On Wed, 31 Oct 2012, Onno Meyer wrote:
Johannes replied to me:
I don't plan much training. They buy him, check that he does not look
totally embarassing with a sword, check if he starts to cry or makes
something else under pain and schedule him for a fight.
Isn't that a risk with the important emissary?
He gets a really convincing looking double. And someone placed the notion,
that the emissary would be most happy to fight a tribunus.
The fatality rate for thoose doubles would be much higher then for real
gladiators. The fight is over, when the noble says it's over and that
depends on the noble. The double with the best attitude most likely gets
the noble, least likely to kill his opponent. The one with the worst,
likely gets the one, who has that cool, drive your sword through the
opponent that lies on the floor maneuver.
Wouldn't an 'uncool' noble be just as lethal as a cool one? I
guess the fighters will tell the organizers their preference,
and it would be bad form to change their mind.
If the conspiracy is old enough to establish such rules.
Some get a kick out of killing. Some will be happy with inflicting one
bleeding wound, even if it is only a fleshwound. Some only joined the
conspiracy for political deals, and fight only to be seen as part of the
crowd by the other conspirators.
Someone, who always kills his opponent, is costly for the conspiracy.
Either he brings some valuable assets in to offset that, or he gets less
of a choice on whom to fight.
Overall it's organized that the heads of the conspiracy hear any wishes
and then decide, how they feel (and in a way to keep the conspiracy from
fractioning). It will be a mixture of doing specific conspirators favours
and managing the double pool.
And even doubles scheduled for a mild opponent can be told, that their
nobles horoscope had said someone will die in his vincinity and he wants
to make sure, that happens to slave who does not matter.
The slave might not matter to the conspirators as a person,
but probably as an asset that is hard to replace.
The slaves themself can only guess how much of an asset they really are.
And them getting killed is a risk that is factored in. Sure it can have a
price for a conspirator to kill off a more valuable double. But there are
reasons to pay that price once in a while.
Anyone know any tasteless jokes about dying gladiators?
Gladiators are a bit out of fashion, so I don't know any.
Making one up? Sticking a sword into intimate places.
Telling him that his wife/girlfriend was waiting in the
noble's quarters.
I am thinking about 2 primitive fences like some hip high rope. 2 to
get a savety margin between guests and fights, to make sure fighters at
the border of the arena, do not accidently hit guests.
How many spectators? The outer rope is only necessary if
there is an unruly mob.
I think about 20 to 30. The outer rope would be to keep VIPs from getting
too close for their savety due to thoughtlessness. If you make a martial
arts presentation at a street festival that involves something like
stickfighting, you need a restricted area too, otherwise people walk right
into the sticks to get a better look. VIPs standing at one side of the
rope, close to it, and one fighter driving the other into a corner, would
be asking for an accident to happen.
The savety zone also gives the guards more time to react, if a slave
attempts to rush the VIPs.
How is Tribunus supposed to get away? I don't have a detailed plan.
The real plan? The players will come up with something none of
us can imagine. But it helps to know that there is a solution.
Tribunus fights the emissary and kills him. The female pawn is
supposed to rush in, but the player characters shouldn't bet on
that -- she'd endanger herself.
Somebody who looks like a distinguished visitor is suddenly
surrounded by armed guards. The circle suddenly includes
Tribunus. He gets a fresh tunic (somebody wore two layers) and
a good quality shortsword or dagger. The VIP loudly denounces
the hosts and their security precautions and leaves in a huff.
Could work especially if there is some other form of confusion as well.
Yet an other possibility would be that the pcs bribe of blackmail yet an
other of the conspirators.
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