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Historical RPGs?

Stella Brando

Arcane
Joined
Oct 5, 2005
Messages
9,036
Anyone played in any games with a historical basis?

Sorry I don't have a better OP, this is really just a question.
 

Falksi

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Feb 14, 2017
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Shadow Hearts Covenant isn't necessarily historically accurate, but it mixes historical people and events into the formula fantastically.
 

Jack Of Owls

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May 23, 2014
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Massachusettes
Though I never played it, for some reason I thought Tyranny was an "historical" RPG... then I saw the trailers with dudes zapping each other with lightning, earth and fire. But I do love anything that mixes real history with good gaming, even the AssCreed games or AoE RTSs.
 

JamesDixon

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Dumbfuck
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Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut
GURPS and Hero System have good sourcebooks on playing games in whatever historical period you like. It does take a bit more work, but it is worth it.
 

Crashman

Novice
Joined
May 21, 2022
Messages
6
If we're talking vidya gaemz, I'd point out Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

If we're talking table top, I'd recommend checking out Mythras which used to be RuneQuest 6E, but the publisher, Design Mechanism lost or sold the license to the original publisher, Chaosium so they changed the names and edited out a few rules to publish it as their own game. The main rulebook for Mythras gives the impression of a Sword & Sandal Bronze Age default setting in its artwork & adventure examples. However, they've released several setting books based on historical (fantasy) settings such as Mythic Britain & Mythic Rome that I'm sure could be used as a basis for pure historic setting games. You can easily just ignore the magic rules; I think the free rules pdf doesn't even include them.
 

mastroego

Arcane
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Apr 10, 2013
Messages
10,260
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Italy
Lex Arcana, an Italian RPG set in ancient Rome.
I'd say semi-historic as there is an uchronic component, in that the Roman civilization never fell and in fact prospered, and eventually learned that it had to deal with supernatural menaces as well.

It's kind of awesome actually.
It's a very refined product, in fact (I believe the current edition is the second one). Lore and art are both top notch.
And the dice mechanic is brilliant, might be the best I ever saw.
Look it up.
I have no idea if it's been translated in other languages though.
 

mastroego

Arcane
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Italy
Some covers/art samples:
900x_Lex-Arcana_KS2.jpg


7c7246ece845f9a24a489ea96fcea01e5990dc9d__03926.1626879871.jpg

It would seem there's an English edition after all.
 
Joined
Jan 7, 2017
Messages
1,379
There's Sengoku which is set, as you can imagine, in Japan's Warring States period; it uses some flavour of Fuzion for the system.

There's Aquelarre, a historically accurate old-school Spanish medieval role-playing game with supernatural and horror elements, originally written by Ricard Ibañez (a historian and prominent figure of the Spanish RPG scene, in recent years he realeased a game set in the Conquest era Aztec Empire, "Nahui Ollin", which remains untranslated as far as I know). The system is pretty much BRP.

If you speak Spanish, there's the following games:

- "Arcana Mundi" (I think I may have mentioned it in a separate thread), a well-researched RPG set in Imperial Rome. Also has some magic, the kind of magic Romans believed in. The first edition is long out of print, and there is a second one in the works.
- The aforementioned "Nahui Ollin".
- "Comandos de Guerra", a game set in WWII. PCs are a ragtag band of commandos, partisans, and what have you. Comes with a comprehensive equipment and vehicles list, a lifepath system for character generation that feels a lot like Traveller, and enough information to set the game in any theatre of operations during WWII. For a game that was printed in 2007, it's still not hard to find.
 

Stella Brando

Arcane
Joined
Oct 5, 2005
Messages
9,036
Does anyone know how to get hold of the Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition "green books?"

They had separate books about historical settings - 1600s Europe, the Crusades etc.

I'd love to have to have a look at them, if I could.

Thank you so much.
 

MartinK

Learned
Joined
Aug 14, 2020
Messages
178
Geniune historical RPGs are rare and far between developers always mix in some sort of supernatural element. Considering that real history is, few poor and autistic academics aside, a modern ideological battleground you want plausible deniability hence the supernatural bullshit. Your best chance is to adapt GURPS, Mythras or something like that.
 

Lord Rocket

Erudite
Joined
Feb 6, 2008
Messages
1,089
haven't played either but here's a couple TSR D&D-derived games for your consideration:

Lion and Dragon -- describes itself as 'medieval authentic'
Helvéczia -- based mostly on pulp fiction, 'pseudo-historical'

the latter is from the Codex's own Melan so he may have something to add about the historical basis of the game.

here's another one, originally from the 80s, set in 16th century Engerlund. Some kind of d100 system if I remember correctly. I've got an original copy around somewhere, but never played it either (except for the included solo, CYOA adventure). The herbal in the back was interesting reading though.

Maelstrom

Even more shit I haven't played (I haven't played any historical games except Call of Cthulhu lol), but made by some HEMA dudes. 3.5e based.

Codex Integrum -- 'A Complete System for Historical Campaigns'
 

SimTrY

Literate
Joined
May 19, 2023
Messages
41
Anyone played in any games with a historical basis?

Sorry I don't have a better OP, this is really just a question.
played, no. but check out harn. its medieval autism simulator, the rpg. its a pretty cool read even for the worldbuilding stuff.

0774a6495e3414504c1959147f7379df.jpg
 

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