A Question About KAP Players/Refs

[svensson]

So, how many medievalists or are students of the Medieval period are there in KAP.

I've seen quite a few who play the Harn setting, so I got curious.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I was in the SCA in the Pacific Northwest for many years and consider myself reasonably well read-in on the Crusades era.

[Morien]

On 12/10/2022 at 11:41 PM, svensson said:

So, how many medievalists or are students of the Medieval period are there in KAP.

I expect more than our share, given the more (pseudo-)historical setting (in comparison to like Forgotten Realms) and the Arthurian literature tradition stretching back to Middle Ages.

As for myself, I don't have any official qualifications, other than a lifelong interest in history (particularly medieval) and fantasy/historical fiction literature. I am actually much less versed in Arthurian literature as some of the buffs in the Forum: HRB & Malory are enough for me. That does mean that my campaigns have much fewer 'easter eggs' for the hardcore affectionados, but given that my players are even less exposed to Arthurian literature, it would be pearls for the swines situation anyway. What I try to accomplish is a world that is internally consistent, one that 'makes sense' to the players and the player-characters. Sure, sometimes stuff happens and faerie magic tends to evoke a string of bad language (from players and PKs alike), but as long as there is verisimilitude and the players are invested in the characters and the campaign, I count that as a victory.

[Hzark10]

I am in the same vein as Morien. I have always been a fan of medieval history with knights and their shining armor, etc. Got into RPGs in the '70s, so kinda grew up with the fantasy element. KAP always made more sense than D&D to me, not that I didn't play it, run it, or enjoy it. Had a 13 year campaign as DM in D&D. But, KAP was always more real as the players aged and no matter how powerful the character was, they were still mortal.

[svensson]

I appreciate the replies, guys. Thank you.

With some of my commentary about several subjects, I'd wondered if I'd let real history intrude too much into the Arthurian Mythos.

I tend to gravitate towards the grittier end of the spectrum when I'm dealing with High Medieval /Courtly Love settings... More 'Lion in Winter' than 'Romeo and Juliet'. That doesn't mean that I don't appreciate the idealization of one's lady love, my wife and my ex-wife both will tell you otherwise. I just prefer it to be more human and less mythic.

I am however constrained to stipulate that if Julia Ormond looked at me with those eyes in the otherwise hugely forgettable 'First Knight', I wouldn't happily commit the atrocity of her choice and probably wonder why everyone else was mad.... 🤣

 

[Morien]

Lion in Winter is excellent. I happened to watch the two-part TV movie first, and I am honestly torn which version I prefer. Patrick Stewart did an excellent job as Henry II, and I think I prefer his less hammy portrayal to Peter O'Toole's (although O'Toole's Angevin rage is better). That being said, Katharine Hepburn will always be my Eleanor. 🙂

I wouldn't worry too much about the grittiness. If the style fits the GM and the group, it is all good. I deliberately downplayed some of the fantastical stuff during the Uther Period, so much so that Merlin performed no magic 'on camera'. All his 'shapeshifting' could have been just clever disguises.

 

[svensson]

On 12/12/2022 at 5:54 AM, Morien said:

Lion in Winter is excellent. I happened to watch the two-part TV movie first, and I am honestly torn which version I prefer. Patrick Stewart did an excellent job as Henry II, and I think I prefer his less hammy portrayal to Peter O'Toole's (although O'Toole's Angevin rage is better). That being said, Katharine Hepburn will always be my Eleanor. 🙂

I wouldn't worry too much about the grittiness. If the style fits the GM and the group, it is all good. I deliberately downplayed some of the fantastical stuff during the Uther Period, so much so that Merlin performed no magic 'on camera'. All his 'shapeshifting' could have been just clever disguises.

 

Yeah, I don't want to get too 'Game of Thrones' with it... They don't call them the Dark Ages for nothing, but there's a difference between acknowledging that the brutality existed and reveling in it. There's no need to get all 'gore-porn' outside of combat.

Kate Hepburn will always be my older, angrier Eleanor of Aquitane, but I'm somewhat sore put to think of someone I'd cast as younger woman who stole Henry II's heart. Strong-willed and intelligent, certainly, but it's difficult for women in Western movie making to come across as strong willed and intelligent without being written as embittered bitch. It's a serious flaw in Western story-telling that we all got from the Ancient Greek tragedies.