Books have been around (in some form) since they invented writing. Printing made reading and writing more accessible since the medium was much cheaper. A variety of games have taken advantage of this:
- Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: This game (previously mentioned) has always had careers based on Real World occupations and printing is no exception. In 4th edition, the Agitator career says, "Agitators lobby for political causes using print, protest, and public speaking." The first rank is titled "Pamphleteer" and gets "Art (Writing)" and "Trade (Printing)" as skills. This is extremely historically plausible -- the idea of a non-partisan Press is a really recent phenomenon; in previous eras, all newspapers and (priot to that) broadsheets were printed for political reasons, or to generate profit with sensationalism (like, "Only by buying my broadsheet can you get the true story of the beheading of Sir John! Read the words his head said when it was held up to the crowd by the executioner!") Sample Newssheets: the Altdorf Spieler; Bizzarre!; Hammerzungen; the Nuln Proclaimer; the Reik Report; and so on.
- Eberron: This setting takes D&Disms to their logical conclusion, and among that is printing. Each major city supports (at least) one publication (called "chronicles"). Since Eberron takes influence from Film Noir, it goes for a more 1920s/1930s feel for its periodicals, most of which are newspapers. The Magical Industrial society of Eberron uses printing presses run by bound elementals, but is otherwise recognizable. Sample Chronicles: the Korranberg Chronicle ("Fair and Balanced" -- but its worth noting that Korranberg, and the whole gnome nation of Zilargo, is run by the Secret Police); the Sharn Inquisitive; the Voice of Breland (a sensationalistic, nationalistic rag); etc.
- Forgotten Realms: The Forgotten Realms contain every D&Dism, so of course they have broadsheets (called "short scrolls"). They're printed frequently in Waterdeep; I'm not read up on everything Faerunian, but I believe they have both standard printing presses (possibly even acquired from Earth) and magical replication. Since there's a plethora of high-level mages around, I imagine any mage who wants to try to influence politics or society as a whole can start one up. Sample Short Scrolls: The Vigilant Citizen; The Mocking Minstrel; Horkle's Gossip Cauldron; and more.
Personally, I love including them in fantasy games. If you want to have a Middle Class in game, including printing presses (of some form) allows for that class to have a voice, unregulated by the Crown. In my games, I like there to be constant jockeying for power betweent the various Estates. The First Estate is the Clergy and, while there should certainly be factionalism between different interpretations of the Holy Word, there is generally going to be a Head of the Church or a Council of Churchy Elders who represent this Estate. The Second Estate is the aristocracy; usually nobles organize themselves into groups representing their interests, and at any point one of them will be more powerful than the others, and therefore frequently representative of the Estate as a whole.
The Third Estate is generally the Commoners, which includes the rich Bourgoisie (or, at least, those who are wealthy but haven't "bought" themselves a title yet). This Estate is usually represented by a council, sometimes elected but frequently made of the heads of various guilds; the seats on the council are frequently traditional, so a guild that has waned might still hold onto social power by using its Council seat aggressively. Nevertheless, the Councils of each city will frequently be the "voice" of this Estate.
Obviously, that leaves out the actual Commoners. For that, the "Fourth Estate," the Press is the best "voice" in a game. So much power to influence the other Estates, no actual "head" of the serpent for the rulers to cut off. So much potential for in-game shenanigans...
So, yeah, I always have something like that, except for the most extreme campaigns.
