Medieval feud - ideas for linked scenarios?

[Mad Doc Morris]

Hey fellow swashbucklers,

I'm thinking about a set of three linked scenarios for Gloire (or a similar small adventure game). Setting should be the early 16th century. Shiny knights, grim landsknechts, poor peasants and rich merchants should make an appearance. Would be nice to include a raid on a trading trek and/or a knightly tournament on a city's marketplace.
These elements should be combined to tell a story, something like a short campaign. And that's where I'm stuck. Maybe a noble knight searches revenge for being wrongly blamed by an evil merchant, catches his bagagge in a feud, even dares to step into the lion's den...?

I'd like to hear what you think; what would make a good storyline? And do you have some ideas for scenarios, too? Remember, it's got to be a fast-moving, somewhat thrilling game with only a few protagonists, tumbling through the story. So three linked scenarios might be sufficient.
I don't want you to do all the work for me! - just a kind of brainstorming. All suggestions are welcome. Thanks a lot in advance!

[Lowtardog]

A knights tale (film version) would be a good starting point, the serf becoming a knight at a joust, development of new secret armour and hunting it down to steal it back etc

[Operator5]

You can do the Quest. First scenario Knight must find dying priest who gives him directions to a holy relic. He is opposed by an evil baron. Both sides race through a dark forest trying to find the path to the ancient crypt. Finally, they are at the crypt and must find the entrance amid the traps meant to protect the holy relic.

You can do a Robin Hood scenario. Merry band of outlaws ambush a merchant. They must find the clue that the King has returned. Second scenario is rescue the King form an Ambush. Final scenario is to sneak into the King's cousin's castle and open the gates for the loyal followers of the king.

You also may want to take a look at the free demo of Broadsword Adventures. The close combat is more aligned with this period than Gloire is.

[Rhoderic]

I'd suggest a backstory full of politics and court intrigue. Maybe something with dynastic struggles being fought in the shadows, a la Pete's "Angevine Codex" campaign.

[Plynkes]

Surely a broad... I mean a damsel, must come into it somewhere.

[Mad Doc Morris]

Good points there! Thanks for the input so far. Keep it coming.

Lowtardog, nice one. Since the tournament board may be the most ambitious table (like in history it'll be placed in a crowded city), I hesitate to put it as an opener. But I keep your idea in mind.

Operator5, I asked in your thread, but that became lost: Any changes to armour classes in BA? I was thinking of Gloire, because there's a mixture of hand-to-hand fighting and shooting with small arms. Fits the bill for some Late Medieval/Renaissance games me thinks.

Rhoderic, what's this "Angevine Codex" about? Never heard of it.

Plynkes, you're right. What is an adventure without some gals worth fighting! Added that to my list.

[Rhoderic]

Rhoderic, what's this "Angevine Codex" about? Never heard of it.

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=911.0
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=1122.0

[PeteMurray]

There's a third chapter which has never been shown to the public.

Sir Not Appearing in This Film has his moment of glory.

[Rhoderic]

There's a third chapter which has never been shown to the public.

Sir Not Appearing in This Film has his moment of glory.

Anything we might hope to see one of your pictorial narratives of in the future? Complete with silly jokes and obscure gems of English vocabulary, even?

Still trying to find an excuse to use the word "callipygian" with my RL friends...

[Operator5]

Operator5, I asked in your thread, but that became lost: Any changes to armour classes in BA? I was thinking of Gloire, because there's a mixture of hand-to-hand fighting and shooting with small arms. Fits the bill for some Late Medieval/Renaissance games me thinks.

Gloire does fit better for with the introduction of gunpowder. However, medieval period would fit BA better. Broadsword keeps the same mechanic for armor, however, there are some models for which it is cheaper so that they can armor up faster. Shields also allow two d10 rolls and you keep the higher.

As a side note, I toyed around with differences in shields. A friend of mine is crazy for multi-dice mechanics and for a short time I thought of having players roll a d6 for small shield, d8, for medium, d10 for large (along with the normal d10 roll). You would still choose the higher so it would differentiate the shields and a small shield would only be good if you rolled poorly with the d10.

In the end, I decided to stick with the simple d10 only system.

[dusser]

Your query brings to mind a book I read a while back, A Fool and His Money:  Life in a Partitioned Town in Fourteenth-Century France by Ann Wroe. 
http://www.amazon.com/Fool-His-Money-Partitioned-Fourteenth-Century/dp/0809015927/ref=pd_bbs_sr_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219872662&sr=8-5

Here's a description:

From Publishers Weekly
Utilizing primary sources and skillful interpretation, Wroe, the American editor for the Economist, brings to life the medieval French town of Rodez in this engrossing cultural history that takes place during the Hundred Years War. Located in Languedoc (now southwestern France), Rodez was divided into halves with different governing bodies: the more spiritual "City," where the cathedral was located and the people were loyal to the English Crown; and the "Bourg," site of the commercial district and a fiefdom of the Kingdom of France. Although Bourg and City were separated by walls, their inhabitants occasionally interacted. Translating from court documents, Wroe details events taking place in 1369 or 1370, when a workman from the City discovered a pot of gold in a Bourg drain and sparked a legal battle over ownership of the gold between a Bourg man and his father-in-law. Although Wroe was unable to discover the outcome of the case, she successfully illuminates the texture of medieval life in the town.

Your adversaries could be neighbors from differing sides of town fighting over the rights to some relic found within the city.