A Bit of History
The usual caveats apply, as when I surveyed historical RPGs in May's double-sized anniversary issue. For those of you who haven't read that column and don't care to follow the link, I am a freelance RPG writer, and have been published by, or will soon be published by, many of the companies whose products are listed below.
GURPS, Steve Jackson Games
A perennial favorite for historical gaming, GURPS combines a universal system, a range of play options from gritty to cinematic, and a host of sourcebooks. The current edition, the Fourth, is easily back compatible with earlier versions. This is great for the historical gamer because during the Third Edition era Steve Jackson Games published over a hundred historical sourcebooks ranging from the Prehistoric to World War II. The majority of these were well researched and featured a high content to rules ratio. If your special someone is looking for these, some are still available in print from Warehouse 23 or used game dealers, but the most certain way to acquire these older sourcebooks is through E23's pdf store. Also, I have had a great deal of luck hunting used bookstores.The current edition has seen less of a focus on historical supplements, but several have been published that bear mentioning. Banestorm is a fantasy setting that draws heavily from real world history. In short, banestorms have transported people and landscapes from Earth , as well as other realities, to Yrth, thus forming a composite fantasy-historical game world. Expanding upon the work done in Third Edition's Time Travel, Infinite Worlds gives GURPS players and GMs all infinity to play with, including many well thought out and (briefly) detailed alternate timelines. I would recommend the earlier Third Edition supplements Alternate Earths and Alternate Earths 2 as companions. There is some overlap between the earlier Third Edition books and the current Fourth Edition in content, but not enough to subtract from the enjoyment of either. Adding to these standout products, are a host of Fourth Edition sourcebooks for the historically minded: Low Tech, Crusades, Martial Arts, Hot Spots: Medieval Florence, Lands Out of Time, Seals in Vietnam, Thaumatology: Age of Gold, and Thaumatology: Alchemical Baroque. Plus, Pyramid Magazine is a monthly pdf magazine produced by Steve Jackson Games that covers a range of topics, including articles I have written with a historical bent.
I look at RPGs like I look at tools in my archaeology field kit. You don't use a shovel to dig up pottery, or a pick to open up a one by one meter test pit. With GURPS I prefer to use it for history-plus games. In these I utilize the strength and diversity of the GURPS ruleset to its fullest. By taking a historical period and adding elements of horror or the fantastic, I have created many enjoyable campaigns.
BRP, Chaosium
Taking a different approach to the idea of a universal roleplaying system, BRP provides a grittier and more 'old school' feel than GURPS. The two systems differ greatly, and in more than just the dice mechanic. With the BRP I like to design hardcore historical games that focus less on combat and more on the political or social interactions of the PCs and NPCs. That said, I have ran a successful over the top high action Golden Age of Piracy campaign that was fun for all involved.(and which forms the basis of a BRP sourcebook that will hopefully be released early 2011).There is nothing near the quantity of books available for the BRP as there are for GURPS. However, the BRP catalog contains a larger than normal proportion of historical sourcebooks. To date, there are:BRP Rome (Republican Rome), Crusaders of the Amber Coast (the Teutonic Crusades), and Dragon Lines (Asian Martial Arts) published under license by Alephtar Games (for which I have written a few short adventures for BRP Rome). Also, direct from Chaosium: Devil's Gulch (wild west with magic), Berlin '61 (cold war horror espionage), Aces High (wild west with optional magic), Val du Loup (early and high medieval Europe), and Agents of the Crown (Victorian super heroes).
Hollow Earth Expedition, Exile Games
More of an alternate history game, unless the Earth really is hollow and I haven't heard anything about it. With a core book and two supplements (Mysteries of the Hollow Earth and Secrets of the Surface World out, plus more on the way, Hollow Earth Expediton promises to give its players a wide array of 1930's pulp gaming. The game draws on every available source, from Atlantis to Lemuria, as well as the lurid prose and wacky 'science' of the pulp genre. You don't even have to use the exploration theme, as the game works nicely for any pulp style game set in the 1930's, or even the 1920's. Two-fisted tales of steely eyed gumshoes, or even 'super' heroes like the Batman, the Shadow, and the Phantom.
Barbarians of Lemuria
Although a fantasy, and specifically a sword and sorcery, RPG, Barbarians of Lemuria is a simple fast-play and rules light system that could be easily adapted to a historical game. The career system is so flexible, you can make your own with ease, just simply come up with a name and description, and you are ready to go. When I want to do a quick historical game using a nearly transparent system, this is the one I turn to, especially if I am looking for a less grainy or gritty style, and a more heroic feel.
All Flesh Must Be Eaten, Eden Studios
I will admit that this game has flown under my radar for some time, especially as it applies to historical roleplaying. This is a shame, really, as AFMBE as its fans refer to it is much more than a zombie apocalypse game. It is, however, a great zombie apocalypse game, and that is what first attracted me to it. Then I discovered that Eden Studios makes a plethora of historical sourcebooks for it. I have yet to thoroughly delve into them, but from what I have seen, I am impressed. The core rulebook offers several campaign settings that could be used in a historical game, as well as two specifically historical settings. Plus, any game that refers to the manner in which zombies propagate as "Spreading the Love" can't be all bad. For those of you looking for titles, the historical sourcebooks are: Worlds of the Dead (an anthology of campaign settings, some historical), A Fistful of Zombies (Old West), Pulp Zombies (1930's), Arrgh! Thar Be Zombies (pirates and zombies), and coming soon Band of Zombies (WWII with zombies). If there is anything I love more than pirates, its zombies. This game gets a wish list vote from me.
Pathfinder RPG, Paizo
During the era of 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons there was a plethora of historically themed RPG titles, and we can only hope that the same holds true for Pathfinder RPG. So far there have not been many that have caught my eye, but Paizo's Inner Sea campaign setting contains some inspired by history aspects, such as the Anceint Egyptian themed land of Osiris.Don't let that stop you, as Pathfinder RPG is fully compatible with earlier 3.0 and 3.5 books. Also, any good GM is capable of making house rules and altering a game to fit his or her view of a setting. Pathfinder RPG, especially if you are using the character traits option from the Advanced Player's Guide can be customized to fit any pre-modern (and maybe even a few modern or post-modern) setting you choose. It does do history plus magic the best, and using Pathfinder RPG for a hardcore historical campaign would require a re-jiggering several classes, but it can be done and does result in a fun campaign. As a small, yet shameless, plug, Frog God Games will be releasing a Viking Era inspired series of adventures and a mini-campaign setting starting in January. I am the author of this, called the Northlands Saga. The books will be available in both Pathfinder RPG and Swords and Wizardry versions.
If you didn't see your favorite game listed above, I apologize for the oversight, but I limit my comments to games I am most familiar with. Maybe next time I will get to some of the interesting FATE based games out there, or cover Savage Worlds in depth. If you are a publisher who wants to see your company's products appear in a future round up of historical rpgs, drop me a line and we'll talk. I wish you a happy holidays and that you receive a bit of history, RPG style, this year.
