Adventure is afoot!

[FuMo]

I've been planning a new game (which may run in Loughborough or through RPOL) and thought Id try to gauge interest.

The game would be in a semi-historical setting, mostly based in Europe in the late 18th/early 19th century.
The players would likely be officers in a Regiment of Royal Dragoons as they spread the influence of the Empire.
There should be a good deal of bawdy shenanigans, buxom wenches, scandalous skullduggery and bloody glory to be won by sabre and musket on the frontiers of the British domain.

[stealth]

You temptress!

I'd likely be up for this, time and tides allowing. Will it require everyone to affect the plummy voice of a posh man with more money than sense?

[FuMo]

Well you had bally well sound the part if you don't want to be taken for some dreadful plunging creature of low repute.

There were a few ways to become an officer back then but most of them required large sums of cash. There is plenty of scope for personalisation within that though. Barring substantial wealth, acts of great heroism might earn you a commission. I'd be happy for some players to join the lower ranks, although they shouldn't expect to mix in the same circles as their superiors and will likely be ordered around by the officers.

[stealth]

An act of heroism is a horrible way to get promoted into the officer ranks. You're not rich enough or well connected enough to be a gentleman officer, and to the regular guys you just left you're no better than them. Although a sergeant of Dragoons might be interesting.

[FuMo]

True, promotion through heroism could be as much a curse as a blessing but it might put the character in some interesting social situations. However, A good Sergeant is vital to the regiment and could likely be much more competent than his superiors, but will still be expected to follow orders, which could be fun.

[Black Mage]

If this is being run in Loughborough, I'm in. What kind of system were you going to use, if any?

To begin with I was thinking of a Major West type character - an officer promoted through the ranks for competence but who will never achieve real recognition simply for not having the right blood for real officering, but then I thought it might be fun to play the other end of the spectrum, the kind of officer that goes far because of family connections, but hasn't got a clue about real warfare, believing the smartness of an army's uniforms to be what truly wins wars. I'm undecided, and it probably depends on how sensible the game is to be.

[MrAlzis]

True, promotion through heroism could be as much a curse as a blessing but it might put the character in some interesting social situations. However, A good Sergeant is vital to the regiment and could likely be much more competent than his superiors, but will still be expected to follow orders, which could be fun.

Dash it sir!

Any phrenologist worth his salt can tell you that whilst loyal, the members of the lower classes lack the virtues of leadership and gallantry extolled by the gentry.

The competency of a good sergeant extends to keeping discipline amongst the ubiquitous dullards and rapscallions found within the rank and file of those who have accepted the King's Shilling.

Now sir, you have my ear and my sword, for any venture to take Frenchie to task for his sordid, beastly, and yea, ungodly ways is to be deemed meritable, and I pledge my good name to it.

God Save the King!

[Black Mage]

Beeeh!

[stealth]

As this thread begins to grow, I am considering sticking the old VHS tape player on and watching through Sharpe. Or I could get the books out again...

[FuMo]

I have never actually watched or seen any Sharpe related material, am I right in thinking the stories are set a little later than the turn of the century?
They may be a good source of plot so I'll try to get my hands on them.

Glad to see there are a few players interested, a fourth might be nice.

Also, just to clarify (although people who know me probably wont be surprised) while there should be some high adventure and scandalous behaviour, I would like to avoid this game becoming silly. I will be trying to weave the plot into actual historic events and so you may end up in battles you have no hope of winning and in encounters with famed personae of the era who you would be best not to cross and so I'd prefer it if it wasn't derailed too badly. Of course this being RAWS I should expect that to happen and will content myself with however it turns out.

[stealth]

The earliest set Sharpe books are 1790's in India (Sharpe's Tiger, Triumph and Fortress, I believe). Most of it is set through the Napoleonic war, back and forth through Spain, Portugal and eventually France.

The India books include his promotion from the ranks, as it happens.

[FuMo]

I have been toying with India, so that might be fun, or I might be controversial and send you into Afghanistan...

[surphire]

As usual I would be interested in a character who exists primarily to stir shit up, a most ungentlemenly fellow! So scandalous may be his middle name (and possibly his last too), would quite like to have something damning on a personage of significance within the game (a NPC probably). THis kind of character would likely interest me more than some officer with a broom handle stuck so far up their backside as to make them practically useless (think the way Batman walks in Arkham Asylum the game). Would their be room for such a character in this game, I reckon the biggest difficulty might be explaining how he becomes an officer, unless he is so used to getting his way (eg through privelleged upbringing), he will do anything to continue getting it, (an unscrupulous dastardly chap).

[FuMo]

There's plenty of room to be an unscrupulous bastard, and given the antics of certain figures at the time it probably wouldn't be too hard to acquire some damning information (although if they know you have if you could make a powerful enemy quite quickly). Becoming an officer was typically a matter of money and so anyone possessing a majority or an even higher rank would doubtless be used to getting their own way.

Anyway, I'm perfectly happy for you to play a complete swine, although it may be best to avoid causing too much trouble that can be traced back to you as that's a fairly reliable way to secure your groups transfer to some god awful Indian regiment on the North West frontier with only sepoys and Scotsmen for company, and I cant imagine that would endear you to your fellow Officers much.

EDIT: Who are you by the way Surphire?

[Black Mage]

I have been toying with India, so that might be fun, or I might be controversial and send you into Afghanistan...

What? I thought we were facing Napoleon and his damnable frenchies, and so assumed we'd be in Europe somewhere.

As far as being senisble goes I'll play the competent Low-born oaf rather than the incompetent upper-class uniform-straigntener, as I think the latter concept would end up getting silly. Or I'd get frustrated by being so crap. Or both.