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Yora
2014-06-02, 07:38 AM
I'm a huge fan of fantasy set in prehistoric settings with only a few rare city states and a world that is still mostly unexplored. Unfortunately, the vast majority of RPGs are set in periods starting from the late middle ages and going well into the rennaisance, which is about 2000 years later than what I am looking for.
Does anyone know about any RPGs set in worlds centered around clans, chieftains, and minor kings?

There has been Totems of the Dead for Savage Worlds a few years ago, which is based on both Vikings and Indians, which sounds like a cool idea, but I havn't been able to learn much about it yet.

Terraoblivion
2014-06-02, 09:12 AM
That doesn't really sound much like the bronze or iron age. The areas that had city states at all were generally fairly densely settled and the others had a lot of trade and moving around. It sounds more like pulp fantasy, so rather than looking towards bronze or iron age stuff, you should probably look at that.

Grinner
2014-06-02, 09:18 AM
Slaine* - Focused on Celtic myth
Agon - Imagine Hercules, Perseus, and Odysseus taking a road trip.
Ehdrigohr - You might find this one particularly interesting. Rather than drawing from European and/or Mediterranean lore, it draws from that of the Native Americans.
Numerous third-party d20 supplements - I've run across a number of small supplements of varying degrees of quality. One adds rules for implementing Ogham and combining it with magic. Another gives characters the option to employ Cu Chulainn's famous warp-spasm. One is just a general introduction to Celtic society, giving less of the mythic Ireland viewpoint. I'm sure I can dig up some names if you're especially interested in d20 supplements.

*in both d20 and RuneQuest varieties

Edit: There's also a few d20 supplements focused on the Fertile Crescent, if you're looking for early Bronze Age material.

Airk
2014-06-02, 09:23 AM
Hillfolk (http://www.pelgranepress.com/?cat=222) - Robin Laws new "Dramasystem" ...system has its 'default' setting in the iron age

Yora
2014-06-02, 09:27 AM
Numerous third-party d20 supplements - I've run across a number of small supplements of varying degrees of quality. One adds rules for implementing Ogham and combining it with magic. Another gives characters the option to employ Cu Chulainn's famous warp-spasm. One is just a general introduction to Celtic society, giving less of the mythic Ireland viewpoint. I'm sure I can dig up some names if you're especially interested in d20 supplements.

Could you name specifics? That's kind of the question here.

Grinner
2014-06-02, 09:58 AM
OGL Ancients - Mythic Greece and Egypt
Bardic Lore: The Villa of Mysteries - a small location
Bardic Lore: The Fachan - a folkloric monster, includes traits for usage as PCs
Bardic Lore: Ogham - the Ogham supplement
Bardic Lore: Riastradh - the warp-spasm supplement
Testament - set in the period described by the Hebrew Bible
Ancient Kingdoms: Mesopotamia - A setting. Appears to largely fictional, evocative of Conan the Barbarian.
Celtic Age: Role-Playing the Myths, Heroes & Monsters of the Celts - Contrary to the title, very little of the book is actually about myths, heroes, or monsters. Mostly, it's fairly mundane topics.

Disclaimer: I've only read a few of these and even then only in passing.

Khedrac
2014-06-02, 11:27 AM
Gloranthan RuneQuest is supposed to be Bronze-Age though the development of the Western sorcery countries is more medieval and the Lunar empire is more Roman/late iron age (in fact I reckon most of it is more iron age than bronze age despite bronze being the main metal).

Arbane
2014-06-02, 03:21 PM
Exalted is sort-of Bronze Age. More accurately, it's 'post-apocalyptic, decayed to mostly bronze-age society and tech with occasional superweapons', but the designers were aiming for a bronze-age feel.

Conan d20, maybe?

Yora
2014-06-02, 03:27 PM
Conan d20 kinda works. I am mostly looking for games that may have some GM advice on how you run games in such settings that make their specific traits shine, instead of being just standard fare dungeon crawls. However, almost all seem to focus entirely on equipment lists and specialzed character classes, occasionally with a focus on greek and mesopotamian monsters. Conan is much like that. Slightly different classes and equipment lists than D&D and different spells, but otherwise it's standard generic hack and slash.

Grinner
2014-06-02, 10:23 PM
Conan d20 kinda works. I am mostly looking for games that may have some GM advice on how you run games in such settings that make their specific traits shine, instead of being just standard fare dungeon crawls. However, almost all seem to focus entirely on equipment lists and specialzed character classes, occasionally with a focus on greek and mesopotamian monsters. Conan is much like that. Slightly different classes and equipment lists than D&D and different spells, but otherwise it's standard generic hack and slash.

Y'know, there's a GURPS supplement that might be just what you're looking for...Google tells me it's GURPS Ice Age.

It had this adventure where the PCs are caught up in an inter-tribal disagreement and are charged with settling the dispute, insofar as I remember. The GURPS rules might be useless for you, but the adventure could serve as a model for the kind of game you're trying to evoke.

Jormengand
2014-06-04, 11:25 AM
PF has rules for ancient weapons which might work.

Yora
2014-06-04, 11:49 AM
Yes, but that's entirely cosmetic, not changing anything in the way the adventures are structured and characters interact with the world.

Jormengand
2014-06-04, 01:33 PM
Yes, but that's entirely cosmetic, not changing anything in the way the adventures are structured and characters interact with the world.

Well, yes, because that's your job as a DM.

Yora
2014-06-05, 03:14 AM
And I am doing research in preparation. :smalltongue:

Morty
2014-06-05, 03:24 AM
Well, yes, because that's your job as a DM.

It's not any DM's job to force square pegs into round holes.

Starshade
2014-06-05, 04:34 AM
Interesting topic, since I've done a Uni course on stone/bronze age, and an introductory material course covering iron age! :smallbiggrin:
Iron age is easier to "get", mentally, since Viking/Celtic culture, roman era barbarians, is known from written materials. Its bronze age, I'm in doubt if I know of many systems who can do that era justice. Conan, sure. The crazy older fallen kingdoms could serve as RPGish "fallen" bronze age civilizations, easily. Godking/Priest/Wizard Lords of doom as Thoth Amon and Tulsa Doom is perfect for RPGish bronze/really early iron age.
Though, the Conan world got more medieval parts as well, so it got elements borrowed from all over history.

Perhaps the Dark Sun setting could work? Don't really know the setting myself, outside some generic ideas, but in it metal is scarce, who is quite close to RL bronze age, with lots of exotic elements who make it quite unusual and different.

Or, GURPS always works :smallsmile:

neonchameleon
2014-06-05, 06:36 AM
Yes, but that's entirely cosmetic, not changing anything in the way the adventures are structured and characters interact with the world.

People don't change that much, but social structures do. And the average D&D world with the untamed wilderness threatening to destroy it and collection of city states is actually much more bronze age than it is even mediaeval (although the tech is mediaeval) - both the Keep on the Borderlands and the Nentir Vale fit this pattern. The Iron Age included such things as the Roman Empire.

It's right at the end of the Iron Age, but you might well want to give Pendragon a look especially as it's the current Bundle of Holding (http://www.bundleofholding.com/index/current).

Yora
2014-06-05, 06:57 AM
Dark Sun seems to be indeed the best thing that there is for this kind of style. The one downside is, that it's entirely a desert setting, while you can extend the general principles to almost anywhere. It's still a great case of advanced society existing in an untamed environment with very limited technology. There's a lot to learn from it.

russdm
2014-06-05, 07:25 PM
Dark Sun seems to be indeed the best thing that there is for this kind of style. The one downside is, that it's entirely a desert setting, while you can extend the general principles to almost anywhere. It's still a great case of advanced society existing in an untamed environment with very limited technology. There's a lot to learn from it.

Don't forget about the Psionics and the magic warping effect or the Sorcerer-kings.

veti
2014-06-05, 09:51 PM
I can recall two games I've played in that sort of setting. Good luck finding either one now. Question: are you looking for "fantasy with a vaguely bronze-age feel", or "actual gritty realism in historical earth settings"?

Fantasy Hero (1st edition) had an excellent supplement for setting games in ancient Greece, which would be the right period for you.

Man, Myth & Magic used explicitly a Roman setting, where parts of the world were still pretty untamed.

Xuc Xac
2014-06-05, 10:33 PM
Most medieval fantasy settings are actually set in the late 19th century and dressed up in medieval trappings. The aforementioned "Keep on the Borderlands" and similar D&D adventures and settings are essentially the "American Old West with swords" rather than "feudal Europe".

Yora
2014-06-06, 02:40 AM
Don't forget about the Psionics and the magic warping effect or the Sorcerer-kings.
But it's something very forgetable. D&D psionics is still just magic with a different name.

LuisDantas
2014-06-06, 08:21 AM
Do Viking RPGs qualify?

There is a whole list of them here:

http://rpggeek.com/geeklist/51991/item/2801995#item2801995

I can recommend Fate of the Norns for atmosphere and research. The author is very much aware of Viking culture, and it shows.

oldskoolmosher
2015-04-05, 09:51 AM
Hi,

I'm launching a bronze age fantasy rpg on Kickstarter this year, details below:

Crestfallen (http://prefundia.com/projects/view/crestfallen-rpg-bronze-age-fantasy-roleplaying/4687/)

It's a mixture of European analogue cultures, though one of the main ones is based on Mesopotamia.

Dan.