Earth: The Ultimate Campaign Setting

[Ulrick]

I've been kicking around some ideas of running a historical Earth campaign. And the more I look into running a historical Earth campaign, the more I want to run a historical Earth campaign. Here's why:

1. Earth is the most detailed campaign setting out there. If you don't believe me, then you must live on another world!

2. Earth has the cheapest "sourcebooks" available. Just pick a time, region, and go to the library or internet and do some research. And you can find decent sourcebooks for cheap in the bargin bin at bookstores.

3. Earth has tons of product support. There's lots and lots and lots of magazines, pictures, books, about the various topics of Earth that come out every month. Adventures that can be adapted to ANY RPG system can be found is various history books. Example: Read about the finding of King Tutenkamen (sp?), make up some stats for NPCs, get a good hook, then go!

4. Earth has no marketing gimmick to entice you to buy all the books out there!


I've come up with two downsides to running an Earth Campaign, and these can be dealt with!

1. "That's not how it happened!" A player might be a expert in the time/region you've chosen to run your campagin. But that's simple, just remind the player that you're the DM and you can take some "creative alteration" as you see fit.

2. Religion. Yes its a sensitive topic. Just remind the players that its just a game and not meant to be religious commentary.

3. Too much information out there! Well, we're experiencing the d20 glut as we speak. Only get the stuff you're actually gonna use.



I want to run either a campaign about the Knights Templar and the Crusades, or one in Ancient Mesopotamia.

Has anybody run a historical earth campaign?
How did it go?

 

[Cheiromancer]

I suppose if you like low-magic settings...

 

[KenSeg]

I ran an Earth setting campaign for our group when our DM needed a six month break. I chose Earth for many of the same reasons, good maps and topography, ready made names, accents, etc.

I took care of players knowing too much though by spending time redoing history and adding in AD&D monsters, magic, etc.

For example: Breton encompassed what is now Great Britian, Wales and Scotland. Arthur was still on the throne, having been seduced and magically preserved by Morgana. Moved the capitals some, York became the main point of resistance and Wales was a fiefdom that was trying to work its way out under the crafty leadership of Prince Rhys.

The Vatican empire controlled most of Italy and Sicily, but Venice was under the control of an arch-lich. The Carpathian Mountains hosted numerous giants, undead and the Vampire Lord Vlad.

Etc, etc. As you can see, it doesn't take much to create a workable campaign that has instant recognition of the players but enough changes and mystery to make it fun playing.

Have fun with your game!

-KenSeg
Gaming since 1978

 

[Hjorimir]

I once played in a RuneQuest campaign that was Anachronistic Earth. We mixed periods and threw all caution to the wind so we could have our favorite elements from each region. King Arthur? Check! Vikings? Check! Charlemagne? Check! Caesar? Check! King Tutankhamen? Check! The list goes on.

It was wacky, but memorable.

 

[Tonguez]

The Vatican empire controlled most of Italy and Sicily, but Venice was under the control of an arch-lich. The Carpathian Mountains hosted numerous giants, undead and the Vampire Lord Vlad.

Lol sounds like my earth setting

It was 16th Century inspired by Soloman Kane. I too had eastern europe occupied by Vampires and Werewolves, withches had also fled here after the rise of the Grand Inquisitor. The Grand Inquisitor had become pope about 30 years before and had systematically set about removing the monarchs of southern europe (on charge of heresy) as well as suppressing all magic and heresy in the region.
Granada was still occupied by the Moors and the Ottoman Empire was the major threat moving against Europe. A land bridge connected France and England which was still ruled by Cromwells Puritans. However Scotland and Ireland were now occupied by the Sidhe (and Lyonesse had risen off the coast of Wales (causing the land bridge to france). The main base of operations for the PCs was an invented city in the Hanseatic League

My current setting is Mythic Polynesia (and means I can create unknown islands) and a setting I'd love to play in (but need more info on) is the era of the East India Company's Factories in Moghul India

 

[fusangite]

Has anybody run a historical earth campaign?

Yes and no. It depends on how you define "historical."

If, by historical, you mean a setting based on how we know the past to have been through historical research, no. There are, however, two kinds of historical games I do that may meet your criteria:
(a) games set in a particular time and place in history based on how people at the time believed the world functioned; or
(b) games set in an alternate historical narrative of our past in which magic and the like are real.

An example of type (a) games is the 9th century game I ran which was set in 9th century Dalmatia, close to the Byzantine fortress of Spalato/Split. The world was as people at the time believed it be. There were weather wizards, saints' miracles, dog-headed men, etc.

An example of type (b) games is the campaign I am running now, set in 13th century North America on the assumption that the Book of Mormon is true and that people in the Americas were descended from the Lost Tribes of Israel. Of course, there are immortals walking the earth, magic seer stones, etc. too.

Actually, the first time I ran the 13th century Americas game, it was like type (b). The version I'm running this time is like both (a) and (b); the characters are European explorers/questers so they are bringing with them an indigenous idea of magic and divine agency that sometimes clashes with and sometimes matches local conditions.

One caution, however: it is almost impossible to find a period in history where magic worked the way D&D magic does. When attempting an historical game, I recommend that you explore other systems and/or modify D&D. I currently run a D20-BRP hybrid with about 40 pages of house rules to make my current setting stick together.

But don't expect running a game this way will save you work. It requires much more work to make a game like this. But, in my opinion, it is worth it.

 

[Henry]

I've considered once or twice running an "Alternate Earth" campaign using the Black Company campaign setting, set in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. I was going to hook it into the "Plain of Glittering Stone" from the Black Company series, so it was in a "Big Picture" sort of way hooked to the Black Company setting. However, I have far too many other campaigns to play in and run before I get to that one.

 

[RangerWickett]

From the introduction of the upcoming E.N. Publishing product, Elements of Magic - Mythic Earth.

People die without mystery.

In the time before the dark ages, magic was as common on earth as it is in the numerous fantasy settings of fiction. But at the Battle of Camlann in England, King Arthur’s knights defeated Mordred’s army fighting proxy for the fey, and in so doing, Arthur won a victory for all humanity. The fey agreed to leave the human world – Terra – and return to their own fey realm – Gaia, a world that once closely adjoined Terra, but henceforth would grow further and further apart.

The insidious thing about magic, though, is that it conforms to the beliefs of humanity. In recent years, magical creatures have found themselves more easily able to cross over from Gaia to Terra. Is it because, as the tide of public opinion in technologically-advanced nations shifted slowly toward acceptance of different races, cultures, and religions, our fears and superstitions are no longer strong enough to keep magic at bay? Even agents of the Bureau, those charged with protecting humanity from magic, do not know the answer to this mystery.

This is the world of the [smallcaps]High Fantasy[/smallcaps] campaign setting, a world where traditional myths and folklore cross paths with the modern world. [smallcaps]High Fantasy[/smallcaps] uses the Modern d20 ruleset, including eras in the near and distant past, but the magic of [smallcaps]High Fantasy[/smallcaps] is very different from the magic of the Modern d20 rules.

Elements of Magic – Mythic Earth presents rules compatible with Modern d20, letting you bring the flexible spell creation system of Elements of Magic to your modern games of any setting. Where the core Modern d20 rules simply co-opt spells from sword and sorcery, Elements of Magic – Mythic Earth creates magic that fits the tone of the real world. From street magicians and voodoo priests to Chinese sorcerers and the various stripes of witches, all the magical beliefs of humanity are yours to wield as you explore the mysteries of Mythic Earth.

If any of you have read the classic Savannah Knights Storyhour, you know how fond I am of modern fantasy in the real world. Mythic Earth is how I'm expressing my love, as I try to bring the power of myth into modern gaming.

 

[morrigan]

I want to run either a campaign about the Knights Templar and the Crusades, or one in Ancient Mesopotamia.

Has anybody run a historical earth campaign?
How did it go?

You might want to check out High Medieval. I think you might like it if you are looking for an Earth-based game.

 

[paulsometimes]

Sounds like it could be run as a historical Harry Potter. A world where spectacular magic is very real, but those that know about it keep it secret from the rest of the world. Sorry, but the world of Harry Potter was the first thing that came to mind when I read this thread.