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View Full Version : Palace Security - how much?



SilverLeaf167
2016-06-17, 10:22 AM
Answers based on different time periods and regions are more than welcome, but in my case it's mostly modeled after late medieval/Renaissance Europe, like a lot of D&D, really.

It's a question that comes up a lot: how difficult would it be for someone to enter the castles/palaces/offices of different authority figures in "opening hours", assuming such a thing is even applicable? I realize there are plenty of variables at play, but let's just go with "average" and "typical" answers for now.

For example, how hard would it be to get an audience in the throne room to talk to the king? How about a duke? A local governor? A guard commander? I've seen very differing answers for this, but the general impression I've gotten is that it really shouldn't be that hard, assuming you're not completely covered in dung and maybe leave your weapons at the door.
We can at least partially disregard the existence of dangerous magic and such, especially as the question itself is system agnostic.

For that matter, how many armed guards can different levels of authority expect to have hanging around?

hymer
2016-06-17, 10:44 AM
late medieval/Renaissance Europe

The high Roman magistrates and even emperors were often expected to act as judges in small matters. I think it was Marcus Aurelius, who after a long day far from his home was trying to get some peace, and wafted a woman off with a 'not now' kind of comment, and she indignantly said something like 'When you won't judge matters is when you cease to be emperor'. And he decided she was right, and heard her case.

Getting inside a Roman patron's home was also quite easy. You simply turned up early in the day, and he'd try to meet as many (of the important ones) as he could. At least one was murdered via this in.

So openness could certainly be done, and was. And it worked most of the time, too.


For that matter, how many armed guards can different levels of authority expect to have hanging around?

The Roman Republic gave its magistrates so-called lictors, who were armed, albeit not in the most practical of ways - an axe bundled in ceremonial rods. But they had staffs, and they were supposed to use their implements (staffs for crowd control, rods as canes for punishment and humiliation, and the axes symbolized the ability to deal a death punishment, but were rarely - if ever? - used for that purpose, at least in the late republic.) at the orders of the magistrate.

Later, the Roman emperors liked to have personal body guards, often from other nations, who would be less swayed by Roman politics. Caligula's German guards were feared.

Geddy2112
2016-06-17, 10:54 AM
Obviously it is going to change based on size of the building, importance of the noble in question, political/regional stability, economics, what have you.

A lowly local lord might only have a couple gate guards and a single bodyguard. An emperor might have a small army in their castle, in a capital city teaming with guards and military. In smaller areas, the lord's guards are likely no different than town guards, while a major ruler has a dedicated staff to defend them and their manor/castle/whatever.

Getting an audience depends on how important they are, how important the player is, and if the noble routinely meets with people. Lay folk can't just meet the queen of England, and even heads of state and important people need to request an audience and get an appointment. A local lord or mayor might have open hours for property owners or important people. Local town halls or meetings give lay folk a chance to meet and express grievances and concerns to the local ruler. Meeting most nobles will probably require at least one guard checkpoint with a security and attire screen, for higher dignitaries it might be several. Magic and technological barriers(x ray bag screens, metal detectors, detect evil or magic) will be in place for those who can afford it.

Always expect two at the gate and at least one with or near the noble in question. In larger palaces or for more important people, you might have a large contingent of ceremonial guards in addition to actual soldiers. Ceremonial guards can be almost entirely for show, like the pontiff Swiss guard, or almost entirely for utility, like the American secret service.There is a lot of in between and all but the most showy of ceremonial guard are still effective fighters, but will probably be in parade and formal uniforms instead of heavy armor and weaponry.

In times of war or when the lord is out, it is possible a secondary contingent will stay behind to guard the property. The Japanese onna-bushi would act as the primary guards of a Japanese castle when the lord and their samurai retainers were out to war or for politics. Some palaces might have full time retainers to guard the property regardless of if the noble is present.

Berenger
2016-06-17, 11:51 AM
Another thing to consider are people that are NOT part of the official "Security" but may act as such in a pinch. A duke or king can be expected to be surrounded by relatives, vassals and officials of various descriptions most of the time. Depending on the setting, most male nobles and other men "of honor" might carry knifes, daggers or larger weapons even while at court and at least some of them will be experienced in the use of such weapons.

Strigon
2016-06-17, 01:54 PM
It also depends on the stability of the region. A well-liked king with few enemies would likely have only a token, ceremonial few - still skilled, but more meant to deal with small threats or evacuate the king in the event of a large threat.
Similarly, an unstable region with many revolutions or factions would likely have a strong show of force - and even more either hidden from sight, or actively working behind the scenes.