Difference between revisions of "The Hastilude Event"

Latest revision as of 01:14, 15 January 2022

Inspiration from the Manesse Codex

Extract from the Raynes Codex

Introduction

Even amidst the treacheries and chaos of the Horus Heresy, some traditions will still be honoured by the Questoris Familia and their mighty machines of war. Whether they are a noble Seneschal, a lowly Aspirant or even Houseless Freeblade, all pilots are entitled to attend the gathering of Knights and compete for renown, riches and revenge at The Hastilude!

A legacy whose founding is lost in the blood of history, The Hastilude is a gathering of Knights in order to test their prowess against one another; not on the field of War, but in the confines of a glorious Tournament. Whether they are sworn to Terra or the Warmaster or are attempting to carve out their own empire, each House and Freeblade in attendance are honour bound and oath sworn to lay no blow on another Knight except for those they face across the field in the Hastilude. For centuries these Oaths have held true for the thirty days of the tournament, through Great House Wars and bitter rivalries no Knight has broken the edicts.

A challenge has been sent out, a Hastilude has been called. Will the peace of the tournament be maintained amidst the turmoil of the Heresy?

Event Breakdown

The Hastilude is going to be a strongly medieval themed narrative event exclusively using Knights, leveraging the fluff and lore that the Knight Houses were based primarily on the Chivalric Knightly Orders of the late medieval period. Preceded by an informal Vespers feast and skirmish the night before the main event will commence with an Invocation Procession opening the main Hastilude. There will be four different Core Events that the players can participate in including Jousts, Grand Melee's, Duels of Honour and the Quintain along with an optional Pas d'arms (Passage of Arms). Rather than fighting to the death, combat is encouraged to continue until one Knight Yields and offers up a ransom to their victor.

The Knight models must be fully painted and each player must make an effort to flesh out and document the history and details of their House or Freeblade Company. A player can bring as many Knights as they like but they must follow the Questoris Knight list and cannot change their Knights configuration during the event.

Event Mechanics

The Hastilude will be using an alternative rules system and not the regular Warhammer 40K ruleset. It is more of a hybrid set using the movement and activation components from Imperial Knight Renegade mini game, the combat and damage components from Warhammer 40K and a variety of other aspects which will be quite unique to the event. In addition the Vehicle Damage table will be in use, adding to the dangers that the Knights will face in combat. Be sure that you have read and familiarised yourself with these rules because all of the Games at the event will be using them in one way or another. Click here to see them in detail.

Events Games

The uniqueness of the event is in part down to the various Games which the players can take part in during the weekend. All of them have their own special rules and methods of playing so be sure to read the relevant games you intend on taking part in.

Behourd (Grand Melee)

The most brutal of the Chivalric games, the Behourd is a method for the Knights and their Nobles to practise and rehearse massed combat amidst the confusion of warfare, with the last Knight standing being declared the victor of that round.

Joust

The Noble Joust is one of the most iconic duels between Knights in the Sector; two Lancers charging at each other with their Ion Gauntlet Shields raised and Shock Lancer primed for striking. Each pairing will conduct three Passes, thrice attempting to score telling blows upon their opponent.

Pas d’armes (Passage of Arms)

Although not a core event run by the Host World, the Pas d’armes is a prominent feature at most Hastiludes. Houses or Companies will seize areas of intersection such as crossroads, bridges, gateways and river fords, and declare themselves Tenants, challenging all other Knight who pass, Venans, to fight them on equal terms or leave a ransom of their shame. It has been known that some Tenants were so preoccupied with challenges that they have neglected to attend any of the events at the Hastilude, but have gone away wealthy in both honour and riches.

Quintain

Even the most experienced Knight must maintain his training, ensuring that they are at the peak of their abilities. Making such training a competition amongst their peers is a way to drive the Nobles to greater achievements. Individual Knights will enter the Quintain field one at a time and attempt to set the highest score by destroying the most targets in the time allocated.

While such training events are often seen as things for rookies and trainees by other fighting disciplines, the Knights recognise the need to constantly hone their skills and elevate such an event to one worthy of grand accolades.

Tupinaire (Duel)

Second only to the Joust, the Tupinaire is a Noble duel between two Knights on the field of honour, but rather than conducting three passes, each of the three duels will be fought until one Knight has received three solid blows from their opponent.