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| Seb McKinnon |
Played some Mythic Bastionland a little while back (fun! Weird! Typically easy to internalize lite rules from C McD!) and then watching that Dunk and Egg show and then thinking about Odyssey discourse and how strictly historical (or rather, historical analogue) settings still have plenty of room for interesting scenarios, and also how the best Good Guy Capable Of Violence superhero stories manage to layer ethical needs to create moral dilemmas much more interesting than "Murder A Kitten Or Save An Orphan???" and how the social framework of knights come preloaded with restrictions and expectations of noble and violence that are fertile opportunities for a series of interesting choices - where sometimes the best option is ultimately an estimate of what one can afford to lose, be it from the coinpurse or from the soul.
Howso gameable? Some hooks for mundane encounters on the road in a realm of knights. Many have a more obvious invitation to player involvement but some don't at all. They are extremely gendered and assume a more strict hierarchy than Mythic implies so they maybe layer over that setting more than integrate to it (not really sure what game they are for, I have never read or played Pendragon but maybe?). Posted some on bsky but doing more here for posterity
1. This knight has started a grassroots crusade to right some foreign injustice but needs a guide to get there
2. This knight stands watch over a stretch of road, and is concerned that he has not seen the signal fire of his brother across the valley for three nights. He needs to find out what has happened but is reluctant to leave his post
3. This knight searches far for a lost token of his liege - but it seems the "relic" of a nearby monastery is the item in question
4. This knight accompanies a priest on their way to reconsecrate an abandoned (and supposedly cursed) town. When they come across an unguarded treasure the priest will fall to avarice and cowardice and immediately abandon all companions to whatever devilry now resides there
5. This knight appears nervous and awkwardly stands slightly in the way. If pressed he sheepishly admits losing a token of his lady's favor somewhere around here after boasting widely and is too embarrassed to present himself to court without it
6. This knight boasts that he is protected by a guardian angel or saint. He will try to disprove any perceived skepticism with daring behavior that gets more and more risky
7. This knight carries a fishing rod and will take any opportunity to spend time angling. He inquires about any bodies of water you may have passed and their environments
8. This knight demands satisfaction from an uncouth traveler on the road but is hesitant to commit to an actual duel. His liege was just insulted in his presence, but he is serving a vow of nonviolence after failing to protect a monastery
9. This knight has heard disturbing rumors that his brother in arms is false. He needs to find out more without creating any scandal for him, his family, or their liege's court
10. This knight is en route to greet an honored guest of his liege. BUT! he has sworn vengeance upon this person for an injury upon his house
11. This knight is searching for a missing child he has sworn to recover. Though somewhat vague, the last description of the kidnappers he was given matches yours
12. This knight is ensuring their liege's child arrives at their betrothed safely. The knight has encountered increasing evidence the betrothed behaves dishonorably or has ill intentions
13. This knight guards a bridge, stopping travelers to ask if they have seen the knight’s quarry who has fled facing justice. He names an acquaintance of yours
14. This knight is walking alongside his mounted squire and carrying all of their equipment. They are returning from foreign lands where the knight acquired strange “egalitarian” views at odds with local orthodoxy
15. This knight cheerfully warns all he meets of an imminent ending, but whether by invasion, plague or disaster he is unsure. He hails from a small, weak realm but anticipates a greater New Kingdom to be built from the ruins
16. This knight has been charged to discretely track down and silence someone blackmailing his liege, but finds the expected methods extremely dishonorable and has turned to drinking to avoid thinking about it
17. This knight travels with a covered shield and crest. His entire family is dishonored by a murderer within their house and he hunts the fugitive to restore them
18. This knight is returning to his house with medicine for his family's wasting disease, but is dying of it as well. It is valuable to the unscrupulous buyer, and there is not enough to cure everyone
19. This knight rides an exotic steed home to impress his peers, but the local liege whose land he is crossing has sent a messenger to request it as a gift
20. This knight escorts a fallen brother's body back to their family. Following only hours behind is an out of breath lay priest - due to some kind of error or perhaps fraud the knight is transporting the wrong corpse
21. This knight is followed by a bound prisoner who protests loudly when you are noticed. The knight claims this is an outlaw brigand while the prisoner claims they are a knight in service to a local liege and the actual brigands have stolen all their belongings
22. This knight has taken a vow not to hold a weapon until he receives absolution for an accidental death from a distant church official. He appears not to notice his young squire following at a distance, who wields the knight's large (possibly cursed?) sword and stays overly alert for approaching enemies
23. This knight aimlessly wanders the woods and fields. He has undertaken a hunt for a singular beast to gift his liege after causing some embarrassment, but is much more at home at court or tournies than this wilderness errand
24. This knight is questing out in devotion to a certain lady of whom you have acquaintance. He has never met her but has had extensive correspondence through messages and now attempts to track down some knaves that have caused her dishonor. Several details he mentions do not match what you know of the lady
On making your own
Think of the typical duties and order of obedience that might be expected here - something like serve God, serve king, serve liege, serve lady, protect family, protect own honor, protect misc innocents, ...have a hobby idk. Then place two of these at odds, or imply the PCs are at odds with one. The smaller scale the better. A knight whose brother has sworn service to a different noble and now leads men to attack this knight's liege is way more grounded than like "the king has ordered his knights to kill all the priests" or whatnot. Leave world ending drama to the Myths.
