Questions I: Tourney Prizes

I got another of those idiot-savant spam subject lines today: lighthouses tale suppose producing charmed nobles prosperity for ...

Wow. That's almost a writing prompt.

Today is More Questions Than Answers Day. Most of the questions are imponderables (why do people not listen when you tell them things? Repeatedly? Why do they want to make things more complicated than they have to be?) but I have a couple on which I could use a little input.

Today's questions are specially for the martially-inclined of the SCA: What do you consider a good tournament prize? Something you can use, like a length of rattan? Something you can give to your consort? Jewelry? A scroll for the 'I love me' wall? A book? A gift certificate? (Personally, the gift certificate idea makes me twitch a little as it is so blatantly unmediaeval, but I'm curious what other people think of them).

If you have won tournament prizes, what was the best one you ever got? (Please, don't tell me 'the crown' -- I'm not in a position to hand one of those out in October). What was the worst? What made it a good (or bad) prize for you?

Fear not, artisans, I'll be seeking your opinions next.

verso - recto