"18th century Roleplaying." Topic

A few months ago I broached this topic about role-playing in the 18th century. My inquiry was basically becaue I wanted to incorporate independent persons into the game as "gadflies" and "allies" to the battlefield generals and table top commanders, so this wasn't going to be a slice of life thing. Nor was it going to be a rip-off of AD&D with the folderol of experience points, treasure etc. In fact dueling would be pretty much completely absent. A person who fought one duel in the 18th century may be famous and chic, but a person ahbituated to them would be clearly in what would be later called the Demi-Monde or more properly "The Underworld" and a person of no consequence.

I've been noodling around with it and I've got the basic idea in my mind.

Because of the campaign system, which is a narrative campaign, there could come a time where both sides are inactive. It is at this time that the whole "narrative" of the campaign game so far forms the background for the role playing. As I said when things are slow because of the intentions of the players smaller scale events can take place, almost completely divorced from War and combat. How this keys into the campaign is simple.

The campaign is won by the accumulation of Victory points from the battles. In Ogabas, battles are won or lost by victory points which can be taking strategic positions on the battlefield, taking strategic units, or by cataclysmic losses. All of these are quite regulated by the accumulation of cards. At the end of the game cards are matched and the surpluss given to the side that acquired them.

Anyway the reason to engage in this is because one, two, or three victory points may be assigned to the action or to the action completed by a person. Thus the game is ACTION oriented not stat oriented. I am composing a deck of 60 cards which have various scenarios. Up to three players total may draw from that action deck and the mix of the scenarios is the basis for the role-playing.

For example.

1)Parson A.Stringent from the parish of Steeple Mummery (a name I stole from Ed Mohrmann) is disturbed by the profanity of Jackson Jills army and wishes to lead it to the way of righteousness.

2.Sir Percy Plowdung, a local landowner is concerned about the theft of supplies and cattle from his barns and fields and is bedeviling Newt Rogina as to what he is going to do about it.

3. Lady Millicent Fellatiatrice, Mistress to the king wishes her son Alphonse to gain some military renown but at very tiny risk and accompanies him to the front with a letter from the King ordering you to accomplish it.

4. The Duke of Bon Bon wishes to present your petition for more reinforcements as opposed to sending them to that worthless Scoundrel Marshal Claude DuPieces, and there is a bit of court intrigue.

5. The Committee of Puplic Safety has sent a delegation to your army, because you are one of "the others" they wish to encourage, and they've brought their own portable guillotine.

6. Your wife has shown up and wants to spend some quality time with you, not knowing you've been frequenting a local disreputable establishment which you ave been frequenting in the hope of helping out the "soiled doves" working within.

7. A woman and her children, whose house was looted and burned is pestering you for help.

And so forth.

The small little bignettes can be worked and role played with simple stats (the characters change with each scenario) and conflicts are resolved with a simple six sided die roll.

The characters all more or less cooperate in it, and the ones that win their adventure get the victory point for their side, up to a maximum of three LESS than the numbers of player in the game. (If you have 6 players with characters there are three victory points to be won. Each playe rcan only win ONE point for his side.

A rather neat idea. Coming up with 60 little scenario's will be tough, even when you swop genders – Parson / Mother Superior, Mother/Father – but the finished thing would be fun.

Dear Narrito

Of finding the 60 to 144 will be easy to do. The hard part is keeping it on track. For example, assume there are six people. THat means three possible Victory points. Each person can pick a mission, or just ad lib as they go along as their sort of standard character, or figure in the game.

So take any three of just the above and see the possibilies.
Imagine the collision of 1) 3) and 6. with your wife assuming Millicent is one of the doxies you've been hanging around with and parson Astringent is now shaming you through camp and town with being a consotre with the s of Babylon and vice and depracity. Or he does the same with number 7 when all you are trying to do is help the woman.

The pages of Opera will provide me with endless plots and foils for this from babies switched at birth to romances of class-crossed lovers, to Surpise visits from the King (His object all sublime, he will achieve in time, to let the punishment fit the crime, the punishment fit the crime…)

Scheeming maids, valet's hiding in closets, Masquerading lovers, beautiul captives who amorous pasha's fall in love with and 250 pound Mezzo-Soprano's dying of consumption, and if you are really lucky, magic flutes and enchanted bells. docile lions and dancing slaves.

There was a RPGs from the early 80s called En Garde that was a sort of Three Musketeers type thing. It involved dueling, but also court intrigue etc. It might give you some ideas for the mechanics of it.

Well there is the GURPS system with the Napoloenics book that could be adapted:

There is Flashing Blades – a little earlier but more depth than En Garde:

link

If you can get hold of it there was Privateers and Gentlemen, they had a post 1745 unprising scenario.

link

Hope this helps.

Dear 138Squadron

Thanks but I'm familiar with them and they won't work. Those are all "stat" based systems where the goals of the game are character development, that is, the accretion of points and abilities. That means you have to "play a game to play a game." Which is not what I want.

But thanks again.