Greetings!

The Norse Bronze Age is pretty interesting. Basically from 2000 B.C. to 1 A.D. or so. Then they get into their own Iron Age. The Norse Bronze Age had its share of small-scale tribal warfare, though the period is especially intriguing for being more or less peaceful, with huge growth in trade, culture, and the arts. Archeologists and historians talk about how culture, crafting, and trade throughout the north expanded, strengthening trade ties and trade routes into Northern Russia, Poland, the Baltic, and even into Western Siberia. Trade by SEA, however, really took off. Naval trade routes blossomed throughout the Baltic Se region, as we as across the North Sea to Scotland and Britain.

It is also interesting to note the expansion of metalworking, the crafting of intricate jewelry of bronze, copper, silver, and gold, as well as amber and ivory. It also seems like temple construction increased, with additional growth and sophistication in philosophy and spirituality. Giant stone monoliths and other structures were also built all over Scandinavia.

A region with a whole lot going on!

Have you incorporated any elements like these into your campaigns?

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Greetings!

I think it is also fascinating how throughout the Northern Scandinavian and Baltic region, the different peoples jumped into developing a variety of small and medium-sized sea-going ships, which supported the seaborne trade from the Baltic to the British Isles, and from Norway and Sweden in the north, to Denmark, Northern Germany, as well as Friesland, and the northern shores of Gaul.

Do you use different profiles for different kinds of merchant ships in your campaigns? Different warships of course, are also important.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

As far as the European Bronze Age is concerned, I'm mostly familiar with the situation in Germany and adjoining countries. This includes such major finds as the Nebra sky disc and the Tollensetal battle field.  I know very little about pre-Roman ships in northern Europe. For my campaigns, I commonly use Late Medieval-style ships such as those of the Hanseatic League. For the Roman era, I generally rely on the work of H.D.L. Viereck. Although it is an older work, it is still a very useful overview of both naval and merchant ships and contains many illustrations and line drawings.

I am a ship nerd, so I rigourously reserach ships for my campaigns.  The tech level of the game is important.  If you look at some of the D&D books on nautical adventures they are ridiculous, having schooners, frigates and galleons alongside medieval era technology, then having those ships co existing with viking longships. 

The most grievous offense is: the ballista used in place of gunpowder artillery pieces. 

I am currently working on a late migration era/early viking campaign where two types of ships exist in the north.  The Knarr, a wide-beamed cargo ship with a deep draft, and the Snekki: a long narrow ship powered by oars and sail.  Other craft may appear depending on where the party goes, like celtic curraghs, and galleys if they make it into the Mediterranean.

Quote from: Svenhelgrim on June 20, 2023, 12:39:38 PM
The most grievous offense is: the ballista used in place of gunpowder artillery pieces. 

I totally agree with you. I always delete them whenever they appear in a published adventure. The entire interior layout of ships is portrayed wrongly in almost all rpg products and the ships are furnished in ways that would be suicidal in stormy seas.