Arcane Europa, 1700s

[Dirigible]

I'm in the process of adapting one of my old campaigns. Originally, it was set in a thinly veiled fictionalised Europe, ala the Warhammer World or 7th Sea's Theah. However, I now want to set it in the real world, during the early 1700's.

Problem: I find I know bugger all about this time period, and don't have any decent encyclopedias.

Google has proved unusually unhelpful; can anyone recommend any websites, books (whether fiction or fact), movies, or other resources dealing with this time period before I mosey down to the library and consult weightier tomes?

 

[alsih2o]

i got - http://www.mediahistory.umn.edu/time/1700s.html and tons more form typing "1700s" into google.

go back, try your seach differently.

one of the advantages you have in gaming in the past is drastically different tech timelines. unlike today, just because something is invented or started doesn't mean it neccesarily spread everywhere immediately.

put them as workers for a very early tobacco company, and have them uncover the demons that reside in the evil weed

 

[Psion]

I'm in the process of adapting one of my old campaigns. Originally, it was set in a thinly veiled fictionalised Europe, ala the Warhammer World or 7th Sea's Theah. However, I now want to set it in the real world, during the early 1700's.

Aw... here I thought you were going to set a game under the ice of Europa, a moon of Jupiter.

 

[Dirigible]

Yes, with fearsome magic-wielding protoameboa. Or even better, those bush-blobby things from 2010.

 

[Byrons_Ghost]

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/reference.aspx

I find Encarta to be quite handy for researching game stuff. Especially if it's historical- you can get a much better overview, whereas there's no telling what individual sites will focus on.

You might want to take a look at things like 7th Sea or Skull & Bones. I don't know how historically accurate they are, but there might at least by some equipment and classes you can steal. I think Skull & Bones also has a low-magic type of system.

GURPS does a lot of good sourcebooks if you can find one for the period. They have a few different versions of their Swashbucklers book out, but I don't know what time periods it covers.

Sounds like it's time for a trip to the FLGS! Or, perhaps, the local library...

 

[ConnorSB]

I'd go read Neal Stevenson's Quicksilver. Its all.. big and good and Stevenson-y.

 

[Dirigible]

i got - http://www.mediahistory.umn.edu/time/1700s.html and tons more form typing "1700s" into google.

go back, try your seach differently.

I understand waht your saying, alsih2o. I found plenty of timelines when I searched, but you cannot imagine how useless it is to have History of the Media 1700-1800, History of Banking 1700-1800, Queer History 1700-1800, Deaf History 1700-1800, without an overview of the period.

 

[Tonguez]

Novels: The Adeventures of Gulliver, Moll Flanders, Tom Browns School Days- these are all set in the era. Solomon Kane is a century earlier but the story ideas could fit no problem...

and iirc The Alvin Maker series (Orson Scott Card) is 1700s America

Really you can roll 1600 - 1800 up into a single era and most people wont know the difference. Just remember its 'early colonial, pre-industrial and early scientific revolution'

oh and don't forget Napolean...

 

[Dirigible]

Really you can roll 1600 - 1800 up into a single era and most people wont know the difference. Just remember its 'early colonial, pre-industrial and early scientific revolution'

I had that idea myself I kept think 'now, how can I get Hornblower into this setting"

That's helpful, tonguez; cheers.

 

[DrZombie]

I don't know how well-endowed you are (financially, stop grinning), but whenever i get it in my head to start a new histoorical campaign I allways find it very usefull to go to a second-hand bookstore, you'd be amazed about the amount of cheap treasures you find (and about the amount of noise my wife makes when I bring home another couple of dusty old books that won't fit on my overcrowded bookshelves).
Libraries are imho kinda poor on the history thing (especially in the states).

Seventh sea is a nice system but totally inaccurate.