# The Winter Phase
Military campaigns in the winter are rare. Britain is not subject to deep snow falls or extensive icing over, but the weather is cold and wet nonetheless. In particular, any road, trail, or path not of Roman make becomes a quagmire of mud. No one goes out if it is not strictly necessary. Thus traders, messengers, the occasional lord trudging to his liege’s court for a winter celebration, or the king on his progress, are the only regular travelers. However, people are still active. In particular, they gather for feasts and holy days. These meetings are of major importance; a lord often calls his vassals to feast at his castle, or travels through the frost and snow to visit each of them at their own holdings.
But winter is also a time of training and study, amorous pursuits, and gossip. In game terms, the Players update their characters to reflect the experiences of the past year. They do this at the end of each quest or adventure, during the Winter Phase.
# Procedure
The system presented here is a simplified version of the standard Winter Phase, which features additional steps for generating annual personal events, tracking economic circumstances, old age and decrepitude, and family matters such as marriage and childbirth.
The basic procedure includes these steps:
# Step 1. Solo Scenario
A character may benefit from one or more of the Solo Scenarios. This is particularly important if a Player was absent for a session, so that even a knight who missed the last game year has a chance to increase their Skills. Check with the Gamemaster to see if a Solo is appropriate. If so, it is always the first thing done in the Winter Phase, in order to acquire checks. See the Solo Scenarios for a complete description of these opportunities.
# Step 2. Experience Rolls
Characters spend some of the winter reflecting back over the year that has gone by. They recorded potential changes throughout the game year by checking Skills, Passions, and Traits on the character sheet. The procedure to increase any of these Statistics is the same, but note that Characteristics have limitations to being increased this way. (See Step 3. Training and Practice.)
Roll 1D20 once for each experience check. If the number rolled is greater than the current value, then the character learned from their experience and adds one point to that value. A value of 20 (regardless the critical bonus) requires a roll of 20 to raise its critical bonus by 1 point through this method.
The process is repeated for every check recorded on the character sheet. Each checked Statistic gets only one roll per year, but all checked Statistics receive it. The number of successes achieved during play is not relevant—only one roll is allowed. The Player determines the order in which the Experience Checks are rolled.
# Step 3: Training and Practice
Players can advance their character’s capabilities during the Winter Phase, regardless of the past year’s experience.
The Player may select any one of the following improvements.
# Change a Personality Trait
You can add one point to a Trait, decreasing its opposite by the same amount (subject to an effective minimum value of 1). You cannot give a critical bonus to a Trait, or increase an existing critical bonus, through Training and Practice.
# Change a Passion
You can add or subtract one point from any Passion, except that you cannot give a critical bonus to a Passion, or increase an existing critical bonus, through Training and Practice. If you increase a Passion within a court whose total is already 40 points, then another Passion in the same court must be reduced by one point.
# Change a Characteristic
Players may add one point to any one of STR, DEX, CON, or APP. SIZ may be changed only in accordance with “Getting Fat” rule.
No Characteristics may be increased after age 35.
# Train Skills Up to 15
Add 6 points to any Skill under 15 in any combination—all points may be added to one Skill, divided between two Skills, or more—as long as the values are not raised over 15.
# Train a Skill Up to 20
Increase one Skill that is over 15 by one point, up to a maximum value of 20. No Skill can receive a critical bonus, or increase it, by Training and Practice.
# Step 4: Tally Glory
Add up all the Glory gained in the previous year’s play. Include Glory that was gained during the Winter Phase itself. Find the total and write it in on the Personal History, and then add it to the current Total Glory. This is one of the high points of the game for many Players, as they see their character’s fame and prestige increase through Glory.
# Passive Glory
Passive Glory accrues from certain annual benchmarks. You should note these numbers on the character sheet, and update them as sources of Passive Glory change from year to year.
# Glory from Adventures, Quests, and Challenges
Adventures, Quests, and Challenges are the primary sources of Glory. If a Player-knight took part in a scenario last game year, the Glory the character has gained should already be in the “Glory this Game” box on the character sheet, and ideally recorded in detail on the sheet with a date attached. For example, if the knight killed a bear while hunting, the Player should have recorded an award of 10 Glory.
# Glory from One-time Honors
If the character has achieved any special honor or ambition last year, this honor should have been recorded on the character sheet.
# Step 5: Prestige Reward
At every full 1,000 points of Glory attained, the Player-knight receives a prestige reward. Note the reward on your character sheet. Prestige rewards may only be spent during the Winter Phase, though the Player may choose not to spend them right away.
Prestige rewards may be used as follows:
To raise any Statistic (a Trait, Passion, Characteristic, Skill, or Combat Skill) by one point. No restrictions apply to the increase, no penalties pertain, and it may increase the critical bonus for Skills over 20. Be sure to refigure Derived Characteristics if a Characteristic increases.
To lower the value of a Passion by 1 point.