I'm starting to run the Great Pendragon Campaign. I take umbrage with its organization; there are loads of NPCs (which is good) and they're constantly being introduced without, well, any introduction (which is bad.)

I have no idea who Sir Brastisas is. Prince Madoc? He's Uther's son, right? I'll remember that part. Is his mother alive? Is she an NPC?

What about once we get to the round table? Not ALL the knights of the round need to be accounted for, but what about the big ones - the ones that the players meet along the way?

In short, is there ANY sort of character index that I can look at or find?

You need to check sidebar and gossip sometime for who is who.

I agree it badly laid out at times, in other posts Greg as complained, like the Forest Sauvage maps etc.

Page 34 sidebar King Uther's Court list both Sir Brastias and Prince Madoc roles. In the gossip under Year 485 talks about Prince Madoc and his lineage or lack of.

You might also find the GPC Gamemaster Character download useful - a list and stats for the main NPCs: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/15749/Pendragon-Gamemaster-Characters?manufacturers_id=3020&it=1

There also used to be a comprehensive index that you could download for the GPC too, but I can't find it right now.

Well, I must say to both Tanty and Merlin (Wow, the REAL merlin :P ) thank you so much.

I'm a little disappointed there isn't some 'quick fix' but hey, it's better than nothing. I'm still looking.

I guess I'll have to read through all the gossip... is that what you fellow GMs did?

Merlin and Tanty have given some pointers.

I read each section as the game progresses. For Brastias and Madoc I used what was written. The rest I will fill in as I go along if necessary. The mother of Madoc has not been a real point at this moment, so I have not decided who it should be.

It is definitely daunting! I took a look at expansion. While I appreciate the extra stats, it's less that stuff which trips me up and more having an overall sense of how these characters play out in the story (and keeping all of them straight). I'm going to try to keep up a Wiki (using obsidian portal for my game) on some of these more notable characters.

It is definitely daunting! I took a look at expansion. While I appreciate the extra stats, it's less that stuff which trips me up and more having an overall sense of how these characters play out in the story (and keeping all of them straight). I'm going to try to keep up a Wiki (using obsidian portal for my game) on some of these more notable characters.

Don't try to use everyone in the stories.
Choose a few characters to be the friends and enemies of the player knights.
Don't feel restricted by their histories in the published material if it goes against events in your campaign, or if you just want to change the guys to please yourself.

Don't try to use everyone in the stories.
Choose a few characters to be the friends and enemies of the player knights.
Don't feel restricted by their histories in the published material if it goes against events in your campaign, or if you just want to change the guys to please yourself.


I'm certainly going to do that. I've already got hooks for Prince Madoc and some of the starting NPC Salisbury knights, as well some firm ideas of how I'm going to handle the anarchy period.

I don't mind the players charting a course that ends up altering NPC storylines, but rather I worry about not realizing what the game is losing when that happens. For example, say I let Prince Madoc get squashed by a giant but then later on discover that he's supposed to die against Cornwall/set up an opportunity for players to take down the Duke. I probably would have subtly altered events to make sure Madoc survived until then...or at least knew what my Plan B was going forward.

That's a more obvious example, but as I read through into the Arthur period, things get very subtle and confusing with all the Round Table knights. This isn't a fault of the campaign book (which I love), but rather the sheer scope of the endeavor. It wouldn't be a bad resource to have a bullet-point chronicle of a character's role in the game. It doesn't wed the GMs to maintaining those roles, but rather serves as sign posts for us to decide if we want to go that direction and, if not, let us tread firmer ground figuring out how we are going to move forward instead. If there's one thing the GPC needs more of, it's GM cheat sheets! :D

I don't mind the players charting a course that ends up altering NPC storylines, but rather I worry about not realizing what the game is losing when that happens. For example, say I let Prince Madoc get squashed by a giant but then later on discover that he's supposed to die against Cornwall/set up an opportunity for players to take down the Duke. I probably would have subtly altered events to make sure Madoc survived until then...or at least knew what my Plan B was going forward.


Don't be afraid to wing it, if necessary. There are very few truly indispensable characters in the Arthurian Saga. I'd say Arthur and Guinevere are probably the only two characters that you 'must' have in your game, without it becoming something else entirely. Alright, Mordred, Gawaine and Lancelot are also instrumental in bringing about the splintering of the Round Table, but if you truly wished, you could easily switch them with other knights in their respective roles, although you'd miss on the name recognition.

Prince Madog is even easier, as he is a relative nobody as far as name recognition goes. Granted, he is important as the heir apparent, but you could very easily switch his role in Cornwall with someone else, if you had killed him off earlier in the story.

I am oh-so-tempted to kill Lancelot off, but I have plans for him. :P

:) ALSO : If u actually really want to know anything about the characters in detail reading the literature is the BEST way ;) This work is REALLY REALLY AMBITIOUS. i dont know of any other game that has been attempted on this scope. Heck even in the LITERATURE Brastias was only mentioned in a few places and not many characters were REALLY expanded on. Let alone their families! :) so u can think of it sort of as a Blank slate! :)

I have recently begun a Great Pendragon Campaign, having last played in the eighties (!). GPC is great, but I use it as a guide, not canon. Give the players a kick start, and they'll guide the direction of the play. If you're having problems quantifying NPC's, get a hold of the Arthurian Companion by Phyllis Ann Karr, it's invaluable. Jot down relevant stats to fit their role in your game. I will say this, when I was a young GM, I hand wrote a collection of index cards detailing EVERY knight I could find mention of, in TRIPLICATE!!! (a young, middle-aged, and older version of each). I wish I still had that kind of creative energy....

OH! also i forgot that the ARTHURIAN COMPANION by Philis Anne carr is a GREAT resource! it lists TONS of knights , places , castles etc etc etc from the literature and breaks them down. i find it to be a must! :)

What I do is pick a story line based off what my players want to do or accomplish after all its their game and you are their to entertain them once you have that info then pic a group of story's that can be run for a seven to ten year period of pendragon this will be your story line a then story line b is what is each character to do in each story this is your out line for what npc's will be needed i like to run the following types of adventures depending on what the players want to do or accomplish in their campaign. I usally will go around the table and ask each person what they wnat to accomplish or do in this campagin. the answers are as follows and my response to each request.

1st PK's Goals become a knight of the round table and merry well I note for that pc run the heart blade quest from CHA2711, Blood & Lust Book
2nd PK's Goals become a knight of a big fine castle I run the Adventure of castle wakley from GK2720, Tales of Chivalry and Romance (1999)
3rd PK Knight I am a Chivalrous Knight but how do I prove it? iI love it when a player says this to me one of the hardest things is to prove it and the best adventure to throw at him is also form the above book the adventure the new made knight this is designed to test many knights and lady's and the players also found in Tales of Chivalry and Romance (1999)

These are some examples i have run in the past and are running now for a few people.

OH! also i forgot that the ARTHURIAN COMPANION by Philis Anne carr is a GREAT resource! it lists TONS of knights , places , castles etc etc etc from the literature and breaks them down. i find it to be a must!

Yes I have this book and is a good read and has alot of good stuff to use in it I highly recommend you get a copy.

I've just ordered the Arthurian Companion. Looking forward to having a flick through it. It'd be nice to put some more meat on the bones of the background characters.

The Arthurian Companion is very good. I've found this to be an invaluable resource as well:

http://gorddcymru.org/twilight/camelot/bruce_dictionary/index.htm

In fact, I like it so much I scraped it all into a document so I could search it!


T.

Outstanding link!

Yep, check out the bibliography. Bruce really did his homework! I've found lots of entries that aren't even in the Arthurian Companion. If you can't find a character in one of those two works, they're probably not worth knowing about.


T.

In fact, I like it so much I scraped it all into a document so I could search it!

Wow thanks lol!