The Lion and the Eagle

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Pike & Shotte
“

Besides that this Prince is descended of a Family of Deliverers; there seemes to be another Omen in his Stile, as well as in his Pedigree: he writes himself King of the Goths and Vandals; which Nations have once heretofore beene fatall unto the Empire.

This brave Prince having in the yeare 1629 had first a warre with the Pole, and then a Peace; was by the complaints & invitations of the Germane Princes, the next yeare brought over into the Empire.

”
 —The Swedish Intelligencer

The Lion and the Eagle is a Savage Worlds adventure campaign about the Swedish phase of the Thirty Years' War. The lion in the title is king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, and the eagle is the Habsburg Empire.

Gustavus Adolphus, the Lion of the North, King of Sweden.

Setting

The year is 1630, and Sweden goes to war to help the Protestant cause in Germany. This is a chance for brave Swedish lads to serve King and Country, win glory and riches, and give the Imperialists a good thrashing! Adventures will include small scale combat, espionage, diplomacy and romance set against the backdrop of the war. The characters may even find themselves part of large scale battles, either as troops or free agents with some objective to accomplish. The campaign will follow their adventures from their arrival in Germany to the battlefields of Breitenfeldt, Lützen, and beyond.

Rules

Main article: Pike & Shotte

Characters

Soldiers of the Yellow Regiment.

Archetypes

Soldiers are required for the first phase of the campaign. Later, other concepts such as spies, priests, camp followers and diplomats are possible. The characters will spend much of their time away from the main force, so it may be useful to have one or more of characters be an officer or gentleman (with Command or Noble edge) to avoid being rounded up by the provosts as deserters. This may also make interaction with allied forces easier.

The campaign outline assumes that Swedes and their protestant allies are the protagonists. The forces of the Catholic League are the enemy.[1]

Experience

Characters start as Seasoned with 20 XP. This allows for more well rounded characters, such as veterans from the war in Poland.

Equipment

As per the recommendation, starting cash is doubled for every rank. Thus, Seasoned characters start with $1000. Optionally, the characters start with default cash ($500) and military equipment as assigned by the Game Master. For a cavalryman, this will be a horse, saddle, broadsword and two wheellock pistols.

Inspiration

The works below are available locally for use by the War Master and players.

Fiction

  • Gula brigadens hjältar, by Nils Hydén, 1899 (Swedish). This book is the main source of inspiration for the campaign. Players should read at least chapters 1 to 3.
  • Hjeltekonungen. Historisk roman från 30-åriga kriget, by Wilhelm Granath, 1906 (Swedish). The book is available on Projekt Runeberg.

Video

General

  • European Weapons & Warfare, by Eduard Wagner
  • Europe's Tradgedy: A History of the Thirty Year War, by Peter H. Wilson
  • Gustav II Adolf och hans folk, by Göte Göransson
  • Osprey Essential Histories 29: The Thirty Years' War 1618–1648, by Richard Bonney
  • The Thirty Years' War, by Herbert Langer
  • Sedan stack vi staden i brand: en legoknekts dagbok från trettioåriga kriget, by Jan Peters
  • Trettioåriga kriget: Europa i brand 1618-1648, by Lars Ericson Wolke, Göran Larsson, Nils Erik Villstrand

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ Due to the Swedish conflict with the Catholic League during the Thirty Years' War, the word "league" in Swedish still has negative connotations.
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