If, for some reason, some players are stuck at court and are bored, what are some fun activities they could have (which would be fun for the players as well, I mean, not just the characters)? Let's say they don't want to flirt with the ladies, or that they already did.

Can you elaborate a bit? When you say some players are stuck at court, do you mean your players don't really get into it and are bored, or your in game knights are stuck at court and bored?

If it's the former, I sometimes have the same problem. My players just sit there and shrug their shoulders when I ask what they want to do. It takes effort on the part of the PCs to make court really come alive. As GM you can spark their interest in numerous ways but they have to grab the bait and run with it.

I suggest you browse the "Feast Table" thread. I made some suggestions for player hooks during feast time, and Avalon Lad has put together a huge amount of ideas. I'm sure you could work something similar into your own campaign and use them as a trigger to increase player involvement.

Aye, as Pramalot said: http://www.gspendragon.com/roundtable/index.php?topic=895.0 this thread may be of help, I brought it up because I found going to court and feasting a lot more interesting as a player when I knew there were lots of interesting things that could happen, and even if there isn't a feast happening you can use some of the stuff from the tables as ideas for stuff to happen, where there's a lot of knights, ladies, and so on there is room for intrigue!

Thanks for the link, this is the kind of list I was looking for. Greg could easily incorporate something like this in a future edition. Cheers!

No problem! The ideas that people have listed are pretty thorough, I'll definitely be putting them to use in my campaign when it starts up. :)

I played in Avalon Lad's feast based game at Continuum using the cards. Have to say it was a fantastic game and an idea I have subsequently nicked and am working on for my own campaign. So much fun, it would easily work as a standalone game I felt.

Stuck at Court…..

You’ve already been referred to the postings by Sir Pramalot and myself on the subject of feasts which is part of life of court but not all.

If your players are stuck then I would consider that they need a gentle amount of prodding either into action, or inaction. Regarding Court as wussy and sissy and not appropriate for a fighting man is a valid opinion.

To do so I would argue that you need to consider your player’s position at court and the wider picture. Court could be Arthur’s or it could be their own liege Lord.

So, before throwing some stuff at them in court consider the following:

Their Place:

a) there will be people of equal rank.
b) there will be people of superior rank (note rank, not glory).
c) there will be people of inferior rank.
d) There will be people who ignore the player characters
e) There will be people who want to have much to do with the player characters.

These people:
a) May want to ignore the player characters
b) May want to be friends (or exploit) the player characters
c) May be enemies of the player characters and may want to frustrate the characters.

What is Court Life ?
Court life is society functioning at whatever level – business, politics, love, entertainment, sometimes they are all combined.

So, how to get your players “to do something” ? The inference from your post is that they may already be married and may have manors, so see nothing further to be gained from courtly activity.

1) Look at what passions the characters have and think of scenarios that will cause a roll or two. Hate Saxons then stir things up by having a group of converted Christian Saxons seeking sanctuary. Hate Frenchmen ? Have a new captain of mercenaries turn up, who is French, attractive and a ladies man.
2) Generate some friends and enemies – I find a round table Knight can be a good mentor.
3) Have some rewards that are obtained by successful court play. This could be in the form of gifts or positions e.g. a three year position as warden of the Southern Fens, which carries with it a bit more glory, a bit of money, and a castle to live in. Depending upon what sort of adventures you run, this might mean ‘retirement’ of some sorts, although later editions of Pendragon seem to have moved away from the Knight Errant default position, to elder sons from Salisbury where people have rights and responsibilities.
4) Married characters ? Again, this depends upon your game as wives could be faceless and nameless bringers of dowries and children, or with a little effort could be expanded into some plot devices – do their family need help, or do they want the character to get a position or office ?
5) Informal matches with consequences. Got someone good at Hawking, then have the nearby Lord visit for a friendly hawking competition. The lords are there to talk politics, but the assistants are there to uphold the honour of their side. Think of ‘friendly’ golf matches between businessmen or rival professional firms. (One new recruit at a firm of accountants was found to have been a county under 21 golf player: on day 2 at work he is out playing golf with the partner in a foursome as business is talked. Remember golf normally has informal competitions and bets – best round, best 9 out, best 9 in). In Hawking terms this is going to probably equate to size of bag, biggest animal or bird in the bag, most spectacular kill. Remember Guinevere’s court of love that appears.


Ultimately you need to work with your players and what skills they have and what sort of game they want –otherwise they will lose interest. No point setting an informal competition around hawking if all your players have got hawking skills of say 5, but have all got dancing skills over 10.


Ten Quick ideas for politics and intrigue at court. These need fleshing out with normal courtly activity but can provide a backdrop…:

1) Neighbouring Lord is visiting and fancies himself as a falconer. There will be two falconry groups – the masses under the charge of the Officer – either Hunter or Falconer depending on set up. Then there is the special group – both Lords, and an assistant each. The Lords will talk politics whilst the assistants are there to uphold the honour of their homeland. I would suggest opposed falconry rolls for:
i) biggest bag item, largest item in the bag, most items contributed to the bag. Reward specials accordingly. If the home team wins then I would award some glory (remember this event will be talked about not only at home but further afield).
2) Dance contest. This year at Pentecost with Arthur then your Lord has decided to put on a dance display. Say a team of 6 men and 6 women. Now, the Lord’s son and daughter have to be in because that’s the way the world works even if they aren’t very good, and likewise the cousin of his wife has to be in if he wants peace at night. But the remaining spaces ? Intrigue or Skill ?
3) Spoiled Brat – favoured younger son of a visiting Noble is foisted on the knights to entertain since he is their age. His idea of a good time is drinking lots, flirting with inappropriate women (even better if you have him make advances to an NPC sister of one of the characters), getting into scrapes with bigger knights etc.
4) Family. Work’s if father is dead, although also works if he is for example ill an invalid. Player knights have got lots of glory and are successful ? Then, according to mum, should be no problem for them to find a suitable marriage partner for one of his sisters and a post for his younger brother ?
5) Advancement. Guinevere has a harp quartet that plays whilst she is in the gardens etc. In theory, getting in should be a matter of skill, in the same way the Olympics are all about skill. We haven’t got drug testing, but we have got poisoned food, cut strings (overnight guard to be mounted ?), getting an invite to the competition in the first place let alone the temptations of men and drink and life away from home…
6) Illicit Love/Blackmail. The players – or one of the players (or even all the players but different bits) – become a witness to an illicit love affair, say between the married Captain of mercenaries (so a tough cookie) and one of the youngest daughters of their Lord. You need a tough cookie in case the players go public and might therefore be challenged by the Captain of Mercenaries to trial by combat. Go their Lord ? Where is the evidence ? Of course the players could do nothing. They might witness a third party blackmailing the daughter – who is stealing to meet the demands. (If the players do nothing at all – which is an option – then you can spice this up by coming back to it a few sessions after the first, when the poor girl is now pregnant and asks for help from one of the Player character’s sisters).
7) Older Woman. Think of Mrs Robinson in the film ‘The Graduate”. Got a new knight with high appearance ? Have him become the centre of attention of the wife of someone important.
8) Relics, Chess and Rivalry. The Players are to escort some religious relics to a new Abbey that the Lord has founded. Except the ownership of the relics is disputed. Non lethal combat/diplomacy involving a rival body of monks, possibly with their own knights. Alongside all this some chess games with the Monks – perhaps with a surprise visit from Guenevere (somewhere in La Morte D’Arthur it describes her as an excellent chess player).
9) New Dress. Have the players escort the Lord’s wife dressmaker (Is she a relative of one of them?) to a Port to buy material for the new Pentecost feast gown. Of course, other ladies want to know what material is bought, and get some of their own, or better. Except Knights don’t do fashion or bartering. But what if the Steward or Chamberlain also says “and bring something good back for my wife as well” and here’s £5…. Let alone what their own wife’s might expect them to bring back or cut in on the deal – what if the players say they have no money, “but couldn’t you throw in the red cloth if we buy the expensive yellow cloth ?” There’s some small adventures that could be had on the road, but the idea here is to have the players involved in securing something about which they know very little and are out of their depth, but have to deliver reasonable goods to assorted people and keep everybody happy.
10) The space of a Household Knight – with the better level of maintenance has become available. (Remember this increases the child survival rolls as well). Who is going to get it?

Chris