The King is Dead: I am a man of many hats
...And they're all tricornes.
Derived from military designs that allowed soldiers to more easily sight their firearms, the tricorne (or “cocked hat,” as it was actually known in the 18th century) is ubiquitous with 18th century fashion. The lifted sides allow onlookers to view a gentleman’s artfully arranged and carefully curled wig, while the hat itself tucks neatly under the arm when one is indoors. Within the world of The King is Dead, the cocked hat is the de rigueur headgear of the middle and upper classes.
I’ve recently discovered that the two most expensive of the four tricornes I own are actually made wrong. I can tell you from personal experience that the cocked hat is useless in providing shade against the sun, but that’s because you’re supposed to be able to lower the lifted sides of the brim. You see those laces on the officially-licensed Captain Jack Sparrow hat? They’re actually supposed to tie the brim to the crown, allowing the wearer to untie or loosen the brim and wear it down to block sun or rain. The cheap tricornes I picked up at the Spirit Halloween Store are actually slightly more accurate; the buttons on the side do allow one to lower the brim.
In contravention of the usual Savage Worlds approach to clothing, I’m considering devoting a full page of the equipment section to different pieces of clothing. Fashion is an important part of courtly intrigue, and it seems to me that giving players a more extensive list of clothing choices would be wise. Of course, too much research can be the death of a project. The extended fashion section will only exist if I can find some quick, easy way to research comparable prices, fabrics, etc.
(Which might mean simply browsing the pages of reenactment societies and suppliers like The Quartermaster General, Smiling Fox Forge, or Smoke & Fire Company.)
Derived from military designs that allowed soldiers to more easily sight their firearms, the tricorne (or “cocked hat,” as it was actually known in the 18th century) is ubiquitous with 18th century fashion. The lifted sides allow onlookers to view a gentleman’s artfully arranged and carefully curled wig, while the hat itself tucks neatly under the arm when one is indoors. Within the world of The King is Dead, the cocked hat is the de rigueur headgear of the middle and upper classes.
I’ve recently discovered that the two most expensive of the four tricornes I own are actually made wrong. I can tell you from personal experience that the cocked hat is useless in providing shade against the sun, but that’s because you’re supposed to be able to lower the lifted sides of the brim. You see those laces on the officially-licensed Captain Jack Sparrow hat? They’re actually supposed to tie the brim to the crown, allowing the wearer to untie or loosen the brim and wear it down to block sun or rain. The cheap tricornes I picked up at the Spirit Halloween Store are actually slightly more accurate; the buttons on the side do allow one to lower the brim.
In contravention of the usual Savage Worlds approach to clothing, I’m considering devoting a full page of the equipment section to different pieces of clothing. Fashion is an important part of courtly intrigue, and it seems to me that giving players a more extensive list of clothing choices would be wise. Of course, too much research can be the death of a project. The extended fashion section will only exist if I can find some quick, easy way to research comparable prices, fabrics, etc.
(Which might mean simply browsing the pages of reenactment societies and suppliers like The Quartermaster General, Smiling Fox Forge, or Smoke & Fire Company.)
I would suggest creating a range of sets of Court Clothing, each set of which has a modifier to Persuasion reflecting how closely that set adheres to the current height of fashion; the higher the modifier, the higher the price for that set. Since this is all you really need for game mechanics purposes, you aren't deviating from FFF. Then in your price list give a fairly complete description for the cheapest set of Court Clothing, following this with a note for each higher increment of modifier/price that describes the most important changes which make that set better than the next-cheapest set. This lets you satisfy the curiousity of interested players (and your own inclination toward completeness . . . which urge I likewise share) without bogging things down.
ReplyDeleteNice idea!
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