Yes, and this is one of the many ways that I feel that Johanna and Aquel
will be a tough act for anyone to follow. They have done a wonderful 
job of making new people feel welcome. I would hope to follow in their
footsteps in that regard. I believe that the baron/baroness is in a
unique position to seek out new people at events, make them feel
welcome, and be a resource to them.
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One of the ideas I have which would probably affect the boroughs
particularly is the concept of having baronial "pages." These would be
chosen from the talented and promising newer people, perhaps with one or
two years experience, who would be interested in getting involved in
more baronial level projects. They would serve for a year or two. I like
to use period models for things (one of the ways that the study of
history pays off is that you can steal lots of good ideas :)). And one
of the models that I think is useful is that of the lordly household.
One of its many useful characteristics is that of patronage. People
would serve in such a household (usually only for part of a year),
learning skills, making connections, and being groomed for future
positions in return for helping the household to run and increasing the
lord's magnificence by the size of his following :). I think this is an
idea that could be adapted for modern use, and that would give A&S and
service-oriented people a chance to participate in the pagentry. The
purpose would not be to have an elite or exclusive group, but to have a
rather fluid and open "household" to encourage and mentor people as they
grow.
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I would apply the same concept to a baronial guard, which would be drawn
from the "up-and-coming" people in all the martial arts (heavy list,
fencing, archery, thrown weapons). They would serve for a year or two as
well. They would add to the pagentry of courts and the like, and also
get the opportunity to expand their focus in the Society a little beyond
their martial activity.
