CD Update

[Maouse]

From: "Maouse" <maouse at FULTON-NET.COM>
> Ps. historically "bad" and botched executions usually led to the
> executioner's demise... this is why the guiotine was used, because
itworked

While I've read of botched beheadings where multiple blows were needed,
I haven't heard of executioners being killed because of their bungling.
[I majored in History.]

    Alex

As Scott has stated, it was considered an insult to take multiple whacks on
royalty.  I would note that being a history major can pale in comparison to
being an avid gamer for 20+ years... some things you do to learn, some for
fun.  Anyway, I believe my actual source is the history channel's special
on guiotines.  It's growing in popularity was not due to the fact that it
worked (it was around long before it was widely used), but rather that they
were beginning to execute important people and no one wanted to take the
responsibility of using an axe or sword due to the reprecussions of
botching an execution (as I recall, the one that most people recall was a
botched king of normandy execution - he had too much hair and it took like
five whacks, the king of england, in a "good faith" move executed the
executioner for botching it and making it a horid mess for the throne of
england).  Imprisonment and maiming were also used to diswade "everyone"
from wanting to be an executioner (In game terms consider it treason to
"not do your best" when performing a state execution).

   Consider this though: Robespiere (sp?) has just told you to execute 200
people.  Do you use a sword or axe?  Your arm's going to be mighty tired by
the end of the day.  But if you don't have a gioutine, what do you do?  You
enlist the aid of several "locals" or "soldiers" and comission them to be
executioners (ie. the perverbial firing squad).  So now you have 200
executioners in your dutchy/kingdom/what have you.  This explains how there
can be a "few" in the game.  I would also note that you could balance this
skill by making them have one enemy for every EL(or EL/2 if the character
opts to have performed "family" style executions).  This would represent
the family(s) of the executed.  But that would be up to the GM of course.


   I would like to counter the myth of the hooded executioner as well.
This is more a modern idea than a historic one.  Looking at old paintings
and all you can see that [I majored in fine art, and have seen possibly
more than you have read - if you take the whole "a picture is worth a
thousand words" to heart, lol :) ].  The hooded executioner primarily was a
symbol of the "old west" (say 1750-1910 or so-which would include the
french revolution as spoke about above).  Gallows executions (pre-"old
west", say in scottland where the gioutine was used previously in it's
unrefined form) were carried out by a specific person "everyone" knew. To
put a loose hood on when using a sword or axe is just plain silly (not to
mention cowardly in chivilrous terms).  Your eyesight being obscured could
lead to your death/maiming/imprisonment/being talked about at social events
(ie. the joke, "he couldn't kill a bound ass with a great sword under clear
skies in june")... um I think I'll let him see who's cutting his head off
please...

-Marcel