This is a work in progress, but incredibly important information. This is a list of common misconceptions that Newcomers either have been or are still being told by members of the SCA. While we do our best to answer their questions, we should all remember that we were all newcomers at one point, and “making a joke” by furthering a falsehood is a detriment to our group.
These statements are absolutely false, grouped by subject:
Awards
You need to hold a kingdom level office to “get a peerage”.
You have to become a squire/protege/apprentice/cadet in order to learn, become a peer, do pretty much anything.
You can only recommend someone for an award you also have.
Only the group officers or the King and Queen recommend people for awards.
You have to be a member to recommend someone for an award.
You can’t get your Award of Arms unless your name and arms are registered.
You can’t get an award of arms if you don’t have a registered device.
You can’t get an Award of Arms unless you are a paid member.
Your kid can’t get a Tyger’s Cub because they haven’t done/volunteered enough.
You can’t carry a knife (bear arms) unless you have an Award of Arms.
Officers
You can’t be an officer without an Award of Arms (or anything higher up to and including a Peerage or Court Barony).
Heraldry (Name and Device/Badge)
You have to register a name before you can use it.
You can’t have roses of any sort on your arms unless you’re a Royal Peer.
You can’t register arms unless you’re a member or have an Award of Arms.
You can’t have roses on your garb/in your hair unless you’re a Lady of the Rose.
Clothes
People will shame you in public if your clothes aren’t perfect.
You can’t wear Purple.
You have to make all your clothes by hand.
All your garb must be made from linen, wool, or silk.
You have to have “court Garb level garb” and wear it all day.
You can tell how important a person is by how fancy their clothes are.
Women cannot wear trousers/pants.
Women have to wear a veil.
Persona
My persona is X so I can only wear clothing from that culture/era.
You have to have a defined persona.
You are not allowed to have that person, you can only have a persona from [insert any specific time and place here].
You must be the gender you are portraying.
Fighting
You have to have a consort to be a fighter.
You have to be squire or a Knight to enter Crown Tournament.
You have to be a paid member to authorize to fight.
Events
I don’t have proper feast gear so I can’t go to a feast.
You have to be a member to come to an event.
You have to have a medieval period tent for camping events.
You have to be an apprentice or a protege to work in a kitchen.
You should always bow or curtsy to Peers.
Households
You have to join a household.
You can’t go to an event without a household.
Only a person with a Peerage can create a household.
These statements *could be* true in other areas, but are not true in the East Kingdom.
You have to be a member to get an award.
You can’t wear a circlet unless you have an Award of Arms.
Miscellaneous additional notes
Being a Squire/Protege/Apprentice is not a title. It is a job description.