Historical RPGs

3rik · May 21, 2016, 11:32:46 AM

Cakebread & Walton's Renaissance Deluxe is a ruleset for blackpowder era gaming, either with or without magic and monsters.

Colonial Record is a colonial era supplement for Precis Intermedia's Coyote Trail that is strictly historical and non-magical. Rogue Games' Colonial Gothic *could* be played without any supernatural elements, though that's far from the default mode.

soltakss · May 21, 2016, 12:42:29 PM

http://www.soltakss.com/alternateearthrq/AESupplements.html lists all the Rq/BRP/D100/Mythras/Legend/Similar supplements that I am aware of. If you like RQ/BRP/D100 style games then it is a good place to start.

Simlasa · May 21, 2016, 12:42:56 PM

BRP has Aces High for Western games. It does have rules for magic and monsters but they derive from actual legends/myths and are optional (good for local superstitions even if they're not 'real'). The setting is otherwise purely historical and doesn't indulge in any of the nonsense Deadlands does.

Since a lot of historical people did have a very magical worldview, full of monsters and magic, that even if those things aren't present the PCs might still largely behave as if they were... leading to various Scooby Doo type situations.

Bren · May 21, 2016, 12:58:03 PM

Quote from: Simlasa;899277Since a lot of historical people did have a very magical worldview, full of monsters and magic, that even if those things aren't present the PCs might still largely behave as if they were... leading to various Scooby Doo type situations.

And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling PCs.

Trond · May 21, 2016, 01:19:48 PM

Quote from: Kiero;899245Warlords of Alexander has already been mentioned, there's also the GURPS netbook Philos Basilikos covering the same period, too. That being the Hellenistic era of antiquity before the rise of the Roman Republic.

ACKS lends itself very easily to historical gaming, I did exactly that in my own hack, Mercenary, Liberator, Tyrant, which I used in Tyche's Favourites.

Thanks for posting this. Love the Hellenistic period.

kobayashi · May 21, 2016, 01:41:44 PM

Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;899222But the one game that I admire the most is the French Te deum pour un massacre. Too bad that I am not keen on that particular era or conflict (the French religious wars) but it has an awesome-looking life path system.

You can also take a look at Pavillon Noir then (but I guess you have already). A very few surnatural trappings, easily removed.

AsenRG · May 21, 2016, 01:51:38 PM

Quote from: kobayashi;899291You can also take a look at Pavillon Noir then (but I guess you have already). A very few surnatural trappings, easily removed.

And it's a great game, but I omitted it because of the supernatural options.

Dirk Remmecke · May 21, 2016, 04:19:37 PM

Quote from: Bren;899247Black Vulmea did a short review back in 2012.

That is one of those rare cases where I am lucky that I didn't get what I wanted. I was looking for the game for years when it was oop. Then the new hardcover slipcase edition came and it's so much more gorgeous that the old softcover edition. The form factor fits the genre to a T.

Here is an old thread about the first edition, with a walk through of the life path character creation:
https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?222100-Historical-First-impressions-of-Te-Deum

@Kobayashi: I've read about Pavillon Noir (in CB or di6dent) but I don't own it.

Bren · May 21, 2016, 06:57:43 PM

Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;899328That is one of those rare cases where I am lucky that I didn't get what I wanted.

Conservation of luck. You got lucky by a delay. I think I got the opposite. I didn't pay any attention to it back in 2012 when I heard about it. I suspect it will be more difficult to get a copy now. Especially from the USA.

Of course I still have the problem of not really understanding French. Le sigh...

Ravenswing · May 21, 2016, 10:28:39 PM

I'm partial to GURPS Scarlet Pimpernel myself, but then again I could be accused of bias ...

As far as Vietnam-era RPGs go, RECON is also a candidate.

flyingmice · May 22, 2016, 10:46:11 AM

My own In Harm's Way: A Napoleonic Naval RPG, In Harm's Way: Aces In Spades, In Harm's Way: Aces And Angels, and In Harm's Way: Pigboats are completely historical. In Harm's Way: Wild Blue is set in the present day, so is in that sense historical. As a warning, they are not OSR, nor are they old games, or based on old games, particularly - the oldest is some 12 years old - so of doubtful interest to anyone.

-clash

arminius · May 22, 2016, 03:13:41 PM

But you're old Clash, so that must count for something.

Seriously, I think possibly--just possibly--what might limit the appeal of games like yours, and a few others I mentioned, is the military aspect, which gives the impression that the people actually doing the fighting don't have a great deal of freedom because they're subject to a chain of command. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. The only game I have in this vein is Palladium's Recon--a thinly-disguised Vietnam war game. Which reminds me:

Grunt (Zozer, Vietnam) not to be confused with the old SPI wargame
Behind Enemy Lines (FASA, WWII )
Merc (FGU, modern then, what would be historical now)
Commando (SPI, WWII to present)

Simlasa · May 22, 2016, 03:58:31 PM

Quote from: Arminius;899500Seriously, I think possibly--just possibly--what might limit the appeal of games like yours, and a few others I mentioned, is the military aspect, which gives the impression that the people actually doing the fighting don't have a great deal of freedom because they're subject to a chain of command.

That's certainly the case for me. I've got an ongoing interest in the 40K RPGs but no interest at all in running/playing PCs that are Space Marines or Imperial Guard.
Part of it might come from my never having been in the military and not feeling as if I could carry off that flavor... but there's also the 'freedom' issue. Such a setup just feels too limiting for my tastes.

Bren · May 22, 2016, 06:52:18 PM

Quote from: Arminius;899500Seriously, I think possibly--just possibly--what might limit the appeal of games like yours, and a few others I mentioned, is the military aspect, which gives the impression that the people actually doing the fighting don't have a great deal of freedom because they're subject to a chain of command. Whether that's true or not, I don't know.

If that's the impression, I think it is a false one. When we've done this, the mission tells the players "what" and the players figure out "how."

I suspect another reason some people avoid military campaigns is because just they don't like the the idea that they will have to follow orders and make some show of respecting authority.

flyingmice · May 22, 2016, 11:10:57 PM

Quote from: Bren;899539If that's the impression, I think it is a false one. When we've done this, the mission tells the players "what" and the players figure out "how."

I suspect another reason some people avoid military campaigns is because just they don't like the the idea that they will have to follow orders and make some show of respecting authority.

My players love military games for this very reason - they have clear goals, but the means are entirely up to them.