Picking an Era

The first step in making a Persona is picking an Era. This will, in many ways, drive the following decisions. There are many eras of Human history before 1600 C.E. It is relevant, and important, to say that the SCA has no early cut off. Theoretically, you could be a Babylonian Merchant from 1785 B.C.E. or a Conquistador of the 16th century. This makes choosing an era somewhat overwhelming for many newcomers. There are some things to consdier that can make the later parts of the process easier for your first Persona.

  1. Going too early is difficult to find sources.
    • For a first character, especially for someone without a lot of historical research experience, picking a character before about 300 C.E. can be difficult. The further back you go, the harder it is to find solid primary and secondary sources. This can make it difficult to submit Personae to the Heralds for approval. It can also make the historical accuracy of your garb and gear difficult to justify.
  2. Going too late makes things more complex.
    • It is easier to find primary and secondary sources for characters in the 15th and 16th century than the 2nd century, but it can make Garb and Gear more complex. As societies evolved and grew, material design was more complex, things were more heavily decorated, and processes were more refined. This can make building a character from the later eras more complex and expensive to fully kit out.
  3. The Middle Ages are a good balance that most in the community will be familiar with.
    • For a good balance between the ability to find written primary and secondary sources with materials and methods that can be achieved by your average individual I suggest the periods between 476 and 1300, which correspond to the early and high Middle Ages.
  4. Think about the whole process.
    • This process can be presented in a list of steps, but it is anything but linear. You may find yourself going back to change your era if you find a cultural element that you want to portray, for instance. Because of this, try and put some thought into the Garb and Culture you might want to portray. This will help you pick a good era in the first place.
  5. Get a Notebook
    • It is worth it to get a notebook to track all of your decisions and build your persona in.
    • Think of this like a Diary of your Persona, or a character folio.

My Process

In order to simplify the process of the next steps, I am going to pick the era I know best for my first Persona, and will be easiest to make Garb and Gear for. I really enjoy the Early Middle Ages as a period. I have always had a fascination with the Viking Era and Early Middle Ages Anglo-Saxon England. The relative simplicity of day-to-day life and importance on small village survival and sustainability is something I have always envied. So, for this Persona I will be limiting myself to the years 780-816.

This is a personal choice, but I am choosing my Persona to be born in 780 and that puts my upper bound at that date plus my current age. As I get older, so too will the Persona. Something to note is we rarely have year-by-year accounting of how cultures, society, and the world changed. I picked years to live so I could know who the King was. The rest will be more … squishy.

Next, we will pick a culture.