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Black_Zawisza
2011-02-06, 04:42 AM
If you were in a campaign that took place in a low-magic, but otherwise mostly D&Dish Earth, what time and place would you enjoy playing the most, and why? Please be specific about the timeframe; round to the nearest fifty years, if you can.

Lurkmoar
2011-02-06, 04:55 AM
The 1750s. Dawn of the Industrial Revolution and the American Revolution would be right around the corner. 1920s would be fun too. Prohibition era with gangs armed with Tommy guns and magic would be interesting.

If you want something older... I'd say 320ish BC, right after the death of Alexander the Great. His empire broken up due to a succession crisis would be a nice backdrop. Heck, you can even make one of the players his general and the party would be trying to establish him as the rightful heir.

Incompleat
2011-02-06, 04:57 AM
I think that a campaign set during the French Revolution could be lots of fun. But it would not be all that low-magic, perhaps, at least if one wants to use magic as a substitute for the technology available at the time.

Or if you want something older, Europe circa 1350, during the peak of the Black Death. Kind of morbid, but could be interesting if pulled properly.

MeeposFire
2011-02-06, 04:59 AM
The 1750s. Dawn of the Industrial Revolution and the American Revolution would be right around the corner. 1920s would be fun too. Prohibition era with gangs armed with Tommy guns and magic would be interesting.

If you want something older... I'd say 320ish BC, right after the death of Alexander the Great. His empire broken up due to a succession crisis would be a nice backdrop. Heck, you can even make one of the players his general and the party would be trying to establish him as the rightful heir.

Face off against the Mongols would be interesting. Can you stop the unbeatable machine that are the Mongolians?

Chilingsworth
2011-02-06, 07:39 AM
Face off against the Mongols would be interesting. Can you stop the unbeatable machine that are the Mongolians?

Unless they're the PC's they can certainly be stopped. If they are the PC's there's still a chance they can be stopped.

So, maybe a campaign as the Mongols?

Feudal Era Japan should be mentioned, I think.

I wanted to try and run a Crusades Era game once, with the premise being that ALL the human empires were being manipulated by some malevolant force. But I couldn't figure out how to build a representation of the real world religions I found satifying. That and I'm not a good GM, so probably shouldn't attempt a game so complicated in the first place. :smallsigh:

Eldan
2011-02-06, 07:54 AM
Anywhere from about 1670-1900, really. Those be fascinating times.

Oh, and I'd love to be in England and join the royal society as early as possible.

Yora
2011-02-06, 07:55 AM
I'd go for about 500 BC. Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China were very interesting places at that time. I guess Baltic Sea would also be cool, but very few things are known about that time and region.

Tyndmyr
2011-02-06, 09:53 AM
1688-89. See also, 7th Sea.

Using the system a coupla hundred years earlier or later could also be very interesting.

Talyn
2011-02-06, 09:59 AM
1550-1680, Age of Exploration - discover the new world, war or trade with the natives, fight rival colonial ventures and continue the wars of Europe in the New World! Guns exist but aren't too reliable or powerful to make individual sword-swinging heroes obsolete, and the tumultuous religious and cultural climate means playing a cleric or paladin will have greater struggles than the classic "Good vs Evil."

Aldizog
2011-02-06, 10:35 AM
The Bronze Age Collapse, campaign starting around 1215 BC and ending around 1180 BC.

Somehow bringing together the Sea Peoples, the Trojan War, Ramses the Great, priestess/general Fu Hao of the Shang Dynasty, and the collapse of several Bronze Age societies. I have some ideas here...

Yora
2011-02-06, 10:54 AM
The setting I'm currently working on (for about six years now) is based on a similar cultural and social situation, just set in a fantasy world.

J.Gellert
2011-02-06, 11:01 AM
The collapse of the Roman Empire, plenty of opportunities.

Otherwise early Byzantium, just because I think it's really underdone.

A Celtic or Viking campaign would be interesting as well, but how many adventures could you get out of it? (probably more than I can imagine, but still).

Though, my campaign setting is the modern age disguised as the dark ages.

Voldecanter
2011-02-06, 12:20 PM
The Renaissance, so I could play me some Wizards.

Ravens_cry
2011-02-06, 03:18 PM
Stone Ages, the Dawn of Magic. When the ability to make fire was just as magical as calling lightning from the sky.

Gavinfoxx
2011-02-06, 05:00 PM
16th century Germany. As a (maybe ex?) Landsknechts mercenary.

So I could play a Warblade in a breastplate wielding a two handed sword, on foot.

Eldariel
2011-02-06, 05:02 PM
Ancient Europe; something like the years around the rise of Rome.

Callista
2011-02-06, 06:40 PM
I think I'd love the ancient world in the mediterranean region... Sumeria, Egypt, the very beginnings of Greece, maybe...

Egypt is just a fascinating place. They had this really highly structured, prosperous civilization when everybody else was still a bunch of randomly scattered city-states constantly raiding each other.

Dsurion
2011-02-06, 08:34 PM
I think I'd really enjoy one of three setting periods.

Iron Age Scandinavia would be really cool, and while some groups send raiders into other areas of civilization, some could send "adventuring" parties. Some people think it would be limited to Vikings killing each other, but you can do more. Wrestling matches were common, and would make for a fantastic way of forcing people to learn those grapple rules. Hell, just survival in the snowy wastes could be an awesome challenge if you bar magic entirely from the PC's.

Renaissance Florence would be a great city-based campaign with lots of intrigue, especially with the various Milanese/Venetian/Sicilian city-states constantly knocking each others' doors down.

Post Dark Ages Europe is actually pretty cool, too. The British Isles would be my location of choice. Ancient Irish culture is usually relatively unexplored in fantasy, as is Welsh.

If you think about it, with empire building and various monsters about, and people able to sack random cities at will and be praised for it, Classical Age Greece totally supports D&D's usual bloodthirsty hobos.

Amnestic
2011-02-06, 08:45 PM
Three Kingdoms era China.

During the rise (or fall) of the Roman Empire.

Renaissance Italy. I shall be called Ezio!

Crusades.

Feudal Japan.

Lurkmoar
2011-02-06, 08:56 PM
If you're in classical Greece, you could have a good chance of some divine parentage. The Gods really got around back then...

Claudius Maximus
2011-02-06, 09:18 PM
Pre-Roman Italy could be neat. Some of those old Etruscan customs are quite mysterious to the modern eye.

Ravens_cry
2011-02-06, 11:59 PM
Pre-Roman Italy could be neat. Some of those old Etruscan customs are quite mysterious to the modern eye.
The clothing was also interesting, much more fitted then much clothing before or after.