Picts as characters?

[sbarrie]

Jumping in late here;

A Cimmerian adventurer would have huge problems in Pictland.
A Pict adventurer would have huge problems in Cimmeria.

But there's no intrinsic reason for a Pict and a Cimmerian to hate each other while in Shem. They could easily relate to each other better than they relate to the locals.

It's easier to treat someone as an individual when there's no risk they're planning a raiding party against your people that night, and they're not occupying land you believe you have a right to raid.

Here in Canada, its not uncommon for friendships to develop between individuals whose nations of birth frequently make the evening news together, if you know what I mean. I've had friends admit that these friendships would not be possible in either's home country.

 

[Darkspawn]

Jumping in late here;

A Cimmerian adventurer would have huge problems in Pictland.
A Pict adventurer would have huge problems in Cimmeria.

But there's no intrinsic reason for a Pict and a Cimmerian to hate each other while in Shem. They could easily relate to each other better than they relate to the locals.

It's easier to treat someone as an individual when there's no risk they're planning a raiding party against your people that night, and they're not occupying land you believe you have a right to raid.

Here in Canada, its not uncommon for friendships to develop between individuals whose nations of birth frequently make the evening news together, if you know what I mean. I've had friends admit that these friendships would not be possible in either's home country.

I am not sure what countries you are referring to. I am an Americano, my uncle was Canadian. He and I got along famously, we both shared the same values. We weren't blood relatives, but I actually liked him way better than my aunt; his wife. (He passed away is why I am referring to him in the past tense)

I can't remember the name of the dumb movie, but there was a movie about some Canadians invading the US. To get some beer. Maybe it was a McKenzie movie? Not sure.

I don't mean to say the following as a racist, merely as an example of an old racist saying:

You can take the Pict out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the Pict.

Each GM will use the races as they wish to make their own story as they wish for their campaign. I choose not to use Picts or Darfar. It's just the sort of story I will be using. Basically, the evil barbarians against the good barbarians and any other civilized races that happen to get in the way.

Oh, and the Priests of Set against everybody. No players can run an openly worshipping follower of Set. I already have a player who has a character that was a slave in the cult of Set. The character openly opposes all followers of Set. In the last encounter that we had, they group attacked the caravan that is in the Tower of the Elephant module. After the fight, she removed the Priest of Set's private parts and nailed them to the side of the wagon where the Son of Set was (the Son of Set escaped, and is now causing much termoil, or at least trying)

Getting back to the original topic of the post:

If it fits in your story line to use Picts or Darfar or any other race as a player character, great. Use them. Think of how you are going to be running your campaign. That's what it really boils down to.

I don't have my campaign written on paper, but I do have an idea of how I want things to go. And I have chosen not to allow certain races or extension of classes. Each GM has to make choices how their campaign will go. Just make sure to carefully think out how you want you Hyborian Age campaign to be and make the choices that will move your story forward. I have seen too many campaigns broken and abandoned because of wrong choices that were made on the fly and not really thought out.

 

[Crom's kid brother]

The idea is to have circumstances bring the character into the group. Perhaps the Pict in question was trading with some Zingarians (I think they trade with them), and they were all attacked by some rival tribe of the Picts.

The Pict and his comrades were overwhelmed and having no other choice he took off to the sea with the Zingarians. A storm took their ship off course and they ended up in uncharted waters. The Pict started to work with the crew and when another Pirate ship attacked he joined in with his new tribe and became a member of the crew after having killed the rival Pirates.

Eventually the Pirates ended up on a seaport and the Pict found himself in a far-off land.

 

[High Lord Dee]

This has turned out to be an interesting thread. After reviewing all of the input, I still am struggling with a Pict adventurer travelling through the Hyborian regions at least. It just seems that every nation dispises them due to their pure savage reputation. I guess a Pict could be accepted in far Venhya or Khitai but would probably draw more attention than would be worth the effort? I still think a Cimmerian would be more passable for "just another traveller" than a Cimmerian.

Still open minded but I am not sure REH had envisioned them as anything more than "the enemy". And that is okay in a setting full of mere humans....

I know it was okay when Kull dominated the scene with the Spear Slayer (slight bow) but things have changed...

HLD

 

[kintire]

I still am struggling with a Pict adventurer travelling through the Hyborian regions at least. It just seems that every nation dispises them due to their pure savage reputation.

But WHY? yes, they are hated by the Aquilonian borderers who live right next to them, but we have exactly zero reason to believe that anyone else cares a jot. I mean, one of the main reasons for the fall of fort Tuscelan is that the border is hopelessly undermanned, because the borderers can't convince the Aquilonians back east to take the Pict threat seriously. What "pure savage reputation"?

 

[jadrax]

A Cimmerian adventurer would have huge problems in Pictland.
A Pict adventurer would have huge problems in Cimmeria.

But there's no intrinsic reason for a Pict and a Cimmerian to hate each other while in Shem. They could easily relate to each other better than they relate to the locals.

In the main rule book under the write up of picts it mentions that Pict's have all, (Basically as a race,) sworn a blood oath to kill Cimmerians on sight. I cirtainly got the impression that the Cimerian responce to this was to kill all Picts on sight.

 

[sbarrie]

Here in Canada, its not uncommon for friendships to develop between individuals whose nations of birth frequently make the evening news together, if you know what I mean. I've had friends admit that these friendships would not be possible in either's home country.

I am not sure what countries you are referring to. I am an Americano, my uncle was Canadian. He and I got along famously, we both shared the same values. We weren't blood relatives, but I actually liked him way better than my aunt; his wife. (He passed away is why I am referring to him in the past tense)

In particular, I'm referring to Pakistani/Indian friends, and Israeli/Shi'ite friends, all living in Canada presently.

I don't think Canadian/American friendships would ever raise an eyebrow.

 

[sbarrie]

In the main rule book under the write up of picts it mentions that Pict's have all, (Basically as a race,) sworn a blood oath to kill Cimmerians on sight. I cirtainly got the impression that the Cimerian responce to this was to kill all Picts on sight.

Most Picts only expect to see Cimmerians who are raiding their lands, or while they are raiding Cimmerian lands.

If a Pict is outside the Pictlands and not on a raid, something has clearly gone very wrong with their lives. They're probably no longer part of a tribe, and their tribal oaths may not bind them.

They could decide to take out their frustrations (and fulfill their oath) on the only Cimmerian in Vendhya, or they could see him as a fellow outsider and potential ally in robbing fat local merchants. It depends on the individual.