This is long, but since some of you have asked...

Ok, here's my quick and easy persona development class for those who have
been emailing me privately, and anyone else who's fairly new and searching
for some guidelines.

Nobody in the SCA knows everything about any period, never mind all
periods. There's so much to choose from, it's hard to pick for most of us,
and whatever you do pick, you'll never come to the end of it. :) Once
you've made your persona choice, you aren't married to it. You can change
your mind at any time, or even have multiple personas, so don't worry too
much about picking that first one.

Ok, the first thing to consider, when choosing a time and place, is this:

Why are you here? What about recreating the middle ages appeals to you?

Is it the costuming? Is it the combat? Do you want to fence? Be an archer?
Are you fascinated by Druids? 

These questions will help you narrow down your time and place. For
example, if you want to fence, you're pretty much "restricted" (and I use
that term laughingly, since, as I've said, there's no end to any period,
in terms of what you will learn and discover) to very late period,
Cavalier. Are you an archer? You might consider 12th Century Wales, as the
Welsh were famous for their bowmenship, which pretty much entirely were
responsible for the victories of Crecy and Agincourt. Do you like to make
garb? Well, late period is the most spectacular, especially Elizabethan,
in terms of general construction, but maybe you're an embroiderer, in
which case there's lots of beautiful stitchery from celtic, moorish and
asian traditions to dive into, or, if you want to be a little more
unusual, try the much-neglected embroidery styles of central Europe;
Germany, Poland and Hungary. If you're just here to party and fight,
you'll probably want to choose a persona whose garb is easy to make and
wear, and whose culture supports warlike behaviour. (Did someone say
Norse?)

Once you've decided on a time and a place, you create your _persona_. This
is a person who could have lived then and there. You must come up with a
period name. There are lots of great places to find names. The bible is an
excellant source for any Christian country, although be sure to localize
the name. (John, Jon, Ian, Jan, Ivan, etc, etc.) Local mythology and
folklore will also provide great first names. So will the names of rulers.
In most cultures, after a new king is crowned, there is a rash of boy
babies born with the same name. Find out who was in the Royal Family of
your local area when your persona was born. Just remember, that while
you can call yourself William Hood, or Joan D'Aquitaine, you can't call
yourself Robin Hood or Joan D'Arc. Famous historical figures and
literary characters' names are not permitted. If you have multiple
personas, get used to people calling you by the name they were introduced
to you by, rather than the name of the persona you happen to be this
morning. Be patient with that. It's hard enough for most of us to remember
one name!

Once you've got a name, you'll need a history. Everyone has a personal
history that explains their interests and their skills.  A lot of people,
unable to decide on a country, will combine them, claiming to be half
Norse, and half Irish, but having travelled extensively in Scotland, for
example. While that allows your persona a wide range of interests and
clothing, it's  not terribly realistic. The vast majority of people never
left their own villages, even the nobility. Try and keep your persona to
one country, and have other personas to investigate other places, if
authenticity is a concern for you. Your history will tell us who your
parents are, what station in life you were born in, and at what age you
were/are expected to marry. It'll tell us why you became an archer, or
that your blackwork project will be part of your dowry, or that you
learned to play the flute from your tutor from Moorish Spain. These little
details fill in the gaps in your persona in a wonderful and personal way.

Garb. Garb is the best way to express to other people who and what your
persona is. If you have multiple personas, your garb is the best way of
showing other people the difference. Make sure you have at _least_ one set
of garb per persona, and try and make them as different as possible. (IE,
Japanese and Welsh, not English and Welsh) If you can't sew, don't worry
about it. Lots of us can.  And most of us will sew for barter, or for a
very low hourly rate. (I think I charge $4/hour) Many of us will also
teach you!

Being "in persona" is not how most of us play, most of the time. It's hard
to do, frankly. There are persona development competitions, and sometimes
there are in persona areas in a given event, wherein people only talk
about their lives in their period. It's a fascinating thing to learn
about. Find out who is king during your period. Are there any religious or
cultural issues going on? What's the social structure like? Are men and
women basically equal, or is it unbalanced? How was a person like yourself
educated? Can you read? What do you do for fun? Dive into this stuff. It's
great. Remember, we're a research organization. The best part is that we
get to re-create what we research! Enjoy that! It's a wonderful excuse to
be creative and to increase your knowledge.

Have fun, and be creative!

Rose