Nobility and Social Rank

In Honor+Intrigue social rank is not a measured or tracked statistic. Careers give some subjective indicators of status. Based on historical cultural mores, Slaves and Prisoners are at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Pirate, Thief, Actor, Brute, and Ruffian are low in status. Farm Boy is open to some interpretation. The Noble/Aristocrat/Courtier career is at the top of the social hierarchy with the other careers somewhat vaguely in the middle. There is also the boon, Knighted which would grant one status similar to that of a Noble. But there are not hard and fast rules and such things are left to table preference and GM whim.

For my campaign, I wanted a quantifiable measure of social status. So I stole one from Flashing Blades. I don't play Flashing Blades (FB), though I own the rules and all the supplements. It seems like a great game. The social ranks in FB are similar to those of a predecessor game, En Garde which I have played. So when I read the FB rules on Social Ranks, I felt right at home. Since Black Vulmea was running a FB campaign and had already done some mods to the Social Ranks systems to more closely fit 1620s France. I also the changes he made to Social Rank.

Social Rank is measured on a scale of 1 to 20. Social Rank 1 represents those on the absolute bottom of the Social Scale; Rank 20 represents the King. When a character achieves a position in any occupation or background, they will have a Rank on the Scale. That position which has the highest Rank on the Scale is the character’s Social Rank.

Social Rank may be higher than indicated on the Social Scale in special circumstances. If the two highest Ranks possessed by a character are equal, count their Social Rank as one higher. A character who is both a Baron and a Magistrate, for example, is Social Rank 11 rather than 10. If four positions are held in one Social Rank, count it as two higher, and so on. In addition, if a character has Great Wealth, add one to their Social Rank.

THE SOCIAL SCALE

Rank	Positions
0	(Slaves)
1	(Peasants, Laborers), Colonial Rogue, Pirate
2	(Townsmen), Colonial Soldier, Marine, Sailor
3	Trooper in a regular company, Missionary, Chief Gunner, Master-at-Arms
4	(Merchants), Sergeant or Subaltern, Priest, Bureaucrat, Moneylender, Ensign, Sailmaster, Pilot’s Mate, Student of Law
5	(Rich Merchants), Lieutenant, Minor Official {Aide to Provincial Lt. Governor, Provincial Sheriff, Village Mayor, or Court Clerk}, First Officer, First Mate, Pilot
6	(Bourgeoisie), Captain of a regular Company, Trooper of a Guards company, Curate, Banker, Fencing Master, Colonial Gentleman, Merchant Captain
7	(Gentlemen), Major of a Regular Company, Sergeant or Subaltern of a Guards company, Pastor, Prior, Official of the Realm {Provincial Lt. Governor, Provincial Tax Collector, Town Mayor, or Court Secretary}, Lawyer, Fencing Master Superior, Town Official, Plantation Owner, Privateer or Warship Captain, Privateer Owner, Colonial Lieutenant Governor
8	(Nobility without title) Lieutenant Colonel of a Regular Company, Lieutenant of a Guards Company, Club Secretary or Treasurer, Investor, Church Canon, Member of a Bishop’s Curia, City Official
9	Chevalier, Seigneur, Martial Magistrate, Colonel of a Regular Regiment, Captain-Lieutenant of a Guards company, Club Chief, Fleet Commander, Abbot
10	Baron (My Lord), Bishop, Magistrate, Noble or Military Order Officer, Major of a Guards Regiment
11	Viscount, Royal Order Officer, Ambassador, Royal Official (Your Excellency), Colonial Governor, Brigadier General, Lt. Colonel of a Guards Regiment
12	Count, Archbishop, Major General, Colonel of a Guards Regiment, Noble or Military Order Master, Admiral
13	Marquis, Lieutenant-General, Court Minister (Your Excellency), Royal Order Master
14	Duke (Your Grace), General, Noble or Military Order Grand Master
15	Archduke, Peer of France, Field Marechal, Prince-Bishop, Minister with Portfolio, Royal Order Grand Master
16	Grand Duke, Cardinal (Your Eminence), Royal Minister
17	Prince of France, Prince of the Blood, Foreign Princes (Your Royal Highness)
18	The Dauphin (Your Royal Highness)
19	The Queen Consort, The Queen Mother, The Regent
20	The King (Your Majesty)

TERMS OF ADDRESS

Emperor..................................... Your Imperial Majesty
King or Ruling Monarch.............................. Your Majesty
Royal Family.................................. Your Royal Highness
Lesser Princes, Reigning Dukes.................... Your Highness
Duke....................................................... Your Grace
Other Noble.................................................. My Lord
Ambassador, Royal Governor.................... Your Excellency
Pope.................................................... Your Holiness
Cardinal.............................................. Your Eminence
Archbishop............................................... Your Grace
Bishop............................................... Your Excellency
Abbot or Mother Superior.................. Your Reverence

There are a lot of nobility without titles or petit nobles in my Honor+Intrigue campaign. Its not surprising since those are often the sorts of people we see in books by authors like Dumas, Sabatini, and Weyman. In my campaign petit noble is the most likely rank for a player who wants to play a noble but who doesn't want to invest in a boon to be a member of a knightly order or gain a higher title. In Flashing Blades terms these are the folks who have a social rank of 8 or 9. Those of SR-8 are called simply Monsieur, but are likely to have a "de" in front of their surname indicating noble ancestry. Those of SR-9 who are not members of a knightly order are called Seigneur and are also likely to have a "de" before their surname. The Seigneur may also have Seigniorial name that differs from their surname, usually something based on the location of their lands.

Amongst the player character's Guy de Bourges and the Seigneur de Chambre both started the game as petit nobles. Guy was untitled with SR-8 though subsequently he was invested as a Chevalier of the Order of the Holy Ghost which increased his social rank to SR-9. The Seigneur de Chambre chose the Great Wealth boon so his social rank is SR-10, SR-9 for being a Seigneur +1 for great wealth. The rich may not be different than the rest of us, but in my campaign, they have a bit more prestige. Gaston Thibeault is a commoner, not a noble petit or otherwise, though his rank as Captain-Lieutenant of the Cardinal's Guards grants him SR-9.

Improving one's social rank provides several advantages for game play. First it ties the PCs to the setting and quantifies how society perceives the PCs and the NPCs in the campaign. PCs who are tied to the social fabric of society are more than just wandering looters or killers for hire. Second it gives the players another dimension for character growth and power beyond wealth. Social rank gives prestige and power beyond that of mere money. And tracking and increasing social rank provides a gradual, smooth, and natural transition of a long campaign to a domain style of play, albeit one set in an early modern setting where carving out a new barony from the wilderness won't happen, though clawing one's way to higher, more important, and more powerful office and to closer proximity to the King, may. Third, social rank provides the mechanics that power an additional type of currency in the game -- favors. Characters gain, use, and give favors. A favor from a powerful personage can be far more valuable than coin. It can smooth the path to promotion or entry into a new career. It may be life itself. 

How do you track social status in your RPGs?