"Originals" Recipe

[Books OToole]

This is the Recipe for the creation of an "Originals" persona.

Step 1 - Pick the year to be protrayed.

Step 2 - Subtract your age from the year protrayed.  This gives you the year of your birth.

Step 3 - Write a brief history of what you have done from birth upto the date protrayed.  This would include your profession at the date chosen in step # 1.

Step 4 - List all of the clothes, firearms and accouterments, used, worn and carried by your persona.

Step 5 - Research and find two pieces of documentaion for every item listed in step # 4.  This documentation must be from primary sorce material.  ie dated photographs, personal journals or diarys, newspapers, military reports.  For a military impression the regulations for the year portrayed would be used.  Any diviation from the reg.s would require additional documentation.

Once you have completed the 5 steps listed above, present your biography and documentation to 3 previously certified "Originals" to be approved/certified.

It is not really that hard and it is a great learning process.

Books

[If I have left anything out I am sure one of the other "Certified Originals" will jump in here with additional information.]

[Major Matt Lewis]

Thanks

[Big Hext]

Howdy,

Is it required for you to subtract your age?
If I wanted to portray a specific circumstance or personality, it might not work out.. after all, most folks were dead by 50.
I'm not suggesting that we should play someone 20 years younger or older, just wondering if that is a required component?

Gracias,

[Books OToole]

Big Hext;

As long as your age/appearence is believable, a precise subtraction is not required.  One of the "Originals" is passing for a younger man.

Books

[Major Matt Lewis]

I think that is just a baseline Hext...Because if it were not, you could not portray the same persona in the same event from year to year...for example, I would only be able to do an Origininal Spanish American War persona for one shooting season, because the war didn't last too long....

[Lars]

Step 4 - List all of the clothes, firearms and accouterments, used, worn and carried by your persona.

Brooks,

Given that NCOWS already has a list of approved firearms, what is the reason for including firearms in Step 4?

I realize that some folks will want to have their firearms conform to years given, but, is that really a requirement?

Thanks,
Lars

[Big Hext]

That's fine.. I was just clarifying.
The bigger problem is that there really aren't that many personas for rich, fat, old men.

Adios,

[Books OToole]

Lars;

You are documenting that a person of your profession carried a particular firearm and wore a particular cut of clothes in the year portrayed.

A cowboy in the 1880s could not be carrying an 1892 Winchester.  Therefore, if you want to carry an '92, you need to start with a date later than 1892.

Books

[Lars]

Lars;

You are documenting that a person of your profession carried a particular firearm and wore a particular cut of clothes in the year portrayed.

Actually, in that case, my persona will NEVER be acceptable in Originals. It is a composite of items and firearms, all present before, some well before the date assumed.  Documentation for that is no real problem and extensively completed. Sounds like I will be most suited to shooting NCOWS, minus becoming an Original, which is just fine with me. I will place my efforts elsewhere in NCOWS.

Lars

[James Hunt]

Actually, in that case, my persona will NEVER be acceptable in Originals. It is a composite of items and firearms, all present before, some well before the date assumed.  Documentation for that is no real problem and extensively completed. Sounds like I will be most suited to shooting NCOWS, minus becoming an Original, which is just fine with me. I will place my efforts elsewhere in NCOWS.

Lars

Lars: Perhaps I'm missing something, but it sounds as if you are saying that your collection of items and firearms were all present before "the date assumed". If so, then those arms and items would have been available to the character you portray. It is important that you document that the items and firearms would have been used by someone similar to your portrayal, that is just part of the game, part of the fun of working up a persona. I portray a hunter scout in the summer of 1876, however I can't claim a 76 Winchester because one might have been sitting on a bench in the factory. Absurd example but you see where I'm coming from.

Remember, the originals is a labor of love by those who enjoy it, not a required merit badge for NCOWS!

[Lars]

James,

The firearms are easy, they have introduction dates. Clothes, etc. are a different, at least much less defined, situation, even more so for someone whose persona is that of an immigrant working in a mine owned and operated by fellow immigrants. I can and am documenting those items, nearly exclusively from old country sources, a rather easy task in this case because of all the documentation developed there since about 1960.

Should I ever make it "all the way" with clothes, etc., I will look like I recently arrived to work in the mine near Telluride, Colorado, owned by fellow Swedish-speaking Finlanders from Österbotten, Finland. Dates for the situation to which my persona belongs are from about 1880 to 1910 or later -- it is totally connected to the glory days of hardrock mining in Colorado.

While this is my goal as regards clothing, etc. I currently doubt that I will bother to get it approved for the Originals. Shooting is what really interests me most, so long as it is challanging of one's marksmanship, that is, at least as much so as at the 2005 GAF Muster. It is most unlikely that I will buy more guns, just for NCOWS. Currently, the dates of my persona have been adjusted to fit with the guns I would use -- right now, I am leaning strongly toward totally decoupling them -- let my persona evolve as it will, independent of the NCOWS-legal guns I use.

I think that this solution might suit many NCOWS members, especially those of us not into reinacting. Not to take anything away from the Originals or those to who it is desired.

Lars

[Lars]

Joss and others.

The Originals has a lot of educational and entertainment value to many of us onlookers, even if we stop short of trying to be one of them. It is definitely a plus to have in NCOWS.

Developing a persona for NCOWS gives me another outlet for the large amount of reading I do about certain aspects of 1600-1900s history of Sweden, Finland and Russia and the people that immigrated to/migrated to/visited and worked for years the western USA. Yes, many, many of them returned and their sons and daughters wrote some wonderfully researched books about all that. One of those books is titled "Colorado Avenue", the main street in Telluride, Colorado.

I am not alone in either my first comment or in the "value added" that NCOWS provides for my historical interests.

Lars

[Black River Smith]

The Originals is strictly a voluntary category.  Just like any other NCOWS or SASS category.  You pick the category you want to participate in.  No one is forced into a category, that they can not meet the requirements for.

Black River Smith

[Bristow Kid]

Books,

Thanks for starting this topic.  YOur first post was very helpful.  It answered alot of questions I had about what I had to do.

Bristow Kid

[Books OToole]

If anybody needs a little help putting together an "Originals" impression send me a PM.  The KVC Two Gun regional (May 5-7)would be a great opportunity to unvail a new impression.

Books

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Books did an excellent job of describing how the Originals Class will work and what is required. The only thing I might add for those of us inclined is you are not limited to one persona as long as the guidlines are followed as Books so ably laid out.

Bill

[Lars]

Hummm......... multiple personas .......... certified ...................... by their peers .................... This could suggest .............. but, naaaawwww, so long as everyone is having fun...........

Lars

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Lars,

Hummm......... multiple personas .......... certified .

yeah, but not at the same time some people will  think we're crazy anyway by wanting to do this.

Developing a persona for NCOWS gives me another outlet for the large amount of reading I do about certain aspects of 1600-1900s history of Sweden, Finland and Russia and the people that immigrated to/migrated to/visited and worked for years the western USA. Yes, many, many of them returned and their sons and daughters wrote some wonderfully researched books about all that. One of those books is titled "Colorado Avenue", the main street in Telluride, Colorado.

You sound like me Lars, I read all the time, and this quote sounds to me a lot like what the new Originals class is about. I don't think it would be very difficult for you to adjust your perona to your firearms and equipment to shoot this category, and we'd all welcome you..

Bill

[Lars]

In the "real" world of multiple personalities only one comes out at a time. Nice to know that you guys are being authentic on that point.

Lars

[Dr. Bob]

Lars,

One of our main concerns IS authenticity!    It is, of course, the PRIMARY concern.