Bronze Age Fantasy

[Sepulchrave II]

The British Bronze Age covers the era when the Megalithic monuments like Stonehenge and Avebury were built, along with barrow mounds and various other megaliths.

Stonehenge and Avebury are generally regarded as being late Neolithic structures from the mid 3rd millennium BCE - the structures don't show any evidence of being worked with metal tools. West Kennet long barrow - associated with the Avebury complex - is much older, from around 3700 BCE. Although it's possible that they were still active religious sites into the Bronze Age, Stonehenge may have fallen into disrepair within 50 years of its completion according to Ronald Hutton. I think it's this video here although the whole series is interesting.

Its the rise of the celts in the form of Tuatha De, Formorions and Firbolg, heroes like Cuchulain, Nuada and Bran the Blessed, Druids, Giants and Old Magic. Its also notable for the Atlantic Bronze trade which linked Scotland and Cornwall with Armorica, Galicia and Portugal.

This is where we enter the realm of aetiological myths - the idea of various "waves" of conquering peoples (Nemedians, Milesians etc.) in Ireland is very much a later retrojection, and like all such stories was designed to crystallize group identities and bolster various legitimacy claims. Like other origin myths (Aztecs, Mycenaeans, Hebrews etc.), we are told of a group or groups which overcame by force, although this mytheme seems to obscure the more pedestrian truths of acculturation and emergence from the native populations. Even the Adventus Saxonum is looking pretty sketchy these days.

There are no written sources for Cuchulain prior to the 7th-8th Century CE; his story is set in the First Century BCE, firmly in the Iron Age. Eight hundred years is an awfully long time to trust an oral transmission; it's just as likely that whoever originally penned the Cuchulain myth made it up in 680 or something.

I agree that the Atlantic Bronze Age was a fascinating time, and I am rather sympathetic to Koch and Cunliffe's argument that the Atlantic seaboard was the Urheimat of the Celtic culture, although it remains a minority opinion and Cunliffe can be a bit fringe-y:

Origin of the Celts - "Celtic From The West” Theory Puts Celtic Homelands On Western European Atlantic Coast

Celtic Hegemony In Europe And Beyond At Its Height At one time the Celtic peoples were spread over large parts of Europe and beyond. It is known that by around 275 BC, the Celts' influence and power stretched from the Atlantic seaboard in the west of Europe and included parts of the Iberian...

www.transceltic.com

 

[aramis erak]

A year after this discussion, Osprey published Jackals: Bronze Age Fantasy Roleplaying. I'm reading the basic rules now, and it's making me want to play - or even run - this game.

As was pointed out to me elsewhere, the idiocy of Anthropologists results in a bronze age bronze 1 hand thrusting sword called a rapier, but otherwise sharing no design features in common with the long 1 hand renaissance blades... and that said bronze rapier does appear in Jackals.

Jackals describes itself as a "game of Bronze Age sword and sorcery." I might describe it as a mashup of Conan and the OT book of Judges.

Yeah, pretty much, and using the historically appropriate henotheism for almost all... "our gods are for us, we accept yours are gods, but not our gods."

 

[Arimathean]

As was pointed out to me elsewhere, the idiocy of Anthropologists results in a bronze age bronze 1 hand thrusting sword called a rapier, but otherwise sharing no design features in common with the long 1 hand renaissance blades... and that said bronze rapier does appear in Jackals.

There is no rapier in Jackals (unless it appears in a later supplement). The only blades on the weapons list are dagger, leaf-bladed sword, stabbing sword, scimitar, and khopesh. If any of these is anachronistic, it's probably the scimitar.

 

[aramis erak]

There is no rapier in Jackals (unless it appears in a later supplement). The only blades on the weapons list are dagger, leaf-bladed sword, stabbing sword, scimitar, and khopesh. If any of these is anachronistic, it's probably the scimitar.

Page 35, intro fiction, core rules PDF from this summer.

 

[Arimathean]

Page 35, intro fiction, core rules PDF from this summer.

Thanks. I found it in my hardcover. I suspect it's one of the many (MANY) proofreading errors. I could not find any mention of a rapier in the weapon lists or monster descriptions. But I will keep an eye out for it in future Jackals materials. (My copy of the supplement, Travelers on the War Road, is in the mail.)

 

[aramis erak]

For those wondering... have a link: Great Britain - Rapier (UK Royal Collection Trust site)

 

[Baron Opal II]

For those wondering... have a link: Great Britain - Rapier (UK Royal Collection Trust site)

Well, it is certainly a bronze, 1-handed, thrusting, thin-bladed weapon. I doubt the blade was ever more than 20-22 inches in length. But, they gave it the best appellation they could I'm sure.

And, thanks for the link! Fun to see.

 

[Arimathean]

I'm currently reading the Jackals supplement Travellers on the War Road. It gives a lot of additional detail on each of the four cultures, focusing on social organization, which would be useful to both players and GMs. It offers four new rites for each of the ritualist traditions, effectively doubling the number of available rites. It provides for a number of culturally specific weapons, but no rapier.