Hi guys!
Next week I want to run my second scenario of KAP with roughly the same group of players. The first time they went through the introductory scenario from the rulebook and all seemed to like the short adventure and the system (especially Traits & Passions).
This time, I want them to experience something a bit different. In their first scenario they literally skewered the boar and the bandits so in combat they didn't face much opposition. I'd like them to face Saxons or perhaps other knights. If possible, no hunting since they did it last time.
I'm tempted by one of the scenarios that came with the gorgeous French Pendragon screen called "L'abondant fils ainé" but I'm open with any suggestion. It can be set in any part of the Britain and any period since I was thinking about making them create brand new characters (they used pre-gens last time). A scenario doable in one session, max two would be ideal. I'm ready to purchase any supplement needed from RPGNow (thanks Nocturnal for making the back catalogue available by the way).

So, do you guys have any ideas?

It depends a bit on what you wish to do in the future. If you are going for a full campaign there are a lot of ideas in the GPC. If the players like battles you could use the BoB and play out for instance the battle of Mearcred Creek. The GPC has some more political adventures (Like being an embassy to Malahaut and Lindsey).

If you wish to show them the arthurian ways. you may have them rescue a lady from a tower and then on to a tournament to show the right ways. If I remember correctly in the Pendragon 4th edition are some examples of short adventures with ladies. The Knights Adventurous gives a good overview of a full tournament.

The Adventure of the White Horse in 4th edition is a good one, if you have it. It show-cases the trait tests and there is even a joust with the other knights, giving the players a chance to 'ease into' fighting other enemies more their level.

If you wish for a more combat-oriented scenario, it shouldn't be to hard to whip up a scenario like encountering a band of maraudering Saxons on a patrol (you can even have a group of NPC knights to provide leadership and muscle in the background to save the PKs bacon if they start losing). This of course assumes that Saxons are still a problem, so pre-Badon Hill. To make it a bit more personal, you could have a group of Saxons attacking a manor where the PKs happen to be visiting (with a beautiful daughter to be protected/saved, of course). This might give the players an opportunity to enjoy terrain advantages, such as defending a doorway or fighting on the stairs.

Thanks both for your suggestions.

I have another problem though. I want the PKs to be household knights but I don't know of whom. In the rulebook apart from the Earl of Salisbury, there is no mention of who rules which county. Let's say I want them to serve in Warminster, who's the local lord?

Next thing, in the scenario I have chosen, the PKs encounter a nun who's promoting the use of non-lethal lances in jousting. In which time period would that be? Based on my research it seems that jousting appeared during the conquest period.

Thanks.

As said in the rulebook, Warminster is part of Salisbury, and is held by Bishop Roger, the Bishop of Salisbury, whose Cathedral is there as well. Up to you if the Warminster is purely church lands and hence the chain of command would go from Bishop Roger to the archbishop, or if Bishop Roger would be a vassal to the Earl/Count of Salisbury for Warminster.

Jousting (Full Tournament) seems to become more common in the Conquest period, yes. But I think one-on-one jousting would probably predate this, so if you want it earlier in the Boy King period, I see no reason why not.

Thanks both for your suggestions.

I have another problem though. I want the PKs to be household knights but I don't know of whom. In the rulebook apart from the Earl of Salisbury, there is no mention of who rules which county. Let's say I want them to serve in Warminster, who's the local lord?

The baron of Wereside is.
I am afraid that I won't release all that data until the Book of the Warlord. It is going to be the next book out.
If you are new to KAP, I suggest using Salisbury, because of all GPC is written from that point of view. By the time Warlords is out you will have enough experience to ad lib with a new lord, and also your knights will have been able to get in a position to change lords


Next thing, in the scenario I have chosen, the PKs encounter a nun who's promoting the use of non-lethal lances in jousting. In which time period would that be? Based on my research it seems that jousting appeared during the conquest period.

You may make it whenever you want
Maybe these are the origins of the idea, and it will slowly seep outward. When some major lord latches onto it, and runs a tournament doing it, that is when it will be REALLY popular, perhaps in the conquest period!

As said in the rulebook, Warminster is part of Salisbury, and is held by Bishop Roger, the Bishop of Salisbury, whose Cathedral is there as well.

Where does it say this?

5th edition (don't know if 5.1 edition differs):

p. 54: "The [Salisbury] county includes one large city, Sarum, which is
described in detail below, three smaller walled cities (Wilton,
Warminster, and Tilshead),"

p. 56: "Bishop Roger: The Bishop of Salisbury is both wealthy
and worldly, in a religious sort of way. His wealth comes
from the holdings of the church, including the church
holdings of Amesbury and those around Sarum and Warminster,"

p 60, under Warminster: "The cathedral of the Bishop of Silchester is located
here."

So it looks like I was a bit too hasty in reading that Warminster was the Bishop's holding (that -minster threw me off, I am sure), as it only says that he has holdings in its environs. And I misread the Bishop of Silchester as the Bishop of Salisbury still, for some reason. Makes little sense for the Bishop of Silchester to be located so far from Silchester, though? (And I did wonder why the Bishop of Salisbury is not situated in Sarum, where there is a perfectly fine cathedral as well...)

As for Greg's other point, I would recommend starting from Sarum as household knights of the Count/Earl of Salisbury, especially if you are playing for the first time. Makes things much easier.

Thank you for pointing these out
I often introduce differences, usually through my own games
Some of these matters have changed
There's not much point to listing them until there is some reason to do so
But I will anyway. Ignore them if you do not understand them


5th edition (don't know if 5.1 edition differs):

p. 54: "The [Salisbury] county includes one large city, Sarum, which is
described in detail below, three smaller walled cities (Wilton,
Warminster, and Tilshead),"

I tossed the word "city" around a lot
Sarum in just an enclosed town now
The others are all now called Market Towns and give a monetary bonus


p. 56: "Bishop Roger: The Bishop of Salisbury is both wealthy
and worldly, in a religious sort of way. His wealth comes
from the holdings of the church, including the church
holdings of Amesbury and those around Sarum and Warminster,"

Amesbury, or Ambris Abbey, is now held by a British Christian Abbot, sometimes called Abbot-bishop to designate his power to make priests
The abbey is still of black monks, and is both a monastery and a nunnery


p 60, under Warminster: "The cathedral of the Bishop of Silchester is located
here."

I believe that was an error, and ought to have been Salisbury


(And I did wonder why the Bishop of Salisbury is not situated in Sarum, where there is a perfectly fine cathedral as well...)

He is now
Later he moves to the town of Salisbury

These changes will be included in the Book of Warlords, Book of Uther and Book of Salisbury

Thanks for the advice.

The thing with knights of Salisbury is (and a problem I have with KAP 5, 5.1) that it seems to be always about them. The first game we did used pre-grens (those from the book) and they were training with Sir Elad and became knights of Salisbury. This time around, the new characters are gonna be Knights of Salisbury and if I ever do the GPC, Knights of Salisbury. But then I have no idea what else to use and if I just invent something it might clash with something in a book I read further down the line.

Since it's just my second time, I think I'll follow your advice and go with Salisbury but have any of you guys ever got "Not from Salisbury again..." from your players?

I have not GMed Pendragon over again with the same group often enough to run into this problem. However my solution would be to talk with the players. If they want something else you can go for it and not worry about the contradictions. It is your campaign after all.

On the other hand, if all they have played is the intro scenario, they do not actually know what it is to play a Salisbury knight in a campaign. In which case I strongly recommend the Salisbury options as it helps the GM a lot. One-shot scenarios are different.

Good point. Right now we are just doing some one shots (possibly reusing some of the characters between adventures) as I feel I don't know enough to start the GPC (and we have a Call of Cthulhu campaign scheduled for spring) but I guess it is simpler to stay with knights of Salisbury.

When you say that they don't know what it means to play knights of Salisbury in a campaign I must confess that I don't either.
What's so different about them? I guess it is because they are the centerpiece of the GPC but apart from this is there is something that I'm missing?

That's the point, exactly. The rulebook and the GPC pretty much assume that you are playing in Salisbury. Which means that you will get all the benefit of campaign support from the GPC when you are a starting GM, and the background information on Salisbury from the rulebook that you would otherwise have to come up yourself. Which is fine and well if that is what you want to do as the GM, of course, it is just a useful thing to use, especially if you are like me who doesn't always have the hours to devote to making up RPG stuff.

If you players have already played through the GPC once as Salisbury Knights, then the newness and the surprise of the campaign suffers. Also, you are a more experienced GM at that point to come up with your own stuff, so at that point, making up a new setting / homeland makes perfect sense.

There was another thread about restarting GPC on the same group where I was giving similar answers and reasons for sticking close to the GPC... Let me dig up that thread and link it here... Here we go: http://nocturnal-media.com/forum/index.php?topic=2070.0

Now, like you said, you are doing one-shots. That gives you a lot of flexibility. You could easily have he newly knighted knights to become knight errants and find themselves in adventures all over Britain. The next scenario could easily be trying to impress a Lord enough to take them into his service as household knights, and you could base that anywhere. Since you are actually not running a campaign, you don't need that much structure, either.