D&D 5E What’s So Great About Medieval Europe?

[Son of the Serpent]

So Medieval Europe... What's so great about it?

Cant remember where i found this but it may be the birth place of games recognizably similar to d&d. They just were forgotten over time and ironically created again by the genetic ancestors of the originals.

If i can find the place i read that a few years ago ill post it. Happened in medieval europe though. So thats an example.

 

[Son of the Serpent]

Tbh, i the prefer prechristian nordic era/region to medieval europe. My campaigns have a heavy lean toward it @Aldarc

 

[Aldarc]

Tbh, i the prefer prechristian nordic era/region to medieval europe. My campaigns have a heavy lean toward it @Aldarc

I also find Nordic TTRPGs a little overwrought and a little too pastiche for my tastes at this point.

 

[fearsomepirate]

nevermind

 

[Voadam]

So Medieval Europe... What's so great about it?

Cool weapons, armor, and castles.

Its not exclusive, but its there.

 

[Aldarc]

Sure, but D&D is so weird sometimes. It's like a game that wants to be (or thinks that it is) "Dark Ages," but it has all the aesthetic trappings of the "Renaissance" or "Early Modern Period" and all the sensibilities of the 20th Century.

 

[Son of the Serpent]

Sure, but D&D is so weird sometimes. It's like a game that wants to be (or thinks that it is) "Dark Ages," but it has all the aesthetic trappings of the "Renaissance" or "Early Modern Period" and all the sensibilities of the 20th Century.

Not how i play it. Modern sensibilities = out the window

Renaisance aesthetic trappings = its present on different planes but otherwise out the window

 

[Oofta]

The great thing about medieval Europe is that it's different enough from modern day Europe to not be insulting while being familiar enough to have common tropes. Throw in the fact that there was a mish-mash of religions until relatively recently. Recently enough that we've inherited the myths, long enough ago we don't have large portions of society still worshipping.

So in my home campaign I can base it on Norse religions. Published campaign worlds also largely use a Greco-Roman style religion as a basis with a pantheon of gods. Scrub the name off the old gods (or just steal them outright cough*Tyr*cough) and you're good to go.

Let's say I wanted to do an oriental culture. Awesome. Well ... hmm. Now we have the first problem. What do we do about religion? Assuming Christianity and Islam are no-goes we have Buddhism, Confuscism, Daoism. Religions that have been around for thousands of years and are still being practiced.

I mean, if I were Catholic and someone had a world where Catholicism was the main religion ... I'd be a little hesitant. It would hit too close to home. That may not be true for everyone.

Last but not least, we don't really base D&D on medieval Europe, it's just the base concepts and language that we steal. D&D is a garbage can of myth, legend and cheap plastic toys used a miniatures.

 

[Aldarc]

Not how i play it. Modern sensibilities = out the window

Renaisance aesthetic trappings = its present on different planes but otherwise out the window

Okay, but I can't really say how it is in every homebrew game, but the general impression of the game as presented in the books and media that we do share.

 

[Fenris-77]

Tbh, i the prefer prechristian nordic era/region to medieval europe. My campaigns have a heavy lean toward it @Aldarc

There are several centuries of history that are both medievel and pre-christian when it comes to Scandinavia. Denmark and Norway were primarily converted in 11th and 12th centuries. So you've got everything from the 5th to the 11th century to work with.