Wow, first time one of my threads was bumped by somebody else.... Cool.
And thanks for giving me another perspective, arcseed....now only if this board had a Muslim, I'd be set.
Those are some good ideas....I think just this sort of disclaimer might be a good idea, for those that want to run something a bit closer to reality, though I'm wary of using that as a default.
Yeah, once the poll is over, I'll start a thread in the Whereabouts forum to flesh it out (I'll link to it from here), and I certainly value any and all input that everyone would like to give. I'm still battin' around ideas and everythings still pretty high-in-the-air, so your opinions may sway me.
SHARK, I like your ideas. Dude, you think of EVERYTHING for your campaign, don't you?
So I'll answer the advice.
(1) Low-Magic is definately in, but I'm not sure if Real World is in. I'd much prefer to take the ideas presented and have them apply to fictitious places and events that are parallells of what history and religion speak of happening. I just watched the educational channels' week-long buildup of the time of Jesus, biblical sciences, historians, etc. to get quite inspired.
There's no reason, for instance, that Jerusalem has to be "Jerusalem," when it could variously be The Promised City, the location granted to the race of people known as the Chosen so long ago when they had a pact with their God, and the Land of the Risen One, the spot on which the savior-figure of a certain religious sect was persecuted, died, and was reborn. Or whatever.
In this way, no matter the time period, I can hopefully avoid people saying "That's not the way it REALLY was!" because, hey, duh it's not the way it really was. It's not supposed to be. It's just supposed to give a similar "feel."
(2) This is good, but I think I'm going to be scanty in my use of D&D's mythological bestairy....so much of it has already pre-associated stereotypes, and while it might be OK to break them, it'd be hard and a bit nonsensical. So I think, when I do depart from the "Humans in the desert" ideal, I'll do so stubtly, I think.
For instance, I'm tossing about the idea in my head for the analogs to the Jewish folk to be markedly different from your average human -- special. They'd get certain bonuses and such (minor ones), but loose them if they become "impure," until they purify themselves.
It's just an idea now, but it sort of represents the idea of a specially blessed people mechanically...they'd be a seperate "race" by D&D terms.
In a similar vien, the literature isn't exactly scanty with mythic figures that I can rip off...er...be inspired by.
Things like the Nipelhiem (those half-celestial giant things from Genesis, however you spell it...I don't have my books here.
)...or even things not entirely related, but similar. Like, I dunno, some sort of mechanical difference between the 12 Tribes of Israel.
And Bagpuss....anyone with Sorc or Wizard levels will have a familar, of course.
Actually, a Revelations-inspired campaign is what led me down this train of thought in the first place. I didn't exactly do it by-the-Book, but I took my own interpretive slant on it, where the Savior was recruited, in the Modern Day, by a church leader obsessed with bringing about the Second Coming. She did something miraculous, and BAM, they have a savior. Of course, then things happen that are very very unpleasant for all involved, and she, the peace-loving, turn-the-other-cheek, do-unto-others kinda miraculous person she is, gets unnerved by it. She ditches the church, and gets cast as the Great Enemy, so powerful that even the Select were duped by her. A new savior was put in her place, and she retreated to the opposition. Of coure, the opposition was nearly as bad, with their (uh)holy hatred of the church, wanting to destroy it, kill all the members, etc. So, in the end, the fate of the world lies on her shoulders, and she must decide the fate of a destructive mankind....
The PC's were advisors, church and rebellion hirees, and close friends of the would-be savior-girl, so they, of course, accompanied her, and were there helping her through the tough times. An NPC-centered story, though one so involving I have people showing up just to "watch the story."
Heh....maybe I need a story hour.