Verderer Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 (edited) No worries, rust. These historical periods aren't that exact a science, and in different countries some eras can be said to have started in at different times. History is a continuum, and any periods are artificial constructs anyways. Best not wander too far to the Renaissance, as we were discussing the Middle Ages after all. :thumb: So to return to the topic, I have now a start for my 'mythos', so I can continue building on it, placing the various Allegiances and their relations to the world, and how various types of magic are connected to this system. Then I can start filling in the details, the benefits of each allegiance etc. I am not sure how much of this I will put on paper, as for a homebrew system, it's usually enough to have these ideas sloshing around within your skull. I am now comparing the spell systems of BRP, RQ3 and MRQ. It seems there is a lot of overlap within the last two, but BRP looks a bit different. For now, I think I am going grab Spirit Magic for 'witchcraft' (the wise woman kind), and Divine Magic from RQ3 for various church traditions, and then use any compatible Sorcery bits from all three books to form one or more 'occult' or 'hermetic' magical traditions. I'd like all three systems to have different flavour, and naturally I want to select spells that fit each tradition. Oh, and add the BRP Alchemy download to that, of course. Then all I need to do is to sort out the professions, and read tons of historical books on the period, and I am set!:cool: About converting RQ professions to BRP: that seems easy, as BRP uses skill point pools and skill lists instead or skill bonuses. Just use the RQ professions as they are, but without the bonuses or multipliers, right? I thought I'd let the players first choose (or roll) a cultural background as in MRQ, so they would get a set of basic skills and bonuses appropriate for that culture. After that they would choose (or roll) a profession from that culture, and use their skill points to buy the appropriate professional skills, and then some extra points to buy any other skills. maybe I have adjust the skill point pool down a bit, to account for the extra skill bonuses from culture? Edited January 8, 2009 by Verderer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroCoyote Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 (edited) Verderer I don't envy you the task of building a historically accurate campaign world, in fact I would normally advise against it. However, it is fascinating and frankly the times that I have attempted to work on such a project have lead me down into a mental bog obsessing over details. You may want to set a “Point of Divergence” historically far enough back that you can say; “From this point on all bets are off!” and allow artistic license to allow the flexibility to deal with the inevitable situations where someone will say “It did not happen that way!”, “That's not historically accurate.” or worse yet “God, does not work that way!” Like the mechanics of the game, allow history to be a guide, and pardon the reference, not be “cannon”. If you want your players to enjoy the game, otherwise you might as well be teaching a class on medieval history, concentrating the theology of the crusades. “Yes there will be a test, with extra credit if you come in period costume.” Make sure your players are aware of what you are trying to do for their entertainment, not argument. I think history and religion are fraught full of dangers, heck we are still fighting REAL wars over this stuff. I don't know your group of players but in general I think those who would really be interested in such a game will be intelligent and well educated in medieval history. I mean role play gaming did not earn a reputation as a “nerd” culture for nothing. They, the players, may end up being a big source of frustration, or they can play the most interesting characters. No matter how bad or good you think some movies are there may be some to consider. As mentioned before “The Name of the Rose”, “El Cid”, “Kingdom of Heaven”, “The Messenger”, “Ladyhawk”, and the latest “King Aurthur” even “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” likely all have elements you may want to include, or perhaps have your players watch for inspiration. Also I think the BBC “Cadfael” series if you can get a hold of it may hold your interest. Edited January 8, 2009 by BroCoyote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verderer Posted January 9, 2009 Author Share Posted January 9, 2009 (edited) I agree entirely, the game is going to be about fun, not just a history lesson. But I think real history is so full of fascinating stuff which is just begging to be gamed. For a GM who's into detailed settings there's almost nothing better than a historical setting. (Hey, it's like Harn, only extremely interesting! ) But at the same time I will use the Stupor Mundi book (and hopefully any additional material published!), the other unpublished resources mentioned in above posts, and add my own stuff and remove historical bits I don't like, to make it my own, a sort of mythic Europe. I think GMing Call of Cthulhu trains you to juggle with real history pretty good. Our gaming group contains a couple of history buffs, and a couple of guys who will be happy to game pretty much anything I throw at them. It is naturally my intention to keep all of them happy, but I also want to keep myself happy. I love think of these things (as you must too), most of the fascination with game mastering is inventing stuff (or in my case using historical stuff in imaginative ways). I am sure my players won't even find out most of the stuff I come up with, but that's ok. And it's there in case I need it. I won't attempt to invent the world entirely, I think it's enough to have the basic premise, and then just try to keep one step ahead of the players. Edited January 9, 2009 by Verderer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rust Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I love think of these things (as you must too), most of the fascination with game mastering is inventing stuff (or in my case using historical stuff in imaginative ways). I wholeheartedly agree. While I am currently more into Science Fiction, I re- member with pleasure my historical settings. I am sure my players won't even find out most of the stuff I come up with, but that's ok. And it's there in case I need it. A famous author once remarked that his readers would never see 90 % of the material he had researched for his books, but that these invisible 90 % deter- mined the quality of those books. In any case: Good luck with your project ! :thumb: Quote "Mind like parachute, function only when open." (Charlie Chan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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