Introduction

Gamemaster

A Game of Knights

This is a game of medieval fantasy, played using feudal standards and offering a chance to experience vicariously that long-lost world, in both its brutal reality and its fantastic idealism. Every player character is a knight, thus having both the privileges of elite society and also the risky, often deadly responsibilities. These dichotomies — brutal reality versus idealism, elite privilege versus deadly burden — are the basis for this campaign.

"Listen and hear the life of a great lord who, while he lived, had no equal in cottage or castle. This event took place in the time of Arthur, that King, courtly and royal, and is about one of his great adventures. Wherever he went, of all kings, Arthur bears the flower; of all knights, he bears the honor. The whole country was chivalrous in those days. All knights were valiant, and cowards were forever disgraced."

—from The Wedding of Sir Gawaine and Dame Ragnell

Many versions of King Arthur exist. Stories have been told and retold about him for 1400 years, changing a little or a lot to suit the audience. This campaign uses parts from all literary versions and even some modern shows, plus many of my own interpretations and embellishments.

Above all, this campaign is for knights. It is not about magicians, thieves, or scholars, nor about “might-have-beens” or “could-haves.” This campaign is designed for playing the heavily armed chevaliers of Arthurian legend, knighthood will be more complex than you thought.

Through the Middle Ages

This campaign will move quickly through time. The objective is to go through almost 90+ game years, covering the entirety of King Arthur’s life and perhaps beyond. But the “reality” of this game is not a specific period of knighthood. The game crowds the entire Middle Ages into its framework, moving your character’s family through many years, allowing you to sample the developments of armor, weapons, castles, and customs in a process of accelerating change. Thus, the history of this game is not static. Customs change, armor improves, new weapons and better horses become available, and much, much more.

Glory, Reputation, and Passions

The object of the game is to acquire Glory. Everything a character does - that is knightly - helps to acquire Glory, and when your character attains 1,000 Glory points he has the chance to develop in ways denied to normal folk. He gets Glory through combat, chivalrous behavior, religious behavior, familial obligation, possessions and riches, and social position.

Reputation is also critical in the game. Everyone is a knight, but the kind of knight one portrays can vary greatly from one's fellows. A character's actual behavior is always up to the player, but certain behaviors earn more Glory than others.

Be very, very aware, characters are judged on the thirteen paired Personality Traits, which denote the most important types of knightly behavior.

Everyone also has certain Passions, such as loyalty to their feudal lord (or lords), love of their family, and obedience to the laws of hospitality. Most people have other Passions as well, be they love for a paramour or wife, hatred of enemies, or loyalty to a certain group or brotherhood. These things are important, for when fired by a Passion, a knight can obtain nearly superhuman prowess!

Behind the Mist

Within the misty places of the realm lie the mythical domains of Summer and Winter -- home of the Faerie -- filled with bright glistening fields and dark terrifying woods unexplored by human foot or thought. The Fey is not to be meddled with. Entire kingdoms of immortals lie both beyond and within, plus other powerful and more insidious beings, both seen and unseen. Their secret places appear and vanish with the mist and their magical residents often visit the world of men. Prey these visits are short.

However, the most ominous beast of the mist is perhaps The Dragon. A creature so frightening a mere glance will burn you to cinders. It is also said that The Dragon is the last of his kind, for when he departs the realm, all magic will leave the world.

This Campaign

This campaign is about conflict. Knights fight.

This campaign is about the conflict of lifestyle, not about fighting and drinking, but rather about ideals and virtue.

This campaign is about conflict and its consequences. War and strife cause murder and revenge that can haunt your character and familiy for generations. Virtuous actions can cause disloyalty, and loyal actions can demand revenge or other vices. The demands of a liege may conflict with those of a family. Some lifestyles require diminishing family ties. Everything done will echo through the years unto your grandchildren.

This campaign is about the conflict between reality and idealism. The setting is a dangerous world of Medieval filth, hunger, and disease. Combat is lethal; healing is not automatic. Magic is very, very rare. Ideals are hard to uphold and will contradict need and want.

WARNING: This game is potentially deadly to your player-knights. Their job is one of combat, and the game is designed to be dangerous, and not easy on them. Characters need to be careful! In any case, every character is going to die, either through violence (quite common) or through old age. This mortality makes the game more poignant and the characters more affected by the concerns of real people. But there is a solution to this mortality — a family. One of the goals of the game is raising a family. Thus, when your character retires from play, either through death or old age, all his possessions go to his heir, the next character you will play. The coat of arms, horse, manor, and family name will live on! ALL CHARACTERS in the game will die. Guaranteed. What will your character's death be like?