HFS awards

A Tale of Two Systems

The High Fantasy Society has evolved two awards systems; one much like the parent system used by Amtgard (aka. the Ladder system), and an apparently HFS-unique development (aka. the GSC system).

The Ladder System

Ladder awards are those that a player can earn for a variety of accomplishments in service, the arts & sciences, combat, or leadership. Typically there are ten levels of award (called Orders), each more difficult to achieve than the previous. Once ten Orders of a specific type have been achieved, the player is eligible for Masterhood.

In reality, both the HFS and Amtgard have a hard time keeping up with the "increasing difficulty" requirements. More than one player has been awarded five, six, or even eight Orders while each granting person thought he or she was giving a first- or second-level award. No one is known to have achieved all ten like this, but no one doubts that it has happened at some point. This has been reduced somewhat by the character-tracking databases like ORK, and the spread of Internet-capable laptop computers that allow a player's records to be checked on-site, it is still a challenge to prevent abuses or exploitations of the system.

Some Kingdoms permit issuing Orders above 10th-level. These Kingdoms also typically require a greater number of Orders for certain Masterhoods.

The GSC System

GSC is an abbreviation for "Gold, Silver, Copper." This system assumes that all awards are basic-level awards, the Copper-level award. Once five Copper awards have been received, the fifth is a Silver-level award. Once five Silver awards have been earned, the player is granted a Gold-level award and qualifies for Masterhood or receives that title outright.

The large number of awards needed to reach Masterhood (a total of 25 Copper awards) offsets the reduced requirements for each award, though inattentive granting can still be a problem.

Variations in the GSC System

Several Kingdoms use a slight variation of the GSC, instead using only Silver and Gold awards, with the final award being Masterhood. This is merely a change in naming practices, with Copper/Silver/Gold being replaced with Silver/Gold/Master progression.

While most Kingdoms issue Copper awards for the same degree of performance, a few attempt to require greater performance each time to qualify. These kingdoms have the same troubles as those that use the Ladder system, and oversight greatly depends on the diligence of the local Chancellor/Prime Minister.

Some Kingdoms compromise, allowing basic performance for each Copper award, but requiring an obvious increase of skill or performance before a Silver-level award is issued. At least one Kingdom performs conversion from Coppers to Silver (or Silver to Gold) only on request of the player who may be required to prove his merits before the conversion is granted.

These are just the more common variations. Each Kingdom has it's own minor variations that depend on local tradition and the Monarch's interpretations.

Systems Used by Each Kingdom

Here is a list of the awards systems in use by each Kingdom as best as available data allows. Several Kingdoms are not listed.

Ladder System = Barad-Duin, Drandmir, Kalladen

GSC System = Bhurtok, Calinorn, Challain, Dragon Springs, Drakenfjord, Shadowmist

Converting Between the Systems

Converting between the two systems has been problematic, but necessary. Kingdom officers have long been challenged by how to deal with granting awards to visitors, or how to translate the awards of players who have moved from another Kingdom. In 2007, Cedric Einarsson developed a practical conversion method to allow this. It does not take into account specific awards or local variations, but it does account for the increasing difficulty requirements of Ladder awards. Good Chancellors should be able to quickly adapt this chart for their local needs.

1st Order = 1 Copper

2nd Order = 3 Coppers

3rd Order = 5 Coppers

4th Order = 8 Coppers

5th Order = 11 Coppers

6th Order = 15 Coppers

7th Order = 19 Coppers

8th Order = 24 Coppers

9th Order = 29 Coppers

10th Order = 35 Coppers

Each Order above 10th is converted as +6 Coppers

See Also

• Calligraphy
• Category:Award Art
• Category:Awards : Amtgard award structures