Date: Fri, 27 Oct 1995 03:27:05 -0700 From: Chris Clements Subject: WFRP: Festival of Might Josh Martin is the original creator of the festival. I have compiled his original work and added a few things to his idea. I realize this is very rough, but as I have no plans on really working on this project I thought I would send it to the list and see if anyone might be interested in adapting it to their own campaigns... It makes a great backdrop for an adventure set in a town or village. --The Festival of Might-- Warriors of great strength fight the terrible foes of the Empire. From terrible mutants to wicked goblins, these brave men and women risk their lives in defense of their homeland. The cult of Ulric and its warriors were always in the forefront of the battle, and rarely did they lack opponents. Unfortunately, it was during these rare times that the Ulricans lost some of their combat readiness, growing soft while their hidden enemies grew more powerful. Training in itself could not simulate the wide variety of challenges the warriors might face on the field of war. The clerics, after contemplating the problem, came up with a workable solution: the Festival of Might. The festival has grown from a small gathering of the faithful of Ulric to a popular contest that is held for all warriors every four years in (Josh chose Bogenhafen, but it could be easily set anywhere within the Old World - Middenheim would be a good place). All the warriors who wish may enter the festivities (for a small entrance fee), and many do, travelling from as far as Kislev, the Tilean-City States, and the last festival had a contestant who came all the way from Araby! The contestants in the festival compete in a series of tourneys where they accumulate 'points'. The more points a warrior has the higher his or her standing. The top ten contestants of all the tourneys must battle one another to be the 'Master of the Festival'. The master is awarded with a gold medallion and also given a unique item that is chosen by the high priest of Ulric (which would be Ar-Ulric) from the temples' treasures. Other benefits of being the master include a reception in their honor and the respect of those they challenged and beat. With the festival comes other, non-sanctioned competitions. These events can range from the harmless (best story teller, loudest shouter, etc.) to the downright deadly (illegal pit-fights to the death, test of endurance versus poisons, etc.). Some of these events turn out to be even more popular than the planned games. Not all people of the Old World like this event. Three main groups always show up at the festival to protest it. The first group are members of the congegration of Shallya, who detest all the unnecessary violence that comes along with the pagentry. The next group was organized by a halfling agitator, which is mainly full of halflings and physically unfit academics, who protest that the festival is nothing but an insult to them (they often carry signs that have catchy slogans such as 'Might does not make right' or 'Small people have rights too!') - they are the most cruelly mocked by the warriors involved in the tourneys. Lastly are a small number of warriors who also protest the contest, saying that it is rigged every year (almost all of these men and women are of the faith of Myrmidia, which has strained relations at best with the cult of Ulric). One group always shows up to the tourney, not to compete or protest, but to keep all the rowdy fighters in line. They are the Knights of the White Wolf. The reason there is little trouble is due to there watchful presence. Even the stupidest beserker realizes he would be no match against twelve heavily armored knights. +Suggested Sanctioned Events+ -Hovel throwing- This event is actually not as odd as it sounds. The warrior is drafted into teams for this competition, and the selected group must throw a small wooden structure. The group that throws it the farthest gets the most points. -The Mallet- Mallets padded with a heavy cloth are used in this event. What this tourney entails is basically two inividuals taking turns hitting one another over the head with the mallet. The winner (the person who stays conscious) must challenge a winner from another section of this game. This goes on until there is only one person who has won. (Note - the mallets, if used for an extended amount of time, will break at the handles; this is a 'safety' feature). -A Test of Arms- A straight test of a mock-combat, one-on-one. -Hurl the Snotling- Just recently added to the festival was this 'unique' game in which a contestant must throw a snotling after spinning around in a marked area three times. The snotling is wrapped in metal weights and cushioned by hard leather. A metal chain comes from the center-most weight, and is used to throw the creature. The farther one throws the poor gobbo, the more points he or she accumulates. -Fight of the Fists- A straight street-fighting or wrestling match. -Reflexes- The individual is required to go through a series of dummies animated by ropes and pulleys. The dummies have paint-soaked padded weapons, any hits will show up on the persons clothing. -Weight-lifting- The contestants try to lift common heavy objects. The person that lifts the heaviest and most unwieldy object wins. -Archery- A simple archery contest, like the one in PBT. -Strategy- Contestants have to play a strategic wargame against another opponent. (If you really want to simulate this, get out WFB.) -Pain Resistance- The individual competing in this event must grasp an enchanted stone that causes pain which increases with each moment that passes. The longer a person can grasp the stone the higher the points awarded. -- Chris Clements chris@tncnet.com "Vale, mi amice."