Historical Campaigns

RPGPundit · May 01, 2018, 10:45:37 PM

How many purely historical campaigns have you run? Games that had no magic or sci-fi stuff in them. Note that 'historical' here could technically be anything from the stone age to 2017.

Christopher Brady · May 01, 2018, 10:58:01 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;1036935How many purely historical campaigns have you run? Games that had no magic or sci-fi stuff in them. Note that 'historical' here could technically be anything from the stone age to 2017.

I've run a couple of sessions in a Savage Worlds 'Action Hero' setting, Vigilante: Rise of The Powerless, set in 1984-ish. I'm running it like the old 80's action movie style, but with a better budget and special effects only an imagination can provide.m It's also required a bit more work than I thought possible, but it's been fun.

Mike the Mage · May 01, 2018, 11:20:48 PM

I ran a Pirates campaign using Rolemaster. Short and sweet but very memorable.

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Bedrockbrendan · May 01, 2018, 11:40:51 PM

I usually throw in a bit of magic in my historical campaigns. I have run OG, so I guess that qualifies as stone age. And I have done Rome with no magic. I've played in plenty of straight WWII and WWI campaigns (1920s as well).

RPGPundit · May 03, 2018, 03:09:19 AM

I'm currently running a totally-historical wild-west campaign.

Kiero · May 03, 2018, 04:42:33 AM

It was a short one (eight sessions), but I ran a game set in Massalia in 300BC called Tyche's Favourites. The PCs were basically mercenaries hired by a prominent aristocrat to build up the city's military.

Winterblight · May 03, 2018, 05:17:24 AM

I've never ran a historical campaign. Ive borrowed from history, but I've never felt the urge to run a purely historical setting. I guess I like my fantasy too much.

Psikerlord · May 03, 2018, 08:42:23 AM

zero. Ive never felt inspired to do so. However, thinking about it, I wouldnt mind trying a pirate game.

Kiero · May 03, 2018, 09:45:13 AM

Quote from: Psikerlord;1037265zero. Ive never felt inspired to do so. However, thinking about it, I wouldnt mind trying a pirate game.

Pirates when? As long as people have been able to put to sea, there have been pirates.

Vile Traveller · May 03, 2018, 09:53:53 AM

Wild West, Vietnam War, WWII, Biggles between the wars, secret agents in 1960s Cold War Hong Kong, tried to run a Thirty Years War game but no takers.

Willie the Duck · May 03, 2018, 10:12:53 AM

I've played a few where it is unclear if the magic was real or not. For instance, a cliff-hanger game except that the arc of the covenant-equivalent macguffin was never actually used in any way and might in fact just be a historical artifact. Same with a stone age game (is the shaman a magic user, a charlatan, or a deluded true believer?).

Kiero · May 03, 2018, 11:37:57 AM

Quote from: Vile;1037276Wild West, Vietnam War, WWII, Biggles between the wars, secret agents in 1960s Cold War Hong Kong, tried to run a Thirty Years War game but no takers.

I'm not surprised you struggled with a Thirty Years War game, that's about as brutal a choice of era as you could find.

Larsdangly · May 03, 2018, 04:37:41 PM

Lots. A few that were run repeatedly over a long period, and immediately come to mind:

Flashing Blades (17th century europe)
Boothill (19th century west)
Behind Enemy Lines (WWII in Europe)
Classical-age earth, using GURPS

AsenRG · May 03, 2018, 05:30:41 PM

A Flashing Blades campaign in 17th century Europe.
A noir campaign in the 80ies New York using A Dirty World.
A spy campaign in 21st century Europe of the past century. The players were chasing narco-cartels and terrorist organizations.

Psikerlord · May 03, 2018, 07:41:35 PM

Quote from: Kiero;1037275Pirates when? As long as people have been able to put to sea, there have been pirates.

oh you know, gunpowder and cutlasses and arrgh and all that era