Coming from an organization that most SCA'ers view as heretics (Renfaire), it sounds like you ran afoul of one of the more damaged individuals in the group. For the most part, SCA is made up of people who like to dress up & beat each other over the head with sticks (NOI)... Really, though. It's a non-entertainment or customer based recreation, done primarily for the participants. Most events are based around combat scenarios, sorta like civil war reenactment without the same historic restraints... in the same event, you may run in to german foot troops, picts, japanese ronin, elven whatevertheyares, etc., etc., etc.

Unfortunately, SCA (as well as the Renaissance Faire) tends to draw some... 'emotionally vulnerable' people to it, some of whom take the entire thing WAAAAAAAAY too seriously.

M