https://wiki.battlemaster.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Egregious&feedformat=atomBattleMaster Wiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T10:07:34ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.33.0https://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=User:Egregious&diff=151833User:Egregious2011-04-20T13:52:59Z<p>Egregious: Blanked the page</p>
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<div></div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Strahan&diff=89639Strahan2008-03-13T11:54:45Z<p>Egregious: Updated, w/ description</p>
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<div>{{Template:Infobox_Regions|<br />
name=Strahan|<br />
island_no=2|<br />
region_no=50|<br />
realm=Cagilan Empire|<br />
duchy=Atamara/Cagil|<br />
duchyname=Cagil|<br />
lord=Geoffrey|<br />
location=Inland|<br />
type=Rural|<br />
gold=331|<br />
food=466|<br />
area=West Badlands<br />
}}<br />
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Strahan is a rural backwater on the north-western borders of the [[Cagilan Empire]], not affected by proximity to any cities or river trade-routes. The peasants of Strahan mostly grow grain, which feeds the demand from Calis and Cagil to the south. In the north of the region, the climate grows hotter and the soil grows rockier and less fertile. The north is also where Strahan's only forested areas can be found. Because the northerners are poorer and able to conceal themselves in these woods, in times of unrest it is always the north of Strahan which is most rebellious.<br />
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Strahan's settlements are limited to hamlets and a scattering of larger villages. Living in small communities with few visitors, the commoners are reserved and taciturn to strangers, although they are prepared to laugh and carouse with those they trust. The only unique local culture of note is the Harvest Cycle, a set of ballads in a rhythm which matches the movements of the harvesters cutting and collecting the crop. Each harvest season, every village appoints one elder who has learned the whole Cycle to recite it. The Ballads are a mixture of local myths and proverbs, and the exact content changes from village to village and from recital to recital. No one has, as yet, attempted to write the Cycle down.<br />
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The local lord's mansion and its connected estate are located on the southern edge of the forested area, so that he or she can enjoy hunting the forest's deer and boar.<br />
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Strahan is home to a Primitive Temple of The Order.<br />
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[[Category:Atamara]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=User:Egregious&diff=88593User:Egregious2008-03-02T18:49:03Z<p>Egregious: </p>
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<div>I live in England. I am interested in English and Classical literature (especially the epic tradition). I used to be an avid gamer; and I played a lot of PlanetSide (VS Werner, for those who are interested). I am also a fencer, primarily Epee with a little Foil on the side to help out new people. I watch too much anime.<br />
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My English is quite good, but I am an inexperienced wiki user. <br />
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Talk page word count (15.08.06): 7,599.<br />
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[[Special:Contributions/Egregious|Contributions]] [The Weaponry page is my favourite]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Weaponry&diff=87277Weaponry2008-02-13T16:07:28Z<p>Egregious: </p>
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<div>__TOC__<br />
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Here are some well-known and not so well-known weapons that your character or your men might be wielding, or facing, in battle. Within their types, weapons are listed alphabetically.<br />
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Gunpowder weaponry is not listed, as BattleMaster never mentions it.<br />
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==Pole Weapons==<br />
Axes have been included in this list.<br />
*Awl Pike - also called an ahlspiess. A metal spike, usually over three feet in length, mounted on a shaft of 5 to 6 feet in length. At the base of the spike was a rondel guard, a simple round piece of metal, to protect the hands.<br />
*Bardiche - an Eastern European weapon. A tall axehead - perhaps 2 feet long - mounted by two sockets onto a short pole, usually up to 5 feet long.<br />
*Battle Axe - an axe specifically designed for warfare. Since flesh is easier to slice than wood, battle axes were usually lighter than utility axes and had narrower blades. Axes might be used by horsemen or infantrymen, and might be double- or single-handed.<br />
*Bec de Corbin - similar to a polearm length war hammer (see below). Usually, instead of using the hammer head to attack, the hammer's 'beak' or fluke was used.<br />
*Bec de Faucon - a polearm with a large hammer head instead of an axe, and backed with a spike or curved fluke. The weapon either terminated in a heavy steel counterweight, or a sharpened buttspike, and seemed to range anywhere from five to seven or more feet long.<br />
*Bill - also called a bill hook or bill-guisarme. A pole 6 to 9 feet long, with (usually) three implements attached: a blade on one side of the end, a hook on the other and a spear-like spike straight off the top.<br />
*Boar Spear - a short and heavy spear for hunting wild boar. Two 'lugs' or wings were placed behind the blade of the spear to prevent the head entering too deep, and to stop the boar working its way up the spear. On the battlefield, the lugs could be used to entangle enemy equipment, and also prevented a thrust going too deep which meant the user could be confident that he would be able to pull the spear out again.<br />
*Breach-Pike - an awl pike without the rondel guard.<br />
*Candeliere - an Italian term, literally 'candlestick'. This was a shortened awl pike.<br />
*Chacing Staff - also called a chasing staff, this was a staff 10 to 12 feet long with a spike on the butt end and a shallow blade on the other. It resembled an early halberd or bill.<br />
*Danish Axe - originally the axe used by the Vikings, 4 to 6 feet long. This spread throughout Europe during the 13th century. <br />
*Doloire - also called a wagoner's axe, this was roughly 5 feet long. The head was pointed at the top and rounded at the bottom, and a small hammer head is mounted on the reverse. As the alternative name suggests, this weapon was used as a tool and for self-defence by the men in charge of supply trains.<br />
*Fauchard - a curved blade mounted on a 6 to 7 foot pole. The curve of the blade was concave, similar to a sickle or scythe. <br />
*Fauchard-Fork - a fauchard (see above), with a lance point attached to the top or the point of the blade.<br />
*Flax - like the pitchfork, this was a farming implement, in this case one used to manipulate the material flax, used as an improvised weapon. This was a serrated, saw-like blade, topped with a broad, flat hook and with a spike on the reverse, mounted on a 7 to 8 foot pole.<br />
*Glaive - a single edged blade - perhaps 18 inches long - mounted on a pole 6 to 7 feet long.<br />
*Guisarme - also called a gisarme or bisarme. Originally simply a pruning hook on a spear shaft. Later a hooked blade with a spike on the reverse side. Eventually a catch-all term for any weapon with a hook on.<br />
*Halberd - An axe head on a pole, with a hook-blade on the reverse and a long spike straight off the top.<br />
*Half-Pike - a shortened pike, commonly used by sailors, as it was easier to manipulate in the limited space of a ship's deck.<br />
*Jousting Lance - a lance (see below), but with a blunt and spread out tip, and sometimes with a hollowed shaft to break on impact.<br />
*Lance - the lance as used by knights was longer, stouter and heavier than the spear and was mounted with a vamplate, a circular metal plate to prevent the hand sliding up the shaft upon impact. Once the initial charge had been made, the lance usually had to be abandoned.<br />
*Kusari-gama - More of a composite weapon, it composed of a scythe with a flail attached to the bottom end. A user would use the flail to knock the opponent off balance, and then rush forward to bring the scythe edge into play.<br />
*Long-Bearded Axe - an axe where the cutting edge of the blade extends below the width of the throat, which saves weight and allows the axe to be held just below the head if necessary, for close blows and woodcutting.<br />
*Lucerne Hammer - so-called because many were found at Lucerne, Switzerland. This is a three or four pronged hammer head mounted on a 7 foot pole, with a spike on the reverse and a longer spike straight of the top.<br />
*Man Catcher - a bizarre non-lethal polearm. A pole mounted with a two-pronged head. Each prong was semi-circular, with a spring-loaded 'door' on the front. This valve-like system allowed a man-sized object to be caught from a horse and pinned to the ground. This was ideal for capturing nobles for ransom.<br />
*Mattock - similar to a pickaxe, but with the head terminating in a broader blade than the pickaxe's long spike. This was an agricultural implement that could be used as an improvised weapon by peasants.<br />
*Military Fork - an evolution of the pitchfork (see below) for battlefield use. Usually military forks had only two tines (prongs); these were usually parallel or slightly flared. This became the favoured polearm in some areas of Europe.<br />
*Naginata - similiar to the glaive, a curved blade mounted on a wooden shaft. While naginata could both slash and stab, slashing usually held more power due to the leverage provided by the pole and the shape of the blade. The length of the haft was around 5 to 7 feet, while the blade was around 2-3 feet long.<br />
*Ox Tongue Spear - also called the langue de boeuf. An English broad bladed, double edged halberd.<br />
*Partisan - a lance or spear head mounted on a shaft with a small double axe head mounted just below it. It eventually became clear that the partisan was not a good battlefield weapon. It became a ceremonial and civil weapon, and so might be borne by city guards and militia.<br />
*Pike - a polearm, similar to a spear, from 10 to a remarkable 22 feet long. Primarily used in a close formation against cavalry.<br />
*Pitchfork - a farming implement which might be used by peasants lacking anything else. Pitchforks varied in lenghts and usually had 2 to 6 tines.<br />
*Pollaxe - also called a pole axe, poll-axe, polax or hache. This was a polearm 4 to 7 feet long with a modular head. Usually an axe blade - smaller than that of a halberd - or a hammer head was mounted on the damaging 'face', with a spike, hammer or fluke on the reverse. A blade often came off the top too. A rondel guard might be fixed below the head, and a spike might be fixed to the butt.<br />
*Qiang - a weapon of Chinese make, it was essentially a cheap, mass-producable spear. However, one striking feature was the red horse-hair tassle situated just below the blade. The spear was a strong but flexible wood, which bends to absorb impact preventing breakage. The bending motion combined with the blurring effect of the tassle made the spear tip very hard to follow.<br />
*Ranseur - also called a runka or rawcon. Essentially a spear with a cross hilt mounted just below the head. Sometimes the hilt was crescent shaped, which produced something like a trident. <br />
*Spear - the simplest polearm. The spear was cheap and required little training, but as the Middle Ages progressed, it was gradually abandoned in favour of other polearms.<br />
*Spetum - also called a chauve, souris, corseca, corsèsque, and korseke. A 6 to 8 foot long polearm, spear-tipped, with two projections at the base of the tip. Unlike the ranseur and the partisan, the projections are single edged and used for slashing.<br />
*Swordstaff - a Danish weapon ('Svaerdstav'), in essence a sword blade mounted on a staff - not as long as a spear but longer than a sword - and thus better than a spear for very close combat, and better than a sword for fighting mounted opponents. However, it was probably a 'jack of all trades and master of none' because of its hybrid nature.<br />
*Tachibo - a Bo with a slot that could allow a Tachi(blade) to slide into, thus creating a Spear.<br />
*War Hammer - a hammer head mounted on a pole or staff. Polearm length war hammers were employed against cavalry, whereas shorter war hammers were used by them. Often a spike might be mounted straight off the top. <br />
*War Scythe - this is a peasant's scythe, but adapted for warfare. The blade is moved, from its position at right angles to the shaft, to extend upright from it. Particularly associated with Poland.<br />
*Voulge - a polearm similar to a glaive (see above), but with a broader blade and more of a hacking than a cutting motion. Sometimes the blade narrowed to a 'pointed top' for stabbing.<br />
*Yari - the Japanese longspear, recognized by its straight and long blade. Yari were extremely durable. The shaft was made from hardwood and covered in bamboo strips, and then held together by metal rings. Yari varied from one meter long for a foot soldier to about 2.5 meters for a mounted combatant and even 6 meters for use in a phalanx-like formation.<br />
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==Blunts==<br />
*Bo - the Japanese name for a quarterstaff.<br />
*Chain Mace - a morningstar (see below) or a metal ball on the end of a long length of chain. The chain was often wrapped in leather or another protective material.<br />
*Club - also called a cudgel or a bludgeon. Probably the simplest of all weapons. A wooden stick with which the wielder strikes his enemies. This would be a peasant's weapon, but soldiers might employ it when doing police work. Maces were derived from clubs.<br />
*Cudgel - see club above.<br />
*Cosh - otherwise known as a sap or a blackjack, it was simply lead weights wrapped in a bag, and used to incapacitate people when they weren't looking. Other heavy materials could be substituted. A common mugger's weapon, as it was easily concealed.<br />
*Flail - strictly speaking, one or more metal balls - sometimes morningstars (see below) - attached by a chain or chains to a staff. An impact weapon, which could curve around a shield or a parrying weapon.. Named a flail because the wielder's motions resembled those of someone using the (quite different) farming implement.<br />
*Godendag - also called the goedendag, plançon-à-picot or chandelier. This was a Flemish variant of the morningstar mace. It was a long wooden club, 4 to 6 feet long, with an iron spike on the end. <br />
*Holy Water Sprinkler - also called a goupillon. Strictly speaking, a short, spiked iron bar on the end of a chain, similar to a morningstar flail - indeed the term can also refer to morningstar flails or morningstar maces. So-called probably because the spikes resemble sprays of holy water from an eclesiastical aspergillum. <br />
*Horseman's Pick - a cavalry war hammer, with a long spike on the reverse of the hammer head. The spike was curved downwards, giving it a pick-like shape.<br />
*Lathi - an Indian bamboo staff, of varying length, usually (but not always) tipped with a metal blunt at one end. Usually used to incapacitate opponents.<br />
*Long Stave - also long staff. This was a longer, Early Modern version of the quarterstaff (see below). A long stave could be 12 to 18 feet long.<br />
*Mace - a wooden, reinforced or metal shaft topped with a metal or stone head, which was thicker than the shaft and often sported spikes, knobs or flanges. Infantry maces were usually 2 to 3 feet long. Cavalry maces were somewhat longer.<br />
*Maul - originally a long handled hammer used to split wood, with a wedge-shaped head, a little like a broad axehead. A peasant's implement. This could be modified with metal banding and rivets to provide a battlefield weapon. Two-handed maces were also called mauls.<br />
*Morningstar - strictly speaking, the small spiked round ball found either on the end of a chain in a flail or on the end of a shaft in a morningstar mace. More generally could refer to any type of spiked club.<br />
*Nunchaku - not a dedicated martial weapon, it consisted of two lengths of wood joined by a thick chain. Exponente wielded it in a manner similiar to a mace, but a lot faster due to its light weight.<br />
*Manrikigusari - a ninja's weapon, consisting of a thick chain with lead weights at the end. The user either hurled them at the target or whirled it around, causing the weights to slam into the enemy, and thereby incapacitating him. It could be easily folded up and concealed.<br />
*Quarterstaff - an English staff weapon, usually 6 to 9 feet long. A quarterstaff might have metal caps or spikes at one or both ends. Early, longer variants of the quarterstaff were called long staves (see above). Many implements can be converted into a quarterstaff and a quarterstaff could of course be used as a long walking staff.<br />
*Shillelagh - a weapon associated with Ireland. A wooden club or cudgel, usually a knotty stick with a large knob on the end, made from blackthorn or oak. A shillelagh might be hollowed out at the striking end and filled with molten lead. This variation was called a 'loaded stick'.<br />
*Shield - Shields could serve as a weapon in an emergency, especially with the addition of spikes or sharp edges.<br />
*Tetsubo - a staff composed of heavy wood or metal and covered with metal at the striking end. Few could wield it due to their extreme weight, but a skilled wielder could use it to cleave heads and smash horses' legs.<br />
*Tonfa - The tonfa consisted of two parts, a handle with a knob, and perpendicular to the handle, a shaft or board that lies along the hand and forearm. The shaft was usually 20–24 inches long.<br />
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==Blades==<br />
*Arming Sword - a single handed, double edged sword usually used for cutting. Until the late 13th century and the rise of the longsword, these swords were the standard knight's sword - 'war sword' - and after that time they remained a common side-arm. Knights would wear arming swords in and out of armour; they would be 'undressed' without one.<br />
*Backsword - the backsword was so named because it only had one cutting edge. The non-cutting edge (the back of the blade) was much thicker than the cutting edge thus creating a wedge type cross-section.<br />
*Baselard - also called a basilard, this was a Swiss weapon, somewhere between a short sword and a dagger. It was perhaps 40 centimetres long, although after the Middle Ages it became longer.<br />
*Bihänder - also called a zweihänder, or bidenhänder, this was an extremely large two-handed sword. Its heyday was the 16th century, but it originated in Germany during the 14th century. The weapon as a whole might be 5 or 6 feet long, and usually had a cross guard.<br />
*Cinquedea - a thrusting civilian short sword from Italy during the end of the Middle Ages, with a heavy, roughly 45 centimetre long blade.<br />
*Chuttuval - lit. 'coiled sword', also known as the 'urumi'. An Indian weapon, something between a short whip and a sword; a flexible band of steel 3/4 to 1 inch in width, and perhaps 4 to 5 foot in length, mounted on a handle. Difficult to control. Apparently multiple bands can be mounted on the same handle for an even more complex weapon.<br />
*Claymore - a two-handed sword, somewhat smaller and lighter, and thus faster, than other two-handed swords. Medieval claymores - with a cross guard - are different from the 18th century basket-hilt claymore. The blade was roughly 40 inches long.<br />
*Dao - a catch-all Chinese word to refer to all curved swords developed for the purpose of slashing.<br />
*Dagger - a simple knife, usually double edged. A particularly popular variant was the rondel (see below). Daggers were usually used as a side-arm, and, since they could penetrate the joints in a suit of armour, they could be used to kill an unhorsed knight or to force him to surrender.<br />
*Dirk - a Scottish word. The actual configuration of a dirk varied. Sometimes a dirk was a small, straight dagger; sometimes it was a sword blade mounted with a dagger hilt.<br />
*Ear Dagger - a rare weapon, thought to have originated in Spain. An Ear Dagger usually had a single sharpened edge ending in an acute point. The pommel had a distinctive shape, supposedly resembling a human ear.<br />
*Falchion - a single hand, single edged sword with a wide blade. These were cheap to produce.<br />
*Flamberge - any sword with a wavy edge (hence the name, 'flame blade'). Such a sword would have been attractive and distinctive, but would also apparently create unusual vibrations in an opponent's blade when parrying, which might disrupt their technique. The word 'flamberge' was sometimes also used to refer to a Bihänder sword (see above).<br />
*Greatsword - a 'greatsword' was not a particular type of sword, but the word might mean a heavy arming sword, a large longsword, a claymore or a bihänder<br />
*Großes Messer - also called a langmesser, heibmesser or simply a messer, this was a single edged, inexpensive German blade, similar to a falchion. The blade might be 30 inches long.<br />
*Jian - a traditional Chinese weapon, it was a long, straight sword. There a thin blade allowed it to bend. A jian was difficult to wield, as its effectiveness depended on the user's finesse and agility, rather than brute force, much like a rapier. <br />
*Jitte - Similiar to the sai; a light, dull sword with a tsuba (outblade) designed to catch opponent's swords. It was rougly the size of a wakizashi, and was wielded if the wielder wanted to disarm, not kill. As such, it was commonly used by law-enforcement officers.<br />
*Katzbalger - an arming sword 75 to 85 cm long, with a distinctive figure-eight shaped guard. Famously sturdy, sometimes used as a secondary weapon by pikemen, archers and crossbowmen.<br />
*Katana - feudal Japanese blade. Perhaps 70-90 cm long and remarkably sharp and strong, despite being very thin. Difficult to master but extremely effective. Single-edged. The katana held a special significance for samurai, who felt that they were incomplete without it, whether they actually used it or not - much like a European knight's relationship with his 'arming sword'.<br />
*Katar - an Indian punching dagger or sword. Unusually, the grip is mounted horizontally to the blade, so the blade sits on the user's knuckles and thrusts are made with a punching motion (see also the Pata).<br />
*Longsword - also called a langschwerdt, spadone or montante (the terms 'bastard sword and 'hand-and-a-half sword' are modern). An evolution of the arming sword, with a cross guard. Lengths varied, but usually both hands could fit comfortably onto the hilt, although it might be used one-handed. <br />
*Mercygiver - also called a misericordias, this was a long English knife specifically designed for delivering a coup de grâce to a wounded man. It saw much use during the Hundered Years' War; the French considered it unchivalrous.<br />
*Ninjatō/Ninjaken - the type of sword a ninja would have carried, a cut down version/variant of the Katana and Wakizashi, and usually not made of folding metal like the katana. Straight bladed.<br />
*Pata - an Indian concept, a little like a scaled-up Katar (see above); a blade of 10 to 44 inches length was mounted on the end of a gauntlet. As with the Katar, the user was able to thrust by using a punching motion.<br />
*Poniard - a thrusting dagger with a slim square or triangular blade.<br />
*Romphaia - a two-handed sword with a shallow curve, originally used in Classical times but surviving in use during the Early Medieval period.<br />
*Rondel - also called a roundel, this was a single edged dagger which had rondels - flat metal circles - for both its pommel and guard. It was worn by a variety of people from knights to merchants. The blade was usually more than 12 inches long. There were also four-edged variants, the blade having a cruciform cross-section.<br />
*Sabre - usually a single-edged, curved blade with a hand guard. Sabres originally arrived in Europe with the Magyars in the 10th century.<br />
*Sai - The sai's basic form is that of an unsharpened dagger, with two long, unsharpened projections (tsuba) attached to the handle. It is originally a purely defensive weapon, used to trap an opponent's sword between the prongs, and attempt to disarm him. A sai is basically a jitte (see above) with two tsuba instead of one.<br />
*Shamshir - a sabre of Persian ancestry. The one striking feature about a shamshir was the radical curve of the blade, sometimes even up to 15 degrees. As such, it was used mostly for slashing, as the curve made stabbing difficult.<br />
*Shortsword - in medieval terms, a 'shortsword' was a one-handed sword short only in comparison to a longsword. The word was rarely used and is something of a neologism.<br />
*Scimitar - a curved, single-edged sword, used mostly in North-Africa and Arabia. It dates back to almost 2 millennia B.C. during the 18th Egyptian Dynasty, when the first mention of curved blades is made. It is primarily used for slashing enemies.<br />
*Stiletto - a small, straight dagger. It had no edge, only an extremely sharp point. Used primarily by infiltrators to carry out assasinations, being light,slim and easy to conceal. However, it was almost worthless for any other purpose.<br />
*Sword Breaker - could be a term for any weapon designed to break swords, but usually a long and sturdy dagger with slots on one side. By catching an opponent's blade in a slot, and twisting the Sword Breaker, the user could in theory break his opponent's weapon. How well this worked in practice is not certain.<br />
*Talwar - an Indian sword, similar in shape to a Shamshir but usually with a wider blade.<br />
*Tessen - a fan which had metal spokes, sharpened to deadly points. They were designed to look like regular fans, and were used in places where swords and other overt weapons were not allowed.<br />
*Wakizashi - a smaller version of a katana, it was commonly worn as a sidearm by katana-wielding samurai. In the Feudal era, a technique comsisting of using a katana and a wakizashi in tandem (collectively knowm as the 'daisho', meaning long(katana) and short(wakizashi)) was developed.<br />
*Zanbato - A huge, heavy sword, with no fingerguard or noticable hilt. Used as more of a bludgeoning weapon, downing foes with brute force. Two handed.<br />
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==Personal Ranged Weapons==<br />
*Arbalest - although this word could mean any crossbow, it more commonly meant a crossbow-like weapon with a steel prod, which allowed for a greater draw force.<br />
*Chakram - an Indian throwing weapon; a flat metal ring, usually 5 to 12 inches in diameter and with a sharpened outer edge. This weapon is frequently featured in modern fantasy and martial arts media, where it usually appears with a larger diameter and is often solely a melee weapon.<br />
*Crossbow - a bow, called a 'prod', mounted on a stock. The string was drawn back - either unaided or by a mechanical mechanism - and then released by a trigger; the weapon fired arrow-like projectiles called bolts. Crossbows fired slowly but had great draw force. They were often considered unchivalrous.<br />
*Dart - darts have been present in European warfare for a long time. Some were used in the Middle Ages, but they generally played little part in battle. Sometimes darts were fashioned for special purposes: for example, certain Byzantine heavy cavalry would throw specially made, 12 inch long, barbed, lead-weighted and feathered darts as they charged.<br />
*Longbow - famously used by the Welsh and then the English, this was a bow of great length - perhaps 6 feet - requiring great strength and a great deal of practice to be used effectively. The longbow could be long-ranged, and it could be accurate, but it could not be both at the same time. A variety of arrowheads were used for different purposes.<br />
*Shuriken - a Japanese term for any concealed throwing weapon. Although modern culture is most familiar with the 'throwing star' form of the shuriken, shuriken could be any easily concealed sharp object, fashioned from a wide range of objects (such as needles, nails, coins or chisels), or made from scratch. Shuriken were usually used for incapacitation or distraction.<br />
*Staff Sling - also called a stave sling or fustibale. Although the sling was obsolete during the medieval period, the staff sling was still used during sieges. A sling on the end of a staff - up to 6 feet long - could hurl heavy stones great distances, utilising a lever effect.<br />
*Yumi - a Japanese term use to refer to bows, which included the Daikyu (Longbow) and the Hankyu(Shortbow).<br />
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==Improvised Weaponry==<br />
A number of the weapons listed above were converted agricultural implements - scythes, pitchforks et cetera - and, given the poor understanding of logistics during the Medieval period, commanders were often forced to improvise. The Byzantine general Belisarius, for example, was supposedly forced to equip some of his infantry with park fenceposts and large metal platters in lieu of spears and shields before his last battle (he won). <br />
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Moving away from a purely military context, almost anything might serve as a weapon in an emergency. During a tavern brawl mugs might serve as missiles and chair-legs as clubs, a civilian rider might have to resort to his whip, if an urban population revolted they might well throw cobblestones and tiles, and a noble would be forced to use the first thing that came to hand against an assassin; Julius Caesar is supposed to have had only a stylus to defend himself when he was assassinated (Caesar was not Medieval, but the principle is the same).<br />
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<br />
==Siege Engines==<br />
Miscellaneous thrown objects might include simple stone or metal balls, flammable objects, large arrow-like objects, beehives, carcasses, or unsuccessful spies. Siege engines - especially the larger, more expensive types - were sometimes named. King Edward I, for example, possessed thirteen trebuchets; some were named to intimidate ('War-Wolf') and others were named with a certain black humour ('Vicar' and 'Parson' - presumably playing on the trebuchet's ability to usher souls into the next world).<br />
*Ballista - this classical weapon - a kind of giant crossbow - was occasionally used in the Middle Ages, but it was expensive and complex, and so was generally replaced by the onager.<br />
*Battering Ram - at its simplest, a log which soldiers batter gates with. More advanced rams might be slung from a frame or placed on rollers. Often rams were protected with roofs and side-screens.<br />
*Catapult - this appears to have been a catch-all term for any siege engine that launched projectiles.<br />
*Onager - the onager used a sling attached to a throwing arm to launch a solid projectile. Later onagers might have fired several projectiles from a fixed bowl. 'Onager' appears to have been interchangeable with 'mangonel'. Onagers used torsion bundles to throw their projectile(s).<br />
*Siege Hook - a large metal hook, if strong enough, could be mounted on a long pole, or attached to a strong rope, and used to physically pull down the stones of the defender's wall. These saw little use and were probably only useful against minor defences which could be easily taken by other methods as well.<br />
*Siege Tower - a tower on wheels, usually constructed at the scene of the siege and built higher than the besieged walls. Siege towers could carry archers, and a drawbridge might be lowered onto the walls to allow troops access.<br />
*Trebuchet - unlike the onager and ballista, the trebuchet used a counterweight acting on a lever to hurl much larger projectiles. Trebuchets appear to have had a range of about 300 yards - within skilled bowshot. Large trebuchets were slow to operate, launching perhaps two projectiles per hour.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Miscellaneous Siege Techniques==<br />
It should be noted that, until the arrival of gunpowder, the balance of technology and logistics ''usually'' favoured the defender.<br />
==='Boiling Oil'===<br />
Various unpleasant substances might be poured on attackers through purpose built holes, or simply over the walls. Boiling oil in particular would have been expensive, and oil was a limited resource. Defenders would more commonly employ cheaper alternatives, such as boiling water, burning pitch or heated sand.<br />
===Escalade=== <br />
This was a ladder assault on besieged walls. Attackers carrying out an escalade suffered heavy casualties from missile weapons, boiling oil et cetera; if they reached the battlements, they would be outnumbered. Often an escalade was not attempted aggresively, but stealthily, at night, in order to infiltrate and open the gates.<br />
===Filling===<br />
If the besiegers faced a moat or ditch, they might attempt to bridge it by filling it - with stones, bundles of sticks, earth or corpses - often as a prelude to the deployment of rams, or to an escalade.<br />
===Greek Fire===<br />
Greek fire was a weapon made using a secret formula, deployed by the Byzantine empire. Greek fire stuck to things, and water did not put it out. Objects could be soaked in Greek fire and then launched by siege engines, or it could be combined with a metal siphon to create a primitive flamethrower. The Byzantines also supposedly had a variation which was ignited by contact with sunlight; this could be smeared on enemy siege engines by spies during the night, with predictable results when day came!<br />
===Sapping===<br />
Sapping was also called undermining or simply mining; besiegers might dig tunnels under besieged walls to cause a breach. Gunpowder was not used until the very late Middle Ages, but the engineers might build the tunnel using wooden supports which could then be burned to cause the tunnel to collapse. The besieged might countermine, digging into the tunnel themselves to kill the engineers, or digging underneath the initial tunnel before it reached their walls and attempting to collapse ''that'' tunnel.<br />
===Sortie===<br />
Fortifications often had one or more inconspicuous or concealed secondary gates. The defenders could come outside the walls using one of these in an attempt to catch the attackers off guard - making a sortie. Depending on the forces available, the defenders might aim simply to drive the enemy back and destroy some of their seige eqiupment, or might hope to actually lift the siege entirely. Sorties were also made in co-ordination with relieving forces.<br />
===Waiting===<br />
Unless a relieving army was on the way or the attackers themselves lacked supplies, often the simplest option was to attempt to starve the defenders out.<br />
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<br />
==See Also==<br />
[[Battle]]<br />
<br />
[[Duel]]<br />
<br />
[[Fortifications]]<br />
<br />
[[Unit Naming Guide]]<br />
<br />
[[Category: Background Information]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Weaponry&diff=87276Weaponry2008-02-13T16:06:03Z<p>Egregious: /* Siege Engines */ the naming of complex engines</p>
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<div>__TOC__<br />
<br />
Here are some well-known and not so well-known weapons that your character or your men might be wielding, or facing, in battle. Within their types, weapons are listed alphabetically.<br />
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Gunpowder weaponry is not listed, as BattleMaster never mentions it.<br />
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<br />
==Pole Weapons==<br />
Axes have been included in this list.<br />
*Awl Pike - also called an ahlspiess. A metal spike, usually over three feet in length, mounted on a shaft of 5 to 6 feet in length. At the base of the spike was a rondel guard, a simple round piece of metal, to protect the hands.<br />
*Bardiche - an Eastern European weapon. A tall axehead - perhaps 2 feet long - mounted by two sockets onto a short pole, usually up to 5 feet long.<br />
*Battle Axe - an axe specifically designed for warfare. Since flesh is easier to slice than wood, battle axes were usually lighter than utility axes and had narrower blades. Axes might be used by horsemen or infantrymen, and might be double- or single-handed.<br />
*Bec de Corbin - similar to a polearm length war hammer (see below). Usually, instead of using the hammer head to attack, the hammer's 'beak' or fluke was used.<br />
*Bec de Faucon - a polearm with a large hammer head instead of an axe, and backed with a spike or curved fluke. The weapon either terminated in a heavy steel counterweight, or a sharpened buttspike, and seemed to range anywhere from five to seven or more feet long.<br />
*Bill - also called a bill hook or bill-guisarme. A pole 6 to 9 feet long, with (usually) three implements attached: a blade on one side of the end, a hook on the other and a spear-like spike straight off the top.<br />
*Boar Spear - a short and heavy spear for hunting wild boar. Two 'lugs' or wings were placed behind the blade of the spear to prevent the head entering too deep, and to stop the boar working its way up the spear. On the battlefield, the lugs could be used to entangle enemy equipment, and also prevented a thrust going too deep which meant the user could be confident that he would be able to pull the spear out again.<br />
*Breach-Pike - an awl pike without the rondel guard.<br />
*Candeliere - an Italian term, literally 'candlestick'. This was a shortened awl pike.<br />
*Chacing Staff - also called a chasing staff, this was a staff 10 to 12 feet long with a spike on the butt end and a shallow blade on the other. It resembled an early halberd or bill.<br />
*Danish Axe - originally the axe used by the Vikings, 4 to 6 feet long. This spread throughout Europe during the 13th century. <br />
*Doloire - also called a wagoner's axe, this was roughly 5 feet long. The head was pointed at the top and rounded at the bottom, and a small hammer head is mounted on the reverse. As the alternative name suggests, this weapon was used as a tool and for self-defence by the men in charge of supply trains.<br />
*Fauchard - a curved blade mounted on a 6 to 7 foot pole. The curve of the blade was concave, similar to a sickle or scythe. <br />
*Fauchard-Fork - a fauchard (see above), with a lance point attached to the top or the point of the blade.<br />
*Flax - like the pitchfork, this was a farming implement, in this case one used to manipulate the material flax, used as an improvised weapon. This was a serrated, saw-like blade, topped with a broad, flat hook and with a spike on the reverse, mounted on a 7 to 8 foot pole.<br />
*Glaive - a single edged blade - perhaps 18 inches long - mounted on a pole 6 to 7 feet long.<br />
*Guisarme - also called a gisarme or bisarme. Originally simply a pruning hook on a spear shaft. Later a hooked blade with a spike on the reverse side. Eventually a catch-all term for any weapon with a hook on.<br />
*Halberd - An axe head on a pole, with a hook-blade on the reverse and a long spike straight off the top.<br />
*Half-Pike - a shortened pike, commonly used by sailors, as it was easier to manipulate in the limited space of a ship's deck.<br />
*Jousting Lance - a lance (see below), but with a blunt and spread out tip, and sometimes with a hollowed shaft to break on impact.<br />
*Lance - the lance as used by knights was longer, stouter and heavier than the spear and was mounted with a vamplate, a circular metal plate to prevent the hand sliding up the shaft upon impact. Once the initial charge had been made, the lance usually had to be abandoned.<br />
*Kusari-gama - More of a composite weapon, it composed of a scythe with a flail attached to the bottom end. A user would use the flail to knock the opponent off balance, and then rush forward to bring the scythe edge into play.<br />
*Long-Bearded Axe - an axe where the cutting edge of the blade extends below the width of the throat, which saves weight and allows the axe to be held just below the head if necessary, for close blows and woodcutting.<br />
*Lucerne Hammer - so-called because many were found at Lucerne, Switzerland. This is a three or four pronged hammer head mounted on a 7 foot pole, with a spike on the reverse and a longer spike straight of the top.<br />
*Man Catcher - a bizarre non-lethal polearm. A pole mounted with a two-pronged head. Each prong was semi-circular, with a spring-loaded 'door' on the front. This valve-like system allowed a man-sized object to be caught from a horse and pinned to the ground. This was ideal for capturing nobles for ransom.<br />
*Mattock - similar to a pickaxe, but with the head terminating in a broader blade than the pickaxe's long spike. This was an agricultural implement that could be used as an improvised weapon by peasants.<br />
*Military Fork - an evolution of the pitchfork (see below) for battlefield use. Usually military forks had only two tines (prongs); these were usually parallel or slightly flared. This became the favoured polearm in some areas of Europe.<br />
*Naginata - similiar to the glaive, a curved blade mounted on a wooden shaft. While naginata could both slash and stab, slashing usually held more power due to the leverage provided by the pole and the shape of the blade. The length of the haft was around 5 to 7 feet, while the blade was around 2-3 feet long.<br />
*Ox Tongue Spear - also called the langue de boeuf. An English broad bladed, double edged halberd.<br />
*Partisan - a lance or spear head mounted on a shaft with a small double axe head mounted just below it. It eventually became clear that the partisan was not a good battlefield weapon. It became a ceremonial and civil weapon, and so might be borne by city guards and militia.<br />
*Pike - a polearm, similar to a spear, from 10 to a remarkable 22 feet long. Primarily used in a close formation against cavalry.<br />
*Pitchfork - a farming implement which might be used by peasants lacking anything else. Pitchforks varied in lenghts and usually had 2 to 6 tines.<br />
*Pollaxe - also called a pole axe, poll-axe, polax or hache. This was a polearm 4 to 7 feet long with a modular head. Usually an axe blade - smaller than that of a halberd - or a hammer head was mounted on the damaging 'face', with a spike, hammer or fluke on the reverse. A blade often came off the top too. A rondel guard might be fixed below the head, and a spike might be fixed to the butt.<br />
*Qiang - a weapon of Chinese make, it was essentially a cheap, mass-producable spear. However, one striking feature was the red horse-hair tassle situated just below the blade. The spear was a strong but flexible wood, which bends to absorb impact preventing breakage. The bending motion combined with the blurring effect of the tassle made the spear tip very hard to follow.<br />
*Ranseur - also called a runka or rawcon. Essentially a spear with a cross hilt mounted just below the head. Sometimes the hilt was crescent shaped, which produced something like a trident. <br />
*Spear - the simplest polearm. The spear was cheap and required little training, but as the Middle Ages progressed, it was gradually abandoned in favour of other polearms.<br />
*Spetum - also called a chauve, souris, corseca, corsèsque, and korseke. A 6 to 8 foot long polearm, spear-tipped, with two projections at the base of the tip. Unlike the ranseur and the partisan, the projections are single edged and used for slashing.<br />
*Swordstaff - a Danish weapon ('Svaerdstav'), in essence a sword blade mounted on a staff - not as long as a spear but longer than a sword - and thus better than a spear for very close combat, and better than a sword for fighting mounted opponents. However, it was probably a 'jack of all trades and master of none' because of its hybrid nature.<br />
*Tachibo - a Bo with a slot that could allow a Tachi(blade) to slide into, thus creating a Spear.<br />
*War Hammer - a hammer head mounted on a pole or staff. Polearm length war hammers were employed against cavalry, whereas shorter war hammers were used by them. Often a spike might be mounted straight off the top. <br />
*War Scythe - this is a peasant's scythe, but adapted for warfare. The blade is moved, from its position at right angles to the shaft, to extend upright from it. Particularly associated with Poland.<br />
*Voulge - a polearm similar to a glaive (see above), but with a broader blade and more of a hacking than a cutting motion. Sometimes the blade narrowed to a 'pointed top' for stabbing.<br />
*Yari - the Japanese longspear, recognized by its straight and long blade. Yari were extremely durable. The shaft was made from hardwood and covered in bamboo strips, and then held together by metal rings. Yari varied from one meter long for a foot soldier to about 2.5 meters for a mounted combatant and even 6 meters for use in a phalanx-like formation.<br />
<br />
==Blunts==<br />
*Bo - the Japanese name for a quarterstaff.<br />
*Chain Mace - a morningstar (see below) or a metal ball on the end of a long length of chain. The chain was often wrapped in leather or another protective material.<br />
*Club - also called a cudgel or a bludgeon. Probably the simplest of all weapons. A wooden stick with which the wielder strikes his enemies. This would be a peasant's weapon, but soldiers might employ it when doing police work. Maces were derived from clubs.<br />
*Cudgel - see club above.<br />
*Cosh - otherwise known as a sap or a blackjack, it was simply lead weights wrapped in a bag, and used to incapacitate people when they weren't looking. Other heavy materials could be substituted. A common mugger's weapon, as it was easily concealed.<br />
*Flail - strictly speaking, one or more metal balls - sometimes morningstars (see below) - attached by a chain or chains to a staff. An impact weapon, which could curve around a shield or a parrying weapon.. Named a flail because the wielder's motions resembled those of someone using the (quite different) farming implement.<br />
*Godendag - also called the goedendag, plançon-à-picot or chandelier. This was a Flemish variant of the morningstar mace. It was a long wooden club, 4 to 6 feet long, with an iron spike on the end. <br />
*Holy Water Sprinkler - also called a goupillon. Strictly speaking, a short, spiked iron bar on the end of a chain, similar to a morningstar flail - indeed the term can also refer to morningstar flails or morningstar maces. So-called probably because the spikes resemble sprays of holy water from an eclesiastical aspergillum. <br />
*Horseman's Pick - a cavalry war hammer, with a long spike on the reverse of the hammer head. The spike was curved downwards, giving it a pick-like shape.<br />
*Lathi - an Indian bamboo staff, of varying length, usually (but not always) tipped with a metal blunt at one end. Usually used to incapacitate opponents.<br />
*Long Stave - also long staff. This was a longer, Early Modern version of the quarterstaff (see below). A long stave could be 12 to 18 feet long.<br />
*Mace - a wooden, reinforced or metal shaft topped with a metal or stone head, which was thicker than the shaft and often sported spikes, knobs or flanges. Infantry maces were usually 2 to 3 feet long. Cavalry maces were somewhat longer.<br />
*Maul - originally a long handled hammer used to split wood, with a wedge-shaped head, a little like a broad axehead. A peasant's implement. This could be modified with metal banding and rivets to provide a battlefield weapon. Two-handed maces were also called mauls.<br />
*Morningstar - strictly speaking, the small spiked round ball found either on the end of a chain in a flail or on the end of a shaft in a morningstar mace. More generally could refer to any type of spiked club.<br />
*Nunchaku - not a dedicated martial weapon, it consisted of two lengths of wood joined by a thick chain. Exponente wielded it in a manner similiar to a mace, but a lot faster due to its light weight.<br />
*Manrikigusari - a ninja's weapon, consisting of a thick chain with lead weights at the end. The user either hurled them at the target or whirled it around, causing the weights to slam into the enemy, and thereby incapacitating him. It could be easily folded up and concealed.<br />
*Quarterstaff - an English staff weapon, usually 6 to 9 feet long. A quarterstaff might have metal caps or spikes at one or both ends. Early, longer variants of the quarterstaff were called long staves (see above). Many implements can be converted into a quarterstaff and a quarterstaff could of course be used as a long walking staff.<br />
*Shillelagh - a weapon associated with Ireland. A wooden club or cudgel, usually a knotty stick with a large knob on the end, made from blackthorn or oak. A shillelagh might be hollowed out at the striking end and filled with molten lead. This variation was called a 'loaded stick'.<br />
*Shield - Shields could serve as a weapon in an emergency, especially with the addition of spikes or sharp edges.<br />
*Tetsubo - a staff composed of heavy wood or metal and covered with metal at the striking end. Few could wield it due to their extreme weight, but a skilled wielder could use it to cleave heads and smash horses' legs.<br />
*Tonfa - The tonfa consisted of two parts, a handle with a knob, and perpendicular to the handle, a shaft or board that lies along the hand and forearm. The shaft was usually 20–24 inches long.<br />
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==Blades==<br />
*Arming Sword - a single handed, double edged sword usually used for cutting. Until the late 13th century and the rise of the longsword, these swords were the standard knight's sword - 'war sword' - and after that time they remained a common side-arm. Knights would wear arming swords in and out of armour; they would be 'undressed' without one.<br />
*Backsword - the backsword was so named because it only had one cutting edge. The non-cutting edge (the back of the blade) was much thicker than the cutting edge thus creating a wedge type cross-section.<br />
*Baselard - also called a basilard, this was a Swiss weapon, somewhere between a short sword and a dagger. It was perhaps 40 centimetres long, although after the Middle Ages it became longer.<br />
*Bihänder - also called a zweihänder, or bidenhänder, this was an extremely large two-handed sword. Its heyday was the 16th century, but it originated in Germany during the 14th century. The weapon as a whole might be 5 or 6 feet long, and usually had a cross guard.<br />
*Cinquedea - a thrusting civilian short sword from Italy during the end of the Middle Ages, with a heavy, roughly 45 centimetre long blade.<br />
*Chuttuval - lit. 'coiled sword', also known as the 'urumi'. An Indian weapon, something between a short whip and a sword; a flexible band of steel 3/4 to 1 inch in width, and perhaps 4 to 5 foot in length, mounted on a handle. Difficult to control. Apparently multiple bands can be mounted on the same handle for an even more complex weapon.<br />
*Claymore - a two-handed sword, somewhat smaller and lighter, and thus faster, than other two-handed swords. Medieval claymores - with a cross guard - are different from the 18th century basket-hilt claymore. The blade was roughly 40 inches long.<br />
*Dao - a catch-all Chinese word to refer to all curved swords developed for the purpose of slashing.<br />
*Dagger - a simple knife, usually double edged. A particularly popular variant was the rondel (see below). Daggers were usually used as a side-arm, and, since they could penetrate the joints in a suit of armour, they could be used to kill an unhorsed knight or to force him to surrender.<br />
*Dirk - a Scottish word. The actual configuration of a dirk varied. Sometimes a dirk was a small, straight dagger; sometimes it was a sword blade mounted with a dagger hilt.<br />
*Ear Dagger - a rare weapon, thought to have originated in Spain. An Ear Dagger usually had a single sharpened edge ending in an acute point. The pommel had a distinctive shape, supposedly resembling a human ear.<br />
*Falchion - a single hand, single edged sword with a wide blade. These were cheap to produce.<br />
*Flamberge - any sword with a wavy edge (hence the name, 'flame blade'). Such a sword would have been attractive and distinctive, but would also apparently create unusual vibrations in an opponent's blade when parrying, which might disrupt their technique. The word 'flamberge' was sometimes also used to refer to a Bihänder sword (see above).<br />
*Greatsword - a 'greatsword' was not a particular type of sword, but the word might mean a heavy arming sword, a large longsword, a claymore or a bihänder<br />
*Großes Messer - also called a langmesser, heibmesser or simply a messer, this was a single edged, inexpensive German blade, similar to a falchion. The blade might be 30 inches long.<br />
*Jian - a traditional Chinese weapon, it was a long, straight sword. There a thin blade allowed it to bend. A jian was difficult to wield, as its effectiveness depended on the user's finesse and agility, rather than brute force, much like a rapier. <br />
*Jitte - Similiar to the sai; a light, dull sword with a tsuba (outblade) designed to catch opponent's swords. It was rougly the size of a wakizashi, and was wielded if the wielder wanted to disarm, not kill. As such, it was commonly used by law-enforcement officers.<br />
*Katzbalger - an arming sword 75 to 85 cm long, with a distinctive figure-eight shaped guard. Famously sturdy, sometimes used as a secondary weapon by pikemen, archers and crossbowmen.<br />
*Katana - feudal Japanese blade. Perhaps 70-90 cm long and remarkably sharp and strong, despite being very thin. Difficult to master but extremely effective. Single-edged. The katana held a special significance for samurai, who felt that they were incomplete without it, whether they actually used it or not - much like a European knight's relationship with his 'arming sword'.<br />
*Katar - an Indian punching dagger or sword. Unusually, the grip is mounted horizontally to the blade, so the blade sits on the user's knuckles and thrusts are made with a punching motion (see also the Pata).<br />
*Longsword - also called a langschwerdt, spadone or montante (the terms 'bastard sword and 'hand-and-a-half sword' are modern). An evolution of the arming sword, with a cross guard. Lengths varied, but usually both hands could fit comfortably onto the hilt, although it might be used one-handed. <br />
*Mercygiver - also called a misericordias, this was a long English knife specifically designed for delivering a coup de grâce to a wounded man. It saw much use during the Hundered Years' War; the French considered it unchivalrous.<br />
*Ninjatō/Ninjaken - the type of sword a ninja would have carried, a cut down version/variant of the Katana and Wakizashi, and usually not made of folding metal like the katana. Straight bladed.<br />
*Pata - an Indian concept, a little like a scaled-up Katar (see above); a blade of 10 to 44 inches length was mounted on the end of a gauntlet. As with the Katar, the user was able to thrust by using a punching motion.<br />
*Poniard - a thrusting dagger with a slim square or triangular blade.<br />
*Romphaia - a two-handed sword with a shallow curve, originally used in Classical times but surviving in use during the Early Medieval period.<br />
*Rondel - also called a roundel, this was a single edged dagger which had rondels - flat metal circles - for both its pommel and guard. It was worn by a variety of people from knights to merchants. The blade was usually more than 12 inches long. There were also four-edged variants, the blade having a cruciform cross-section.<br />
*Sabre - usually a single-edged, curved blade with a hand guard. Sabres originally arrived in Europe with the Magyars in the 10th century.<br />
*Sai - The sai's basic form is that of an unsharpened dagger, with two long, unsharpened projections (tsuba) attached to the handle. It is originally a purely defensive weapon, used to trap an opponent's sword between the prongs, and attempt to disarm him. A sai is basically a jitte (see above) with two tsuba instead of one.<br />
*Shamshir - a sabre of Persian ancestry. The one striking feature about a shamshir was the radical curve of the blade, sometimes even up to 15 degrees. As such, it was used mostly for slashing, as the curve made stabbing difficult.<br />
*Shortsword - in medieval terms, a 'shortsword' was a one-handed sword short only in comparison to a longsword. The word was rarely used and is something of a neologism.<br />
*Scimitar - a curved, single-edged sword, used mostly in North-Africa and Arabia. It dates back to almost 2 millennia B.C. during the 18th Egyptian Dynasty, when the first mention of curved blades is made. It is primarily used for slashing enemies.<br />
*Stiletto - a small, straight dagger. It had no edge, only an extremely sharp point. Used primarily by infiltrators to carry out assasinations, being light,slim and easy to conceal. However, it was almost worthless for any other purpose.<br />
*Sword Breaker - could be a term for any weapon designed to break swords, but usually a long and sturdy dagger with slots on one side. By catching an opponent's blade in a slot, and twisting the Sword Breaker, the user could in theory break his opponent's weapon. How well this worked in practice is not certain.<br />
*Talwar - an Indian sword, similar in shape to a Shamshir but usually with a wider blade.<br />
*Tessen - a fan which had metal spokes, sharpened to deadly points. They were designed to look like regular fans, and were used in places where swords and other overt weapons were not allowed.<br />
*Wakizashi - a smaller version of a katana, it was commonly worn as a sidearm by katana-wielding samurai. In the Feudal era, a technique comsisting of using a katana and a wakizashi in tandem (collectively knowm as the 'daisho', meaning long(katana) and short(wakizashi)) was developed.<br />
*Zanbato - A huge, heavy sword, with no fingerguard or noticable hilt. Used as more of a bludgeoning weapon, downing foes with brute force. Two handed.<br />
<br />
==Personal Ranged Weapons==<br />
*Arbalest - although this word could mean any crossbow, it more commonly meant a crossbow-like weapon with a steel prod, which allowed for a greater draw force.<br />
*Chakram - an Indian throwing weapon; a flat metal ring, usually 5 to 12 inches in diameter and with a sharpened outer edge. This weapon is frequently featured in modern fantasy and martial arts media, where it usually appears with a larger diameter and is often solely a melee weapon.<br />
*Crossbow - a bow, called a 'prod', mounted on a stock. The string was drawn back - either unaided or by a mechanical mechanism - and then released by a trigger; the weapon fired arrow-like projectiles called bolts. Crossbows fired slowly but had great draw force. They were often considered unchivalrous.<br />
*Dart - darts have been present in European warfare for a long time. Some were used in the Middle Ages, but they generally played little part in battle. Sometimes darts were fashioned for special purposes: for example, certain Byzantine heavy cavalry would throw specially made, 12 inch long, barbed, lead-weighted and feathered darts as they charged.<br />
*Longbow - famously used by the Welsh and then the English, this was a bow of great length - perhaps 6 feet - requiring great strength and a great deal of practice to be used effectively. The longbow could be long-ranged, and it could be accurate, but it could not be both at the same time. A variety of arrowheads were used for different purposes.<br />
*Shuriken - a Japanese term for any concealed throwing weapon. Although modern culture is most familiar with the 'throwing star' form of the shuriken, shuriken could be any easily concealed sharp object, fashioned from a wide range of objects (such as needles, nails, coins or chisels), or made from scratch. Shuriken were usually used for incapacitation or distraction.<br />
*Staff Sling - also called a stave sling or fustibale. Although the sling was obsolete during the medieval period, the staff sling was still used during sieges. A sling on the end of a staff - up to 6 feet long - could hurl heavy stones great distances, utilising a lever effect.<br />
*Yumi - a Japanese term use to refer to bows, which included the Daikyu (Longbow) and the Hankyu(Shortbow).<br />
<br />
==Improvised Weaponry==<br />
A number of the weapons listed above were converted agricultural implements - scythes, pitchforks et cetera - and, given the poor understanding of logistics during the Medieval period, commanders were often forced to improvise. The Byzantine general Belisarius, for example, was supposedly forced to equip some of his infantry with park fenceposts and large metal platters in lieu of spears and shields before his last battle (he won). <br />
<br />
Moving away from a purely military context, almost anything might serve as a weapon in an emergency. During a tavern brawl mugs might serve as missiles and chair-legs as clubs, a civilian rider might have to resort to his whip, if an urban population revolted they might well throw cobblestones and tiles, and a noble would be forced to use the first thing that came to hand against an assassin; Julius Caesar is supposed to have had only a stylus to defend himself when he was assassinated (Caesar was not Medieval, but the principle is the same).<br />
<br />
<br />
==Siege Engines==<br />
Miscellaneous thrown objects might include simple stone or metal balls, flammable objects, large arrow-like objects, beehives, carcasses, or unsuccessful spies. Siege engines - especially the larger, more expensive types - were sometimes named. King Edward I, for example, possessed thirteen trebuchets; some were named to intimidate ('War-Wolf') and others were named with a certain black humour ('Vicar' and 'Parson' - presumably playing on the trebuchet's ability to usher souls into the next world).<br />
*Ballista - this classical weapon - a kind of giant crossbow - was occasionally used in the Middle Ages, but it was expensive and complex, and so was generally replaced by the onager.<br />
*Battering Ram - at its simplest, a log which soldiers batter gates with. More advanced rams might be slung from a frame or placed on rollers. Often rams were protected with roofs and side-screens.<br />
*Catapult - this appears to have been a catch-all term for any siege engine that launched projectiles.<br />
*Onager - the onager used a sling attached to a throwing arm to launch a solid projectile. Later onagers might have fired several projectiles from a fixed bowl. 'Onager' appears to have been interchangeable with 'mangonel'. Onagers used torsion bundles to throw their projectile(s).<br />
*Siege Hook - a large metal hook, if strong enough, could be mounted on a long pole, or attached to a strong rope, and used to physically pull down the stones of the defender's wall. These saw little use and were probably only useful against minor defences which could be easily taken by other methods as well.<br />
*Siege Tower - a tower on wheels, usually constructed at the scene of the siege and built higher than the besieged walls. Siege towers could carry archers, and a drawbridge might be lowered onto the walls to allow troops access.<br />
*Trebuchet - unlike the onager and ballista, the trebuchet used a counterweight acting on a lever to hurl much larger projectiles. Trebuchets appear to have had a range of about 300 yards - within skilled bowshot. Large trebuchets were slow to operate, launching perhaps two projectiles per hour.<br />
<br />
==Miscellaneous Siege Techniques==<br />
It should be noted that, until the arrival of gunpowder, the balance of technology and logistics ''usually'' favoured the defender.<br />
==='Boiling Oil'===<br />
Various unpleasant substances might be poured on attackers through purpose built holes, or simply over the walls. Boiling oil in particular would have been expensive, and oil was a limited resource. Defenders would more commonly employ cheaper alternatives, such as boiling water, burning pitch or heated sand.<br />
===Escalade=== <br />
This was a ladder assault on besieged walls. Attackers carrying out an escalade suffered heavy casualties from missile weapons, boiling oil et cetera; if they reached the battlements, they would be outnumbered. Often an escalade was not attempted aggresively, but stealthily, at night, in order to infiltrate and open the gates.<br />
===Filling===<br />
If the besiegers faced a moat or ditch, they might attempt to bridge it by filling it - with stones, bundles of sticks, earth or corpses - often as a prelude to the deployment of rams, or to an escalade.<br />
===Greek Fire===<br />
Greek fire was a weapon made using a secret formula, deployed by the Byzantine empire. Greek fire stuck to things, and water did not put it out. Objects could be soaked in Greek fire and then launched by siege engines, or it could be combined with a metal siphon to create a primitive flamethrower. The Byzantines also supposedly had a variation which was ignited by contact with sunlight; this could be smeared on enemy siege engines by spies during the night, with predictable results when day came!<br />
===Sapping===<br />
Sapping was also called undermining or simply mining; besiegers might dig tunnels under besieged walls to cause a breach. Gunpowder was not used until the very late Middle Ages, but the engineers might build the tunnel using wooden supports which could then be burned to cause the tunnel to collapse. The besieged might countermine, digging into the tunnel themselves to kill the engineers, or digging underneath the initial tunnel before it reached their walls and attempting to collapse ''that'' tunnel.<br />
===Sortie===<br />
Fortifications often had one or more inconspicuous or concealed secondary gates. The defenders could come outside the walls using one of these in an attempt to catch the attackers off guard - making a sortie. Depending on the forces available, the defenders might aim simply to drive the enemy back and destroy some of their seige eqiupment, or might hope to actually lift the siege entirely. Sorties were also made in co-ordination with relieving forces.<br />
===Waiting===<br />
Unless a relieving army was on the way or the attackers themselves lacked supplies, often the simplest option was to attempt to starve the defenders out.<br />
<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
[[Battle]]<br />
<br />
[[Duel]]<br />
<br />
[[Fortifications]]<br />
<br />
[[Unit Naming Guide]]<br />
<br />
[[Category: Background Information]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=On_War&diff=87037On War2008-02-09T15:36:19Z<p>Egregious: Updated the 'local spies' section: nobles can subvert enemy adventurers</p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__<br />
<br />
<br />
This article is an attempt at a rudimentary philosophy of war in its BattleMaster incarnation. It should be noted at the outset that this is a ''philosophy'' of war not a system of war. This is an observational account of BattleMaster warfare, as opposed to a strategy guide. Simple systems of war can be found in the Bulletins of most Generals. This is a work in progress.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Continuation of Politics?==<br />
Clausewitz famously said that war was 'the continuation of politics through other means', although this statement was a thesis in a dialectical process, and so should not be seen in isolation.<br />
<br />
This is not the case in BattleMaster. As is clear from the game's very name, BattleMaster focuses on battle. The game would not be good fun if there were no wars. The history of BattleMaster is written in blood, as it were. Indeed, since most diplomacy and debate is directed towards the warmaking of each realm, one might say that the opposite of Clausewitz' famous statement is true; in BattleMaster, politics is 'the continuation of war through other means'.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons for War==<br />
Why do wars occur in BattleMaster? For a war to occur, one realm must declare war on another. Therefore, at least one realm, and possibly both, must see war as in some way desirable. Wars may be fought for the sake and products of war, or to achieve other aims. Of course, usually a war's causes will be some combination of the factors listed below, not one in isolation.<br />
<br />
===War For War's Sake===<br />
In BattleMaster there are a number of products of war that are inherently desirable; since nobles will desire these things, they may be prepared to fight simply for the sake of fighting. These products are:<br />
*Honour.<br />
*Prestige.<br />
*Family Fame.<br />
*Wealth (Personal and Familial).<br />
*The Increase or Maintainance of one's skills.<br />
*Position - in war, nobles shine and may be promoted; war may also create new positions in a realm.<br />
There is a further unquantifiable benefit:<br />
*Excitement - battles are enjoyable and stimulating.<br />
<br />
===War to Achieve Other Aims===<br />
Wars may also be fought to achieve other aims besides the simple products of war: so-called 'teleological' war. These aims might include:<br />
*The Acquisition of Resources - food, for example.<br />
*Satisfaction - a war might be fought because a realm feels that its honour has been besmirched.<br />
*The Redress of Previous Loss - a realm might go to war to recover lost land, lost wealth or lost status.<br />
*Fear - a realm might go to war to prevent another realm from becoming too powerful.<br />
*Obligation - a realm may go to war because it is Allied to, or in Federation with, another realm and feels obliged to help.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Practical War Aims==<br />
The practical aims of a general's strategy when war is declared will usually fall within these five aspirations, listed in increasing order of ambitiousness:<br />
*Satisfaction - the enemy may be forced to admit that they were in the wrong.<br />
*Favourable Treaty - the enemy may be brought to favourable terms, i.e. forced to cede territory.<br />
*Threat Removal - the enemy may be weakened to the point where they no longer threaten the general's realm.<br />
*Subjection - the enemy may be weakened to the point where they can be forced to become a satellite state and serve the general's realm with their armies.<br />
*Destruction - the enemy realm may be removed from the game.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Decisiveness==<br />
Various factors positively or negatively affect the desire for a decisive battle. <br />
<br />
===Compulsion to Unity===<br />
Firstly, armies tend to gather in large, compact groups because a large dispersed force can be defeated contingent by contingent by a small compact force ('defeat in detail'); this has been done numerous times throughout the history of warfare. When two such large groups meet a large battle is likely.<br />
<br />
===Economic Considerations===<br />
The shorter a concflict, the less strain there is on a realm's economy and the less damage to infrastructure. If a war can be decided in one short but climactic struggle, so much the better in economic terms.<br />
<br />
===Honour and Prestige===<br />
If only one battle is fought then there will only be one opportunity for nobles to gain honour and prestige. This means that it may be in the interests of the nobility to prolong conflicts.<br />
<br />
===The 'Pendulum of War'===<br />
Because troops can only be recruited in a realm's capital, a realm's military will be more effective close to its capital. Therefore an offensive is likely to initially succeed before halting in the teeth of stiffer resistance, since the defenders will take perhaps four turns to recruit new men while the attackers must make longer journeys. The defenders will drive the attackers back and go on the offensive themselves. Then they will suffer from the same problem of what is, effectively, an extended 'supply line'. The problem is only compounded if a realm's army must fight on an ally's borders, which will be further from its capital; or if a realm only has one city, because troop leaders will then have to return to their capital to do simpler things such as buying certain paraphernalia or carrying out financial transactions.<br />
<br />
This so-called 'Pendulum of War' is constantly in effect, swinging back and forth, although less so in conflicts fought between realms whose capitals are in close proximity to one another.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Uncontrollable Factors==<br />
Various factors are beyond the control of the players.<br />
<br />
===Weather===<br />
Good weather produces bigger harvests; bad weather reduces harvests. On the battlefield, the weather conditions affect the power of ranged units.<br />
<br />
===Monsters and Undead===<br />
No-one likes monsters and the undead, and their arrival can affect hostilities between human realms directly; they also attack peasants.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Military Structure and Control==<br />
BattleMaster's armies do not have a modern military structure or military discipline in the modern sense. BattleMaster generals who fail to keep this in mind will lose battles, wars, and their Generalship in quick succession. A BattleMaster army is in essence a symbiotic coalition of entirely independent nobles. Generals have a number of tools to coerce their nobles into obeying them - they can request their realm's Judge to issue punishments - but usually it's not threats that keep an army functioning, but the trust of the nobles in their General and his or her ability to deliver victory. The charisma and leadership skills of any given General are always more important in offensive than in defensive warfare - when nobles are defending their own lands, they are more prepared to pay attention and follow orders.<br />
<br />
The nobles rely on the General and his or her subordinates for the strategy and tactics that will enable them to win battles, as the General usually has the clearest synoptic view of the situation. But the General needs his nobles to turn up in the right place at the right time, commanding their units to do the right thing. Furthermore, the General's grasp of the military situation is only possible because of information gathered by individual nobles, in the form of Scout Reports.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Espionage==<br />
Espionage is a perfectly viable tool in Battlemaster. In categorising the various forms that espionage takes in Battlemaster, it may be useful to use Sun Tzu's types of spy; the categories used here are of course translated, and translations of Sun Tzu differ. Most commonly a spy will of course be an infiltrator.<br />
<br />
===Surviving Spies===<br />
By 'surviving spies', Sun Tzu means the simplest and commonest form of spy: a spy who enters enemy territory, causes damage, gathers information and returns. A lesser sort of surving spy would be the scouts regularly employed by all troop leaders.<br />
<br />
===Inward Spies===<br />
Sun Tzu defines inward spying as 'making use of the officials of the enemy'. Likely candidates would have an axe to grind against their government. Communication with inward spies is difficult to conduct while remaining within the common constraints of Battlemaster ethics. Using IRC to chat to an enemy marshal who is secretly in your pay, for example, would be rather unethical. In fact, that would be cheating. However, on the rare occasions when both parties are present in the same organisation (a guild or religion), such spying is perfectly within the game's rules (though not necessarily honourable).<br />
<br />
===Converted Spies===<br />
A converted spy is an enemy spy induced to secretly change sides by bribes, threats or some combination thereof: a 'double agent'.<br />
<br />
===Local Spies===<br />
Local spies are members of the local population, won over and used. Although you might induce Battlemaster peasantry to revolt, you cannot use them to gather information. However, by mixing with the peasantry as a new noble, or by visiting local temples, a noble can gather information from the commoners. Adventurers may also be able to pass on information, and a noble who bribes the adventurers of an enemy realm could do serious damage.<br />
<br />
The one other type of spy that Sun Tzu mentions is less commonly used. They are:<br />
<br />
===Doomed Spies===<br />
A doomed spy is fed misinformation by his ruler and then sent off in the hope that he will be captured and pass the misinformation on. To do this in Battlemaster would be difficult, though theoretically possible. The difficulties are that:<br />
*Captives do not voluntarily divulge information; they involuntarily divulge it when tortured.<br />
*If a doomed spy learns of the deception, he may seek revenge. And infiltrators are good at revenge.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Gems of Wisdom]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Command_Hierarchy&diff=87036Command Hierarchy2008-02-09T15:21:02Z<p>Egregious: Grammar/syntax/diction edits for ease of reading. Please check - I hope I didn't alter the actual meaning.</p>
<hr />
<div>== Basics ==<br />
There are two overlapping command hierarchies in BattleMaster. One is the feudal structure of oaths and allegiance and the other is the military command structure of the army system.<br />
<br />
=== Feudal Hierarchy ===<br />
The feudal structure is the more basic one, as it covers all aspects of gameplay. The basic concept is that of a simple hierarchy:<br />
<br />
* rulers<br />
* dukes<br />
* lords<br />
* knights sworn to a lord<br />
* simple nobles<br />
<br />
With the exception of simple nobles, who are drifters and more or less "float" in the structure depending on how the realm positions them, everyone in this chain answers to the person on the next higher step. Dukes answer to the king (though the exact power relationship between them again depends on the realm), lords to their dukes and knights to their lords.<br />
<br />
The hierarchy is of '''utmost importance''' and that especially means that no layer is "jumped over". For example, a duke doesn't order any of the knights of his lords around, as that would mean ignoring the authority of the lords.<br />
<br />
The message system ensures that the "Orders" message type can only be used across the proper hierarchy levels.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Military Hierarchy ===<br />
The military hierarchy likewise has different levels:<br />
<br />
* general<br />
* marshals<br />
* army members<br />
<br />
Again, everyone only answers to his ''direct'' superior, so generals do not order knights around directly (unless they are also a marshal). This represents the limitations of communications in a medieval world in which, without radio or the Internet, a general simply couldn't communicate quickly with troops in remote locations. It also represents the fact that generals are not generally bothered with low-level micro-management: that's what they have marshals for.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Playing the Command Structure ==<br />
=== The Wrong Way ===<br />
Three oft-repeated comments on this command structure are that it is "inefficient", that it takes a long time for orders to reach anyone, or that it requires generals and/or marshals especially to log in very often or right after the turn.<br />
<br />
Whoever tells you that is playing the wrong game the wrong way and should remove his thinking organ from his posterior body opening. Sorry for stating it that harshly, but lots of people won't get it otherwise.<br />
<br />
What's behind that is the mindset of people who play strategy computer games, in which they as the player control every single unit on the battlefield. Well, guess what, BattleMaster isn't one of those games. The units control themselves: there are other players leading them, who want to have some fun and make some decisions too.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The Right Way ===<br />
The right way to play the structure is to ''pass responsibility down the chain'' or delegate. The general should set the high-level missions for each army, and let the marshals handle the details such as when to move where or what formations to use. The marshals, in turn, should check what really needs to be managed by them and what can be left to be decided by the individual knights.<br />
<br />
In addition, not all decisions have to be ad-hoc. Quite on the contrary: advance planning is a lot more useful and guarantees a higher response rate. Standing Orders don't have to be always about the next turn. They can also contain general orders ("withdraw and refit if you have suffered more than 60% casualties") or orders for a few turns in advance. They could also - warning, revolutionary idea - be actual standing orders ("if you don't see shared scout reports of the neighbouring regions when you log in, scout and share the reports").<br />
<br />
In some armies, marshals could even leave some decisions to the players, such as "if a scout report indicates incoming enemies more than twice our size, tell everyone and retreat to the last region we were in". Neither a marshal nor a general has to make every decision right then and there. Lots of decisions can be pre-planned with just a little effort.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Guidelines ===<br />
* If you feel the urge to log in right after turn change as a marshal or general, you are taking too much responsibility upon yourself and not planning ahead enough.<br />
* If you think the general has to read all the scribe notes, gather all the intelligence and know where everyone is and in which condition all units are, you are confusing the general with the marshals. Why should one player do the work, instead of distributing it around? And not only the work, the responsibility and the fun too.<br />
* If your general tries to "game the system" by issuing requests marked as orders to everyone in the realm, remember that they are, in fact, requests, no matter what he calls them. Only your feudal liege and your marshal have the right to issue orders to you.</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Talk:Command_Hierarchy&diff=86798Talk:Command Hierarchy2008-02-05T22:49:37Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>"if you don't see shared scout reports of the neighbouring regions when you log in, scout and share the reports" One presume the exact wording on the standing order itself should be a bit more IC than that...--[[User:Fodder|Fodder]] 22:21, 5 February 2008 (CET)<br />
<br />
Second-in-command: (nobody) and this poor guy don't have place in the militar hierarchy? he can really help marshall... [[User:Vecchioratto|Vecchioratto]] 22:31, 5 February 2008 (CET)<br />
<br />
== Reliability ==<br />
I would gladly like to see any HISTORICAL SOURCE on which Tom supports his visions about command chain. <br />
The fact is that the King could always override the orders of his dukes, and believe me, it was never in the form of request.<br />
<br />
Additional note, the General never send requests. He ORDERS. It´s not like "oh the general requested us to attack France, but we don´t fell like it since only our marshal can order us". No. The General does not have time to have knights thinking if they want to attack or not. The General orders. He can stay on the front lines, and issue orders to the army. His captains and Marshals would make sure the orders were followed, but he would never request things.<br />
[[User:Anna|Anna]] 23:14, 5 February 2008 (CET)<br />
<br />
This Background Information page may be of some help [[Medieval_Warfare]], though it's a little rough and ready.<br />
I am currently studying the medieval period at university, and, while it varied from army to army, things were never as organised as the modern, Clausewitzian army is. If the king was weak, he took orders from his generals, and if the general was weak, his knights might not bother to turn up.--[[User:Egregious|Egregious]] 23:49, 5 February 2008 (CET)</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Talk:Command_Hierarchy&diff=86797Talk:Command Hierarchy2008-02-05T22:49:12Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>"if you don't see shared scout reports of the neighbouring regions when you log in, scout and share the reports" One presume the exact wording on the standing order itself should be a bit more IC than that...--[[User:Fodder|Fodder]] 22:21, 5 February 2008 (CET)<br />
<br />
Second-in-command: (nobody) and this poor guy don't have place in the militar hierarchy? he can really help marshall... [[User:Vecchioratto|Vecchioratto]] 22:31, 5 February 2008 (CET)<br />
<br />
== Reliability ==<br />
I would gladly like to see any HISTORICAL SOURCE on which Tom supports his visions about command chain. <br />
The fact is that the King could always override the orders of his dukes, and believe me, it was never in the form of request.<br />
<br />
Additional note, the General never send requests. He ORDERS. It´s not like "oh the general requested us to attack France, but we don´t fell like it since only our marshal can order us". No. The General does not have time to have knights thinking if they want to attack or not. The General orders. He can stay on the front lines, and issue orders to the army. His captains and Marshals would make sure the orders were followed, but he would never request things.<br />
[[User:Anna|Anna]] 23:14, 5 February 2008 (CET)<br />
<br />
This Background Information page may be of some help [[Medeival_Warfare]], though it's a little rough and ready.<br />
I am currently studying the medieval period at university, and, while it varied from army to army, things were never as organised as the modern, Clausewitzian army is. If the king was weak, he took orders from his generals, and if the general was weak, his knights might not bother to turn up.--[[User:Egregious|Egregious]] 23:49, 5 February 2008 (CET)</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Talk:Medieval_Duels&diff=81269Talk:Medieval Duels2007-11-05T17:30:29Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>Bronnen posted this in the page itself: <br />
''((For anyone that wishes to know. To the Norse, axes were not the weapon of choice. And they rarely cursed. The Norse most people think of are those popularized by Christian myths and stories, which turned them into uncivilized, axe-wielding, barbarians that drank, cursed and wore horned helmets. The Norse were a very poetic people, and weapon of choice was a short sword, not an axe.))''<br />
. . . . which is a fair point, but Norland on Atamara is roleplayed based on the conception of the Norse which most people have - perhaps unfortunately for the Norse' reputation, this is the one popularized by Christian myths and stories. ''viz''. Age of Mythology. Such is the way of history. --[[User:Egregious|Egregious]] 13:23, 4 November 2007 (CET)<br />
<br />
:Thumbs up by the guy who took the king's title, who had his questionned his nobility, in a death duel. ;) --[[User:Chénier|Chénier]] 15:35, 4 November 2007 (CET)<br />
<br />
::Certainly one of the most satisfying ways to the Crown is over the bloodied body of its previous owner . . . --[[User:Egregious|Egregious]] 18:30, 5 November 2007 (CET)</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Talk:Medieval_Duels&diff=81203Talk:Medieval Duels2007-11-04T12:23:58Z<p>Egregious: Shifted a comment to Discussion</p>
<hr />
<div>Bronnen posted this in the page itself: <br />
''((For anyone that wishes to know. To the Norse, axes were not the weapon of choice. And they rarely cursed. The Norse most people think of are those popularized by Christian myths and stories, which turned them into uncivilized, axe-wielding, barbarians that drank, cursed and wore horned helmets. The Norse were a very poetic people, and weapon of choice was a short sword, not an axe.))''<br />
. . . . which is a fair point, but Norland on Atamara is roleplayed based on the conception of the Norse which most people have - perhaps unfortunately for the Norse' reputation, this is the one popularized by Christian myths and stories. ''viz''. Age of Mythology. Such is the way of history. --[[User:Egregious|Egregious]] 13:23, 4 November 2007 (CET)</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Medieval_Duels&diff=81202Medieval Duels2007-11-04T12:21:07Z<p>Egregious: Shifted a comment to Discussion</p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__<br />
During the medieval period, knights would usually fight each other on foot in three contexts: the judicial duel ("trial by combat"), the private duel, and the single combat as part of a tournament. All three were usually fought in armour and this favoured simple movements; medieval duelling is to be distinguished from later, Renaissance duelling with little or no armour and swords designed for thrusting.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Judicial Duels==<br />
The judicial duel, or trial by combat, was a fusion of Celtic and Germanic practices with Christian teaching. In 501 AD, King Grundebald of Burgundy declared that the wager of battle would be a recognised legal process. <br />
<br />
===Rationale===<br />
Previous to this the main system of justice was trial by ordeal, in which guilt and innocence were decided by success at painful tasks: a defendant might have to hold red hot metal without harm, for example. It was assumed that God would aid the innocent and not the guilty. This system was open to widespread fraud; the tests were administered by clergymen, who might very easily control the outcome (in the above example, the metal might be simply painted red to ensure innocence).<br />
<br />
Trial by combat was based on the same principle - that God would help the innocent but not the guilty - but was harder to fix. Victory in combat would ensure the truth of one's claims. Old men, women, invalids and boys under fifteen were exempt, as (later) were priests.<br />
<br />
===Practice===<br />
Various conventions governed trial by combat - for example, combat would not start before noon and if the defendant could survive until the stars came out he would automatically win (quite what happened on cloudy nights is unknown). Commoners were usually restricted to fighting with staves, mounted combat and swordplay being the preserve of the nobility. One or both parties could have a proxy fight for them and soon a class of 'champions' arose, who saw fighting as a proxy as a dangerous but lucrative career.<br />
<br />
===Relationship with the Church===<br />
Trial by combat always had an uneasy relationship with the church. Sometimes the church espoused it; indeed, some priests took part (wielding blunt weapons), some monasteries had stadia built specially for such duels and one Bishop Liutprand of Cremona is supposed to have retained a champion to prove the truth of his theological statements. However, successive Popes condemned it and it fell out of fashion by the 16th century. <br />
<br />
Interestingly, in Britain, trial by combat was only legally abolished in the 19th century when a child murderer used it as a legal loophole to avoid justice.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Private Duels==<br />
Around the 13th century, the 'duel of chivalry' developed from the duel of law. The duel of chivalry was a formal, ritualised form of combat, but for those who found its strictures irksome, or who sought extra-legal justice, there was the 'duel of honour': usually private, often illegal and therefore secret. Duels of honour began as anything but honourable: they took place in hidden locations without rules or referees; contemporary books of swordsmanship tell us that men might carry sand in their pockets to throw in their opponent's face, and warn against shaking hands with a man whose sword is already drawn, in case it is used immediately. Nevertheless, a repeatedly successful duellist might develop a good reputation.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Tournament Single Combat==<br />
At a tournament knights fought each other in three separate events: the tilt (or 'jousting'), the general melee and the single combat on foot. These events would be fought ''à outrance'' - to the point of surrender - or '' à plaisance'' - for fun. Single combat on foot was not just fought with the sword; knights might use axes, poleaxes and daggers as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Technique==<br />
In all three types of duel armour was worn, although perhaps less so in extra-legal duels of honour. Battlefield weapons and shields were used. These factors produced a style of combat centred on simple fighting, one blow at a time. However, it was important to be able to change stroke if you realised that you would otherwise miss, and so light but strong weapons were favoured.<br />
<br />
In a duel of honour, though not in a tournament combat, the challenged man had the privelege of first blow. There was much initial feinting and manoeuvring. When the first man to strike was recovering and preparing his next stroke, the other would attack, and so on.<br />
<br />
The combatants would either try to avoid blows altogether, or block them with the shield. Only once the shield was too cut up to be of any use did they try to parry with their weapon, since edge-to-edge clashes damaged both blades. In a fight to the death, a finishing blow would have to be delivered through a chink in the armour. This style of fighting was unlike the duels with long thrusting weapons that were to come later, but it did demand similar levels of skill and physical condition.<br />
<br />
<br />
==As Applied to Battlemaster==<br />
What sort of duel takes place when a Battlemaster duel happens is largely up to the players' roleplay, and the realm. In a realm where duelling is illegal, most duels will likely be private affairs, 'duels of honour' away from the public eye. In a realm where duelling is legal, or encouraged, duels might take on more of a juidicial cast; if the realm's judge wants to, he could actually start making rulings based on juidicial duels (although he might have a rebellion on his hands if he did). Duels as part of a tournament are of course represented by the swordfighting competitions.<br />
<br />
Equipment and technique also depends on the players' roleplaying and the type of realm; for example, a duel in the Atamaran realm of Norland, which has a Norse theme, might involve axes and lots of cursing . . .<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Background Information]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Vilhardouin_Family&diff=79563Vilhardouin Family2007-10-14T22:42:40Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__<br />
The Vilhardouin family recently rose (over the course of several generations) from the prosperous part of the peasantry up to the poorer section of the nobility, in the [[Cagilan Empire|Cagilan]] province of [[Atamara/Alatol|Alatol]], on [[Atamara]]. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Geoffrey Vilhardouin ==<br />
Geoffrey, the eldest son of the family, has sworn allegience to the Lord of Strahan and joined the armies of the Cagilan Empire. Geoffrey is currently a knight. His arms are predominantly grey and silver, and he favours grey clothing and banners for his soldiers (when he can afford to kit them out). He prefers to lead infantry, and likes to equip them with an eclectic mix of polearms, swords and axes.<br />
<br />
== Schwarz Vilhardouin ==<br />
Schwarz, Geoffrey's younger brother, was disowned and exiled to the East Continent after a 'serious indescretion' with the daughter of a neighbouring farmer. He earns a meagre living battling foul monsters and the eldritch undead in Perdan.<br />
<br />
== Isabella Vilhardouin ==<br />
Isabella is the youngest of the three Vilhardouin siblings. She has followed Geoffrey's choice of career in serving the Cagilan Empire. Isabella eschews heraldic devices on her own or her men's equipment.<br />
<br />
== OOC Notes ==<br />
The name Vilhardouin is a corruption of the Villehardouin family name, of a medieval knight, adventurer and historian whose descendents carved out a successor kingdom in Southern Greece after the 1204 sack of Constantinople. Check [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villehardouin their page] on Wikipedia if you're interested.<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
[[User:Egregious|Egregious]]' user page.<br />
<br />
[[Cagilan Empire]]<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Families]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Vilhardouin_Family&diff=79562Vilhardouin Family2007-10-14T22:40:54Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__<br />
The Vilhardouin family recently rose (over the course of several generations) from the prosperous part of the peasantry up to the poorer section of the nobility, in the [[Cagilan Empire|Cagilan]] province of [[Atamara/Alatol|Alatol]], on [[Atamara]]. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Geoffrey Vilhardouin ==<br />
Geoffrey, the eldest son of the family, has sworn allegience to the Lord of Strahan and joined the armies of the Cagilan Empire. Geoffrey is currently a knight. His arms are predominantly grey and silver, and he favours grey clothing and banners for his soldiers (when he can afford to kit them out). He prefers to lead infantry, and likes to equip them with an eclectic mix of polearms, swords and axes.<br />
<br />
== Schwarz Vilhardouin ==<br />
Schwarz, Geoffrey's younger brother, was disowned and exiled to the East Continent after a 'serious indescretion' with the daughter of a neighbouring farmer. He earns a meagre living battling foul monsters and the eldritch undead in Perdan.<br />
<br />
== Isabella Vilhardouin ==<br />
Isabella is the youngest of the three Vilhardouin siblings. She has followed Geoffrey's choice of career in serving the Cagilan Empire.<br />
<br />
== OOC Notes ==<br />
The name Vilhardouin is a corruption of the Villehardouin family name, of a medieval knight, adventurer and historian whose descendents carved out a successor kingdom in Southern Greece after the 1204 sack of Constantinople. Check [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villehardouin their page] on Wikipedia if you're interested.<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
[[User:Egregious|Egregious]]' user page.<br />
<br />
[[Cagilan Empire]]<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Families]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Buildings&diff=79416Buildings2007-10-13T18:52:29Z<p>Egregious: Grammar/syntax/diction edits for flow.</p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__<br />
Throughout your realm, various buildings, workshops and other craftsmen offer their services to you and your unit. Cities especially often contain many different buildings that you can put to use. The price shown below for constructing each type of building is only a guideline. The cost will vary based on the number of buildings already in the region, the type of region, and possibly other factors as well.<br />
<br />
==Recruitment Centres==<br />
Recruitment Centres allow you to recruit troops from the region. When building a recruiting centre, the region lord can only choose from Normal, [[Unit#Infantry|Infantry]], [[Unit#Archers|Archery]], or [[Unit#Cavalry|Cavalry]]. If the construction of a specific type of centre is attempted, there is a chance that suitable equipment or specialists will not be found, and the construction attempt will fail. If it fails, then most of the money invested will be returned. If a Normal recruiting centre is selected, there is a small chance that a [[Unit#Mixed_Infantry|Mixed Infantry]] or [[Unit#Special_Forces|Special Forces]] centre will be produced instead. The region lord ''cannot'' explicitly choose to build a Mixed Infantry or Special Forces recruiting centre. <br />
<br />
The total number of recruits that can be trained and available in a recruiting centre at any one time is a function of the size of the centre. When a new recruiting centre is constructed, it is size 1 and can hold a maximum of 25 troops. The total number doubles each time it is enlarged. For example, a size 2 recruiting centre can hold 50 troops, and a size 3 can hold 100 troops. The maximum size of a recruiting centre is related to the type of region in which it is located.<br />
<br />
==Scouts Guild==<br />
Allows recruitment of [[Paraphernalia#Scouts|scouts]]. Cannot be built in cities. Cost: 170 gold, Upkeep: 2 gold<br />
<br />
==Cartbuilders==<br />
Makes [[Paraphernalia#Carts|carts]]. Cost: 60 gold, Upkeep: 1 gold<br />
<br />
==Houses of Healing==<br />
Allow the recruitment of [[Paraphernalia#Healers|healers]]. Cost: 310 gold, Upkeep: 5 gold<br />
<br />
==Banner Manufacture==<br />
Creates [[Paraphernalia#Banners|banners]]. Cost: 150 gold, Upkeep: 2 gold<br />
<br />
==Siege Engine Workshop==<br />
Constructs [[Paraphernalia#Siege Engines|siege engines]]. Can only be built in cities.<br />
<br />
==Traders Supplies==<br />
Builds [[Paraphernalia#Caravans|caravans]]. Cost: 190 gold, Upkeep: 3 gold<br />
<br />
==Academy==<br />
Makes the [[Training#At_the_Academy|skill training]] action available. Can only be built in cities and strongholds.<br />
<br />
==Weapon/Armour Smiths==<br />
Makes it possible to repair equipment in the region. Can only be built in townsland, city, and stronghold regions.<br />
<br />
==Marketplace==<br />
Allows traders to engage in trade deals with themselves, regardless of what the region has. Can only be built in townsland, city, and stronghold regions.<br />
<br />
==Tournament Grounds==<br />
Allows [[tournament]]s to be held in the region. Can only be built in townsland, city, and stronghold regions. Cost varies from region to region, Upkeep: 3 gold<br />
<br />
{{stub}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Manual]]<br />
[[Category:Economy]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Vilhardouin_Family&diff=79389Vilhardouin Family2007-10-13T09:45:42Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__<br />
The Vilhardouin family recently rose (over the course of several generations) from the prosperous part of the peasantry up to the poorer section of the nobility, in the [[Cagilan Empire|Cagilan]] province of Alatol, on [[Atamara]]. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Geoffrey Vilhardouin ==<br />
Geoffrey, the eldest son of the family, has sworn allegience to the Lord of Strahan and joined the armies of the Cagilan Empire. Geoffrey is currently a knight. His arms are predominantly grey and silver, and he favours grey clothing and banners for his soldiers (when he can afford to kit them out). He prefers to lead infantry, and likes to equip them with an eclectic mix of polearms, swords and axes.<br />
<br />
== Schwarz Vilhardouin ==<br />
Schwarz, Geoffrey's younger brother, was disowned and exiled to the East Continent after a 'serious indescretion' with the daughter of a neighbouring farmer. He earns a meagre living battling foul monsters and the eldritch undead in Perdan.<br />
<br />
== Isabella Vilhardouin ==<br />
Isabella is the youngest of the three Vilhardouin siblings. She has followed Geoffrey's choice of career in serving the Cagilan Empire.<br />
<br />
== OOC Notes ==<br />
The name Vilhardouin is a corruption of the Villehardouin family name, of a medieval knight, adventurer and historian whose descendents carved out a successor kingdom in Southern Greece after the 1204 sack of Constantinople. Check [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villehardouin their page] on Wikipedia if you're interested.<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
[[User:Egregious|Egregious]]' user page.<br />
<br />
[[Cagilan Empire]]<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Families]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Cagilan_Empire&diff=79388Cagilan Empire2007-10-13T08:35:51Z<p>Egregious: Updated general name.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Template:RealmInfobox |<br />
realmname =The Cagilan Empire|<br />
smallcrest =[[Image:CE-Logo114x142.png]]|<br />
locationimage = Cagilan Empire.png|<br />
island =[[Atamara]]|<br />
capital =[[Atamara/Cagil|Cagil]]|<br />
largestcity =[[Atamara/Calis|Calis]]|<br />
governmentsystem =[[Government_System#Republic|Republic]]|<br />
ruler_pos =Prime Minister|<br />
general_pos =Minister of Defense|<br />
judge_pos =Grand Justiciar|<br />
banker_pos =Minister of Finances|<br />
ruler = Vengence|<br />
general = Big Bad|<br />
judge = Strider|<br />
banker = Garden |<br />
regioncount = 25|<br />
population = ca. 315,000|<br />
populationrank = 2nd|}}<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
The Cagilan Empire is one of the most influential and prominent realms of Atamara. Its armies can easily sway the battle. The Cagilan Empire has been around since the beginning of Atamara.<br />
<br />
==Government==<br />
The Cagilan Empire is governed as a [[Government System#Republic|Republic]]. Monthly elections ensure that all nobles have a voice in deciding on a Prime Minister and a Judge. These elected officials then decide on who fills other positions in the council. Because of unequal weighting of votes, special interest groups with power can often stay in power through voting for their chosen leaders.<br />
<br />
===Heads of State===<br />
{| style="background:none" cellpadding="3"<br />
|- style="background:#d0d0d0"<br />
! Position !! Name<br />
|- style="background:#e7e7e7"<br />
| '''[[Government System#Republic|Prime Minister]]''' || Vengence<br />
|- style="background:#e7e7e7"<br />
| '''[[Government System#Republic|Minister of Defense]]''' || Nuno Freire<br />
|- style="background:#e7e7e7"<br />
| '''[[Government System#Republic|Grand Justiciar]]''' || Strider<br />
|- style="background:#e7e7e7"<br />
| '''[[Government System#Republic|Minister of Finances]]''' || Garden<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Dukes===<br />
{| style="background:none" cellpadding="3"<br />
|- style="background:#d0d0d0"<br />
! Duchy !! Duke<br />
|- style="background:#e7e7e7"<br />
| '''Calis''' || Pikku<br />
|- style="background:#e7e7e7"<br />
| '''Cagil''' || Shanka foonfa<br />
|- style="background:#e7e7e7"<br />
| '''Eaglin''' || Belenus<br />
|- style="background:#e7e7e7"<br />
| '''Tarasac''' || Strider<br />
|- style="background:#e7e7e7"<br />
| '''Skalk''' || Dakkon Blackblade<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Recent History==<br />
<br />
The One who forged documents stating him the Duke of Tarasac. He is a low life scum and has fled to the Far East, may death find him soon. We have retaken what he has stolen from us and by no means did we support this action.<br />
<br />
We are at peace with Carelia, we currently are holding several of their regions until the treaty is completed. We have given our long time ally and friend Tara the region of Alcatil. This is right next to Tara's capital Foda and it will be much better off within Tara because the people will have better protection so close to Tara's capital.<br />
<br />
==Current Carelia Treaty==<br />
<br />
First: Carelia will give up the regions of Dontow, Clyderee, Forblane and Canock (and of course Skalk which is already being taken over) for a period of 4 months. After that and through absolute obedience to this treaty The Cagilian Empire will give Carelia back the regions of, Dontow, Clyderee, Forblane, Canock, Nida, Carnagi and Oyonniarre. The four months will start after CE has taken the last region from Carelia. After three and a half months from taking the last region Carelia will be allowed to take back their regions.<br />
<br />
Second: During these 4 months Carelia will not be allowed to aid Red Span or Abington in any offensive attacks or allow them to use their land to attack Tara, CE, Talerium or Darka. Carelia is allowed to be on the defensive inside their allies lands, but not on the offensive side (even in their allies regions).<br />
<br />
Third: Due to reduced size and defensive capabilities CE will ensure Carelia's safety from vultures by declaring war on anyone who declares war on Carelia without provication (as determined by both ASI and the council of CE, with ASI having major input as they will be incharge of enforcing this contract).<br />
<br />
Fourth: Carelia and The Cagilan Empire will have peace for a period of at least four months. After which both realms will be free to do as they wish, but CE must return all regions listed in the first clause. Carelia will declare war on Cagilan Empire at the end of the fourth month and retake their regions, after the last region is taken Carelia will lift all bans on Cagilan Empire nobles from the war.<br />
<br />
Fifth: Anyone attacking the other side shall be banned (people new to the game would of course be immune to this as sometimes you can't ban and sometimes they don't know), failure to do so will result in a breach of contract. An attack by 4 or more nobles will result in an automatic breach of contract if they wont be banned ASAP.<br />
<br />
Sixth: In the event of a breached contract, which will happen when any of the previously stated clauses are violated by either side, Carelia will forfeit any previous claim they had to any region previously stated in this contract. If the Cagilan Empire violates this contract they will be subject to military action by Carelia and ASI.<br />
<br />
Seventh: If ASI is forced to use military action to enforce this contract they will be entitled to 100 gold per week for as long as it takes up to 1000 gold from the side that violated this contract. Neither realm will be allowed to hold a vendetta against ASI is simply acting as peace keepers.<br />
<br />
==Books on the Cagilan Empire==<br />
<br />
[[Cagilan Empire/Ancient History|Ancient History of the Cagilan Empire]]<br />
<br />
[[Cagilan Empire/Literature of Entertainment|Literature of Entertainment]]<br />
<br />
==Guilds==<br />
<br />
*[[OEL|Order of Ered Luin]]<br />
**[[Atamara/Tarasac|Tarasac]]<br />
**Hidale<br />
<br />
==Religions==<br />
<br />
Cagilan Empire was the birthplace of the first true religion to be found on the continent of Atamara, [[The Order]]. <br />
<br />
==Newspaper==<br />
<br />
The [[Cagilan Citizen]] was created to compete with another Cagilan newspaper that never came to be. It is the honorable interpretation of events of the Cagilan Empire. Its Honorable Head Editor is Sephirah and its Honorable Assistant Editors are Boba, Cloud and Tsubasa. The newspaper has since become defunct, however, with the inactivity of Sephirah and as a result of the busy schedules of the other editors.<br />
<br />
{{Cagilan Empire Regions}}<br />
<br />
[[Category: Cagilan Empire]]<br />
[[Category: Atamara]]<br />
[[Category: Realms]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=User:Egregious&diff=79347User:Egregious2007-10-12T22:41:29Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>I live in England. I am interested in English and Classical literature (especially the epic tradition). I used to be an avid gamer; and I played a lot of PlanetSide (VS Werner, for those who are interested). I am also a fencer, primarily Epee with a little Foil on the side to help out new people. I watch too much anime.<br />
<br />
My English is quite good, but I am an inexperienced wiki user. <br />
<br />
Talk page word count (15.08.06): 7,599.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Vilhardouin Family|Vilhardouin Family]]<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/Egregious|Contributions]] [The Weaponry page is my favourite]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Title_Systems&diff=79321Title Systems2007-10-12T16:45:47Z<p>Egregious: Capitalisation</p>
<hr />
<div>{{new feature}}<br />
<br />
�<br />
BattleMaster offers realms several different systems by which to attribute titles. Here's a short explanation:<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Simple ====<br />
The simple system is very easy:<br />
* Dukes are Dukes<br />
* Lords of Imperial regions are Viscounts<br />
* Lords of other regions are Barons<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Classic ====<br />
This is the system we used for 6 years; many players grew used to it, so we keep it around. Titles are based on the region type you command:<br />
* City or Stronghold: Duke<br />
* Townsland: Marquis<br />
* Woodland/Rural: Count<br />
* everything else: Baron<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Size ====<br />
This system grants titles by the (nominal) population of your region:<br />
* Dukes are dukes, irrespective of size<br />
* > 12000 peasants: Marquess<br />
* 6000 - 12000 peasants: Earl<br />
* 2000 - 6000 peasants: Viscount<br />
* < 2000 peasants: Baron<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Complex ====<br />
This system grants titles by a combination of population, region type, fortification level and possibly other factors, in a way that only the realm bureaucrats really understand.<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Republican / Democratic ====<br />
These newfangled things should be avoided, as they only lead to the peasants getting ideas above their station.</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Strahan&diff=79230Strahan2007-10-11T23:55:18Z<p>Egregious: Added infobox and more detail.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Template:Infobox_Regions|<br />
name=Strahan|<br />
island_no=2|<br />
region_no=50|<br />
realm=Cagilan Empire|<br />
duchy=Atamara/Cagil|<br />
duchyname=Cagil|<br />
lord=Johnathan|<br />
location=Inland|<br />
type=Rural|<br />
gold=331|<br />
food=466|<br />
area=West Badlands<br />
}}<br />
<br />
Strahan is a rural region on the Northwestern borders of the [[Cagilan Empire]]. It is home to a Primitive Temple of The Order, and is famous for its Strahan Bowmen and Marching Men.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Atamara]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Alatol&diff=79228Alatol2007-10-11T23:46:37Z<p>Egregious: Added the Countess' description from in-game</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Template:Infobox_Regions|<br />
name=Alatol|<br />
island_no=2|<br />
region_no=82|<br />
realm=Cagilan Empire|<br />
duchy=Atamara/Skalk|<br />
duchyname=Skalk|<br />
lord=Karrieal|<br />
location=Midland|<br />
type=Woodland|<br />
gold=175|<br />
food=93|<br />
area=South Plain<br />
}}<br />
<br />
A region owned by the Cagilan Empire. Dense woods, full of wildlife for as far as the eye can see. Alatolian trees are known throughout the continent for their beautiful flowers and fast growth. The quiet breeze soothes the soul and relaxes the body. The small lumber villages are alive with life and the small farms are covered with ripe vegetables. Three estates are seen on the few high hills overlooking the smaller villages and farms.<br />
<br />
The south is heavily patrolled to stop hunters and other dishonorable characters from Garnagi from destroying the peace and serenity of Alatol.<br />
<br />
A granite marker sits in a small, well-kept rose garden near a sealed cave entrance in the woods. Written on it is "Hero of the Cagilan Empire, Junge Eirik, Knight of Lamoni fell in this spot while heroically defending Alatol from man eating cave dwellers."<br />
<br />
[[Category:Atamara]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=On_War&diff=79183On War2007-10-11T15:54:29Z<p>Egregious: Revised and expanded the commentary on symbiosis between Nobles and General.</p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__<br />
<br />
<br />
This article is an attempt at a rudimentary philosophy of war in its Battlemaster incarnation. It should be noted at the outset that this is a ''philosophy'' of war not a system of war. This is an observational account of Battlemaster warfare, as opposed to a strategy guide. Simple systems of war can be found in the Bulletins of most Generals. This is a work in progress.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Continuation of Politics?==<br />
Clausewitz famously said that war was 'the continuation of politics through other means', although this statement was a thesis in a dialectical process, and so should not be seen in isolation.<br />
<br />
This is not the case in Battlemaster. As is clear from the game's very name, Battlemaster focuses on battle. The game would not be good fun if there were no wars. The history of Battlemaster is written in blood, as it were. Indeed, since most diplomacy and debate is directed towards the warmaking of each realm, one might say that the opposite of Clausewitz' famous statement is true; in Battlemaster, politics is 'the continuation of war through other means'.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons for War==<br />
Why do wars occur in Battlemaster? For a war to occur, one realm must declare war on another. Therefore, at least one realm, and possibly both, must see war as in some way desirable. Wars may be fought for the sake and products of war, or to achieve other aims. Of course, usually a war's causes will be some combination of the factors listed below, not one in isolation.<br />
<br />
===War For War's Sake===<br />
In Battlemaster there are a number of products of war that are inherently desirable; since nobles will desire these things, they may be prepared to fight simply for the sake of fighting. These products are:<br />
*Honour.<br />
*Prestige.<br />
*Family Fame.<br />
*Wealth (Personal and Familial).<br />
*The Increase or Maintainance of one's skills.<br />
*Position - in war, nobles shine and may be promoted; war may also create new positions in a realm.<br />
There is a further unquantifiable benefit:<br />
*Excitement - battles are enjoyable and stimulating.<br />
<br />
===War to Achieve Other Aims===<br />
Wars may also be fought to achieve other aims besides the simple products of war: so-called 'teleological' war. These aims might include:<br />
*The Acquisition of Resources - food, for example.<br />
*Satisfaction - a war might be fought because a realm feels that its honour has been besmirched.<br />
*The Redress of Previous Loss - a realm might go to war to recover lost land, lost wealth or lost status.<br />
*Fear - a realm might go to war to prevent another realm from becoming too powerful.<br />
*Obligation - a realm may go to war because it is Allied to, or in Federation with, another realm and feels obliged to help.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Practical War Aims==<br />
The practical aims of a general's strategy when war is declared will usually fall within these five aspirations, listed in increasing order of ambitiousness:<br />
*Satisfaction - the enemy may be forced to admit that they were wrong.<br />
*Favourable Treaty - the enemy may be brought to favourable terms, i.e. forced to cede territory.<br />
*Threat Removal - the enemy may be weakened to the point where they no longer threaten the general's realm.<br />
*Subjection - the enemy may be weakened to the point where they can be forced to become a satellite state and serve the general's realm with their armies.<br />
*Destruction - the enemy realm may be removed from the game.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Decisiveness==<br />
Various factors positively or negatively affect the desire for a decisive battle. <br />
<br />
===Compulsion to Unity===<br />
Firstly, armies tend to gather in large, compact groups because a large dispersed force can be defeated contingent by contingent by a small compact force; this has been done numerous times throughout the history of warfare. When two such large groups meet a large battle is likely.<br />
<br />
===Economic Considerations===<br />
The shorter a concflict, the less strain there is on a realm's economy and the less damage to infrastructure. If a war can be decided in one short but climactic struggle, so much the better in economic terms.<br />
<br />
===Honour and Prestige===<br />
If only one battle is fought then there will only be one opportunity for nobles to gain honour and prestige. This means that it may be in the interests of the nobility to prolong conflicts.<br />
<br />
===The 'Pendulum of War'===<br />
Because troops can only be recruited in a realm's capital, a realm's military will be more effective close to its capital. Therefore an offensive is likely to initially succeed before halting in the teeth of stiffer resistance, since the defenders will take perhaps four turns to recruit new men while the attackers must make longer journeys. The defenders will drive the attackers back and go on the offensive themselves. Then they will suffer from the same problem of what is, effectively, an extended 'supply line'. The problem is only compounded if a realm's army must fight on an ally's borders, which will be further from its capital; or if a realm only has one city, because troop leaders will then have to return to their capital to do simpler things such as buying certain paraphernalia or carrying out financial transactions.<br />
<br />
This so-called 'Pendulum of War' is constantly in effect, swinging back and forth, although less so in conflicts fought between realms whose capitals are in close proximity to one another.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Uncontrollable Factors==<br />
Various factors are beyond the control of the players.<br />
<br />
===Weather===<br />
Good weather produces bigger harvests; bad weather reduces harvests. On the battlefield, the weather conditions affect the power of ranged units.<br />
<br />
===Monsters and Undead===<br />
No-one likes monsters and the undead, and their arrival can affect hostilities between human realms directly; they also attack peasants.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Military Structure and Control==<br />
BattleMaster's armies do not have a modern military structure or military discipline in the modern sense. BattleMaster generals who fail to keep this in mind will lose battles, wars, and their Generalship in quick succession. A BattleMaster army is in essence a symbiotic coalition of entirely independent nobles. Generals have a number of tools to coerce their nobles into obeying them - they can request their realm's Judge to issue punishments - but usually it's not threats that keep an army functioning, but the trust of the nobles in their General and his or her ability to deliver victory. The charisma and leadership skills of any given General are always more important in offensive than in defensive warfare - when nobles are defending their own lands, they are more prepared to pay attention and follow orders.<br />
<br />
The nobles rely on the General and his or her subordinates for the strategy and tactics that will enable them to win battles, as the General usually has the clearest synoptic view of the situation. But the General needs his nobles to turn up in the right place at the right time, commanding their units to do the right thing. Furthermore, the General's grasp of the military situation is only possible because of information gathered by individual nobles, in the form of Scout Reports.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Espionage==<br />
Espionage is a perfectly viable tool in Battlemaster. In categorising the various forms that espionage takes in Battlemaster, it may be useful to use Sun Tzu's types of spy; the categories used here are of course translated, and translations of Sun Tzu differ. Most commonly a spy will of course be an infiltrator.<br />
<br />
===Surviving Spies===<br />
By 'surviving spies', Sun Tzu means the simplest and commonest form of spy: a spy who enters enemy territory, causes damage, gathers information and returns. A lesser sort of surving spy would be the scouts regularly employed by all troop leaders.<br />
<br />
===Inward Spies===<br />
Sun Tzu defines inward spying as 'making use of the officials of the enemy'. Likely candidates would have an axe to grind against their government. Communication with inward spies is difficult to conduct while remaining within the common constraints of Battlemaster ethics. Using IRC to chat to an enemy marshal who is secretly in your pay, for example, would be rather unethical. In fact, that would be cheating. However, on the rare occasions when both parties are present in the same organisation (a guild or religion), such spying is perfectly within the game's rules (though not necessarily honourable).<br />
<br />
===Converted Spies===<br />
A converted spy is an enemy spy induced to secretly change sides by bribes, threats or some combination thereof: a 'double agent'.<br />
<br />
<br />
The other two types of spy that Sun Tzu mentions are less commonly used. They are:<br />
<br />
===Doomed Spies===<br />
A doomed spy is fed misinformation by his ruler and then sent off in the hope that he will be captured and pass the misinformation on. To do this in Battlemaster would be difficult, though theoretically possible. The difficulties are that:<br />
*Captives do not voluntarily divulge information; they involuntarily divulge it when tortured.<br />
*If a doomed spy learns of the deception, he may seek revenge. Infiltrators are good at revenge.<br />
<br />
===Local Spies===<br />
Local spies are members of the local population, won over and used. Although you might induce Battlemaster peasantry to revolt, you cannot use them to gather information. The exception is if you are a new noble, so you can "chat with peasents", or if you "visit the temples".<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Gems of Wisdom]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Vilhardouin_Family&diff=79133Vilhardouin Family2007-10-10T19:57:59Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__<br />
The Vilhardouin family recently rose (over the course of several generations) from the prosperous part of the peasantry up to the poorer section of the nobility, in the [[Cagilan Empire|Cagilan]] province of Alatol, on [[Atamara]]. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Geoffrey Vilhardouin ==<br />
Geoffrey, the eldest son of the family, has sworn allegience to the Lord of Strahan and joined the armies of the Cagilan Empire. Geoffrey is currently a knight. His arms are predominantly grey and silver, and he favours grey clothing and banners for his soldiers (when he can afford to kit them out).<br />
<br />
== Schwarz Vilhardouin ==<br />
Schwarz, Geoffrey's younger brother, was disowned and exiled to the East Continent after a 'serious indescretion' with the daughter of a neighbouring farmer. He earns a meagre living battling foul monsters and the eldritch undead in Perdan.<br />
<br />
== OOC Notes ==<br />
The name Vilhardouin is a corruption of the Villehardouin family name, of a medieval knight, adventurer and historian whose descendents carved out a successor kingdom in Southern Greece after the 1204 sack of Constantinople. Check [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villehardouin their page] on Wikipedia if you're interested.<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
[[User:Egregious|Egregious]]' user page.<br />
<br />
[[Cagilan Empire]]<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Families]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Title_Systems&diff=79132Title Systems2007-10-10T19:54:37Z<p>Egregious: Added a word or phrase here or there for flow.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{new feature}}<br />
<br />
�<br />
BattleMaster offers realms several different systems by which to attribute titles. Here's a short explanation:<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Simple ====<br />
The simple system is very easy:<br />
* Dukes are dukes<br />
* Lords of imperial regions are Viscounts<br />
* Lords of other regions are Barons<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Classic ====<br />
This is the system we used for 6 years; many players grew used to it, so we keep it around. Titles are based on the region type you command:<br />
* City or Stronghold: Duke<br />
* Townsland: Marquis<br />
* Woodland/Rural: Count<br />
* everything else: Baron<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Size ====<br />
This system grants titles by the (nominal) population of your region:<br />
* Dukes are dukes, irrespective of size<br />
* > 12000 peasants: Marquess<br />
* 6000 - 12000 peasants: Earl<br />
* 2000 - 6000 peasants: Viscount<br />
* < 2000 peasants: Baron<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Complex ====<br />
This system grants titles by a combination of population, region type, fortification level and possibly other factors, in a way that only the realm bureaucrats really understand.<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Republican / Democratic ====<br />
These newfangled things should be avoided, as they only lead to the peasants getting ideas above their station.</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Talk:Recommendations&diff=78860Talk:Recommendations2007-10-07T19:20:05Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>can only dukes hand out recommendations? -- [[User:Shenron|Shenron]]<br />
<br />
:As Arch Priest I was offered the chance to hand out a recommendation when I purchased an item. (This was very early, and a bug prevented it from actually registering.) As far as I know, there are no restrictions on who can hand out recommendations. --[[User:Indirik|Indirik]] 15:41, 21 February 2007 (CET)<br />
<br />
The third section of this article seems too casual in tone to me, I've added a few points but haven't altered the tone very much. Guidance welcome.--[[User:Egregious|Egregious]] 21:20, 7 October 2007 (CEST)</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Recommendations&diff=78859Recommendations2007-10-07T19:19:08Z<p>Egregious: Changes to third section; other opinions welcome</p>
<hr />
<div>A letter of recommendation is a piece of paper whereby an existing noble acknowledges that a commoner is fit for nobility. It is a requirement for [[Adventurer]]s to collect three or more recommendations before they can become knights. When an adventurer sells an item to a noble, the noble will be offered the opportunity to provide a recommendation to the adventurer. The cost of providing the recommendation is 5 gold to draw up the papers. The noble must immediately make the decision; he cannot go back and give the recommendation at a later time. If the gold is not available, or the noble chooses not to give the recommendation then and there, the opportunity is lost.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Worth of Recommendations ==<br />
It is very strongly suggested that recommendations only be given for the most valuable services and loyalty. For example, for selling you a unique item. In fact, right now that is the only game mechanic that offers the option of handing out a recommendation.<br />
<br />
Note that, even if you sell them two items, you can only get one recommendation per noble.<br />
<br />
== Advice to Nobles ==<br />
There is no way an adventurer can ensure that you give him a recommendation. The option is presented ''after'' you have received the item. Even if you promised him, feel free to cheat him out of it. After all, he's just a commoner. Make him beg. Tell him you forgot and you'll be sure to do it for the second item. Hey, once he's got those 3 letters, he'll be a peer of yours and you can't order him around anymore! You don't want that to happen too soon, do you?<br />
<br />
Then again, you might not want to alienate such potential knights. They may be valuable, especially when your nation is short on fighting nobles. Furthermore, you should consider the possible effects of widespread discontent among adventurers; what if they go on strike and leave the nobility to handle monsters and the undead?<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Adventurer]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Recommendations&diff=78858Recommendations2007-10-07T19:14:54Z<p>Egregious: Minor cleanups</p>
<hr />
<div>A letter of recommendation is a piece of paper whereby an existing noble acknowledges that a commoner is fit for nobility. It is a requirement for [[Adventurer]]s to collect three or more recommendations before they can become knights. When an adventurer sells an item to a noble, the noble will be offered the opportunity to provide a recommendation to the adventurer. The cost of providing the recommendation is 5 gold to draw up the papers. The noble must immediately make the decision; he cannot go back and give the recommendation at a later time. If the gold is not available, or the noble chooses not to give the recommendation then and there, the opportunity is lost.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Worth of Recommendations ==<br />
It is very strongly suggested that recommendations only be given for the most valuable services and loyalty. For example, for selling you a unique item. In fact, right now that is the only game mechanic that offers the option of handing out a recommendation.<br />
<br />
Note that, even if you sell them two items, you can only get one recommendation per noble.<br />
<br />
== Cheat them, they are Commoners ==<br />
There is no way an adventurer can ensure that you give him a recommendation. The option is presented ''after'' you have received the item. Even if you promised him - feel free to cheat him out of it. After all, he's just a commoner. Make him beg. Tell him you forgot and you'll be sure to do it for the second item. Hey, once he's got those 3 letters, he'll be a peer of yours and you can't order him around anymore! You don't want that to happen too soon, do you?<br />
<br />
However, you might not want to eliminate such potential knights. They may be valuable, especially when your nation is short on fighting nobles.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Adventurer]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Motivation&diff=74772Motivation2007-08-15T09:16:55Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>Here are some motivational posters, designed specifically for Battlemaster and the world thereof. Feel free to add your own!<br />
<br />
===The Nobility===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Bmmotivation-nobility.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===Freedom of Speech in Your Kingdom===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Bmmotivation-freespeech.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===Priest Game===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Bmmotivation-religion.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===Dueling Tips===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Bmmotivation-duels.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===Region Production===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Bmmotivation-production.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===Crime and Punishment===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Bmmotivation-TheJudge.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===Military Hierarchy===<br />
<br />
[[Image:PosterGen.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===Looting===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Looting.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===War===<br />
<br />
[[Image:War.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===Region Morale===<br />
<br />
[[Image:BMmotivational-unrest.jpg]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=File:BMmotivational-unrest.jpg&diff=74771File:BMmotivational-unrest.jpg2007-08-15T09:15:49Z<p>Egregious: For the motivational posters page.</p>
<hr />
<div>For the motivational posters page.</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Talk:Motivation&diff=74619Talk:Motivation2007-08-12T20:29:02Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>Was wondering what those images would be for...had me laughing --[[User:Bishamon Family|Bishamon Family]] 11:17, 30 December 2006 (CET)<br />
<br />
This goes down as one of my favorite BM wikie pages EVER. ROTFL [[User:Vellos|Vellos]] 16:25, 30 December 2006 (CET)<br />
<br />
Nice one.--[[User:Egregious|Egregious]] 16:52, 31 July 2007 (CEST)<br />
<br />
:All that's needed now is demotivators. ;) -[[User:Chénier|Chénier]] 23:47, 31 July 2007 (CEST)<br />
<br />
:: We have them already, look up ''[[Demotivation]]'' :D--[[User:Dalakar|Dalakar]] 01:07, 1 August 2007 (CEST)<br />
<br />
Added a new one. There's a generator here: http://diy.despair.com/motivator.php , though you need to provide your own image . . . medieval ones are likely to be out of copyright, helpfully!--[[User:Egregious|Egregious]] 22:29, 12 August 2007 (CEST)</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Motivation&diff=74618Motivation2007-08-12T20:27:03Z<p>Egregious: Added The Judge</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are some motivational posters, designed specifically for Battlemaster and the world thereof. Feel free to add your own!<br />
<br />
===The Nobility===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Bmmotivation-nobility.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===Freedom of Speech in Your Kingdom===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Bmmotivation-freespeech.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===Priest Game===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Bmmotivation-religion.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===Dueling Tips===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Bmmotivation-duels.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===Region Production===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Bmmotivation-production.jpg]]<br />
<br />
===Crime and Punishment===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Bmmotivation-TheJudge.jpg]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=File:Bmmotivation-TheJudge.jpg&diff=74617File:Bmmotivation-TheJudge.jpg2007-08-12T20:26:00Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Talk:Basic_Facts&diff=73701Talk:Basic Facts2007-08-01T13:26:30Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>Would just like to say that n00bs and variants of the word is a derogatory term used for older players which act stupid. Newbies are new players. --[[User:Bishamon Family|Bishamon Family]] 05:07, 30 December 2006 (CET)<br />
<br />
==TOM's section==<br />
<br />
Another update, and not quite my best work if I may say so. Before anyone asks: I couldn't help it. My personality requires that I write at least one not entirely serious section in the article. Besides, he ''made'' the game, so he deserves at least ''some'' recognition from the newer players. [[User:Fredrich|Fredrich]] 03:33, 3 January 2007 (CET)<br />
<br />
<br />
Must .. write .. page ... for sake .. of .... BattleMaster .. and TOM. Must .. not remember ... how much I .. despise .. writing papers. Must search .. hidden depths of memory ... for ideas. Must do .. research paper, .. and stop .. playing ... awsome game. [[User:Fredrich|Fredrich]] 03:08, 29 January 2007 (CET)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Dating==<br />
I'm not sure about the medieval period being loosely 1200 to 1600; Wikipedia suggests anything from 400 to around 900 for the beginning. (Of course the 'period' and its conditions began and ended at different times in different places, further confusing matters). Have left this unchanged for now but would welcome other views on this.--[[User:Egregious|Egregious]] 15:26, 1 August 2007 (CEST)</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Basic_Facts&diff=73698Basic Facts2007-08-01T13:20:45Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__<br />
Welcome newbies, to the immersive world of BattleMaster. I'm sure that by now, you have figured out what some of those links do, how hours work, and maybe even how to send/read messages. But before you get too involved, you need to know some of the finer details on exactly how to play this game. <br />
<br />
==Low fantasy==<br />
<br />
BattleMaster is roughly based on the Middle Ages (anywhere from 1200 to 1600 technologically and politically). We play as nobles who live the good life and fight our wars as peasants toil and labor for our benefit. Much like the Middle Ages, no matter how ''equal'' the government claims to be, peasants are never considered more than a work-force at best and cannon fodder at worst.<br />
<br />
In history, were there stories and myths of magic, non-human creatures, enchanted items, ect.? Yes. Are there in BattleMaster? Yes. Do they truely exist in either place? Who can say. What can be said is that '''all players are human''', with one exception, the Sirionite elves. The elves of Sirion (east continent) are protected in a grandfather clause, meaning that they existed before the rules about only human characters and were allowed to continue existing. <br />
<br />
So this isn't a High Fantasy setting with fantastic races and massive quests to save the world, this is a place where people just live normal, if not a bit primitive, lives..... for the most part. <br />
<br />
There are hints of a slightly fantastic flavour to the world, only small ones and only in some places. Undead and monsters often roam, strange prophets fortell of terrible events which come to pass, nobles seem to live forever and heal any wound no matter how grevious if given enough time, and there was even once a lich. What does this mean? Well for those who will have no part of anything as silly as superstition, it's just proof of how misguided some poor fools are and that science still has some ground to cover. For those who think hanging a horseshoe over the door is a good idea, it just gives them more fuel for the fire. The point is that these kinds of things are exceptions rather than the rule, popping up once in a while, and for the most part people's day to day lives are totally normal, full of terrible wars, but normal.<br />
<br />
==Noble heritage==<br />
<br />
As stated earlier, everyone (except [[Adventurer]]s) plays as a noble from the upper class. You're rich, you're pampered, and you can do anything you want with no one being able to stop you just because of your name. However, there are a few things that tradition dictates you do and do not do.<br />
<br />
====Duels====<br />
This is not your average training or sparing match (those can be roleplayed). Duels are swordfights that are used to defend one's honor. Why challenge someone to a duel? He offended your wife, spoke ill of your family name, ruthlessly murdered a family member, or has opposed every single idea or chance for advancement you had just because he has a grudge against you. The list goes on and on. However, it is important to remember that a duel is a big deal and it is almost guaranteed that someone will walk away wounded, if at all, so duels should be rare. Petty arguments, bets, tests of skill, and disagreements over the last mug of beer can easily be solved by other means.<br />
<br />
One last point: Challenging a noble of much higher status than yourself to a duel is highly inappropriate and is not taken seriously. Why would a Duke, who has spent years in the realm proving himself and may have at one time been in the counsel care if he offended a knight that just joined the realm and is practically unknown to anyone outside of his estate?<br />
<br />
====Protests====<br />
Protesting is where, either publically or privately, you disagree with the actions of a counsel member. This is considered to be not as severe a duel challenge, but still a serious matter. If the ruler backed out of a promise to give someone a lordship, the judge fines someone you think is innocent, the banker makes a severe and unwaranted tax "adjustment", or the general is overstepping the bounds of his authority, then protesting may be in order. <br />
<br />
====Fealty====<br />
I know that I said nobles are rich, and they are, but a landless noble still needs a way to get money for his extravagant lifestyle. This is where oaths come in. Usually, landed nobles are looking for landless nobles like yourself to help organize, maintain, and defend their region. Though every oath is different, it will usually involve you agreeing to serve him in exchange for a share of his taxes. <br />
<br />
Fealty is a very personal thing. You might not want to accept a lord's offer for any number of reasons. Maybe you can't or don't want to provide the service he needs, someone else is offering you more money for the same work, or you just don't like the idea of taking orders. <br />
<br />
Whatever your reasons for accepting or declining an offer, remember this: accepting an oath of fealty means you promise to serve your lord under any circumstances. The clause in the agreement that states "I promise to serve ..." might as well be replaced with "I give my free will to...". Loyalty was a huge deal in the middle ages. If you broke an oath, you were practically an outcast from society. So you better think things through before making a decision.<br />
<br />
====Women====<br />
<br />
This is one area that BattleMaster diverges from history. To be accurate, female characters would live an extremely sheltered life of service to her husband. Here is how the game is different:<br />
<br />
*Marriage- There is none. Don't ask for it. TOM will code it if he wants after the other hundred items on the To-Do list are done. Noble women are completely independent. <br />
*Equal Rights- They have the full title of nobility, can participate in battle, and have no extra restrictions on behavior.<br />
*Number- Lets be honest. 90% of gamers are males, and roleplaying as a woman is somewhat more difficult. So don't expect to see too many about, you'll be disappointed.<br />
<br />
====Battle====<br />
<br />
This is a chance to prove your honor and become famous: by sending hundreds of peasants to their deaths for a cause you deem worthy. Despite this simple concept, there are a few points that need to be made on this subject to fully understand a noble's viewpoint.<br />
<br />
*Preparations and Techniques- The battle doesn't start until both sides meet and arrange their forces properly. Defeating an enemy that is disorganized and unprepared brings neither fame nor honor. Of course, chasing an enemy that has fled the battle is not honorable, but acceptable. Ambushes and guerilla warfare are also out of the question. They are tactics reserved for highway men and cowards. <br />
*Prisoners- Don't bother with the commoners. Holding foreign peasants in prison is a waste of time and money. On the other hand, if you can capture an enemy noble, by god do it. The realm can make a good bit of money by ransoming them off, and they might reveal some useful information in exchange for an early release.<br />
*Challenges- Challenging enemy nobles to duels before or after battle is an acceptable practice provided it has a proper reason. Perhaps he is the judge that tortured you, a traitor to the realm, or looted your region. Just remember that this is even more serious than a duel against a realm-mate since it usually is over a bigger issue than a family insult. <br />
<br />
====Family====<br />
<br />
In the Middle Ages, family ties meant everything. Your family heritage is what made you a noble and gave you the ability to not work for a living like a peasant. Usually, money, land, and titles were given to or inherited by the younger family members. Even something as seemingly ordinary as a sword was a valuable, even prized, posession of a noble. Since you family made you what you are, you had better show them some respect. If not, they could always disown you, leaving you with whatever you were able to gain on your own. Of course, without your noble heritage, you'll be considered a peasant, and the realm won't stand a peasant with any amount of wealth or power.<br />
<br />
==The Inalienable Rights==<br />
<br />
[[Inalienable rights|These]] are the only rules that we have about playing the game. A short version can be found [[Behaviour summary|here]]. If it isn't there, its fair.<br />
<br />
==General Help==<br />
<br />
The best place to start your search is here on the Wiki. There are about {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}} articles here, so you can probably find what you're looking for somewhere. Can't find it here, ask your mentor. They've probably answered the same question dozens of times before and can give you a bit more personal advice. Still no help, talk with your other realm-mates. We're all friends here. Even evil characters are played by helpful people. Besides, if you can play well, the the game improves for everyone. <br />
<br />
==IC/OOC==<br />
<br />
If you don't know, these are acronyms. They stand for In Character and Out Of Character, respectively. <br />
<br />
This is perhaps the most important idea to keep in mind when roleplaying. To put it simply, it means that your character does not know everything that you know. Players often describe their character's feelings in the middle of a roleplay, or their actions when their character is alone. If I may refer you to point #1: BattleMaster is Low Fantasy. This means that your character is not psychic and does not know of these events. Of course, your character ''can'' learn of these events through proper roleplaying. Since it is difficult to explain this topic, I'll move on to an example:<br />
<br />
Another player has involved his character in a plot to murder the king. In a roleplay, he decides to make his character write some incriminating information in his diary before going to bed one night. Now, your character can't run straight to the king, telling him about the plot, because your character doesn't know about it. However, if you character has doubts about this person's loyalty, he might hire a theif to look for suspicious materials or letters in his room. The thief might then find the diary and bring it to you.<br />
<br />
Just remember to use proper roleplay [[Roleplaying#Roleplaying Guidelines|etiquette]]. Something that serious shouldn't be roleplayed completely in one message. Maybe the noble wakes up and sends his guards on a manhunt, leading them to you after they interogat the theif. Maybe the thief ditches you for someone who pays more or hopes to regain his honor by revealing the evidence to the region lord.<br />
<br />
====The Wiki====<br />
<br />
In general, use your best judgement when deciding if something on the Wiki is IC or OOC information. When in doubt, ask the page's author or the other players in your realm. As a general rule of thumb, newspapers are IC. Realm, religion, and guild pages, in particular, their histories, could also be seen as books in a noble's library, and therefore, IC. Family and character pages, on the other hand, are usually OOC. They often contain information about character's personalities or bits of background information that the player hasn't revealed yet. <br />
<br />
==Playing Details==<br />
<br />
Things you should know that are not necessarily obvious otherwise:<br />
* Links with elipses (<font color=blue><u>Example...</u></font>) mean that there is another page where you put in details or choose options. Links without elipses (<font color=blue><u>Example</u></font>) usually mean that action is taken immediately (hours and gold spent, etc.)<br />
* You can not bookmark characters directly. Bookmark the family page.<br />
* If you do nothing for about 20 minutes, your session will time out and the game will act as if you had not logged in. If you are in the middle of some playing, that might result in some odd error messages. Just log in again and do it again.<br />
<br />
==TOM==<br />
<br />
Less devout followers may refer to him as Tom, the programmer, or the angry god of the East Continent. He created the BattleMaster world and controls all that happens within. Unfortunately, your character knows nothing of his magnificent work and instead, attributes his actions to [[Religions|these]] gods. Don't bring him in-game. Of course, feel free to pay homage outside the game. Service is held twice a day at 0500 and 1700 GMT time. Monetary donations are always accepted, just don't expect to rise in rank because of it.</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Talk:Motivation&diff=73636Talk:Motivation2007-07-31T14:52:18Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>Was wondering what those images would be for...had me laughing --[[User:Bishamon Family|Bishamon Family]] 11:17, 30 December 2006 (CET)<br />
<br />
This goes down as one of my favorite BM wikie pages EVER. ROTFL [[User:Vellos|Vellos]] 16:25, 30 December 2006 (CET)<br />
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Nice one.--[[User:Egregious|Egregious]] 16:52, 31 July 2007 (CEST)</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Weaponry&diff=73635Weaponry2007-07-31T14:42:22Z<p>Egregious: Added 'See Also'</p>
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<div>__TOC__<br />
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Here are some well-known and not so well-known weapons that your character or your men might be wielding, or facing, in battle. Within their types, weapons are listed alphabetically.<br />
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Gunpowder weaponry is not listed, as BattleMaster never mentions it.<br />
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==Pole Weapons==<br />
Axes have been included in this list.<br />
*Awl Pike - also called an ahlspiess. A metal spike, usually over three feet in length, mounted on a shaft of 5 to 6 feet in length. At the base of the spike was a rondel guard, a simple round piece of metal, to protect the hands.<br />
*Bardiche - an Eastern European weapon. A tall axehead - perhaps 2 feet long - mounted by two sockets onto a short pole, usually up to 5 feet long.<br />
*Battle Axe - an axe specifically designed for warfare. Since flesh is easier to slice than wood, battle axes were usually lighter than utility axes and had narrower blades. Axes might be used by horsemen or infantrymen, and might be double- or single-handed.<br />
*Bec de Corbin - similar to a polearm length war hammer (see below). Usually, instead of using the hammer head to attack, the hammer's 'beak' or fluke was used.<br />
*Bec de Faucon - a polearm with a large hammer head instead of an axe, and backed with a spike or curved fluke. The weapon either terminated in a heavy steel counterweight, or a sharpened buttspike, and seemed to range anywhere from five to seven or more feet long.<br />
*Bill - also called a bill hook or bill-guisarme. A pole 6 to 9 feet long, with (usually) three implements attached: a blade on one side of the end, a hook on the other and a spear-like spike straight off the top.<br />
*Boar Spear - a short and heavy spear for hunting wild boar. Two 'lugs' or wings were placed behind the blade of the spear to prevent the head entering too deep, and to stop the boar working its way up the spear. On the battlefield, the lugs could be used to entangle enemy equipment, and also prevented a thrust going too deep which meant the user could be confident that he would be able to pull the spear out again.<br />
*Breach-Pike - an awl pike without the rondel guard.<br />
*Candeliere - an Italian term, literally 'candlestick'. This was a shortened awl pike.<br />
*Chacing Staff - also called a chasing staff, this was a staff 10 to 12 feet long with a spike on the butt end and a shallow blade on the other. It resembled an early halberd or bill.<br />
*Danish Axe - originally the axe used by the Vikings, 4 to 6 feet long. This spread throughout Europe during the 13th century. <br />
*Doloire - also called a wagoner's axe, this was roughly 5 feet long. The head was pointed at the top and rounded at the bottom, and a small hammer head is mounted on the reverse. As the alternative name suggests, this weapon was used as a tool and for self-defence by the men in charge of supply trains.<br />
*Fauchard - a curved blade mounted on a 6 to 7 foot pole. The curve of the blade was concave, similar to a sickle or scythe. <br />
*Fauchard-Fork - a fauchard (see above), with a lance point attached to the top or the point of the blade.<br />
*Flax - like the pitchfork, this was a farming implement, in this case one used to manipulate the material flax, used as an improvised weapon. This was a serrated, saw-like blade, topped with a broad, flat hook and with a spike on the reverse, mounted on a 7 to 8 foot pole.<br />
*Glaive - a single edged blade - perhaps 18 inches long - mounted on a pole 6 to 7 feet long.<br />
*Guisarme - also called a gisarme or bisarme. Originally simply a pruning hook on a spear shaft. Later a hooked blade with a spike on the reverse side. Eventually a catch-all term for any weapon with a hook on.<br />
*Halberd - An axe head on a pole, with a hook-blade on the reverse and a long spike straight off the top.<br />
*Half-Pike - a shortened pike, commonly used by sailors, as it was easier to manipulate in the limited space of a ship's deck.<br />
*Jousting Lance - a lance (see below), but with a blunt and spread out tip, and sometimes with a hollowed shaft to break on impact.<br />
*Lance - the lance as used by knights was longer, stouter and heavier than the spear and was mounted with a vamplate, a circular metal plate to prevent the hand sliding up the shaft upon impact. Once the initial charge had been made, the lance usually had to be abandoned.<br />
*Kusari-gama - More of a composite weapon, it composed of a scythe with a flail attached to the bottom end. A user would use the flail to knock the opponent off balance, and then rush forward to bring the scythe edge into play.<br />
*Long-Bearded Axe - an axe where the cutting edge of the blade extends below the width of the throat, which saves weight and allows the axe to be held just below the head if necessary, for close blows and woodcutting.<br />
*Lucerne Hammer - so-called because many were found at Lucerne, Switzerland. This is a three or four pronged hammer head mounted on a 7 foot pole, with a spike on the reverse and a longer spike straight of the top.<br />
*Man Catcher - a bizarre non-lethal polearm. A pole mounted with a two-pronged head. Each prong was semi-circular, with a spring-loaded 'door' on the front. This valve-like system allowed a man-sized object to be caught from a horse and pinned to the ground. This was ideal for capturing nobles for ransom.<br />
*Mattock - similar to a pickaxe, but with the head terminating in a broader blade than the pickaxe's long spike. This was an agricultural implement that could be used as an improvised weapon by peasants.<br />
*Military Fork - an evolution of the pitchfork (see below) for battlefield use. Usually military forks had only two tines (prongs); these were usually parallel or slightly flared. This became the favoured polearm in some areas of Europe.<br />
*Naginata - similiar to the glaive, a curved blade mounted on a wooden shaft. While naginata could both slash and stab, slashing usually held more power due to the leverage provided by the pole and the shape of the blade. The length of the haft was around 5 to 7 feet, while the blade was around 2-3 feet long.<br />
*Ox Tongue Spear - also called the langue de boeuf. An English broad bladed, double edged halberd.<br />
*Partisan - a lance or spear head mounted on a shaft with a small double axe head mounted just below it. It eventually became clear that the partisan was not a good battlefield weapon. It became a ceremonial and civil weapon, and so might be borne by city guards and militia.<br />
*Pike - a polearm, similar to a spear, from 10 to a remarkable 22 feet long. Primarily used in a close formation against cavalry.<br />
*Pitchfork - a farming implement which might be used by peasants lacking anything else. Pitchforks varied in lenghts and usually had 2 to 6 tines.<br />
*Pollaxe - also called a pole axe, poll-axe, polax or hache. This was a polearm 4 to 7 feet long with a modular head. Usually an axe blade - smaller than that of a halberd - or a hammer head was mounted on the damaging 'face', with a spike, hammer or fluke on the reverse. A blade often came off the top too. A rondel guard might be fixed below the head, and a spike might be fixed to the butt.<br />
*Qiang - a weapon of Chinese make, it was essentially a cheap, mass-producable spear. However, one striking feature was the red horse-hair tassle situated just below the blade. The spear was a strong but flexible wood, which bends to absorb impact preventing breakage. The bending motion combined with the blurring effect of the tassle made the spear tip very hard to follow.<br />
*Ranseur - also called a runka or rawcon. Essentially a spear with a cross hilt mounted just below the head. Sometimes the hilt was crescent shaped, which produced something like a trident. <br />
*Spear - the simplest polearm. The spear was cheap and required little training, but as the Middle Ages progressed, it was gradually abandoned in favour of other polearms.<br />
*Spetum - also called a chauve, souris, corseca, corsèsque, and korseke. A 6 to 8 foot long polearm, spear-tipped, with two projections at the base of the tip. Unlike the ranseur and the partisan, the projections are single edged and used for slashing.<br />
*Swordstaff - a Danish weapon ('Svaerdstav'), in essence a sword blade mounted on a staff - not as long as a spear but longer than a sword - and thus better than a spear for very close combat, and better than a sword for fighting mounted opponents. However, it was probably a 'jack of all trades and master of none' because of its hybrid nature.<br />
*Tachibo - a Bo with a slot that could allow a Tachi(blade) to slide into, thus creating a Spear.<br />
*War Hammer - a hammer head mounted on a pole or staff. Polearm length war hammers were employed against cavalry, whereas shorter war hammers were used by them. Often a spike might be mounted straight off the top. <br />
*War Scythe - this is a peasant's scythe, but adapted for warfare. The blade is moved, from its position at right angles to the shaft, to extend upright from it. Particularly associated with Poland.<br />
*Voulge - a polearm similar to a glaive (see above), but with a broader blade and more of a hacking than a cutting motion. Sometimes the blade narrowed to a 'pointed top' for stabbing.<br />
*Yari - the Japanese longspear, recognized by its straight and long blade. Yari were extremely durable. The shaft was made from hardwood and covered in bamboo strips, and then held together by metal rings. Yari varied from one meter long for a foot soldier to about 2.5 meters for a mounted combatant and even 6 meters for use in a phalanx-like formation.<br />
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==Blunts==<br />
*Bo - the Japanese name for a quarterstaff.<br />
*Chain Mace - a morningstar (see below) or a metal ball on the end of a long length of chain. The chain was often wrapped in leather or another protective material.<br />
*Club - also called a cudgel or a bludgeon. Probably the simplest of all weapons. A wooden stick with which the wielder strikes his enemies. This would be a peasant's weapon, but soldiers might employ it when doing police work. Maces were derived from clubs.<br />
*Cudgel - see club above.<br />
*Cosh - otherwise known as a sap or a blackjack, it was simply lead weights wrapped in a bag, and used to incapacitate people when they weren't looking. Other heavy materials could be substituted. A common mugger's weapon, as it was easily concealed.<br />
*Flail - strictly speaking, one or more metal balls - sometimes morningstars (see below) - attached by a chain or chains to a staff. An impact weapon, which could curve around a shield or a parrying weapon.. Named a flail because the wielder's motions resembled those of someone using the (quite different) farming implement.<br />
*Godendag - also called the goedendag, plançon-à-picot or chandelier. This was a Flemish variant of the morningstar mace. It was a long wooden club, 4 to 6 feet long, with an iron spike on the end. <br />
*Holy Water Sprinkler - also called a goupillon. Strictly speaking, a short, spiked iron bar on the end of a chain, similar to a morningstar flail - indeed the term can also refer to morningstar flails or morningstar maces. So-called probably because the spikes resemble sprays of holy water from an eclesiastical aspergillum. <br />
*Horseman's Pick - a cavalry war hammer, with a long spike on the reverse of the hammer head. The spike was curved downwards, giving it a pick-like shape.<br />
*Lathi - an Indian bamboo staff, of varying length, usually (but not always) tipped with a metal blunt at one end. Usually used to incapacitate opponents.<br />
*Long Stave - also long staff. This was a longer, Early Modern version of the quarterstaff (see below). A long stave could be 12 to 18 feet long.<br />
*Mace - a wooden, reinforced or metal shaft topped with a metal or stone head, which was thicker than the shaft and often sported spikes, knobs or flanges. Infantry maces were usually 2 to 3 feet long. Cavalry maces were somewhat longer.<br />
*Maul - originally a long handled hammer used to split wood, with a wedge-shaped head, a little like a broad axehead. A peasant's implement. This could be modified with metal banding and rivets to provide a battlefield weapon. Two-handed maces were also called mauls.<br />
*Morningstar - strictly speaking, the small spiked round ball found either on the end of a chain in a flail or on the end of a shaft in a morningstar mace. More generally could refer to any type of spiked club.<br />
*Nunchaku - not a dedicated martial weapon, it consisted of two lengths of wood joined by a thick chain. Exponente wielded it in a manner similiar to a mace, but a lot faster due to its light weight.<br />
*Manrikigusari - a ninja's weapon, consisting of a thick chain with lead weights at the end. The user either hurled them at the target or whirled it around, causing the weights to slam into the enemy, and thereby incapacitating him. It could be easily folded up and concealed.<br />
*Quarterstaff - an English staff weapon, usually 6 to 9 feet long. A quarterstaff might have metal caps or spikes at one or both ends. Early, longer variants of the quarterstaff were called long staves (see above). Many implements can be converted into a quarterstaff and a quarterstaff could of course be used as a long walking staff.<br />
*Shillelagh - a weapon associated with Ireland. A wooden club or cudgel, usually a knotty stick with a large knob on the end, made from blackthorn or oak. A shillelagh might be hollowed out at the striking end and filled with molten lead. This variation was called a 'loaded stick'.<br />
*Shield - Shields could serve as a weapon in an emergency, especially with the addition of spikes or sharp edges.<br />
*Tetsubo - a staff composed of heavy wood or metal and covered with metal at the striking end. Few could wield it due to their extreme weight, but a skilled wielder could use it to cleave heads and smash horses' legs.<br />
*Tonfa - The tonfa consisted of two parts, a handle with a knob, and perpendicular to the handle, a shaft or board that lies along the hand and forearm. The shaft was usually 20–24 inches long.<br />
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==Blades==<br />
*Arming Sword - a single handed, double edged sword usually used for cutting. Until the late 13th century and the rise of the longsword, these swords were the standard knight's sword - 'war sword' - and after that time they remained a common side-arm. Knights would wear arming swords in and out of armour; they would be 'undressed' without one.<br />
*Backsword - the backsword was so named because it only had one cutting edge. The non-cutting edge (the back of the blade) was much thicker than the cutting edge thus creating a wedge type cross-section.<br />
*Baselard - also called a basilard, this was a Swiss weapon, somewhere between a short sword and a dagger. It was perhaps 40 centimetres long, although after the Middle Ages it became longer.<br />
*Bihänder - also called a zweihänder, or bidenhänder, this was an extremely large two-handed sword. Its heyday was the 16th century, but it originated in Germany during the 14th century. The weapon as a whole might be 5 or 6 feet long, and usually had a cross guard.<br />
*Cinquedea - a thrusting civilian short sword from Italy during the end of the Middle Ages, with a heavy, roughly 45 centimetre long blade.<br />
*Chuttuval - lit. 'coiled sword', also known as the 'urumi'. An Indian weapon, something between a short whip and a sword; a flexible band of steel 3/4 to 1 inch in width, and perhaps 4 to 5 foot in length, mounted on a handle. Difficult to control. Apparently multiple bands can be mounted on the same handle for an even more complex weapon.<br />
*Claymore - a two-handed sword, somewhat smaller and lighter, and thus faster, than other two-handed swords. Medieval claymores - with a cross guard - are different from the 18th century basket-hilt claymore. The blade was roughly 40 inches long.<br />
*Dao - a catch-all Chinese word to refer to all curved swords developed for the purpose of slashing.<br />
*Dagger - a simple knife, usually double edged. A particularly popular variant was the rondel (see below). Daggers were usually used as a side-arm, and, since they could penetrate the joints in a suit of armour, they could be used to kill an unhorsed knight or to force him to surrender.<br />
*Dirk - a Scottish word. The actual configuration of a dirk varied. Sometimes a dirk was a small, straight dagger; sometimes it was a sword blade mounted with a dagger hilt.<br />
*Ear Dagger - a rare weapon, thought to have originated in Spain. An Ear Dagger usually had a single sharpened edge ending in an acute point. The pommel had a distinctive shape, supposedly resembling a human ear.<br />
*Falchion - a single hand, single edged sword with a wide blade. These were cheap to produce.<br />
*Flamberge - any sword with a wavy edge (hence the name, 'flame blade'). Such a sword would have been attractive and distinctive, but would also apparently create unusual vibrations in an opponent's blade when parrying, which might disrupt their technique. The word 'flamberge' was sometimes also used to refer to a Bihänder sword (see above).<br />
*Greatsword - a 'greatsword' was not a particular type of sword, but the word might mean a heavy arming sword, a large longsword, a claymore or a bihänder<br />
*Großes Messer - also called a langmesser, heibmesser or simply a messer, this was a single edged, inexpensive German blade, similar to a falchion. The blade might be 30 inches long.<br />
*Jian - a traditional Chinese weapon, it was a long, straight sword. There a thin blade allowed it to bend. A jian was difficult to wield, as its effectiveness depended on the user's finesse and agility, rather than brute force, much like a rapier. <br />
*Jitte - Similiar to the sai; a light, dull sword with a tsuba (outblade) designed to catch opponent's swords. It was rougly the size of a wakizashi, and was wielded if the wielder wanted to disarm, not kill. As such, it was commonly used by law-enforcement officers.<br />
*Katzbalger - an arming sword 75 to 85 cm long, with a distinctive figure-eight shaped guard. Famously sturdy, sometimes used as a secondary weapon by pikemen, archers and crossbowmen.<br />
*Katana - feudal Japanese blade. Perhaps 70-90 cm long and remarkably sharp and strong, despite being very thin. Difficult to master but extremely effective. Single-edged. The katana held a special significance for samurai, who felt that they were incomplete without it, whether they actually used it or not - much like a European knight's relationship with his 'arming sword'.<br />
*Katar - an Indian punching dagger or sword. Unusually, the grip is mounted horizontally to the blade, so the blade sits on the user's knuckles and thrusts are made with a punching motion (see also the Pata).<br />
*Longsword - also called a langschwerdt, spadone or montante (the terms 'bastard sword and 'hand-and-a-half sword' are modern). An evolution of the arming sword, with a cross guard. Lengths varied, but usually both hands could fit comfortably onto the hilt, although it might be used one-handed. <br />
*Mercygiver - also called a misericordias, this was a long English knife specifically designed for delivering a coup de grâce to a wounded man. It saw much use during the Hundered Years' War; the French considered it unchivalrous.<br />
*Ninjatō/Ninjaken - the type of sword a ninja would have carried, a cut down version/variant of the Katana and Wakizashi, and usually not made of folding metal like the katana. Straight bladed.<br />
*Pata - an Indian concept, a little like a scaled-up Katar (see above); a blade of 10 to 44 inches length was mounted on the end of a gauntlet. As with the Katar, the user was able to thrust by using a punching motion.<br />
*Poniard - a thrusting dagger with a slim square or triangular blade.<br />
*Romphaia - a two-handed sword with a shallow curve, originally used in Classical times but surviving in use during the Early Medieval period.<br />
*Rondel - also called a roundel, this was a single edged dagger which had rondels - flat metal circles - for both its pommel and guard. It was worn by a variety of people from knights to merchants. The blade was usually more than 12 inches long. There were also four-edged variants, the blade having a cruciform cross-section.<br />
*Sabre - usually a single-edged, curved blade with a hand guard. Sabres originally arrived in Europe with the Magyars in the 10th century.<br />
*Sai - The sai's basic form is that of an unsharpened dagger, with two long, unsharpened projections (tsuba) attached to the handle. It is originally a purely defensive weapon, used to trap an opponent's sword between the prongs, and attempt to disarm him. A sai is basically a jitte (see above) with two tsuba instead of one.<br />
*Shamshir - a sabre of Persian ancestry. The one striking feature about a shamshir was the radical curve of the blade, sometimes even up to 15 degrees. As such, it was used mostly for slashing, as the curve made stabbing difficult.<br />
*Shortsword - in medieval terms, a 'shortsword' was a one-handed sword short only in comparison to a longsword. The word was rarely used and is something of a neologism.<br />
*Scimitar - a curved, single-edged sword, used mostly in North-Africa and Arabia. It dates back to almost 2 millennia B.C. during the 18th Egyptian Dynasty, when the first mention of curved blades is made. It is primarily used for slashing enemies.<br />
*Stiletto - a small, straight dagger. It had no edge, only an extremely sharp point. Used primarily by infiltrators to carry out assasinations, being light,slim and easy to conceal. However, it was almost worthless for any other purpose.<br />
*Sword Breaker - could be a term for any weapon designed to break swords, but usually a long and sturdy dagger with slots on one side. By catching an opponent's blade in a slot, and twisting the Sword Breaker, the user could in theory break his opponent's weapon. How well this worked in practice is not certain.<br />
*Talwar - an Indian sword, similar in shape to a Shamshir but usually with a wider blade.<br />
*Tessen - a fan which had metal spokes, sharpened to deadly points. They were designed to look like regular fans, and were used in places where swords and other overt weapons were not allowed.<br />
*Wakizashi - a smaller version of a katana, it was commonly worn as a sidearm by katana-wielding samurai. In the Feudal era, a technique comsisting of using a katana and a wakizashi in tandem (collectively knowm as the 'daisho', meaning long(katana) and short(wakizashi)) was developed.<br />
*Zanbato - A huge, heavy sword, with no fingerguard or noticable hilt. Used as more of a bludgeoning weapon, downing foes with brute force. Two handed.<br />
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==Personal Ranged Weapons==<br />
*Arbalest - although this word could mean any crossbow, it more commonly meant a crossbow-like weapon with a steel prod, which allowed for a greater draw force.<br />
*Chakram - an Indian throwing weapon; a flat metal ring, usually 5 to 12 inches in diameter and with a sharpened outer edge. This weapon is frequently featured in modern fantasy and martial arts media, where it usually appears with a larger diameter and is often solely a melee weapon.<br />
*Crossbow - a bow, called a 'prod', mounted on a stock. The string was drawn back - either unaided or by a mechanical mechanism - and then released by a trigger; the weapon fired arrow-like projectiles called bolts. Crossbows fired slowly but had great draw force. They were often considered unchivalrous.<br />
*Dart - darts have been present in European warfare for a long time. Some were used in the Middle Ages, but they generally played little part in battle. Sometimes darts were fashioned for special purposes: for example, certain Byzantine heavy cavalry would throw specially made, 12 inch long, barbed, lead-weighted and feathered darts as they charged.<br />
*Longbow - famously used by the Welsh and then the English, this was a bow of great length - perhaps 6 feet - requiring great strength and a great deal of practice to be used effectively. The longbow could be long-ranged, and it could be accurate, but it could not be both at the same time. A variety of arrowheads were used for different purposes.<br />
*Shuriken - a Japanese term for any concealed throwing weapon. Although modern culture is most familiar with the 'throwing star' form of the shuriken, shuriken could be any easily concealed sharp object, fashioned from a wide range of objects (such as needles, nails, coins or chisels), or made from scratch. Shuriken were usually used for incapacitation or distraction.<br />
*Staff Sling - also called a stave sling or fustibale. Although the sling was obsolete during the medieval period, the staff sling was still used during sieges. A sling on the end of a staff - up to 6 feet long - could hurl heavy stones great distances, utilising a lever effect.<br />
*Yumi - a Japanese term use to refer to bows, which included the Daikyu (Longbow) and the Hankyu(Shortbow).<br />
<br />
==Improvised Weaponry==<br />
A number of the weapons listed above were converted agricultural implements - scythes, pitchforks et cetera - and, given the poor understanding of logistics during the Medieval period, commanders were often forced to improvise. The Byzantine general Belisarius, for example, was supposedly forced to equip some of his infantry with park fenceposts and large metal platters in lieu of spears and shields before his last battle (he won). <br />
<br />
Moving away from a purely military context, almost anything might serve as a weapon in an emergency. During a tavern brawl mugs might serve as missiles and chair-legs as clubs, a civilian rider might have to resort to his whip, if an urban population revolted they might well throw cobblestones and tiles, and a noble would be forced to use the first thing that came to hand against an assassin; Julius Caesar is supposed to have had only a stylus to defend himself when he was assassinated (Caesar was not Medieval, but the principle is the same).<br />
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<br />
==Siege Engines==<br />
Miscellaneous thrown objects might include simple stone or metal balls, flammable objects, large arrow-like objects, beehives, carcasses, or unsuccessful spies.<br />
*Ballista - this classical weapon - a kind of giant crossbow - was occaisionally used in the Middle Ages, but it was expensive and complex, and so was generally replaced by the onager.<br />
*Battering Ram - at its simplest, a log which soldiers batter gates with. More advanced rams might be slung from a frame or placed on rollers. Often rams were protected with roofs and side-screens.<br />
*Catapult - this appears to have been a catch-all term for any siege engine that launched projectiles.<br />
*Onager - the onager used a sling attached to a throwing arm to launch a solid projectile. Later onagers might have fired several projectiles from a fixed bowl. 'Onager' appears to have been interchangeable with 'mangonel'. Onagers used torsion bundles to throw their projectile(s).<br />
*Siege Hook - a large metal hook, if strong enough, could be mounted on a long pole, or attached to a strong rope, and used to physically pull down the stones of the defender's wall. These saw little use and were probably only useful against minor defences which could be easily taken by other methods as well.<br />
*Siege Tower - a tower on wheels, usually constructed at the scene of the siege and built higher than the besieged walls. Siege towers could carry archers, and a drawbridge might be lowered onto the walls to allow troops access.<br />
*Trebuchet - unlike the onager and ballista, the trebuchet used a counterweight acting on a lever to hurl much larger projectiles. Trebuchets appear to have had a range of about 300 yards - within skilled bowshot. Large trebuchets were slow to operate, launching perhaps two projectiles per hour.<br />
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<br />
==Miscellaneous Siege Techniques==<br />
It should be noted that, until the arrival of gunpowder, the balance of technology and logistics ''usually'' favoured the defender.<br />
==='Boiling Oil'===<br />
Various unpleasant substances might be poured on attackers through purpose built holes, or simply over the walls. Boiling oil in particular would have been expensive, and oil was a limited resource. Defenders would more commonly employ cheaper alternatives, such as boiling water, burning pitch or heated sand.<br />
===Escalade=== <br />
This was a ladder assault on besieged walls. Attackers carrying out an escalade suffered heavy casualties from missile weapons, boiling oil et cetera; if they reached the battlements, they would be outnumbered. Often an escalade was not attempted aggresively, but stealthily, at night, in order to infiltrate and open the gates.<br />
===Filling===<br />
If the besiegers faced a moat or ditch, they might attempt to bridge it by filling it - with stones, bundles of sticks, earth or corpses - often as a prelude to the deployment of rams, or to an escalade.<br />
===Greek Fire===<br />
Greek fire was a weapon made using a secret formula, deployed by the Byzantine empire. Greek fire stuck to things, and water did not put it out. Objects could be soaked in Greek fire and then launched by siege engines, or it could be combined with a metal siphon to create a primitive flamethrower. The Byzantines also supposedly had a variation which was ignited by contact with sunlight; this could be smeared on enemy siege engines by spies during the night, with predictable results when day came!<br />
===Sapping===<br />
Sapping was also called undermining or simply mining; besiegers might dig tunnels under besieged walls to cause a breach. Gunpowder was not used until the very late Middle Ages, but the engineers might build the tunnel using wooden supports which could then be burned to cause the tunnel to collapse. The besieged might countermine, digging into the tunnel themselves to kill the engineers, or digging underneath the initial tunnel before it reached their walls and attempting to collapse ''that'' tunnel.<br />
===Sortie===<br />
Fortifications often had one or more inconspicuous or concealed secondary gates. The defenders could come outside the walls using one of these in an attempt to catch the attackers off guard - making a sortie. Depending on the forces available, the defenders might aim simply to drive the enemy back and destroy some of their seige eqiupment, or might hope to actually lift the siege entirely. Sorties were also made in co-ordination with relieving forces.<br />
===Waiting===<br />
Unless a relieving army was on the way or the attackers themselves lacked supplies, often the simplest option was to attempt to starve the defenders out.<br />
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==See Also==<br />
[[Battle]]<br />
<br />
[[Duel]]<br />
<br />
[[Fortifications]]<br />
<br />
[[Unit_Naming_Guide]]<br />
<br />
[[Category: Background Information]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Weaponry&diff=73634Weaponry2007-07-31T14:39:30Z<p>Egregious: Added Filling and Sortie to Siege Techniques.</p>
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Here are some well-known and not so well-known weapons that your character or your men might be wielding, or facing, in battle. Within their types, weapons are listed alphabetically.<br />
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Gunpowder weaponry is not listed, as BattleMaster never mentions it.<br />
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==Pole Weapons==<br />
Axes have been included in this list.<br />
*Awl Pike - also called an ahlspiess. A metal spike, usually over three feet in length, mounted on a shaft of 5 to 6 feet in length. At the base of the spike was a rondel guard, a simple round piece of metal, to protect the hands.<br />
*Bardiche - an Eastern European weapon. A tall axehead - perhaps 2 feet long - mounted by two sockets onto a short pole, usually up to 5 feet long.<br />
*Battle Axe - an axe specifically designed for warfare. Since flesh is easier to slice than wood, battle axes were usually lighter than utility axes and had narrower blades. Axes might be used by horsemen or infantrymen, and might be double- or single-handed.<br />
*Bec de Corbin - similar to a polearm length war hammer (see below). Usually, instead of using the hammer head to attack, the hammer's 'beak' or fluke was used.<br />
*Bec de Faucon - a polearm with a large hammer head instead of an axe, and backed with a spike or curved fluke. The weapon either terminated in a heavy steel counterweight, or a sharpened buttspike, and seemed to range anywhere from five to seven or more feet long.<br />
*Bill - also called a bill hook or bill-guisarme. A pole 6 to 9 feet long, with (usually) three implements attached: a blade on one side of the end, a hook on the other and a spear-like spike straight off the top.<br />
*Boar Spear - a short and heavy spear for hunting wild boar. Two 'lugs' or wings were placed behind the blade of the spear to prevent the head entering too deep, and to stop the boar working its way up the spear. On the battlefield, the lugs could be used to entangle enemy equipment, and also prevented a thrust going too deep which meant the user could be confident that he would be able to pull the spear out again.<br />
*Breach-Pike - an awl pike without the rondel guard.<br />
*Candeliere - an Italian term, literally 'candlestick'. This was a shortened awl pike.<br />
*Chacing Staff - also called a chasing staff, this was a staff 10 to 12 feet long with a spike on the butt end and a shallow blade on the other. It resembled an early halberd or bill.<br />
*Danish Axe - originally the axe used by the Vikings, 4 to 6 feet long. This spread throughout Europe during the 13th century. <br />
*Doloire - also called a wagoner's axe, this was roughly 5 feet long. The head was pointed at the top and rounded at the bottom, and a small hammer head is mounted on the reverse. As the alternative name suggests, this weapon was used as a tool and for self-defence by the men in charge of supply trains.<br />
*Fauchard - a curved blade mounted on a 6 to 7 foot pole. The curve of the blade was concave, similar to a sickle or scythe. <br />
*Fauchard-Fork - a fauchard (see above), with a lance point attached to the top or the point of the blade.<br />
*Flax - like the pitchfork, this was a farming implement, in this case one used to manipulate the material flax, used as an improvised weapon. This was a serrated, saw-like blade, topped with a broad, flat hook and with a spike on the reverse, mounted on a 7 to 8 foot pole.<br />
*Glaive - a single edged blade - perhaps 18 inches long - mounted on a pole 6 to 7 feet long.<br />
*Guisarme - also called a gisarme or bisarme. Originally simply a pruning hook on a spear shaft. Later a hooked blade with a spike on the reverse side. Eventually a catch-all term for any weapon with a hook on.<br />
*Halberd - An axe head on a pole, with a hook-blade on the reverse and a long spike straight off the top.<br />
*Half-Pike - a shortened pike, commonly used by sailors, as it was easier to manipulate in the limited space of a ship's deck.<br />
*Jousting Lance - a lance (see below), but with a blunt and spread out tip, and sometimes with a hollowed shaft to break on impact.<br />
*Lance - the lance as used by knights was longer, stouter and heavier than the spear and was mounted with a vamplate, a circular metal plate to prevent the hand sliding up the shaft upon impact. Once the initial charge had been made, the lance usually had to be abandoned.<br />
*Kusari-gama - More of a composite weapon, it composed of a scythe with a flail attached to the bottom end. A user would use the flail to knock the opponent off balance, and then rush forward to bring the scythe edge into play.<br />
*Long-Bearded Axe - an axe where the cutting edge of the blade extends below the width of the throat, which saves weight and allows the axe to be held just below the head if necessary, for close blows and woodcutting.<br />
*Lucerne Hammer - so-called because many were found at Lucerne, Switzerland. This is a three or four pronged hammer head mounted on a 7 foot pole, with a spike on the reverse and a longer spike straight of the top.<br />
*Man Catcher - a bizarre non-lethal polearm. A pole mounted with a two-pronged head. Each prong was semi-circular, with a spring-loaded 'door' on the front. This valve-like system allowed a man-sized object to be caught from a horse and pinned to the ground. This was ideal for capturing nobles for ransom.<br />
*Mattock - similar to a pickaxe, but with the head terminating in a broader blade than the pickaxe's long spike. This was an agricultural implement that could be used as an improvised weapon by peasants.<br />
*Military Fork - an evolution of the pitchfork (see below) for battlefield use. Usually military forks had only two tines (prongs); these were usually parallel or slightly flared. This became the favoured polearm in some areas of Europe.<br />
*Naginata - similiar to the glaive, a curved blade mounted on a wooden shaft. While naginata could both slash and stab, slashing usually held more power due to the leverage provided by the pole and the shape of the blade. The length of the haft was around 5 to 7 feet, while the blade was around 2-3 feet long.<br />
*Ox Tongue Spear - also called the langue de boeuf. An English broad bladed, double edged halberd.<br />
*Partisan - a lance or spear head mounted on a shaft with a small double axe head mounted just below it. It eventually became clear that the partisan was not a good battlefield weapon. It became a ceremonial and civil weapon, and so might be borne by city guards and militia.<br />
*Pike - a polearm, similar to a spear, from 10 to a remarkable 22 feet long. Primarily used in a close formation against cavalry.<br />
*Pitchfork - a farming implement which might be used by peasants lacking anything else. Pitchforks varied in lenghts and usually had 2 to 6 tines.<br />
*Pollaxe - also called a pole axe, poll-axe, polax or hache. This was a polearm 4 to 7 feet long with a modular head. Usually an axe blade - smaller than that of a halberd - or a hammer head was mounted on the damaging 'face', with a spike, hammer or fluke on the reverse. A blade often came off the top too. A rondel guard might be fixed below the head, and a spike might be fixed to the butt.<br />
*Qiang - a weapon of Chinese make, it was essentially a cheap, mass-producable spear. However, one striking feature was the red horse-hair tassle situated just below the blade. The spear was a strong but flexible wood, which bends to absorb impact preventing breakage. The bending motion combined with the blurring effect of the tassle made the spear tip very hard to follow.<br />
*Ranseur - also called a runka or rawcon. Essentially a spear with a cross hilt mounted just below the head. Sometimes the hilt was crescent shaped, which produced something like a trident. <br />
*Spear - the simplest polearm. The spear was cheap and required little training, but as the Middle Ages progressed, it was gradually abandoned in favour of other polearms.<br />
*Spetum - also called a chauve, souris, corseca, corsèsque, and korseke. A 6 to 8 foot long polearm, spear-tipped, with two projections at the base of the tip. Unlike the ranseur and the partisan, the projections are single edged and used for slashing.<br />
*Swordstaff - a Danish weapon ('Svaerdstav'), in essence a sword blade mounted on a staff - not as long as a spear but longer than a sword - and thus better than a spear for very close combat, and better than a sword for fighting mounted opponents. However, it was probably a 'jack of all trades and master of none' because of its hybrid nature.<br />
*Tachibo - a Bo with a slot that could allow a Tachi(blade) to slide into, thus creating a Spear.<br />
*War Hammer - a hammer head mounted on a pole or staff. Polearm length war hammers were employed against cavalry, whereas shorter war hammers were used by them. Often a spike might be mounted straight off the top. <br />
*War Scythe - this is a peasant's scythe, but adapted for warfare. The blade is moved, from its position at right angles to the shaft, to extend upright from it. Particularly associated with Poland.<br />
*Voulge - a polearm similar to a glaive (see above), but with a broader blade and more of a hacking than a cutting motion. Sometimes the blade narrowed to a 'pointed top' for stabbing.<br />
*Yari - the Japanese longspear, recognized by its straight and long blade. Yari were extremely durable. The shaft was made from hardwood and covered in bamboo strips, and then held together by metal rings. Yari varied from one meter long for a foot soldier to about 2.5 meters for a mounted combatant and even 6 meters for use in a phalanx-like formation.<br />
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==Blunts==<br />
*Bo - the Japanese name for a quarterstaff.<br />
*Chain Mace - a morningstar (see below) or a metal ball on the end of a long length of chain. The chain was often wrapped in leather or another protective material.<br />
*Club - also called a cudgel or a bludgeon. Probably the simplest of all weapons. A wooden stick with which the wielder strikes his enemies. This would be a peasant's weapon, but soldiers might employ it when doing police work. Maces were derived from clubs.<br />
*Cudgel - see club above.<br />
*Cosh - otherwise known as a sap or a blackjack, it was simply lead weights wrapped in a bag, and used to incapacitate people when they weren't looking. Other heavy materials could be substituted. A common mugger's weapon, as it was easily concealed.<br />
*Flail - strictly speaking, one or more metal balls - sometimes morningstars (see below) - attached by a chain or chains to a staff. An impact weapon, which could curve around a shield or a parrying weapon.. Named a flail because the wielder's motions resembled those of someone using the (quite different) farming implement.<br />
*Godendag - also called the goedendag, plançon-à-picot or chandelier. This was a Flemish variant of the morningstar mace. It was a long wooden club, 4 to 6 feet long, with an iron spike on the end. <br />
*Holy Water Sprinkler - also called a goupillon. Strictly speaking, a short, spiked iron bar on the end of a chain, similar to a morningstar flail - indeed the term can also refer to morningstar flails or morningstar maces. So-called probably because the spikes resemble sprays of holy water from an eclesiastical aspergillum. <br />
*Horseman's Pick - a cavalry war hammer, with a long spike on the reverse of the hammer head. The spike was curved downwards, giving it a pick-like shape.<br />
*Lathi - an Indian bamboo staff, of varying length, usually (but not always) tipped with a metal blunt at one end. Usually used to incapacitate opponents.<br />
*Long Stave - also long staff. This was a longer, Early Modern version of the quarterstaff (see below). A long stave could be 12 to 18 feet long.<br />
*Mace - a wooden, reinforced or metal shaft topped with a metal or stone head, which was thicker than the shaft and often sported spikes, knobs or flanges. Infantry maces were usually 2 to 3 feet long. Cavalry maces were somewhat longer.<br />
*Maul - originally a long handled hammer used to split wood, with a wedge-shaped head, a little like a broad axehead. A peasant's implement. This could be modified with metal banding and rivets to provide a battlefield weapon. Two-handed maces were also called mauls.<br />
*Morningstar - strictly speaking, the small spiked round ball found either on the end of a chain in a flail or on the end of a shaft in a morningstar mace. More generally could refer to any type of spiked club.<br />
*Nunchaku - not a dedicated martial weapon, it consisted of two lengths of wood joined by a thick chain. Exponente wielded it in a manner similiar to a mace, but a lot faster due to its light weight.<br />
*Manrikigusari - a ninja's weapon, consisting of a thick chain with lead weights at the end. The user either hurled them at the target or whirled it around, causing the weights to slam into the enemy, and thereby incapacitating him. It could be easily folded up and concealed.<br />
*Quarterstaff - an English staff weapon, usually 6 to 9 feet long. A quarterstaff might have metal caps or spikes at one or both ends. Early, longer variants of the quarterstaff were called long staves (see above). Many implements can be converted into a quarterstaff and a quarterstaff could of course be used as a long walking staff.<br />
*Shillelagh - a weapon associated with Ireland. A wooden club or cudgel, usually a knotty stick with a large knob on the end, made from blackthorn or oak. A shillelagh might be hollowed out at the striking end and filled with molten lead. This variation was called a 'loaded stick'.<br />
*Shield - Shields could serve as a weapon in an emergency, especially with the addition of spikes or sharp edges.<br />
*Tetsubo - a staff composed of heavy wood or metal and covered with metal at the striking end. Few could wield it due to their extreme weight, but a skilled wielder could use it to cleave heads and smash horses' legs.<br />
*Tonfa - The tonfa consisted of two parts, a handle with a knob, and perpendicular to the handle, a shaft or board that lies along the hand and forearm. The shaft was usually 20–24 inches long.<br />
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==Blades==<br />
*Arming Sword - a single handed, double edged sword usually used for cutting. Until the late 13th century and the rise of the longsword, these swords were the standard knight's sword - 'war sword' - and after that time they remained a common side-arm. Knights would wear arming swords in and out of armour; they would be 'undressed' without one.<br />
*Backsword - the backsword was so named because it only had one cutting edge. The non-cutting edge (the back of the blade) was much thicker than the cutting edge thus creating a wedge type cross-section.<br />
*Baselard - also called a basilard, this was a Swiss weapon, somewhere between a short sword and a dagger. It was perhaps 40 centimetres long, although after the Middle Ages it became longer.<br />
*Bihänder - also called a zweihänder, or bidenhänder, this was an extremely large two-handed sword. Its heyday was the 16th century, but it originated in Germany during the 14th century. The weapon as a whole might be 5 or 6 feet long, and usually had a cross guard.<br />
*Cinquedea - a thrusting civilian short sword from Italy during the end of the Middle Ages, with a heavy, roughly 45 centimetre long blade.<br />
*Chuttuval - lit. 'coiled sword', also known as the 'urumi'. An Indian weapon, something between a short whip and a sword; a flexible band of steel 3/4 to 1 inch in width, and perhaps 4 to 5 foot in length, mounted on a handle. Difficult to control. Apparently multiple bands can be mounted on the same handle for an even more complex weapon.<br />
*Claymore - a two-handed sword, somewhat smaller and lighter, and thus faster, than other two-handed swords. Medieval claymores - with a cross guard - are different from the 18th century basket-hilt claymore. The blade was roughly 40 inches long.<br />
*Dao - a catch-all Chinese word to refer to all curved swords developed for the purpose of slashing.<br />
*Dagger - a simple knife, usually double edged. A particularly popular variant was the rondel (see below). Daggers were usually used as a side-arm, and, since they could penetrate the joints in a suit of armour, they could be used to kill an unhorsed knight or to force him to surrender.<br />
*Dirk - a Scottish word. The actual configuration of a dirk varied. Sometimes a dirk was a small, straight dagger; sometimes it was a sword blade mounted with a dagger hilt.<br />
*Ear Dagger - a rare weapon, thought to have originated in Spain. An Ear Dagger usually had a single sharpened edge ending in an acute point. The pommel had a distinctive shape, supposedly resembling a human ear.<br />
*Falchion - a single hand, single edged sword with a wide blade. These were cheap to produce.<br />
*Flamberge - any sword with a wavy edge (hence the name, 'flame blade'). Such a sword would have been attractive and distinctive, but would also apparently create unusual vibrations in an opponent's blade when parrying, which might disrupt their technique. The word 'flamberge' was sometimes also used to refer to a Bihänder sword (see above).<br />
*Greatsword - a 'greatsword' was not a particular type of sword, but the word might mean a heavy arming sword, a large longsword, a claymore or a bihänder<br />
*Großes Messer - also called a langmesser, heibmesser or simply a messer, this was a single edged, inexpensive German blade, similar to a falchion. The blade might be 30 inches long.<br />
*Jian - a traditional Chinese weapon, it was a long, straight sword. There a thin blade allowed it to bend. A jian was difficult to wield, as its effectiveness depended on the user's finesse and agility, rather than brute force, much like a rapier. <br />
*Jitte - Similiar to the sai; a light, dull sword with a tsuba (outblade) designed to catch opponent's swords. It was rougly the size of a wakizashi, and was wielded if the wielder wanted to disarm, not kill. As such, it was commonly used by law-enforcement officers.<br />
*Katzbalger - an arming sword 75 to 85 cm long, with a distinctive figure-eight shaped guard. Famously sturdy, sometimes used as a secondary weapon by pikemen, archers and crossbowmen.<br />
*Katana - feudal Japanese blade. Perhaps 70-90 cm long and remarkably sharp and strong, despite being very thin. Difficult to master but extremely effective. Single-edged. The katana held a special significance for samurai, who felt that they were incomplete without it, whether they actually used it or not - much like a European knight's relationship with his 'arming sword'.<br />
*Katar - an Indian punching dagger or sword. Unusually, the grip is mounted horizontally to the blade, so the blade sits on the user's knuckles and thrusts are made with a punching motion (see also the Pata).<br />
*Longsword - also called a langschwerdt, spadone or montante (the terms 'bastard sword and 'hand-and-a-half sword' are modern). An evolution of the arming sword, with a cross guard. Lengths varied, but usually both hands could fit comfortably onto the hilt, although it might be used one-handed. <br />
*Mercygiver - also called a misericordias, this was a long English knife specifically designed for delivering a coup de grâce to a wounded man. It saw much use during the Hundered Years' War; the French considered it unchivalrous.<br />
*Ninjatō/Ninjaken - the type of sword a ninja would have carried, a cut down version/variant of the Katana and Wakizashi, and usually not made of folding metal like the katana. Straight bladed.<br />
*Pata - an Indian concept, a little like a scaled-up Katar (see above); a blade of 10 to 44 inches length was mounted on the end of a gauntlet. As with the Katar, the user was able to thrust by using a punching motion.<br />
*Poniard - a thrusting dagger with a slim square or triangular blade.<br />
*Romphaia - a two-handed sword with a shallow curve, originally used in Classical times but surviving in use during the Early Medieval period.<br />
*Rondel - also called a roundel, this was a single edged dagger which had rondels - flat metal circles - for both its pommel and guard. It was worn by a variety of people from knights to merchants. The blade was usually more than 12 inches long. There were also four-edged variants, the blade having a cruciform cross-section.<br />
*Sabre - usually a single-edged, curved blade with a hand guard. Sabres originally arrived in Europe with the Magyars in the 10th century.<br />
*Sai - The sai's basic form is that of an unsharpened dagger, with two long, unsharpened projections (tsuba) attached to the handle. It is originally a purely defensive weapon, used to trap an opponent's sword between the prongs, and attempt to disarm him. A sai is basically a jitte (see above) with two tsuba instead of one.<br />
*Shamshir - a sabre of Persian ancestry. The one striking feature about a shamshir was the radical curve of the blade, sometimes even up to 15 degrees. As such, it was used mostly for slashing, as the curve made stabbing difficult.<br />
*Shortsword - in medieval terms, a 'shortsword' was a one-handed sword short only in comparison to a longsword. The word was rarely used and is something of a neologism.<br />
*Scimitar - a curved, single-edged sword, used mostly in North-Africa and Arabia. It dates back to almost 2 millennia B.C. during the 18th Egyptian Dynasty, when the first mention of curved blades is made. It is primarily used for slashing enemies.<br />
*Stiletto - a small, straight dagger. It had no edge, only an extremely sharp point. Used primarily by infiltrators to carry out assasinations, being light,slim and easy to conceal. However, it was almost worthless for any other purpose.<br />
*Sword Breaker - could be a term for any weapon designed to break swords, but usually a long and sturdy dagger with slots on one side. By catching an opponent's blade in a slot, and twisting the Sword Breaker, the user could in theory break his opponent's weapon. How well this worked in practice is not certain.<br />
*Talwar - an Indian sword, similar in shape to a Shamshir but usually with a wider blade.<br />
*Tessen - a fan which had metal spokes, sharpened to deadly points. They were designed to look like regular fans, and were used in places where swords and other overt weapons were not allowed.<br />
*Wakizashi - a smaller version of a katana, it was commonly worn as a sidearm by katana-wielding samurai. In the Feudal era, a technique comsisting of using a katana and a wakizashi in tandem (collectively knowm as the 'daisho', meaning long(katana) and short(wakizashi)) was developed.<br />
*Zanbato - A huge, heavy sword, with no fingerguard or noticable hilt. Used as more of a bludgeoning weapon, downing foes with brute force. Two handed.<br />
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==Personal Ranged Weapons==<br />
*Arbalest - although this word could mean any crossbow, it more commonly meant a crossbow-like weapon with a steel prod, which allowed for a greater draw force.<br />
*Chakram - an Indian throwing weapon; a flat metal ring, usually 5 to 12 inches in diameter and with a sharpened outer edge. This weapon is frequently featured in modern fantasy and martial arts media, where it usually appears with a larger diameter and is often solely a melee weapon.<br />
*Crossbow - a bow, called a 'prod', mounted on a stock. The string was drawn back - either unaided or by a mechanical mechanism - and then released by a trigger; the weapon fired arrow-like projectiles called bolts. Crossbows fired slowly but had great draw force. They were often considered unchivalrous.<br />
*Dart - darts have been present in European warfare for a long time. Some were used in the Middle Ages, but they generally played little part in battle. Sometimes darts were fashioned for special purposes: for example, certain Byzantine heavy cavalry would throw specially made, 12 inch long, barbed, lead-weighted and feathered darts as they charged.<br />
*Longbow - famously used by the Welsh and then the English, this was a bow of great length - perhaps 6 feet - requiring great strength and a great deal of practice to be used effectively. The longbow could be long-ranged, and it could be accurate, but it could not be both at the same time. A variety of arrowheads were used for different purposes.<br />
*Shuriken - a Japanese term for any concealed throwing weapon. Although modern culture is most familiar with the 'throwing star' form of the shuriken, shuriken could be any easily concealed sharp object, fashioned from a wide range of objects (such as needles, nails, coins or chisels), or made from scratch. Shuriken were usually used for incapacitation or distraction.<br />
*Staff Sling - also called a stave sling or fustibale. Although the sling was obsolete during the medieval period, the staff sling was still used during sieges. A sling on the end of a staff - up to 6 feet long - could hurl heavy stones great distances, utilising a lever effect.<br />
*Yumi - a Japanese term use to refer to bows, which included the Daikyu (Longbow) and the Hankyu(Shortbow).<br />
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==Improvised Weaponry==<br />
A number of the weapons listed above were converted agricultural implements - scythes, pitchforks et cetera - and, given the poor understanding of logistics during the Medieval period, commanders were often forced to improvise. The Byzantine general Belisarius, for example, was supposedly forced to equip some of his infantry with park fenceposts and large metal platters in lieu of spears and shields before his last battle (he won). <br />
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Moving away from a purely military context, almost anything might serve as a weapon in an emergency. During a tavern brawl mugs might serve as missiles and chair-legs as clubs, a civilian rider might have to resort to his whip, if an urban population revolted they might well throw cobblestones and tiles, and a noble would be forced to use the first thing that came to hand against an assassin; Julius Caesar is supposed to have had only a stylus to defend himself when he was assassinated (Caesar was not Medieval, but the principle is the same).<br />
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==Siege Engines==<br />
Miscellaneous thrown objects might include simple stone or metal balls, flammable objects, large arrow-like objects, beehives, carcasses, or unsuccessful spies.<br />
*Ballista - this classical weapon - a kind of giant crossbow - was occaisionally used in the Middle Ages, but it was expensive and complex, and so was generally replaced by the onager.<br />
*Battering Ram - at its simplest, a log which soldiers batter gates with. More advanced rams might be slung from a frame or placed on rollers. Often rams were protected with roofs and side-screens.<br />
*Catapult - this appears to have been a catch-all term for any siege engine that launched projectiles.<br />
*Onager - the onager used a sling attached to a throwing arm to launch a solid projectile. Later onagers might have fired several projectiles from a fixed bowl. 'Onager' appears to have been interchangeable with 'mangonel'. Onagers used torsion bundles to throw their projectile(s).<br />
*Siege Hook - a large metal hook, if strong enough, could be mounted on a long pole, or attached to a strong rope, and used to physically pull down the stones of the defender's wall. These saw little use and were probably only useful against minor defences which could be easily taken by other methods as well.<br />
*Siege Tower - a tower on wheels, usually constructed at the scene of the siege and built higher than the besieged walls. Siege towers could carry archers, and a drawbridge might be lowered onto the walls to allow troops access.<br />
*Trebuchet - unlike the onager and ballista, the trebuchet used a counterweight acting on a lever to hurl much larger projectiles. Trebuchets appear to have had a range of about 300 yards - within skilled bowshot. Large trebuchets were slow to operate, launching perhaps two projectiles per hour.<br />
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==Miscellaneous Siege Techniques==<br />
It should be noted that, until the arrival of gunpowder, the balance of technology and logistics ''usually'' favoured the defender.<br />
==='Boiling Oil'===<br />
Various unpleasant substances might be poured on attackers through purpose built holes, or simply over the walls. Boiling oil in particular would have been expensive, and oil was a limited resource. Defenders would more commonly employ cheaper alternatives, such as boiling water, burning pitch or heated sand.<br />
===Escalade=== <br />
This was a ladder assault on besieged walls. Attackers carrying out an escalade suffered heavy casualties from missile weapons, boiling oil et cetera; if they reached the battlements, they would be outnumbered. Often an escalade was not attempted aggresively, but stealthily, at night, in order to infiltrate and open the gates.<br />
===Filling===<br />
If the besiegers faced a moat or ditch, they might attempt to bridge it by filling it - with stones, bundles of sticks, earth or corpses - often as a prelude to the deployment of rams, or to an escalade.<br />
===Greek Fire===<br />
Greek fire was a weapon made using a secret formula, deployed by the Byzantine empire. Greek fire stuck to things, and water did not put it out. Objects could be soaked in Greek fire and then launched by siege engines, or it could be combined with a metal siphon to create a primitive flamethrower. The Byzantines also supposedly had a variation which was ignited by contact with sunlight; this could be smeared on enemy siege engines by spies during the night, with predictable results when day came!<br />
===Sapping===<br />
Sapping was also called undermining or simply mining; besiegers might dig tunnels under besieged walls to cause a breach. Gunpowder was not used until the very late Middle Ages, but the engineers might build the tunnel using wooden supports which could then be burned to cause the tunnel to collapse. The besieged might countermine, digging into the tunnel themselves to kill the engineers, or digging underneath the initial tunnel before it reached their walls and attempting to collapse ''that'' tunnel.<br />
===Sortie===<br />
Fortifications often had one or more inconspicuous or concealed secondary gates. The defenders could come outside the walls using one of these in an attempt to catch the attackers off guard - making a sortie. Depending on the forces available, the defenders might aim simply to drive the enemy back and destroy some of their seige eqiupment, or might hope to actually lift the siege entirely. Sorties were also made in co-ordination with relieving forces.<br />
===Waiting===<br />
Unless a relieving army was on the way or the attackers themselves lacked supplies, often the simplest option was to attempt to starve the defenders out.<br />
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[[Category: Background Information]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Background_Information&diff=73633Background Information2007-07-31T14:25:31Z<p>Egregious: </p>
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<div>__TOC__<br />
Being placed largely in a medieval society, BattleMaster is easier to understand if you have some background information. Gathered here are some of the things that were discussed on the mailing list or otherwise collected as relevant information; of course anyone with an interest in the middle ages is invited to add his or her own contributions.<br />
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* [[Science of the Smith]] - some information about the medieval smith, important for weapons and (metal) armour.<br />
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* [[Job Titles]] - lists and describes some generalized medieval jobs that you might encounter in a realm.<br />
<br />
* [[Clothing]] - lists and tries to describe articles of clothing your characters might be wearing.<br />
<br />
* [[Weaponry]] - weapons that you or your men might wield.<br />
<br />
* [[Armour and Miscellaneous Equipment]] - things that you or your men might wear to war.<br />
<br />
* [[Medieval Duels]] - some information about the types of duel fought in the medieval period, and the technique used.<br />
<br />
* [[Medieval Warfare]] - some interesting information about real warfare in the middle ages, which was quite different from what you see in the movies.<br />
<br />
* [http://rpgmud.com/WorldBuilding/Mythopoets/tmm.html Guide to Creating a Religion (External Link)] - A very good place to start if you're founding a new religion. Also check out any existing [[Religions]] in Battlemaster so you know what's out there.</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Government_System&diff=73575Government System2007-07-30T13:21:07Z<p>Egregious: </p>
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<div>__TOC__<br />
Whether the ruler of the greatest empire to ever exist, or the lowliest peasant in a strange new land, the government system will change how you carry out your day to day actions.<br />
<br />
There are certain similarities between them. For example, the same basic roles exist in every realm: [[Ruler]], [[General]], [[Judge]], and (except on the [[South-East Island]]/[[South-West Island]]) Banker. They have different official titles in different government systems, and can be either elected or appointed, depending again on the system of government. All realms collect taxes from their regions, but the share which must be given to [[Region_Command|region commanders]] varies. Naturally, there are many more subtle differences between them, and the attitudes of troop leaders in a Democracy or Republic may be quite different from those in a Theocracy or Tyranny.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Monarchy ==<br />
<br />
{{Template:Government-specific_titles|<br />
government =Monarchy|<br />
ruler_title =King/Queen|<br />
general_title =High Marshal|<br />
judge_title =Arch Priest(ess)|<br />
banker_title =Royal Treasurer<br />
}}<br />
<br />
The monarchy is a firmly established system of a strong King/Queen on the throne, checked in power by the Arch Priest(ess). Along with the other councilors, they have all the say in the [[realm]] and can decide its fate.<br />
<br />
Some monarchs are more benevolent than others; ranging between allowing each their voice, to monarchs who all but forbidding anything but following orders.<br />
<br />
Of course, in a monarchy there is no voting. A monarch is voted for once, and they remain until they removed in one of many different fashions. The Arch Priest(ess)is subject to the same fate. The monarch has the ability to appoint the Royal Treasurer and Field Marshal when those post are vacated. [[Prestige]] carries with it great weight when voting for a new king; the most prestigious and aristocratic have far more say then the common [[soldier]]. For [[judge]]s, all votes are equal.<br />
<br />
A monarchy can be very good or very bad for Lords; [[taxes]] on [[region]]s can range anywhere from slightly more than half to all but a pittance.<br />
<br />
== Tyranny ==<br />
<br />
{{Template:Government-specific_titles|<br />
government =Tyranny|<br />
ruler_title =Dictator|<br />
general_title =General|<br />
judge_title =Executor|<br />
banker_title =Banker<br />
}}<br />
<br />
The ultimate power trip for a [[ruler]], Tyranny ensures that there is one person with the vote, with true power in the realm. This person is the ruler. Other council positions still exist but are much reduced compared to other governments. The destiny of the [[realm]], in the end, lies on the rulers shoulders.<br />
<br />
As with monarchy, the ruler is elected just once. Once elected, the ruler appoints all other positions in the realm.<br />
<br />
The slight benefit for the average [[rank|noble]] is that all votes are equal; no matter rank or prestige. However, since all power ultimately lies with the ruler, it is not as much of a blessing as it would seem.<br />
<br />
Lords will love or hate a tyranny. Depending on the whims of their ruler, they may have to give up all their [[region]]'s earnings to the realm, or give up less than half and keep the rest for themselves.<br />
<br />
== Republic ==<br />
<br />
{{Template:Government-specific_titles|<br />
government =Republic|<br />
ruler_title =Prime Minister|<br />
general_title =Minister of Defence|<br />
judge_title =Grand Justiciar|<br />
banker_title =Minister of Finances<br />
}}<br />
<br />
The republic is one step before true equality between people. Power is shared among people; however the older and more experienced receive their due by having greater power. Rulers have to make sure to keep their people happy, for they and their judge undergo monthly elections.<br />
<br />
Lords and those with positions enjoy a greater voice in who they choose to lead their realm compared to others. For judges, all are equal. In return for this power, lords are expected to send anywhere between just over half to almost all of their region's income to the treasury.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Democracy ==<br />
<br />
{{Template:Government-specific_titles|<br />
government =Democracy|<br />
ruler_title =Chancellor|<br />
general_title =Minister of Defense|<br />
judge_title =Supreme Judge|<br />
banker_title =Minister of Finances|<br />
}}<br />
<br />
Let the citizens rejoice, for all free men are given equal voice! Notice that this does not include slaves or peasants...<br />
<br />
All positions are elected for once a month, with each man's vote being equal to the next. Lords are expected to provide over half to the greater part of their region's income for the greater good of the realm.<br />
<br />
It is also good to remember that this type of Democracy is not the same as the modern concept of Democracy. The original Democracy was a council of kings, whereas BattleMaster's version might be better described as a council of nobility: democratic as far as the nobles themselves are concerned, but oligarchic from the point of view of the peasantry.<br />
<br />
== Theocracy ==<br />
<br />
{{Template:Government-specific_titles|<br />
government =Theocracy|<br />
ruler_title =Pontifex|<br />
general_title =Paladin Primus|<br />
judge_title =Haruspex Maximus|<br />
banker_title =Fiduciary<br />
}}<br />
<br />
A theocracy is ruled by the church. Thus, the ruler is expected to be most pious and provide example in spiritual matters for the rest of the realm. The flock also elects monthly their priests of war and money; the general and the banker. However, the judge, as the protector of the faith, is too important to be disturbed from his solemn duty by petty political feuds in the realm, and is thus under direct appointment of the ruler.<br />
<br />
Clearly whatever powers the realm worships will bless the worthy, and they will rise to greater station. Thusly, those of greater station will have greater say in who guides the productivity and safety of their realm. However, for rulers, all men are equal before the powers.<br />
<br />
Lords are blessed with having to give up only half to a maximum of three-quarters of their region's income to the realm and church. The lord who tends to his people will be well rewarded.<br />
<br />
== Anarchy ==<br />
<br />
Anarchy is indicative of one of two situations. The more common is reorganization. This happens when, for one reason or another, a suitable candidate for rulership can not be found. In this instance those in the capital region have the opportunity to seize power by garnering the most votes for themselves and reform the Government.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the second does involve realms that fall. This is a condition where again no one suitable is found, but for very different reasons. This is a descend into states of anarchy. No place to put a capital, no rule, no guidance, no hope.<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
* [[Government Position]]s<br />
<br />
[[Category: Manual]]<br />
[[Category: Government]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=User:Egregious&diff=73574User:Egregious2007-07-30T13:16:17Z<p>Egregious: </p>
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<div>I live in England. I am interested in English and Classical literature (especially the epic tradition). I am also a gamer; currently I play a lot of PlanetSide (VS Werner, for those who are interested). I am also a fencer, primarily Epee with a little Foil on the side to help out new people. I watch too much anime.<br />
<br />
My English is quite good, but I am an inexperienced wiki user. <br />
<br />
Talk page word count (15.08.06): 7,599.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Vilhardouin Family|Vilhardouin Family]]<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/Egregious|Contributions]] [The Weaponry page is my favourite]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Family_Pages&diff=73516Family Pages2007-07-28T21:28:22Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__ <br />
If you are looking for a brief list of families and links into a more in depth view of a families ''personalized'' histories. You can add your own family to this page. However, we strongly urge you to respect the following rules: <br />
* Follow the pre-defined structure <br />
* Do ''not'' under any circumstances remove or change entries except for your own <br />
* No bragging, name-calling or mud-slinging. On your family page, you can say whatever you want to say. On this index list, keep it clean. <br />
* Judge yourself as far as which section you fit in. Sure you can put yourself higher then you deserve, but your reputation will only suffer worse for it once people find out. <br />
* Make sure your family page is called "ABC Family", i.e. starts with the actual family name, even if for beauty reasons you want the link to be called "Clan ABC" or "House XYZ". <br />
* Below are examples of how to show your desired family name, regardless of naming conventions; <br />
: <nowiki>[[Example Family|House Example]]</nowiki> <br />
: <nowiki>[[Example Family|Clan Example]]</nowiki> etc... <br />
Also check out the [[:Category: Families|alphabetically sorted list]]. To have your own family added there, simply add <nowiki>[[Category: Families]]</nowiki> to the bottom of your family page. <br />
<br />
Additionally there is a companion page explicitly for displaying ones family to what the family is most proud of, or tidbits they are known for. Those interested should visit the [[Family Notoriety]] page. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Royal Families== <br />
''For anyone of royal blood, those who have held a rulership or several for considerable time and with widespread recognition of royality. Alphabetical order'' <br />
<br />
* [[Abandonas Family|Abandonas Family]] - Lalakis, Leo, Amraedil, Dimitr <br />
* [[Antiphone Family]] - Harod, Braxis, Lestre(r), Sullus(d), Caleph<br />
* [[Anaris Family|Anaris Family]] - Anton, Ariana, Delvin, and Alanna<br />
* [[Arete Family]] - Aeryn, Averyll, Alendru, Aaliyah<br />
* [[Arilius Family]] - [[Achilles]], [[Maximuss]], [[Hector]] and [[Ceasar]]. <br />
* [[Arya Family]] - Rah, Shaal, Shaan, Yarah, Neel. Proud to an extreme and very stubborn.<br />
* [[The Balancetravellers|Balancetraveller Family]] - [[The Balancetravellers#Gias Kay|Gias Kay]], [[The Balancetravellers#Lilith|Lilith]]<br />
* [[Bellator Family|House Bellator]] - [[Bellator Family/Morthwyl|Morthwyl]], [[Bellator Family/Quinn|Quinn]], [[Bellator Family/Weylyn|Weylyn]] and Wynne. (And Angrist, but he's insane.)<br />
* [[Biz'Oûn Family]]- Itthordaî, Gadouha, Fritz, Farlouche, Juliette, Arnaud <br />
* [[Capelo Family]] - Lord Gor, Gorhero, Gorblood and Gorlack.<br />
* [[Cheung Family]] - Denning, Vagabond and Lorraine.<br />
* [[Cosula Family]] - Kostaja Kosunen, Julma Jaune and Urpo.<br />
* [[Crimsonblade Family]] - Taelon, Sheldar, Scion, Osric and locke.<br />
* [[Cuthalion Family]] - [[Cuthalion Family/Feanaro|Feanaro]], [[Cuthalion Family/Olwe|Olwe the Bold]], [[Cuthalion Family/Adrahil|Adrahil]], [[Cuthalion Family/Olwe of Toren|Olwe of Toren]], [[Cuthalion Family/Feanar|Feanar]]<br />
* [[D'Anglos Family]] - Mistress Amz, Minerva, Armitage III, Ishtar<br />
* [[Dell Family]] - Wenliang, Sonny, Simon, Dash, Xerxes, Luyten, Teniel<br />
* [[Del Toro Family]] - Swift, the specialist, Lone Wolf, Syfo-Jaydon<br />
* [[Dolohov Family]] - Ivan, Alexei, [[Dolohov Family/Rasputin|Rasputin]], Kepler, Tudor, Vasily<br />
* [[Eiryn Family|Eiryn Family]] - [[Eiryn Family#Aspire|Aspire]], [[Eiryn Family#Alynna|Alynna]], [[Eiryn Family#Doomgiver|Doomgiver]], [[Eiryn Family#Despyria|Despyria]], [[Eiryn Family#Einar|Einar]], [[Eiryn Family#Espire|Espire]], and [[Eiryn Family#Esprite|Esprite]]. <br />
* [[Enodscopia Family]] - Alpha, Zellion, and Zedric<br />
* [[Equar Family]] - [[Equar Family#William|William]], [[Equar Family#Eilt|Eilt]], [[Equar Family#Joannes|Joannes]], [[Equar Family#Theodorus|Theodorus]] and [[Equar Family#Henricus|Henricus]]<br />
* [[Eternal Champion Family]] - Corum, Elric and Hawkmoon <br />
* [[Evans Family|House Evans]] - Eilonwy, Morgan, Morvawn <br />
* [[Exiled family|Exiled Family]] - Alex ✝, Gorch, San, Zeriel ✝, Diodorus, Darius <font color=#333333>a</font><font color=#666666>n</font><font color=#999999>d</font> <font color=#FFFFFF>Widfara (''the text here has almost been erased, as if wishing to obscure the black sheep of the family'')</font><br />
* [[Filador Family]] - [[Filador Family/Dielo|Dielo]], [[Filador Family/Nicholas|Nicholas]] (deceased), [[Filador Family/Vidad|Vidad]], [[Filador Family/Ivadd|Ivadd]]<br />
* [[Galadeon Family]]- Indira,Yavanna,Melian,Lavigna<br />
* [[Hawk Family]] - Burning Hawk, Falcon, Ardor, Daran and a few others.<br />
* [[Himoura Family]] - Kayne, Raziel, Kayne2, Raziel2, Nobdy, Senoske, and a handful of lesser nobles <br />
* [[Hobbs Family]] - Kodak, Reylan, Dirrik, Hylor, and other lesser nobles. <br />
* [[Hendrix Family|House Hendrix]] - Valen, Valast, Valius, Valion. <br />
* [[IGhost Family|House IGhost]] - Zedd, Morth, Bisshop<br />
* [[HouseKain|House Kain]] - Naira, Walerian, Amadeus, Aethius, <s>Sakima</s>, <s>Valdemar</s>, <s>Sakari</s> <br />
* [[Indirik Family]] - [[Indirik Family/Dimian|Dimian]], [[Indirik Family/Balkeese|Balkeese]], [[Indirik Family/Kende|Kende]]<br />
* [[Kazan Family|House Kazan]] - Merewyn, Gwynyth, Erica, Alicia.<br />
* [[von Krondor Family|von Krondor Family]] - <s>Gila</s>, Milan, AJ, <s>Makiel</s>, Mother, <s>Masu</s><br />
* [[Malone Family]]- Tony, Bugsy, Danny, Sam, Alphonse<br />
* [[McKay Family|Family McKay]] - Andrew and his Queen Taiasin Evadne<br />
* [[Nosferatus|Nosferatus Family]] - Pierre Reynald, Vlad, Grego<br />
* [[Orim Family|House Orim]] - Murat Orim, Virath, Lommeril, Rheig<br />
* [[Orden Family|House Orden]] - Blackknight, Whiteknight, Silentknight<br />
* [[Osha Family|House Osha]] - [[Osha Family/Malice|King Malice]], [[Osha Family/Sera|Chancellor Sera]]<br />
* [[O'Shea Family|O'Shea Family]] - Shamus, Emmitt, Emmitt II, Darrin, Finegus, Aonar<br />
* [[Patel Family|House Patel]] - <s>[[Patel Family#Sir_X202_also_known_as_Xiso|X202 (Xiso)]]</s>, [[Patel Family#Sir_Yeller|Yeller]], [[Patel Family#Lady_Gheros|Gheros]], <s>[[Patel Family#Sir_Qazel|Qazel]]</s>, [[Patel Family#Sir_Zes|Zes]], [[Patel Family#Kopta|Kopta]].<br />
* [[Perkeleet Family]] - Zadar Nargath, Ottar, Wilhelm Pitkämiekka, Max Pitkämiekka <br />
* [[User:Ghostly|Petterson Family]] - Ghostly, Rangonio, Si Ju Jarugi (SJJ), <S>Kais</S> <br />
*[[Pilgrim Family]] -[[Avalon/Roleplay Section/Grim-Reaper|Grim-Reaper]], Andro, Minsc, Irrenicus.<br />
*[[Primus Family]] - Living members: Doc, Doc's Biatch, Santiago and Doc's Revenge<br />
*[[Raiva Family]] - Dante, Sangue, Helios, Eversio, Tenebrae <br />
*[[Recena Family]] - Maximus, Elessar, Terminus, Nolatari, Joselyn<br />
* [[Relak Family]] - Nerol, Gregor, Lelnor, Boeth, Lelrok, Serko, Haelor etc. <br />
* [[Rogala Family|House Rogala]] - Kokomaro, One, El Cid, and the rest.<br />
* [[Royal Assassins Family|Royal Assassins]] - Shadow Thief, Corum, Jackass, Loki<br />
* [[Saladi'ilm Family]] - [[Saladi'ilm Family/Calistro|Calistro]], [[Saladi'ilm Family/Dakthohol|Dakthohol]], [[Saladi'ilm Family/Erasmus Episcopus|Erasmus Episcopus]], [[Saladi'ilm Family/Nemethos|Nemethos]], [[Saladi'ilm Family/Sumsar|Sumsar]], [[Saladi'ilm Family/Tokanan|Tokanan]] and [[Saladi'ilm Family/Whitti Whitti Hoomoerson|Whitti Whitti Hoomoerson]]<br />
* [[Sanjuro Family]] - Kuwebatake, Gorobei, Tsubaki, Inokichi, and Takezo<br />
* [[Serrai Family|d'Serrai]] - Tan o'Serrai, Tan's Brother, Tan o'Kammar, Tan, Herkan<br />
* [[Solo Family]] - Han, I am, Always, Thracken, Xahtorb<br />
* [[Shenron Family]] - [[Shenron Family/Mitsuhide|Mitsuhide]], [[Shenron Family/Saiga|Saiga]], [[Shenron Family/Kazuma|Kazuma]]<br />
* [[Titans Family]] - Prometheus, Kronos, Dark Shadow, Erevos<br />
* [[TithOnanka Family]] - [[TithOnanka Family#Kahooli|Kahooli]], [[TithOnanka Family#Sarig|Sarig]], [[TithOnanka Family#Prandur|Prandur]] <br />
* [[Twinblade Family]] -Scion, Glenwing, Brom, Talless, Tal, Robert <br />
* [[Tyrell Family]] - [[Tyrell Family#Carriantor|Carriantor]], [[Tyrell Family#Movlat|Movlat]], [[Tyrell Family#Grig|Grig]], and [[Tyrell Family#Gimilkhad|Gimilkhad]]<br />
* [[Tyreslagter Family]] - the Bjørns. Annoying people worldwide since April 2003. <br />
* [[Uceek_Family|Uceek Family]] - Evangeline, Jobe, Danzi<br />
* [[Uchiha Family]]- [[Uchiha Family/hikari|Hikari]], [[Uchiha Family/hikaru|Hikaru]], [[Uchiha Family/sasuke|Sasuke]]<br />
* [[Urominiel Family]] - [[Urominiel Family#Glorawarthien|Glorawarthien]], [[Urominiel Family#Elenaraloki|Elenaraloki]], [[Urominiel Family#Aralaiquendi|Aralaiquendi]], [[Urominiel Family#Gwaethinriel|Gwaethinriel]], [[Urominiel Family#Celegam|Celegam]], [[Urominiel Family#Elenhir|Elenhir]], and [[Urominiel Family#Menelmereth|Menelmereth]].<br />
* [[Unti Family|Unti Family]] - Antonio, Lina, Aldo, Philip, Gnaeus.<br />
* [[Vallejo_Family|Vallejo Family]] - Arin, Mischa, Maelg<br />
* [[Vincent Family]] - Lucian, Keyser, Orphen, Claudius, <s>Sibelius</s><br />
* [[Vellos Family]] - [[Vellos Family/Onliana|Onliana]], [[Vellos Family/Amgar|Amgar]], [[Vellos Family/Amekal|Amekal]], [[Vellos Family/Hireshmont|Hireshmont]], [[Vellos Family/Maeror Mesor|Maeror Mesor]], [[Vellos Family/Hanajan|Hanajan]]<br />
* [[Vanimedle Family]] - Astaroth , Xaphan , Reston II.<br />
<br />
==High Noble Families== <br />
''For those families who have become well-known and famous (or infamous). Heroic families or those with considerable influence "behind the curtains", or simply those who are widely known belong here.'' <br />
<br />
* [[Angmar Family]] - Martok, Sulla, Gaius Marius, Quirinus<br />
* [[Bakos Family]]- Living Members: Kurohyou, Hei, Enzeru<br />
* [[Barghouti Family]] - [[Marouane]], [[Tariq]] (missing), [[Najib]] (+), [[Hassan]] (+), [[Kyra]] (+), [[Malik]], Karim (+), Selim<br />
* [[Barthalemus Family]]-Telemechus, Alastor, Marcus Antonus<br />
* [[Bishamon Family]] - Sephirah, Aurum, <s>Sesucee</s>, Zeluioj, Sejieda, <i>Zeliinj</i><br />
* [[Bridgebuilder Family]] - Eirik, Eireka, Eirekus, <s>Eirik II</s><br />
* [[Commagene Family]] - Sarpedon, Teshup, Karas, <s>Efraz Bey</s>, <s>Roustam</s>, <s>Laomedon</s><br />
* [[Crundar Family]] - Shadow, Sodom, Gomorrah <br />
* [[Curs Family]] - Cartor, Foreign, Martana, <s>John</s><br />
* [[Deadmeat Family|Clan Deadmeat]]- [[Deadmeat Family/Capt|Capt]], [[Deadmeat Family/Private|Private]], [[Deadmeat Family/Corpral| Corpral ]],[[Deadmeat Family/Zwart | Zwart]] and [[Deadmeat Family/Preto|Preto]]<br />
* [[Dragon Family]] - Grom, Tempest, Edge, Seraph, Zephyr<br />
* [[Faracan Family]] - Screndt, screndt2, Fetz, (Péché)<br />
* [[Fireborne Family]] - Galric (deceased), Legault, Plunge, Galin<br />
* [[Firefox Family|Firefox Ancestry]] - Darfix, Sienna, Sukira, Kitusi etc.<br />
* [[Flockhart Family|House Flockhart]] - Dekion, Sebastian, Gilead, Autarii<br />
* [[Hyral Family]] - Baiko, Keiichi, Araia<br />
* [[Jonkahainen Family]] - Pikku, Normi, Suurmias, Sinebrychoff <br />
* [[Kronos Family]] - <s>Peleus</s>, Fenrir, Beowulf, Achilleus, <s>Sinn</s><br />
* [[Kwakkel Family]] - Jeroen, Darkmawl, Darkx1986 and Coman <br />
* [[Lowenbruck Family]] - Aeolus, [[Lowenbruck Family/Esperos|Esperos]], Harumon, Joanne, [[Lowenbruck Family/Laura|Laura]], Lucifer, Lucifer Jr., Paris etc.<br />
* [[Lumberjack Family]] - [[Lumberjack Family/Kamekaze|Kamekaze]], [[Lumberjack Family/Omega|Omega]] and Big Bad<br />
* [[Malrauko Family]] - Coulanon, Flare, Sahir<br />
* [[Mannix Family|House Mannix]] - Rage, Seth, and Rogue <br />
* [[Molant Family]] - Paragon, Anomaly<br />
* [[Mordred Family]] - Adam, Claire, Cedric, Lily<br />
* [[Murakama Family]] - [[Murakama Family#Hikaru|Hikaru]], [[Murakama Family/Hiroshi|Hiroshi]], [[Murakama Family#Hottori|Hottori]], [[Murakama Family#Yukiko|Yukiko]] <br />
* [[Occam Family]] - Gilead, Deschain, and Roland (and Tyria, but we don't talk about Tyria)<br />
* [[OftheUnitedKingdom Family]] - Thaliithilion, Tarawethion, Telpefenion, Nysissyer Lietough, Riar Dynrode and Ardrryn Dynrode<br />
* [[Olik Family]] - [[Olik Family/Oleg|Oleg]], [[Olik Family/Gauihu|Gauihu]], [[Olik Family/Maltheo|Maltheo]], [[Olik Family/Takani|Takani]], [[Olik Family/Elerik Taim|Elerik Taim]]<br />
* [[ONeil Family]] - Ender, Weland, Cid<br />
* [[Selemnir Family|Selemnir Family]] - [[Selemnir Family/Mordoc|Mordoc]], [[Selemnir Family/Blaeric|Blaeric]], [[Selemnir Family/Feldric|Feldric]], [[Selemnir Family/Alaina|Alaina]],[[Selemnir Family/Andric|Andric]] <br />
* [[Serra Family|Serra Family]] - Kain, Zerool, Xaero<br />
* [[Solarin Family]] - [[Solarin Family/Magnus|Magnus]], [[Solarin Family/Karlson|Karlson]], [[Solarin Family/Lars|Lars]] <br />
* [[T-style Family]] - Easy, Medium, <s>Hard</s>, Kerwyn, (Inara)<br />
<br />
==Renowned Families== <br />
''Families with a limited, but well established reputation. Those famous on only one island, or well known in a small number of realms. Those who have a few barons or a duke or two in their midst, but are not of royal blood.'' <br />
<br />
* [[Aegis Family]] - Lucela, Gerard, Lorik<br />
* [[Al%27Thor_Family|al'Thor Family]] - Gorath, Ragnar, Rathe, Time<br />
* [[Arylon Family]] - Taran, Fisc, Jaden, Nexis, Roddick<br />
* [[Baboclan Family]] - Kostas, Neocron, Gnutt<br />
* [[Baraedor Family]] Bartho, Jadine, <s>Braegon</s>, Alana<br />
* [[Beijar_Family|Beijar Family]] - Quincy, Jerix, Aemon<br />
* [[Blue Star Family]]- Derwin, Baldor, Flowin, Flowin2, Canlia<br />
* [[Calanar Family]] -Ziode, Scion, Silver Phoenix, Night Hawk<br />
* [[Carmel Family]] -[[Carmel Family#Ricard|Ricard]], <s>Conrad</s>, Rolf, Ronan<br />
* [[Chénier Family]] - Jean-Olivier, Louis-Joseph, Lyse, (Felquiste)<br />
* [[Currey Family]] - Stephen, Terrance, Stephen, Kathmandu<br />
* [[D'Arathe Family]] - Artemis Entreri, Jarlaxle, Kimmuriel, Matron Banaere, Drizzt<br />
* [[Da Hadez Family|House Da Hadez]] - <s>[[Da Hadez Family/Balian|Balian]]</s>, [[Da Hadez Family/Erisha|Erisha]], [[Da Hadez Family/Severn|Severn]], [[Da Hadez Family/Karith|Karith]], [[Da Hadez Family/Rguard|R'guard]] <br />
* [[House Darkstar]] - Strife, Vincent, Edward<br />
* [[Darby Family]] - Tomaas, Morgan, <s>John</s>, Tanko<br />
* [[DeSyrr Family]] - Alexius, <s>Decius</s>, <s>Legatus</s>, Valeria, <s>Crescentius</s>, Cinna, Dissimilis (disowned adventurer)<br />
* [[Dumeric Family]] - Garrick(deceased Legendary Hero), Garthon, Geoffrey, Gryphon, Gwylan (illegitimate half-sister, adventurer) <br />
* [[User:Enstance Family|Enstance Family]] - [[Enstace Family/Leonard|Leonard]], [[Enstace Family/Renal|Renal]], [[Enstace Family/Olricka|Olricka]] and [[Enstace Family/Haroldin|Haroldin]] <br />
* [[Estrall Family]] - [[Estrall Family/Nylen|Nylen]], [[Estrall Family/Peny|Peny]], [[Estrall Family/Adam|Adam]]<br />
* [[Feylonis Family]] - Estorel [RIP], Teralon [RIP], Boudicca, Luxor, Harrien, Carvus<br />
* [[Fett Family]] - Boba, Tycho, Eldo <br />
* [[Fianna Family]] - Connor, Laoch, Nicko, Qhorin, Eddard<br />
* [[Fionn Family]] - Tiernan,Brian,Tadhg(R.I.P),Eoghan<br />
* [[Fulgor Family]] - Kultan, Omel and Tan<br />
* [[Garthi Family]] - Yebbi, Sarti, Artino<br />
* [[Grancourt Family]] - Laurie, Beatrice, Thrydwulf + Charlotte (A)<br />
* [[GreatSword Family]]- Solus, Juno , Mallet<br />
* [[Greywolf Family]]- Grimm, Kaan, Anguina<br />
* [[Gunther Family]]- Reginold, Wendell, Rictor (deceased), Victoria, Tyberus (missing), Sevaria<br />
* [[The Great Family|Clan Hab'b, House of Xanio]] - Xanio, Torsaan, and Karibash<br />
* [[Inspirion Family]] - Graf, Syban, <S>Sigre</S>, Osric<br />
* [[Jazuma Family]]- Malachite(Deceased), Halcyon, Jitte<br />
* [[Keithson Family]] - Paul, Marc, Tom (retired), Eric <br />
* [[Killins Family]] - Xypherius, Atreus, Omerus and Everard The Bastard<br />
* [[Kurosaki Family]] - [[Kurosaki Family/Ichigo|Ichigo]], [[Kurosaki Family/Tsubasa|Tsubasa]], [[Kurosaki Family/Suzune|Suzune]], [[Kurosaki Family/Moriko|Moriko]]<br />
* [[Lankmere Family]] - Raglund, Dormondt, Talnost, Rathan and Trenton <br />
* [[Laughtman Family]] - Malichi(Killed),Odiocer,Alexus Cominus, Hanoc<br />
* [[Lightning-Strike Family]] - Rogan (deceased), New Hope, Jim, Hu (deceased), Garrus<br />
* [[Malitia Family]] - Yuri, Horace, Osvaldo, Anastasia, Marco<br />
* [[McGlynn Family]] - Quixote, Trantante, Morir <br />
* [[Menocchio Family]] - Giovanni, Eadric, Areopoagitica<br />
* [[Merytis Family|House Merytis]] - Lasten, Reilwin, Proslyn and Keratin (Adventurer)<br />
* [[Nimis Family]] - (That's odd the records seem to be ripped from the pages.)<br />
* [[Noble Family|Noble Family]] - Remorse, Escent, Fenrisulf, Fearful, Innocent<br />
* [[November_Family|November Family]] - [[November_Family/Calvin|Calvin]], [[November_Family/Ilsa|Ilsa]]<br />
* [[Of Arc Family]] - Joan, <s>Rian</s>, Riaan, Jeanne<br />
* [[Pryde Family]] - Regstav, Yao Ling, Medron, Benjamin, (Possibly a Crystal)<br />
* [[Recluse Family]] - Purple Recluse, Gold Recluse, Black Recluse<br />
* [[Revan Family]] - Darth, Dark Lord, Evil, and Guy<br />
* [[Shifter Family]]- Doom, Spawn, Hikari, Khorne, Melfina <br />
* [[skulls Family]]- McDuth, Will, Henry, Edward<br />
* [[The_Skulls Family]]- Nemesis,Spiritmonger,Nantuko,Prophecy <br />
* [[Soulblighter_Family]] - Mandragoras, Izzarath, Slashstrike, Stormcharge<br />
* [[Sterksain Family]] - Aethelmaer, <s>Grimbaldus</s>, <s>Trystrem</s>, Guenevere, Edgar<br />
* [[Stien Family ]] - Ancient Family Records, Brakus, Aram, Perrin GoldenEyes<br />
* [[Stormrage Family]] - [[Kiljaden]], [[Ilidan]], [[Ijil]]<br />
* [[Strife Family]]- Cloud, Dawn, Haakon, Kainaq, Tojira<br />
* [[Strongfoot Family]]- Thyra, Milo, Mark<br />
* [[T'Veria Family]] - Ari, Caleb, Evelyn and Eldarion. <br />
* [[Targaryen Family]] - Rhaella, Aemon, Daenerys, Aerys <br />
* [[Tator Family]] - Dikc, Jacket, Wrath of Heaven, Dick, Jacket, Danny.<br />
* [[Telrunya Family]] - Khaludh, Arfeiniel, Marche, Chris<br />
* [[The Slayer Family]] - [[The Slayer Family#Crostin|Crostin]], [[The Slayer Family#Capone|Capone]], [[The Slayer Family#Retravic|Retravic]], [[The Slayer Family#Hang|Hang]] <br />
* [[Tian Family]] - <s>[[Tian Family#Sargon|Sargon]]</s>, [[Tian Family#Kagurati|Kagurati]], [[Tian Family#Yunari|Yunari]], <s>[[Tian Family#Rose|Rose]]</s>, [[Tian Family#Ilandra|Ilandra]], [[Tian Family#Marcus|Marcus]]<br />
* [[Tribal Family]] - Lynx, Tabatha, Zero, Gloria. <br />
* [[Twix Family|Twix Family]] - [[Twix Family/Fey|Fey]] and [[Twix Family/Dyan|Dyan]], [[Twix Family/Sh'ki|Sh'ki]], and Rowan (retired)<br />
* [[Vlakider_Family|Vlakider Family]] - Besene (Retired),[[Vlakider_Family/Vlad|Vlad]], <s>[[Vlakider_Family/Beziel|Beziel]]</s>, Lemm, Benvolio<br />
* [[Von Katzing Family]]- Alaric,Marelda, Ulric <br />
* [[Videre Family]] - Anhelo, Rats, Viam<br />
* [[Whiteblood Family|Whiteblood Family]] - S'noe, Ivore, Pure, Thyk (Eh'Lotta, Lily, Asha, Runyn - deceased)<br />
* [[Willems Family]]- Prins Simon, Dark Moon, Dann and simon (died at sea)<br />
* [[Zarkonian Family]] - Light Bringer, Nemrus, Uber and Ziefer<br />
<br />
==Lesser Families== <br />
''Those families that are still working on their reputation.''<br />
* [[Akawara Family|House Akawara]] - [[Akawara Family/Akkiko|Akkiko]]<br />
* [[Andrasta Family|Andrasta Clan]] - Ceowfyr the Brave, Drustan the Mighty, Sennianus the Mad, Brennus the Wanderer<br />
* [[Ar Pharazon Family]]-Palandro, Valarya, Yal'rassia<br />
* [[Arch Angel Family]] - [[Arch Angel Family/Hellion|Hellion]], [[Arch Angel Family/Diablo|Diablo]], [[Arch Angel Family/BloodAngel|BloodAngel]]<br />
* [[Arn Family|House of Arn]] - [[Jorn Ironborn]], [[Maladek Arn|Maladek]], [[Valeria Trueblade]]<br />
* [[Bernhardt Family]] - Johannes, Helene, Kaspar<br />
* [[Blackaxe family]]- Vitu, Viti, 'Knife' and Lasio.<br />
* [[Capashin Family]] - Torin, Alan, Darius, and Keldorn<br />
* [[Centauri_Family|Centauri Family]] - [[Centauri_Family#Proximus|Proximus]], [[Centauri_Family#Rigel|Rigel]], [[Centauri_Family#Alfus|Alfus]], [[Centauri_Family#Betus|Betus]]<br />
* [[Da Chimeres Family]] - [[Da Chimeres Family/Alexei|Alexei]]<br />
* [[Dakka Family]]- Karnak, Skriznack, Karnak, Lornak<br />
* [[Darch Family]] - Shalimar, Brian, Vorenus<br />
* [[Darkscar Family]] - Damien<br />
* [[DeKaracci Family]] - Cassio, Cassiana<br />
* [[Date Family]] - Asuliva, Kakeru, Lansour Valon<br />
* [[Dimitrijevic Family]] - [[Dimitrijevic_Family/Goran|Goran]], [[Dimitrijevic_Family/Vladimir|Vladimir]], [[Dimitrijevic_Family/Ludwig|Ludwig]] | [[Dimitrijevic_Family/Veljko|Veljko]] and [[Dimitrijevic_Family/Lazaro|Lazaro]]<br />
* [[Din Family]] - Mikolas, Fingal, Dingal<br />
* [[DoubleEdge Family]] - Gavin, Cleia, and Darret<br />
* [[Dregoth Family]] - [[Dregoth Family/Martin|Martin]], [[Dregoth Family/Gredek|Gredek]]<br />
* [[El Scamp Family]] - Prince, Xaia, Jasper, Blackavar, <br />
* [[Elonke Family]] - [[Elonke Family#Marshall|Marshall]], [[Elonke Family#Roshel|Roshel]], and [[Elonke Family#Sizz Lor|Sizz Lor]]<br />
* [[Fairfax Family]] - God'frey, Aeowulf, Silverwulf<br />
* [[Farnsworth Family]] - Professor, Doctor, Chairman<br />
* [[Fencini Family]] - Marlo, Lucius, Calliope, Severino<br />
* [[Forrester Family]] - [[Forrester Family/Camaron|Camaron]], [[Forrester Family/Anthony|Anthony]], [[Forrester Family/Bobby|Bobby]], [[Forrester Family/Caroline|Caroline]]<br />
* [[Framboise_Family]] - [[Framboise_Family/Louis|Louis]]<br />
* [[Frostnova Family]] - Usanth, Tharion, Rhathar<br />
* [[Galantos Family]] - Montague, Bufort, Lexington<br />
* [[Gaztaseven Family]] - Malachi, Pelagius, Vincent, Blake<br />
* [[Greystoke Family]] - Lord John, Lady Jane, Brian, Ian, Daffyd, Edmund, Markus<br />
* [[Grimson Family]] - Zoe,Grant,Wern<br />
* [[Grindle Family]] - Crip, Dor, Cal<br />
* [[Gothsburg Family]] - Marcus, Malan, Ikaika, Sebastian, Feilx <br />
* [[Habap Family]] - Dabug, Linker, Lynsey<br />
* [[Hadarac Family]] - Kirtan, Gavin, and Darret<br />
* [[Hartwood Family]] - Rhisiart, Eoin<br />
* [[Hobo Family]] - Furious<br />
* [[Hughes Family]] - Ricardus, Gregory<br />
* [[Hurth Family]] - Mortimer, Henrick, Phineas<br />
* [[Hynes Family]] - Johann, Alois<br />
* [[Isendin Family]] - Allanon, Khyber, Caerid, Shard, Shea<br />
* [[Insistant Family]] - Craciers, Orlean, Kathmandu<br />
* [[jackson Family]] - Greenleaf,Goldtree,Broadtree<br />
*[[Jargon Family]] - Jarod, Jandh, Johan, Jian<br />
* [[Jezralhm Family]] - [[Jezralhm_Family#Nirandor|Nirandor]], [[Jezralhm_Family#Seethen|Seethen]], [[Jezralhm_Family#Meero|Meero]], [[Jezralhm_Family#Durin|Durin]], <s>Marquez</s><br />
* [[Juramona Family]] - Jaymes, Riverwind, Tolandruth, Valdid<br />
* [[Kagasuke Clan]] - The Crimson Moon - Nobukage, Yoshikage, Ieyasu<br />
* [[Karrouc Family]] - [[Karrouc Family/Jet|Jet]], [[Karrouc Family/Celine|Celine]], [[Karrouc Family/Argo|Argo]], [[Karrouc Family/Arschwar|Arschwar]]<br />
* [[Kel-Ruvan Family]] - Threnbyl, Mhalius, Carngrym<br />
* [[Kestrel Family]] - Kureshtin, Kureshtev, Kureshtal, Kurewylle<br />
* [[Kelly Family]] - Ian, Colin, John<br />
* [[Kiranost Family]] - Alekzander, Serapha, Mandeep(retired), Fosten and Hayley Ameron<br />
* [[Kirby family]] - shallow, pete, poison<br />
* [[Kirpatrick Family]] - Kid, Billy, Jacqueline <br />
* [[Knee Family]] - Jonn,Sidd,Jen <br />
* [[Kreed Family]]- Augustus, Yarrick, Grit<br />
* [[LaCarte Family]] - [[LaCarte Family/Anulith|Anulith]], [[LaCarte Family/Leilith|Leilith]]<br />
* [[Maggiori Family]] - Arabella, Madelena, Francesca<br />
* [[Malxoq Family|House Malxoq]] - Kolya, Caelin(deceased), Nikael(missing), Delvair, Adelheit<br />
* [[Mandraken Family]] - Aeillien, Trissanna, and Ismael.<br />
* [[Mandul of the Lost Realm Family]] - Henning/Lathoros/Langul<br />
* [[McAibou Family]] - Ondomiel<br />
* [[McDugan Family]] - Fredrich, Olaf, Roderick<br />
* [[McHaggisbasher Family]]<br />
* [[Mekorig Family|Mekorig Family]] - German, Adela, Baldur, Nicodemus, [[Mekorig_Family/Dedmerath|Dedmerath]] <br />
* [[Meridius Family]] - Kradus, Elder Goat'sarse<br />
* [[Merry Family]] - Annalise, Anya<br />
* [[Metsamees_Family|Metsamees Clan]]<br />
* [[Mithrandir Family]] - Cletius, Terminus, Dennis<br />
* [[Montoya Family]] - Michel, Ramon<br />
* [[Mortis Family]] - Ambrosius, Merlynus, Galahad<br />
* [[Murtrie Family]] - [[Murtrie Family#Murt|Murt]], [[Murtrie Family#Murtoch|Murtoch]], [[Murtrie Family#Murial|Murial]]<br />
* [[Nikolai Family]] - Adeso, Keremov, Kirill, Tzain<br />
* [[O'Ways Family]] - Cullen, Deirdre, Siobhan, Cynon.<br />
* [[Oblivion Family]] - Ronnie, Thororm the Ruthless, Shadow Wolf<br />
* [[Octavius Family]] - [[Antonine]], [[Asriel]] and [[Emily]]<br />
* [[Of_the_Plains_Family|Family of the Plains]] - Kavish, Melanna, Hitran<br />
* [[Olfsgood Family]] - Vanner<br />
* [[Ordyn Family]] - Ceri, Bryn, Mari<br />
* [[Paliologos Family]]-Constantine, Nicholas.<br />
* [[Phocas Family|House Phocas]]- [[Phocas Family/Pistalexios the Asymmetrical|Pistalexios]] , [[Phocas Family/Aristullos|Aristullos]], [[Phocas Family/Rogatos|Rogatos]], and Kesaria<br />
* [[Pizarro Family]] - Francisco, Hernando, Gonzalo<br />
* [[Quasath Family]] - Lopke, Renee, Chault, Mathen (the Black Sheep)<br />
* [[Quickblade Family]]- Hawk.<br />
* [[House Retten]] - Muno, Raytox, Contra, Muldoen <br />
* [[Rigou Family]] - [[Rigou Family#Rigou|Rigou]], [[Rigou Family#Risfou|Risfou]], [[Rigou Family#Dilim|Dilim]]<br />
* [[Rogan Family]] - Midas, Logal, Deveron<br />
* [[Roman Family]] -Namus, Darinus, Harlonin<br />
* [[Salamat Family]] - Gen, Kel, Tess, Rad, Grekk<br />
* [[Sharpsword Family]] - George, Eric, Ergle<br />
* [[Shikki Family]] - Kagami, Noin<br />
* [[Shun Family]] - Cyrus, Rin, Devin<br />
* [[Silvan Family]] Thessan, Kitiara, Mariell<br />
* [[Slenken Family]]- Richard, Geofrey, Arthur<br />
* [[Son Clan]] - Lint, Jetti, Veni, Impri<br />
* [[Starkiller Family]] - Fayt, Sabe<br />
* [[Steelcrown Family]] - Torphas, Palanthas, Denthas, Poulas, Shadus<br />
* [[Stromsfiord Family]] - Landesred<br />
* [[Stryfe Family]] - Gunner "Serpent", Naveed, [[Stryfe Family/Grontar|Grontar]], Reona<br />
* [[Tasartir Family]] - Elenar, Niallan, Linoren<br />
* [[Throcmeretun Family]] - Levi, Eduard, Joseph, Goronwy<br />
* [[ThunderSpear Family]] - Gale, Wu Ming, Lightning<br />
* [[Vanilla Family|Vanilla Family]] - Abilena, Adrianne <br />
* [[The House of Venatores]] - Furius Silva, Marcus Maxentius, Herius Torquatus, Kaeso Barbarus<br />
* [[VonRavenHeart Family]] - Edward, Christopher, Wolfgang<br />
* [[Vargas Family|House of Vargas]] - [[Vargas Family/Grace|Grace]], [[Vargas Family/Virgil Ahk|Virgil Ahk]]<br />
* [[Vilhardouin Family]] - Geoffrey<br />
* [[Walewein Family]] - Brennus, Indutiomarix, Cadwalader<br />
* [[Wallace Family]] - Mad Max<br />
* [[Wang Family]] - Michael, Sarralis,Tarkin<br />
* [[Wensile Family]]- Ali, Mattador, Guinevere, <s>Solama</s>, Daulus, Dahzerre, Quake, Ashkii<br />
* [[Westgate Family]] - Brice, Reece, Pryce, Saeth<br />
* [[Wrynn Family]] - Atrian, Astolpho, Darius<br />
* [[Zammish Family]] - Ambeco, Laurjelm, Fiflit, Gamgor<br />
<br />
==Unsorted Families== <br />
''For everyone who can't, didn't or does not want to put his family into one of the categories above. <br />
* [[Graves Family]] - <s>Kanali</s>, Erwin, Jai, Daniel, <s>Ani</s> <br />
* [[the Militant Family]] - Goergyboy, Gander, Cheveyo <br />
* [[DuPre Family|House DuPre]] - Dante, Dalvanius, Sohei, Nataria<br />
* [[Dunraven Family]] - Aedward, Herald, Thena<br />
* [[Mossy Family]] - Abraham, Krash, Little Ogre and Marguerite<br />
* [[Burson Family]] - Darius, Burfgand, Kelthar, Gracehana, Driazt<br />
* [[de Zorro Family| de Zorro family]] - Vixen, Vulpes, Black fox, Culpeo, Reynard<br />
* [[Vour Family]] - Kastro, Dublin<br />
* [[BladeFist Family|BladeFist Family]]- Tasadar, Jim Raynor, Kerrigan<br />
* [[Corpse Grinder Family]]- Gorge(the second),Lord,and gorge (the first)<br />
* [[The Noble Zaferic Family]] - Onilink, Zhao, Arad, Xzeaon, Xbeaon<br />
* [[The Jedediah family]] - Frank<br />
* [[Kessler Family]] - Donovan, Janice, David Fond <br />
* [[Kreed Family]]- Augustus, Yarrick, Grit<br />
* [[S'Fallen Family]] - Arithon, Beared, Thani, Tier<br />
* [[MacColl Family]] - Rory, an'Olc, Gann<br />
* [[Manitez Family|House Manitez]] - [[Manitez Family#Alberto Diego Sancho Luis|Alberto]], [[Manitez Family#Latoya|Latoya]], [[Manitez Family#Marco|Marco]]<br />
* [[Cobain Family]] - Willy,Kurt,Eos,and Pompey<br />
* [[The Blood Phoenix Family]] - Heironeous, Trithereon, Pholtus, Larani<br />
* [[The McDougal Family]] - Alfred, Alean and Elfred<br />
* [[Jondo Family]] - Birger, Mellow, Martin and Baldwin<br />
[[Category:Families]]<br />
* [[Eosphoros Family]] - Primus<br />
* [[Ryû Family]] - Syaoran, Rekhyt</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Vilhardouin_Family&diff=73512Vilhardouin Family2007-07-28T18:02:23Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__<br />
The Vilhardouin family recently rose (over the course of several generations) from the prosperous part of the peasantry up to the poorer section of the nobility, in the [[Cagilan Empire|Cagilan]] province of Alatol, on [[Atamara]]. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Geoffrey Vilhardouin ==<br />
Geoffrey, the eldest son of the family, has sworn allegience to the Countess of Alatol and joined the armies of the Cagilan Empire. Geoffrey is currently a knight. His arms are predominantly grey and silver, and he favours grey clothing and banners for his soldiers (when he can afford to kit them out).<br />
<br />
== OOC Notes ==<br />
The name Vilhardouin is a corruption of the Villehardouin family name, of a medieval knight, adventurer and historian whose descendents carved out a successor kingdom in Southern Greece after the 1204 sack of Constantinople. Check [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villehardouin their page] on Wikipedia if you're interested.<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
[[User:Egregious|Egregious]]' user page.<br />
<br />
[[Cagilan Empire]]<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Families]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=User:Egregious&diff=73511User:Egregious2007-07-28T18:00:36Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>I live in England. I am interested in English and Classical literature (especially the epic tradition). I am also a gamer; currently I play a lot of PlanetSide (VS Werner, for those who are interested). I am also a fencer, primarily Epee with a little Foil on the side to help out new people. I watch too much anime.<br />
<br />
My English is quite good, but I am an inexperienced wiki user. <br />
<br />
Talk page word count (15.08.06): 7,599.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Vilhardouin Family|Vilhardouin Family]]<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/Egregious|Contributions]] [The Weaponry page is my favourite]<br />
<br />
I will be abroad and not able to access the internet in June and July 07. Currently, I'm thinking of creating a 'Further Reading/Viewing/Gaming' page for our Background Information section of the Comm Portal when I return.</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=Vilhardouin_Family&diff=73510Vilhardouin Family2007-07-28T18:00:11Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__<br />
The Vilhardouin family recently rose (over the course of several generations) from the prosperous part of the peasantry up to the poorer section of the nobility, in the [[Cagilan Empire|Cagilan]] province of Alatol, on [[Atamara]]. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Geoffrey Vilhardouin ==<br />
Geoffrey, the eldest son of the family, has sworn allegience to the Countess of Alatol and joined the armies of the Cagilan Empire. Geoffrey is currently a knight. His arms are predominantly grey and silver, and he favours grey clothing and banners for his soldiers (when he can afford to kit them out).<br />
<br />
== OOC Notes ==<br />
The name Vilhardouin is a corruption of the Villehardouin family name, of a medieval knight, adventurer and historian whose descendents carved out a successor kingdom in Southern Greece after the 1204 sack of Constantinople. Check [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villehardouin their page] on Wikipedia if you're interested.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Families]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=User:Egregious/Vilhardouin_Family&diff=73475User:Egregious/Vilhardouin Family2007-07-27T20:02:38Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__<br />
The Vilhardouin family recently rose (over the course of several generations) from the prosperous part of the peasantry up to the poorer section of the nobility, in the [[Cagilan Empire|Cagilan]] province of Alatol, on [[Atamara]]. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Geoffrey Vilhardouin ==<br />
Geoffrey, the eldest son of the family, has sworn allegience to the Countess of Alatol and joined the armies of the Cagilan Empire. Geoffrey is currently a knight. His arms are predominantly grey and silver, and he favours grey clothing and banners for his soldiers (when he can afford to kit them out).<br />
<br />
== OOC Notes ==<br />
The name Vilhardouin is a corruption of the Villehardouin family name, of a medieval knight, adventurer and historian whose descendents carved out a successor kingdom in Southern Greece after the 1204 sack of Constantinople. Check [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villehardouin their page] on Wikipedia if you're interested.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Families]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=User:Egregious/Vilhardouin_Family&diff=73474User:Egregious/Vilhardouin Family2007-07-27T20:00:23Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>__TOC__<br />
The Vilhardouin family recently rose (over the course of several generations) from the prosperous part of the peasantry up to the poorer section of the nobility, in the [[Cagilan Empire|Cagilan]] province of Alatol, on [[Atamara]]. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Geoffrey Vilhardouin ==<br />
Geoffrey, the eldest son of the family, has sworn allegience to the Countess of Alatol and joined the armies of the Cagilan Empire. Geoffrey is currently a knight. His arms are predominantly grey and silver, and he favours grey clothing and banners for his soldiers (when he can afford to kit them out).<br />
<br />
== OOC Notes ==<br />
The name Vilhardouin is a corruption of the Villehardouin family name, of a medieval knight, adventurer and historian whose descendents carved out a successor kingdom in Southern Greece after the 1204 sack of Constantinople.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Families]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=User:Egregious&diff=73473User:Egregious2007-07-27T19:52:46Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>I live in England. I am interested in English and Classical literature (especially the epic tradition). I am also a gamer; currently I play a lot of PlanetSide (VS Werner, for those who are interested). I am also a fencer, primarily Epee with a little Foil on the side to help out new people. I watch too much anime.<br />
<br />
My English is quite good, but I am an inexperienced wiki user. <br />
<br />
Talk page word count (15.08.06): 7,599.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[User:Egregious/Vilhardouin Family|Vilhardouin Family]]<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/Egregious|Contributions]] [The Weaponry page is my favourite]<br />
<br />
I will be abroad and not able to access the internet in June and July 07. Currently, I'm thinking of creating a 'Further Reading/Viewing/Gaming' page for our Background Information section of the Comm Portal when I return.</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=User:Egregious&diff=73472User:Egregious2007-07-27T19:51:46Z<p>Egregious: </p>
<hr />
<div>I live in England. I am interested in English and Classical literature (especially the epic tradition). I am also a gamer; currently I play a lot of PlanetSide (VS Werner, for those who are interested). I am also a fencer, primarily Epee with a little Foil on the side to help out new people. I watch too much anime.<br />
<br />
My English is quite good, but I am an inexperienced wiki user. <br />
<br />
Talk page word count (15.08.06): 7,599.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Vilhardouin Family|Family]]<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/Egregious|Contributions]] [The Weaponry page is my favourite]<br />
<br />
I will be abroad and not able to access the internet in June and July 07. Currently, I'm thinking of creating a 'Further Reading/Viewing/Gaming' page for our Background Information section of the Comm Portal when I return.<br />
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[[Egregious]]<br />
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[[Vilhardouin Family|Family]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=User:Egregious&diff=73471User:Egregious2007-07-27T19:51:34Z<p>Egregious: </p>
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<div>I live in England. I am interested in English and Classical literature (especially the epic tradition). I am also a gamer; currently I play a lot of PlanetSide (VS Werner, for those who are interested). I am also a fencer, primarily Epee with a little Foil on the side to help out new people. I watch too much anime.<br />
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My English is quite good, but I am an inexperienced wiki user. <br />
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Talk page word count (15.08.06): 7,599.<br />
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[[Vilhardouin Family|Family]]<br />
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[[Special:Contributions/Egregious|Contributions]] [The Weaponry page is my favourite]<br />
<br />
I will be abroad and not able to access the internet in June and July 07. Currently, I'm thinking of creating a 'Further Reading/Viewing/Gaming' page for our Background Information section of the Comm Portal when I return.<br />
<br />
[[User:Egregious]]<br />
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[[Vilhardouin Family|Family]]</div>Egregioushttps://wiki.battlemaster.org/index.php?title=User:Egregious&diff=73470User:Egregious2007-07-27T19:51:12Z<p>Egregious: </p>
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<div>I live in England. I am interested in English and Classical literature (especially the epic tradition). I am also a gamer; currently I play a lot of PlanetSide (VS Werner, for those who are interested). I am also a fencer, primarily Epee with a little Foil on the side to help out new people. I watch too much anime.<br />
<br />
My English is quite good, but I am an inexperienced wiki user. <br />
<br />
Talk page word count (15.08.06): 7,599.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Vilhardouin Family|Family]]<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/Egregious|Contributions]] [The Weaponry page is my favourite]<br />
<br />
I will be abroad and not able to access the internet in June and July 07. Currently, I'm thinking of creating a 'Further Reading/Viewing/Gaming' page for our Background Information section of the Comm Portal when I return.<br />
<br />
[[User:Egregious]]</div>Egregious