Morien
12-20-2014, 08:10 AM
This was asked in the Book of the Warlord -thread and I figured it might make a good post here as well. Might be easier to find for a beginner, too, rather than buried in the publications -subforum.
Just expanding a bit on my musings below...
Lazy: Probably more inclined to stay in places and preferring people travelling to him rather than vice versa, so the Progress would be more perfunctory. Early to bed and late to rise? Might actually like the court bit (gets to sit around).
Energetic: In contrast, late to bed and early to rise, lots of activity packed into the day, probably an avid outdoorsman and a traveller. The Progress might be very involved, visiting lots of places rather than just the key holdings.
Temperate: More modest feasts.
Indulgent: Big or expensive feasts, probably with lots of wine.
Arbitrary: Doesn't care about justice, just what the result he wants. Can be impatient or can actually enjoy the drama of witnesses and procedure, even if it is just for a show.
Just: Tries to be Just, so the judgement would be based on witnesses and other evidence, some of which might take time to gather. This kind of Lord would likely spend more of his time hearing complaints and such, and, if Energetic, even go and see himself if the evidence/complaint has to do with a place, etc. A Lazy but Just Lord would send a trusted retainer instead, and a Lazy, non-Just (but not necessarily Arbitrary) Lord might just send 'one of the knights'.
Lustful: Would be spending some of his personal time wenching or with his wife or mistress.
IMHO and IANG (I Am Not Greg) and all that. This is how I handle it in my campaign, my gut-feeling if you will.
I would have liked a better sense of what the baron does on a regular basis. Is it all hunting, hawking and wenching or is his time spent constantly hearing petitioners and holding courts?
Neither. It is both and the exact proportion of what the Baron is doing depends on his traits, too. A Lazy and/or Arbitrary Lord naturally spends much less time on administration and justice than an Energetic and/or Just one. Indulgent spends more time partying and a Lustful one wenching.
Also, I'd expect a goodly chunk of the time to be spent in the King's Court as well (attending it at least once per year), as well as in the King's army when Uther calls for muster, which he often does during the GPC.
If I were to think about a 'normal' day of a Baron, it would look something like this:
Morning: Have a practice bout with the lads to wake up (see below about training).
Noonish: Hold court, check with your Wife & Officers if there is anything that requires your personal attention, and if so, deal with it.
Afternoon: Personal stuff. Perhaps more practice. Or if you need to go and deal with something in person.
Evening: Big dinner.
Some other days would be reserved for full-on Hunting Trips (chases tend to take time), or travelling from place to place.
Does the baron train with his knights?
Oh most definitely yes. That is the big part what makes the eschille or the conroi so effective is the fact that the Baron and his knights train together as a unit. This is in particular the knights in attendance (his bodyguards if you will), but I could see the Baron making sure that each eschille trains often and that the whole Baronial army musters from time to time to train together, too. Definitely if there is a war in the offing, just to get the rust out, too.
In my campaign, the heirs of the vassal knights are almost invariably included as household knights (or at least as squires) in the liege lord's army. This gives the liege lord plenty of time to get familiar with his vassals, and for the vassals to train with the liege lord. By the time the heirs inherit, they hopefully have already had something like 10 years of personal training and interaction with their liege, making it easier to incorporate them to the baronial army.
How many of his knights are his personal bodyguard and not merely members of his army?
Technically all the household knights are at the Baron's beck and call 24/7. In practice, it depends how the Baron's lands are distributed: some of his knights are in the outliers & other towns and castles to protect them, too. My personal rule of thumb is that a Weak Baron of £100 would have something like half a dozen knight with him, a £300 honour Baron would have something like 10 knights, a Rich Baron something like 15 and a Great Baron something like 20-25.
Do barons still make progresses through their manors, or do they spend all their time at the caput?
They do the Lord's Progress, although how exactly they do it again depends on the details of their possessions and their other plans of the year. It probably makes no sense to travel yearly a couple of weeks each way just to visit some outflung manor in the middle of no where, but if that happens to be close where Uther is holding court, might be a good idea to peek in. Within their home county or neighboring counties, I'd expect them to move around more.
KAP 5.1, p. 60-61 has the example for the Count of Salisbury, where he spends about 18 weeks (roughly a third of the year, mainly late autumn to early spring) at Sarum, and the rest of the time travelling around Salisbury. But then again, most of his lands are in an easily accessible solid chunk. Naturally, in practice such a progress would likely be disturbed by attending the King's Court and campaigning.
In my campaign, as a rule of thumb, I'd expect the £300 Baron to spend his time roughly like this:
1/3rd in his caput major (mainly late autumn to early spring)
1/3rd touring his other possessions (mid-spring, autumn)
1/3rd attending the King's Court and campaigning (mainly during late spring and summer) including travelling to those places
If they do go on them, how are progresses handled and what's a good guideline for figuring out where and when the baron and his court are?
See above. This depends so much on the details of the year (is there war, where is the King) and the geography of the honour, that coming up with firm numbers that would fit all cases is rather hard.
In short, what is ordinary life like for the baron and the members of his household, what sort of noncombat stories (and combat stories related to the baron's martial duties) can spring from these seeds and how do the grand adventures of questing knights interact with this courtly life?
These are the things I had hoped and expected to find in the Book of the Warlord. Which is not to say that I didn't find great stuff there, but a lot of what I was really interested in seems to either be a rehash of what I have found i earlier books or simply not be there.
I admit that part could and maybe should have been expanded (and other stuff cut to make room for it), but it is what it is. I know Greg has plans for the Book of Uther and the Book of Salisbury, the first one should have more on the King's Court, and I think, especially considering your feedback, it would be a good idea to see about having more detail on the Court & every day life of Salisbury, using that as an example of a (Big) Baronial Court.
Litigation and Graft provide some hooks. I particularly like the idea of a jealous rival trying to frame an officer for Graft. The PK can be the Baron or the Officer in this. Another interesting twist might be a deputy, possibly a protage of the PK, engaging in Graft and getting caught on it by the PK officer. Will the PK turn the deputy in? Why not? What happens if the Baron hears about it anyway (via, say, that rival's intrigue)? Maybe the PKs are the ones who are sent to an outlier holding to find evidence for/against a corrupt outlier steward, and haul the rascal back to the Baron's court for a trial if necessary (something I actually did in our campaign). Litigation and land disputes are pretty much designed to give an excuse for a bit of feuding.
As for Grand Adventuring, my personal feeling is that there is much less of that during the Early Phases than after the Enhancement of Britain and the heyday of the Round Table after the Battle of Badon. But those officer slots might be good ones to reward the PKs with, if they do something extraordinary, although there is the fact that the officer slots are full-time occupations, too, hampering further questing. And definitely, I see using those for the Anarchy, when the PKs need to take more responsibility in directing Salisbury's fortunes.
One thing to keep in mind is that Greg's rule of thumb with regards to pacing is a year per game session. Personally, I find that too little time to focus on pretty much anything else than the adventure at hand and the Big Plot. Details such as every day interaction and the Lord's Progress fade pretty quickly to the background at that point. The Lord is where the Plot needs him to be! :)
In the campaigns I GM, I tend to use 2-5 sessions per year, depending on the amount of adventuring (or other stuff, but mainly adventuring) that happens during the year. That gives some more time to flesh out what is happening, but even then, the focus is more on the PKs and what they are doing, rather than the Baron's everyday life. Granted, they are not Barons themselves, and I do see your point on having more information on that in the book detailing Barons.
Just expanding a bit on my musings below...
Lazy: Probably more inclined to stay in places and preferring people travelling to him rather than vice versa, so the Progress would be more perfunctory. Early to bed and late to rise? Might actually like the court bit (gets to sit around).
Energetic: In contrast, late to bed and early to rise, lots of activity packed into the day, probably an avid outdoorsman and a traveller. The Progress might be very involved, visiting lots of places rather than just the key holdings.
Temperate: More modest feasts.
Indulgent: Big or expensive feasts, probably with lots of wine.
Arbitrary: Doesn't care about justice, just what the result he wants. Can be impatient or can actually enjoy the drama of witnesses and procedure, even if it is just for a show.
Just: Tries to be Just, so the judgement would be based on witnesses and other evidence, some of which might take time to gather. This kind of Lord would likely spend more of his time hearing complaints and such, and, if Energetic, even go and see himself if the evidence/complaint has to do with a place, etc. A Lazy but Just Lord would send a trusted retainer instead, and a Lazy, non-Just (but not necessarily Arbitrary) Lord might just send 'one of the knights'.
Lustful: Would be spending some of his personal time wenching or with his wife or mistress.
IMHO and IANG (I Am Not Greg) and all that. This is how I handle it in my campaign, my gut-feeling if you will.
I would have liked a better sense of what the baron does on a regular basis. Is it all hunting, hawking and wenching or is his time spent constantly hearing petitioners and holding courts?
Neither. It is both and the exact proportion of what the Baron is doing depends on his traits, too. A Lazy and/or Arbitrary Lord naturally spends much less time on administration and justice than an Energetic and/or Just one. Indulgent spends more time partying and a Lustful one wenching.
Also, I'd expect a goodly chunk of the time to be spent in the King's Court as well (attending it at least once per year), as well as in the King's army when Uther calls for muster, which he often does during the GPC.
If I were to think about a 'normal' day of a Baron, it would look something like this:
Morning: Have a practice bout with the lads to wake up (see below about training).
Noonish: Hold court, check with your Wife & Officers if there is anything that requires your personal attention, and if so, deal with it.
Afternoon: Personal stuff. Perhaps more practice. Or if you need to go and deal with something in person.
Evening: Big dinner.
Some other days would be reserved for full-on Hunting Trips (chases tend to take time), or travelling from place to place.
Does the baron train with his knights?
Oh most definitely yes. That is the big part what makes the eschille or the conroi so effective is the fact that the Baron and his knights train together as a unit. This is in particular the knights in attendance (his bodyguards if you will), but I could see the Baron making sure that each eschille trains often and that the whole Baronial army musters from time to time to train together, too. Definitely if there is a war in the offing, just to get the rust out, too.
In my campaign, the heirs of the vassal knights are almost invariably included as household knights (or at least as squires) in the liege lord's army. This gives the liege lord plenty of time to get familiar with his vassals, and for the vassals to train with the liege lord. By the time the heirs inherit, they hopefully have already had something like 10 years of personal training and interaction with their liege, making it easier to incorporate them to the baronial army.
How many of his knights are his personal bodyguard and not merely members of his army?
Technically all the household knights are at the Baron's beck and call 24/7. In practice, it depends how the Baron's lands are distributed: some of his knights are in the outliers & other towns and castles to protect them, too. My personal rule of thumb is that a Weak Baron of £100 would have something like half a dozen knight with him, a £300 honour Baron would have something like 10 knights, a Rich Baron something like 15 and a Great Baron something like 20-25.
Do barons still make progresses through their manors, or do they spend all their time at the caput?
They do the Lord's Progress, although how exactly they do it again depends on the details of their possessions and their other plans of the year. It probably makes no sense to travel yearly a couple of weeks each way just to visit some outflung manor in the middle of no where, but if that happens to be close where Uther is holding court, might be a good idea to peek in. Within their home county or neighboring counties, I'd expect them to move around more.
KAP 5.1, p. 60-61 has the example for the Count of Salisbury, where he spends about 18 weeks (roughly a third of the year, mainly late autumn to early spring) at Sarum, and the rest of the time travelling around Salisbury. But then again, most of his lands are in an easily accessible solid chunk. Naturally, in practice such a progress would likely be disturbed by attending the King's Court and campaigning.
In my campaign, as a rule of thumb, I'd expect the £300 Baron to spend his time roughly like this:
1/3rd in his caput major (mainly late autumn to early spring)
1/3rd touring his other possessions (mid-spring, autumn)
1/3rd attending the King's Court and campaigning (mainly during late spring and summer) including travelling to those places
If they do go on them, how are progresses handled and what's a good guideline for figuring out where and when the baron and his court are?
See above. This depends so much on the details of the year (is there war, where is the King) and the geography of the honour, that coming up with firm numbers that would fit all cases is rather hard.
In short, what is ordinary life like for the baron and the members of his household, what sort of noncombat stories (and combat stories related to the baron's martial duties) can spring from these seeds and how do the grand adventures of questing knights interact with this courtly life?
These are the things I had hoped and expected to find in the Book of the Warlord. Which is not to say that I didn't find great stuff there, but a lot of what I was really interested in seems to either be a rehash of what I have found i earlier books or simply not be there.
I admit that part could and maybe should have been expanded (and other stuff cut to make room for it), but it is what it is. I know Greg has plans for the Book of Uther and the Book of Salisbury, the first one should have more on the King's Court, and I think, especially considering your feedback, it would be a good idea to see about having more detail on the Court & every day life of Salisbury, using that as an example of a (Big) Baronial Court.
Litigation and Graft provide some hooks. I particularly like the idea of a jealous rival trying to frame an officer for Graft. The PK can be the Baron or the Officer in this. Another interesting twist might be a deputy, possibly a protage of the PK, engaging in Graft and getting caught on it by the PK officer. Will the PK turn the deputy in? Why not? What happens if the Baron hears about it anyway (via, say, that rival's intrigue)? Maybe the PKs are the ones who are sent to an outlier holding to find evidence for/against a corrupt outlier steward, and haul the rascal back to the Baron's court for a trial if necessary (something I actually did in our campaign). Litigation and land disputes are pretty much designed to give an excuse for a bit of feuding.
As for Grand Adventuring, my personal feeling is that there is much less of that during the Early Phases than after the Enhancement of Britain and the heyday of the Round Table after the Battle of Badon. But those officer slots might be good ones to reward the PKs with, if they do something extraordinary, although there is the fact that the officer slots are full-time occupations, too, hampering further questing. And definitely, I see using those for the Anarchy, when the PKs need to take more responsibility in directing Salisbury's fortunes.
One thing to keep in mind is that Greg's rule of thumb with regards to pacing is a year per game session. Personally, I find that too little time to focus on pretty much anything else than the adventure at hand and the Big Plot. Details such as every day interaction and the Lord's Progress fade pretty quickly to the background at that point. The Lord is where the Plot needs him to be! :)
In the campaigns I GM, I tend to use 2-5 sessions per year, depending on the amount of adventuring (or other stuff, but mainly adventuring) that happens during the year. That gives some more time to flesh out what is happening, but even then, the focus is more on the PKs and what they are doing, rather than the Baron's everyday life. Granted, they are not Barons themselves, and I do see your point on having more information on that in the book detailing Barons.