Login

**richsc** · 03-08-2002, 02:47 PM

Jenny's words are exactly apt. We have our own oracle of 
Delphi! 
 
I vote for the Roman Reenactment Confederation. The pool of amazing expertise we have should be available to all, and the RAT is a perfect forum (there's that word again). To the best of their ability and funds, each group should pursue authenticity. Every group can, but does not need, to have its own style, and can freely adopt or associate with any other. 
I would propose that whenever a group event occurs, that the organizers get to set the ground rules for participation. This can of course be in conjunction with the experts or other groups, and emphasize coordination of fighting styles and tunic colors or whatever else. 
The emphasis is be on support of Roman groups everywhere, and the study and re-enactment of the Roman army and the Roman world to the furtherment of everyone's interest. Richard Campbell, Legio XX.
the HIGH NOISE/low signal person for RAT.
ICQ 940236
Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showLocalUserPublicProfile?login=richsc>RichSC</A> at: 3/8/02 3:51:59 pm

03-08-2002, 05:01 PM

Now you're talk'n Rich....That is exactly what I would like to see. How though, could we "show" that someone was a member? Some kind of ID card? And I still think that the e-newsletter is a good idea, with everyone contributing articles, photos, whatever. That way, every member would get it, and it would give units the opportunity to say, "hey, this is what we are doing", instead of just posting it on their website, where it might be missed. I don't know, call me biased, but Matt Amt's Adlocvtio is an excellent way to keep people informed, as well as sponsor desire to add your own stuff....He always has stuff in it from other people. 
 
What do you think about the membership thing, and newsletter? 
 
Tiberius Lantanius Magnus 
CO/Optio, 
Legio XXX "Ulpia Victrix" 
(Matt)

Caius Fabius · 03-08-2002, 05:59 PM

I welcome the chance to e-publish anyone's articles or letters in Romanis Romanorvm (yahoogroups). This was a snailmail newsletter started in the 1980's for Romans and enjoying several interesting contributions from people's whose names you would recognize here, as well as having advertisements for Roman armor and SCA Roman armor, before being dragged into the e-phenomenon of letting people publish online. Now we operate as an open forum, with some additions. 
 
Currently the logistics of combining all the different groups newsletters and philosophies are still daunting. I suggest that people use LEG XX's online handbook and also look at LEG X Fretensis' website, when they are looking for information and basic standards. I know there are others, and many of them are linked from LEG XX's pages. 
 
Already, The Imperium Antiquitus was keeping track of memberships, but no one wanted to do the paperwork and posting of active members. Another group states a huge membership, but I doubt their figures. A third group requires you agree to their religion to be a member of their approved membership list, but you are allowed to be a non-member and participate, as long as you don't hold office. 
 
Membership and a newsletter from LEG X Fretensis is a mere $10 per year, and The "centurion" of the group is the main planner for the Roman Army Tour 2002. His newsletter is about what his group is doing. Adlocvtio (of LEG XX) is a good email newsletter and covers many groups and their events. I often receive permission to republish their information online, along with other links, articles and information that come from various sources. 
 
We could do a similar newsgroup, and send it out via email to anyone who is interested. The membership could be those people who are signed up for the newsletter. It could have the reports from various re-enactment groups, links to items and discussions of interest here at RAT and other forums, it could have photos of various groups in the file. There would be two or three editors to keep spam and such from being sent out, and to solicit and get permission for publishing articles. 
I personally don't see the need for ID Cards, although if individual groups wanted to print their own, and give them to their group members, that would be fine. 
 
As far as a membership list, you already have 280 members here. 
 
 
On the other hand, to have an official group incorporated, to publish and snailmail a slick newszine with color photos to less than 5000 readers will cause the magazine subscription to be well over $50 a year, and you would have to find people or add more money to do the additional work of making the publication camera ready, and printing, addressing and posting the probably quarterly newsletter. You would also have to sell advertisements and hire a firm to do the book-keeping, tax records, and legal interactions for the organization. 
 
Why do this? Well, if you don't have a corporation, then if you get sued or if there are some expenses that the group can't cover, then the members of the Board of Directors, or the group officers become liable for the expenses, and this can include attachment to their personal property. If you are setting up and event, for example, under the coordination of the "Billy Bob Legion of Upper Arcadia" and "Prime Pilus Dufus" gets kicked in the head by a mule as "Senator Dorkus" rides by, then the organizers of the event, including the officers of the group can be held liable for expenses. Even if PP Dufus has a cast iron head, the ambulance bills, emergency room bills, lost wages and the pain and suffering to the mule and associated innocents who were splattered with bits of helmet parts can cause the officers to spend money on lawyers, hours in litigation, just to prove they aren't responsible for the accident. 
 
While this is probably mostly a problem in the USA, there may be other societies as litigious and without universal health insurance somewhere in the rest of the world.

**richsc** · 03-09-2002, 03:55 AM

I dont' know about others, but the idea of incorporating is rather difficult given the global spread. We're already a virtual group now, and this I think just puts a name to it. Richard Campbell, Legio XX.
the HIGH NOISE/low signal person for RAT.
ICQ 940236

03-10-2002, 08:09 AM

Then let's work with what is feasible now. The snailmail thing you described is a good start. I think if people knew about an open newsletter that they could contribute to, they would. I had no idea you had one going from the '80s. I don't want to make an organization if it is going to be a pain in the arse...just something a little more than this virtual group...something that actively is sent to people, not a passive one like RAT. Other than that, I really liked your ideas about the e-newsletter, and membership. 
 
Tiberius Lantanius Magnus 
CO/Optio, 
Legio XXX "Ulpia Victrix" 
(Matt)

03-10-2002, 10:40 AM

Rather than a board type list like RAT, you might want to consider an email group: in which all posts to the group are automatically sent out to subscribers' email addresses (either as they come in, or in a once-daily digest). This is a more "active" medium, and you don't have to go looking for new postings, it is all sent to you. An email group can also be set up as a newsletter. Subscribers don't post individually, but a regular (weekly, quarterly?) newsletter is sent to all subscribers at the same time. This, of course, puts more work on the editor, collecting, editing, and creating the newsletter. 
 
Yahoogroups.com is far the largest and easiest to use list server. They even have a Roman Army list (not as big, as active, or, of course, as good as RAT, but with many familiar names), and check out their "Explorator" (archaeology news) as an example of a newsletter. There are several other servers to choose from as well. 
 
A print newsletter is a very complex and expensive proposition, if you're going to do it right. 
 
best, 
 
Jno

Caius Fabius · 03-10-2002, 01:57 PM

you are also welcome to join ROMANISROMANORVM at yahoo, which has a main core of Roman stuff, but also gets off into other subjects and personal interactions. 
 
The bottom line, if you want a paper/print newsletter, join one of the groups that already has one. RomanisRomanorvm stopped being a paper newsletter because it was too expensive to put it out in time and money. 
 
You are welcome to print any of the letters from RomanisRomanorvm in a hard copy and show them to your fellow re-enactors, but the copyright to the photos stored on the site still belongs to the various people who provided them. For instance the "Michael Simkins equipment photos" are for public display only and cannot be used in any publication that charges people to get a copy. 
 
You can join newsgroups at: groups.yahoo.com/ 
 
some interesting newsgroups there include: 
 
groups.yahoo.com/group/ROMANISROMANORVM/ 
 
groups.yahoo.com/group/Apicius/ 
 
groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/ 
 
groups.yahoo.com/group/RomanArmy/

Caius Fabius · 03-10-2002, 02:14 PM

Just a moment to think of the cost to publish a "Roman Army magazine format". The "Renaissance Magazine" says it has a "readership" of over 95,000. It sells over 30% of it's space (aprox) to advertising and comes out quarterly, with a cover price of $5.95 US. It is a slick, color publication with many articles submitted by people who are in the "hobby/ business". 
 
If they were breaking even on the cover price, they wouldn't have to sell so many ads.... 95,000 x 6 ($) x 4 times a year, would be revenue of $2,280,000 (but of course they probably only sell about 25,000 to 30,000 copies of each magazine), still they need lots of money to start such a project, and must have load of circulation to keep it going, and it only comes out 4 times each year...... 
 
They also only get about 50% of the cover when it is sold on news stands, but still, $400,000+ a year to publish a decent "Roman Army" magazine 4 times a year is ...money that we could spend on building a Roman fort! 
 
I will submit that the internet is a much better deal! Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/ucaiusfabius.showPublicProfile?language=EN>Caius Fabius</A> at: 3/10/02 3:19:43 pm

**richsc** · 03-11-2002, 03:09 AM

Paper is just too expensive and complicated to pursue, even though it leaves out folks without computer access. I'm not sure if there are many existing models out there for a loose confederation. The list serv mentioned is one way of publicizing: just no central place to archive and research threads. 
I'm going to have to think on the liability issues. That too may be up to the organizers who understand their local laws to set the ground rules. Like carrying weapons in Rome. Richard Campbell, Legio XX.
the HIGH NOISE/low signal person for RAT.
ICQ 940236

Login
Username:
Password:	Lost Password?
	Remember me