500 AD Campaign

[xanth_ih]

Hi,



I am starting a historical campaign set in 500-ish AD in Constantipole. The basic premise will focus on the division bewteen the east and west church (Eastern Archbishop scheming to get on equal footing with the Western Pope.....both sides are hunting for religious artifacts and PCs get mixed up in the middle of it) as a backdrop we have the plauge of Justinian killing off Folks and them pesky Sassinids invadig from the East and Barbarian Kingdoms from the west.

Can anyone help me with

- Additional story ideas
- Maps of Constatiople from this period
- Descriptions of major cities of this era
- Info on what the areas between Constantinople and Persia was like at this time

Ive googled and wikied the interet to death and still have gaps in my knowledge particuarally the last 3 items listed above..

 

[pauljathome]

Hi,



I am starting a historical campaign set in 500-ish AD in Constantipole..

I don't think that they have anything that DIRECTLY covers what you're interested in but I highly recommend the Osprey series of books. They have lots covering Roman history (mostly Western but also with a fair bit of Eastern).

Depending on how accurate you need to be stealing things from a century or two either way can still often work out very well.

And the pictures are always so nice to look at

 

[edemaitre]

Byzantine game

Try the D20 "Last Days of Constantinople," any D20 or GURPS book on imperial Rome or the early Middle Ages, and other games set in late antiquity, such as "Fvlminata," "Cthulhu Invictus," and BRP "Rome."

You should also think about themes for your campaign -- is it about the civilized Byzantine Greeks against the rising barbarian hordes of Europe, Asia, and Arabia, or is it more about machinations in the decadent eastern Roman empire? Is the church (east or west) a force for compassion, knowledge, and order, or of imperialist and patriarchal oppression? Your initial scenario suggests both.

What professions would your typical Player Characters have? Soldiers, spies, bureaucrats? Mercenaries, scholars, bounty hunters, missionaries? Although the western empire collapsed shortly before 500 A.D./C.E., the eastern one lasted for almost another millennium. Much of what we take for granted about Slavic society is derived from the Greeks and Romans through the Byzantine empire, just as the west gets much of its literature, the Napoleonic code, and architecture from the western one via the Renaissance.

By the time Crusaders and Ottoman Turks sacked Constantinople, it had been gradually declining, but in 500, it was still rising, a vital center of art, culture, and learning, with Varangian guards (Viking hirelings), tolerance of homosexuality and other faiths, and enough wealth to maneuver around potential foes. The trade cities of northeastern Italy, such as Venice, benefited from being part of the eastern empire.

Good luck, and happy gaming!

 

[Gilladian]

I believe Jack7 runs a very similar campaign. You might find him and chat, or search for some of his old threads.

I strongly recommend the GURPS supplements mentioned as well; and this site:Ancient World Mapping Center for maps of anywhere in the ancient world...

 

[xanth_ih]

Thanks for the tips, this campaig is shaping up nicely. Im keepig it low majic, so I have allowed clerics and majic users, with the limitation of no obvious majical effects (ie charm, sleep spells ok but no fireballs, ect) should be interesting ....

 

[Greenfield]

A quick Google of Ancient Constantinople Maps got me a few that look promising.

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This next one shows a view of the district around the palace.

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While these may or may not date to the exact period you're working with, they should have some use to you. I've found period maps, with their oddities, to add greatly to game color.

By chance I'm involved in a game that's set in about the same period, though in our world Christianity never took off.

One bit of fun I found with maps was that there's an island in the Agean sea that appears on some maps and not on others. It's the legendary isle of Lesbos, and we've joked about it as the "vanishing island" that isn't always there.

Remember that map making was far from a precise art, so don't be afraid to present the group with maps that disagree. The fun you can have with the differences are near endless.

 

[Empirate]

You may want to note that, at 500 A.D., the eastern and western churches weren't separated. The Great Schism only happened in 1054. You may be thinking of the Council of Chalcedon (451), which separated some eastern churches (the monophysite churches, e.g. the Copts) from the rest - this did not, in fact, impact the more-or-less cordial relations between Constantinople and Rome.

BTW, Constantinople didn't have an archbishop. It had a patriarch, which is slightly better and sounds grander to boot... but the official head of the church was the emperor.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Just a thought: if you're keeping it low magic, instead of limiting spell selectionS for wizards & clerics, why not choose different arcane & divine casting classes?

Not only could you then opt for the relatively weaker casting classes- beefing them up as need be- but you may find they fit the campaign setting better in terms of abilities and flavor.

 

[Dandu]

I suggest Truenamer!

 

[saskganesh]

GG Kaye`s 2 book Sarantium series is set in an alternate Byzantium (Sarantium) in this same period. Read those for some convincing atmosphere and some real Byzantine intrique.