is the first in a series of small articles of context, which you will, I hope to go deeper into the atmosphere of nineteenth Acheron and add a little grist to your games.
First, let's take a look at a practice still prevalent at the time, the duel between gentlemen ...
"Sir, on the meadow!"
If theater and vaudeville singers continue to mock the ridiculousness of the dueling frenzy that seizes the whole of Europe at the turn of the nineteenth century, one wonders why men of letters and mind as Hugo, Dumas, Ledru Rollin, Lamartine Gambetta or have ventured on the grass for some really trivial reasons (some, like Pushkin and Alexander Hamilton, found there even death).
Persistence Ordeal, Judgement of God, the duel takes a heavier meaning of meaning in the century of progress.
Entered the mores of the bourgeoisie and aristocracy, a duel (with the sword, saber and the gun most often) is the guarantor of honor and of speech: there is evidence of his good faith in more hesitant to risk his life for a given word, then what better credit for them? Furthermore husbands violated ridiculed the theater is mostly authors, military, politicians and journalists who are more "fond" of the duel, symbolizing the full commitment of their word.
Respecting the "Code of Duel of Chateauvillars, men compete in front of witnesses (two swords, four for the gun and sword), having observed a minutes establishing the reasons for the duel. The offended them choose weapons and we define victory conditions, often in the first blood.
code even includes details of disability: a penguin has to be faced with one hand tied behind his back ...
Justice condone this practice, recognized as useful by the people themselves and several bills to ban it are ignored. Duels stir the passions of the public and the reputation of "Cheaters" is undermined: the duel by Guizot, is something "good, moral and beneficial" because it is a justice that achieves the powerful, without they can not play their influence. According
Maupassant, it is "Prefer duel with pistols, because it leaves more room for the blind fate", renewing what was divine justice supposed to represent the duel.
"If you want to fight, to beat you out!"
Success the duel, including France, Germany, England, Russia and Italy (under the United States where they were firing to kill) for several reasons including the fact that all countries represented at a time, a powerful romantic figure.
We see the triumph of Cyrano de Bergerac Rostand or Three Musketeers by Dumas that some form of romance pervades the minds of the time, facing industrialization, pragmatism and aridity of Progress. "Let's be fools, but let's face it with honor." The crowds are moved to these fantastic heroes who die for the honor of the name of their partner, despite promising careers, like Armand Carrel or Evariste Galois ("Keep my memory, since fate has not given me enough life to that country know my name").
The duel is also a way of revenge against the regime changes or invader: some "half pay" for the French military defeat caused in Paris, the foreign officers more possible to wash the affront to their homeland injured.
Finally, it is also a way to reach the level of the old aristocratic elite, by posing as a knight: journalists seeking to install fencing in the premises to the feminists who ask the right to fight, the duel becomes the ultimate symbol of commitment.
Finally, the duel is the will of the individual against the mass culture, the triumph of "I" romantic side to the masses described by the liberal and pragmatic policies.
Use the duel in Acheron
The duel is a good opportunity to add a touch of drama to your scenarios and move a little your PCs. Mess with your players the most arrogant and least provocation diplomats with an NPC exceeded by their odd, magnify your PCs by bringing them face their responsibilities in a brief moment of glory and adrenaline: the duel, the symbol romance! Besides most of the time, do not necessarily ended by the death of the vanquished opponent. A humiliated
NPC may well feed a plan of revenge against their conqueror, an ancient story of a duel could also bring back memories of black: there are a thousand and one way to use this small piece to give a little wealth to your scenarios.
Thanks to Jean-Noel Jeannenet for his colossal work on the subject.
A small example of what could give a pistol duel (the movie dates from the late nineteenth)
Veyre Gabriel - Dual pistol
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