Hzark10

Welcome aboard!

Yes, if the two do come together and a child results, then you have a major decision to make. Does the child become Arthur? Could he pull the sword from the stone? Unless they were married, the the child is illegitimate. Madoc never became king, so we have no real answer whether others will follow him. And also what happens if it is a daughter? Could be fun times.

So, there is room for women. One option, just declare yourself a female when creating your knight. A good backstory would be good. But, yes, there is room for official rules.

The key to King Arthur's success is the retelling of the tale with each culture/time period emphasis on it. In modern times, we recognize the possibility of females being more prominent in fiction (The Deeds of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon), to strong female leads (Mists of Avalon). My own group has at least one regular female player who loves the spotlight as much as anyone else. Most times she plays a female component, but sometimes she switches genders, as does some of the male counterparts. Having a more detailed treatment of such would benefit everyone, I feel.

Not to argue, per se, but it does matter and it is somewhat unfair. When you try to combine both Chivalric and Religious goals, Christians do have the edge. That may be part of the goal, but depending on when (what time period) your campaign is set, and what type of religions being played, having them so easily attained gives them an unfair advantage;. Rest assured that much of what he was working on has been passed on. David was the torch recipient and has much of it in his hands. Chaosium will also be in the know in one facet or another. But, until such time as new stuff comes out, I was trying to address perceived failures in the rules now.

Ok, maybe those aren't the best choice of words, but if you find that using BoK&L almost guarantees you to be Chivalric from the get go, then change the amount needed to the higher amount. Or maybe a combination of the two: +2 armor if 80+ and +4 armor if 96. This is the goal. If one player uses the rules to get an unfair advantage, then change the rules.

No, I don't have a time table of when Book of Sires will be released. Maybe David does, but I have not been included. I imagine once the Chaosium people get everything settled, we will see more production and not less. I will have to learn how to do the multiple quotes with my comments in between.

Thanks, for the welcome. (Shameless Plug, here) Book of Sires is set between the years of 439 and 484 with the addition of a Salisbury Anarchy appendix addition. It is possible to set up the exact scenario of a PK pulling the sword. After all, what determines the right to pull it? How did the sword get there? Is it the same as Excalibur? What happens afterwards? If the gm determines the right to pull is blood, then who says Constantin or Aurelius did not have another unknown son? After all, Uther did. Could Uther have a second unknown son as well? Back to the point, do people feel Ars Magica is broken or flawed because the main characters are mages? Perhaps they are put out because they want to play a thief. Well, you can in Pendragon, but it is not all that fun. But, during the anarchy, go ahead and set yourself up as a robber baron. If going by the book, the PC might be in a bit of trouble when Arthur comes around, but nothing says you can't be a "sheriff of N..." Be creative, and you might find there is a whole list of things you can do.

The one thing I will point out is with Traits and Passions, "If a PK has a trait of 15 or less, he is free of control." A player wants to play a super-knight with lots of traits 16 or above? If the gm does not challenge that knight with scenario hooks, then he is letting a player get away with something. Having a Valorous of 16 means you are brave. Gee, see that small giant over there? You know the one who is going to kill that peasant? YOU have to be valorous, while those who are not, don't have to fight. In fact, they might even run away... Or, having a high Chaste, and be tempted by a very beautiful woman. Or a high hate, and being forced to work beside them on a diplomatic mission, etc. If a knight has a high trait, the gm must provide hooks that make it not all that much of walk through with them. Challenge them.

The current focus of the game is to play knights. The rules are set up for that. The Book of Magic is about the use of magic in an Arthurian game and how best to use it. Yes, there will be an option to play magic-using characters. Yes, they will be scaled appropriately. But, they are not knights and are not meant to be on the same "level" as the knights. And, as far as I know, there are no plans to make it play more "mainstream". But, there are options for gm's. The one rule I like most is, YPMV (Your Pendragon May Vary) where one gm can run a high powered game, and the next can play a gritty, dark ages campaign. A third can be running the GPC verbatam, while a fourth can run a campaign set in Cumbria, or Cambria, away from Arthur.

He was, and will be, an inspiration to me throughout my journey. It is of utmost sadness that I read this, but to have met him, talk with him, and work with him is an experience I will always treasure.