Prydwin

Now that is something that I can use. Thank you for the site it has already proven to be very helpful. If there is anything that you need in return please let me know and I will see what I can do. I found an interesting text by John Clements on Medieval Swordsmanship... very intersting.

Resources I have most of the basics ... but what I am looking for is a breakdown of various monetary systems from the Renassance and medieval periods. Specifically how the various coinages interacted during various timeperiods. An example would be how many farthings did take to equal a ducat etc.

I am always on the look for good resources and over the years have built a sizable library of both historical and fictional resources for games of most genres. However it is a never ending quest, thus I have two questions... First does anyone have any suggestions, no matter how esotaric or mainstream? If anyone is interested I would provide titles and ISBNs to those that I have found most useful. Second, does anyone know a gaming store (that sells HERO products) in the Santa Barbara area? I plan on being in the area soon.

Story arcs ... or plans with in plans I usually work with a lose framework that involves major NPCs, major locations and events. Details are hung from the framework as they are needed. I look at it as having a base (massive) story arc that is slated to take several years (both real and ingame) to resolve. Individual plotlines take on two forms. The first are the ones that I create for the characters. These may or may not be related to the Base plotline, but are never resolved in a single game session. Sometimes they are never resolved (much like real life). The second are those that the players elect to persue because they find some aspect of the game environment interesting. This is usually an event or NPC that has peeked either the player's or the character's interest. I usually suffer from extraordinarily proactive players. I attempt to create very vibrant and animated gaming envionments, usually with upwards of two hundred pregenerated NPCs for the players to interact with. The result is that the character specific plot lines usually end up almost writing themselves.

Magic ... a way of life I have read through the prior posts, and the mechanics that you have outlined are by far the best I have seen. I do have a suggestion (humbly submitted) for the balance problem. Use the aspects of roleplaying. In other words, cap what the players can buy in the beginning, and force them to seek out the new skills. Maybe limit the number points that can be expended on various types of spells (offensive, defensive, transport etc.) If all the players are warrior mages I think you might lose some diversity of play. Some players (and NPCs) might get the quick bang if a swordmaster is easier to find then Wizard who is willing to take an adventuring student. In the campaign that you are creating are some schools more difficult to locate then others? I am definitly intrigued by the mechanics you have set forth.