Historical Gamers

[ScottOden]

Hail, Pothosians!

It's been a while since i posted anything, though I do frequently lurk and read about the goings-on in the community. I am wondering if there are any historically-minded roleplaying gamers among our ranks? I'm working on a narrative-based RPG set at Athens between the end of the Persian Wars and the rise of Philip II (though it could easily expand into the Hellenistic era), and I wanted to gauge the interest of history buffs who are also gamers.

Many thanks, in advance!

Scott


PS: MEMNON, my novel about the life of Memnon of Rhodes, pretty much tanked in the US but has done quite well in the UK! Thanks, UK readers!

[marcus]

Hail, Pothosians!

It's been a while since i posted anything, though I do frequently lurk and read about the goings-on in the community. I am wondering if there are any historically-minded roleplaying gamers among our ranks? I'm working on a narrative-based RPG set at Athens between the end of the Persian Wars and the rise of Philip II (though it could easily expand into the Hellenistic era), and I wanted to gauge the interest of history buffs who are also gamers.

Many thanks, in advance!

Scott


PS: MEMNON, my novel about the life of Memnon of Rhodes, pretty much tanked in the US but has done quite well in the UK! Thanks, UK readers!

I've sort of indicated an interest in this on FB, Scott, but I'll repeat it here!

Sorry Memnon tanked - I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm surprised it didn't do better across the Pond. I'll be dropping you an email on related subjects, soon (as soon as I get back from holiday, if not before).

ATB

[spitamenes]

Hail, Pothosians!

It's been a while since i posted anything, though I do frequently lurk and read about the goings-on in the community. I am wondering if there are any historically-minded roleplaying gamers among our ranks? I'm working on a narrative-based RPG set at Athens between the end of the Persian Wars and the rise of Philip II (though it could easily expand into the Hellenistic era), and I wanted to gauge the interest of history buffs who are also gamers.

Many thanks, in advance!

Scott


PS: MEMNON, my novel about the life of Memnon of Rhodes, pretty much tanked in the US but has done quite well in the UK! Thanks, UK readers!

Im all for checking it out. The RPGs are more my sons route, (I'm a 360 guy myself ) but if you ever need an outside opinion on anything just send me a message anytime.

[Efstathios]

I used to play rpg games, dnd to be exact for several years. If there is something that you need to know, ask. Although it's been years since i have played, but the general concept is rather simple. Then come the rulebooks, the dice e.t.c. ANd of course the will to roleplay.

[ScottOden]

Thanks, guys!

Here's what I posted on my FB page:

Come witness the Golden Age of Athens, from its emergence as a world power in the wake of the Persian Wars (480 BC), to its subjugation by Phillip II of Macedonia in the wake of the Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC): a one-hundred-and-forty-two year period that has defined the Western world for more than two millennia. It is the time of the great statesmen like Themistocles, Pericles, and the brash Alcibiades; of the great philosophers like Socrates and Plato, of writers like Herodotus and military-minded Thucydides, and of the great playwrights like Aeschylus and Euripides. Art and architecture reached its zenith in the Golden Age, transforming war-scarred Athens into the greatest city of its age.

This is the world of ATTIKA.

ATTIKA: Life and Death in Old Athens is a storytelling game where characters are part of the social and political structure of Athens. As a Citizen they can take an active role in the struggles of Democracy by speaking before the Assembly and the Law Courts, by being elected to positions of power, and by discharging the various duties (liturgies) associated with their standing. Yet, as a Metic, a Wife/Widow, or a Hetaira, characters are barred from public politics but can still wield great power behind the scenes, by advancing in the right social circles and accumulating wealth and favors.

Athens is a place where political and social success comes at the expense of others. Enemies will be made along the way . . . enemies who will use political or legal means to see the characters ostracized and exiled; who will risk offending the gods by forging false oracles, bearing false witness, and -- if it comes to it -- spilling the characters' blood.

With each session of ATTIKA, characters will pose questions about the world around them, questions like: “Is vengeance just?” or “Can a woman decide her own fate?” or even “Do the gods interfere in the affairs of mortals?” The answers arise from play, from the struggles the characters endure, and have the potential to change the course of history.

History in ATTIKA is not fixed; the actions of the characters will have an impact on the legacy of Athens. And while touchstone events like the Peloponnesian War WILL still occur, the deeds, actions, and reactions of the characters can change the complexion of the event even as it changes the characters, themselves.

ATTIKA: Life and Death in Old Athens, a storytelling RPG by Scott Oden (Men of Bronze, Memnon, The Lion of Cairo), built around William Stearns Davis' A Day in Old Athens. It is powered by the Principia system created by Tony Dowler.

Available soon.

One problem I've wrestled with has been how to level the playing field in terms of player knowledge of ancient Athens and the Greek world. While not a strict historical simulation, I'd want the world to be as historical as possible and still be fun. To that end, I've decided to make the core of the game from a public domain text on daily life in ancient Athens: A Day in Old Athens by William Stearns Davis (originally published in 1914); the rules would be either in the sidebars or as a preface. It is a "story game", heavily narrative in the manner of a Mary Renault novel. I've completed a rough draft of the character creation rules and posted them HERE: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid= ... 4&hl=en_US. I'd love any feedback, comments, criticisms, what-have-you.

Would you play a game like this -- historical, without the usual mythological trappings of ancient Greece? Would a 150-ish page guide to ancient Athens (albeit written in a very entertaining and accessible style) put you off playing the game? What would YOU want to see in a historical game?

Best,

Scott

[marcus]

Would you play a game like this -- historical, without the usual mythological trappings of ancient Greece? Would a 150-ish page guide to ancient Athens (albeit written in a very entertaining and accessible style) put you off playing the game? What would YOU want to see in a historical game?

Only 150 pages, Scott? Did you ever see the MERPS rule books?

ATB

[ScottOden]

Ah, MERP! I played the dickens out of that one, when I was a wee lad. Nowadays, though, it's kind of odd to see detailed setting info in an "indie" game. Most presuppose the gamers will make their own. William Stearns Davis' "thing" was making history accessible, and A Day in Old Athens certainly is that. I'd love it if people picked up the game and came away with an interest in Greek or Hellenistic history . . .

Best,

Scott