The high romance of the swashbuckling genre is hard to resist. Heroes clash swords with sinister enemies of the state, grim villains in dark cloaks and deadly ladies seek to ensnare the proud and the powerful. Heroes are swaggering and vain, even when penniless. They possess touchy honor and sharp swords, capable of forming undying loyalty and unending animosity in the same afternoon. The French refer to this genre as cape et epeé stories for the mix of intrigue and high action.
These rules are an adaptation of the
.45 Adventure pulp game. The swashbuckling genre and the pulp genre have much in common. The heroes of both can survive circumstances that ordinary men cannot, possessed of flashes of sudden (and perfect) insight and more than a dollop of luck, sharp swords, honor, and loyalty. At the end of the story, they have the the affection of the woman (or women) they woo, lost honors are redeemed, and the villain is thwarted with cunning and panache. Like the original
.45
Adventure, these rules can be used to recreate games set in these stories, but hopefully players will want to create new stories of their own.
With
Gloire: Swashbuckling Adventure in the Age of Kings, the small numbers of figures required and the small space needed to play will, I hope, be attractive to miniature gamers who want to try something new without the substantial investments required for a new army of hundreds of figures, or the roleplayer who would like to try out a miniatures game.
Gloire is designed to capture the gallantry of title characters without excessively concerning the players about the fate of the supporting cast. As with
.45 Adventure, the intention is not to be a meticulous simulation of the period, but rather a framework in which to have an enjoyable game. Here we can learn from Sabatini and Dumas, who took liberties with history and fact in favor of a telling good story.
What is needed to play?
A few D10 dice, one or more minis per player, a ruler and about 2' x 2' of space. Add some buildings and terrain to make it interesting. The rules can handle multiple player games.
