History (and Background) for D&D

[mmadsen]

Any good reading on Byzantium? Any good reading on Persia, India, China, or Japan?

As far as mythic China, I found an on-line version of The Romance of Three Kingdoms.

 

[hong]

Any good reading on Byzantium? Any good reading on Persia, India, China, or Japan?

As far as mythic China, I found an on-line version of The Romance of Three Kingdoms.

Mang, I just hate to see mmadsen's clones talking to themselves like this. Here's a URL, from the Faculty of Asian Studies here at the ANU:

Cao Cao and the Three Kingdoms

 

[mmadsen]

[Here's a URL, from the Faculty of Asian Studies here at the ANU:

Cao Cao and the Three Kingdoms

It reads like something SHARK would write about the far eastern reaches of his campaign world:

Cao Cao was born in 155 AD, a subject of the dynasty of Later Han. His father, Cao Song, was the adopted son of a eunuch at court, and rose through influence and bribery to the highest position in the imperial bureaucracy. Cao Cao himself occupied a number of middle-range posts at the capital until 189, when the general Dong Zhuo took advantage of a failed coup d'etat and claimed power for himself.

The civil war which followed destroyed the authority of the empire, and for ten years the heart of China was ravaged and ruined by ragged armies of adventurers, in an infinite permutation of alliances and treachery.

From this confusion, Cao Cao emerged in triumph. He established a coherent government with the Emperor as his puppet, and by 200, when he defeated his chief rival in battle by the Yellow River, he was the master of north China.

This could make for a very cool campaign world.

 

[mmadsen]

Mmadsen my friend, well, I would say that The Grand Strategy of The Roman Empire is more readable than a dense academic work--but it doesn't take shortcuts on the logic, historiography, or academic scholarship of the details discussed in the book. Having said that--yes it is readable, but considerably more chewy to digest than reading People magazine!

OK, it sounds like one more for my reading list -- but chewy books often end up lower on the list.

With Caesar's Legions, yes, it is a Osprey Military special edition, Copyright 2000, with 142 pages, hardcover. This is one of my favorite books on the Roman Army. It covers the evolution of the Roman soldier and his weapons and equipment from 753 BC--117 AD. The color drawings are really beautiful, and they provide excellent views from different angles and approaches to the Roman soldier. An excellent volume!

I think you've sold me, SHARK. If you say it's one of your favorite books on the Roman Army -- and its full of beautiful color art -- then I think it belongs on my list.

Any suggestions for books on Byzantium? Or Persia, India, or China?

 

[Orcus]

You want a book about ancient civilizations, politics, war and stories filled with great NPC ideas and plot lines?

Go to the source. The original. The father of it all:

Herodotus' History

Clark

 

[mmadsen]

You want a book about ancient civilizations, politics, war and stories filled with great NPC ideas and plot lines? Go to the source. The original. The father of it all: Herodotus' History

Excellent suggestion, Clark/Orcus. I'm embarrassed to say that I've never read Herodotus' History, but I just started reading some excerpts on-line. Fantastic! Definitely "filled with great NPC ideas and plot lines"!

How do they make history class so damnably boring in high school when the source material is so fascinating? I could watch History Channel documentaries all day long, but high school textbooks put me to sleep.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Barbara Tuchman's "A Distant Mirror" is an excellent book for insights into life in the 14th century... I recommend it highly.

 

[Voadam]

I don't know, I'm in the middle of Herodotus right now and I consider it only OK. Maybe its the translation I'm reading. It is filled with folklore, alternative folklore explanations, and political intrigues so it has good material there, but it is just not a great read.

 

[RavenSinger]

I might suggest William Manchester's short and somewhat fluffy read "A World Lit Only By Fire." Some of the descriptions of the corruption and debauchery of the monarchs and papacy of the time (Dark and Middle Ages) is just great for imagery for Lawful Evil religious cults etc.

Just my two cp.
--RavenSinger

 

[mmadsen]

I'm still surprised that I haven't received any suggestions for books on Byzantium. Or Persia, India, or China.

As far as China's concerned, it sounds like the novels Outlaws of the Marsh and The Romance of the Three Kingdoms should convey the feel, but I still have no nonfiction suggestions.