General Table Talk

I need to be clear on your idea of Ars years, Marko, since it seems that you put winter at the start of the year instead of Spring, which I believe to be the canon chronology.

As for my previous comments:

Having read the flambeau chapter, whilst finding it an improvement in terms of diversification of schools of combat, I find nothing that inidicates any significant increase in introspection and certainly nothing regarding a more comprehensive worldview beyond the classic egotism for which the house has always been known. Perhaps some magi from selective Houses might willingly involve themselves in extolling the accomplishments of their Flambeau sodales - and indeed some accomplishments might prove sufficiently worthy of such retelling, however wanton slaughtering of potentially valuable magical allies for mere profit would never, in Dragan's view, be considered noble, worthy or honourable.

In an epoch of steadily encroaching inbalance between the realms, to brag of greatness whilst in reality having willingly plundered one's own magical environment, thus lessening it after a fashion, is nothing more than wanton foolishness and shortsighted at best (malicious at worst).

With his course and role determined by a force (or forces) and necessities far greater than the whims of human egotism or the conventions of any one epoch of man, he has no choice but to follow the course to which he was born.

It is unlikely that any who would adopt a view of greatness so focussed on momentary, localised pursuits, would even attempt to understand the cosmic implications of the path which Dragan treads.

The former values ability as an end in itself rather than a mere tool to facilitate the accomplishment of an end (and beginning) magnitudes greater than any one person or even group could ever embody. Thus, it offers nothing for which to "take credit". It can but fail (at this particular juncture in the great cycle), be furthered toward the ultimate goal, or succeed (in which case all that we as mortals know will be altered to the extent that any notion of individual accomplishment will simply cease to matter).

Mockery is of little concern and only highlights the extent of the ignorance pervading this material order. :wink:

Dragan neither claims not to brag nor proceeds to tell anyone of his (personal) importance in the scheme of his assigned quest. Such is a waste of time and serves nothing in the grand scheme. This is merely a circular argument originating from the ego which seeks to justify the legitimacy of the same. It merely reinforces the self-imposed prison into which far too great a portion of mankind, most notably those enjoying some degree of power, places itself.

Many an epic hero stretching back through the eons would disagree. A blind man calling another blind is not even worthy of serious consideration. :stuck_out_tongue:

To such a myopic claim Dragan would merely shake his head in sadness and pity. The consequences of any action reverberate like the ripples of a pond well beyond and long after the event and those party to it have passed from this frame. There is no clean escape from the repercussions. Ultimately a price must be paid, even if it falls to another or some future generation to pay the debt.

Boxer.
Please, have pity!!!
You're making me cry out my english and oozing my brain trying to understand you :laughing:

sorry pal. talk to me in private and i can attempt to interpret in French :wink:

I have never seen that as cannon anywhere. The Christian calendar egins in January. We live in Europe. The Year starts with winter. You get an extra season my way, so I say let it slide

bzzzt, there's your mistake. I am dedicated to the old Peter Henteges style of Flambeau. I have adapted and gone with the new material, but the whole subtext of the Knights of Seneca is that they believe in the old story of Reculed and Delendar. The Introspective bit comes out of ToH-Iberia, refering to their use of the term "Fons et Origio"

This is true. That and the spells are classic!

OUCH! Um, you do realize that you are dealing with a DM with an unfair bias in favor of House Flambeau, right?

As for the rest, I was mostly being smarmy. It is all fun my man :laughing:

I do now :wink:

And the truth, if there is one to be found, is likely somewhere inbetween...

Or around the corner having a big laugh.

That is part of my theme for the Knights of Seneca. Glad to see that you can catch the vibe :wink:

Fine by me, just means pushing my development chronology forward one season. However I do recall where I got my understanding of the canon yearly chronology from. Notwithstanding the fact that this is the understanding of all other games I have played in, the RAW says this about aging...

As such it has always been my understanding that one starts a year in Spring (new birth and all, according to the oldest European (pagan) traditions), and accounts his birthday (for record-keeping consistency) at the end of that year during the Winter Season (often at the solstice) and thus performs his aging roll. Given that there are no declared birth months, the rule handed to me by previous SGs has always been that the character is accounted to have aged a year even in the first year of his/her birth (say born in June for non-canon argument's sake) even if the time remaining to the Winter Season is but a portion of the year.

Mind you, this is just to clarify the reason for my confusion with your alternate chronology. I can go with it np.

It's all good then. And yes, you do make aging rolls in the winter. So it is all good.

But where in cannon or RAW does it say the year begins in spring? I am not concered with old pagan customs or anything, to be honest. All games I have ever played start the year in winter, January 1220. That is the way all calandars for the past few hundred years record it. I gess this is a pedantic argument though. It doesn't matter much at all.

As I said, it doesnt state that the year begins at Spring, simply that since the aging rolls begin in the Winter AFTER one turns 35, it has always been understood by those Ive played with that the year ends at Winter, not Autumn, but as you say, no biggie.

The ending is the beginning :smiley:, the serpent bites its own tail. Your character can keep their own calandar if he wants, and 1220 begings April 1st. In fact, you might be the sort that records the year in Anus Ares. I used to have that formula memorized. What, add 126 to the AD year?

Too late now, however intriguing the thought, since Ive just reordered my entire development novel according to your seasonal chronology. Having said that, Dragan being what he is - both a creature of this age and an reincarnated spirit of an ancient Celtic Mythical figure, he can occasionally display signs of split personality over minor details such as the date. :wink:

I’ve been more or less away from the internet for the past while due to a fried power cord on my laptop, but I have returned.

I never realized how much Flambeau stereotyping was brewing in the community. I’ll admit I was never a huge fan, which is probably why it never rankled when I saw it perpetuated on the forums here or elsewhere. Having made one, I now think they’re an interesting House with as much potential for diversity in ideology and desire as any other. “Warrior” is a broad spectrum indeed.

Rememer, a Flambeau, or Torch, can bring both Destructive Fire and Creative Light :wink:

Is that something like "BoAF's don't kill, magi do!" :wink:

Support the right to bear fire! :laughing:

Quite funny. :wink:

Same thing here. I'm at an utter loss with these winter things :laughing:

Sorry for the past few days. Very tiring at work, + some pills making me a lot sleepy.
And I'll be at a friend's wedding until tuesday.
Have fun everyone.

Take care, have fun!

But still, I have no idea where this idea that the year starts in Spring comes from. If I look back at old old calanders from that day, 1220 began in January. So did 1219, 1221, 1066, and every other year recorded in AD. Nowhere in all of history, anywhere, does any calander record 1220 as starting in spring. I am honestly confused as to where any other perception may have come from. But it is really no big deal. What season were you gauntleted? That is the start of the year for you. Start in Autumn, and count seasons & years from there. 12 years and one season from Autumn 1207 is Winter 1220.

Just like the song. "Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall; All you have to do is call; and I'll be there; If you need a friend."

I would suppose the idea has become practice for many SGs since in Ars, there are no specific months, only seasons. As such, Spring is the season of birth and Winter is the culmination of the year ending in death, thus (I believe) the Ars notion of doing your aging rolls in Winter of every year rather than in Spring.

But Ive already retooled my dates and seasons to fit your scheme, so be it.

It is all cool. Your seasons don't have to be eavenly divisible by four :laughing:. You can develop 16 & a half years if you want.

And I always thought Aging rolls happened in winter because they are the harshest months. Also, I must admit that I view Mythic Europe through my own personal Christian bias. The year begins with the birth of Christ :smiley:.

Admitedly, these PbP games (Andorra and Novus Mane) are the first time I have played with people I didn't teach the game to (or was taught by someone I had taught). So, everyone I know consequently starts years in January. This seems like an interesting poll for the main forum.