I'm starting up my 2nd current campaign, which is a Bronze Age-type game, borrowing heavily from a lot of the themes in Greek Myth (with a decent dollop of fantasy).

I've heard of folks running them before with their system/game of choice (d20, Agon), but for this outing I'm using the Epic RPG system (one of my gems/favorite rules-medium RPGs of choice).  I have to say, its a really exciting premise.

I'll be upfront and say a lot of my fantasy games (including my current homebrew, where the world is just entering their equivalent of the Renaissance), there's always been the Great Old Fallen Empire that was Really Awesome.  Many of the things the players have done are the result of the actions of epic villians and heroes that ruled in ages past.  And there's nothing wrong with that--in a sandbox, it's a pretty common feature, I think, and gives you plenty of material.  Hell, its worked for me this whole time.

But here, in this alternate fantasy Bronze Age--with iron weapons virtually unheard of, any sort of fancy weaponry and armor being an amazing luxury, with the world still young, with all the heroes of legend not yet the heroes of legends, with the myths of the world not yet written--well, it's just cool.  Again, you don't have to play in a Bronze Age-setting to have this type of premise, but its great for getting you in the mindframe.  So to speak, you aren't reading ages later about Jason, Herakles, Paris, Hector, and Achilles--hell, a couple of them owe you some coin, and you know who really defeated Atlas.

I also have to say I like the whole rival burgeoning city-states angle.  Trade, poetry, drama, warfare--each city-state finds its own identity.  The world outside your city-state is a strange, ill-defined place.  Yeah, maybe it is a bit "Points of Light", but I prefer the idea of that surrounding darkness also being pretty glorious, in a primitive, hazy way.

So, what experience has anyone had with this type of game or running a Bronze Age campaign?  Further ideas on how they might differ?

QuoteSo, what experience has anyone had with this type of game or running a Bronze Age campaign? Further ideas on how they might differ?

I have a buttload of notes on a Bronze Age game I've always been going to run, but it hasn't happened yet.

I'd like to play up the mercilessness — what George Orwell called "the stony cruelty of antiquity". Those people were brutal.

Player expectation has been a problem in the past. It seems that people have very different ideas about what should be included in the setting. For some, Bronze age is like the film Troy (gods don't walk about), whereas others would take more of an Illiad stance (gods walk about and cause mischief).

What part will the gods play in your campaign? Do they get stuck in like the gods in Homer, a sort of powerful soap opera?

Sounds fun!  If you can find it, Mythic Greece - The Age of Heroes, is a good sourcebook for that era.  1988, by Aaron Allston, published by ICE, for Rolemaster/Fantasy Hero, but the source material would be good for any game.

Quote from: Rob LangWhat part will the gods play in your campaign? Do they get stuck in like the gods in Homer, a sort of powerful soap opera?

They'll have influence, but their manifestation will be far from an everyday thing.  They will have the full range of pettiness, foibles, and weaknesses that we've come to expect.  Most types of magic are considered holy, or a sign of divine favor/influence/parentage.


Oh, and thank you for the tip, Callous!

Will the players be able to call upon the Gods for help/guidance? Is Magic the only way of doing that?

Quote from: Rob LangWill the players be able to call upon the Gods for help/guidance? Is Magic the only way of doing that?

Often, when calling upon/beseeching the gods for help, that "help" takes its form in magic.  I think I will allow for some visitations by the gods, especially since the players are favored heroes (including a few who believe they have "divine" ancestry) but don't want to focus exclusively on that.

Quote from: Rob LangWill the players be able to call upon the Gods for help/guidance? Is Magic the only way of doing that?

I also give priests a heavy dollop of psychological power in such a setting as well.  If they do an exceptional job of invoking the favor of the gods (appropriate sacrifices with bad ass theology rolls), I give folks a small bonus for the rest of the day or the next encounter that the sacrifice was geared towards.

Of course, botched sacrifices can have unfortunate psychological consequences.

I've also instituted the Will Ferrell Principle at the table ("By the Mighty Hammer of Thor!").  Invoking the gods in everyday fashion kind of amps up their ever-presentness, so whosoever tops a previous invocation gets some experience.  The current one to beat involves the gray-thatched pubes of the death goddess.

The Mazes and Minotaurs Maze Masters Guide has some advice on running campaigns in a bronze age Greek setting. Nothing really deep as far as historical simulation goes, but it's great for putting together a game that has the feel of Jason and the Argonauts. Look for the section on adventure elements, where you mix and match places, quest objectives, and challenges.

Quote from: ReimdallI've also instituted the Will Ferrell Principle at the table ("By the Mighty Hammer of Thor!").  Invoking the gods in everyday fashion kind of amps up their ever-presentness, so whosoever tops a previous invocation gets some experience.  The current one to beat involves the gray-thatched pubes of the death goddess.

That sounds like a lot of fun!

Maybe even minor bonuses for particularly great invocation.

Zachary, I'd be interested in hearing how you plan to modify the equipment list in Epic to have a bronze age flavor.

Quote from: Zachary The FirstSo, what experience has anyone had with this type of game or running a Bronze Age campaign?  Further ideas on how they might differ?

A bronze age world is actually more composition than the early iron age. This is because on Earth deposits of tin and copper are widely scattered. So in order to have the materials for bronze in any quantity you need to trade.

The introduction of iron will eventually cause a collapse of this trade and trigger a dark age. This because iron, on Earth, was plentiful in most regions. The first "Dark Age" wasn't the one after the fall of Rome. It occurred around 1500 BC caused by a series of natural disasters and barbarian invasions. The Dark Age was sustained by the introduction of iron which only the Hittites had. This caused a reduction of trade. Around 800 BC the Mediterranean began to reemerge, and reignite trade. This started the classical period of history.

If you are doing a Fantasy Bronze Age you may want to consider one culture or race, like the Dwarves, having iron. The manufacture of which is a high secret.

Also compared to later periods of history, the Bronze Period have many wildly different cultures all coming into sustained contact with each other for the first time. It also a time of stress where people are living in large urban areas for the first time.

Wow, I'd never heard that theory of iron per se causing a reduction in trade. Is that your own hypothesis, Rob?

Quote from: Elliot WilenWow, I'd never heard that theory of iron per se causing a reduction in trade. Is that your own hypothesis, Rob?

I actually just heard or read something very similar - though for the life of me I can't recall the source...

Ahhh yes...the font of knowledge in todays existence..

From the Bronze Age article in Wikipedia:

QuoteOne theory says that as iron tools became more common, the main justification of the tin trade ended, and that trade network ceased to function as it once did. The individual colonies of the Minoan empire then suffered drought, famine, war, or some combination of these three factors, and thus they had no access to the far-flung resources of an empire by which they could easily recover.