges and the entries to have the competition.

Feast can be themed, with or without audience participation.

Servers can be requested from each table, or a staff of servers may be arranged by the Feast Cook. The Hall Steward may also take this responsibility.

After feast, the hall should be cleaned up somewhat, unless there is another place for a revel. If dancing is printed in the flyer, make sure the Dance Master is there with music. Start the music and see what happens. If, after a couple of songs, there is no interest, leave it. If dancing is not announced ahead of time, have music and stuff available if there is interest.

A Bardic Circle may be arranged or happen spontaneously.

For events at Big Ridge, there is usually a fire down at the fire pit behind the lower cabins, for those who want a less structured revel and/or Bardic Circle.

Merchants are always a good thing to have an events. Almost everyone likes to shop, especially if the weather is bad, or it’s an event like Coronation, where there are long periods of time with little general activity. Having a merchant liaison is also a good thing, preferably someone who has done merchanting. That person should be made aware of how much space is available, how many tables, etc., and when the merchants can be set up, have to break down. If the site allows the merchants to be in a specific area that’s not the feast hall or court hall, they can stay open that much longer. In Thor’s Mountain, we’ve never charged for table or space rental, but we have had to restrict the amount of space a merchant may occupy, depending on the site.

Gold Key should have a place near registration. Check with the Gold Key officer or Hospitaller to see how much space they will need and what hours staff will be available to those who need to borrow garb or feastgear.

If you are holding a Kingdom event, there is supposed to be a Kingdom fundraiser. This is often taken care of by a Kingdom officer or specific group (e.g. a Peerage Circle). If not, find someone to run with this and leave it alone. A fund raiser can be an auction, a raffle, or passing the hat. The funds can go to a Kingdom cause, a Baronial office, or some special cause. It is not necessary to have a fund raiser at every event, but it can be kind of fun.

Thor’s Mountain usually has an auction of the lost & found at Black Gryphon, usually to raise money for the Chronicler’s office.

The weather will be whatever it will be. So don’t get all stressed about it. However, there are some things you can do to plan for it.

If hot weather might be a problem, try to have some place that people can go to cool off. This could be a swimming pool, an air conditioned office, or the walk-in refrigerator.

If the weather might be cold, keep a fire going in the fireplace. At Big Ridge, firewood is provided; for Silver Hammer, the Barbarians’ Guild will do the fires (until further notice). In the case of rain, put up as many pavilions on the field as you can, and assume that some activities will not be as popular as you had thought, because people will just go back to their cabin.

Get volunteers as soon as possible (go to meetings and fighter practice to recruit). Remember your officers and use them; many of them are responsible for certain areas at events by virtue of their office. Make sure heads of households who volunteer their households ask them first. It might be a good idea to remind people of what they volunteered for a week before the event. Volunteers should find replacements if they cannot do the task for which they volunteered. Mix new people with old timers, to pass on ‘corporate knowledge.’

The Feast Cook should be someone that the Baroness has approved, has proven they can really cook, and has some idea of how to run a kitchen. This person is responsible for getting all the food required, providing the Baroness with a menu, and probably recipes, before the event, and providing a complete list of ingredients to the autocrat. All preparation of the feast is their responsibility, but they can delegate like crazy. They are also responsible for cleanup after the feast, but again, they can delegate that task.

If alcohol is to be served at feast, be sure the autocrat knows in advance.

It’s up to the feast cook if they want to balance the meal for vegetarians. At fighting events, the fighters usually want Meat. But the vegetarians appreciate any consideration.

Make sure enough fluids are served, water being the main one that everyone drinks.

See bibliography for more articles on feastcratting.

The breakfast cook should be someone the Baroness has approved, has a clue about how to run a kitchen, and can cook. This person is responsible for getting all the food for the breakfast, providing the Baroness with a menu, and providing a list of ingredients to the autocrat. All preparation of the breakfast is their responsibility.

Do not serve spicy sausage only; serve both or only mild.

Serve real juice, not Tang.

If the breakfast cooks need time in the kitchen on Friday night, coordinate with the Feast cook. If space can’t be worked out, see autocrat or Baroness.

If Crown is on site and wants breakfast served, make sure they’re awake before serving.

A subtlety may be prepared by a separate person or by the feastcrat and/or staff. This can range from a simple dessert to a castle of sugar cubes to a peacock of marzipan. See bibliography for subtlety articles.

Head server and the hall steward must talk. They need to know ASAP what the configuration of the hall will be. Servers can be requested from each table or provided by the group. If we provide servers, these people must be instructed carefully to insure that each table gets what they are supposed to get, in a timely manner. And don’t forget to feed the servers!

When serving at Big Ridge, running the loop of servers through the back door to the front to hall worked well. When asking for a server from each table, giving each table a number worked well, to make sure all tables got served.

If alcohol is to be served, make sure it is served, not just left on the table. We are responsible for the minors who attend our events.

This person is responsible for setting up the schedule of trolls, making sure to get pre-reservation information from the Reeve, coordinating with the Reeve on the handling of cash (getting change as needed for the cash box, making sure the Reeve gets the receipts in a timely manner.) They can be in charge of creating site tokens, though lately the autocrat has handled that in advance.

Other items to be considered:

· Contact anyone whose special request was not able to be accommodated.

· Give out cards to be placed on dashboard with Real Name, SCA Name, and Cabin of driver/contact person for the vehicle.

· Minimize household signup for feast seats. Get names for each seat.

· Never change site fees in midstream.

· DO NOT reserve bed/feast space without money. Any special cases must be relayed to all troll helpers.

· If as troll you can’t handle a situation (e.g. rude person), get the autocrat, peer, old timer, or the nearest imposing personage.

· Always have two people on duty, up to four at peak times.

The baronial Knight Marshall, Rapier Marshall, and Yeoman are in charge of their respective areas. Contact these officers in advance and verify their plans. If the event is a theme event, you will need to work with these officers to keep with the theme (i.e. for the theme of the Black Death, have the archers shoot at rat targets.)

No matter what kind of weather, have water on the field. (Big jugs in trailer). Either autocrat or Knight Marshal should commandeer a Chief Water Bearer, if you don’t have one already. Also have a cooler with ice water/ wet towels. Keep water in the shade.

Be sure to well define the fighting areas: main tourney, fencing, archery, live weapons.

Have all runners and field heralds meet before hand. When calling for taking the field, etc., especially with two rings, use titles and first name or shorter version.

When arrows are in use, marshals should wear safety goggles. These should be in the trailer.

Be creative with the tourney. Have the fighters roll for what kind of weapon they must use. Have a ‘bicycle’ tourney, or a joust on hobby horses. The fighters get tired of the same old thing. Check with the local fighters to see what they might want to do.

Contact the local Chirugeon to see if she will be at the event. While it is not a requirement to have a chirugeon on site, it’s a good idea to know who has medical skills, from first aid to nursing to doctoring. Attendees who have medical conditions should note that with the troll. If a warranted chirugeon is on site, use them. Don’t try to make it better yourself if you really don’t know what you are doing. Troll should always have directions to the nearest hospital.

The Minister of Arts & Sciences should be contacted to see if they want to sponsor any activities at the event. It may not be feasible at some events (space considerations or too many other activities going on), but it’s always something to consider. If there are contests or classes, they should let you know how much time and space will be needed for these activities, so you can fit it into the schedule. Again, if there is a theme, work with the MOAS to incorporate the theme in any of their activities.

The Hall Steward is responsible for setting the hall for court and for feast. You can also ask that they be responsible for hall decor, though that’s usually done by whoever’s bored on Friday night.

In setting up for court, make sure the chairs are not too close together (all of us aren’t Anastasia’s size!). Check with Royalty to see if they have people to set up their stuff. Check with the Baroness to see how she wants things set up (anything special?)

Make sure the hall steward knows how you want the feast tables set up (like, give him a drawn layout). Do the feast layout in advance. Provide a copy to troll for feast seating sign-up. Leave room for servers to walk through, particularly in the tents. Only put up tables needed for feast (if it’s small). [Ref: previous layouts at Big Ridge. One from SH 96 was good]

If the hall needs to be cleared before feast, it should be for the shortest time possible. The populace should not be made to wait while bread, etc., is placed on tables. Hall Steward is responsible for coordinating a crew of helpers.

The Constable is in charge of this area. These people will label parking areas, and stake and rope off no-parking areas. Check with the Quartermaster about traffic cones and tape in the trailer. Unloading only areas should be clearly marked. This is especially important on Friday evening.

Additionally, the security staff should roam the site during major activities (like court) to deter thieves and vandals. If we have lots of staff, security can roam during the day and late night as well. At some sites, security may be responsible for manning the front gate to keep it open all night.

This task can be done by the autocrat or a separate person, if you’re expecting a lot of merchants. Needs to arrive on site by 4 or 5 at the latest. Give them a list of merchants who contacted the autocrat in advance. Put merchants in the tent at Silver Hammer. Heat the tent Friday night if it’s cold. The Merchantcrat needs to consider all activities in the hall. If the flyer includes the name of the merchantcrat, fine. If not, request that merchants contact autocrat, so we can plan accordingly.

Arrange for a place for Gold Key to set up. They need to be set up by 7 pm on Friday, and need to arrange for a place for people to drop off things Saturday after feast and Sunday morning. They need to have set hours and have the hours and drop off locations be listed in the troll guide.

This person is in charge of making sure the bathrooms don’t become real cesspools, and there’s enough toilet paper. They should check with the Quartermaster as to the stock of supplies in the trailer and arrange to restock before the event. Assume the site does not supply TP. They should also:

Post signs:

No Dish Cleaning in the bathroom

Please clean up after yourself, but Contact Privy Chamberlain if there are any problems

Label bathrooms clearly as to gender (if appropriate)

The Chamberlain is responsible for putting out the baskets of toiletries, soap and towels. Paper holders for Big Ridge are in the trailer. There should be a separate crate in the trailer with supplies for this job. All bathrooms/bath houses should be checked and stocked Friday night, at least twice on Saturday, and Sunday morning early (before people begin to get up). They probably need to team up with a person of the opposite sex to do this job well.

These diplomatic people arrange for the Baronial pavilion to be set up on the field, and verify that the Royal pavilion will be set up (usually entourage takes care of this). The Baroness really appreciates coffee first thing in the morning. Check with Royalty early to see what needs/requests they may have (you can even contact them before the event to cater to their special wants, look under Chancellor in Pop Chiv.)

The Crown decides who will sit at head table, when present. Otherwise, the Baroness decides.

This person is responsible for seeing that the recycle bins and banner are set out in a visible place. These items are stored in the trailer. The recycler will also remove all recycle materials from site on Sunday morning. The site pamphlet should mention recycling. If there is room, the flyers can include the recycle symbol.

You will need crews for Saturday Breakfast, Saturday Feast, Sunday Breakfast, and Sunday after event. For the meal cleanups, the cooks are really responsible for the cleanup, but if you can help, so much the better. If these are separate groups of people, wonderful. You can never have too many cleanup people, especially Sunday morning.

The grease trap needs to be cleaned after breakfast, feast and breakfast.

Sunday morning, cleanup will include verifying inventory before stuff goes back into the trailer, dealing with any leftover food (what can be saved, frozen, etc.), and mopping the kitchen. Be sure to have two people exclusively for trailer packing. Bathrooms need to be de-trashed, sleeping areas need to be swept. Verify that all mattresses are where they’re supposed to be. Trash should be collected in one place, if there’s not a dumpster.

Site cleanup coordinator needs to keep a handle on progress even when specific tasks are assigned, to prevent duplication of tasks and utilize labor more efficiently.

This person is in charge of the trailer. They will keep an list (updated after every event) of what is in the trailer. They need to be contacted by cooks (for staples that might be used), and autocrats (for a list of what needs to be replenished).

The Quartermaster is responsible for packing the trailer on Sunday morning, checking the bins against our inventory. He/She is also responsible for getting the trailer to site and home again.

Inspect the site in advance. If you can’t do this a week before, plan to get to the site very early in the day for inspection. Check for clear cabin numbers, clear gender designation on bathrooms (if applicable), and check smoke detectors & batteries in cabins. Check kitchen equipment (do all the eyes on the stoves work, etc.) so you can get stuff fixed if necessary.

Send out postcards or call, as reminder, to everyone who signed up for some task. Post a staff list on site (usually at troll).

Arrange to put out SCA signs to site. If it’s Big Ridge, be sure to put signs inside the park to the Group Camp. Too many signs is better than not enough.

Coordinate the delivery and unloading of the trailer. Verify when the trailer is expected. Check with the Quartermaster for list of supplies in trailer. Make sure that the cooks do the same. Work with other staff to determine if anything they might need is in the trailer. You may need to get some supplies out of the trailer before the event, such as troll stuff. You may need to re-stock supplies. Supplies often found in trailer include toilet paper and chamberlain supplies, office supplies for troll, coffee supplies, ribbon for tokens, etc. Check with the Quartermaster if you’re unsure what might be there.

Site Tokens:

Decided whether to have tokens for everyone or just those eating feast.

If alcohol is being served by the event, get separate tokens for those under 21.

Determine what to use for tokens, possibly wooden nickels with Baronial stamp or leather circles. If it’s a theme event, something related to the theme.

Determine what to use to carry/attach tokens. Could be ribbons, could use belt tokens, or tokens could be pins to pin to garb. Check supplies for existing stuff.

Parking Cards for windshield (see troll)

Prizes for tourneys and competitions - Buy them, get donations, and/or get artisans to make something. Maybe offer to pay for materials for the artisans. Or could be real nice scrolls instead.

Reserve Tent/Tables/Chairs/Tent Heater/Portapotties, anything else that might need to be rented. Check with the Reeve for vendors and prices. Be sure you know exactly what the rental contract includes. Rent only the tables and chairs you need; count those on site beforehand.

One week before the event, run through everything to see if you’ve forgotten something.

Think about having someone with a tool box handy.

Run a field herald’s class with MOL before tournament. Do Troll class before event.

Initial Site Set-up

Get hall decorations up. If this stuff gets out of the trailer early, it helps a lot.

Set out trash cans on fighting field, by bardic circle, up by the back cabins (helpful to have pickup to do this.)

Do a cabin bed and mattress check

rearrange mattresses to even out discrepancies.

Let troll know of any discrepancies in the bed count/location

Make sure cabin numbers are clearly labeled.

Check the smoke detectors batteries.

If the ground is wet, see the ranger about getting straw to put in walkways to reduce mud.

Always set up two tables in the kitchen at Big Ridge and pull in at least one of the garbage cans.

If you decide to move the coke machine at Big Ridge, don’t tell the ranger.

Decide where troll will be. Have initial sign-in and money stuff closest to the door, then have cabin/feast sign up, other information.

Have a ‘problem’ list at troll. When anyone has a problem with a certain person/group, they need to report it (discretely) on this list. The autocrat needs to check this list periodically to see if there are any blowups brewing. This list is to be treated as confidential, accessible to the Autocrat, Seneschal, Baroness, and Crown.

Make sure the troll (or somebody, maybe kitchen staff) knows where you are at all times. You can be napping, but if people don’t know that and a problem arises, they will try to handle it themselves, when you may have the simple answer.

Try to enjoy the event. Once setup is complete and the schedule is in motion, there’s not much you can do to change things anyway. If the schedule gets too far behind, you may need to prod the Marshall to speed up armor inspection, or remind the A&S person that judging should have already started, but usually that’s not necessary, or there’s nothing you can do anyway. If court runs three hours, just make sure the feast cook knows that dinner will be late.

You do need to check in with your main staff from time to time, but if you’ve chosen carefully, they know the drill and are doing their jobs before you ask.

Site cleanup on Sunday, have a pickup move the trash cans from fighting field, bardic circle, and by the back cabins. Any personal belongings left behind should be put in the Baronial Lost & Found. Pavilions left on the field are the responsibility of the owner (especially at Big Ridge, where someone may have gone home Saturday, planning to return Sunday to get their stuff.)

Any leftover perishable food should be distributed among the cleanup crew. Any staples should go into the Baronial stores.

Count all items rented for accountability.

Make sure the Baroness has a ride home. Make sure the trailer has a ride home.

Make sure the kitchen is left clean, mopped, etc. At Fall Creek Falls (and maybe some other sites), you have to wait to do a count of the kitchen equipment with the ranger. He’ll tell you how he wants it laid out to expedite the procedure.

Have an energetic young person do one last check of the site for cleanliness.

Take any leftover alcohol home with you.

Make sure the troll registers get to the High Sheriff (Constable responsible for this).

Make sure everyone who had legitimate costs has turned in their receipts to the Reeve.

Get together with Reeve to do event report (if necessary).

Go to Post Mortem and revel in the praises of all those who greatly enjoyed the event!

Appendix A - Site Information (separate sheets on each site)

Appendix B - Comments from previous post mortems

Appendix C - Event statistics

Appendix D - Fiscal Policy of Thor’s Mountain