Re: [HoE] [HoE][Shane or whoever is working on the Templar Book] Templar Que...

["John or Christine Thompson" <GOBACKSTAGE@prodigy.net>]

-----Original Message-----
From: DarrinBrig@aol.com <DarrinBrig@aol.com>
To: hoe@gamerz.net <hoe@gamerz.net>
Date: Friday, February 26, 1999 9:10 AM
Subject: Re: [HoE] [HoE][Shane or whoever is working on the Templar
Book] Templar Que...


>In a message dated 2/25/99 4:57:47 PM Eastern Standard Time,
>sdnelson@advancenet.net writes:
>
>> I'm about to start a HoE campaign and I have a question.  Can I let
a player
>>  play a Templar who is not of "WASP" descent or carry themselves in
the
>>  traditions spread through the history of Europe?
>
They definitely don't have to be WASP as Lancelot, described in the
Wasted West book, is a black man.

>I'm not Shane, but I don't think this would be a problem at all.
Templars can
>be of any race, creed, or religion, as far as I can tell.
>
>The Templars in HOE are only loosely descended from the medieval
Templars, and
>that's only if you believe the Freemasons were somehow connected with
them...
>a tenuous connection at best, and widely doubted by most serious
scholars.
>
Especially since the claim of descent came at a time when the
Freemasons were heavily under attack by anti-Masonic political
parties. Still, many Masons cling to the belief that the claim is
factual.

>The new Templars are based loosely on the Freemasons, and from what
little I
>know about them, the only restriction as far as recruitment was that
women
>were excluded.  However, we've seen female Templars so Simon has
obviously
>abandoned that restriction.  Actually, that's not entirely correct...
although
>women were prevented from becoming Freemasons, there are separate but
related
>organizations they can join that fulfull the same functions, like
Job's
>Daughters.
>
Job's Daughters is actually a youth organization for girls, the sister
group to DeMolay for young men. Eastern Star is the ladies auxillary
to the Freemasons, though it also has male members.

Rather than saying that the HoE Templars were based on Freemasonry,
I'd say they were based on Simon's Masonic biased view of the original
Templars. This view is basically that the Templars were the living
embodiment of the chivalric ideal and that all accusations of greed,
corruption and avarice were made by those jealous of their
"perfection."

From 16-21, I was a member of the International Order of DeMolay (and
my wife was a Job's Daughter) and so got as good a view of the Masons
as one can without actually joining. In fact, one member of my gaming
group at the time was amazingly like pre-ghost bomb Simon except that
he worked in real-estate instead. He definitely had an equivalent
worshipful view of the Templars and discouted any claim that they
might have been earned some of their bad rep.

>As far as religion, Simon is reportedly not pushing the issue, and as
far as I
>know the only requirement is you have some faith in something (hence
the Faith
>aptitude) but I don't think there are any requirements as far as
which
>denomination or which religious beliefs you adhere to, so long as
they don't
>conflict with your Templar Oaths.
>
In the Wasted West book, Jo explained it as Faith in the Templar's
code and cause rather than in any religion.

John W. Thompson, PMC Englewood DeMolay
Backstage at the Theatre of the Mind
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