Pennsic Glossary
"So I'm heading down to Vlad's at o'dark-thirty, and I'll pick up some Pennsic crack on the way." -- Huh? Pennsic has a set of terms all its own. If some of them leave you scratching your head, that's what this page is for. This is what I picked up from my first year at Pennsic. If you know of other Pennsic-specific words and want me to put them on this page, just email me.
Bardic Circle A gathering, usually around a campfire, at which each person sitting in the circle takes his or her turn entertaining the gathered folk with a story, song, poem, or other brief performance. Participation is optional; generally, those wishing to participate sit "in the circle" while those who wish to simply listen gather around outside the circle. [Submitted by Justin]
The Barn The large communal building at the campground headquarters, where public events such as Court and dancing are often held. [Submitted by Justin]
The Bog The camping area south of Troll. There are trees, which makes it cooler than the Serengeti. On the up-side: most parties take place in the Bog. On the down-side: most bugs also live in the Bog.
Drumming Circle Similar to a bardic circle except that everyone plays at once. It is surprising how a large number of novice drummers who sound lousy as individuals can sound really good when they play together. [Submitted by Justin]
Dagen's Dell A clearing near the extreme northeastern part of the campground that has been the traditional home of a group of households. [Submitted by Justin]
Encampment The particular parcel of land allocated within a block to a group of people who registered to camp together. [Submitted by Justin]
Enchanted Ground A completely in-persona encampment run by Duke Cariadoc. Located at the edge of the Bog. Also the site of wonderful bardic circle every night during War Week.
Hay Wagon The hay wagon used to literally be a tractor with a trailer attached that people could ride around Pennsic. In late years, they have been being replaced with buses instead, yet people still refer to catching the wagon, even if it is a bus. [Submitted by Siegfried]
"Hail [the] camp!" A greeting that is called out as one approaches a campsite's entrance, to request permission to enter. Sometimes "Hello the camp!" is used instead. [Submitted by Justin]
High Meadows A camping area in the farthest southeast corner of the campground. If you go to visit there, you will understand the naming. Also pretty much the farthest away you can camp at Pennsic from the 'main area.' [Submitted by Siegfried]
Land Grab The first Saturday of Pennsic, when all the land agents stake out their claims to their camp's land. This term is used both as an event ("I'm doing land-grab this year") and a time ("the Tuesday after land-grab").
Loop, The Often referred to as "I'm going to walk the loop" or "They are camped somewhere around the loop." This refers to the Lake, and the road that runs all around it. Also sometimes refers to the path that runs directly around the rim of the lake - although in recent years it has been cut off by encampments and is no longer able to be walked for the entire distance. [Submitted by Siegfried]
Merchant's Row Where all the merchants are! There are three areas: one north of Troll opposite the list-fields (where the Food Court also is), one south of Troll but north of the Barn, and one just south of the Barn.
Mt. Eislinn The large hill that rises up behind the Pennsic Fort and overlooks the battlefield. Currently the location of the archery field. [submitted by Siegfried]
Mystic Mail An internet service at Pennsic. In 2003, it was located in the merchant's area near the food court. Useful for those people who need to check their email. I personally didn't use it, so I can't say any more about it.
NSTIW story "No sh*t, there I was..." This is the quintessential lead-in to the finally of a Pennsic War story from days gone by. In Latin, "Nihil stercum, ibi fuimus..." There are several G-rated versions that substitute something milder for the vulgar fecal word. [Submitted by Justin]
O'Dark-Thirty About a half-hour after sundown. This is the time many parties start. You'll see it on many posters and fliers.
OMG (Oh My God) Form A voluntary, and confidential, medical information form that can be filed at Chirurgeon's Point to advise EMS or hospital personnel of your medications and chronic medical conditions in the event of an emergency. The forms are kept under lock and key and only retrieved if you are sent to the hospital in an emergency; they are destroyed after the end of each Pennsic. [Submitted by Justin]
Pennsic Crack Otherwise known as the Cooper's chocolate milk. It's good. Very good. (Assuming you like sweet) You can pick it up at the Cooper's store.
- Justin notes that Pennsic Crack is also known as "Cooper's Crack."
Pennsic Independent The daily newspaper at Pennsic. It cost 75 cents per day in 2003. Generally it is only published during War Week. Highly entertaining and a good souvenier. Also available online for all those people who couldn't make it to Pennsic.
Pennsic Plague Due to the less-than-completely-sanitary conditions at Pennsic, diseases spread easily. The Pennsic Plague is a catch-all term for whatever bug is going around.
- Justin gives the following explanation of the Pennsic Plague:
"Pennsic Plague" actually refers usually to an infection of one of a family of gastrointestinal viruses called the Norwalk Viruses (named after Norwalk, Ohio, where they were apparently first isolated). They are spread mostly by fecal-oral contamination, which is a polite way of saying people don't properly sanitize their hands between the toilet and their food -- or they leave dirty dishes and food exposed, so that the flies that buzz around their camp table are the same flies that were in the latrine 15 minutes ago. It's just as yucky as it sounds! Fortunately, the Norwalk Viruses are effectively destroyed by thorough washing with ordinary soap and water, so we could virtually eliminate Pennsic Plague if everyone would just wash more often and more thoroughly. The guideline is 30 seconds of scrubbing hands -- enough time to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" or "The ABC Song".The year I was War Chirurgeon, Pennsic 32, people often asked me, "What will we do if there is ever an outbreak of communicable disease at Pennsic?" My answer was, "Oh, you mean like last year?" (They gasp.) "Or did you mean the year before? Or the year before that?" We have an outbreak of some kind virtually every single year. How do we handle it? There is a member of the Chirurgeonate staff who, in her modern job, is a virologist. She is trained and equipped to work alone and/or in conjunction with local health authorities (as needed) to contain the outbreak. Since "Pennsic Plague" usually is just uncomfortable, rather than dangerous (except to someone who is immunity-compromised due to other conditions, age or infirmity, etc.), the course of action usually consists of simple measures to prevent further spread of the illness, such as education on better sanitation practices.
... Point The headquarters of a given Pennsic staff function, service, or department. Examples include Chirurgeon's Point (first aid), Information Point (general information), Herald's Point (camp-wide announcements), Newcomer's Point (info for first-time Pennsic attendees), and so forth. [Submitted by Justin]
Runestone Hill The really big hill just south of the Barn. Yes, there really is a runestone planted there in the days of Pennsics gone by. It's about halfway down the hill, near the western edge of the camp area. [Submitted by Justin]
The Serengeti The camping area north of Troll. So called because there are no trees, making it very hot and dusty in the Pennsic heat. On the up-side, it's closer to the list fields and much of the shopping.
Snoot As a result of dust and campfire smoke, one's snot tends to turn a dark grey color after a couple days at Pennsic. This tends to make Pennsic newbies a little frightened, but never fear, that is just your nose doing its job. And, the result is called "snoot". It is a gross one, but I had to explain to a number of newbies in the camp last year that it was normal. [Submitted by m]
Snowball Party When a group of people start walking around Pennsic, going from party to party, and collecting extra people as they go. Hence the term, as it is like a snowball rolling downhill and gathering more snow. [Submitted by Siegfried]
Snow Fence The official designation of the battlefield fortress structure at Pennsic. This designation allowed the builders to skirt local building codes that would have required features such as fire escapes that make good sense for a real building but are ridiculous for an open structure like the wooden stockade wall. [Submitted by Justin]
Strawberry Surprise A beverage made with awful-tasting things that looks like it would be some sort of strawberry cordial, but actually has enough hot peppers and other strong stuff to make most people who drink it quite ill. "The surprise is that there are no strawberries." Avoid at all costs. [Submitted by Justin]
Town Listed because of dual meanings. Sometimes someone referring to 'heading into town' means going to Pennsic Central, the Merchant/Food area. Other times it refers to leaving the site and heading to any of the 4 closest modern towns, New Castle, Butler, Grove City, or Cranberry. [Submitted by Siegfried]
Troll Where you check in at Pennsic. Properly, the Troll is the person in charge of collecting fees and issuing site tokens, and the check-in place is the Troll Booth (a play on Toll Booth -- get it?). But in common usage, people refer to the officer and the location synonymously, calling both of them "Troll". [Submitted by Justin]
Tuchux Hill A common name for the E18 camp block. Was given this name since the Tuchux (a barbarian household & parallel group) used to camp there for many years. [Submitted by Siegfried]
Urchins Children who sell the Pennsic Independent. You'll hear them selling throughout Pennsic. Some even go to individual camps. It's considered good form to tip them, because they get to keep their tips.
Vlad's Pleasure Pavillion A camp in The Bog. The place of such parties as the Slave Auction. Lots of fun if you're into partying.
War Points Pennsic is won by the side with the most war points. Big battles are generally worth two points each. War point totals are announced every day in the Pennsic Independent.
War Week The last week of Pennsic. Actually, it starts the second weekend of Pennsic and runs to the third. So called because War Week is when all the actual War Points battles happen.
Woods, The While many areas of woods exist at Cooper's Lake, if someone refers to The Woods, they mean the location of the Woods Battle, which is at the far north end of the encampment, just above the overflow parking area.
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