History (and Background) for D&D

[SHARK]

Greetings!

You did Mmadsen? How on earth did you ever find the book? Let me see...Quest For The Past, Reader's Digest, Copyright 1984. Gold embossed faux leather hardcover, 320 pages.

Contents

(1) Early Man; 100,000 BC-- 4000 BC

(2) The Ancient World; 4000 BC-- 600 BC

(3) The Classical World; 800 BC-- AD 500

(4) The Medieval World; AD 450-- AD 1500

My copy is in mint condition, and it still has that "New Book" scent! Even though I refer to it almost as often as one of the D&D rule books, I handle it with care, as it is indeed a beautiful book. Not so much for the drawings and the sheer size--for there are many that are superior in depth of knowledge, or number of drawings or artwork--but this beautiful book has compiled such a broad range of historical details, picked from a variety of cultures and regions, spanning the centuries, all within one book. I suppose that is its greatest strength. I love this book! I hope you too, Mmadsen, shall enjoy it as much as I do!

Where did you get it from? And, if I may ask, how much was the price? I consider it highly likely that you will indeed love this book, Mmadsen!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[mmadsen]

Where did you get it from? And, if I may ask, how much was the price? I consider it highly likely that you will indeed love this book, Mmadsen!

Naturally I swung by Amazon to see if it was still in print. It wasn't, but it was available used through a number of small booksellers via Amazon Marketplace sellers. We'll see how well that works.

It was only ~$2; shipping bumped that up to ~$6. The copy I ordered is supposedly in "very good" condition. We'll see how that goes.

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Two words:

Hârn World.

Diggit:
www.swordsandshields.com/downloads
www.dndharnguide.addr.com
www.harnlink.com

HarnWorld, HarnManor and 100 Bushels of Rye (Harn adventure module) all offer excellent insights (as well as rules) for how feudal societies operate. The d20 Harn Guide (second link above) shows how to convert 3e games into a Harn setting. This guide (by Shadow of Bukrai) and the excellent material at Swords & Shields.com are what sold me on buying Harn. Go to Swords & Shields and download some of their free pdfs for feudal villages, manors and keeps and see what I mean! They've got everything from budgets to census reports!

BTW: Auran's "Shades of Gray" free module was originally a Harn adventure, Web of the Widow (Harn.de). They stripped out all references to Harn for the online pdf version. I think their Harn license expired or something.

 

[Maldur]

there is a series of small books:

The rotten romans, The groovy greek, The visious vickings etc etc
They are translated in several languages (Ive seen them in English, dutch and german)
Ill add the writers name when I get home.

They are very funny, and filled with small facts about the era's And their very easily writen, I think they were intended to teach kids history in a very fun way. (very funny illustrations as well).

 

[Thorvald Kviksverd]

I'll second Warfare In The Classical World, if only for the evocative illustrations and diagrams. I didn't find the body text nearly as interesting though.

I've had this book for over 20 years now, and it's one of my favorites for the very reason you state.

For a text that gives a bit "meatier" treatment of the period, you might like to check out Greece and Rome at War by Peter Connolly. His familiarity with the equipment is particularly in depth--he even goes so far as to construct reproductions himself. In particular, many of the weights given for various weapons and armour are quite illuminating.

BTW, if you're interested in equipment, I find some of the newer works that use historical reenactors (rather than drawings) to be very useful in helping to visualize the settings...

Roman Army, Wars of the Empire by Graham Sumner, Brassey's

Barbarian Warriors: Saxons, Vikings, Normans by Dan & Susan Shadrake, Brassey's

Medieval Military Costume Recreated in Colour Photographs by Gerry Enbleton, Europa Militaria Special No8

The Vikings Recreated in Colour Photographs by Nurmann, Schulze & Verhülsdonk, Europa Militaria Special no6

Viking Weapons & Warfare by J. Kim Siddorn, Tempus

For a less "fantastical", and more historical presentation of medieval swordplay see Medieval Swordsmanship, Illustrated Methods and Techniques by John Clements, Paladin Press. He also has a text on Renaissance Swordsmanship, but I haven't been able to acquire a copy yet. (You might find some additional information at The Historical Armed Combat Association's website)

 

[BOZ]

Medieval Warfare, Hans Delbrück

that's fine and all, but remember: if you can't get his brain, don't take abby normal's!

 

[Thorvald Kviksverd]

that's fine and all, but remember: if you can't get his brain, don't take abby normal's!

His brain...or mine?


Sorry, couldn't resist

 

[mmadsen]

For a text that gives a bit "meatier" treatment of the period, you might like to check out Greece and Rome at War by Peter Connolly.

I just got a copy for Christmas. Another beautiful book.

His familiarity with the equipment is particularly in depth--he even goes so far as to construct reproductions himself. In particular, many of the weights given for various weapons and armour are quite illuminating.

I may have to bump it up in my reading list.

For a less "fantastical", and more historical presentation of medieval swordplay see Medieval Swordsmanship, Illustrated Methods and Techniques by John Clements, Paladin Press. He also has a text on Renaissance Swordsmanship, but I haven't been able to acquire a copy yet. (You might find some additional information at The Historical Armed Combat Association's website.)

By the way, The Historical Armed Combat Association (HACA) is now the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA). It's still at thehaca.com. It's a great site full of articles, including images from Renaissance fighting manuals. ("Unless the enemy has not studied his Agrippa...which I have." Name that movie!)

 

[hong]

the Spartan stand against the Persians at Thermopylae.

Well, duh, it's really very simple. Troops from Sparta, the capital of Laconia, were holding the pass of Thermopylae (an obscure Greek word meaning, roughly, "game over") against the Persians. The Persian king, Alexander, sent them a message saying that if he won, he would raze Sparta to the ground, kill all the men, and enslave all the women and children. The Spartans replied back, saying, "If!"

(I still need to read Thucydides.)

The bit where he runs nekkid into the street yelling "Eureka!" (another obscure Greek word meaning, roughly, "yow, it's hot") after discovering the steam engine is the best bit.

 

[mmadsen]

I was just looking at my original list of questions, and I'm wondering if anyone knows any good books that would answer those questions (not just questions of military history):

How does policing work in a medieval city? What happens to a group of adventurers who show up at the city gates? Who gets an audience with the king, how are they treated, how are they supposed to address the king? Who wields what power, and what they might be fighting over. How does money work? Are there bankers? How do they protect their money? What's a merchant caravan like?