Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-21-2018, 05:37 AM   #1
SilvercatMoonpaw
 
SilvercatMoonpaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Default What was supposed to be in Middle Ages 2?

The Middle Ages product on Warehouse23 has a "1" after the title. This suggests there was an intent to have more than one, or that an earlier version (it does say "Second Edition") had multiple.

What was supposed to be in 2-X? Was anything left out of the one on the store? Did anything left out get put in another book?
SilvercatMoonpaw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2018, 06:04 AM   #2
maximara
On Notice
 
maximara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Sumter, SC
Default Re: What was supposed to be in Middle Ages 2?

Quote:
Originally Posted by SilvercatMoonpaw View Post
The Middle Ages product on Warehouse23 has a "1" after the title. This suggests there was an intent to have more than one, or that an earlier version (it does say "Second Edition") had multiple.

What was supposed to be in 2-X? Was anything left out of the one on the store? Did anything left out get put in another book?
There was a post regarding this several years ago:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dalillama View Post
As I understand, the plan was that Middle Ages 2-x would focus on other parts of Europe the way that MA 1 did on Britain, but line was scrapped in favor of other things. If a Middle Ages worldbook(s) were to be published for 4e, I doubt that it will be organized the same way.
One could argue that GURPS Crusades fills part of that goal along with GURPS Hot Spots: Constantinople, 527-1204 A.D. For the early middle ages there is GURPS Vikings.

Perhaps one of the reasons Middle Ages 2-x was scrapped was focus ie how fine to go with the detail. At the country level that would have been an really huge series and a more general look would have raised the question of where to end a "region".

Last edited by maximara; 09-21-2018 at 06:31 AM.
maximara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2018, 06:33 AM   #3
SilvercatMoonpaw
 
SilvercatMoonpaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Default Re: What was supposed to be in Middle Ages 2?

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense.
SilvercatMoonpaw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2018, 07:18 AM   #4
Turhan's Bey Company
Aluminated
 
Turhan's Bey Company's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: East of the moon, west of the stars, close to buses and shopping
Default Re: What was supposed to be in Middle Ages 2?

Quote:
Originally Posted by SilvercatMoonpaw View Post
The Middle Ages product on Warehouse23 has a "1" after the title. This suggests there was an intent to have more than one, or that an earlier version (it does say "Second Edition") had multiple.

What was supposed to be in 2-X? Was anything left out of the one on the store? Did anything left out get put in another book?
I don't have inside information on Middle Ages, but I'd note that there may never have been any specific formal plans. When I wrote Fantasy Tech 1 and Dungeon Fantasy Treasures 1, neither came with a plan for FT2 or DFT2. Rather, the people who make these kinds of decisions saw the ideas behind them as open-ended enough to suggest the possibility of ongoing series. Eventually, Kromm came up with an idea for items enough to fill FT2 and I eventually came up with stuff for DFT2, but none of that was there when the original books were outlined and contracted.

It would not surprise me at all, then, if we were to learn that nothing was supposed to be in MA2. Rather, internal conversations might have suggested that, rather than doing a "GURPS Medieval England," labeling it "GURPS Middle Ages 1" left open the possibility of other "Middle Ages" books supporting one another. They might individually cover, say, Spain or the HRE or France or what have you. I recall at the time hearing "Middle Ages 2" being kicked around in relation to GURPS Russia, but that ultimately didn't show up as part of the title.
__________________
I've been making pointlessly shiny things, and I've got some gaming-related stuff as well as 3d printing designs.

Buy my Warehouse 23 stuff, dammit!
Turhan's Bey Company is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2018, 09:12 AM   #5
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: What was supposed to be in Middle Ages 2?

GURPS MIDDLE AGES covered mainly England for simplicity's sake. Volume two was to cover continental Europe. Mainly France, Germany, and Italy. Other nations if space allowed.

If they tried to do a fourth edition G:MAs, the main book would still be on England. They'd do pdfs on all the other nations and interesting transnational groups.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2018, 09:22 AM   #6
The Colonel
 
The Colonel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Default Re: What was supposed to be in Middle Ages 2?

Got to say, if there's something begging for a splatbook it's the HRE.
That thing is adventure gold.

The nearest thing out there is Ire Game's Codex Guide to the Medieval Baltic ... although there's a rumoured Ars Magic splat as well. Sadly, I suspect most of the best stuff on the HRE is in German.
The Colonel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2018, 11:07 AM   #7
Kromm
GURPS Line Editor
 
Kromm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Montréal, Québec
Default Re: What was supposed to be in Middle Ages 2?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company View Post

I don't have inside information on Middle Ages, but I'd note that there may never have been any specific formal plans.
You are 100% right. There were never specific plans – though there was a lot of fan speculation, leading to rumors that some people swear up and down were once actual plans. I asked and also dug in our records . . . nope, no evidence that the "1" ever indicated anything more than the hope for a "2."
__________________
Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch <kromm@sjgames.com>
GURPS Line Editor, Steve Jackson Games
My DreamWidth [Just GURPS News]
Kromm is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2018, 11:40 AM   #8
Pursuivant
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Default Re: What was supposed to be in Middle Ages 2?

For obvious reasons, it's easiest and most relevant for English-speakers to focus on Medieval Britain, but realistically the British Isles were a backwater for most of the period.

There's some absolutely fascinating medieval history elsewhere in Europe, including a number of wars and dynastic struggles which make Game of Thrones look like a children's tea party. (e.g., Italy and the HRE - famously described as "Neither Holy, Roman, or an Empire.")

As others have mentioned, the various GURPS 4E splatbooks appear to cover parts of the medieval world. For GURPS 3E, GURPS Vikings did a decent job for the Scandinavian Dark Ages, GURPS Russia does a good job of covering 15-17th c. Russia/Belarus/Ukraine. There's also GURPS Camelot which is old and moldy. It sort of covers the King Arthur myths, but seriously lacks the "cool factor."
Pursuivant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2018, 01:27 PM   #9
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: What was supposed to be in Middle Ages 2?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pursuivant View Post
There's also GURPS Camelot which is old and moldy. It sort of covers the King Arthur myths, but seriously lacks the "cool factor."
No it had plenty of cool factor and a wonderful bibliography. Some colleges bought the book for the bibliography.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2018, 05:44 PM   #10
edk926
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Default Re: What was supposed to be in Middle Ages 2?

So it was a lot like History of the World: Part I. I was hoping to see more Hitler on Ice someday.
edk926 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:37 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.