I was rereading the Game Mastery Guide for the heck of it (and because I like it a lot). I got to the section on various government types and the feudal section just stuck with me. As a 30+ year player, the feudal system usually stays with me, I admit, and I had read (and seen on TV) various overviews of the system. But reading it this time left me with more than, "Yeah, I get lieges and vassals".
I remembered I had Alison Weir's "Eleanor of Aquitaine" in my "To Be Read" pile. So I started reading that. Twelfth century, kings, dukes (and duchesses, of course), successions, who is liege where and vassal where -- I gotta get me some of that!
But how in the world did the kings of Francia ever allow their vassals to get more power than themselves? How can that happen when the oaths are "You get land, I get military service"? Let's look into that.
The Capets (Hugh, to be exact) were elected to the kingship when the Carolingian line died out. That's explained in "Eleanor". But since the book is focused on the quite intriguing (in every definition of the word) Eleanor, Weir doesn't explain how the royal situation came to be.
Thanks to Amazon, I now have a few books on what happened with the Carolingians, so I can figure out how the Dukes were able to basically ignore the king.
And all this just to put together a coherent late medieval, war, tournament, courtly love, adventure, and political intrigue campaign that rather suddenly popped into my head.
(And I must admit that reading about the Carolingian takeover just makes me want to go further back and read about the Merovingians, too.)
So... too much research or just right? How much have you done to help create a good setting for your players? How much to create a good character for your DM?
AJ
I don't think too much research can ever be achieved. The hard part is choosing how much of that research you allow in your games as either DM, player, or both. I'm constantly scouring the 'net for interesting bits about wildlife (both living and extinct), ancient mythologies and civilizations, as well as watching a lot of shows on channels like National Geographic, Animal Planet, The History Channel, or Discovery. Well, I did when I had cable and before those channels lost all credibility with the crap they now offer.
I guess my point is research, sift, sort, and modify as much as you can to make your setting both interesting for the folks on both sides of the GM's screen. Cheers!
I can't read.
I rarely do much in-depth, specific research for a specific setting, region, or time period.
What I do instead is read a fairly broad selection of historical fiction, the occasional actual history book, and a lot of speculative fiction with clear links to what real historical societies inspired the setting.
This gives me a great deal of broad general information. I can then dig down for a bit more detail where I need it, and it keeps me from spending too much time on pure research, which can too easily get dense and boring.
Too much research, if you enjoy it, can never be bad for you.
It can get to a point where it's unnecessary, however. If you spend weeks crafting an intricate city-state that your players spend all of 2 minutes in, you might be disappointed.
Thanks for the replies.
I have been interested in these things for a long time, but had been satisfied with overviews on the History channel and other stories about the time period and even parts of campaign settings. But I wanted a more intricate setting than I usually come up with, that's why I figured I'd start with Eleanor, since I already had it. (BTW, I haven't actually finished it yet -- I became too interested in finding out how the political situation came to be in 1122 and basically am doing a flashback to 675 to find out.)
I'm finding that truth (or at least what we have of history) is way better than fiction.
AJ
Thanks for the replies.
I have been interested in these things for a long time, but had been satisfied with overviews on the History channel and other stories about the time period and even parts of campaign settings. But I wanted a more intricate setting than I usually come up with, that's why I figured I'd start with Eleanor, since I already had it. (BTW, I haven't actually finished it yet -- I became too interested in finding out how the political situation came to be in 1122 and basically am doing a flashback to 675 to find out.)
I'm finding that truth (or at least what we have of history) is way better than fiction.
AJ
And that's the fundamental truth of writing.
All fiction is a reflection of the world we live in. We're all telling the same story about the human experience, when you get down to it.
At the risk of being seen bumping my own thread, I have to note that the more I look at the Carolingians, the more I wonder if any player would be able to suspend disbelief at hearing the details of what went on as the sons of Pippin II took over.
I am reading the actual history and am wondering how they were able to mount so many campaigns year after year against the opposition.
(Edited to Add): Also, and to make this more than a bump, how can I give out at least some of the information I am coming up with without having my players read through two hundred pages of stuff that is really fun but not applicable to the characters?
(Coming soon -- my thoughts on how to work in a fantasy pantheon to Carolingian Francia/Alemannia/Bavaria/Lombard, etc. New Post preferred? Let me know.)
AJ
I've actually traced my family tree all the way up to Carolus Magnus. Interesting stuff.
I think adventure paths should come with music and snack suggestions. I,d love to be able to down load mp3 s and recipies that would enrich the game.
I love to rabbit trail follow interest in background details in an adventure so i can pull out just the right little detail to enrich the experience. I do a turn a day email game and i,m learning tons about ships and cornwall as i do skull and shackles stuff.