Three Period Games
Murdoch Stiubhard and Cts. Iliya

As spring is now fully with us, it is time to step outside, smell the flowers, and get sweaty playing a lot of fun games. We featured three games at our Arts and Sciences night in May; shuttlecock, boule, and prisoners' base. For those who wish to play these games again, here are the rules (and all the variations we can think of).

Prisoners base (bays)
Essentially this is a game of tag. If you played tag on the playground in elementary school, you know the basics of this game.

You'll need a large(ish) group of people for the game to be fun. Split the players into two teams; A and B. Chose two bases, one for each team. A player from the team must be touching the team's base at all times. If a team doesn't have someone from their team touching the base at all times, that team automatically loses. Starting with the player touching the base, players on the team hold hands and create an unbroken line extending from the base. Here comes the magical mystery part of the rules (i.e. this part isn't clearly explained). Players from each team break away from their line, coaxing the other teams players from the opposing line, and chasing them.

Here's how it works for two teams, A and B: A player from Team A (ALEXANDER) breaks from the line. He tries to coax someone from the opposing team to chase him or her.

A player from team B (BEATRICE), breaks away and chases ALEXANDER. As BEATRICE is chasing ALEXANDER, AMANDA would break away and chase BEATRICE. Thus, AMANDA is chasing BEATRICE who is chasing ALEXANDER. Each chaser is attempting to touch the person they are chasing. In other words, AMANDA is trying to touch BEATRICE who's trying to touch ALEXANDER. If BEATRICE touches ALEXANDER, then ALEXANDER is captured and becomes a prisoner of team B. Prisoners form a line at the opposing team's base and wait to be freed. Free your teammates by touching them--but be careful, for you are very near the opposing team at this point.

You are NOT allowed to change who you are chasing in mid chase. For example, if BRENDAN is chasing AMANDA, and AMANDA returns to the A base, BRENDAN can stay on the field and keep ALFRED chasing him, or he can return to B base. However, he cannot start chasing ALEXANDER, nor can he turn around and chase ALFRED! Chasing ALFRED is the job of BENJAMIN. Someone will have to break from B base to chase ALEXANDER. If BRENDAN wants to start chasing someone else, he must return to B base, then re-enter the fray.

You must remember whom you are chasing. If you tag the wrong person, it is your duty to tell them they are not captured. At any time, you may return to your own team's line. If the person you are chasing has returned to their team's line or has been captured, you may either return to your line, or stay out and try to keep the person chasing you on the field until they are captured. If you return to your line, you may reenter the field to capture a new player. Thus ALEXANDER is coaxing team B. BEATRICE is chasing ALEXANDER. AMANDA is chasing BEATRICE. BRENDAN is chasing AMANDA. If ALEXANDER is captured, BEATRICE can either return to team B's line, or stay out in the hopes that BRENDAN will capture AMANDA.

The game is won when all of the opposing team members have been captured as prisoners.

Boule

Known by many names (bocce, petanc, etc), this game is still played as a common past time in many areas of the world. You'll need a minimum of two players. Each player needs at least two large balls. The whole group shares the jack ball (small ball). Chose one side to toss the jack ball first. The thrower tosses the jack ball over their shoulder in a random direction. The players then take turns tossing their balls towards the jack ball. The closest ball receives two points, the next closest receives one point. The player with the throw farthest from the jack ball starts the next round by throwing the jack ball. Play continues until one player/team has reached a pre-selected number of points (twenty is good). There are some variations on points counting. You can play that the closest ball gets one point. If the next closest ball is from the same player/team as the closest, it gets one point. If it is the opposing team/players, it gets no points.

Of course, there is the ever-popular cross-country version. In this, the jack ball is thrown wherever. This could mean behind the port-o-johns, through someone's pavilion, or even onto a dinner table. Of course, one must always ask if you can "play through" when entering a camp.

Shuttlecock

A precursor to badminton, shuttlecock requires at least four players divided into two teams. Each player has a paddle. The shuttlecock should be made of cork with feathers stuck into it to aid in flight. One team hits the shuttlecock to the other team. The other team hits it back. The object is to continue to return the shuttlecock to the other team. Establish an imaginary middle line. If the shuttlecock passes the middle line and hits the ground, the team that hit it gets a point. If the shuttlecock does not pass the middle line, the other team gets the point. Play continues to a pre-selected point total (twenty works well).

This month, from our In Depth Artisan Series, a continuation of period fiber dyeing.

Yellow + Blue = Green
Overdyeing Saffron with Indigo
Hlaefdige Byrhtwynn aet Cwenenangrafa

Y ellow and Blue on …?
F ibers used for dyeing were most commonly wool and silk. Wool was most commonly used in Northern and Western Europe, while silks were more common in the Eastern countries. Both fibers have been found in Western Europe, brought there by raid or trade, depending on the time period. These fibers take dyes readily with the used of mineral mordants or with substantive dyes which do not require mordants. Through use of different mordants a variety of colors could be obtained from the same dye product. Linen and some cotton were also dyed although much more rarely as the plant based fibers do not take dyes as readily as the protein-based fibers. Wool was sometimes dyed "in the fleece" before being spun into thread or yarn. The thread/yarns whether of wool, silk or linen/cotton were usually dyed after being wound into skeins. It would then woven into cloth and made into clothing. The cloth could be also be dyed or clothing redyed. Dyeing large pieces of fabric was more difficult both in terms of size of dyepot needed to allow free movement of the cloth and in ease of obtaining an even color. Dyed silk or wool threads were also used in to decorate clothing, altar cloths, church vestment or household items such as bed curtains, pillows etc with fancy embroidery or other needlework. They could also be used for other types of weaving such as tablet weaving or inkle weaving to create decorative bands used as trim on clothing and belts.

N ext Month: Dyeing Continued

Cooks Guild Stirs Up Iron-Chef Competition
By Tatiana Dieugarde

If you traveled to the March Warden Tourney held in the Shire March of the Grimfells (Fayetteville, AR), you hopefully got to witness the Cooks Guild hold their first Iron Chef competition. The Head of the Cooks Guild, our own Kateryn de Develyn, chose the secret ingredient of saffron that was presented to the four teams. Each team then had three hours to produce a feast for the judges (two of which were Tsire Tusevo and I) where saffron was used in every dish.

Each team brought their own unique style to the competition. Mag Mor carted a period bread oven with them. Grimfells focused on period foods that fit modern tastes. The team from Loch Meadhonach/Deodar focused on period techniques from the ground up: they milked their own cow, made their own butter, gathered farm fresh eggs from chickens and ducks. The Cooking Gnomes (led by Mistress Katrei) impressed the judges with their extensive documentation of period recipes. In the end, Grimfells cuisine reigned supreme with a feast that was delicious as well as beautiful to behold.

The following is one of the winning recipes provided by Marion of the Grimfells Team. It is a sweet, melt-in-your mouth quiche known in period as a Doucetye that she got from *Two Fifteenth Century Cookery-Books.

Doucetye (Honey and Saffron Quiche) Serves 8

2 cups thick cream
1/8 tsp. saffron
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs plus 2 extra yolks
1/2 cup honey
A 9inch pastry shell, baked blind (unfilled)

Heat the cream, saffron and milk together in a saucepan until cooked. Beat the eggs and yolks with honey in a bowl. Slowly add the hot liquid, beating constantly with a wire whisk. Pour into the cooled shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until set..

Enjoy.

*Two Fifteenth Century Cookery-Books, Thomas Austin, ed. N. Trubner & Co., 57 and 59 Ludgate Hill, E.C. 1888

June Calendar

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
					1	2 Dye Stuff Sem. -Dun Ard (Leavenworth KS) Regional Archery Prac.– Lonely Tower (Omaha NE)
3 Cd'E Vocal Music	4 Cd'E A&S AR Business Mtg.	5 Cd'E Fighter Practice	6 Cd'E Instrumental Music	7	8 Lilies War Begins !!!! Smithville Lake, MO	9 Lilies War – Smithville Lake, MO
10 Lilies War – Smithville Lake, MOCd'E Vocal Music	11 Lilies War – Smithville Lake, MONo Dance in Cd'E Due to Lilies	12 Lilies War – Smithville Lake, MOCd'E Fighter Practice	13 Lilies War – Smithville Lake, MOAR Fighter Practice Cd'E Instr'l Music	14 Lilies War – Smithville Lake, MO	15 Lilies War – Smithville Lake, MO	16 Lilies War – Smithville Lake, MO
17 Cd'E Vocal Music Lilies War Ends.	18 Cd'E Court (Cancelled) AR Sharing Day	19 Cd'E Fighter Practice	20 Cd'E Instrumental Music	21	22	23
24 Cd'E Vocal Music	25 Cd'E Dance	26 Cd'E Fighter Practice	27 AR Fighter Practice Cd'E Instrumental Music	28	29	30

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