Mummer's Joust

This raucous and violent farce has been a part of life in the shady boulevards and beggar’s courts for at least a century. At it’s highest it’s an outrageous pantomime affair between mummers troupes put forth by the low guilds aping the contests of chivalry at it’s lowest it’s a sporting brawl between neighborhoods or tavern gangs.

The Mummers Joust is held in a square, empty lot, or back alley court. There will typically only be two teams (sometimes with classical rivalries) and each team will consist of 4 to 12 men of equal number on each team that will bear carry a rider seated upon a barrel fastened to staves (held by the aforementioned bearers). The rider is often costumed as a knight is not lucky enough to be wearing a set of second hand antique armor; bearers are typically unarmored but clever ones will wear a helmet of some sort and good thick gloves. Only the rider (sometimes called the Mum-ritter) is armed and that will typically be with a staff, a wooden sword, a broomstick, a baldder filled with sad or a sack of rocks. The goal is to be the first team to parade about the field a half dozen times without the rider falling off his steed (the barrel held aloft). 

The only restrictions in completion of the half dozens circles of the jousting “field” are the field must be crossed through the middle at least 3 times by each ride team. Riders may strike each other and the bearers of the opposing teams. Bearers may strike each other with their hands but if a bearer releases both hands from a stave he is required to exit the field (he is typically allowed parting blows against the opposite team but grabbing another rider or bearer while jettisoned is not sporting).

While in spirit this is nominally a contest it can be a contest that has an outcome that has already been decided upon by the hosting each troupe but even them there is a small chance pride of bearers and riders will overwhelm compliance with the wishes of their sponsors. Gambling is still seen in these events but it is often towards the lower end as many recognize likely collusion but to do speak of it. When a more obvious rivalry comes to bear the outcome is less certain and gambling will leap to whatever foolish heights onlookers desire.

Like many public contests the Mummer's Joust offers a distraction to cover larceny and cutpurses and pick pockets will surely try to ply their trade intermingled with the crowd if they do not fear the wrath of the sponsors. The distraction will of course open chance for trespass and other crimes in the periphery of the Mummer's Joust.

While the Mummer's Joust is far less dangerous than an chivalric joust it is still an affair with the potential for violence and injury. It's unlikely by not impossible for a rider or bearer to suffer broken bones, disability, or even (unluckily) death. Injuries suffered in a Mummer's Joust are not considered an appropriate situation for private recourse and open vendetta or duels would be frowned upon and even considered criminal. A death in a Mummer's Joust that isn't sanctioned by town officials (or high guild) may be considered a crime by some but evidence is not offered up as a point of honor among witnesses and participants in the joust as everyone in the contest has nominally entered it voluntarily.

Alignments of the Alleys and Gutters

Alignment- how one gets on with others in the alleys,gutters, and backrooms as well as in brightly lit places and public squares. Should a player stray form their professed alignment of a PC they will not suffer any loss beyond the reaction of cronies and other NPC (and this can be catastrophic as contacts, family and business associates turn their back on the wayward).

Loyal (L)- A loyal being is ardent, steadfast, dutiful and dependable. A loyal man will keep his mouth shut when needed and hold to a code of honor. Loyal folk can be relied upon to stick to agreements even with traditional enemies as long as conditions hold and decorum preserved.

Natural(N)- Ordinary folk hold to simple natural tuths. They are generally self-serving in their motives but not beyond holding to a code of honor that keeps association with group as important as themselves. It’s natural to defend one’s family and put your neck out for them, it’s odd to leap to the defense of a foreign stranger being set upon by ruffians in a dark alley at night. 

Corrupt(C) – A corrupt being is crooked, fraudulent and untrustworthy. These two-faced bent and based backstabbers can rarely be trusted and only pretend to hold to a code of honor to find advantage over others.

It should be noted in this arrangement of alignments good and evil are cosmic forces beyond the demands of normal life and while they are indeed true forces how one binds themselves too them will still be expressed by following of professed alignment. Not all Loyal folk are on the same team, not all Natural folk can be reiled upon to do the same thing, and not all Corrupt folk are entirely wicked.

You meet in a tavern....

... and stay there.

Why does fantasy gaming have to lead one out of the tavern or the neighborhood the tavern is in? Couldn't the life of a barfly in a world full of elves, orcs, goblins, immortals, fire wizards, and the like be interesting and game-able?

I admit it I'm considering whipping up an OSR compatible rule set for fantasy RPG urban adventuring where the characters are doxies, urchins, bravos, bawds, and the like. I've got a working title: Flagons and Freaks. Yes there will be an element of parody, it;s too silly an idea not to have a little parody built in but murder hobos have been getting way too much attention over the years when there are lots of opportunities for alley rats and gutter snipes.

I'm picturing gambling (maybe a gambling mechanic at the core of the game), low class street crime capers,seduction and associated illicit affaris, sewer slogging, smuggling, grave-robbing (also known as dungeoneering), burglary, drinking constests, and bar-room brawls.

I'd likely tailor classes and even ability scores to meet the setting tightly but have it work so monster statistics in most OSR adventures would still work.

Good idea or bad idea?

It's a Traaap !

You spy a kobold lugging a big bag that is making the familiar jingle of coins as it struggles to carry it.

Gee, could that be a trap?

Will folks consider it a trap or will they jump the kobold.

If there was a chain connecting the Kobold to a wall, would that be more suspicious?

If the chain went down the corridor and around a corner could there be an ogre at the other end?

Monster Hunting

Need a monster that fits your campaign or next adventure just right? Well a ref has an incredible host of monsters to choose from when creating campaigns and stocking dungeons. The original Monster Manual had hundreds and many volumes have followed since for many iterations and emulations of the game (and related games). Online sources such as the pathfinder SRD and the Swords and wizard SRD give ready access to several hundred monsters and different takes on them. Blogs and fan websites offer an incredible array of gruesome grues to populate your game world with. There is no shortage of monsters out there to dig through when making selections for your campaign.

Here’s a list of free monster sources: 

Swords and Wizardry SRD https://sites.google.com/site/swordsandwizardry/swords-and-wizardry-srd/for-the-referee/monsters

Pathfinder SRD Bestiary http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary

Monster of Myth (Osric Format) http://www.lulu.com/shop/the-first-edition-society/monsters-of-myth/ebook/product-17452854.html

A Hamsterish Hoard of Monsters http://rendedpress.blogspot.com/2012/07/new-release-hamsterish-hoard-of-monsters.html

Links to Wisdom Monsters http://campaignwiki.org/wiki/LinksToWisdom/Monsters

Telecanter’s Deadly Distractions http://city-of-brass.org/TelecantersDeadlyDistractions.pdf

D20 SRD Monsters http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/monsters.htm

The Basic Fantasy Field Guide to Creatures Malevolent and Benign http://basicfantasy.org/download.cgi/Basic-Fantasy-Field-Guide-r2.pdf

Oriental Monsters A Supplement for B/X http://www.mediafire.com/view/?t49aq05ki7yyey9

A book of wondrous beasts http://engineoforacles.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/a-book-of-wondrous-beasts6.pdf

Varlets and Vermin http://rolesrules.blogspot.com/2010/05/varlets-and-vermin-10.html

What Lies Beyond: the Chapman Bestiary: http://www.flatlandgames.com/btw/downloads/

The list above is incomplete there are other free collections out there and countless blog posts but the thousands of monsters available in the selections above should provide a good starting point. Don’t forget all the clones and simulacrum games that have free versions have lot's of monsters in them too. Happy Monster Hunting !

Small World Syndrome

While D&D-like RPGs are of my favorite topics the one that tops that is talking about myself (and my wife) so I'm going to share with you all here.

I met my wife through an online dating site. We hit it off amazingly well, funny part is we were missing each other by one connection for years.

Two of my LARPing buddies when I was big into that stuff were co-workers and work chums with my future wife.

Years back one of my buddies and she were still in college and my friend was dragged to a friend of a friends house to meet her during a break in college, that friend of a friend was my future wife; they missed each other due to some travel problem but my friend still ended up visiting my future wife's home and meeting her mother.

My wife is and was a horrible nerd (she used to be an admin of a Dune mush) she was into onlien free-form roleplaying. One of my oldest friends was also into free-form roleplayign online. I just recently discovered my wife and friend knew each other by AOL login names and free-form gaming years before we met.

We missed each other at parties either one of us showing up late and the other leaving early. I think my wife and her first husband were both in a game shop once talking with the owner who I knew when I was thee chatting with one of the other employees while shopping. We both shopped the same game and comic shops but never bumped into or noticed each other (beyond that nagging recollection i just mentioned).

I'd almost think there was some sort of conspiracy or even fate at work but I suppose in a world with over six billion people it's still possible for it to be a small world.

What's on the Boil?

A handy table to determine what the commoners are eating whenever someone is curious enough to ask or a DM wishes to add a little color.

What are they eating in the village?  Roll 1d20 on Meat Days and 1d10 on other days.

1.      Dark Bread and Cheese

2.      Oat Pottage

3.      Boiled Cabbage and Rye Bread

4.      Leek Pottage with Maislin Bread

5.      Vegetable Pottage (mostly turnips and parsnips) with Wheat Bread

6.      Oat Pottage with Beans

7.      Pea Porridge and Rye Bread

8.      Boiled Eggs, with Wheat Bread and Cheese

9.      Gudgeon Pie

10.   Roast Dace with Maslin Bread

11.   Oat Pottage with Ham and Wheat Bread

12.   Boiled Tripe with Turnip and Wheat Bread

13.   Leek Pottage and Roast Pork with Maslin Bread

14.   Boiled Cabbage and Bacon with Rye Bread

15.   Stewed Rabbit and Wheat Bread

16.   Pauper’s Pie of Turnip, Leeks and whatever meat possible (Likely Squirrel or Hedgehog)

17.   Turnip and Cabbage Mash with fried bacon and White Bread

18.   Roast Pigeon with Maslin Bread and Cheese

19.   Pork with peas porridge, Rye bread and Cheese

20.   Kidney Pie with Cheese and Fruit

Maslin is a mixture of rye and wheat. Pottage is a boiled stew. Dace and Gudgeon are fish.

All meals would be served with locally made fresh Ale, Beer, Perry, Cider, or Wine depending on the region.

In the fields or on the road commoners will usually have a lunch of Bread and Cheese they are carrying and possibly a couple of onions and a bit of sausage or fruit along with a flask or jug of local beverage.

Meat Days came to be in some regions when for religious and practical reasons consumption of meat is banned by custom and law, in some regions and times only half or less of the days in a month would be meat days where meat would be prepared. Animal produce of the rivers and seas were not usually considered meat.