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Welcome to James Kemp's Wiki
This is a collaborative web platform that allows people to edit1) the web pages to provide additional content for some of the stories I have written and the roleplaying games that I am involved in, whether as a player or GM.
There are several namespaces operating slightly different wiki subjects. These are, in no particular order:
- Skyss - Story Background - a fantasy novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo 2016.
- Perfects - background for the near future story and some police roleplaying that I ran in that universe
- Theocracy of Daprav - A D&D campaign that I ran with Glasgow University Games Society around 2002-3.
- Jim Wallman's Universe - a roleplaying by e-mail campaign that I play in, this is an unofficial wiki and none of it is canon unless Jim says it is.
- Interstellar Freelance Unlimited - subset of the Universe pages covering the activities of a mercenary company that we are currently roleplaying every Full Moon.
- Earth Imperium pages. These cover the activities of the Government of the Solar republic (aka Earth Empire) in Jim's Humanity Will Prevail campaign, including the Earth Imperium News Items.
- Free Worlds Alliance - covering the activities of another emerging polity in the Humanity Will Prevail campaign. Mostly contributed by Eric Moroney.
- Universe Background - page collecting the various bits of background info that have come up in various e-mail discussions for the campaigns set in Jim Wallman's Universe.
- Master map of the Universe (6Mb PDF, as at 3212).
- Delta Green - some roleplaying campaigns about horror and conspiracy. The main one was set in Berlin in 1953.
- Free games rules - a collection of free rules for wargames and other sorts of face to face games that I have designed or run.
- Wargames rules - I'm not just a player of games, I also do rules for them from time to time as well as one-off games. A primary outlet for this is through Chestnut Lodge Wargames Group.
- Other free rules - at the moment just those for the 1689 (Orange or Lemon? and Bonnie Dundee, respectively about the debates in the Scots Parliament and then the military campaign of Viscount Dundee during 1689) and The Other Side of the COIN (about what makes people become insurgents). All games that I have have produced for Chestnut Lodge Wargames Group.
- Background for a near future universe where I have written some fiction and also run some roleplaying games in.
Comments and complaints to me at webmaster@full-moon.info please.
James Kemp
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Orange or Lemon?
This is a working title for a game about the Scottish Parliament's convention in the Spring of 1689. The game has been play-tested once at the 2007 CLWG Games Weekend, refinements to the game mechanisms have been included on the relevant pages. More detailed specific player briefings2) need to be prepared to allow for a few more uncommitted players.
The Game
The game covers the events of the time of the Scots Parliament's discussions in 1689 of whether King James VII should be replaced by his son in law Prince William of Orange. Historically this was pretty evenly balanced and only resolved when some key Jacobites left town. Most of those involved were apathetic but couldn't afford to be seen to have either backed the wrong horse, or to have left it too late to show support for the eventual winner of the struggle.
Player Roles
Players would be the leaders of the two main factions plus a couple of other key protagonists (notably the catholic Duke of Gordon who was governor of Edinburgh Castle).
The main aim of the game is to swing the balance in favour of your chosen candidate for King, whether James or William.
Historical Background
some historical background (in the order that the Convention dealt with its business):
- Act declaring the Convention free and lawful - 14 March 16893)
- Letter to the Convention from Prince William of Orange - 16 March 16894)
- Letter to the Convention from King James VII - 1 March 16895) (read out to the Convention on 14 March)
The Three Estates
The members were collectively referred to as the Three Estates (Middle Scots Thrie Estaitis), or 'community of the realm' (tres communitates), composed of:
- the first estate of prelates (bishops and abbots)
- the second estate of lairds (dukes, earls, parliamentary peers and lay tenants-in-chief)
- the third estate of burgh commissioners (representatives chosen by the royal burghs)
A Shire Commissioner was the closest equivalent of the English office of Member of Parliament, namely a commoner or member of the lower nobility. Because the parliament of Scotland was unicameral, all members sat in the same chamber, as opposed to the separate English House of Lords and House of Commons.
The Parliament also had University constituencies. The system was also adopted by the Parliament of England when James VI ascended to the English throne. It was believed that the universities were affected by the decisions of Parliament and ought therefore to have representation in it.
Orange or Lemon? - Design Notes
Player Roles
Players would be the leaders of the two main factions plus a couple of other key protagonists (notably the catholic Duke of Gordon who was constable of Edinburgh Castle).
There is a four player version with one umpire that doesn't worry about the rabble rousing in the streets overmuch. It focusses on the deals being made in the Convention and the efforts of John Graham of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee to keep the Duke of Gordon in possession of the Castle in the face of the Duke of Hamilton's efforts to evict him.
A slightly expanded version would have six or eight players and two umpires. This would model the rabble rousing outside the Convention as well as all the bits the smaller version would cover.
Ideas on Mechanisms
The game is about trying to persuade a number of undecided members of the Convention to vote the correct way. There should be several ways to achieve this including stirring up public support; private persuasion; speeches in the convention; bribery; patronage; physical intimidation.
Some aspects might use a modified form of Jim's ''Lambent Meteors“ rules (working over several days rather than the space of an hour or two). Other bits need a mechanism to swiftly resolve inter-faction violence. Both need tracked as public opinion.
The NPC convention members will be tracked using playing cards. Red for James, Black for William. The value of the card being the strength of support. Cards should be played face down by the umpire on a 5 lane grid. Before each card is placed the umpire should roll 1d6 and subtract the result from the value of the card.
0 to 2 goes in the middle (neutral) lane. 3 to 5 in the lukewarm support lane (4 or 2 depending on faction) 6+ in the outer (strong support) lane a negative result is treated as if the card was of the other colour.
Position in a lane does not affect the outcome if a vote is called to depose King James VII. What it represents is how those NPCs appear when they speak publicly and how they will (most likely) vote on other matters.
Bribes and other influence is played as tokens on top of the face down card. This is taken into account along with public opinion for the final vote.
George Gordon, 1st Duke of Gordon
Offices Held
- Constable of Edinburgh Castle
Reputation
- a very fine gentleman, well bred and educated
- physically and morally courageous, but tends to vacillate when course of action unclear
Religion
- Roman Catholic by birth, but thinks very little of revealed religion
Background
Born 1642. Has performed military service with the French and Prince William of Orange before returning to Scotland. Although unassuming and unambitious he has risen from being the Marquis of Huntly to a Dukedom (in 1684 on Claverhouse's recommendation).
He has several times attempted to resign as the Governor of Edinburgh Castle as he does not relish the intrigues and conflicts of Scottish politics. His preference would be to retire to the continent where he could live his life in peace.
He had been on the point of surrendering the castle in February when Viscount John Graham of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee and Balcarres discovered him in the process of removing his personal belongings and furniture from the castle. They persuaded him to stay until he had word from King James VII.
Sources
“Bonnie Dundee”, Andrew Murray Scott, ISBN 0-85976-532-6
Archibald Campbell, 10th Earl of Argyll
Offices Held
- Chief of Clan Campbell
Reputation
- Known as a staunch Williamite
- seeking to recover his father's estates and restore the Earldom of Argyll which was attainted when his father supported an uprising against King James VII in 1685.
Religion
- Church of Scotland, no strong preference for episcopalian or presbytarian
Background
Archibald Campbell, 10th Earl of Argyll (born 25th July 1658).
The eldest son of Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll and Mary Stuart, daughter of James Stuart, 4th Earl of Moray, Campbell sought to recover his father's estates (by moving into King James VII's favour). However, after failing to do so, he supported William and Mary's quest for the throne.
On March 12, 1678, he married Elizabeth Tollemache (daughter of Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Baronet of Helmingham) at Edinburgh, Scotland. They have two children:
- John Campbell (b. 10 October 1680)
- Archibald Campbell (b. June 1682)
