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Author Topic: Medieval Italian Peninsula  (Read 1136 times)

Wayfarer

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Medieval Italian Peninsula
« on: February 03, 2022, 07:06:59 PM »
Hello All,

I'm working on a homebrew campaign/setting based on the medieval Italian peninsula.  I have not yet decided if the game will be set in a direct fantasy copy of the region or be inspired by it.  I was wondering if anyone has reading suggestions that would be good sources to mine for such a setting, both history books and RPG sourcebooks would be welcome.  There are several history books on the region but I was hoping to get suggestions before diving into material that may not be as useful for my purpose as I hoped they would be.

Thank you!

Wrath of God

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Re: Medieval Italian Peninsula
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2022, 05:17:29 PM »
Which period specifically?
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Wayfarer

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Re: Medieval Italian Peninsula
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2022, 08:08:00 PM »
I was thinking the 11th through the end of the 14th century.  It's a broad stretch of time but I am hoping to rely on the material to give me an overview to help focus on a smaller era.  There have to be a good deal of personalities, betrayals, wars and conspiracies in that section of time.  I'm thinking there has to be a stretch of concentrated activity in a hundred year or so span or at least a charismatic personality to center a confluence of events around.

Bedrockbrendan

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Re: Medieval Italian Peninsula
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2022, 04:03:57 PM »
Hello All,

I'm working on a homebrew campaign/setting based on the medieval Italian peninsula.  I have not yet decided if the game will be set in a direct fantasy copy of the region or be inspired by it.  I was wondering if anyone has reading suggestions that would be good sources to mine for such a setting, both history books and RPG sourcebooks would be welcome.  There are several history books on the region but I was hoping to get suggestions before diving into material that may not be as useful for my purpose as I hoped they would be.

Thank you!

This sounds like a cool setting. I would recommend a couple of history books by Carlo Ginzburg: The Cheese and the Worms, and Night Battles. These are more late middle ages, early modern, but pretty interesting. Cheese and the Worms is a ground level view of a miller on trial before the inquisition for holding heretical views on creation. Night Battles is about a group called the Benandanti tried for heresy who believed they fought nocturnal battles with witches (I believe in their dreams but it has been a while since I read it).

Ruprecht

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Re: Medieval Italian Peninsula
« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2022, 06:22:11 PM »
You should look into Brancalonia a Spaghetti Fantasy Setting Book.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/343891/Brancalonia--Spaghetti-Fantasy-Setting-Book-ENG
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Hellfire

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Re: Medieval Italian Peninsula
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2022, 08:14:13 PM »