Re: [HoE] Templar Discussion

["Steve Crow" <crow_steve@hotmail.com>]

>The whole Templar worthiness issue...  When I think about some of the
>situations my posse might get into (with dos Templars and a Doomie), and I
>keep thinking of a situation I read in one of the books.  In a town mixed 
>w/
>good and bad, the Templar will force the "unworthy" to do some of the more
>dangerous defending, while the "worthy" work too, but have it a bit better
>off.  For example, the unworthy may be forced to dig trenches near the town
>entrance, and then sit there with their rifles, shooting at the invaders,
>while the worthy may be toward the back of the settlement, loading heavy
>weapons, or doing something else to help the war effort, but not nearly as
>dangerous.  Or, if the only worthy ones were children, they'd be guarded
>heavily, and not really have to do anything.  To the Templars, the unworthy
>are expendable.
>

All true.  One small problem with this approach is that it turns a HoE 
battle into more of a tactical exercise, though.  Maybe we need some 
"troop/tactic" type rules like those  found in Bushido or Legend of the Five 
Rings?  Or creating some of my own - the Bushido rules were pretty "generic" 
and could probably be adopted.

>Should the people not agree to go with the Templar, well, then either 
>things
>get violent or they just refuse.  Here, different Templars will take
>different courses of action.  I'd think that a good persuasion or overawe
>could help motivate the crowd, or a display of force.  But theoretically, 
>as
>long as there are some good people in the town, a village can be fought 
>for.
>If the village DOES disagree with the Templar, beyond all attempts to
>persuade them, well then the knight has to just walk away...
>

A problem, which no one had commented on before, is that the Templar works 
best as a solo character, and seems to be conceived as such to a very great 
degree.  I mean, the whole disguise/sneak-in/evaluate schtick is basically a 
one-man operation.  How would a Templar, for instance, disguise himself as a 
beggar and sneak into a town if his group just marched in and presenting 
themselves as people to suck-up to in return for protection?

At best, this involves a bit of "one player off on his own" adventuring. 
While I'm not adverse to that entirely, I don't want to see the Templar 
doing it every time they arrive in a new town that needs help, either. And 
that still leaves the issue if what if the Templar finds the town unworthy 
(most Chosen probably wouldn't help normals after years of prejudice and 
hatred - wouldn't that automatically make them 'unworthy'?), but the 
Doomsayer and/or the rest group help the town anyway, for personal reasons, 
because they disagree with the Templar, for pay, whatever.

What's a Templar to do then?

On the other hand, making most towns "worthy" to avoid this kind of party 
dissent kind of takes away from the flavor of the Templars anyway.

Don't get me wrong - Templars _should_ be picky about who is worthy.  But no 
one yet, on the list or from Pinnacle or in a sourcebook, has really 
answered the question adequately of how Marshals should handle this when it 
comes to fracturing a group or driving one character off on his own as a 
result.

>"Crazy" Dan


---

Steve Crow

"Worm Can Opener Extraordinare"

Check out my website at:  http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/4991/


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