Game in the Brain

Equipment $2,457.5; 57.7/58lbs

• [Body] Winter Clothes (DR1 vs cutting) 5lbs
• Light Cloak $20, 2lbs
• [Head 3-4] Light Lamellar Pot Helm w/ Brim, Cheek, Ear, and Nasal Guards with padding and with… DR4 (-1 vs cr)
• [Face 5] 1-5/1d6 DR3
• 1-3 on the skull DR3 (-1 vs cr)
• 4 on Lamellar Ventail DR3 (-1 vs cr)
• 5 hits Brim
• Perforated Ear Guards, Hard of Hearing penalty reduced by 2 (only -2 penalty).
• $106 5.3lbs
• [Neck 17-18] Light Lamellar Aventail DR3 (-1 vs cr)   $16, 0.8lbs
• [Torso 9-10; Groin 11] Light Lamellar Cuirass DR3F (-1 vs cr) $160, 8lbs
• [R. Arm 6-7; L. Arm 12]  R. Arm Only Light Lamellar $80 4lbs; L. Arm Light Lamellar $40 2lbs
• [R. Leg 8; L. Leg 13-14] Front Legs 1-4/d6 Light Lamellar $88 4.4lbs
• [Hands 15] DR3 (-1 vs cr) Light Lamellar $32, 1.6lbs
• [Feet 16] Shoes DR2 $40, 2lbs
• Balanced Metal Heavy Medium Edged Rim Shield ($60*CF +4 metal, +4 balanced, +0.5 Rim Edge) $570 427.5; 10.5lbs
• Fine Balanced Spear ($40*CF +4 Balanced, +2 Fine) $280; 4lbs
• Hip Quiver 2x Javelins $75, 5lbs
• Small Knife $30 0.5
• Pouch and Wooden Water Bottle 1L $16 2.5lbs

Adventure Seed: Sword sisters

Warrior women would face a lot of trouble in a setting that takes account the same factor that have marginalized women in history. In such a setting, like Game of Thrones, having such NPCs would be rare and would require a lot of interesting things to happen. Organizationally, they have what more open and communicative culture – more organized, independent thinking, and very quick to harness its numbers and collective strength. It would require and engender very good leaders, because it will live and die by the will power of its leaders because of how easily assaulted such an organization both physically and socially. Such a group would draw a lot of Ire from the church, men, and most painfully their loved ones.

Still such a group of women adventurers in a harsher setting would be very interesting and more amazing even if their life span would be relatively short. An adventure seed is putting PCs in a tight spot if the PCs are of a goody or at least a conflicted nature. Either killing the “Witches and Whores” as many of the people would brand such women would quickly make a one sided judgement for the PCs (the GM makes everyone the PCs meet gossip and disparage, playing on the natural biases of the PCs). if the PCs happen to be Open Minded, play to the consequences of such Dangerous notions (hit the PCs where it hurts – the Pocket, they lose a deal because they are thought to be sympathizers).

Note that its common to attribute disasters and catastrophe to women thinking for themselves and upsetting the status quo. If you think the terrible things that happen in modern times is upsetting and can turn your stomach, a GM with sense of history and horror would easily find more terrifying things color such a situation.
 It would be a wonderful tragedy if the PCs would be killing them, the female warriors, only to realize they were all women (since they would be in armor) and play to the weakest (and morally corruptible of the Playe..ehem) PCs. One constant inspiration are Nuns who are constantly thrown under the bus by various popes and who fight the real internal corruption (like the sexual abuse) only to be beaten and bowed. If you want an exhilarating underdog get a bunch of sisters (nuns) and have them be under assault , burned in the stake as witches, after having saved a town – like convincing a Cathar-like town to pretend to re-converted but the cat is out of the bag because their overseeing priest sees through the rouse and some glory seeking knights have some indulgences to win by slaughtering heathens. PCs as mercenaries to kill the sword sisters and the cathar town.
Never let a good deed go unpunished.

• Everyone disparages the Sisters, the GM plays to the natural intolerance of the PCs
• If the PCs are goody, then they get the butt end of the deal and someone uses it to remove the PCs out of the “game”. 
• If PCs end up in the killing side of the Sisters, they choose either be the one to kill them or let the Knights and mercenaries Rape, Torture and Kill them. There are no Prisoners – they are witches and heretics. the best the PCs can hope for his giving them clean deaths, not extended suffering and tragedy. 
• If the PCs end up helping the sisters, which is very unlikely if the GM is doing his job right, – the Odds are against are great and they will have forfeited their reputation. If they manage to survive, its only to embarrass the Princes of the Church enough to earn the full force of an army to descend on them. 

Side Notes about Social Issues
Hopefully this is constructive enough not to count as a rant. Basically in low tech settings there is an opportunity to deal with inequality, racism, poverty and various other social and psychological concerns. Its a game, where we can be comfortable and always step out of character when some “simulated” injustices disturb us. Its part of the story to have such elements appear, as much as “evil exists” in the game.
I find it strange when “evil exists” in some social accepted form, while the past is re-envisioned with various evils removed (like when WW2 re-en-actors are not allowed to have “german soldiers” as part of the re-enactment or to downplay misogyny and intolerance in settings which match and already downplay the dehumanization). The dangers of “evil in a social accepted form” are plenty – from revisionism to creating an engine for demonization and propaganda.
What I find even more disturbing is that it ROBS (as in a violent theft) female heroes of the challenges that made their success and survival even more amazing – and it is replaced by exaggerating what the hero has accomplished to compensate (my disposition after watching too many Chinese movies with propaganda inserted and the sad state of philippine cinema lolz).
Let it turn your stomach, if you get disturbed that means your are in the right place and you are not some monster. In the game of imagined worlds it sharpens your ability to see the nuances since it places you in a “safe” place to view it and actually play out the consequences. The same reason Drama and Tragedy can be entertaining, emotional and allows us to project our own challenges in conflict in a different and comfortable form… if your up to that kind of game lolz.

Oh how rewarding it is for me when emotions get complicated in the game, and people remember that they are in a comfortable gaming environment where they can play it out with no ill consequences. In that zone, Imagination takes a life of its own and empathy channels it and allows us to predict the human consequences of various paths (for me at the least lolz).