Unsolicited advice to an SCA newbie

I couldn't help myself. There I was, casually reading my news alerts about my favorite topic, the SCA, when I saw:

somewhere between fascinating and freaky

Reading Mark's words about his first event brought out a somewhat protective streak in me. I wrote him a comment warning him that there is a dark side to the SCA.

I thought to myself: "Please, don't let some jerk scare these nice people off." Let them be warned, because to me, they just looked super nice and trusting. And I hate to see anyone take advantage of newbies.

But it is also a blatant attempt to lure them in at the same time. Them and any other such folks that might read this.

Here, in my opinion, are some of the best resources for all you new people interested in the SCA. I do hope you enjoy your stay with us, however long or short it may be.

The Newcomers Page at SCA.org
Always a good place to start.

Get local: Find your Kingdom.

Stay informed: read SCA today, reporting the news from around the Known World.

Read your eyeballs out at Stefan's Florilegium. One of the best archives of SCA information in existence, but entirely text based.

Learn the lingo: The Dictionary of SCA Slang - It is not required to learn ALL the slang. Some of these are strictly regional and some derogatory. If there is a word you don't know the meaning of, check this site first. If it's not here, just ask what it means the next time you hear it. We will be all too happy to enlighten you.