the fragmentation of the Barony socially is a major underlying issue for all *sorts* of stuff.

So, here's another thing. This can often sound a bit too much like "you must become friends with this group of people or Carolingia will die" - when natural selection has not fostered those friendships. We do all have similar interests to some degree - we wouldn't be in the SCA if we weren't - but it sometimes seems as if there is an attractive geek fallacy in play that assumes that that is enough to make us all friends.

And the Sword of Damocles is a chandelier that will dampen any party.