Equipment Lists

This is filler until the real Low Tech comes around. It is mostly based on the discussion on the forums. It has a simplification of the shield discussion, the bow accuracy discussion, the armors are basedon Dan's articles and the horse discussions.

They are in PDF form since I use open office.

GURPS 4e Low Tech Equipment 1st Crusades Era.pdf
for Armors Shields and Bows.

GURPS 4e Horses v2.pdf

• to download without much hassle: just scroll down the page and choose the basic service. Its under the flashy red sign.

Note on Horses: I didn't bother improving the ST to Wt. ratio as per suggested in the horse threads since it was a very tricky matter because I wouldn't know the ST ranges of different breeds.

If you have any changes to suggest please post it here to alert anyone who is interested in the Hand out.

Notes on the way the information is organized. Seeing such a list of equipment will typically delay game start time. Ideally this information is already organized into Outfits which can be customized or taken as is.

Organizing Outfits and Primary Horses into cards would speed up character creation. Players selecting from the cultural and combat role packages could easily narrow down their choices from their own needs.

11C Outfit Cards are still in the works

Some Basic Equipment

Squadron or Deckarchy Equipment. (p. 138)
1st. Footman:
1) Thick Tunic which extends down over the knees.
2) Heavy Hiking Sandals.
Note: boots are discouraged for hiking.
3) Short Cloaks.

Finally Got my copy of the strategikon. I'm painting some Byzantine Figs (5century) and organizing a targetnumber based set of rules derived from Warhammer. GURPS, my own biometric research, and my own findings.

The myriad peoples of the Byzantine Game.

The Peoples a Player can choose for a character are as follows:

Byzantine
Greek
Macedonian
Ilyrian
Armenian
Latin

Nomad
Hun
Thracian
Avar
Arab

Sassanid (Persia)
Acheamenid
Assyrian
Kurd

Barbarian
Isaurian
Goth
Slav
Iberian
Numidian
Celt

Outside Kingdoms
Egyptian
Ethiopian
Franks
Artorians (British Celts)

Hiatus

Right now I'm very busy and I don't think I will be free to update until august.

Armor Testing Exercises

Just reload if the vid is not showing.

chat was here!

Basic Set Quick Fixes

I've been mulling around the wealth issue in GUPRS 4E and I've come to have made some interesting "mechanics" for determining character's wealth, based on their Income and not the Predetermined Starting Wealth. A debate that has always come up in the forums is the very small amount of wealth afforded to the character. Pyramid Articles about Building Low tech landscapes and GURPS Fantasy complicates as it brings the parameter of family into consideration.


Shared Wealth. A character is assumed to be part of a family, this is because families were the most basic economic unit of Low-Tech times and, economically, individuals as economic units were exceptions. A character with the shared wealth of a family (or something like a family) begins the game with Shared Assets worth his Annual Income. This means members of his family contribute to a shared Standard of Living for their Status.
Characters with out the shared wealth of a family earns 1 level of wealth lower than that of his status and only meets a Cost of Living 2 levels lower than his actual status.

Ex. A TL3 Knight is usually at Least Wealthy will have $42,000 of shared assets*. A bachelor TL3 Knight would earn at Wealth (comfortable; $1,400) and would only need the Cost of Living of a Freeman Family ($600) to support his status as a Knight.
* The value of Land or Rights to Tax a those who lived on a land was equal the Annual income generated. The common agreement between all nobles regardless of culture and kingdom is to ransom a noble equal to their Annual Income. Sometimes earned and pain in full, was promised upon a early release, or not at all honored by the host party.
The value of the assets may earn as much to 3 to 5 times when being bought by another party, otherwise it is the minimum value of the assets when the family would be trying to sell it quickly.

Personal Assets. This is the cash value of a Character's gear is equal to his twice his Disposable income. This includes, transportation, equipment, and his baggage train.

Ex. the same family man TL3 Knight will have $12,000 of personal assets. A bachelor TL3 Knight has $19,600.

A Quick Fix. Before GURPS4E low Tech (about a year from now) ever shows up, here are some quick fix rules to the Low tech.

Anomalies in Price and Equipment Weights. A compromise between accuracy and quick-resolution. .

1. Swords are 1/2 the price.
2. Metal Human Armor x4 the price, x0.56 the Wt.
3. Helmets are x3 the price, x.66 the Wt.
4. Metal Horse Barding x2 the price
   

Total $11,597

Typical Personal Assets of a TL3 Knight (11C). $2155 56lbs

1. Gambeson $30 4lbs
   
2. Double Riveted Mail Haubergeon $800 20lbs *
3. Light Riveted Mail Mail Sleeves and Leggings $280 13lbs *
   
4. Mail Coif with Arming Cap $150 3lbs
5. Legionary Helmet $450 4lbs
6. Military Belt (TL1 version of Web gear) $55 2lbs
7. Broadsword $300 3lbs
8. Mace $50 5lbs
9. Light Shield $40 2lbs

Heavy warhorse: Total cost $5,662

1. Strong war trained saddle horse $3,600,
2. Load: Rider (216) plus Gear (51) plus armor (81) = 304 / 375 (medium load)
   
3. Move 3/7 (medium encumbrance)
4. Horse Slam 2d-1 crushing
5. Bit and Bridle, Horseshoes, and War Saddle 42lbs, $335
6. Complete Mail Barding $1,660, 81lbs
   
7. Long Spear $60; 5lbs (skill-12; 1d+1 imp, plus 2d-1 imp when charging)
8. Rations x2, $4, 1lb
9. Ceramic Bottle of Water (1 liter) $3, 3lbs

Traveling Gear: $4,095

1. 2 Small Mules $2,000
2. Cheap Pony Cheap $750
3. Very Cheap Pony $325
   
4. Tent 4-man $300; 100lbs
5. Water Skins x6 (16 liters) 54lbs
6. Saddle Bags x3 $600 60lbs
   
7. Rations x120, $120, 45lbs

*Chain Mail -- Why bother -by Dan Howard

Character Backgrounds

6th Century. The world, as the Romans knew it, has come to an end. A hundred years ago, the barbarians came and conquered Rome, marking the end of western civilization and the start of the Dark Ages.

What remains is the Eastern Roman Empire besieged by barbarians from all sides, threatened by a rival empire to its east and suffers from internal conflicts within.

Yet there is still hope in these dark times, much has changed in roman society and for the better. The fate of the empire is not anymore exclusive to the elites of society. Many men and women, from humble beginnings, have risen to power.

The Darkening Age is a dark fantasy setting based on the incredible story of the Byzantine Empire as it struggles and triumphs against the odds. It is also a unique time in history where many of the key figures who were ordinary people, now hold the reigns of one of the worlds greatest empires.

Stuff that is not found online Anymore

This is from the Strategikon (check the link on the left)

8 Strategos (General)
7 Merarch, Hypo Strategos (Lieutenant General)
6 Moirarch (Infantry Brigadier), Dux (Cavalry Brigadier), Chiliarchs,Taxiarchs
5 Count (Cavalry Major), Tribune (Infantry Major)
4 Hekatonarch aka Centurion (Captain)
3 Illarch (Liutenant) 2nd in command to the Hekatonarch, or a Pentatonarch (Leads half a Century)
2 Dekarch (Sergeant)
1 Pentarch (Corporeal), Tetrarch,

The basic Status of Infantry is Status -1
the basic Status of Infantry Private Retainers (aka Bucellari) is Status 0.
The basic Status of Cavalry is Status 1

Specialist Army Roles.
Optimates. The Best Men
Medical Corpsmen
Outflanker
Flank Guards
Assault Troops.
Reconnoiters
Defenders. (defensive units)
Quartering Parties
Surveyors

Army Groupings
Tagma (Army; Led by Strategos) = 3 Meros (Divisions)
Meros (Division; led by Merarch) = 3 Moiras (Brigades)
Moiras (Brigades; Led by Moirarch) = 2 to 6 Bandons/Tagmas (Regiments)
Bandons (Regiment; Led by Counts or Tribunes) = 3 to 4 Centuries/ Hekatons (one is latin the other is greek of the same term).
Century/ Hekaton (Led by a Hekatonarch) = 10 Contuberi.
Contubernium (led by a Dekarch) = Dekarch, 7 men, and 2 servants*

My Byzantine Project.

This is my GURPS Byzantine Project. There is a large problem getting published when the place you are applying in have no resources even to answer your queries. A friend told me that waiting for 4+ months to a year for an answer is the standard for the publishers. It may be the case but it is still no excuse, IMO, for anyone to wait for an answer. 4 months is too much time, what more a year... at least there are blogs.

I'll be posting my research concerning GURPS byzantium and its game implications here. Basically, information that would suffice to run a grounded GURPS byzantium game without breaking any copyrights.