Hi Jamie,
The reason for ARMET is to have an understood uniform standard to allow the different 15th c. groups to participate with each other at events. This consists of two things

1. A minimum standard of authenticity that won't detract from the overall event - no glaring innacuracies for "you and I" to see. It was never intended to be a hard and fast rule of living history authenticity to force other groups to abide by. To make it so would be to stunt the growth of Late Medieval re-enactment in the U.S. which it is intended to foster.

2. A means of allowing these groups to have re-enactment battles & skirmishes on the order of the EMA or the War of the Roses Federation in England. This requires a number of mutually understood and enforced rules to allow such interaction. They don't have to be very complex as we do not have competative martial sport as our intent. Don't tell me it can't be done and safely, as I can point to hundreds of events across the UK where it is done every year with fewer nasty accidents than occur in the martial sport societies. To not allow or foster this activity is to never allow experimental archaeology in the form of command & manouver of units (and I'm really keen on trying this out with Medieval cavaly). Worse yet, it will limit the growth of the hobby in the US as most male re-enactors of all periods (the eras where they have the enforced minimum standards that look so good when you go to an event) are attracted to "experiencing" what a battle of the era may have been like - I know many of you have participated in massed "battles" in the SCA, but imagine what the experience would be like if everybody participating was from one time period in at least reasonably decent gear, and not having to worry about some ass with a Godzilla glued to his head trying to cripple you so he can put a crease in your new helmet. Also tactics are employed on SCA battlefields that do not resemble tactics known to have been used on the Medieval bnattlefield. One of the most moving experiences I ever had re-enacting was participating in Picketts Charge at Gettysburg 98, where they managed to re-create Picketts division man for man and manouver it properly up the hill towards me. I was astounded to see a sight that had not been seen for 136 years, and it gave me new insight into everything from the problems of manouvering a unit that large to a clearer view of the battle itself.

If we are no more than a few groups that disdain those who are not up to our standards but are trying, then we will be very lonely people indeed (I am refering specifically to re-enactment groups, not martial sport clubs or LARPers). As it is, there are only two groups in the US that have agreed to the ARMET guidelines. Those companies are "The Red Company" and Company of the Wolfe Argent". Until this situation changes these discussions are abstract at best.

I personally see the groups that are striving for living history happily co-existing and cooperating with the groups interested more in traditional re-enactment (The Yeomen Archers and Men of Warwick as examples). Better yet, I see us all having a good time together, our groups participating at the re-enactment level, and members so inclined from the other companies participating in Living History encampments. There is no reason that a Living History Encampment can not be put up at a traditional re-enactment (I've seen it done plenty of times). It becomes a focal point for visitors to the camps, and those interested to strive for higher authenticity in re-enactment.

As one of the originators of ARMET, I want to share my intent behind it.

I envisioned ARMET as a philosophy under which groups could participate. Groups that perscribe to the ARMET guidelines would announce that their event was to be held in accordance with ARMET guidelines and other like minded souls (or groups) could attend the event and know that they would not be out of place. The other reason for ARMET was to have a network of reenactors that operated towards the same ends (or at least very similar).

The big thing I want to stress is that ARMET is not supposed to be a "club" or "society" that one can belong to. This makes the idea rather non-mainstream and unconventional, but we're all that way, I think.

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Cheers,

I'd like to see a set standard, so that when an event is advertised as ARMET, I know automatically where the bar is.

whether la maisnie decides to make their own bar match, or have it higher is another matter, and will probably require a lot of discussion, debate, sharing of feelings, and some of that aforementioned herding of cats