Me I'm a bit different. I don't match the system to the setting, but to the players.

I mean, if you've got a bunch of players who never read rules, have short attention spans and don't enjoy combat, then it's a bit pointless shoving GURPS at them. And if you've got rules lawyers who painstakingly document every ounce of encumbrance and treat every violent encounter as something worth planning like the D-Day invasion, then probably you should not give them Risus.

I say, match the system to the players. Anything else is just asking for a headache.

MRQ isn't so bad. It has had issues--no argument. The rules have been wrangled and the books themselves had some quality issues as MG switched to their own press. But I do like the system and I find that with the same patience and practice I put into other systems, it responds just fine. I would consider it for the time periods, along with all my favorite generics.

I would also look at Lace and Steel. It has a nice 17th century flavor.

I would use some variant of d20 system for all of those. Reason is simple, my players know the system, no need to learn new rules and we can quickly start playing.

Now for number one I would probably tweak Call of Ctulhu d20 with some things form Past d20. It sounds like it could live well with some horor elements.

For Reneisance I am tempted to go for d20 Modern with Past supplement, especially if I don't know what kind of game it should be. On the other hand I can see make it a bit more postapocalyptical with Monte Cook's WoD. Seriously, this sounds to me really like interesting and viable option.

For the 14th Century Britain? Dungeons & Dragons without races option and some minor tweaks here and there.

I'd use True20, but with a modified feat list. I would also use the rules in the companion to create new heroic roles, or I might let the plyers go straight into point buy.
Why?
Because its what I use for everything these days.

Quote from: BalbinusMaelstrom (the original one from way back in the day) could work I guess...

Crikey, I'd forgotten all about that little gem of 80's gaming. IIRC the author was 16 at the time of publication, and showed an incredible amount of maturity and knowledge when presenting the 16th/17th century world.

For anyone interested in tracking down a copy it's well worth a look:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maelstrom_%28role_playing_game%29

Quote from: AosI'd use True20, but with a modified feat list. I would also use the rules in the companion to create new heroic roles, or I might let the plyers go straight into point buy.
Why?
Because its what I use for everything these days.

It's increasingly become my system of choice lately too, although I agree that the Feat lists at least would need remodelling. Fascinate and Suggestion are just a little too broad for a game that centres on diplomacy, and things like Great Cleave are way too much for an historically accurate setting. I'd probably chuck out the minion rules too. Great for heroic fantasy, not so good for 17th century Europe.

That said, there's plenty of scope within the rules to run a cracking historically inspired game. I imagine most characters would end taking a number of levels in Expert, just because it's so damn useful to have that level of skill in a milieu where knowledge is power.

Quote from: DrewIt's increasingly become my system of choice lately too, although I agree that the Feat lists at least would need remodelling. Fascinate and Suggestion are just a little too broad for a game that centres on diplomacy, and things like Great Cleave are way too much for an historically accurate setting. I'd probably chuck out the minion rules too. Great for heroic fantasy, not so good for 17th century Europe.

That said, there's plenty of scope within the rules to run a cracking historically inspired game. I imagine most characters would end taking a number of levels in Expert, just because it's so damn useful to have that level of skill in a milieu where knowledge is power.

Yeah, I've actually been thinking of using it for an historically inspired frpg. I want to focus on a period of exploration/discovery with guys like this- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Russel_Wallace as the PCs. I think "Naturalist" would be a great heroic role.

Quote from: AosYeah, I've actually been thinking of using it for an historically inspired frpg. I want to focus on a period of exploration/discovery with guys like this- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Russel_Wallace as the PCs. I think "Naturalist" would be a great heroic role.

I think that's an excellent idea for a game, although the gonzo GM that lives in my skull would be fighting the urge to ambush Wallace with giant carnivorous apes at every turn...

Quote from: DrewI think that's an excellent idea for a game, although the gonzo GM that lives in my skull would be fighting the urge to ambush Wallace with giant carnivorous apes at every turn...

I've got the same problem. actually.

The Riddle of Steel would capture a fully gritty combat system. The innate class-system built into the char-gen would be interesting as well (higher-class characters have innately fewer skill points).

I mean, not perfect ... but it'll make people think twice before crossing swords.

-Marco

Quote from: Balbinus1. A game set during the 17th Century wars of religion?    Ideas that occur to me are a houseruled WFRP (and if so 1e or 2e) or maybe Flashing Blades, but there must be options I'm missing.

2. A game set during the Renaissance in the early to mid 16th Century?  Maelstrom (the original one from way back in the day) could work I guess, or maybe WFRP again with tons of houserules, but neither is quite right I suspect.

3. What about a game set in Britain in the 14th Century?  Mongoose Runequest maybe?  Other?

In each case, if you have a choice, why that choice and not something else?

Thanks all

I dunno -- probably GURPS or -- since it's you -- BRP. But I'm interested to know what aspects would be important to you in a system in those games. If I were asking, I'd want...

1) Appropriate weapons lists -- and rules that reflect the nature of period weapons with fidelity to... well, maybe "reality" but at least fiction as I understand it.

2) Appropriate skill lists to reflect both "regular" people in the era / country and adventurers

3) Traits / advantages to reflect social and economic strata (since I believe class and wealth are significant advantages in those settings)

4) Rules for whatever key fiction & settings I might want (e.g. rules for fighting on ships or mass battles, or whatever). If I was doing Renaissance Italy, maybe I'd want... I dunno... poison rules for skulldugery?)

5) Rules for drowning and falling that reflect what it was like to drown and fall back then. Given that it was a few hundred years ago, I suspect that the earth was slightly more dense (less atomic decay) and so I would expect the base falling rate (and thus base damage) to be slightly higher than I expect in my modern rules. I'd also expect the rules to account for the effect of puffy shirts and wigs (which almost everyone wore back then) on terminal velocity. I don't think drowning rules would change that much, but if the setting was Venice I'd want a system that had a special subsystem for getting trapped under a gondola.

6) What I'd really want isn't system specific -- stuff like costs of living, travel-time tables, notes about the technologies I'm *not* familiar with, etc.

What sort of system support are you looking for?

Cheers,
-E.

Hi!
  Here are my thoughts:
1. A game set during the 17th Century wars of religion? Ideas that occur to me are a houseruled WFRP (and if so 1e or 2e) or maybe Flashing Blades, but there must be options I'm missing.

I will preface this with the statement, I am not a rabid ditv fanboy. But, in a setting where the characters are highly motivated to succeed, not just for them selves, but for idealistic reasons (like jedi for instance), ditv produces the right results. And to allay any fears, I played this a few times with casual gamers and it did not produce any bizarre or unusual play.

2. A game set during the Renaissance in the early to mid 16th Century? Maelstrom (the original one from way back in the day) could work I guess, or maybe WFRP again with tons of houserules, but neither is quite right I suspect.

  For the swashbuckling goodness, maybe Riddle of Steel?

3. What about a game set in Britain in the 14th Century? Mongoose Runequest maybe? Other?
  Perfect20 might be a great way to capture the intrigue...

actually, i'd just 2nd your choices.  i'm not too familiar with a lot of these titles previously mentioned.  WFRP 1st ed would be fine for 1 & 2 (i don't have 2nd edition, yet), and using MRQ for #3, well, your players wouldn't need to buy anything--just use the SRD.

Yeah...Id say Gurps too and I don't even really like Gurps

Gurps does historical and gritty very well!

Mate, you will end using BRP and you know it
 
Anyway, the system you choose it should be valid for the three settings, as they're quite familiar.