Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 8470461" data-attributes="member: 177">So what?&nbsp; I mean, there's probably going to be all sorts of things in the game they didn't have in the actual history - magic, monsters, and stuff, right?&nbsp; Few are playing games with no fantastical elements.&nbsp; So, the game's going to seriously deviate from history regardless.And there's plenty of stuff in ancient worlds we don't bother putting in our games, but that shaped the histories in question - like disease!&nbsp; Smallpox caused such devastation in Imperial Rome that they had to change the laws to adjust for population loss.You totally can.&nbsp; All those slaves are now... low-wage menial workers.&nbsp; Barely earning enough to get by, they cannot put together a stake large enough to change their lot in life.&nbsp; Poof, you're done.&nbsp; There's an illogic to saying &quot;you can't have this game without X&quot; while at the same time ignoring formative elements Y and Z, and adding A, B, and C, which are thoroughly ahistorical, but somehow have no impact on the setting.&nbsp; It is fine to cherry-pick the elements you do and don't want in a game.&nbsp; Embrace doing so, but admit that's what you are doing.&nbsp; You can't cogently use, &quot;But history!&quot; as a justification if the rest of your game has major ahistorical characteristics.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 8470461, member: 177"] So what? I mean, there's probably going to be all sorts of things in the game they didn't have in the actual history - magic, monsters, and stuff, right? Few are playing games with no fantastical elements. So, the game's going to seriously deviate from history regardless. And there's plenty of stuff in ancient worlds we don't bother putting in our games, but that shaped the histories in question - like disease! Smallpox caused such devastation in Imperial Rome that they had to change the laws to adjust for population loss. You totally can. All those slaves are now... low-wage menial workers. Barely earning enough to get by, they cannot put together a stake large enough to change their lot in life. Poof, you're done. There's an illogic to saying "you can't have this game without X" while at the same time ignoring formative elements Y and Z, and adding A, B, and C, which are thoroughly ahistorical, but somehow have no impact on the setting. It is fine to cherry-pick the elements you do and don't want in a game. Embrace doing so, but admit that's what you are doing. You can't cogently use, "But history!" as a justification if the rest of your game has major ahistorical characteristics. [/QUOTE]

Verification