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Reply: General Role-Playing:: Re: QOTD NOV 12: How often do you play or have played, or have wished to play RPG's that are historical, or history-based? Which of these RPG's and/or historical periods are or would be your preference?
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 08:15:41
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 08:15:41
I'm happy to play historical games if they have a good hook and preferably are about something specific. The particular setting isn't as important as an interesting concept. I have no interest in "D&D but there's no monsters or magic".
I've played and enjoyed Boot Hill (1st Edition), a game using Twilight: 2000 set during the UN Peackeeping Operation in Pakistan in the 1990s, and a recent history Fiasco Classicgame. I still want to play Night Witches and Grey Ranks.
I've played and enjoyed Boot Hill (1st Edition), a game using Twilight: 2000 set during the UN Peackeeping Operation in Pakistan in the 1990s, and a recent history Fiasco Classicgame. I still want to play Night Witches and Grey Ranks.
Reply: General Role-Playing:: Re: RPGGeek 2026 Holiday Gift Exchange
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 08:11:28
We still love you.
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 08:11:28
by jjz4gaming
Taronitesky wrote:
not participating this year but hope everyone has fun!!
We still love you.
GeekList Item: Item for GeekList "09 November 2026: How did your RPG session(s) go this week?"
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 08:09:44
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 08:09:44
by aramis
An item RPG Item: Space 1889: Red Sands has been added to the geeklist 09 November 2026: How did your RPG session(s) go this week?
Reply: General Role-Playing:: Re: QOTD NOV 12: How often do you play or have played, or have wished to play RPG's that are historical, or history-based? Which of these RPG's and/or historical periods are or would be your preference?
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 07:29:38
So I have had all sorts of ideas in my head to use that for some kind of game, probably picking some date and place in the late 19th century (far back to feel like ancient history, but around the time when newspapers began to be more fun to read with longer articles and many photos). Something interesting happened every day, or at least the newspapers always managed to make it seem like that. You basically just have to skim the front pages and there are always something noteworthy. The newspapers are of course also full of random little things like train and ship schedules, lists of prices of items, little maps and floorplans (surprisingly many floorplans! they must have liked floorplans). Not sure if I would dare try that non-solo, as I can imagine it would be easy to get stuck not really knowing what something was like.
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 07:29:38
by pelni
Also, as everyone around me is reminded about all the time (by me), I love to read old newspapers. The Royal Library in Sweden releases scans of newspapers from 100 years ago every day, so you can follow events in "real time" (today 100 years ago in Sweden: https://tidningar.kb.se/search?q=%2a&from=1926-11-12&to=1926...) (Look, the Nobel Prize winners of 1926 were revealed! Have to find some time to read that later today). Many other countries have similar archives;Wikipedia even has a dedicated list of online newspaper archives (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_online_newsp...).So I have had all sorts of ideas in my head to use that for some kind of game, probably picking some date and place in the late 19th century (far back to feel like ancient history, but around the time when newspapers began to be more fun to read with longer articles and many photos). Something interesting happened every day, or at least the newspapers always managed to make it seem like that. You basically just have to skim the front pages and there are always something noteworthy. The newspapers are of course also full of random little things like train and ship schedules, lists of prices of items, little maps and floorplans (surprisingly many floorplans! they must have liked floorplans). Not sure if I would dare try that non-solo, as I can imagine it would be easy to get stuck not really knowing what something was like.
Reply: General Role-Playing:: Re: QOTD NOV 12: How often do you play or have played, or have wished to play RPG's that are historical, or history-based? Which of these RPG's and/or historical periods are or would be your preference?
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 07:24:57
The closest I get is Twilight 2000 and Pendragon. One or the other once every 4-6 years for a 4-6 month run each time going back to the late 80's. T2K got two campaigns in 2020... Both can be seen as alternate history.
I don't want to run real historicals. I might run a pulp 1930's... without superpowers... but with some supernatural.
When we played Spirit of the Century, it was street level supers...
Pendragon has NPC magic and supernatural (and PC casters in 4th ed)...
I like the steampunk versions of the 1880's - Deadlands, 1889... both of which have impossible gadgets, and Deadlands has magic, too.
I've some interest in the 30's as seen in the Indiana Jones movies.
The only truly historical I've even considered is The Revised Recon.
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 07:24:57
by aramis
pdzoch wrote:
How often do you play or have played, or have wished to play RPG's that are historical, or history-based?
The closest I get is Twilight 2000 and Pendragon. One or the other once every 4-6 years for a 4-6 month run each time going back to the late 80's. T2K got two campaigns in 2020... Both can be seen as alternate history.
I don't want to run real historicals. I might run a pulp 1930's... without superpowers... but with some supernatural.
When we played Spirit of the Century, it was street level supers...
pdzoch wrote:
Which of these RPG's and/or historical periods are or would be your preferred choices? So, no magic, no supernatural, and no science fiction nor impossible gadgets or technologies.
I like the steampunk versions of the 1880's - Deadlands, 1889... both of which have impossible gadgets, and Deadlands has magic, too.
I've some interest in the 30's as seen in the Indiana Jones movies.
The only truly historical I've even considered is The Revised Recon.
GeekList Item: Item for GeekList "KubaP's Cthulhu"
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 06:54:38
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 06:54:38
by KubaP
An item RPG Item: The Last Dance of Lola Montez has been added to the geeklist KubaP's Cthulhu
Reply: General Role-Playing:: Re: QOTD NOV 12: How often do you play or have played, or have wished to play RPG's that are historical, or history-based? Which of these RPG's and/or historical periods are or would be your preference?
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 06:50:49
Otherwise I would be fine without supernatural elements, but it would still be alternative history in some sense... I mean, the characters would obviously be doing things that did not happen, but so would pretty much every NPC, and every storyline would be made-up except for maybe something in the background that can not be affected by the game? So I think it would make sense to try to make it as fun as possible, like in most historical fiction. Not necessarily explicit alt history ("what if the nazis had won ww2") but at least something like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_Berlin where the protagonists keeps getting entangled with historical events and people, and various things happen that definitely did not happen in history, sometimes even on a pretty large scale (as in "that would definitely have been in the news if it really happened" so it would have created new timelines, like alternative history).
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 06:50:49
by pelni
I think to play with my kids, something supernatural would be needed. I thought of trying something like Spirit of the Century with my kids (was there like a childrens version of that game as well, or did I dream that?) set in the city we live in 100 years ago, which would be fun since I would get a reason to read up more on what it was like here, and we could learn something together about that.Otherwise I would be fine without supernatural elements, but it would still be alternative history in some sense... I mean, the characters would obviously be doing things that did not happen, but so would pretty much every NPC, and every storyline would be made-up except for maybe something in the background that can not be affected by the game? So I think it would make sense to try to make it as fun as possible, like in most historical fiction. Not necessarily explicit alt history ("what if the nazis had won ww2") but at least something like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_Berlin where the protagonists keeps getting entangled with historical events and people, and various things happen that definitely did not happen in history, sometimes even on a pretty large scale (as in "that would definitely have been in the news if it really happened" so it would have created new timelines, like alternative history).
