Running Sagas with One Jewish Companion or Magus
Some games will have a player interested in portraying a Jew as one of their primary characters.
The first thing that a story guide should do when integrating such a player and their character into a saga is consider what the player wants out of the experience and where they are coming from. Jewish players probably want to connect with their heritage and see themselves represented in a game. Non-Jewish players may want to understand another culture through the medium of roleplaying. Obviously the best thing to do is to sit down with your player and have a conversation about what they are looking for.
One key question to address is how you want to portray antisemitism in your game. Jews faced violence and persecution because of their religion in 1220. Unfortunately in 2024 we still face violence. As the haggadah says, “In each and every generation they rise up against us to destroy us.” Jews have fears and traumas around antisemitism that may make certain things too much for a player to deal with in a game. Non-Jews may not want to deal with antisemitism because it involves confronting the role their ancestors may have played in such persecutions.
Some players may want to play in a fantastic Mythic Europe where antisemitism does not exist. That is a valid option for some sagas. It can be a relief from the outside world to play a game where Jews can just be Jews without fear of persecution. Michael Chabon’s Gentleman of the Road provides an inspiration for this sort of story, for instance. And, after all, we are playing a game where characters can throw a fireball, certainly it's not any stranger that a Jew can pray without fear.
But as a story guide you may want to run a game where antisemitism is a factor. This is certainly a more realistic portrayal of 1220, and a portrayal that is very rich with storytelling possibilities. A player can even get some catharsis if his Jewish character can get some justice against Christian persecutors, for instance. But the player deserves to know if their character is going to be put through the antisemetic ringer before they step into the roll.
Players with Jewish characters will want to dig deeply into some of the details of Jewish life in 1220, and how Judaism would interact with Hermetic magic. A Jewish character may be intrigued with Rabbi Asher’s Quest for Rain or the plight of Hannah Bat Yitzachki. Jewish specific virtues and flaws may be of interest to Jewish characters. Even though the character lives in the covenant, they will want to interact with the Jewish community described in Jewish Troyes and the Jews of Provance. And Jewish magi will be interested in the permissibility of Hermetic theory, and may want to engage with the questions of if a Jew must abstain from magic.
Players with Jewish characters will be excited to dig into Jewish life in 1220. Hopefully these resources will give you some tools to create a Jewish world for them to explore.