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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nyeshet" data-source="post: 3134218" data-attributes="member: 18363">This is a really really hard question to answer. When is the setting placed? The Early Middle Ages / Late Dark Ages or the High Middle Ages / Proto-rennaissance? Each could truly be considered a Middle Age setting, yet there are vast differences between them. What about the European location used to define the setting? We have everything from still Celtic defined regions in Northern Europe (including, during the early middle ages, a scandinavian region that still worshipped Norse deities) to the Papal States and mercantile City-States of Middle Ages Italy. Then there is the fact that Ireland had its golden age at the start of the Middle Ages, while Islamic Middle East and Northern Africa had its golden age around the middle of the middle ages, and with the rise of the Protorennaissance of the High Middle Ages one could argue that south-central Europe was starting to enter its golden age at the end of the Middle Ages. All of this affects the feel of a Middle Ages setting. It could be the Early Middle Ages. No kingdoms really exist. The largest 'kingdom' is perhaps half the size of England - if that, and it is composed of semi-autonomous lords on holdings encompassing one to a dozen manors (dependent on whether or not they themselves also have vassals). Churches are small structures, but the times are quite superstitious, so the priest has a notable amount of authority (as the one who can probably bless away a 'curse' or ward against the fae / goblins / etc, deal with witches, and so on). The priest is also the only one who knows the 'mysic' art of reading. Most of the continent is wilderness, and bands and villages of 'barbarians' may exist just beyond the next mountain or across the river. It could be the middle of the Middle Ages. Kingdoms exist, Papal states exist, mercantile city-states exist, etc. Cathedrals and castles are starting to become a popular fad (although the style of the architechture is quite thick / simple / gothic compared to a couple centuries later when relatively thinner and far more decorated walls will be used). Islamic held Middle East / Northern Africa is in a golden age, and its growing influence is causing some bishops to begin thinking about raising a crusade to deal with this rising threat. Otherwise, this is the traditional view of the middle ages - at least in Western Europe. The lack of barbarians, etc to deal with means that the knights are often engaged in tourneys and jousts to keep them busy and in shape between various feuds / local wars that occur. It could be the High Middle Ages. The manors and small kingdoms / counties of the Early Middle Ages gave way to the kingdoms and princedoms and duchies of the middle Middle Ages, and those in turn have given way to large kingdoms and small empires in the High Middle Ages - realms the size of France, Germany, Spain, etc. Architechture is far more elaborate, the walls are likely only 10-20 feet thick and much taller (and glass is far more common in use and quite elaborate). In urban areas cathedrals are the preferred style of church design. And urban areas - a rarety of the past age - are becoming increasingly more common. Merchants are also more common, as are merchant trains / caravans between cities and even kingdoms. Wealth is now more a matter of material posessions rather than land holdings. Artisans are more common and more respected than in the prior age. The expansion of the population and the level of knowledge and expertise has resulted in a resurgence of understanding of the world around them and interest in the views of the ancient greeks and romans. However this increase in population will also result in the rapid spread Black Death due to poor sanitation standards in the cities. After a third of the population is wiped out it will take a few decades before the Renaissance re-starts - this time in a lasting manner. So it really, really depends on when / where during the 'middle ages' you are drawing your inspiriation. I also note that Northeastern Europe had some notable differences during its middle ages from the rest of Europe.</blockquote>

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