Huw said:
Even if you don't intend to run a period game, they're good inspiration for low magic campaigns. I found Celts and A Mighty Fortress the best.
I have the whole set also, and I thought Vikings and Celts were the best. The only major quibble I have with the books in general is that the designers seemed to err on the side of being safe. That is, they didn't go into a
lot of depth in adapting the game to the setting. Celts and Vikings were the best of them, in my opinion, because they went farther afield in trying to create game rules that fit the setting.
johnsemlak said:
Real history books are always good but I think it's not bad to have RPG books about historical settings because they're written with an RPG in mind. Even if they're not for the system you use.
Books like these deal with classic RPG issues like how to fit D&D wizards in a historical setting like Rome; where you would put clerics in a setting; which classes to use, not use, and/or modify; what prices should be set on various goods, etc.
A good RPG book will also provide ideas for adventure hooks for a D&D adventuring party.
History books can obviously provide a much greater amount of information but will not cover the gamist issues at all.
Yeah, that's the main strength of the HR series. They actually tried to directly deal with using D&D for a historical game. Plus, they provided a decent overview of their era without overwhelming the gamer with historical minutiae.
Infernal Teddy said:
I study history, so real history books aren't a problem in my house. However, it's always nice to have a.) a handy reference, b.) a book written with a game in mind, c.) something that isn't written in high scientific style (Just finished reading a book that deals with the developement of the judicative system of the federal state of Rheinland-Pfalz during the 19th and 20th century. It's 500 pages long, about 300 pages too long...), and finaly, d.) something I can just hand my players together with a one or two page addendum about what I'm changing.
I love the historical GURPS books...
Your list of points really describes the strengths of the HR books, as well as the GURPS historical books. Oddly, though, while I love GURPS sourcebooks in general, their historical ones never really interested me. They seemed very dry to me.
For d20, I am still very disappointed that Green Ronin discontinued its Mythic Vistas line. The ones that directly dealt with historical/mythical eras - I thought they did an outstanding job of adapting the game to the setting, and really dealt with the implications of many of D&D's/d20's tropes being used to model these eras. They covered most of the usual eras - Testament, Skull & Bones, Medieval Player's Manual, The Trojan War, and Eternal Rome - and did so in a thorough, imaginative way. The HR series seem to make for good complements to their Green Ronin counterparts.
