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Message: <blockquote data-quote="aramis erak" data-source="post: 8141123" data-attributes="member: 6779310">Technically, I've never done a proper historical game... but I've run several fantastic¹ settings that are historical in the sense of using a clear divergence point.Pendragon (4th-5th-6th C but Arthurian)Mazes and Minotaurs (boosted by the ICE Rolemaster/Fantasy Hero sourcebook Mythic Greece)RuneQuest III on Fantasy Earth (bronze age) - just a couple one-shotsSpirit of the Century (1920's-1930's.)Vampire: the Dark AgesArs MagicaA number of moderns that have various levels of fantasy, as wellMerc 2000 setting for Twilight 2000 2.0/2.2 - this is the most historic; it only adds more unrestDelta Force - a couple runs of one-shots set in the present, so not technically "historical"Dresden FilesVampire: the Masquerade (1e)Stargate SG-1My MethodsThe prime directive of any setting with a timeline: The timeline diverges to independence the moment the first PC takes an action.Generally, I dive into a setting anyway, so...With Pendragon, I read LeMorte d'Artur - it's good, if repetitive with the genealogies, and the MabinogionI also watched every arthurian film I could. And then just kept to the tone, and pulled interesting bits from the timeline. I also got to know the lay of the land by using Ordinance Survey maps, Google Earth, and the rulebooks. I recommend the films Tristan & Isolde, Excalibur, and the film version of Lerner & Lowe's musical, Camelot. I do not recommend TH White's Once and Future King, as it's essentially anachronisms galore. Any of the pendragon campaign books are excellent sources: The Pendragon Campaign, The Boy King, The Great Pendragon Campaign. I also recommend reading any of the norse sagas for getting into the Saxon mindset.Mazes and Minotaurs I broke out the mythologies and read several. Plus reread a number of Plato's writings. I also used a Mythic Greece supplement for Hero System and Rolemaster. As a kid, bible stories and mythologies were my favored bedtime stories. Plus having watched aa bunch of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. but note that all of the good sources for popular Greece are very much not historic.RuneQuest III deluxe included a Fantasy Earth map, and some excellent guidance. I did no research for it... but it's built on a bronze age baseline. Anything for Greece is a good start. If you're doing Glorantha, the greco-roman mythologies, and any archaeological works you've read/watched are good tools. With Greg's passing, I doubt you'll get gregged as often...For the moderns, since the ones I've used are military, making certain players understand the roles of various ranks is important. The nutshell of that outside combat arms:Field Grade Officers: Delegate and coordinate, compliance and budgeting.Company Grade Officers: technical work, supervise and coordinate, delegating what can be.Senior NCO's Adminsitration and training, shop foremanJunior NCO's team leadership and technical workJunior Enlisted (including non-NCO US E4's: SrAirman, Specialist-4): day to day labor, supervised technical work.Combat arms are different, so I let that be more cinematic, to a point.</blockquote>

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