2WS-Steve
First Post
In my experience war time hasn't been a good setting for RPGs. I think there's too much going on for the players to feel important; or the sides have been too clearly drawn, or the enemies are all out in the open and you know where the battle-lines are, or all the tough characters (i.e. the Players) shouldn't be scrounging around the homeland because they belong near the front... For whatever reason, while I've tried to run a good wartime campaign they haven't done that well.
Cold Wars on the other hand make a good background for a game. The enemy can be anywhere and you can get a good mix of investigation, roleplaying, and fighting. Moreover, if you look at the settings that have worked well for a campaign you'll see that they tend to be in Cold War eras. 1947 to 1988 for modern espionage. 1920 to 1939 for Indiana Jones/Call of Cthulhu scenarios. Even cyberpunkish games are essentially set in an extended cold war between corporate empires. I think these work well because they provide more opportunities for interacting with the players' enemies and just provide a wider variety of action.
Cold Wars on the other hand make a good background for a game. The enemy can be anywhere and you can get a good mix of investigation, roleplaying, and fighting. Moreover, if you look at the settings that have worked well for a campaign you'll see that they tend to be in Cold War eras. 1947 to 1988 for modern espionage. 1920 to 1939 for Indiana Jones/Call of Cthulhu scenarios. Even cyberpunkish games are essentially set in an extended cold war between corporate empires. I think these work well because they provide more opportunities for interacting with the players' enemies and just provide a wider variety of action.
