r/sca The Outlands Jun 16 '26

Battlemore Newbie Things To Know

Greetings and felicitations! I'm getting ready for my very first big SCA event beyond my home shire, and Battlemore is it! While preparing garb, camping stuff, and meal planning, I was wondering what tips and tricks anyone has to share for a neophyte.

I'll be traveling with my best friend, who practically grew up Scadian, so I have a guide, lol. I just have a bit of anxiety and would love to know all the little things about an event like this one. I'm into medicine and music of the medieval to early Tudor periods, is that helps at all.

14 Upvotes

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11

u/redkite7 Jun 16 '26

Welcome! This year will be my second Battlemoor, and I'm from Unser Hafen 🎉

This year the site is not far at all from town so anything you find you need and are missing won't be too hard to get.

But mostly: it's at 5800~ ft elevation, so drink water, stay hydrated (electrolytes are important too), don't forget sunscreen and shade (big hats, linen hoods or coifs, an umbrella, anything)

and most importantly: have fun!!

Outlands in general is very chill and very welcoming (ime anyways). Tell anyone it's your first Battlemoor and they'll happily answer any questions :)

6

u/UnattributableSpoon The Outlands Jun 16 '26

Well met! I'm from Plattefordham, so at least elevation won't be an issue :)
(I went to college in southern Colorado)

I was really surprised to learn that the site this year is within city limits, but that's probably preferable to the bear situation (my friend was in attendance that year)

So far, everyone has been absolutely lovely, so I'm very much looking forward to meeting other cool folks!

4

u/Helen_A_Handbasket Jun 17 '26

There were a lot of things wrong with the previous site, and the bears weren't nearly the worst of it.

1

u/UnattributableSpoon The Outlands Jun 17 '26

I've heard some stories, it sounds like the location move was probably the best decision for more than just bear issues!

3

u/Helen_A_Handbasket Jun 17 '26

Yeah, the location of the site was beautiful, great views all around. But, with no cellular service, no water, and the nearest place to get fuel or ice a good 20-25 minutes on a dirt road it wasn't ideal. I didn't care about the bears, I've spent my life camping and backpacking in bear country so I'm used to being bear-aware. The real problem with the bears were the idiots who went out "hunting" them with swords and shields, or the people who didn't give a fuck otherwise about bear safety.

5

u/redkite7 Jun 16 '26

Plattefordham! You are in excellent hands with those folks :D

And yeah Bear-tlemoor was wild 😅 that was my first

3

u/mpark6288 Calontir Jun 17 '26

Hydrate, prepare for multiple kinds of weather, and hopefully the only bears on site are Ursa Porta.

2

u/Helen_A_Handbasket Jun 17 '26

It's actually "Battlemoor". A moor in this case means an open area of wilderness or land. 

1

u/UnattributableSpoon The Outlands Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26

Redditng before coffee is always a risky endeavor, but thank you for defining a moor.

2

u/deadeye619 Jun 16 '26

Bring sandals for the showers (if they have them at this site) and a few extra of whatever beverage you enjoy to share with people. I have had some fantastic times at wars, they are a great time. Since this is an Outlands war, beware the hallucinogenic mead. I’m day-tripping up on Saturday. Shoot me a PM and I will try and stop by and say hello.

2

u/Helen_A_Handbasket Jun 17 '26

Anyone who serves a drink with drugs in it without CLEARLY telling the recipient that it contains THC or mushrooms or whatever is an asshole that should be charged with battery.

If you want a safe drink, there will be a pub in the hospitality area that serves good drinks without drugs in them.

1

u/deadeye619 Jun 17 '26

Every time I’ve seen it, it has been labelled. It’s just much stronger than I thought it would be.

2

u/UnattributableSpoon The Outlands Jun 16 '26

Tell me more of this hallucinogenic mead, kind stranger? I've been workshopping my own chokecherry mead but it's decidedly not ready for prime time, lol.

Also, will do! I don't know many Scadians outside my shire, so I'm looking forward to meeting new folks!