Running royal courts?

[Jon_Dahl]

In my campaign I'm trying to get the PCs to a royal court but I'm lost with the formalities.

For instance:
The PCs step in front of the court for the first time. How are the introductions handled?
My version:
A courtier says with a loud, clear voice: "Your Majesty, before you (name and titles and all)" and then the PC steps forward and bows (very deeply). He remains bowed. This is repeated until all the PCs are introduced.
The king gives a permission to rise. After this the king is introduced by the courtier "His Majesty (name) bids you welcomed!"

After this the courtier proceeds to address the members of the royal family present in the room and mentions their location in relation to the king.
"Beside His Majesty, the queen regent (name). On the right side of His Majesty are.... On the left side of His Majesty are..."

Something like this:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK50CT0eTkw"]Vercingetorix's Surrender - YouTube[/ame]
Yes, this was a surrender... But the introductions would be the same. The motionless, speechless manner of the king and the near-telepathic actions by his courtiers would/should be like this.

The king will be very punctual with his words. If he wants everyone to shut up and listen to him, he will casually wave his hand so that the courtier would bang a heavy staff against the floor. Anything that requires him to remember things, such as long list of names, will be handled by a courtier.

The king will personally give permission to leave his court.

I have tried to get some ideas about court formalities by watching Game of Thrones but I don't get it. When it comes to true royalty and the "feel", I find the manner Caesar is played in Rome much better than the more informal and mortal kings in GoT.

I'm just looking to add some verisimilitude for my campaign and this stuff is fairly hard. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[S'mon]

I have tried to get some ideas about court formalities by watching Game of Thrones but I don't get it. When it comes to true royalty and the "feel", I find the manner Caesar is played in Rome much better than the more informal and mortal kings in GoT.

I think HBO shows tends to be weak on that sort of stuff - The Tudors certainly was.

You seem to have pretty strong ideas already. Personally - for feudal courts, I start with the notion that the court began as a barbarian warlord and his warband in a big log hall, and grew from there. Formalities will have grown up over time as traditions, often still rooted in the court's barbaric origins. Hence the importance of oaths, swords, et al. But the feudal king also places a high value on informality, an easy-going manner - 'standing on his honour' is a sign of insecurity (and not one the real-life Julius Caesar was noted for), possibly indicating a weak monarch. So the 'Game of Thrones' monarch may deliberately affect an easy-going and informal manner - but don't try to take advantage of it! Most commonly, the more formal the court procedure is, the more casual the monarch himself can afford to be, since all the work of inspiring awe has already been done for him.

 

[Starfox]

it depends very much on the degree of formality and the era being portrayed. In other words, play it the way you like it.

 

[Grogg of the North]

The PCs step in front of the court for the first time. How are the introductions handled?

One way you could handle it, is have the players each write down on a small piece of paper (smaller than an index card) who they are and hand it in to you. Use that to help make the official announcements and introductions.

This way if the PCs lack any formal titles of peerage, they can at least supply you with what they feel are proper accomplishments. Which would you rather be introduced as:

Master Whitehall

or

Master Whitehall, Slayer of the Moldy Bog Beast, Hero of Black Rock Village and Savior of the Third Street Orphanage.

On a side note, do the PCs know the courtly etiquette for dealing with the king? I hope they put ranks into Knowledge Nobility.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Anything goes as this is one of those subjects that don't have an easy answer, because each Royal Court is different.

In may games:

• Only time to be introduced to the King and Queen is at their request. You do not speak to the king or queen unless you are part of the Royal Court or they speak to you first.
• The Royal Court is a title in itself, these are people that have a function at the court and are there by appointment. This is a power circle.
• Holidays and special events are the only time people are introduced to the Royal Court. It is at these events, a person can be added to the court.
• The Royal Court has its own adgendas.

 

[Starfox]

Most courts would have a lesser courtier taking care of guests, showing them the basics, and at the same time impressing the importance of the sovereign. It is impractical to have to snub important emissaries over matters of protocol. So PCs have to be stupid or deliberately not polite to cause serious offense.

Of course, if the PCs have a sponsor at court, the sponsor would handle this teaching and probably make a big affair out of it too.

 

[Celebrim]

Court traditions vary widely in time and place, but are generally all concerned with upholding the dignity, security and sacredness of the monarchy. Exactly to what extent this is required depends on the social stratification of the society. England and Rome, being to one extent or another Republics in name or fact, emphasis greater levels of familiarity and approachability than would say Egypt, India, Persia, China, or even France. But, they are still miles away from the level of familiarity and approachability we in the modern USA are used to. Keep in mind that in most monarchies, the person and body of the monarch are considered literally sacred and sancrosect.

As far as introductions go, you are brought into the hall in an order of precedence and introduced to the court by your title. The reverse is not true. The court is not introduced to you. It's up to the individual members of the court to decide if you are worth being introduced to. Generally, there are circles and people who control social access, so if you want to be introduced to someone you have to first gain the attention of the access broker - a secretary or functionary of some sort who is already inside the circle. That person, the courtier as you call him, then says, "My lord, may I introduce to you <the PC>. <PC>, My lord the Swazi of X." You do not have the right to introduce yourself - infringe upon their time - to a social/legal superior at the court.

If you want to know who you are looking at when you walk in the court, you need Knowlege (Heraldry and Nobility). Often you'll have a retainer who serves as your social gatekeeper, and it's his job to keep track of who is who, guide you through the complex social waters, arrange introductions with the other lords courtiers, and provide protocol tips to you if your diplomacy skill isn't perhaps what it should be. If there is some fear that you'll make a muck of it, at a royal court there is probably staff on hand who will quietly guide you through the protocols required to get in and out of the room without commiting inadvertant treason and getting yourself killed.

The protocols of the court are generally reduced in a pragmatic way when the monarch is in a less formal situation. The fewer people that are watching, the more the monarch can relax some of his or her normal dignity - though woe be to the one that gets so relaxed he forgets who he is talking to.

 

[Nytmare]

What kind of royal court, what kind of city? Who are the PCs? Give us some more feedback.

 

[Scott DeWar]

i am sorry if i am highjacking . . . . .

I too have a desire for this information. I am the dm of a kingmaker game where I have taken the party on a side quest underground. They have to deal with a kingdom of Oread.

ideas?

 

[Derren]

Are the PCs even fit to step in front of the king? Unless they are nobles themselves or have distinguished themselves in the service of the crown they would rather deal with an underling than with the king himself. If it is the latter they might be introduced by the deed, not by their names.

Always remember that the king isn't just superior to the PCs by title, he is of royal blood and thus belongs to a better race of men than the PCs.