1.1 Abilities
When creating a character, each player must determine his abilities. There are five abilities, each determined by random die rolls:
- Strength represents the ability to inflict damage on an opponent.
- Expertise represents the skill and experience at fencing.
- Constitution represents the character’s general health.
- Endurance represents the ability to absorb punishment.
- Military Ability (MA) represents the ability to lead men in battle.
The first three of the above abilities are found by rolling three dice for each. Endurance is determined by multiplying Constitution by Strength.
Military ability (MA) is determined by rolling one die.
Age is determined by 1d6+20.
1.2 Class
Roll one die each for the Class, Sibling Rank and Father’s Position on Birth Tables A, B and C respectively. If a player rolls a five or six on the Class table (A), he should also roll on the Father’s Title Table (Birth Table D).
The result of the Father’s Position Table (C) will give each character’s initial fortune and allowance (if any) as modified by the Sibling Rank Table (B).
Birth Table B: Sibling Rank, as found in the original EG! rules has been amended as follows:
1 Increase Initial Funds and Allowance by 10% and Initial Social Level by 1. Then roll one die again. On a roll of 1, you are an orphan: you do not get an Allowance and receive the Inheritance instead of Initial Funds; if noble, you receive your Father’s Title and increase your Initial Social Level by another 3.
2 Decrease Initial Funds and Allowance by 10% and subtract 1 from Initial Social Level.
A character’s birth rank may change through the game as a result of family tragedies.
All characters roll to determine whether or not they are orphans. Roll one die again. On a roll of 1, you are an orphan. Orphans receive no allowance, and inherit the amount inherited by the first son divided by their sibling rank number. Bastards inherit nothing.
Noble ranks have been changed as follows:
All legitimate sons of nobles are counted as nobles, although they do not possess estates. Any mention of the word noble in these rules implies that legitimate sons of nobles qualify.
All characters with titles also have estates, and these characters are referred to as titled in these rules.
Female PCs are taken to be the young widows of husbands having the same SL as their father. Their husbands having brought them to Paris, they receive a dower house here in addition to the above according to their Social Level as follows:
1.3 Birthplace
All characters are assumed to come from one of the 6 Provinces of France. Characters may choose to be the sons or daughters of foreigners but are still assumed to have been born in one of the Provinces as follows:
Each of the above provinces boasts its own infantry regiment, and characters gain a bonus of +2 if trying to join their own province’s regiment. It will be noted that the above constitute 3 pairs of regimental enemies
These follow longstanding provincial antipathies. When natives of mutually hostile provinces meet at clubs, Court, private parties or ladies' doorsteps there is cause for a duel. The above regiments will never consider recruiting natives of their mutually hostile provinces and mistresses will never consider attachments to natives of provinces which are hostile to their own.
The winner of a duel against native of a hostile province gains 1 SP.
Churchmen are above such petty hostilities, however, and cause between natives of mutually hostile provinces is waived where visits to Church and the Royal Court are concerned. Also, when natives of mutually hostile provinces are in the same regiment, regimental loyalty outweighs provincial hostility and cause between them is nullified unless or until one of them leaves the regiment.
A character’s birthplace also indicates where his or her estate is (if he or she is noble) and where his or her family is (if visiting them is desired).
1.4 Father's Social Level
The Fathers of Commoners and Gentlemen have a SL one higher than an eldest son would have.
Titled NPCs will not consider marriage to the daughters of commoners unless they have secured a noble title in their own right, but will consider the daughters of gentlemen. PCs can make their fathers into gentlemen by purchasing a small estate and giving it to them.
Bastard sons and daughters can be legitimised by fathers who visit a notary to effect it. The legal costs of this are 10 livres. Fathers will usually require some inducement to go to the trouble of arranging this.
The SL of fathers of noble characters will be (minimum SL for their title + 1D6).
1.5 Naming Player Characters
It would be appreciated if the first names of characters were existing first names (Louis, Louise etc.). Choosing second names to give a humerous whole is fine, however - indeed encouraged. If you can't or don't wish to come up with a humerous name, actual names (Pierre Dubois, Jeanne Cocteau etc.) are fine too.
Nonsensical names, or those which are obviously not 'real' (Goto de Banque, Gettoff Myland etc.) should be avoided please - all role playing games depend upon a 'suspension of disbelief' and such names make this difficult.
It would also be appreciated if characters born nobles were given noble names ('something de something') - and non-nobles weren't. This will make it easier to determine when nobles meet non-nobles four or more SLs above them.
Players looking for a suitable name may find these links useful:
Characters can be referred to in orders by their initials (René Nauze = RN, Gaston de Bidet = GdB). Players must ensure that they don't give their characters names which have the same initials as an existing character.