The Standards for Evaluation of Names and Armory - SCA Heraldry

The Standards for Evaluation of Names and Armory:The Rules for SubmissionsArmorial designs with voided or fimbriated charges must be considered for purposes of conflict as equivalentto multiple designs. See A.5.C for further details.D. Clarity and Simplicity of Charge Groups: The style and conflict rules are built around the idea of a chargegroup. A charge group is a group of charges of approximately the same size and visual weight that act as asingle visual unit. This idea is not a period heraldic idea, but a modern SCA invention. It is our attempt tocodify what we see happening artistically, stylistically, and for cadencing in medieval armory. The types ofcharge groups are discussed in Appendix I.1. Clarity of Charge Groups: Charges in an armorial design must be clearly organized into charge groups.Depictions of charges that blur the distinction between charge groups will not be allowed. Depictions ofcharges that that are ambiguous as to what sort of charge group they belong to will not be allowed.Documented armorial depictions will only be allowed if a method for describing them in blazon can bedevised.For example, the design a water bouget between in cross four estoiles must be clearly drawn to be either asa large primary water bouget and four smaller secondary estoiles or blazoned as in cross a water bouget andfour estoiles and drawn as five charges of approximately equal visual weight. If the estoiles are drawn justa little smaller than the water bouget, it is not clear if the estoiles are intended to be part of the primarycharge group or a secondary charge group. Such a design will not be registered.Having identical types of charges in multiple charge groups on the field blurs the distinction betweencharge groups. Thus, it is not allowed, except for cotises and endorses around an ordinary. Charge typeswith identical blazons are allowed to be both on the field and in a tertiary charge group or in two separatetertiary charge groups.For example, Azure, a cup Or and in base a cup argent would not be registerable. Azure, a fess betweenthree cups Or and overall a cup argent would not be registerable. However, Azure, on a fess between threecups Or, three cups sable is registerable, as is Azure, on a bend Or three cups sable and on a chief Or a cupsable.Having two close variants of a charge in a design is confusing and makes the charge groups difficult toidentify. Thus, two charges or depictions of charges that are artistic variants of one another or that otherwiseare considered to have less than a distinct change (DC) between them are not allowed in a single armorialdesign. A.5 defines distinct changes in more detail. This is true even if one charge is on the field and theother charge is on another charge. In precedent, this is sometimes referred to as 'sword and dagger'.For example, both Azure, a lion and a catamount combatant Or and Azure, a lion between three catamountsOr are not registerable, because we do not consider there to be a distinct change between a lion and acatamount. Azure, a hound and on a chief Or a wolf sable is not registerable, because we do not considerthere to be a distinct change between a hound and a wolf. Sable, a sword and a dagger in saltire proper isnot registerable, nor is Sable, a rapier between six daggers Or, because we do not consider there to be adistinct change among any forms of swords, including daggers.2. Simplicity of Charge Groups: A charge group is most frequently a group of a single type of charges of aunified tincture in a single posture/orientation. However, more complex examples are found in periodarmory. The rules below discuss which complex designs are allowed and which are not allowed.a. Slot Machine: There are some period examples in which a single charge group contains charges of morethan one type. Therefore, we allow two types of charges in a single charge group. Common patternschange the centermost of charges in a row or the bottommost of charges arranged two and one. However,a charge group with more than two types of charges is not allowed.Standards for Evaluation of Names and Armory – April 29, 2012 - Page 45 of 73