Magic-using Riot Cops?

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Culture20

At TL3, the rioters *are* your army. Few lords could pay a standing army, so it would be locals joining a battle either pressed or as mercenaries. If the locals are rioting, that's your army. Hopefully you didn't train them before the last skirmish.

That's a Eurocentric picture. TL 3 China had a rather better financed military at least part of the time.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

That's a Eurocentric picture. TL 3 China had a rather better financed military at least part of the time.

So did particular areas of Europe.

[Culture20]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

That's a Eurocentric picture. TL 3 China had a rather better financed military at least part of the time.

And they were closer to TL4

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Harbinjer

The question is how does a city in that situation keep the peace when there are magic users throwing around fireballs (or worse).

You say this as though the Mages would not be in charge. They'd throw-down hard with any Wizard that stepped out of line... of course, just like the nobles, that line is probably blurry and there is a lot they can get away with.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Culture20

At TL3, the rioters *are* your army.

Not if you are, say, the Roman or Byzantine emperor. The political enfeeblement of the barbarian west was not a technological universal.

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

Not if you are, say, the Roman or Byzantine emperor. The political enfeeblement of the barbarian west was not a technological universal.

True. The situation was very much a cultural/social issue, than in most of Western Europe strongly coincided with a large part of Technology Level 3. It is (IMHO) plausible that you could have a civilization that mostly looks like Fantasy Medieval England, but that has a paid standing army lead by wizard-knights, or something like that.

[dcarson]

In a city a riot would be mainly composed of the poor and some of the lower and younger edge middle class like students and apprentices. The city militia would be shop-owners, guild members and other such middle class types lead by the ruling class. So militia vs riot would be quite possible. The magic users would be either a guild members or part of the ruling class I'd expect.

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by dcarson

In a city a riot would be mainly composed of the poor and some of the lower and younger edge middle class like students and apprentices. The city militia would be shop-owners, guild members and other such middle class types lead by the ruling class. So militia vs riot would be quite possible. The magic users would be either a guild members or part of the ruling class I'd expect.

Depending on the local laws, faith, and style of magic, they might be part of the priestly class, which may or may not be separate from the ruling class. There could be active magic-users on both sides of a riot, just as you could sometimes have priests on both sides of a medieval riot.

Divine Favor is less likely to be on both sides, unless different gods are being called on, or the god is really hands-off on what their followers do with their power (or at least doesn't object in this context, like some depictions of war gods).

[Agemegos]

In mediaeval Crete there were sometimes riots in the streets of Limmasol between different holy fighting orders over who got to bury the body of a rich pilgrim who had died.

( Secret reason: whichever party buried a rich pilgrim got to keep his or her baggage. )

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by dcarson

In a city a riot would be mainly composed of the poor and some of the lower and younger edge middle class like students and apprentices.

Or it would be a brawl between the retainers of rival noble families, or between the supporters of rival chariot-racing organisations, or between rival candidates for election as bishop, or between supporters of the emperor and supporters of the pope, or between monophysites and trinitarians, or between Greeks and Jews, or between Christians and pagans….