In my four months of SCA fighting I've already gotten to witness personally a plethora of the aforementioned situations. I've seen the good and the bad of it and I can honestly say there's a good bit of both. As a heavy fighter in a household there is preference to the bottom line, which is winning fights, more than historical precedence at times. That may annoy some people. My knight, who is one of the best in the Kingdom and has won the crown and been king himself, wears a bunch of hockey armor underneath his gambeson and surcoat in order to facilitate speed and accuracy. He conceals it in such a way as to appear perfectly 14th c period, but that could annoy some of the purists out there. It doesn't annoy me. I myself have taken some artistic license on my armor due mainly to budget constraints. So I'm in a loaner Norman spangenhelm, a Wisby coat of plates, besagewed spaulders, etc. That could definitely grind some people's historic gears being in kit that's a mashup of 10th century and 14th century kit. Then the stick jock portion. This is definitely a big precedent in my household. We pride ourselves on training hard and hitting hard. But moreso do we take pride in standing and falling if necessary by our household brothers. The leader of our household repeatedly has mentioned that to him it's not a popularity contest, it's about winning glory alongside your brethren and then enjoying the revelry afterwards. To me that resonates, as I am from an Army Infantry background where competition was a big part of our organization and we prided ourselves on being "better" at certain feats than our peers. This may not fly with some people, especially those who are purely in it for the historical aspect. To me though I take that all with a grain of salt. The SCA is the only organization that I know of that fields battles with thousands of participants. For me that is the most important aspect, and it even trumps the history of it all because in my eyes it takes its own place in history. Being part of a shield wall and clashing into another while the din and cacophony of battle surround you is both an exhilarating and humbling experience. I feel like every different historical combat based society certainly has its strengths and weaknesses. I in no way believe that by gaining an expertise in swinging a stick will I become a master swordsman, and if that's what you're looking for traditional HEMA stuff is certainly superior. Then, of course there's the aspect of realism in fights like the various Sir's of this forum have mentioned like grappling, throws, and finding chinks in folks armor. When I witnessed the Order Of The Marshal fight against eachother at the VARF that was certainly the case, and it was awesome to behold in its own right! Every different group certainly has its strengths and weaknesses....but my experience in the SCA has been awesome thus far. Everyone's been very open minded, very friendly and inclusive, and it operates much like an adopted family. I love that aspect. I had no idea I was singing up for fighting in armor along with partying with folks, making new and close friends, having dinner with people, etc. That's a big plus for me as someone who struggles socially after getting out of the military and I feel that's also a big strength of the organization. I'm sure there are some baronies that are snooty and up their own butts about stuff and that drives new folks away, and I'm very thankful my situation has been quite different.
Sorry for the long winded and fragmented response, but I also just thought of another thing. The politics- they definitely play a big role in the SCA and are almost impossible to avoid. Gossip, lambasting, and alienation do happen in the organization based on the actions and attitudes of folks. If you turn against your household for the wrong reasons be prepared to be seen as a traitor to many folks and to have your name put out there. If you hit certain folks too hard or whatever, also be prepared to endure some glowers and maybe even a knight knocking your block off a time or two. All that stuff happens, but as a combat centric sport, and I'm just talking in regards to the heavy fighting portion not the arts and crafts portion, a certain bit of machismo and ego will be involved in almost all societies. It's hard to avoid. Though it may be negative some times as long as you fight with honor and have a good attitude by and large people will accept and embrace you.
