In my case, it ended up being the War of the Roses (though of course, I also ran a Pendragon campaign before that, if it counts). What about you? If you had to run a game (historical or historical-fantasy) set in some period in british history, which would you use?
RPGPundit
I would use Poul Anderson's A Midsummer's Tempest and set it during the English Civil War.
Victorian! It's all the rage.
Actually, scratch that, Edwardian. I'm a pretentious hipster and want to be oh so different.
Besides it'll end up being some sort of Dickensian mishmash anyway...
Either one of the early wars with the Scots or Irish, or the English Civil War. Both seem just about perfect for gaming.
Elizabethan, followed by the Regency. There's much drama and intrigue to be had. Well, that's true of just about any period, if you put your mind to it, but these two in particular really inspire me.
I think a steampunk Regency/Napoleonic game would be amazing.
Arthurian times. It's cliched, but at the same time, it's a cliche for a good reason, it's just so interesting.
Hundred Years War, if I'm using D&D pretty much as-is.
The Reign of Alfred the Great, if I'm modifying rules/classes/equipment-lists/etc to suit the campaign.
The last stab I had at something along these lines was set in the Restoration, all be it with a lot of the serial numbers filed of and a slightly more clockwork battlemechs than are strictly in the history books.
Too many to choose from.
The Civil War --- so many well intentioned (we know where that leads) on either side of the fence.
The Napoleonic Wars --- So much fantastic source material; not only Forrester and O'Brian novels but historical figures like Lord Cochrane.
My dark horse --- The Seven Years' War. Set in large part in my home country, the players would be redcoats. I would definitely play up nefarious leadership, 'treacherous' indians, and these fucking Brothers Jonathan, who are supposed to be your countrymen but are all crazier than shithouse rats.
Colonial Record ftw for the last one. Privateers & Gentleman for the second. Not sure about the first; GD3 or Basic Roleplaying. No fantasy elements to any of these if I ran them, aside from the players forgiving my 2-3 terrible Englishmen impressions.
English history: Colonial/Age of Sail or Napoleonic.
Scottish history: Currently running high middle ages Galloway, so there's that; would also run anything from 5th to 10th C. or Border Reivers.
Irish history: I'd go mythological - either something from the Book of Invasions or the Tain.
Welsh history: 5th-7th C. or pre-roman.
Quote from: Thalaba;640215Irish history: I'd go mythological - either something from the Book of Invasions or the Tain.
I'd run something like "Guests of the Nation" as a one-shot, with the potential executions ramped up to earlier in the night's entertainment.
410AD
Romans have just pulled out.
One campaign that had a ton of potential but fell apart due to scheduling conflicts was based on a fantasy England. The events were all true up until the Norman invasion. Instead of Normans, however, it was a massive Yuan-ti invasion.
The campaign pitted the human players against the 'aristocracy' who had some pretty bad-ass secret weapons. It combined some elements of the 'V' miniseries with a pretty solid historical background.
Fun times.
I am working right now on a Lamentations of the Flame Princess campaign set during the English Civil War in a fantasy version of England I call Albion.
I plan to fill it with righteous witch hunters, crazed alchemists, brave royalists, scheming priests and maybe a zombie plague or two...
The Great Game.
The War of the Roses.
The English Civil War.
In that order.
The English Revolutions of 1640-1688 including the 3 English Civil Wars.
The Tudors, any or all of them.
Regency, in London as scum or in Brighton as the posh.
Dark Ages Arthurian.
Norse Britain, North of the Humber, circa 900s.
Margaret Thatcher, miner's strike.
With werewolves, of course.
English history or British history.. potential for armed rebellion over these sorts of mistakes...
If we say British histroy to be more inclusive.
I am kind of draw to a victorian Steampunk meets Luther Arkwright setting.
I am also interested in Empire although moving the game to India might be cheating and I think the Great game makes for an excellent setting for a straight up Historical game.
Tudors with Walsingham as the spymaster. I likes Clash's OHMAS concept quite a lot if you want to add fantasy elements.
I liked the Invisibles and likes that alternate take on modern Britain. Likewise Neverwhere was great and the two could be combined into something quite compelling.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell however appeals to me the most. I love the depiction of the faeries and think that it's a great setting with some real potential. Its Napoleonic but obviosuly the period itslef is kind of moot.
Many years ago I read a book called The Bridge of Sand by John James. Set shortly after the Roman conquest, it follows a cohort sent to find a legendary bridge of sand that leads to the land of gold (Ireland). Setting off into a strange, alien landscape, totally isolated, they encounter numerous physical and mystical challenges. I always thought it would make a great basis for a historical, hexcrawl campaign.
(As an aside, I just checked on Amazon and second-hand copies of the book are available for the princly sum of 1 penny! I'd recommend getting a copy...)
I would have to go with modern era, any adventure or game set in any developed-world milieu could be swapped in easily. Ah the laziness enabled by cultural homogenity, where would we be without it.
English, or British? Pre-1707's Act of Union, you can talk about English meaning the kingdoms of England and Wales alone. Anything post-1707 you're probably talking about potentially Scotland as well. Though to use British for anything before is sort of meaningless.
I'd go with British America, personally, which is what we're doing in Mage right now (1750). Failing that, 18th century London might make a good setting for a crime/politics game. Or set it during Ceasar's expeditions to Britain in 55/54BC.
Elizabethan England is the most obvious, but I'd like to see an Ivanhoe/Robin Hood/Defender of the Crown campaign.
The English are the British, even though modern people deny it. Just because you don't like part of your past doesn't mean it didn't happen.
Quote from: danbuter;640331The English are the British, even though modern people deny it. Just because you don't like part of your past doesn't mean it didn't happen.
The English aren't British (and nor is anyone else) until 1707. Which was the entirety of my point.
Cromwell's England.
Can't believe no one else has mentioned this. Although, my favourite answer from other people is certainly Thatcher's Britain. The PCs could even be disenfranchised coal miners.
//Panjumanju
Quote from: Kiero;640332The English aren't British (and nor is anyone else) until 1707. Which was the entirety of my point.
But the British Isles exist, it was Britannia in Roman days. So the geography exists even if the nation states differ.
Quote from: Panjumanju;640336Cromwell's England.
Can't believe no one else has mentioned this. Although, my favourite answer from other people is certainly Thatcher's Britain. The PCs could even be disenfranchised coal miners.
//Panjumanju
I did, see above..
It's a good period, say from 1630 to 1688. Of course I'd use Clockwork and Chivalry but without all the clockwork and magic.
Quote from: tzunder;640402But the British Isles exist, it was Britannia in Roman days. So the geography exists even if the nation states differ.
The romans called britain britannia, they called Ireland Hibernia because the place froze their little brown jollies off. No british isles back then, sorry.
Anyway it's largely academic, england is basically a French colony, Grand Bretagne/Greater Brittany, has been ever since the Normans, the majority of its root words are based in French, and even the accents - ever hear an english person drop their 'h'? French accent.
May as well ask What Period in French History Would you Run a Campaign for?
Quote from: The Traveller;640404The romans called britain britannia, they called Ireland Hibernia because the place froze their little brown jollies off. No british isles back then, sorry.
Anyway it's largely academic, england is basically a French colony, Grand Bretagne/Greater Brittany, has been ever since the Normans, the majority of its root words are based in French, and even the accents - ever hear an english person drop their 'h'? French accent.
May as well ask What Period in French History Would you Run a Campaign for?
Run out of potatoes again?
I'd prolly choose the reign of Good Queen Bess.
Quote from: Panjumanju;640336Cromwell's England.
Can't believe no one else has mentioned this.
Other than everyone who said ECW, you mean?
Quote from: One Horse Town;640407Run out of potatoes again?
Quiet down there, Frenchie.
Opposite ends of the historical timeline for me. Either a Robin Hood historical campaign or a Battle of Britain historical campaign. Not because they have the potential for great gaming necessarily, but because to me they are very interesting periods of history for England.
I like the intrigues of the War of the Roses, but I would want that to be done in a science fiction setting.
It think this question is sort of backwards. Just saying the game is set in Tudor or Edwardian times doesn't really much about what the game is about. Now were you to say "Call of Cthulhu in Jacobean England" (which I have played) or "Pirates and Privateers in age of Elizabeth" I can see a campaign. Otherwise it's like saying "Let's play a modern day campaign".
Or in short - a historical period on its own does not constitute a genre and I don't really know how to play a completely genre-neutral game but I think it would look a bit like The Sims.
Quote from: The Traveller;640409Quiet down there, Frenchie.
I zink you eez avin' a lawf. ;)
Quote from: The Traveller;640409Quiet down there, Frenchie.
You know the Normans were Norsemen, right?
Quote from: tzunder;640418You know the Normans were Norsemen, right?
Keep telling yourself that, the kings of england wrote only in French for the 350 years after the Norman conquest in their personal correspondance. Really, don't take my word for it. English is in the majority a French descended language.
Beats me why so many english want to be identified with Scandinavians rather than their actual motherland, surely one shower of invaders is as good as the next. Is it because the queen is german?
:D
Weird. I had replied to this thread, suggesting the roman era when the army was expanding past Hadrian's Wall to eventually build a second wall further in Scotland....but my comment seems to have disappeared.
The vikings are cool. The French are... The French. I can see why they claim Norsemen as winning. :rotfl:
Due to historical and geographic reasons, naturally, all eras of British history look enticing from the western-educated viewpoint.Maybe the 1990ies are a low point, but apart from that?
Adventure gold.
So I would ask the inverse question: Is there a period in British history that is not enticing?
Quote from: The Traveller;640404Anyway it's largely academic, england is basically a French colony, Grand Bretagne/Greater Brittany, has been ever since the Normans, the majority of its root words are based in French, and even the accents - ever hear an english person drop their 'h'? French accent.
May as well ask What Period in French History Would you Run a Campaign for?
My answer to the OP's question is:
somewhere between the 5th and 10th centuries BC.
Now, Traveller, explain to me how exactly you may as well ask What Period in French History Would you Run a Campaign for?
Nitpick over whether it's England or Britain all you want, it still has a pre-Norman Conquest period that's highly relevant to this thread.
QuoteKeep telling yourself that, the kings of england wrote only in French for the 350 years after the Norman conquest in their personal correspondance. Really, don't take my word for it.
Ethnicity != Language. Which is fucking obvious, so you must be arguing it in bad faith. The Normans might have spoken French, but they were a different ethnic group. Because, and I'm saying this slowly and clearly as if talking to a small child,
not every ethnic group on Earth uses its own ethnic language as its primary one.QuoteEnglish is in the majority a French descended language.
lolNope. (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Origins_of_English_PieChart.svg) Not even one-third of the lexicon originates from French. And that's not even touching syntax, which is even more important as far as a language's "identity" is concerned (and NOT French).
Quote from: The Traveller;640421Really, don't take my word for it. English is in the majority a French descended language.
Is not! It is a bona fide germanic language with a doubled vocabulary for the posh words.
More truth in Eroll Flynn's Robin Hood than in your posts. That is quite something...
Quote from: Premier;640437Ethnicity != Language. Which is fucking obvious, so you must be arguing it in bad faith. The Normans might have spoken French, but they were a different ethnic group. Because, and I'm saying this slowly and clearly as if talking to a small child, not every ethnic group on Earth uses its own ethnic language as its primary one.
They were camped out in northern France for six generations before kicking english bottom. That's a whole lot of interbreeding with the locals. Their grandfathers' grandfathers might have been distinct but by the year 1000 they were French speaking christians.
Quote from: Premier;640437lolNope. (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Origins_of_English_PieChart.svg) Not even one-third of the lexicon originates from French. And that's not even touching syntax, which is even more important as far as a language's "identity" is concerned (and NOT French).
Yes, by in the majority I mean 'more than any other language'.
:D
Quote from: Settembrini;640438Is not! It is a bona fide germanic language with a doubled vocabulary for the posh words.
More truth in Eroll Flynn's Robin Hood than in your posts. That is quite something...
Un marin Français est une âme envolée,
Libre comme un oiseau de montagne,
Son poing énergique devrait être prêt à résister
Un mot dictatorial.
Son nez doit pantalon et sa lèvre devrait friser,
Ses joues doivent flamme et son front doit furl,
Sa poitrine se soulever et doit son cœur doit s'allumer,
Et son poing être toujours prêt pour un coup de massue.
Normans were both Gallo-roman, Frankish AND Norsemen. That's actually what makes them, you know... "Normans".
Just for the record I could not care less about Normans.
1. The Norman Invasion and the Harrying of the North.
2. Robin Hood, etc.
3. Hundred Years' War.
Richard the Lionheart and Saladin could be interesting.
Quote from: The Traveller;640441Un marin Français est une âme envolée,
Libre comme un oiseau de montagne,
Son poing énergique devrait être prêt à résister
Un mot dictatorial.
Son nez doit pantalon et sa lèvre devrait friser,
Ses joues doivent flamme et son front doit furl,
Sa poitrine se soulever et doit son cœur doit s'allumer,
Et son poing être toujours prêt pour un coup de massue.
Yes, and you can be rightfully proud of your freedom and strength!
And it was a frenchman, P. Bourdieu IIRC, who recognised in the graduates of the grandes ecoles:
...the tendency to be free-wheeling, not only with defiance and independence, but with truth.
English is a germanic language with a doubled dictionary for making class-based distinctions...between Saxon nerf herders and Norman Kingpins.
Quote from: Settembrini;640449English is a germanic language with a doubled dictionary for making class-based distinctions...between Saxon nerf herders and Norman Kingpins.
English is a Frankish language with germanic and latin associations. Also that bit of verse was a ripoff of the HMS Pinafore, and a more bombastic piece of nationalistic quavering I've yet to come across. Ironically the actual Scandinavians under Harald III were kicked off the rock in short order in 1066.
Fine fine I'll leave it there, before heaving bosoms and curling lips raise an energetic fist to resist my dictatorial word. :D
We can definitely agree thaqt the Britons, Celts and their languages got the short end of the stick in any case.
Actually, as far as the various families of Old Germanic languages go, Old Frankish has probably one of the smallest influences on English.
Oh yes, Dutch and low [or medieval] German are so close to english, it is not funny.
But the BIG quiestion remains:
Which period in British history is NOT exciting adventure materièl?
1990-1999
????-????
Quote from: Settembrini;640482But the BIG quiestion remains:
Which period in British history is NOT exciting adventure materièl?
1990-1999
????-????
Not even that, if you're into World of Darkness. :D
Though I strongly favor the tried-and-true Arthurian fantasy and Victorian horror and adventure stuff.
You're right, it is an intriguing litle isle, but I sometimes wonder about the Anglophonic bias in the hobby. I'd love to see someone run a late-19th-century two-fisted adventure campaign of heroic agents at the service of His Imperial Majesty, Napóleon III, thwarting the schemes of
la perfide Albion from Indochina to Montréal. ;)
Quote from: Settembrini;640482Oh yes, Dutch and low [or medieval] German are so close to english, it is not funny.
But the BIG quiestion remains:
Which period in British history is NOT exciting adventure materièl?
1990-1999
????-????
For me personally, about 200-1650AD. Anything with a hint of medieval or with any of that feudalism bollocks bores me to tears. I either want prehistory, antiquity or Enlightenment onwards.
Quote from: Kiero;640332The English aren't British (and nor is anyone else) until 1707. Which was the entirety of my point.
Wales was a principality rolled under the Kingdom of England.
Great Britain is England, (Wales) and Scotland
The United Kingdom is Great Britain + Northern Ireland
The British Isles is all or ireland, great Britain and associated other bits that all outside the UK (for tax reasons) but are historically linked, Isle of Man & Isles of Scilly. The Scotish islands are part of scotland so not included in this distinction.
The Channel Islands aren't geographically part of the British Isles but they are cultureally and they fill the same slot as the other island tax havens.
Britain was a term used by the Romans though.
Quote from: jibbajibba;640600Great Britain is England, (Wales) and Scotland
Precisely, and so until the Act of Union, there is no "Britain". There was England (and Wales) and Scotland. Two separate nations (sometimes joined by sharing a monarch, but still sovereign) until that point when they welded their destinies together for good. Or at least until next year, depending on how the referendum goes.
Learn sth new everyday:
British Isles =! Britain;
is that correct?
Quote from: Settembrini;640615Learn sth new everyday:
British Isles =! Britain;
is that correct?
"Britain" is roughly speaking a political designation meaning the United Kingdom (though it's geographically inaccurate, given it includes Northern Ireland and a bunch of other places). It is from Britain that we get the identity British.
"The British Isles" is a geographical designation meaning the two islands of Great Britain and Ireland (and some other places). It's a catch-all that ignores the fact that the UK and Republic of Ireland are two different political units.
Here's a diagram explaining the various bits:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/British_Isles_Euler_diagram_15.svg)
I'm very much into the Ancient World thing at the moment, so for me in my current mindset it'd be Roman or pre-Roman Britain.
Late 12th/early 13th century - Crusades, Robin Hood, Religious turmoil, Robber Barons and so on.
Arthurian era - post apocalyptic Roman Britain, ravaging invaders, numerous last stands, Arthur riding to the rescue and cocking things up, heroic colonisers and so on.
I would run a detective style mystery during the inter-war period. (1918-1938 or so)
Quote from: AnthonyRoberson;640228I am working right now on a Lamentations of the Flame Princess campaign set during the English Civil War in a fantasy version of England I call Albion.
You do know that there's already an "Albion" LotFP campaign, right? I'm not saying its proprietary or anything, but just wondering...
RPGPundit
Quote from: Settembrini;640438Is not! It is a bona fide germanic language with a doubled vocabulary for the posh words.
More truth in Eroll Flynn's Robin Hood than in your posts. That is quite something...
Its an Anglo-Norman Tongue.
(http://www.comedy.co.uk/images/library/people/180x200/b/blackadder_s3_prince_george.jpg)
I would run a campaign during the 100 Years War, set in France.
Another would be the War of 1812, with the PCs as English sailors having to choose to be in the US or Royal Navies.
Quote from: RPGPundit;641040You do know that there's already an "Albion" LotFP campaign, right? I'm not saying its proprietary or anything, but just wondering...
RPGPundit
You invented the word Albion? :jaw-dropping:
How old are you?!
:p
Quote from: danbuter;641067You invented the word Albion? :jaw-dropping:
How old are you?!
:p
You know that's not what I meant! I was just curious as to whether he was aware of a similar concept on this very site or not...
RPGpundit
Perfide Albion... the Frogmen will have their revenge. One day.
An English Civil War:
"Pardon me, old man, would you mind if I shot at you?"
"Certainly not, if you don't mind my shooting you back."
"That sounds sporting!"
Black Death (1348) as End of the World using CoC.
Campaigns I have run:
Roman Britain (both sides, different campaigns):
The Roman PCs were Ventrue/Lasombra/Malkavian WoD Vampires in Octavian's campaign, target Anglesey (the Druid HQ).
The British PCs were Romano-British shortly after the Romans had pulled out for good. King Arthur stylee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur_(film))
The Crusades (campaign started in Britain). The youngest PC was one "Robert Lockhart", who was handy with a longbow. That lead neatly into:
Robin Hood
Elizabethan (the inspired Maelstrom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maelstrom_(role_playing_game))paperback)
Occupied Britain 1941
Quote from: Benoist;641462Perfide Albion... the Frogmen will have their revenge. One day.
Well, in the Albion campaign, they kind of already did; given that they took all the Anglish holdings on the continent except of Calais before the campaign even started. They're on the rise right now in the campaign. The human nations around there (Albion, the Principality of Lorraine, The Grand Duchy of Burgundy, the Canton Confederacy, the city-states and Pontifex-states of Arcadia, and the kingdoms of Iberia are all too disjointed and distrustful of one another to actually get organized and take the Frogmen down.
That was actually the one great ambition of the Kingmaker (Warwick); he sought to marry King Edward of York to a princess of Lorraine, who was also the niece of Philip of Burgundy, creating a triple alliance that would then go to war against the Frogmen together; but then Edward fucked it all up by marrying a lower noble (Elizabeth Woodville) in secret. This broke any chance of alliance (as well as fucking up all of Albion by turning Warwick and the king against each other and reigniting the civil war). Meanwhile Burgundy went to war alone, kicked the shit out of the Frogmen and got within sight of the Paris Swamp, but was pushed back and died soon after.
His son Charles the Terrible is much less competent and got into a fight with his cousins in Lorraine; who were then opportunistically attacked by the Frogmen; Lorraine was only saved because at the time it was full of very powerful and experienced Lancastrian Knights who fought for Lorraine in exchange for the Prince's support against their mutual enemies in the house of York.
Now the Kingmaker and both the Mad King and his son Prince Edward of Lancaster are dead, ending the Lancastrian threat (except for the minor house of Tudur, which is in exile on the continent with no real allies and everyone is fairly sure will be assassinated shortly), but any hope of a grand alliance against the Frogmen seems to have crumbled to dust.
Even so, there are rumblings about a young surviving son of the last Duke of Brittanie trying to raise up a rebellion in frogmen territory...
RPGPundit
I'm boring. I'm all for the sort of Edwardian/Victorian Sun Never Sets sort of thing, though I'll be damned if I'll go through the work of looking up dates if I'm not GMing the fucking thing.
Steampunk optional. Spooky gribblies, optional. I'd be happy to play it more or less straight (as straight as we can in our deconstructive post-modern era...).
Of course, I wouldn't perforce remain on the Isles themselves. Depends on how adverturesome going to Tea was, I suppose.