The Battle of Königsseig & a couple of black powder House Rules

The Battle of Königsseig 

& a couple of black powder House Rules

One of the (many) key events in the background for Castle Falkenstein is the Bavarian. Austro-Hungarian & other German allied states  victory over the Prussians at the Battle of

Königsseig.

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If you were ever wondering what the Battle looked like before the arrival of the Prussian Landfortresses and their consequent destruction by the Bavarian Aerocorvettes., take a look at this great video clip:

This video clip of the 150th anniversary reenactment comes from the Königgrätz 1866 Facebook page  

Of course, in our world the Prussians won and that weakened the Austro-Hungarian Empire still further and led to the unification of Germany under Prussian leadership.

As most of my players are Victorian period re-enactors (We started playing live action Falkenstein in 1996 and then began historical Victorian events as a spinoff from that in 2000), a few things we know from using actual period firearms have made their way into our House Rules.

The first thing is that all 1870s firearms still make use of black powder i.e. gunpowder. We have allowed smokeless powder for special circumstances (e.g. snipers) but this is treated as a new Chemical Formulation.  What difference does this make?

The standard British Army rifle from 1866 to 1875 was the Snider-Enfield conversion. A muzzle-loading rifle retro-fitted with a side-hinged breechblock  breech-loading system.

The standard British Army rifle from 1875 to 1889 was the Martini-Henry. Still using black powder in brass cartridges.

As can be seen in the above video, when large volleys or cannons fire, there is a considerable reduction in visibility due to smoke. This is especially noticeable when using breech-loading rifles as unlike the old muzzle loaders which only fired 2-3 times a minute,  breech-loaders can easily fire 10-12 rounds in the same time producing far more smoke. Obviously the length the smoke cloud lasts depends on weather factors such as wind and rain.

Whilst most Falkenstein Adventure Entertainments do not involve large battles, even pistols produce puffs of smoke.

With an ordinary pistol, this is not a great problem but a black powder firing reciprocator pistol fired indoors will mask the target and firer from each other. In game terms, this will make shooting or spotting through the smoke one level more difficult.

Black powder weapons always make smoke, so a shooter’s position can be spotted after they have fired and even if there is a slight wind, and experienced soldier will be able to deduce the firers location by watching the smoke.  Also black powder guns give off far more flash that smokeless powder weapons, making them easier to spot in low light or darkness. So our House Rules make spotting a shooter on level easier.

 

On the Art of Magick: The Order of Cassandra

The Order of Cassandra

(Please note that this Information is a House Rules variation and expansion on that found in the 'Book of Sigils' page 50)

The Structure of the Order.

The membership of this order is exclusively female.

The Order is structured by rank according to the members' training and skills.

Probationary - novice members of the order. They are learning their first spells and performing the basic cleaning and laundry duties as needed.

Nurse - experienced healers using both magic and medicine. Equivalent to journeyman in other orders.

Sister - Very experienced and often sought after by hospitals. Equivalent to a high-ranking journeyman in other orders.

Matron - Generally the most experienced member of a local chapter of the order. The equivalent of a Master in other orders. A holder of this post is frequently more concerned with administration and teaching than actual healing. Florence Nightingale is the best known Matron of the order.

Grand Matron - The head of the order, elected when required by all members of the rank of Nurse and above. 

Chapterhouses.

The Order maintains at least a small Chapterhouse in all major cities in New Europa and several in the Americas. There are a handful elsewhere in the world.

The Grand matron is based in the headquarters in London. 

 

 The Spell Books of the Order.

(The Thaumic Energy Requirements for each spell is given )

 (1) The Book of the Body.

Restful Touch (TER 5) - brings sleep to the object of the spell. The caster must be touching the recipient.

Water of Life (TER 10) - cast upon any liquid, which is either drunk or used to bathe wounds. This spell then heals half of the damage to the recipient's health immediately. It can only be used once per separate injury per person per day.

Ease Childbirth (TER 6) - guess what this does?

Sense Pain (TER 5) - This spell allows the user to find out what injury or condition ails the patient. The caste r must touch the patient.

Miasma of Cleanliness (TER 4) - This spell produces a cloud of antiseptic gas which cleans all disease etc from the area it is cast upon.

(2) The Book of the Mind.

Mists of Forgetfulness (TER 4) - This spell removes the thoughts of trauma etc from a patients mind.

Render Silent (TER 7) - This spell stops a patient's screams disturbing others nearby.

Banish Nightmare (TER 4 or TER 8) - This spell banishes any ordinary nightmares (at TER 4 ) and can oppose any magically created nightmares at TER 8.

  (3) The Curse of Cassandra.

The Curse of Cassandra (TER 14) - This spell is only taught to three members of the rank of Matron and above at any one time. The spell allows the user to see into the near future (one to six months) and to find a location of great suffering. It requires the use of a focus e.g. a mirror or the flickering flame of a lamp. This spell also has a great emotional effect upon the caster (who is washed over by the suffering she can see), they require an EXC or higher score in either Physique or Courage to avoid passing out. The other ill effect of using this spell is that the caster gradually goes blind. Each time they cast it their Physique or Perception attribute (which ever is higher) is considered as one level lower regarding eyesight. Once the level of Poor is reached the curse has taken effect and the caster is blind.

Please note that although this spell can forewarn of suffering it is not capable of telling how that suffering will come about, whether by War, Famine, Pestilence or Natural Disaster. Matrons of the Order also tend to keep their arrival in such an area a closely guarded secret. This avoids panic amongst the local population and allows them time to prepare unhindered.

Host's notes: One of the leading characters in our long running campaign Frau Elsa Berg, is a member of this order.