So, historical RPGs aren't as popular as Fantays or SciFi, to be sure, but I've got a soft spot for them.  Here's a list of my ideal historical RPG settings to game in:

1)  U.S. Civil War:  An extremely underdone period, I've been intermittently working on a game set in the U.S. Civil War where the players are scouts, irregulars, spies, etc. during that time frame.  A wonderful time, perfect for treachery, adventure, diplomacy, and the last vestiges of chivalry in a changing world.

2)  3 Kingdoms-era:  The best of Chinese history, period.

3)  Imperial Rome:  Circa Hadrian, I should think, partially because there was no major historian during his reign, which gives you a little more flex room.

4)  Republican Rome:  The 1st or 2nd Punic War.  Rock.

5)  Napoleonic:  Huge fan of everything from C.S. Forester to the Richard Sharpe novels.  Loved GURPS Napoleon, and am currently devouring Flying Mice's In Harm's Way, a RPG of the Napoleonic naval era.

Those are just the ones off the top of my head.  Yours?

Quote from: Zachary The FirstSo, historical RPGs aren't as popular as Fantays or SciFi, to be sure, but I've got a soft spot for them.  Here's a list of my ideal historical RPG settings to game in:

Yeah, I'd like to see a lot more historical/ alternate history RPGs.

Quote1)  U.S. Civil War:  An extremely underdone period, I've been intermittently working on a game set in the U.S. Civil War where the players are scouts, irregulars, spies, etc. during that time frame.  A wonderful time, perfect for treachery, adventure, diplomacy, and the last vestiges of chivalry in a changing world.

This is on the top of my list, I don't know of an RPG set in this time period. It would kick ass.

Quote5)  Napoleonic:  Huge fan of everything from C.S. Forester to the Richard Sharpe novels.  Loved GURPS Napoleon, and am currently devouring Flying Mice's In Harm's Way, a RPG of the Napoleonic naval era.

This is another one I'd like to see.

I guess it could be folded into a Napoleonic RPG, but I wouldn't mind seeing a book for Latin America's independence wars.

Also, a game for the Age of Discoveries.

I like Age of Sail and Napoleonic the best, as far as historical periods. Followed at a distance by maybe a biblical era.

Note that I personally would be unable to treat any of these eras honestly. I'd have to have like.. demons and stuff added in, probably.

Well, you may want to check out In Harm's Way, then.  I'm not finished reading it yet, but it seems like its gonna be a whole lotta fun.  A couple of guys leading a landing party from the HMS Java to sneak attack the Dons' Carribean fort, or go toe-to-toe in ship combat with the godless, monarch-killing crapauds of the French Republic.   Or me and a few of my Yankee compatriots sneaking about during the War of 1812, raiding British commerce when we can and trying not to get our butts handed to us by the dread frigate HMS Shannon.

I have to agree on the Napoleonic period.  As you can see from my avatar, I love tall-ships.  I'm familiar with Sharpe and Hornblower.  Can you recommend other works for the period?

Rome is intriguing to me simply because it has tainted so much of our history. Well, and it's Rome!  

Ancient Egypt has always fascinated me, though I'm far more interested in the politics than in the religions and so many people get it wrong and think that the general populace was involved in all the mummification stuff.  There were striations of class that included religions (in other words, you only belonged to certain religious views if you were of certain classes).  And religions were businesses, with high-priests being more akin to a CEO than a "minister."

And, of course, Atlantis!  

But, my true love is sci-fi, sci-fantasy and sci-opera.  

Quote from: VellorianI have to agree on the Napoleonic period.  As you can see from my avatar, I love tall-ships.  I'm familiar with Sharpe and Hornblower.  Can you recommend other works for the period?

Check out Mr. Midshipman Easy and the other naval novels by Captain Frederick Marryat.  They were written a mere 15 years after the end of the Napoleonic War, if I recall correctly, and though a little dated, are still excellent.  Here's the Project Gutenberg link for Mr. Midshipman Easy.

As far as an introduction to the entire period from more of an overall perspective,  a cheap start is The Napoleonic Wars:  The Rise and Fall of an Empire.

If you're looking for something a little more in-depth (but much more expensive), there's The Campaigns of Napoleon, but that's a little bit more military history-oriented, IIRC.

Waterloo:  Day of Battle is also a fun read, if you can find it.

Here's my favorite eras:

1: Napoleonic, of course. I can pour over ship plans and talk smoothbore cannon all day. I have shelf loads of books on the period, historical to literature. That's why I wrote In Harm's Way - for love of the period.

2: South American Independence. A follow-up to the Napoleonic period, and I can use the same ruleset.

3: Thirty Years War. A long, brutal war - the first essentially modern conflict. Religious fervor, the Inquisition, heretics, national independence, politics, politics, politics! I use my Book of Jalan ruleset without the magic.

4: The late 17th Century to the American War of Independence, including the English Civil War and the French and Indian Wars in the New World. Cromwell, Richelieu and the Musketeers, Natty Bumpo, Washington, Benedict Arnold, Cornwallis and the Swamp Fox. I use IHW or Jalan, depending on whether it's earlier or later in the period.

5: Elizabethan and early Stuart England. Drake, the Armada, Shakespeare, pirates, early colonies, lots of joy here! I use Book of Jalan.

6: American Civil War and the Old West. 'Nuff said! I use either Sweet Chariot or Coyote Trail.

7: Meiji Japan. Rapid industrialization, the end of the samurai, the solidification of the state and the end of feudalism, the rise of the peasants and lower classes. I use  Sweet Chariot or (just recently) Steampunk Musha

Crap. I could go on and on...

-mice

Quote from: VellorianI have to agree on the Napoleonic period.  As you can see from my avatar, I love tall-ships.  I'm familiar with Sharpe and Hornblower.  Can you recommend other works for the period?

For fiction:

The Aubrey-Maturin series by O'Brien - Naval fiction as great literature. Cross Hornblower with Jane Austen, whose brothers were both Post Captains in the Royal Navy.

The Alan Lewrie series by Lambdin - Rolicking, satiric, funny, bawdy, and full of action. Cross Flashman with Hornblower.

As Zachary said, Marryat. From the horse's mouth. He was a midshipman under Cochrane, and rose to be a Post Captain in the Navy. He was as popular a writer in his time as Dickens, invented the modern signal code still used by naval and merchant ships, invented the magazine serial story, and is almost forgotten today.

The Nathaniel Drinkwater series by Woodman. A well written, well researched series with an appealing hero. The only naval fiction series I know of that ended properly.

For Fact:

History of the American Sailing Navy and the Search for Speed Under Sail by Chappelle - If you love tall ships, you will glory in this book. More ship plans and elevations than you'd dream of, as Chappelle was the premier Naval historian of his time, and a superb draughtsman. Both books are intensively researched and fascinating.

Jack Aubrey Commands by Lavery - a wonderful overview of the Royal Navy during the period. Indespensable.

I have a three page bibliography at the end of In Harm's Way of books I used in the writing.

-mice

The Age of Colonialism - so much that could be done here on a variety of continents. The possibilities are nearly endless. East India company to the colonies of western Africa and the Spanish rape of the Americas. Quite a large time-frame to cover and loads of cultures to explore.

Crusader Europe/Holy Lands - Hot-bed really, but a nice area for development.

The Rise of the Ottomans - Jannisaries, Southern Europe and the near east...nice.

Aztec/Mayan civilisations - Lots of blood sacrifices, sun worship, pyramids and jungle goodness in a society that thinks its doomed.

That's enough to be getting on with anyhow.

hmm, here goes.

1) Imperial rome (Duh) set in the time of Trajan.

2) Republic era Rome during the rule of Sulla.

3) Spainish Civil War - Essentially Star Wars without Lightsabers and blasters.

4) Maya classical - Gods, enemy states, peasants and mytical astrology. Epic stuff.

5) Wari Fuedal state circa 400 BC. South American empire building at its best. A close second for this era would be the Moche who came along a little later but had really cool ritual combat and a trade empire.

6) I am partial to the Han dynasty but am definitely open to Three Kingdoms.

7) Babur, 15th century expansion of Islam through the Punjab and India. A very interesting period with just a touch of magic.

Pick a time in Egypt. Most of it is interesting but I would be interested in the Early Pharohs and during Roman rule.

9) Early Greece, circa 500-900 BC. Mix in some Mediteranean trade wars and we have a game.

10) Scandinavian expansion into Russia. Encounters with the natives and exchanges the early mongol tribes.

11) India during the period of man small states around 1200-1500 AD. This had so many different states, cultures and idologies that it would be very interesting to have all the intrigue.

I could go on but those are the big ones.

Bill

Nice list, Bill! All of these sound awesome. Really, the Spanish Civil War should have been on my list, along with the Japan-China War. I just got carried away and never even reached a pre-gunpowder era...

Actually, the Spanish Civil War was my direct inspiration for the sample setting in Aquavita.

-mice

Quote from: flyingmiceNice list, Bill! All of these sound awesome. Really, the Spanish Civil War should have been on my list, along with the Japan-China War. I just got carried away and never even reached a pre-gunpowder era...

Actually, the Spanish Civil War was my direct inspiration for the sample setting in Aquavita.

-mice

Hinterwelt does have House of Vega, a supplement for Shades of Earth. It's not straight history, but it is set during the Spanish civil war.

Quote from: flyingmiceNice list, Bill! All of these sound awesome. Really, the Spanish Civil War should have been on my list, along with the Japan-China War. I just got carried away and never even reached a pre-gunpowder era...

Actually, the Spanish Civil War was my direct inspiration for the sample setting in Aquavita.

-mice

You know, its interesting, here in Spain I really expected to see a lot more about the Spanish Civil War, but it seems largely swept under the rug, even accoutning for the Franco-era whitewashing.  You think there'd be a backlash from all that, but not so much. :confused:

Add:

Mayan - I did a Neo-Mayan setting in Sweet Chariot,  for sheer love.

Victorian India - awesome cultural conflict there!

Pre-WW2 Anywhere - Flying Boats and Dirigibles! What more need I say?

WW2 itself - Total coolness!

Age of Exploration - Columbus, Magellan, Cabeza de Vaca, Cortez, da Gama, Cabot, Verazanno, and the rest, al the way to Cook. Wonderful opportunity for adventure!

Saga America - A game based on Barry Fells' theories of pre-columbian European settlement of the Americas. Tres cool!

Back when I think of more!

-clash