Really an hw-rules issue but off the top of my head, one way to handle weregild in abstract HW terms would be using Wealth. In order to pay weregild for someone you have killed test your wealth against theirs (i.e. the resources you can call on from your clan against his economic value to his clan). This is not a suggestion that the weregild is equivalent to something else that can be bought for the same price. Just because leather armor is 15 this is not a suggestion that Garrath weregild is a suit of leather armor, it is a comparison of your ability to pay and his worth. So values would be:
Stickpicker: 5
Cottar:10 (interpolated this one)
Carl: 15
Thane,Godar: 5W
Clan chief,important priests : 15W
Tribal king, high priests : 10W2
You might allow augmenting the wealth with Know Heortling Laws, Bargain etc.
Failure on the contest might indicate permanent wealth reductions as your clan bail you out, or in the case of complete defeat outlawry.
If players kin are killed I would not increase their wealth if they obtained compensation, but you might want to decrease it if they do not gain compensation for killed kinfolk.
Just a brain dump and it still does not tell you how many cows it is for role-playing purposes.
Ian
Powered by hypermail