Lego Castle Factions, Part II: Faction Relationships
In part I of this series on Lego Castle factions, we established the distinct factions and postulated likely original names for each. Now in part II we will explore how these factions engage with each other, using evidence from sets, idea books, and TV advertisements (eventually I will add catalogs and print advertisements).
Faction Interactions in Sets
We start by reviewing all sets featuring the factions mentioned in part I, which span from 1984 to 1993. We exclude sets which include information about just one faction as they do not aid our analysis. For sets which feature only minifigures, we list them but consider them lacking in sufficient information to judge the faction relationship.
| Set | Description | Factions | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
6021-1 Jousting Knights |
A Crusader knight and a Black knight joust. | Crusaders, Black Knights | Competitive |
6040-1 Blacksmith Shop |
A crusader guards the castle wall containing the blacksmith's shop. | Crusaders, Peasants | Cooperative |
6103-2 Castle Figures |
Crusaders standing near Black knights. | Crusaders, Black Falcon | Undetermined |
6055-1 Prisoner Convoy |
Crusaders transport their peasant prisoner. | Crusaders, Peasants | Adversarial |
6102-1 Castle Mini-Figures |
Crusaders standing near Black knights. | Crusaders, Black Knights | Undetermined |
6041-1 Armor Shop |
A Crusader visits a peasant's armor shop. Crests for both Crusaders and Black Knights are displayed, indicating that Peasants serve both. | Crusaders, Villager | Collaborative |
6062-1 Battering Ram |
Crusaders aggressing a Black Knights castle. | Crusaders, Black Knights | Adversarial |
1584-1 Knight's Challenge |
Dragon knights and Crusaders joust at a tournament, served by peasants. | Crusaders, Dragon Knights, Peasants | Competitive |
6103-1 Castle Mini Figures |
Black knights, Crusaders, Forestmen, and a peasant standing near each other. | Black Knights, Crusaders, Peasant, Forestmen | Undetermined |
1974-3 Smuggler's Hayride |
A peasant transports a concealed Forestman in his haycart. | Peasant, Forestmen | Collaborative |
6077-2 Forestmen's River Fortress |
Forestmen hold a Crusader prisoner. | Forestmen, Crusaders | Adversarial |
6042-1 Dungeon Hunters |
Crusaders transport a forestman prisoner. | Crusaders, Forestmen | Adversarial |
6059-1 Knight's Stronghold |
Black knights siege a Dragon Knights stronghold. | Black Knights, Dragon Knights | Adversarial |
6057-1 Sea Serpent |
Black Knights assail a Black Dragon ship. | Black Falcon, Dragon Knights | Adversarial |
Takeaways:
- Most factions are adversarial
- Some factions occasionally put aside fighting for competitive jousting e.g. Crusaders are seen to joust with Dragon Knights or Black Knights
- Peasants cooperate with all other factions and secretly support Forestmen e.g. by smuggling them in haycarts
Faction Interactions in Advertisements
| Advertisement | Description | Factions | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Knight TV Commercial (1987) | In this commercial, Black knight appears and scares the Crusaders into fortifying their castle. A blacksmith helps them prepare. | Black Knights, Crusaders, Peasant | Adversarial |
| Robin Hood TV Commercial (1988) | The narrator says "Robin is imprisoned in the black dragon castle." In the commercial, Robin is a forestman with red arms, quiver, brown hat, and small yellow plume. | Dragon Knights, Forestmen | Adversarial |
Takeaways:
- Black Knights and Forestmen are foes
- Black Knights and Crusaders are foes
Faction Interactions in Idea Books
| Book | Pages | Description | Mood |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idea Book 6000 (1980) | 28-29 | A castle bears emblems of both Crusaders and Black knights and is guarded by both factions and Dragon knights. A Black knight jails a Forestman. Forestmen covertly gather outside to attack. | Adversarial |
| 30-31 | Forestmen live in fortified trees in the forest. One peasant is present. | Friendly | |
| 32-33 | Black Knights and Dragon Knights guard a Dragon Knight castle, soon to be ambushed by Crusaders. | Adversarial | |
| 34-35 | Forestmen and peasants coexist peacefully in a town. | Friendly | |
| Idea Book 200 (1985) | 40-41 | Black knights guard the walls of two strongholds and mingle with Crusaders and peasants outside. | Friendly |
| 42-43 | Black knights guard more walls with peasant carts carrying Crusaders. | Friendly | |
| 44-45 | Crusaders guard a walled town with peasants against various Black knights. | Adversarial | |
| 46-47 | A tournament between Crusaders and Black knights while peasants assist. | Competitive | |
| Back cover | Black knights, Crusaders, and peasants live together peacefully. | Friendly | |
| Idea Book 250 (1987) | 40-41 | Crusaders cart stone to a stone mill and operating a forge, having forcibly recruited Black knights. | Adversarial |
| 42-43 | Crusaders and Black falcons live together in a small town. Some peasants smuggle a peasant in a haycart. | Collaborative | |
| 44-45 | Crusaders build a stone castle, with one Black knight in stocks and another helping cut stone. | Adversarial | |
| 45-46 | Crusaders and Black knights participate in festivities. | Competitive | |
| 47-48 | Crusaders attack a Black knight castle with siege towers and catapults. | Adversarial | |
| Idea Book 260 (1990) | 28-31 | Crusaders in various castles defend against Dragon knight assaults. | Adversarial |
Faction Relationships Analysis Results
Based on the above evidence, factions relate to each other as follows:
| Forestmen | Dragon Knights | Crusaders | Black Knights | Peasants | |
| Forestmen | - | Adversarial | Adversarial | - | Collaborative |
| Dragon Knights | - | - | Competitive to Adversarial | Adversarial | Cooperative |
| Crusaders | - | - | Competitive to Adversarial | Cooperative to Adversarial | |
| Black Knights | - | - | - | - | Cooperative |
| Peasants | - | - | - | - | - |
In the next part of this series, we will examine how these factions evolve over time, with some fading into obscurity and others transforming into new factions.