Kickstarter MEDIEVAL: Real Medieval Life for RPGs

[aspqrz01]

Following the successful completion of the 2017 Kickstarter for Orbis Mundi2 last year (471 Backers, four books, 1300+ pages, two Best Silver and two Best Copper Sellers on DTRPG) work on a new project is nearing a Kickstarter-ready stage, campaign to be run in December.

This new project is for a four issue 'Magazine style' run of two Special Editions (80+ pages each) and two regular Issues (40+ pages each) of MEDIEVAL: Real Medieval Life for RPGs which will look at aspects of real medieval Europe (and peripheries) as it relates to Fantasy or Historical RPGs ... expanding on or adding to the material already covered in or alluded to in the books of the previous Campaign (OM2, The Marketplace, Ithura & Porthaven, Fantasy Europe). These will be made available at the rate of one per quarter in 2021, Special Edition #1 during the first Quarter, Regular Issue #1 in the second Quarter, Special Edition #2 in the third Quarter and Regular Issue #2 in the fourth Quarter.

The intent is to offer gamers and GMs interested in a greater degree of historical realism for their campaigns than any existing FRPG has offered to date a view into the reality of the medieval world ... with in depth historical and practical material on a wide variety of matters, including suggested (experimental) rules for implementing them in D100 and D20 based game systems.

The two Special Editions and the first Regular Issues are mostly blocked out ...

The First Special Edition covers Arms, Armour and Combat realities, 'historical' magic weapons and armour as well as reviews of recent(ish) FRPGs.

The Second Special Edition will cover Medieval Travellers, Inns & Taverns, The Cursus Publicus and its Imitators, and Caravanserais and will also include detailed floorplans on at least two Inns/Taverns based on actual historical ones as well as reviews and other materials.

The First Regular Issue will cover a Wilderness region ready to be dropped into any campaign, with extensive information on a Monastic Hold/Waystation on a moderately heavily travelled Royal Highway, an isolated Manor and other material including Reviews.

The Second Regular Issue's contents are in a state of flux for the moment ... and may include material on Medieval Clothing, the Medieval Farmer's Year (and Medieval Farming in general) and important medieval historical events such as The Great Famine and The Black Death.

It is hoped that, depending on the success of the Kickstarter, that some outside contributions can be paid for, hopefully on geographical areas outside of the usual Anglo-Norman and NW French versions of Chivalry that are presented as all encompassing in all FRPGs based on medieval Europe ... but which, in reality, were anything but!

Phil McGregor

 

[aco175]

I cannot find a link to the Kickstarter. I would like to check this out.

 

[aspqrz01]

"campaign to be run in December"

That's why you can't find it!

In the meantime, look at the previous Kickstarter page ...

Orbis Mundi 2 - Real Medieval Life

OM2 is an expanded and updated version of the original Orbis Mundi, covering the reality of Medieval European Life for Role Players.

www.kickstarter.com

... which gives a rough idea of what may be covered.

I am considering offering the previous campaign's books as Add Ons at a discounted price, much less than you'd pay for them on DTRPG (where they will be unlikely to ever be discounted)

Phil McGregor

 

[emssmiley2002]

I cannot find a link to the Kickstarter. I would like to check this out.

Its not up until Dec. as far as his previous work I have his OB2 and it is freakin massive. Several books and better then anything Ive come across on medival living. Its been worth every penny.
AATW/RLTW/DOL

 

[aspqrz01]

I can confirm that the books from the previous campaign will be offered at a substantial discount in the new campaign ... the price they are listed for on DTRPG but in Australian Dollars -- that's a 30% discount at the current rate of exchange AUD-USD!

Orbis Mundi 2 PDF = $39.99
The Marketplace PDF = $29.99
Ithura & Porthaven PDF = $19.99
Fantasy Europe PDF = $19.99

Furthermore, this will include the PDF and Print on Demand option for all (whether you choose to use PoD is up to you!) ... which is a further saving of US$5 per book over the DTRPG price (though, of course, you'll still have to pay the PoD costs ... but all I have ever charged for the PoD price is the actual base cost of the PDF + $5 to which the actual PoD costs have been added.

Phil McGregor

 

[aspqrz01]

The new Kickstarter will launch on December 1st 2020 (Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time) ... the pre-launch page at Kickstarter is here ...

Medieval

Real Medieval Life for RPGs

www.kickstarter.com

Hope to see you there!

Phil McGregor

 

[Goliath Coins]

The new Kickstarter will launch on December 1st 2020 (Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time) ... the pre-launch page at Kickstarter is here ...

Medieval

Real Medieval Life for RPGs

www.kickstarter.com

Hope to see you there!

Phil McGregor

I just followed your pre-launch page. Looking forward to seeing it live.

 

[aspqrz01]

The project just launched! Updates will be posted here as well as on Kickstarter.

Medieval

Real Medieval Life for RPGs

www.kickstarter.com

See you all there!

Phil McGregor

 

[aspqrz01]

227% funded in less than 12 hours ... and the first Stretch Goal (+8 pages to Regular issues) has also been blown through!

Phil McGregor

 

[aspqrz01]

Update #2
A Knight walks into the Village Smithy ...

... and orders a new set of Full Plate Armour ...
Bzzzt!
Wrong!
Making Armour was a specialised trade, especially something as complex and technological demanding (for the time and place) as Plate Armour ... which was, incidentally so complex and so technologically demanding that it doesn't appear until the very end of the Medieval Period (in the 15th Century, in fact, which is probably best referred to as the Early Modern period).

Village Blacksmiths had neither the skill nor the tools, and almost certainly not the materials, to make anything more complex than agricultural tools ... if they did, they wouldn't have been mere Village Blacksmiths!

So, a Knight walks into a Smithy in a local town and orders a full set of Plate Armour ...

Bzzzt!
Wrong!

Again, Armour making is too complex, especially Plate Armour ... so, let's try again ...

a Knight walks into an Armourer's in a local town and orders a full set of Plate Armour off the rack ...

Bzzzt!
Wrong!

Plate Armour had to be individually fitted, piece by piece, in the early days and, in any case, it was expensive and time consuming to make ... and medieval craftsmen of any sort simply didn't make much of anything on spec. You had to order it and then wait ...

Which brings us to the point of this Update ...

How common was armour?​

Not nearly as common as most RPGs would imply.

The records available suggest that, even in a wealthy Town, no more than one third of households would have had any armour at all ... and of that third, two thirds will have Mail, Jacks or Brigandines. Even in the 15th century only one sixth of the total had even Breastplates. Exactly none had Full Plate.

And, how much was available for sale? An amount equivalent to about 10% of that total ... and close to 100% were Jacks, Brigandines or Mail.

A historical perspective​

Putting this in perspective, in 1066 the Population of England was ~2-2.5 million. As a result of the Norman Conquest, William I divided this land into 5-6000 Knight's Fees, not all of which were given to Knights or Nobles (a significant chunk were given to the Church, for example).
(The Norman Army at Hastings had 1500-2000 Knights)

Assuming each of those Knights Fees could provide a Knight, Squire and 3 Mounted Men at Arms, that's around 25-30000 total who would have likely had some sort of body armour (actually less, as some of those Fees were held by the Church and provided no soldiers at all and others were not enough to provide more than a poorly Armoured Knight and even more poorly Armoured Squire). Even so, that's a maximum of around 1% of the population.

And England was a notably wealthy country.

How Long to Make Armour?​

Partial Plate (i.e. a Plate Breastplate over a full Mail suit, the best available at the very end of the 14th century) ... 60-90 days.

Mail Shirt ... 15-20 days

3/4 Mail ... 20-25 days

Full Mail ... 30-40 days

But none of the above allows for the almost inevitable waiting period ... for the Armourer to slot you into his current schedule. It's incredibly unlikely your Knight will walk off the street and find the Armourer at loose ends and ready to start work immediately.

Summary​

So, not only can't you walk into a Smithy and order a set of armour, and you certainly can't buy one off the rack, even in a Town. You're going to have order it and join a queue.

Fortunately, most of the populace don't have any armour either.