Historically Themed Campaigns/Settings

[I'm A Banana]

I'm all for historical flavor, but I *loathe* it when people try to emulate history with any semblance of accuracy.

Basically, I put the D&D archetypes through the wringer, get rid of alignment restrictions for the classes, and pull them out the other side changed and better for it.

Who says that Athens and Sparta can't be Elves and Dwarves?

Who says Wizards can't exist in, say Christianized Europe?

I just take the abilities, and cast them in a likely analogue, or just think about what would happen with the various racial cultures in the various time periods.

I like the idea of "D&D with Zeus and Ares." I don't like the idea of "It's Greece, but with some rare magic that you can't use!"

 

[evildm]

I'm all for historical flavor, but I *loathe* it when people try to emulate history with any semblance of accuracy.

Basically, I put the D&D archetypes through the wringer, get rid of alignment restrictions for the classes, and pull them out the other side changed and better for it.

Who says that Athens and Sparta can't be Elves and Dwarves?

Who says Wizards can't exist in, say Christianized Europe?

I just take the abilities, and cast them in a likely analogue, or just think about what would happen with the various racial cultures in the various time periods.

I like the idea of "D&D with Zeus and Ares." I don't like the idea of "It's Greece, but with some rare magic that you can't use!"

I'm more of this mind as well, but to each their own, right? If one guy wants Dragons running the Roman empire, while another wants it to be as accurate as possible, then more power to them. Neither is wrong or better.

Also, as an aside, I'm very impressed by the number of responses this thread has garnered, it's a good discussion, keep it up!

 

[evildm]

At the moment, no, I'm not running a historically-themed campaign.

In the past, however, I have run campaigns set in fantasy versions of Egypt and Rome, and I've been considering Viking and Chivalric Western Europe.

I'm also planning to do an OA mini-campaign, but I don't know if that qualifies as historically-based or just historical culture-based. (There's a subtle difference.)

Well, it does apply in that the thread is about historical culture-based campaigns (what I meant by "Themed"), but it also doesn't apply because said campaign is using OA, which I figure alot of people are using now. It's more interesting to hear (IMHO) if people are playing any different-than-the-norm D&D campaigns (that is, not being medieval europe, etc), and if so, how they did it and how well it went.

 

[Tonguez]

I've done

16th/17th Century alternate Europe (based loosely on Solomon Kane meets Baron Munchausen meets my imagination) which also includes Caribbean Bucaneers (based on Tim Powers 'On Stranger Tides') - may have been too eclectic. However recently checked out Septentrionalis an online homebrew set in 17th century America (I like)

My current campaign is set in Mythic Polynesia but does include real historic events (according to the local traditional history) eg the Tongan political expansion into Samoa and Fiji, the War of the Twins in the Australs, the discovery of Rapanui (Easter Island), and its subsequent 'fall', the rise of Kamehameha in Hawaii and many others. Had to make cultural changes to 3e standard (PCs are members of communities, no mammals, no riding skill - replaced by Waka handling, some changes to classes and races, more nature-themed magic, few (if any) underground dungeons, a lot of Ship-based and underwater adventuring)
This is great and because its an area I know well I'm loving it

I also had a Yuan Empire campaign based very loosely on the Mongol Empire (included most of Khitai (Asia) and 'Eastern Europe'. Because if wa only loosely based (Genghis was dead and his son in power) I was still free to run general adventures and because of the nature of the Empire - East meets West, Religious freedom et al I could have any class and race I wanted from DnD or OA.

I've been considering Viking and Chivalric Western Europe.

Um isn't the default DnD pretty much chivalric Western Europe and a touch of viking (Barbarians with rage!)?

 

[Mouseferatu]

Um isn't the default DnD pretty much chivalric Western Europe and a touch of viking (Barbarians with rage!)?

Nope, not anymore.

Maybe back in 1st or 2nd edition you could've made a case for that. Not with 3rd.

Note: What follows is not to be taken as either a positive or negative comment; it just is.

3rd edition has seriously ramped up the fantasy, and ramped down the historical influence. They've gotten away from feudal Europe, and more towards a traditional "generic" fantasy. Yes, it's closer to Western Europe than anything else, but it's still not that close. Look at Greyhawk or the Forgotten Realms (which, like them or hate them, do closely represent the "default" D&D style). Now read some of the legends of King Arthur or Robin Hood. I think, quality aside, that you'll find drastic differences in style and setting.

Here's an experiment. Run a brief D&D game exactly out of the book. Then run a game set in, say, Rome. Then try to run a game set in King Arthur's Camelot, the Empire of Charlemagne, or any other version of Western Europe/the British Isles. I'm willing to bet that you have to do just as much tweaking to get the right feel and details of the Arthurian as you will the Roman.

 

[Teflon Billy]

I find Avalanche a bit variable. I agree that Black Flags is impressive, I also bought Greenland Saga by the same author, Mike Bennighof, and found it very interesting, but Ragnarok! by a different author had pretty much nothing in it you wouldn't get in a standard 'Norse Mythos' entry in an encyclopedia or Deities & Demigods etc, it was a big disappointment.

Actually, point taken there S'mon. Their Norse thing didn't do much for me either. Their Egyptian thing (Despite being historically accurate and well done) didn't, Idon't know, grip me either.

Mostly just the two produicts that I mentioned...but they were so good

 

[Teflon Billy]

Re: Avalanche's Ragnarok supplement

Regarding Avalanche's Ragnarok supplement...

WORST COVER ART EVER

...and I'm usually a booster for Avalanche's cheesecake covers.

But I mean come on! The arrow in this chicks bow is pointing off into nowhere? She's standing like a stripper. If you put heels on the boots it might explain why her feet are like that.

My friend Jay laughed himself senseless at the picture, and he's a total hound for that "Sword and Sorcery Scantily Clad Chick" art

Anyway, back to your normally programmed thread

 

[bmcdaniel]

Mythic Polynesia? Tell me more ...

Tonguez-

The idea of mythic Polynesia fascinates me! Can you give me pointers to source material?

BM

 

[kenjib]

Here's something on Hawaii:

http://www.royalty.nu/America/Hawaii.html

It's a really rich setting for adventure.

 

[Maerdwyn]

I'm a sucker for historically themed campaigns - currently running an orcish invasion of the PCs homeland patterned after the Saxon invasions of Britain, albeit a Britain less heavily influenced by Rome.

I'm currently working on my first to-be-published book (Along with board member Hal Whitewyrm and another gentleman) for Earth 1066. It will be a supplement focusing on roleplaying in the Eastern Mediterranean during a fictionalized eleventh century. (BTW, this is also the first time my degree in Islamic and Near Eastern history has actually been useful to me professionally. I'm pretty excited abut it )