Independent Hitmen
29-07-2007, 19:03
Ok this is an interest thread for an RP idea that I’ve been kicking around in my mind (and I’ve also punted it into Stevid’s) for about a month now after reading Bernard Cornwell’s novel The Winter King. Currently reading the second in that Trilogy Enemy of God. Also a few notes might be taken from the novel Brethren by Robyn Lloyd, however these are very few as it is essentially about the 1260’s.
Essentially the RP will focus around several Kingdoms that all co-exist on a landmass in roughly the 600AD’s. It will be loosely based upon Britain i.e. the Romans will have occupied and then pulled back out before the fall of Rome, leaving architecture, beliefs (Christianity), various weapons, manuscripts et al. I’m hoping somebody with map making skills will join and then create a reference map to help the procedure along. If not I’ll have to turn my lack of skills in the direction of paint! Stealing names from British Kingdoms is completely Ok, I myself have stolen Gwent and King Twedric :)
As well as the native’s I also envisage a Saxon force that will start off with small land holdings and receive warriors every spring to represent more Saxons arriving seeking land and wealth. The influx will be controlled by some form of game mediator that will probably be myself unless another person agrees to perform said action as well as arbitrate any ooc disputes that arise.
Obviously with this being a past tech RP I’m going to be pretty strict on what can and cant happen. Historical knowledge isn’t necessary, I hope to be able to answer any questions that arise. Living standards have gone backwards from Roman times, the villas and remaining buildings are only used by the nobility in most places whilst the average joe will have some form of dwelling constructed from wood, mud, wattle etc.
Suffice to say spears are the main weapon of the day and the Spearwall is the battle formation in any large confrontations. Warriors would carry shields baring their lords mark and stabbing swords for close quarter fighting. Bows are quite primitive, cavalry are mostly used as light scouts and armour is of varying quality from padded leather through to legionary-esque chain mail coats. Spear levies make up the majority of a Kingdoms force, but these are formed from the peasants and can only really be wielded through times when the labour is not needed in the fields for harvesting/planting. Very little campaigning occurs during winter. [If levies are held in service over harvest/planting times I expect the economy of that Kingdom to suffer accordingly] That which does occur is usually raiding, with large scale battles being quite few in number however they do tend to take a long time to finish as spear wall faces spear wall in a heaving mess where little is achieved.
Champions are usually appointed in each Kingdom and these must accept the challenge of other Champions if it is issued before a battle or at most other times.
War is usually about plunder (gold and slaves) and land, very rarely about overthrowing another Kingdom entirely as war bands generally operate for their own means unless harnessed by the King.
Trade is commonplace, although we must remember that Roman roads are the only stone roadways around the country whilst dirt tracks are the norm.
The form of the RP will be a normal II style one, I will allow several nations of proven RP capability to join and create a Kingdom for themselves inline with some guidelines that I will set out. I shall also have an in-game Kingdom, the details of which I shall post up on this thread as an example. I will decide upon a currency and the income that Kingdoms get from taxation and the Kings holdings. General population and warrior numbers should be decided by the Kingdom in question, however it needs to remain reasonable. Assembling a thousand men would require alliances with minor chieftains, stripping peasants from the land and the manufacture or allocation of vast amounts of weapons, shields and armour so would only be undertaken very rarely. I would think a normal battle would be approximately two or three warbands on each side so perhaps 200odd men in total, perhaps a few more.
I’m hoping that we can develop characters for each King as well as a few others within each Kingdom i.e. one of the Warlord’s and associated figures in his warband, or a Druid and their strange practices.
On the topic of religion, I want it to feature but perhaps not as heavily as it would in RL. Christianity and paganism are the only two really around. The few Druids that survived the Roman extermination of their order preach for the return of the Old Gods whilst the Christians erect Churches and are already beginning to acquire wealth through pilgrims and apparently sacred artefacts.
I think that is all for now, any questions that are asked that require answers I will try to include in here so that all know.
I believe at this point that I will open six places as well as myself.
The Kingdom of Gwent: Independent Hitmen
Kingdom B: Stevid
Kingdom C: New Brittonia
Kingdom D: Maldorians
Kingdom E: Candistan
Kingdom F: Frozopia (Northern Saxon Kingdom)
Kingdom G: Kulikovia (Southern Saxon Kingdom)
Essentially the RP will focus around several Kingdoms that all co-exist on a landmass in roughly the 600AD’s. It will be loosely based upon Britain i.e. the Romans will have occupied and then pulled back out before the fall of Rome, leaving architecture, beliefs (Christianity), various weapons, manuscripts et al. I’m hoping somebody with map making skills will join and then create a reference map to help the procedure along. If not I’ll have to turn my lack of skills in the direction of paint! Stealing names from British Kingdoms is completely Ok, I myself have stolen Gwent and King Twedric :)
As well as the native’s I also envisage a Saxon force that will start off with small land holdings and receive warriors every spring to represent more Saxons arriving seeking land and wealth. The influx will be controlled by some form of game mediator that will probably be myself unless another person agrees to perform said action as well as arbitrate any ooc disputes that arise.
Obviously with this being a past tech RP I’m going to be pretty strict on what can and cant happen. Historical knowledge isn’t necessary, I hope to be able to answer any questions that arise. Living standards have gone backwards from Roman times, the villas and remaining buildings are only used by the nobility in most places whilst the average joe will have some form of dwelling constructed from wood, mud, wattle etc.
Suffice to say spears are the main weapon of the day and the Spearwall is the battle formation in any large confrontations. Warriors would carry shields baring their lords mark and stabbing swords for close quarter fighting. Bows are quite primitive, cavalry are mostly used as light scouts and armour is of varying quality from padded leather through to legionary-esque chain mail coats. Spear levies make up the majority of a Kingdoms force, but these are formed from the peasants and can only really be wielded through times when the labour is not needed in the fields for harvesting/planting. Very little campaigning occurs during winter. [If levies are held in service over harvest/planting times I expect the economy of that Kingdom to suffer accordingly] That which does occur is usually raiding, with large scale battles being quite few in number however they do tend to take a long time to finish as spear wall faces spear wall in a heaving mess where little is achieved.
Champions are usually appointed in each Kingdom and these must accept the challenge of other Champions if it is issued before a battle or at most other times.
War is usually about plunder (gold and slaves) and land, very rarely about overthrowing another Kingdom entirely as war bands generally operate for their own means unless harnessed by the King.
Trade is commonplace, although we must remember that Roman roads are the only stone roadways around the country whilst dirt tracks are the norm.
The form of the RP will be a normal II style one, I will allow several nations of proven RP capability to join and create a Kingdom for themselves inline with some guidelines that I will set out. I shall also have an in-game Kingdom, the details of which I shall post up on this thread as an example. I will decide upon a currency and the income that Kingdoms get from taxation and the Kings holdings. General population and warrior numbers should be decided by the Kingdom in question, however it needs to remain reasonable. Assembling a thousand men would require alliances with minor chieftains, stripping peasants from the land and the manufacture or allocation of vast amounts of weapons, shields and armour so would only be undertaken very rarely. I would think a normal battle would be approximately two or three warbands on each side so perhaps 200odd men in total, perhaps a few more.
I’m hoping that we can develop characters for each King as well as a few others within each Kingdom i.e. one of the Warlord’s and associated figures in his warband, or a Druid and their strange practices.
On the topic of religion, I want it to feature but perhaps not as heavily as it would in RL. Christianity and paganism are the only two really around. The few Druids that survived the Roman extermination of their order preach for the return of the Old Gods whilst the Christians erect Churches and are already beginning to acquire wealth through pilgrims and apparently sacred artefacts.
I think that is all for now, any questions that are asked that require answers I will try to include in here so that all know.
I believe at this point that I will open six places as well as myself.
The Kingdom of Gwent: Independent Hitmen
Kingdom B: Stevid
Kingdom C: New Brittonia
Kingdom D: Maldorians
Kingdom E: Candistan
Kingdom F: Frozopia (Northern Saxon Kingdom)
Kingdom G: Kulikovia (Southern Saxon Kingdom)