Codes of Honor and a Vow (For Gamesmen)

In this post I cover some codes of honor, a vow, and related disadvantages relevant in The Land of the True Game setting.

Code of Honor (Gamesman)

The ethos of The Land of the True Game has a lot in common with Chivalric Codes and the Gentleman’s Code of Honor… but it is still a little different. The Land of the True Game is quite bleak morally, and there is no emphasis on “fighting fair.” There is also a feeling that the Gamesman must keep separate from other classes.

Code of Honor (Gamesman’s): Never break your word. Never ignore an insult to yourself or your demensne. Insults may only be wiped out by an apology or a duel (not necessarily to the death). Always obey the orders of the lord of the demensne to which you are pledged. Do not participate in activities that are heretical, monstrous, or pawnish. -10 points.

Note that this code is not as restrictive as it might be, as the Gamesman is not required to stop heresies, seek out and destroy monsters, or have anything in particular to do with pawns (except to rule them). This code of honor can be satisfied by ignoring heresies, ignoring monsters, and avoiding pawnish behavior.

Also Relevant: Oathbound, Fanaticism

A related code of honor which can be stacked with this one is Code of Honor (Oathbound): -5 points (from GURPS Horror p. 23). Essentially this requires you to very strictly interpret your promises and hew exactly to the letter of what you said. Since nearly everything is forbidden in The Land of the True Game, most people are skilled at interpreting heresies and the rules so that they always come out on the right side.

Two important related disadvantages are Fanaticism (True Game) -15 and Extreme Fanaticism (True Game), -15 points. According to this thread of discussion on the GURPS Forum, taking either one of these should replace the Code of Honor (Gamesman’s) and be considered a kind of stronger version, as there is too much overlap to allow stacking.

More Codes: Healers, Midwives

Healers are one of the more organized talents, and behave something like a guild. They therefore have a corresponding code of professional ethics:

Code of Honor (Healer’s): Always check a patient for the Healer’s Mark.
Never heal a marked patient. Mark anyone who harms a healer. Keep the list of banned patients. Exchange information with other healers about who is banned. -5 points.

Note that the Healer’s Code is not much like the Hippocratic Oath and it is more lenient than the code of professional ethics given as an example for doctors in p. B127. For more information on The Healer’s Mark, see the Healer template.

Midwives are likely to be minor NPCs and I’m not sure any of my games will involve childbirth, but the Midwife’s Vow is quite horrific so I will put it here for game color. (Remember that I mentioned this setting is sci-fi/fantasy but also crossover horror.)

Vow (Midwife’s): I will kill any child I deliver unless I have a vision showing that it will grow up to have a soul as an adult. -5 points.

The Magicians, Wizards, and Shapeshifters also have special circumstances that are similar, but I will probably model these with Secrets. I will put them on the page corresponding to the appropriate template.