Introduction to Households and Companies

As Amtgard has grown, so has its social structure. Two institutions that help give the games life are companies and households. Here is a little extra information on each.

Companies: The rulebook states that "People who are friends and/or are of the same persona types may wish to band together as a fighting group. This group is called a company. The company should choose a name, captain, second in command and device." Basically that’s all there is to it, any group of three or more can make a company. It is generally expected that companies respect each other by not using one another’s devices. There’s a bit of a quabble over colors sometimes, but the truth of the matter is that there are a limited number of colors in the rainbow that look good together. The most popular combo is red and black, so I suggest if you’re forming a company, stay away from red and black. Internal structure is decided by the company itself, but I suggest you keep it simple. Most companies have a Captain and Lieutenant. There are quite a few inter kingdom companies around, but most companies are specific within a geography. Once you’ve picked your heraldry, you can show off your membership. This can be as simple as wearing your company colors, but often is more involved by having company belt favors, tunics and shields. Its up to the company. Companies fight together at wars, quests, company battles and, when possible, on the field.

Households: The rulebook states: "People who wish to form a non-fighting group within the club can create a household. The household should choose a name, a Lord and Lady of the House and a device." Households are usually less intense than companies (but not always). They can be formed for any of a variety of reasons including culturals (weapons making, garb making, etc.) or service (feast workers, fire builders, hospitality, etc). Households usuallly stick with just a belt favor to indicate membership. Most households run fine off of a Lord and/or Lady, and don’t have complicated social structures.

Once people begin creating heraldric devices for themselves, their households and their companies, the guildmaster of heraldry will have a job. They will be the one who registers the new heraldry and help prevent groups from infringing on one another’s devices. Mostly, its just nice to have a group heraldry book that you can be proud of.