Awesome stuff then Ruben!

Quote from: Ruben;461448the conversion of pagans, the seduction of pagan princesses

And, please, don't leave out the opportunity to play some serious kick-ass paladinette like Bradamant (who married Ruggiero after converting him). I already have a (female) player of mine in mind for this kind of character

Also very excited about this. I stumbled into the Charlamagne stories through the side door after reading L. Sprague De Camp's take on Orlando Furioso and The Faerie Queene in one of his fantasy novels. After finishing that book, I found copies of the referenced works and moved on from there.

Pendragon did such a wonderful job of capturing the Arthurian cycle that I'm sure this project will also be a joy to read and play.

QuoteAnd, please, don't leave out the opportunity to play some serious kick-ass paladinette like Bradamant (who married Ruggiero after converting him). I already have a (female) player of mine in mind for this kind of character

Bradamant is rather an exception. The only other story in which a woman takes on the role of a knight is in "Lion de Bourges", where Lion's mother Alis fights as 'sir Ballian' for a while (until she slays a giant and the emir's daughter wants to mary her!). So, based on these two examples game masters may indeed decide to allow exceptional female knight characters -- even though female knights do not smoothly fit in a carolingian society. (Note that this  choice already exists in Pendragon.)

What? Miracles? Giants? What is this shit?

For those of you who'd be interested, here is the list of used primary sources:

Sources (chansons de geste)

Aiol
Ami and Amile
Anseis of Carthago
Aquilon of Bavaria
Aquin of Brittany
Aspremont, The Song of  –

* Aymeri de Narbonne Cycle
Garin of Monglane’s Childhood
Garin of Monglane
Aymeri of Narbonne
Girart of Vienne
The Narbonnais
Siege of Barbastre, The –
Guibert of Andrenas
Conquest of Cordoba, The –
Death of Aymeri of Narbonne, The –
Bueves of Commarchis
Galien the Restored

Bertrada Broadfoot
Charlemagne and Elegast
Daurel and Beton
Destruction of Rome, The –
Doon of La Roche
Elie of Saint Giles
Fierabras
Floris and Blancheflour
Four Sons of Aymon, The –
Gaufrey
Girart of Roussillon
Gormont and Isembard

* Guillaume Cycle
Guillaume’s Childhood
Coronation of Louis, The –
Handcart of Nîmes, The –
Conquest of Orange, The –
Vivien’s Childhood
Vivien’s Knighthood
Aliscans
Bueves of Commarchis
Barbastre, The Siege of –
Battle of Loquifer, The –
Rainouart the Monk
Guillaume the Monk
Song of Guillaume, The –
Foulque of Candie

Hildebrand, The Lay of –
Huon of Bordeaux

* Karlamagnus Saga
Life of Charlemagne, The –
Olive and Landri
Ogier the Dane
King Agolant
Widukind the Saxon
Otuel
Voyage of Charlemagne, The –
William Shortnose
Death of Charlemagne, The –

Lion of Bourges

* Lorrains Cycle
Hervis of Metz
Garin the Lorrain
Gerbert of Metz
Anseïs of Metz
Fromondin’s Vengeance

Mainet
Maugis of Aigremont

* Nanteuil Cycle
Doon of Nanteuil
Aye of Avignon
Guy of Nanteuil
Duchess Parise

Orson of Beauvais
Otinel
Ralph the Collier
Raoul of Cambrai

* Roland Cycle
Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle, The –
Roland at Saragossa
Roland and Ferragut
Song of Roland, The –
Roland Furious
Roland In Love

Saxons, The Song of the –
Siege of Milan, The –
Simon of Apulia
Sultan of Babylon, The –
Voyage of Charlemagne, The –

Rejected epics

Floovent
Jourdain of Blaye
Knight of the Swan (The –)
Loyhier and Malart
Morgante
Valentin and Nameless
Tristan of Nanteuil
Vivien of Monbranc

Quote from: Settembrini;461558What? Miracles? Giants? What is this shit?

It's the Matter of France, not historical Charlemagne.

So it starts in 767, when does it end?  And is the style of the chronology going to be in the same format, and therefore as awesome, as the Great Pendragon Campaign?

RPGPundit

QuoteSo it starts in 767, when does it end? And is the style of the chronology going to be in the same format, and therefore as awesome, as the Great Pendragon Campaign?

The chronology finishes at Charlemagne's death in 814 (after the Quest of the Last Paladin = Huon of Bordeaux) and will be presented in a double format: the main events + related epics/adventure ideas in a boxed side-text. It will not, however, be as extensive as the Great Pendragon Campaign, which is a thick book in itself. The Paladins chronology will probably cover about 40 pages 'only'.

Still, I do try to make it as awesome as I can...

Cool! I want a copy!

So what's a good start for reading these tales, in English and fairly easy to find? Bulfinch's Legends of Charlemagne? Is there a newer collection that's superseded it, similar to how Edith Hamilton's works did for the Classical mythologies?

I've read a book on the real Charlemagne recently and remember the old TSR book on him, but neither are IIRC what this thread is about.

I like Gustav Dore's illustrations for Orlando Furioso but suspect the actual work will be simliar to say The Fairie Queene, and not an introductary work.

On a similar note, is there something similar for Charlemange to Thomas Malory for Arthur, a definative collection of tales?

QuoteSo what's a good start for reading these tales? .. Is there something similar for Charlemagne to Thomas Malory for Arthur, a definative collection of tales?

If only...
Most of these epics aren't even readily available in French!
The main works are:

Retellings

-- James Baldwin & Peter Hurd, Story of Roland, various editions
-- Thomas Bulfinch, Legends of Charlemagne, various editions

Original epics

-- The Song of Roland (available as Penguin)
-- Chanson de Guillaume and La Prise d'Orange, ed. Philip E. Bennett (London, 2001)
-- Guillaume d'Orange: Four Twelfth-Century Epics, ed. Joan M. Ferrante (New York, 2001)
-- Karlamagnus saga: The saga of Charlemagne and his heroes (Toronto, 1980)
-- The Four Sons of Aymon, ed. Alice Boden (London, 1978)
-- Orlando Furioso, Ludovico Ariosto (Oxford, 2008)
-- Orlando Innamorato, Matteo Boiardo (Oxford, 1995)

Apart from the retellings (which focuss on the two Italian romances and The Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle) and The Song of Roland, you'll probably need to visit a university library or pay a good sum of money to get a second hand copy via some online library.

That's why the Paladins book will give a short summary of all 80 epics used to establish the chronology.

Finally, there exist three original Old English epics (The Siege of Milan, The Sultan of Babylon and Ralph the Collier):
-- Three Middle English Charlemagne Romances, ed. Alan Lupack (Kalamazoo, 1990)

So, best start with The Song of Roland and then continue with Bulfinch. I should warn you that Bulfinch's versions of some stories are not what I consider to be canonical. And since Bulfinch ignores the entire cycles of the Narbonnais and thus the Guillaume Cycle, you should also read at least one of the above texts about Guillaume.

Have a nice read!

Quote from: Ruben;461576The chronology finishes at Charlemagne's death in 814 (after the Quest of the Last Paladin = Huon of Bordeaux) and will be presented in a double format: the main events + related epics/adventure ideas in a boxed side-text. It will not, however, be as extensive as the Great Pendragon Campaign, which is a thick book in itself.

But of course we are altready waiting for the "Great Charlemagne Campaign" companion :cool:

Quote from: Ruben;461557Bradamant is rather an exception. The only other story in which a woman takes on the role of a knight is in "Lion de Bourges", where Lion's mother Alis fights as 'sir Ballian' for a while (until she slays a giant and the emir's daughter wants to mary her!).

Don't forget Marfisa, Ruggiero's sister in both "Orlando Innamorato" and "Orlando Furioso" - and warrior-queen of India (she started as a slave and ended up conquering seven kingdoms, Conan-like). Marfisa later joins Charlemagne's army. When Ruggiero is killed by a traitor she and Bradamant raze the killer's hometown to the ground all by themselves - no armies needed, no prisoners taken.

Then there is Clorinda, of course, but in the later "Gierusalemme Liberata" by Torquato Tasso, which is set during the Crusades.

QuoteDon't forget Marfisa, Ruggiero's sister in both "Orlando Innamorato" and "Orlando Furioso" - and warrior-queen of India (she started as a slave and ended up conquering seven kingdoms, Conan-like). Marfisa later joins Charlemagne's army. When Ruggiero is killed by a traitor she and Bradamant raze the killer's hometown to the ground all by themselves - no armies needed, no prisoners taken.

Then there is Clorinda, of course, but in the later "Gierusalemme Liberata" by Torquato Tasso, which is set during the Crusades.

Indeed, you are quite right. The Italian romances allow for more active female roles, but they are not my prime source of inspiration since they are generally of a much later date than the original epics of the 12th and 13th century (some even date from the 11th). Tasso and Pulci are altogether beyond my scope, as are the numerous side narratives from Boiardo and Ariosto. But for a GM looking for inspiration, they remain a great source of romantic fantasy adventures (as opposed to the feudal crusader-spirited epics).