The SCA can be a bit overwhelming with its numerous terms, customs, and in-jokes. This page is intended to serve as a guide to some of these. For more information, see our Kingdom’s Newcomer’s Guide.
Autocrat: the person in charge of an event.
Event: an official, organized, one-time get-together usually themed, and often offering a number of activities such as heavy fighting, fencing, dancing, feasting, archery, etc. Most often these last most of a single day, but they can run over an entire weekend, especially during the summer. The number of participants can vary greatly. A number of local events are held by the same groups on the same weekends each year, while kingdom-level events move around from one year to another.
Garb: period-based clothing worn at events.
Period: an adjective meaning appropriate to the timespan covered by the SCA, generally A.D. 600-1600.
Pennsic: the annual “national convention” of the SCA that takes place near Pittsburgh in early August. Over 10,000 people gather for two weeks to enjoy nearly every aspect of the society imaginable. In the showiest element, several heavy-combat scenarios pit thousands of fighters against each other most days during the second week.
