Real World History in (or influencing) your Game?

[Mark]

Are you someone that has plucked a bit of history from the real world and worked it into your gaming experience? I've heard a lot of DMs/GMs do this, and I like to do it, too. I also have a player who regularly names his characters similarly to historical figures and then plays them with what he imagines would have been the attitude of that real world figure, as a means to guide his rolelpaying. How about you?

 

[diaglo]

mostly the religious crusades and whatnot. it helps with alignment and a good amount of war.

OD&D is based in Chainmail... a wargame.

 

[Woas]

Yup. History was my major at school. Because of that I often find that I understand or am knowledgeable about certain topics that are not covered in your average high-school history class, so I sneak in historical 'scenarios' all the time into my games as plots an adventures, and the guys who play that aren't in the know think I'm a genius plot-writer or something

I've done everything from 're-skinned' Rent Wars of upstate New York (one of my topics of specialty during school) to pseudo Seven Year's War scenarios, redressed Wars of French Religion... you name it.
And recently my gang an I have been playing sci-fi/Traveller and not medieval-fantasy/D&D so with a game of Traveller you have dozens of star systems to visit, each one unique. So being able to take real world history and redress for the players to happen upon has been great.

 

[Rel]

Yes.

I recently modeled a character after Senator Ted Kennedy.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

I've got a thinly disguised Peloponnesian War in spaaaaaace! in one of my games.

 

[diaglo]

Yes.

I recently modeled a character after Senator Ted Kennedy.

pre or post drown your girlfriend in the water?

 

[Jack7]

In my stetting we use real world history, politics, warfare, religion, and so forth. On one world anyways. On the other it's mostly made up. But, they overlap. That works out pretty good.

 

[Rel]

pre or post drown your girlfriend in the water?

Ask not...


Ok different Kennedy but let's stay away from the political dirty laundry, shall we?

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

In one 4e game we're running, the PCs are Brelish conquistadors exploring the New World that has recently appeared to the west of Khorvaire. Right now we're on the islands (the DM's using the old Isle of Dread module for this), but we're running into Aztec-like agents pushing the other way.

I'm having great fun attributing the megalithic architecture on the island to aliens. At no point have I had to explain to the other players that the PCs could be considered aliens as well.

Brad

 

[Mark]

mostly the religious crusades and whatnot. it helps with alignment and a good amount of war.

OD&D is based in Chainmail... a wargame.

True enough! I enjoy having large scale war themes in my games, too.

Rent Wars of upstate New York (one of my topics of specialty during school) to pseudo Seven Year's War scenarios, redressed Wars of French Religion...

Those are rich eras to plunder. How detailed do you get? How close do you cleave to the actual?

I've got a thinly disguised Peloponnesian War in spaaaaaace! in one of my games.

Planets as islands in the sea of space is a natural, IMO.

In my setting we use real world history, politics, warfare, religion, and so forth. On one world anyways. On the other it's mostly made up. But, they overlap. That works out pretty good.

Do the same chaarcters play in both or are these two different games, even with different players?

(. . .) the PCs are Brelish conquistadors exploring the New World that has recently appeared to the west of Khorvaire. Right now we're on the islands (the DM's using the old Isle of Dread module for this), but we're running into Aztec-like agents pushing the other way.

I'm having great fun attributing the megalithic architecture on the island to aliens. At no point have I had to explain to the other players that the PCs could be considered aliens as well.

Looks like they are in for a surprise! Is there much material on the actual aliens or are you handwaving that?