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09:06, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Interest Check:Medieval - Court Life/Adventure/ Freeform.

Posted by lesavagedamsel
lesavagedamsel
member, 353 posts
I'm not weird
I just write that way
Fri 17 Jun 2016
at 18:29
  • msg #1

Interest Check:Medieval - Court Life/Adventure/ Freeform

I've decided to toss out an interest check for a writing focused RP. The game would be system-less with the occasional die rolling for combats and randomizing. (I may toss in some modifiers so characters desiring skills in a certain field will get better odds, but it's nothing extensive). The game would have an overall story-flow, so not a complete sandbox in terms of no plot direction. Players would be free to plot and add input of course, but there would be events and such controlled by the GM. It would be collaborative writing, with plot direction and a chance to alter circumstances with character actions.

Loosely based on Celtic and Welsh Mythology, the game would be centered on the Royal Court of King Math, son of Mathonwy. Religious conflict would play a part in the backdrop (old religion v.s. Christianity) , including a crusader war which has depleted the kingdom's treasury. The feudal ruling system would consist of The High King, The Great Houses, The Lesser Houses (GOT style in that sense). One of the Great Houses would be plotting a rebellion against the crown, eventually plunging the kingdom into civil war. The game would be court centered, so the focus would be knights, ladies and other nobles. Tournaments, intrigue, arranged marriages, battles and that type of fare.

Although the game world would be AU fantasy, the game would be a more on the realistic scale setting, borrowing historical basis, rather than drifting into high fantasy with races like elves, dwarves etc..  The characters would be strictly human. There would be legends, folklore and mystical things connected to the realm's rich heritage, but more in tune with druids than out right magic. Again, more gritty, grounded and realistic than spellcasters and mages.

Rating wise, it would start as Mature and might become Adult (because I'm still debating which suits the IC best, and thinking providing players have access, Adult is likely the way it's going to go).

I almost ran this game some months ago on a different platform, but never got around to it. A lot of the info is written up, and it's just a matter of seeing if there is any interest before doing the transferring of lore and typing up everything on rpol.

Thanks for reading!
This message was last edited by the user at 18:32, Fri 17 June 2016.
Ramidel
member, 1333 posts
Err on the side
of awesome.
Fri 17 Jun 2016
at 20:26
  • msg #2

Interest Check:Medieval - Court Life/Adventure/ Freeform

I just had a question: if this is pre-Arthurian Britain-ish, would they be Great Houses, or Kingdoms in their own right under a loose High King?
lesavagedamsel
member, 354 posts
Fri 17 Jun 2016
at 22:36
  • msg #3

Interest Check:Medieval - Court Life/Adventure/ Freeform

Hi @Ramidel. Thanks for the question!

Each Great House would have its own holding, a fairly vast territory, like a kingdom but wouldn't be called a kingdom, because each house is led by a Lord not a king. The Lesser Houses would have small holdings within the Great Houses' holdings, serving as vassals.

The Kingdoms:
Prydein (Wales) -
Mercia (Northern England)
Llogyr (Southern England) -
Alba (Scotland) -
The Isle of Erin (Ireland) -


Prydein would be the center of IC action, with Math's court being the kingdom's capital.


Government Structure would work like this:

The High King ( royal house)

The Great Houses (vassals to The High King)

The Lesser Houses (vassals to The Greater Houses)

The High King would be the main authority figure. All Lords are vassals to The King, but the laws and admiration in the various territories would be subject to the ruling House of the region. The High King is head of the Council of Lords. The Council consists of ruling heads of each house. Bringing up disputes and settling matters of taxation, and all that type of stuff would be part of the IC politics.

Foreign lands would have their own kings and such. There would be neighboring kingdoms as well, including Mercia which would serve as an enemy powerhouse. Erin would be made up of various kingdoms, some might be more friendly with Prydein than others depending on IC progression, treaties and inter marriages.

As far as landscape, it's an AU post Roman, pre-Arthur setting, but the castles, armor, weapons, clothing and social structure are anachronisms, reflecting various periods of The Middle Ages.

A concise history would be... after the departure of the Romans, the land entered a time of anarchy, warlords and petty kings fought, raided and grabbed land. Finally with the threat of Mercia invading Prydein, the lordlings rallied under the banner of Mathonwy. After repelling the enemy armies, there came unification of Prydein (this unification excludes the other kingdoms) . The heads of the royal lines pledged fealty to Mathonwy as High King and in return they were granted their former kingdoms as lands to rule. Each Great House has it's army, but the sons of each house traditionally serve as knights to The King. This is suppose to keep the balance of loyalty on an even scale.

On an OOC level, The Great Houses would be canon to the setting. Players could play available members of any of the Great Houses. The Lesser Houses would be up for player creation.  Players would basically just have to tie one of their Lesser House to a Great House.

Hope this helps!
This message was last edited by the user at 02:43, Sat 18 June 2016.
icosahedron152
member, 574 posts
Sat 18 Jun 2016
at 17:11
  • msg #4

Interest Check:Medieval - Court Life/Adventure/ Freeform

I could be interested if it remains Mature. I prefer the challenge of writing in a suggestive manner such that the reader provides his or her own graphic interpretations of love and war.

How do you intend to manage intrigue?
lesavagedamsel
member, 355 posts
Sat 18 Jun 2016
at 17:36
  • msg #5

Interest Check:Medieval - Court Life/Adventure/ Freeform

Hi @icosahedron152

Well, for starters, with there being so many noble houses and a powerful church in the mix, I think the setting is ripe for court intrigue! Tension between Church and Crown has resulted from the crusades. The Crown blames the Church for the lose of it's gallant knights and men over a silly relic, not to mention the money involved, while the Church blames the Crown for allowing the Pagans to run free, saying the loses in the crusades are divine punishments for allowing The Old Religion to practice. So, with the crown looking to move away from the church, the archbishop is looking to gain more power on the political scene.

I would handle the OOC side by allowing characters/players to choose allegiances and choose sides. The kingdom would be nearly bankrupt, so the Great Houses are trying to raise their coffers, and the Lesser Houses see a chance to become greater. Also there's the neighboring and foreign kingdoms. Deals can be brokered, treaties made and plots hatched for personal and large scale power shifts.

The feature of 'private lines' will likely come in handy for communication, and I may use groups or something as a way to keep things less public. In any case, I'm not looking to screw characters without cause, so there would be ample chance for players to plot and deal within the setting without getting executed.

Does that provide any insight? Happy to answer any other questions or clarify further!
icosahedron152
member, 575 posts
Sat 18 Jun 2016
at 23:19
  • msg #6

Interest Check:Medieval - Court Life/Adventure/ Freeform

Thanks. I was more curious about the mechanics of it - how you would decide whether or not a trick, deception, accusation or seduction had been successful.
lesavagedamsel
member, 356 posts
Sat 18 Jun 2016
at 23:36
  • msg #7

Interest Check:Medieval - Court Life/Adventure/ Freeform

@icosahedron152 Oh in that case, probably randomizing, having players do die rolls to determine the outcome. Depending upon what exactly the plot/trick/whatever was and the extent it would have on the IC would sort of create the odds in that sense. A character's standing would come into play. Accusations against respected characters would need a lot of proof, and having the king's ear or favor of the church would also alter some of the IC perceptions. But overall, I'd implement die rolling for the OOC side of things.
icosahedron152
member, 577 posts
Sun 19 Jun 2016
at 06:55
  • msg #8

Interest Check:Medieval - Court Life/Adventure/ Freeform

Ok thanks. I'm still interested, but let's see if anyone else is, and what rating you choose for it. :)
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