Saturday, October 26, 2013
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Swords and Sorcery and Women and One of My Favorite Battles
How's that for a cumbersome title?
There have been many discussions about the role of women in sword & sorcery. See here and here for examples. It is not my intention to rehash the discussion here. I want to relate the story of one of my favorite medieval battles and an example of a woman I think would fit perfectly into a sword and sorcery world.
The Battle of Dyrrhachium 1081
The Robert Guiscard, a Norman, had carved himself off a portion of land for himself in Italy including the last Byzantine foothold in Italy. Looking for more, he turned his eyes East and using a rather lame pretext, invaded the Byzantine Empire. He laid siege to Dyrrhachium, an important city on the est coast of Greece. Alexius Comnenus, the Byzantine emperor, marched forth to break the siege. With him, amongst the other troops, was the Varangian Guard, an elite force of 1000 men made up of Rus and Scandinavians.
The two forces met outside of the city and a fierce battle ensued. So, the two things that make this battle interesting to me are the Varangian Guard and Robert Guiscard's wife, Sikelgaita (or Gaita).
First, the Varangians. These men were, essentially, Vikings. They were mercenaries who served as the guard for the emperor. They carried large axes, wore chain mail and had a ferocious reputation. They were placed at the forefront of the battle and fought valiantly. They stood their ground in the face of a mounted attack and repulsed it. However, when the Norman right wing broke as a result, the Varangians joined the pursuit instead of holding their position. By 1081, the composition of the Varangian Guard had changed. It was now predominantly made up of Anglo-Saxon's displaced by the Norman conquest. There were so many in the Guard that it was called the English Guard at times. So it is understandable why they pursued and wanted to kill as many Normans as possible.
Robert's wife, Sikelgaita, was the the daughter of a Lombard noble. She accompanied Robert on many of his campaigns. She was fully armed and armored at Dyrrhachium and met the fleeing men on the beach and, through force of personality, rallied them. The Normans counter attacked the now separated Varangians and caused them heavy casualties. The remaining men of the guard took refuge in a church, which the Normans promptly burned down, killing all inside. The Byzantines eventually broke, leaving the field in Norman hands and the siege unbroken.
I am fascinated by this battle because of the rematch of Norman and Anglo-Saxon and the fact that the battle turned out much as Hastings had, hard fought with an eventual Norman triumph. I am also fascinated by Sikelgaita. At the time of the battle she was in her early 40's and had borne 8 children for Robert. She participated in the battle fully armored and armed as she probably did at other battles. She definitely had strong leadership skills and a force of personality. A capable hero in fact and would be for fiction. And she is one of the first things that come to my mind when I think of women in sword & sorcery.
You can read Anna Comnena's account of the battle here.
Edit
Oh, I should've created stats for Sikelgaita. So, here they are:
Sikelgaita
Attributes: Strength 0, Agility 1, Mind 2, Appeal 1
Combat Abilities: Brawl 0, Melee 1, Ranged 1, Defense 2
Careers: Noble 2, Soldier 0, Poet 1
Boons: Etiquette
There have been many discussions about the role of women in sword & sorcery. See here and here for examples. It is not my intention to rehash the discussion here. I want to relate the story of one of my favorite medieval battles and an example of a woman I think would fit perfectly into a sword and sorcery world.
The Battle of Dyrrhachium 1081
The Robert Guiscard, a Norman, had carved himself off a portion of land for himself in Italy including the last Byzantine foothold in Italy. Looking for more, he turned his eyes East and using a rather lame pretext, invaded the Byzantine Empire. He laid siege to Dyrrhachium, an important city on the est coast of Greece. Alexius Comnenus, the Byzantine emperor, marched forth to break the siege. With him, amongst the other troops, was the Varangian Guard, an elite force of 1000 men made up of Rus and Scandinavians.
The two forces met outside of the city and a fierce battle ensued. So, the two things that make this battle interesting to me are the Varangian Guard and Robert Guiscard's wife, Sikelgaita (or Gaita).
First, the Varangians. These men were, essentially, Vikings. They were mercenaries who served as the guard for the emperor. They carried large axes, wore chain mail and had a ferocious reputation. They were placed at the forefront of the battle and fought valiantly. They stood their ground in the face of a mounted attack and repulsed it. However, when the Norman right wing broke as a result, the Varangians joined the pursuit instead of holding their position. By 1081, the composition of the Varangian Guard had changed. It was now predominantly made up of Anglo-Saxon's displaced by the Norman conquest. There were so many in the Guard that it was called the English Guard at times. So it is understandable why they pursued and wanted to kill as many Normans as possible.
Robert's wife, Sikelgaita, was the the daughter of a Lombard noble. She accompanied Robert on many of his campaigns. She was fully armed and armored at Dyrrhachium and met the fleeing men on the beach and, through force of personality, rallied them. The Normans counter attacked the now separated Varangians and caused them heavy casualties. The remaining men of the guard took refuge in a church, which the Normans promptly burned down, killing all inside. The Byzantines eventually broke, leaving the field in Norman hands and the siege unbroken.
I am fascinated by this battle because of the rematch of Norman and Anglo-Saxon and the fact that the battle turned out much as Hastings had, hard fought with an eventual Norman triumph. I am also fascinated by Sikelgaita. At the time of the battle she was in her early 40's and had borne 8 children for Robert. She participated in the battle fully armored and armed as she probably did at other battles. She definitely had strong leadership skills and a force of personality. A capable hero in fact and would be for fiction. And she is one of the first things that come to my mind when I think of women in sword & sorcery.
You can read Anna Comnena's account of the battle here.
Edit
Oh, I should've created stats for Sikelgaita. So, here they are:
Sikelgaita
Attributes: Strength 0, Agility 1, Mind 2, Appeal 1
Combat Abilities: Brawl 0, Melee 1, Ranged 1, Defense 2
Careers: Noble 2, Soldier 0, Poet 1
Boons: Etiquette
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Lothar Liro
Lothar Liro was born in Satarla to an prominent aristocratic family. He was a mischievous child, always looking for adventure, often in trouble. He grew up learning the way of honor and the sword. As an adult, he tested his courage and skill in duels, several of them to the death. This wasn't enough. Also trained as a soldier he wanted the glory of battle. The problem, though, was that he was living in a time of relative peace.
Thus, when a noble of Tyrus raised a private army to invade Valgard, he joined the expedition eagerly. Lothar's connections and birth secured him a position as an officer. Outfitted with the best equipment and several servants and slaves, he marched proudly forth.
The expedition was a fiasco from the start. Though the aristocratic officers had brought plenty of supplies for themselves, not enough stores were laid in for the common soldiers. The General prepared for neither the trip up the river through the steaming jungle nor the icy conditions of the pass through the Axos Mountains. By the time they faced the Valgardians, the force was in a shambles. The ragtag army was caught by surprise at the foot of a ridge. The Valgardians poured down the slope like a wild tsunami. The General tried to deploy his soldiers but was too slow.
Lothar watched the approaching horde with growing fear. He had faced death before but this was something completely different. His bowels turned to ice, his legs became weak and something snapped inside him. He ran towards the rear. Lothar knocked one of the few cavalrymen off of his mount and raced South. He rode until the poor beast died of exhaustion and then walked until he collapsed. When he awoke he was being cared for by some kindly villagers who lived far south of the battle. He knew in his heart he had done the right thing but felt an overwhelming shame. Even when he he heard that the expedition had been almost completely massacred, except those who survived to become sacrifices to the fierce Northern gods, he felt ashamed and worthless. He began drinking heavily in an attempt to kill his pain. It is not working. He now wanders Lemuria under a nom de guerre working as a mercenary, his only friend a flask of strong wine.
Lothar Liro
Attributes: Strength 1, Agility 1, Mind 1, Appeal 1
Combat Abilities: Brawl 0, Melee 2, Ranged 0, Defense 2
Careers: Noble 1, Hunter 1, Soldier 1, Mercenary 1
Boons: Etiquette, Keen Eyesight
Flaws: Drunkard
Languages: Lemurian
Weapons: Sword (d6+1), Dagger (d3+1)
Thus, when a noble of Tyrus raised a private army to invade Valgard, he joined the expedition eagerly. Lothar's connections and birth secured him a position as an officer. Outfitted with the best equipment and several servants and slaves, he marched proudly forth.
The expedition was a fiasco from the start. Though the aristocratic officers had brought plenty of supplies for themselves, not enough stores were laid in for the common soldiers. The General prepared for neither the trip up the river through the steaming jungle nor the icy conditions of the pass through the Axos Mountains. By the time they faced the Valgardians, the force was in a shambles. The ragtag army was caught by surprise at the foot of a ridge. The Valgardians poured down the slope like a wild tsunami. The General tried to deploy his soldiers but was too slow.
Lothar watched the approaching horde with growing fear. He had faced death before but this was something completely different. His bowels turned to ice, his legs became weak and something snapped inside him. He ran towards the rear. Lothar knocked one of the few cavalrymen off of his mount and raced South. He rode until the poor beast died of exhaustion and then walked until he collapsed. When he awoke he was being cared for by some kindly villagers who lived far south of the battle. He knew in his heart he had done the right thing but felt an overwhelming shame. Even when he he heard that the expedition had been almost completely massacred, except those who survived to become sacrifices to the fierce Northern gods, he felt ashamed and worthless. He began drinking heavily in an attempt to kill his pain. It is not working. He now wanders Lemuria under a nom de guerre working as a mercenary, his only friend a flask of strong wine.
Lothar Liro
Attributes: Strength 1, Agility 1, Mind 1, Appeal 1
Combat Abilities: Brawl 0, Melee 2, Ranged 0, Defense 2
Careers: Noble 1, Hunter 1, Soldier 1, Mercenary 1
Boons: Etiquette, Keen Eyesight
Flaws: Drunkard
Languages: Lemurian
Weapons: Sword (d6+1), Dagger (d3+1)
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Hatin' on the Halflings
Hatin' on the Halflings
Dissin the Dwarfs
Effin the Elves
However you want to put it, I am getting more and more annoyed with demi-humans. That's right, you heard me, Hobbits!
As the few of you who read this blog know, I am big into the Sword & Sorcery mode of RPG playing. I love me some Barbarians of Lemuria both for the simplicity of the game itself and the S&S atmosphere it achieves. Sword & Sorcery to me is human-centric. Magic is unpredictable and powerful, drawn from sources 'man is not meant to know' and wielded by sorcerers corrupted by those powers. Whatever nonhuman races there are are secluded, inbred and dying out if not extinct except for the specimen the hero is facing. The world is fragmented and probably scavenging the bones of a fallen civilization. You get the idea. It can be pretty dark.
There have been several discussions about this subject scattered about the Internet. (Here's one. Here's another.) One common response is to cite Elric as a counter-example. He's an elf! He uses powerful magic! Which is true, but then again, he was specifically designed that way. He was created as the antithesis Conan.
Which brings me back to demi-humans. I guess it is me bringing my view of reality into fantasy. It boils down to this: Humans have never been capable of living in peace. There are always disputes, fighting, wars and slaughter. Sometimes over the smallest things. If you add in things like scarce resources, cultural differences, appearance, religion and the plain desire for power you have a mound of bodies that stretch back into prehistory. Now add in groups of humanoids that are utterly alien in appearance and outlook and you are asking for trouble.
I am sure there are novels and stories in which the various groups are at each other's throats. You even see some of it in Tolkien with the antipathy that elves and dwarfs have for each other. But often the relations are, at worst, uncomfortable.
So I prefer my fantasy to have demi-humans be rare or nonexistent. Mysterious and probably antagonistic NPCs.
Down with the Demi-Humans!
Dissin the Dwarfs
Effin the Elves
However you want to put it, I am getting more and more annoyed with demi-humans. That's right, you heard me, Hobbits!
As the few of you who read this blog know, I am big into the Sword & Sorcery mode of RPG playing. I love me some Barbarians of Lemuria both for the simplicity of the game itself and the S&S atmosphere it achieves. Sword & Sorcery to me is human-centric. Magic is unpredictable and powerful, drawn from sources 'man is not meant to know' and wielded by sorcerers corrupted by those powers. Whatever nonhuman races there are are secluded, inbred and dying out if not extinct except for the specimen the hero is facing. The world is fragmented and probably scavenging the bones of a fallen civilization. You get the idea. It can be pretty dark.
There have been several discussions about this subject scattered about the Internet. (Here's one. Here's another.) One common response is to cite Elric as a counter-example. He's an elf! He uses powerful magic! Which is true, but then again, he was specifically designed that way. He was created as the antithesis Conan.
Which brings me back to demi-humans. I guess it is me bringing my view of reality into fantasy. It boils down to this: Humans have never been capable of living in peace. There are always disputes, fighting, wars and slaughter. Sometimes over the smallest things. If you add in things like scarce resources, cultural differences, appearance, religion and the plain desire for power you have a mound of bodies that stretch back into prehistory. Now add in groups of humanoids that are utterly alien in appearance and outlook and you are asking for trouble.
I am sure there are novels and stories in which the various groups are at each other's throats. You even see some of it in Tolkien with the antipathy that elves and dwarfs have for each other. But often the relations are, at worst, uncomfortable.
So I prefer my fantasy to have demi-humans be rare or nonexistent. Mysterious and probably antagonistic NPCs.
Down with the Demi-Humans!
Monday, August 5, 2013
Heroes of Hellas
Heroes of Hellas is out! I've been waiting for this one. The Barbarians of Lemuria rules set combined with Heroic Age Greece. I can't wait to get this!You can get it here.
You can see some of the art on the artist's blog here. I really like the illustrations I've seen and am looking forward to seeing more.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Barbarians of Lemuria News
Barbarians of Lemuria: Mythic Edition news direct from Simon Washbourne.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/101868800299454204740/posts/fRuQiDasJob
https://plus.google.com/u/0/101868800299454204740/posts/fRuQiDasJob
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Updates
So, it's been a bit slow around here role playing-wise. I think I mentioned that my son was really liking the rules for Hollow Earth Expedition and wanted to play. I liked the idea but with our limited time and my even more limited prep time I didn't feel I could run it successfully. There are only two games I feel comfortable running with little-to-no preparation. The first is Basis D&D and its not suitable for what we wanted to play. The second is Barbarians of Lemuria. And that is much more appropriate when you use the Dicey Tales #1 for pulp goodness. So I finally convinced him to make create a character. I did this by promising a campaign based on not only HEX but also on the television program Primeval all of which will be infused with a certain amount of Cthulhu influence.
He took to this right away. When he created his character he made him a former soldier who had lied about his age in order to join the army when the U.S.A entered WWI. My son has a tendency to choose the insanity flaw when creating BoL characters. This time he came of with what I thought was a really cool explanation. During a German trench raid the character saw his best friend enveloped in darkness and disappear. Everyone else assumed the friend had been captured but the character knows differently. His insanity is an intense paranoia based around the idea that monsters are real.
However, I am going to start the campaign in a very HEX way. The character's last career is hobo. This is due to the instability caused by the incident during the Great War. Needing money, he accepts
a position with an eccentric professor as a guard/porter on an airship bound for a secret location near the North Pole. Something goes horribly wrong and he awakens in a jungle with no memory of the accident. Welcome to the Hollow Earth!
I think we're going to have fun!
He took to this right away. When he created his character he made him a former soldier who had lied about his age in order to join the army when the U.S.A entered WWI. My son has a tendency to choose the insanity flaw when creating BoL characters. This time he came of with what I thought was a really cool explanation. During a German trench raid the character saw his best friend enveloped in darkness and disappear. Everyone else assumed the friend had been captured but the character knows differently. His insanity is an intense paranoia based around the idea that monsters are real.
However, I am going to start the campaign in a very HEX way. The character's last career is hobo. This is due to the instability caused by the incident during the Great War. Needing money, he accepts
I think we're going to have fun!
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