So I'm interested in giving players some more options from the book of knights and ladies for where their characters are from in a planned GPC campaign. Only issue is that the GPC seems to expect that all the players are serving the same liege lord from the start (Earl Rodrick) I'm generally going to limit them to being from Logres (so they would still serve the same king ultimately), but that still leaves room for Romans from the cities, descendents of Saxon and Pict mercenaries, and even an odd Irish or Aquitanian immigrant if the player in question has their heart set on it.

(Continental knights I'll leave until the appropriate time period however, it starts to strain credulity that you'd find Danes or Spaniards in Uther's court, let alone Huns or Zazamacs.)

Ultimately, the question sort of lies on whether it would work better to justify a wide variety of cultures serving under the same liege lord, or to fix a way for a variety of knights serving different lieges to work together on a semi-permanent basis that stretches through generations.

I don't think there's any problem justifying "other culture" knights serving under Roderick. He's been around the block a time or two and might well have picked up squires from the rest of Britain or even the Continent. Restraining their picks to Logres or even Britain as a whole seems like a good plan, though, unless you want "dealing with being a funny-looking stranger in lands where strangers are enemies by default" to be a part of that PK's story line.

Personally, I don't think knights of different lieges would have a great deal to do with each other over an extended period of time, especially in the earlier periods. It might work better once Arthur's on the throne and getting from A to B isn't likely to turn into a full blown adventure on its own. The Round Table is a model for knights working together in spite of having different Lieges, after all.

Ultimately, the question sort of lies on whether it would work better to justify a wide variety of cultures serving under the same liege lord, or to fix a way for a variety of knights serving different lieges to work together on a semi-permanent basis that stretches through generations.

womble gave already a very good answer. There is also the fact that during Anarchy, it will be almost impossible for the PKs to adventure together if they served different lieges. Much better to have everyone under the same lord.

As for the continental knights, Brittany knights would be quite easy to include: They helped Aurelius to overthrow Vortigern in late 460s, so it is easy enough to imagine that some of them might have stuck around and sent for their families (including the PK who would have been growing up in Brittany until then). Culturally, though, Brittany is Cymric too so it is not a huge change. Soissons would be another option for Romans: they are getting their asses kicked by the Franks around the starting time, so it is easy enough to imagine a knightly family which has already lost their lands deciding to emigrate to Britain. However, that option has the problem that it becomes much harder to justify starting out as a vassal knight (unless they came over with Aurelius, too). If you are starting everyone out as a household knight, though, then it is very easy to bring people from Soissons, too.

Finally, individuals can always be an exception. It is not guaranteed that while most of the knights in Salisbury are likely of Cymric culture that there couldn't be that ONE Pictish knight whose family moved in during King Constans or something.

One could probably come up with a slight twist saying that, pre-Ambrosius, the Britons fought in foot, but that when he and Uther returned from the continent, they had a core force of Hunnic or Visigothic mercenaries who, together with some men from Brittany trained in similar styles, have since spread knighthood across the island (or at least across Logres). And they could have been settled in lands taken from the Saxons.

I'm not sure that I would take that approach every time, but it could be an interesting variant to the normal GPC.

The Book of Sires has knights who are Aquitaine, Brittany, Cornwall, Cambria, Cumbria, and of course Logres. Now, most are cymri, but Irish and Picts are there. So, having a Visigoth (Aquitainian) or Pict, or Irish are indeed possible, as well as a Cornish, Cambrian, or Cumbrian.

If you wish to bind a group of knights together there are a few options that you can use. The key to bind knights together is in their passions. There are three passions that work well in that regard:

Loyalty (Lord) is the same. This is the strongest bond that will even link them over generations. All PKs serve the same lord and that binds them together. As you look at the charter of Roderick he has several holdings outside the county and so you could reason that a knight comes from that location instead of the Salisbury county. As the holdings are all within Logres this limits the choices. Of course you could go with the odd knight as mentioned by the others, but would probably be a rarity.
The problem here that you may face is the effect of the Anarchy phase. When there are no lords and you are faced with a stronger neighbour it may be wise to swear loyalty to him instead to keeping loyal towards a child far away. Although King Arthur may return them later. Of course it can be interesting to have the other knights try to help their fellow knight keep hold of his manor.

Love(Family) is the same. They are all related to each other. This will extend through the generations, but will probably become weaker as you go through the ages. An uncle will be far closer than the great grandchild of your great uncle. This will probably make them all cymri, but it would be able to have knights from the continent.

Loyalty(Group) is the same. They all belong to a group of knights. This could be a sort of ancient order or like the round table knights (Arthur has to get his idea from somewhere). Usually these orders have requirements, so it is not said that sons and grandsons will enter the order.

Forgot to add, there are Saxons as well. Yes, you can play a Saxon during the GPC, and he is on Uther/Arthur's side.

One could probably come up with a slight twist saying that, pre-Ambrosius, the Britons fought in foot, but that when he and Uther returned from the continent, they had a core force of Hunnic or Visigothic mercenaries who, together with some men from Brittany trained in similar styles, have since spread knighthood across the island (or at least across Logres). And they could have been settled in lands taken from the Saxons.

I'm not sure that I would take that approach every time, but it could be an interesting variant to the normal GPC.

Well... until we have a book that covers Ambrosius in detail, isn't that essentially what happened? Cavalry wasn't as big a thing, and the massed lance charge was not a weapon used in Britain. Ambrosius either brought the idea to Britain or "invented"/codified it into its form as a weapon and to reinforce the elite warrior nobility of the day, incidentally forwarding his original, chivalric vision. Gildas certainly holds him up as worthy of great praise, though that could be just to contrast his "grandchildren" of the day who deserved scorn.

Nothing is said about his army being Hunnic or Visigothic, but the literature cites 10,000-12,000 continentals (we assume from Armorica/Brittany, and probably many refugees from Briton). Certainly small numbers of mercenaries must have been included in that total, as mercenaries also make up additional cavalry (and even knightly hires!) in later phases.

It's no stretch to assume "foreign" cultured knights landed in Uther's day, though their sons would probably acquire Cymric background unless mothers are also foreign.

Example note: Yvo, in the BoU, is originally a Frisian name, so I'm playing him as a mercenary cousin of King Finn of Freisland, who himself was killed by Hengest shortly before that Jute showed up in Britain. Yvo aggregated to Ambrosius and Uther in Armorica in the intervening years (he's more than 40 by 467), and goes on to fame and fortune and exceptional skill. YPWV

--Khanwulf

I'm running a home game starting with BoU. All players rolled random characters. We have the following:
-Roman from Silchester
-Celt from Logres (cornwall)
-Saxon from berroc.
-Dane
-Occitician from the mainlands.
-Pict mercenary knight.

Looking at book of battles I see that the young duke of the saxon shore has a Dane Bodyguard. So that is where the dane is. I had the saxon players grandfather come over to help vortigern (technically our saxon is a jute, so he has merciful (britons), from the Saxons! book). The pict is a mercenary knight down fighting for Uther against the saxons (Picts hate saxons as well!).

So far I've had the players pledging to one duke or the next. We are at Prisoner of courtesy, it'll be interesting to pit some of the players against the others. I am hoping that by anarchy they are all going to be together under the same faction.

To help go along with this, during a tribal Celt raid, the players had to ride uphill against greatspearmen, with javelin tossing celts behind them. The players didn't get a lance charge (too hard up hill, plus greatspears), but three managed to tie in combat breaking their opponents weapons. After that the society of spearbreakers was born. I had all players start as mercenary sergeants who had to earn knighthood. Earl Roderick has built them a wooden hall 13L in honor of this society and invites great calvaryman from all over to come feast at this hall and consider swearing to him as the saxons raid more and more.

Anarchy is around the corner, should prove interesting.

One of my players is running around as a former female slave of the Saxons from Denmark freed by the other PKs turned shieldmaiden who earned her knighthood at St. Albans through some terrific rolls. Her master is the Knight of Tusks (he turned out to be a bigger bad guy than a one-off character), who still has her husband in slavery (she hopes). It's all up to your imagination and the imagination of your players, just throw them the ball and let them run with it, asking them to justify every decision and option, but being supportive :)

I have a friend whose "GM Ideal" I have stolen... "It is all in the story. Tell me a good story. Create a good story with your actions."

You want to play a female Cymric knight? Tell me a good story!
Want to play an Occitan come north to fight in Logres under Uther? Tell me a good story!

The Story (tm) is what matters. The rest can be figured out.

I have a friend whose "GM Ideal" I have stolen... "It is all in the story. Tell me a good story. Create a good story with your actions."

You want to play a female Cymric knight? Tell me a good story!
Want to play an Occitan come north to fight in Logres under Uther? Tell me a good story!

The Story (tm) is what matters. The rest can be figured out.

Hear hear, this is the core of GMming a successful game/campaign :)