A Bit of History
This month we turn to the request file, Thalba the Destroyer has requested that I review some historical rpg's. Reviews are normally handled in a different part of rpg.net, so instead we will discuss a system to categorize historical rpg's and look at some of the best of the bunch. After that let's put on our cowboy boots, mount up, and ride off into the Mythic West.
What is a Historical RPG?
Broadly speaking, a historical rpg is one that deals primarily with a historical period (defined as any era in time more than fifty years ago). There are many shades of historicalness within this, however. An easy way to classify these games is by the setting, be it straight historical, ahistorical, or based on history. Straight historical is just that, an attempt to simulate the events and actions of a period of history. These games try to avoid historical inaccuracies and anachronisms. Their focus is on playing a person with in-period goals and motivations, based on real events and interacting with accurate historical figures. Ahistorical rpgs use history as the model and go on to add either anachronisms or non-historical themes. Often these games mix history with magic or some other world-altering phenomon, using the historical period as a setting to frame adventures and characters around. Finally, we have games that are based on history, but are not themselves historical games. These games create a fictional world that is more than simply inspired by a historical period, but draws deeply from it in their creation, themes, and execution. The list below is not inclusive, but represents what I have read, played, and are familiar with enough to speak on. There are many, many great rpg's out there with a historical bent, and I certainly don't own them all (yet).
Disclaimer: below I discuss the merits of certain games that are published by companies I have worked for in the past, or are currently working for, namely Chaoisum, Alephtar games, and Steve Jackson Games. Just so you know.
Historical RPG's
BRP Rome (Alephtar Games, by Peter Nash)
BRP Rome covers the eras from the Monarchy to the end of the Republic, with a greater emphasis on later years than earlier. Nash does an excellent job in laying out the nuts and bolts of Roman life, though the game has a distinct focus on the city of Rome itself. Like many BRP products, the rules system supports a more investigative approach, as combat is certain to be short and deadly (especially considering that armor is not normally worn in the City). I must also suggest you check out the adventure pack Veni, Vidi, Vici, also from Alephtar, with adventures by yours truly, Peter Nash, and Conall Kavanagh.
GURPS 3rd Edition Worldbooks (Steve Jackson games, by various authors)
These books, which range in subject matter from the prehistoric to WWII, are great sources for gamable information on historic periods. The default in all these books is historical recreation; though they can go beyond that at times (I am looking at you Celtic Myth). Theolder ones are out of print, but are still available at used bookstores or from e23 as pdf's.
Sengoku (Gold Rush Games, A. Bryant and M. Arsenault)
A well written, but not organized game set in Japan's Sengoku Jidai, or Time of the Country at War. There is a wealth of historical detail, a workable system, and plenty of room to adventure during Japan's combined feudal period and greatest civil war. There are rules that allow for magic, but they exist solely as options and are not needed to play the game. For some it may be a drawback, but I like the Chanbara movie feel of the combat system.
Sidewinder: Recoiled (Dog House Games, B. Hindman, et. Al)
Like Sengoku, this game is heavily inspired by cinema, though it is no less historical because of it. Sidewinder: Recoiled uses the d20 Modern system to good effect, and includes all d20 Modern rules needed to play the game, except the level advancement and experience tables. Historical accuracy takes front stage, though the physics of gun fighting may be too cinematic for some people's tastes. There is a great deal of information covering the Wild West, from equipment to maps to even social mores of the day. The sidebars contain short vignettes from history, and are rather amusing in and of themselves.
Ahistorical RPG's
Call of Cthulhu (Chaosium, by various authors)
Currently in its sixth edition, this venerable horror game uses the 1920's as its base time period, and provides (between the core book and supplements) a treasure trove of detail for roaring twenties monster hunting adventure. Other sourcebooks cover the modern (or 1990's if you find older 'modern' sourcebooks), Victorian, Ancient Roman, and Medieval eras. The nasties are generally mixed from sources beyond the Mythos, and often have a grounding (or at least a link to) real world supernatural beliefs.
Pendragon (Chaosium, Green Knight, White Wolf Games, Greg Stafford Games, various authors but all overseen [or written by] one of the industry's masters: Greg Stafford)
This is by far one of my favorite games, and one of the best 'history plus' style games out there. Pendragon takes the Arthurian Canon as its basis and overlays centuries of myth and stories on the reality of Dark Ages Europe. The latest edition (the fourth) is by far the best and brings the focus squarely on the adventures of knightly characters from the Romano-Celtic regions of Britain. The system of virtues, vices, and passions was ground breaking in its day, and continues to shine. The history is of course placed second to the myth, and falls further behind the needs of the story, but is there none the less. In sum, Pendragon is well written and well researched, and a total blast to play.
Deadlands
Take the Wild West, have the Civil War just keep going, and throw in magic, undead, and steampunk elements. A person either responds to this post-apocalyptic western fantasy alternate history game with either a hearty hooray or a sad meh. The system is the predecessor of the popular Savage Worlds system, and Deadlands has been updated and modernized to conform to the official Savage Worlds rules. Other editions include a d20 version and a GURPS line, but I prefer the classic, clunky though it may be at times. Of all the ahistorical games (even considering Pendragon) Deadlands wanders away from history the most, but that is half the fun.
Space 1889 (GDW, Heligraph Press, by Frank Chadwick)
Alternate history and alternate physics, Space:1889 is built on the premise that space travel is discovered shortly after the Civil War, and that the various colonial powers of Earth are busy exploring and exploiting the (habitable, surprise!) inner planets of the solar system. Mars is home to a decadent and dying race, Venus is a jungle, and things live inside the moon. Space: 1889 is steampunk meets pulp and suffers only from a clunky and antiquated system (though they may be fixed soon). The setting lends itself to all sorts of adventure, though my favorite is a Forrester/ O'Brien style ethership game.
Vampire: the Dark Ages, Werewolf: the Wild West, Mage: Sorcerer's Crusade, Wraith: The Great War (White Wolf Games, by various authors)
The old World of Darkness (back when it was just the World of Darkness) games set in the past. These games are upfront about history taking a back seat to the story, but there is still some good historical information in their pages. What helps is that these stray from the course of history by adding a 'shadow history'. In other words, the supernatural events in the game happened in secret and thus have little impact (at least at first) on the mundane history that goes on in the background. This is a great advantage in that, unlike Deadlands, Pendragon and Space: 1889, there are few, if any, world sweeping changes. Other historical sources can be referenced in building a campaign, and thus the game world can be expanded far beyond the printed game books.
Ars Magica (Lion Rampant, White Wolf, Wizards of the Coast, Atlas Games, by various authors)
Another secret history game, this one set in the 13th Century C.E. and focused around a shadowy order of mages and wizards. The system itself is excellent, and its magic system is full of setting flavor and gamey hooks. Currently in its Fifth Edition, Ars Magica has long been a favorite of mine, especially the troupe style of play and scholarly cast of the game. The core book and sourcebooks are filled with period information, and like many secret history games is compatible with actual history books.
Based on History
Legends of the Five Rings (AEG, by B. Reese et al)
Here we start to stray away from history to a great degree. Legends of the Five Rings takes Japanese myth, history, and fiction and tosses it with a variety of sources, not all of them Asian. The result is a fantasy game world that bearers a striking resemblance to the Sengoku Jidai era of Japanese history, but is decidedly not set in the real world.
Seventh Sea (AEG, by J. Wick et al))
Similar to Legends of the Five Rings, Seventh Sea takes the historical Renaissance and Enlightenment eras of European history and uses these as the basis for creating a fantasy world. You have all the major nations of historical Europe, but with new names and a slightly changed geography. To this is added a mix of magic and the supernatural. Admittedly the veneer of a fantasy world is very thin and the underlying assumptions about national character show through.
Nyambe (Atlas games, by Chris Dolunt)
A blend of traditional fantasy roleplaying concepts with sub-Saharan African myth and folklore, Nyambe is different from other products of the d20 boom, but yet still very familiar. This familiarity doesn't always help though, and some of the obvious imports from traditional fantasy seem a bit forced. Overall it is a good product and a great source for either introducing African themes into your game, or as a setting in and of itself.
Hamunaptra (Green Ronin, by C.A. Sulieman, et al)
This is one of the rare boxed sets that have come out in recent years. The general thesis is a blend of historical Ancient Egypt and traditional fantasy roleplaying genres. The blending is far more seamless than Nayambe, but is still there (complete with dwarves, elves, Halflings, etc…). Although traditional fantasy elements such as races and magic are present, they are thoroughly worked into the setting, and it is easy to learn not to notice them (I would suggest getting the GM and players to exclusively use in setting names for the races and classes). Of further mention, Green Ronin also published several d20 historical games dealing with the ancient world, most notably Testament, Eternal Rome, and Trojan War, all of which would be useful in your Hamunaptra campaign.
The Mythic West: Why Mythic?
The Western has been called the great American movie genre, and although its cachet has faded, this may well still be true. today the epic action spectacular has more popularity, and sees more screen time, but the Western remains a classic. This month we are not looking at the historical West as it was, but at the image of the West as it is and ever will be. You can run a straight historical treatment of the West, and it will be a great game. If you are going for something less fettered by concerns of historical accuracy, especially if you are looking for a more cinematic take on the years of the Wild West, then you need to look past history and delve straight into myth.
Many of the standards of the Western genre were not concurrent, others were based in myth. The great wagon trains were products of the '30s and '40s and had tapered off by the 50's. Likewise the massive cattle drives only lasted a short time before expanding rail lines and technological changes made them unprofitable. The same can be said of the pony express, Indian Wars, gold rushes, and other events that people associate with the Western genre. Even iconic firearms, such as the Winchester rifle and Colt Peacemaker, didn't come along until a decade after the Civil War. The infamous high noon shoot out has gone unrecorded, it seems folks tended to just pull iron and let fly, as opposed to setting a time and place (plus back shooting was far more common than in myth). Even the 'way of the west' is largely a myth resulting from Western TV and Movies of the 1950' and 1960's. Let's just toss all this truth and start over, with an eye towards making a good story.
The first step is to forget about dates, years, or any of that reality based thinking. Your Mythic West game takes place in the old West, that is sometime between the end of the Civil War and the final filling in of the empty spaces. Remember you are being inspired by history, as well as a good dose of cinema and literature (plus TV). By ignoring the exact year, you are then able to ignore other niggling bits, such as anachronisms, production dates, and even the sequences of events. Need your intrepid heroes to save a stage coach one week, take part in a cattle drive the next, and finish the story arc by shepherding a wagon train across the plains? Just do it, and ignore the timeline.
This frees up the GM to add even more anachronistic aspects. The era of the great fur trappers and traders was ending by the time the wagon trains headed west, but why not include them in your mythic game? Have the party investigate a murder mystery at a mountain man rendezvous somewhere north west of Denver. You get the rollicking bacchanal of the rendezvous, the chance for the party to show off their nifty toys (those mountain men have been out there a long time and have never seen a repeating firearm, much less metal cartridges).
The Mythic West is more than just a list of concurrent events and historical personages that the party can play anachronistic games with. There are standbys of the myths that need to be addressed. On the one hand you have the anti-heroic Man with no Name, and on the other the tough as nails law and order marshal. These two represent the twin forces of freedom and safety, and there is the theme of your myth. To truly live unfettered and free, you have to accept the risks, and that means dealing with bad guys on your own terms. If you live beyond the reach of the law, you make your own law, no matter how gritty it turns out to be. Striving against the forces of freedom is the pull of safety. A peaceful life where you can expect the law to protect you is the basis of the growth of towns. The Marshal obeys that law, even when it seems that justice is not being served. There is no room in his orderly community for people who live above or beyond the bounds of society. The world of the Marshal eats daily at the world of the Man, and one of them is doomed. This can be seen in the spread of rail roads, telegraphs, towns, reservations, and all manner of improvements meant to make life safe for ordinary people. Nut the Man is not an ordinary person, and he needs his freedom to survive, town life would kill him. This eternal conflict could be played out in your Mythic West game, with the party taking the side of one or the other force. Will they fight against the taming of the West, in the end screaming 'Don't Fence me in' as they are finally gunned down? Or are they part of the solution, bringing peace, order, and civilization to the wilds in the face of savage natives, brutal bandits, and the very might of nature herself?
I hope you have enjoyed the past year's bits of history, and that you continue to read this column, even that you use some of this in your games. Next month we will look at campaigns set during WWII, from high swinging pulp Nazi zombie action to low key cloak and dagger work.
Appearing in the April 2010 issue of Steve Jackson Games' Pyramid magazine is my article "Looting Your Lifepod's Locker", wherein we open up the locker and see what we have, as well as describing various levels of lifepods from Economy to Luxury and beyond. A great issue, and a great article for any space exploration game. See, I do Sci-Fi too. Well, OK, some parts were based on history, but isn't everything?
