Here we can chat out of character.

Uploaded the Counties map of Burgundy in the map part of the game.

Welcome player two, and for that part, player 1 as well! Grab a drink! Have a chat!

There is a possible player three. They had some concerns they asked me about first. I’ll hear back from them wether or not they still want to join and then, wether or not they join, I think we can start brainstorming the story we want to tell. I think for the kind of story we want to tell, a small cast of player characters (protagonists) might be good.

It is midnight here in Belgium and I’m going to bed. See you all, and your great and toughtful contributions, in the morning!

Also, hello, player 3!

Ooh, new grist for the mill new comrades in arms!

Welcome to everyone, this is a bit outside my usual style of games but I'm looking forward to it!

Hello! Definitely looking forward to this!

I completely agree that a small, manageable cast of characters is preferable in this case.

Say maybe a maximum of four to start? And we can adjust from there?

As far as the sort of story we want to tell. Here are a few broad strokes I will throw out for the sake of discussion.

- Knighthood

Classic adventure material. The characters are all arms bearing men  of some sort.

Perhaps they are, or were, all squired to the same Knight?

Perhaps they have aspirations of joining the Order of the Golden Fleece?

Perhaps they are what is left after saber rattling or military posturing has drawn off the bulk of the local forces?

This story may involve concepts of chivalry vs practicality, the role of armed enforcers in the feudal system, or the "disconnect" between the orders or whims of the nobility and the situation on the ground.

Despite all being somehow involved in an arms bearing trade, their personal experience, campaigns, backgrounds, superiors or cultures could provide enough diversity to prevent gross duplication.

- Courtiers

Knee deep in machiavellian intrigues, the characters are based in Bruges, and have responsibilities to their patrons, their families and the Court.

Perhaps they are trusted advisors? Related to a key figure in the ongoing situation? Or party to a dangerous shared secret after.

This sort of story would involve a lot of talking, a lot of NPC's and more of a "slow burn" atmosphere. That's not to say there could not be some foot chases, some illicit meetings, maybe a knife in the dark, but this is more of a cerebral story.

Exploring the burden of privilege, the ties that bind the characters to their families, and the life of the nobility might all be themes here. As would faith, the barrier between the Church and the state, and witnessing how government "really" works. The sausage being made...so to speak.

- Barony

"Small scale" action with limited resources.

There may be big things going on in the Capitol, but they are far removed from your daily concerns. The characters are all capable subjects of the local Baron, brought together to handle affairs in the Manor and the local countryside.

This is the sort of story where every significant NPC in the Manor could be known by name, as could the significant tradesman in the community. The sort of story where a local map could be made and utilized for the vast majority of the story.

This would also allow for a more diverse skill set in the characters in exchange for a smaller locality. They are literally just a collection of capable individuals that the Baron trusts to handle things on his behalf.

Manor house drama instead of court intrigue.

This sort of story would allow the more "common" sorts to shine, and to perhaps even advance in station depending on how they play their cards.

But it is also a "down in the mud" sort of view. You are dealing with the peasantry directly, the front line, so to speak.

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As I said, broad strokes, and just an example of how we might go about narrowing down the story to a common theme instead of having a bunch of disparate characters pursuing their own goals.

Conversation material.

They are certainly interesting takes - my one concern would be that we'd potentially end up with a lot of characters with arcs which potentially end up fighting for space in the same area if we limit ourselves to one specific archetype of characters. Of the three, I'm more inclined to the Barony than the Knight idea, mainly because there's a relatively limited success criteria for the path to knighthood!

My suggested approach would be to start with a relatively traditional approach of 'local bigwig assembles a diverse group of individuals who are entrusted with a singular goal in the short term', which then leads to the granting of some property (such as a small run down manor) which the group then use as a base and something which ties them together in the medium term.

Especially if we design the party well, you'd potentially have a situation where everyone had a degree of an interest in working together and facing challenges that emerged (given they've got a home and potential livelihood attached which is threatened), but also can contribute something important which the others can't (so the knight might be the lord in name, but be utterly skint so requires the support of the merchant, who in turn needs the mercenary to guard his wares, who needs the witch to bind his wounds, who in turn needs the protection of the lord to keep her from being persecuted).

At the same time, everyone has space to develop their own agendas and potentially form sub-factions within the group dependent on their personal tastes, and there's further room for inter-player conflict because each individual will want to do certain things with the resources available and have different priorities and philosophies in life.

The game would then progress with a combination of organic collaborative player interactions, with the GM either piloting NPCs or throwing in the occasion quest (either top down from a quest giver like said bigwig, or bottom up by presenting a local threat that the group deal with), and the manor and its running offer enough space and impetus for downtime and investment in a common goal, as well as a strong grounding in the setting.

That being said, happy to comprimise as always - this is, after all, collaborative!

I like all the options that have been listed so far.

I have started the game. It's a slow open, a banquet. Anyone can fall in when they are ready with their character.

If anything does not work for you in that opening post P3, just let me know and I can edit.

I recently started a game of Lady Blackbird. It’s not historical at all, but if anyone is interested, we are still looking for a Captain Vance, a Kale Arkham and a Snargle.