I am a young man living in central Maine, and I possess I great interest in medieval history. The period that I really enjoy is the Hundred Years War period, and this has driven me to search for living history groups in the New England area who focus on this period. Unfortunately, I don't think there are any. The closest group to my interests would be the Wolfe Argent group. Though I think what that group does is certainly worthwhile and legitimate, it just doesn't quite attract me.

This has led me to consider attempting to begin my own living history group, which would probably attempt to focus on one specific year (probably between 1375-1400) though I am not certain what exact year I would like to portray yet. The culture that I would like to portray would be the English, and I would hope to have some military portrayals (knights, men at arms, archers...really whatever people are interested in, and can afford to portray accurately) as well as some civilians (women, blacksmiths, clergymen...again, whatever people are interested and willing to portray accurately).

Now, I have a few questions for you good folks:

1. Do you have any suggestions as to how to begin forming a group. As of right now, my group has exactly one member, yours truly. Do you think it is wiser to iron out the basics of the group (exact time period, exact place, social status etc) before i find any members, or do you think it would be better to try and find people with a general interest in the time period and then attempt to iron out the detail together? Any help on this front would be appreciated.

2. Do you know of any ways in which to “recruit” people to join a group like this? Are there any fertile grounds, so to speak, where one is likely to find interested people? Do you think that one could raid the SCA in hopes of finding members who would be interested in joining a more accurate, and period/culturally specific group? Earlier today I sent messages to everyone I could find that was registered on myArmoury.com in New England, and even some in the Albany region, in an attempt to gage the interest level of people who have at least an inkling of medieval interest. I sent out 117 emails in all, so I am hoping that a few of those people will have an interest.

3. Do you have any suggestions that would help me form an original group? I have browsed the websites of all the groups from this period (that I could find at least, including languages which I don't speak), and it seems that most either replicate people on a tournament circuit, or a foreign campaign. Both of these are interesting and worthwhile ideas. Personally I am much more inclined to go the campaign route, but am curious to know if anyone has any ideas of other, creative scenarios. Of course, I don't own a castle at this time, so I should probably avoid portraying a wealthy nobleman dwelling happily at home Any realistic and historical ideas are more than welcome!

I am not an expert in living history, or in the late 14th century, but this is something that I am ready to dedicate time to achieve.
I welcome all suggestions, comments, critiques....all input is welcome.

Thank you,

Welcome to the late 14th century!
As to your first point I would suggest finding a few other people first and decide upon and put up the framework of your group with them. Reenactment/living history is a hobby and so you have no means of forcing ideas etc. upon people (unlike when they're employees) and you are totally dependant upon their motivation and enthusiasm to keep the group going and growing/developing. So a core group of a few like minded people, all equally enthusiastic about the concept and portrayal of the group would help a lot and you can achieve this partially by involving them in the decision making process. An active core group will attract other people quicker too.
Of course when looking for other people to found the group with you can always state that you want the group to be 1375-1400 english. And then you can all go from there in deciding how the group is going to work and what exactly it will portray.

Alas, being in the Netherlands I have no idea about the 'recruitment pool' situation in New England / USA.

If you want to portray military ánd civilians you can also opt for the scenario of portraying citizens of a town or city. This is the solution we decided upon with my group (Deventer Burgerscap). Using a town or city as a groupbasis also gives you the opportunity of using its records for detailed information (so choose one that still has those extant from at least 1375-1400) about what kind of people lived there, in what kind of conflicts their city militia (archers, foot soldiers, mounted soldiers, etc.) participated, etc.

Bertus

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We now have 6 core members (those who always show up at events, and about 6 members who show up at major events).

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1. Do you have any suggestions as to how to begin forming a group. ...Do you think it is wiser to iron out the basics of the group (exact time period, exact place, social status etc) before i find any members, or do you think it would be better to try and find people with a general interest in the time period and then attempt to iron out the detail together?

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I think it's important to know what you want. What you want to portray, and what you consider to be "accurate". And once you set that bar, you don't make exceptions you offer alternatives.

We started with a mission statement.
We started with a time and place. In our case 1460s - 1470s Burgundy.
We had a basic standard set relatively high, because we knew what impression we were going for.

Basic education of the members: what do you and/or they know about the time period in question?

Ask yourself the question, Why did I choose this time period? Clothing, armour, it just looked cool? The reason I ask is that there are people out there that will define their entire kit by ONE object.

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2. Do you know of any ways in which to “recruit” people to join a group like this? Are there any fertile grounds, so to speak, where one is likely to find interested people? Do you think that one could raid the SCA in hopes of finding members who would be interested in joining a more accurate, and period/culturally specific group?

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I don't think there's any perfect hunting ground. Most of our members found us. You can be a one man show. Just have some info that you can hand out to interested parties. Give them contact info. If they give you an email address and expressed an interest, you write them a message saying "it was a pleasure meeting them at X event and if they have any questions or would like to join group name, please give you a yell." and let it go. If they are interested, I mean REALLY interested, they will get back to you.

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(also remember what didn't work in groups you've been with in the past, and things that DID work, and if you want those same things in your group!)

some advice here too: http://www.larp.com/legioxx/advice.html

As had been mentioned, it is important to have a mission/goal/bylaws that state what your intentions are and what your expectations are from yourself as well as the group/new&prospective members. It's also important to have a few good friends that express the same interests and support "the cause".

I would advise to not hold any events yourself when you start out. (unless you have crazy good experience with hosting events and organizing; and have boatloads of money) I would advise having the group start with having a good kit and common goal, and set up shop at events in the area, be it SCA events, Ren Faires, or Military Timelines (like the Living History Assoc. - LHA), this can help gague both prospective members as well as audience. I would also invest in some [cheap/simple] promotional materials...Things like a simple 2 or 3 fold brocure flyer, a broadside, business cards. Something that will list goals, mission statement, timeperiod focus, some kit suggestions/standards, et cetera. It doesn't need to be a dissertation, just say who you are, what you are and what you're looking to do. Make it easy to read and to the point. If people have an interest or have more questions, then hopefully they'll contact you.

Oh, and of course, the thing that hovers over any group...Insurance...research till your head explodes and figure out what works best for your group. It's the most annoying/horrific part in starting (even joining) a group. You can thank a small handfull of Morons and some [greedy] lawyers for that.

good luck!

[ 03-19-2007: Message edited by: Dudicus ]

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Andy V.
You're friendly neighborhood Roman Dude

Insurance is something a friend of mine who does Civil War mentioned to me, which was something I hadn't even thought of. I guess worst comes to worst, two friends will have good late 14th century kits, whith high levels of authenticity. I actaully was able to draw a little interest from my myarmoury query, whether anything solid pans out in the long run is yet to be seen.

While I wholeheartedly agree that a mission statement and some general guidelines are a must; don't go all out and start writing rules, procedures and an articles of association until you get to a size where these things are NEEDED (that goes for insurance too! [what you have may already suffice or be "good enough"]). I've seen many groups come to a screeching halt because they got bogged down in the "paperwork" and never DID anything.

Another group guideline you should adopt right away: "It's YOUR group, you are the benevolant dictator". That doesn't mean ignore everyone else, or don't listen to their opinion, but you are founding this group; it's yours, you are in charge.

Keep plowing ahead regardless of how many show up; never set a meeting quorum. Early on you could find you're having a meeting of one. Don't let it stop you. Use the time to get stuff done as planned. Even if you're able to accomplish less on your own, it's still one small step to your goal. And the more you have done (and do on a regular basis) the more attractive you look to prospective members.

Get an e-list, forum, or newsletter started so you can blow your own horn and get communication flowing. Let all the members know what you've accomplished and what you see as the next step. Telling everyone what you've been up to "in your spare time" can be an inspiring way of letting them know they can do it too, even if they can't make the meetings. Letting people know what's next keeps them up to date and gives them the opportunity to plan for an upcoming event/meeting.

Finally, (I keep writing that BTW and then find I have more to say ) I use event/meeting/gathering almost interchangeably. The reason I do this, is because our meetings happen WHILE we're doing projects, events, and the like (though NOT while in front of the public). People don't like to sit at meetings, and some members may specifically avoid them. But, you can often cover all the topics and get the same good discussions WHILE you're building a tent, prepping for the feast, making a quern, polishing armor, or any number of other activities. The key though is to make sure everyone hears what's being said and/or is included.

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I would create a group blog rather than go Bulletin board or yahoo list. (A personal bias - my mailbox is assaulted daily by spammers and innane chatter on various lists - have the same problem at work). If you use a blog, you can have a running converstation on that topic. The social networking demographic has been in a state of flux and things like blogs, wiki, and youtube are places where people are checking things out.

Also agree with Swordsmith, "Less is More". There is a point where groups reach or exceed their equilibrium and will blow apart at the seams (internal strife or politics). One person we knew who was a member of the Sealed Knot Society, said it was about 20 - 25 members then everything tended to go express elevator to Hades. Also, if you grow too fast, you may end up with people who said they were interested in what you do, and then you find out that they don't share your vision and conflicts erupt and suck the joy out of the experience for everyone.

Not trying to scare you off, just letting you know some of the experience we and others have had over the past few years.

So, think about what you want to accomplish, start small, go to timelines or other events, and enjoy.

We're all here if you need to chat things out.

Jenn

[ 03-20-2007: Message edited by: chef de chambre ]

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