Historical RPG

[Wannabe writer]

Is there an issue with playing historically based or historically based with a twist role playing games? Are people concerned with boring settings, playing second fiddle or trashing or putting a twist on a historical event that is disrespectful?

Also hearkening back to the life-path creation character generation, I feel that something along the line of a flowchart for choices of events leading up to the current. Is this a more understanding version of events and allows for choice over fortune? Also offering a point buy method along with I find a terrible compromise but it allows perhaps for storytellers to stat up NPCs quickly?

[kylesgames]

[Abstract Machine]

I find the trick is not to hem people in too much:-

https://ukrpdc.wordpress.com/2014/10/22 ... laytest-2/

[Chainsaw Aardvark]

There are already a good number of historical games, but they do tend to follow a few set idealized eras. Notably, 16th century piracy, the 19th century wild west and World War Two get a large amount of representation. I know of games in Greece (Mazes and Minotaurs) Call of Cthlulu has many 1920s source-books, a variant of Rome (Fvlamantia - Legions with gunpowder), and some 1960's spy kitsch. And ninjas - you can't forget the ninjas and samurai though most don't seem to other defining if its before or during the Tokugawa unification.

Most periods of human history just aren't conducive to adventure, or are defined by rather nebulous experiences. I have no doubt that there is a way to simulate emigrating to New York during the potato famine and then being forced into a slum while earning a pittance firing brick twelve hours a day. Making that fun and something your group of friends would repeat on a nightly basis - less so.

It is a bit hard to give the simple version of an entire historical period. Take a sword, slay a dragon - nice and simple. Establishing a link of Roman patronage to ensure a shot at a senate seat while clashing with the local console - a bit more nuanced. Some people don't mind reading a textbook before playing, but it is a limited group.

A third major consideration - real history tends to have a lot of minefields. (literally and figuratively)

Post WWI taking advantage of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire sounds like it could be a time of real adventure - but this is also the time/place that pan-Arabian nationalism and the current reputation of violent Islam took root. White Wolf's World of Darkness from the 90s has had several dozen different conspiracies (like pentax) and supernatural puppeteers (vampires) going on all at once, covering centuries of plotting. Yet the Holocaust of World War Two seems to be the only purely human event to ever happen, since they didn't want to force players into such a touchy subject.

Of course I don't want to discourage historical games, but they do tend to require a lot of research yet reach a rather more limited audience.

[catty_big]

[Evil Scientist]

[Evil Scientist]

[Wannabe writer]

Love it - scoots off to grab game!