World Buring was damned interesting!

[Trithemius]

And yes, you can absolutely be a psychologist but not Co10K. For one thing, non-Karsan psychologists automatically are. For another, I think the Foundations are active in the League, and in general non-martial Psychologists are unlikely to be of the Circle.

Sheva's War tells us that the noble folk who are blessed with the Bright Mark can join the Circle - Ahmi Sheva did, but she was an important official's favourite daughter. Lieutenant Vienne had to train under an old dude with garlic breath. Vienne lightly mocks Ahmi ("I didn't attend the university" or something like that) which supports the idea that it is more like a military college - although you do have the option in the C10K LP to pick up Anvil-Trained which suggests that the regime is fairly intensive. I vaguely imagine it as part Jedi Temple, part Sandhurst (or West Point?), and part special forces training.

Nothing is said about non-martial Psychologists in the League but it must be a popular place to set up a foundation given the tolerance and respect that those with the Bright Mark enjoy - given this there are bound to be non-Circle schools around the League. I dare say that some lords probably would find non-Circle psychologist assistants to be extremely useful indeed!

And yeah, I think the Circle as a faction is looser than some factions. Honestly, I don't see active Circle members as necessarily fighting for the Circle. It's more like having jump wings: that doesn't mean you're in an Airborne unit, and you don't stop being a paratrooper just because you're assigned to like a recon unit in an armored division... I think the Circle existing as a faction on a world is actually kind of unusual: in my vision it's more common for them to be a brotherhood fighting almost entirely on detached duty. Faction status maybe represents an academy or some other much more serious presence. I played one of the Ten Thousand, and it was a code that he followed and something he was proud of but absolutely not a source of orders to follow.

It is interesting that the Circle doesn't have the upper echelon LPs like Foundations do (Speaker, First Speaker). I presume this is because the Circle is more like a chivalric prep school than anything else and that, because the trainees are nobles, they have some work ahead of them (i.e. fighting!). [I do note that the Hammer sub-setting Lord-Pilot Hammer has C10K as a requirement fulfiller, but that the Court sub-setting Lord-Pilot Anvil does not - I have pondered switching that for a while! I got a real impression Philippe de Artois was an Anvil Lord!]

I suspect that the Circle could even provide the military for an Imperial world if the faction represented a training centre and fortress. Perhaps it is a depot for forays against the Worm? A great fortress of the order - if you take them a bit like Templars or something?

Woo, rambling...

[zabieru]

It is interesting that the Circle doesn't have the upper echelon LPs like Foundations do (Speaker, First Speaker). I presume this is because the Circle is more like a chivalric prep school than anything else and that, because the trainees are nobles, they have some work ahead of them (i.e. fighting!). [I do note that the Hammer sub-setting Lord-Pilot Hammer has C10K as a requirement fulfiller, but that the Court sub-setting Lord-Pilot Anvil does not - I have pondered switching that for a while! I got a real impression Philippe de Artois was an Anvil Lord!]

I suspect that the Circle could even provide the military for an Imperial world if the faction represented a training centre and fortress. Perhaps it is a depot for forays against the Worm? A great fortress of the order - if you take them a bit like Templars or something?

Woo, rambling...

The upper echelon of the Circle in the Karsan League is the upper echelons of the nobility. The distinction I'm drawing here is that they aren't like the Templars, they're more like crusaders: some have gone to Outremer and returned, some stayed, and some have only promised to make the journey. There isn't a command structure, just a shared bond of purpose among troops operating under a different command structure.

Philippe almost certainly is an Anvil Lord. A minimal* burn would be Born to Rule, Novitiate, Co10k, Anvil XO, Court LP-Anvil, Anvil Lord. That only makes him 43, though, and he looks and acts older... Given his military experience, I'm thinking XO, LP-Anvil, Anvil Captain, Anvil Lord is more likely, and there might easily be another LP in there somewhere.

*Okay, the real minimal burn is Born to Rule+Your Grace, Novitiate, Co10k, Forged Lord. But that ain't our man.

[Trithemius]

The upper echelon of the Circle in the Karsan League is the upper echelons of the nobility. The distinction I'm drawing here is that they aren't like the Templars, they're more like crusaders: some have gone to Outremer and returned, some stayed, and some have only promised to make the journey. There isn't a command structure, just a shared bond of purpose among troops operating under a different command structure.

Philippe almost certainly is an Anvil Lord. A minimal* burn would be Born to Rule, Novitiate, Co10k, Anvil XO, Court LP-Anvil, Anvil Lord. That only makes him 43, though, and he looks and acts older... Given his military experience, I'm thinking XO, LP-Anvil, Anvil Captain, Anvil Lord is more likely, and there might easily be another LP in there somewhere.

*Okay, the real minimal burn is Born to Rule+Your Grace, Novitiate, Co10k, Forged Lord. But that ain't our man.

I suppose it might be more similar to Islamic chivalric brotherhoods - and that would probably make a lot of sense given the cultural context of the Karsan League.

Wouldn't Born to Rule, Novitiate, C10K, Lieutenant, Anvil Captain, Court LP-A, Anvil Lord work too? Then get can pick up Clean Cut and Intimidation! (I imagine a clean-cut Philippe winning his accolade at Kokoni...). You could chuck in Stormtrooper there too since he's obviously got some brutal going on.

[zabieru]

I suppose it might be more similar to Islamic chivalric brotherhoods - and that would probably make a lot of sense given the cultural context of the Karsan League.

Wouldn't Born to Rule, Novitiate, C10K, Lieutenant, Anvil Captain, Court LP-A, Anvil Lord work too? Then get can pick up Clean Cut and Intimidation! (I imagine a clean-cut Philippe winning his accolade at Kokoni...). You could chuck in Stormtrooper there too since he's obviously got some brutal going on.

Sure, that burn works fine. I went for XO over Lieutenant because it has more new skills (Co10k already gets Intimidation).

[Trithemius]

Such a good LP!

Thinking more on it the C10K is more structured than the lords of Outremer, and less (depending on your reading I guess?) than the Templars. I do like the idea that it could remain loose and unstructured in some places, but crystallise around a charismatic member in other places.

I wonder if psychologists of other Empires travel to join their ranks? Or are these people snaffled up by the inquisition, etc?

[Trithemius]

Just noticed something: X-O is not a valid requirement for court L-P A. The Executive Official mentioned is the chief official of the Commune setting, and not the X-O or 'Executive Officer'.

[zabieru]

Well, Lieutenant, Captain it is then.