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Old 08-18-2018, 09:26 PM   #1
phayman53
 
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Default Looking for resources for a game set in Early Middle Ages Europe

I think I am going to be running a GURPS campaign that will be either historical fiction or historical fantasy set in the Early Middle Ages, probably in the Saxony region of Germany. The game is going to be set in about A.D. 850. This is the period where the Viking raids are increasing and the Carolingian Empire declines (it has already fractured in to three pieces, formalized by the Treaty of Verdun in 843).

Depending on what my players want, it will either be:

1) Historical fiction with heroic but not cinematic characters. They are trying to help restore order and safety in their corner of northern Germany (possibly in service of a local lord). No magic, no supernatural monsters, etc.

2) Historical fantasy with more cinematic heroes. This world would reflects the historical setting, but there are monstrous dangers in the wild places and dark magic may be behind powerful forces. This would be more sword and sorcery with most of the heroes lacking overt supernatural powers. I also may or may not replace some peoples with fantasy races depending on what kind of game my players want--orc raiders instead of vikings, centaur raiders from the steps, that sort of thing.

In either case I would like, as much as possible, to get the 'feel' of mid 9th century Norther Europe right. I love history and one of my players in particular is also a history lover, so I think the effort would be appreciated.

That said, this area of history is not my specialty and I was wondering if there are any good resources to help me flesh out this particular time and place. I especially would like history that tries to describe life for people who lived then, though I know there are not many written sources for this period.

Does anyone know of anything that might work (particularly in English)? It does not have to specifically be 850s Saxony, but I would like something that would give me an idea of the social structure and life of people in the German part of the Carolingian Empire during its decline.

If not, any advice other advice would be welcome.

Thanks!

Last edited by phayman53; 08-18-2018 at 09:30 PM.
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Old 08-18-2018, 09:42 PM   #2
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Default Re: Looking for resources for a game set in Early Middle Ages Europe

GURPS Classic Middle Ages 1 and Vikings should help a lot. Celtic Myth might also have some useful bits
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Old 08-19-2018, 12:49 AM   #3
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Default Re: Looking for resources for a game set in Early Middle Ages Europe

Yes and GURPS Low-Tech and all the Low-Tech series, of course. They are full of historical data, with all the required stats to play them, written by authors who really know what they are talking about.
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Old 08-19-2018, 01:19 AM   #4
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Default Re: Looking for resources for a game set in Early Middle Ages Europe

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Originally Posted by Gollum View Post
Yes and GURPS Low-Tech and all the Low-Tech series, of course. They are full of historical data, with all the required stats to play them, written by authors who really know what they are talking about.
I have most of the Low-Tech series, they are fantastic and are definitely where I will go for most of my stats. That said, they all are pretty general in their scope. They try to cover thousands of years of history and cultures that span the world. I am looking for something a little more specific that will help me paint as realistic a picture of one particular time and area as possible. I especially would like to know as much about the social structure, economy, types of towns, villages, and manors, and other details of life as practical.

I definitely am considering GURPS official supplements like Vikings and Middle Ages I, which are more focused than the 4th edition Low-Tech series, but I was also wondering if any of the more historically minded people on this forum knew of any good websites, books, etc. on the subject?
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Old 08-19-2018, 01:33 AM   #5
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Default Re: Looking for resources for a game set in Early Middle Ages Europe

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Originally Posted by phayman53 View Post
I definitely am considering GURPS official supplements like Vikings and Middle Ages I, which are more focused than the 4th edition Low-Tech series, but I was also wondering if any of the more historically minded people on this forum knew of any good websites, books, etc. on the subject?
Vikings and Middle Ages 1 are really good too. They are written for the third edition but are very easy to convert, thanks to Update (that you probably already have got - if you don't, get it: it is totally free).

For the rest, I give the floor to others. History wasn't my strong point at school, even if GURPS got me interested in it.
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Old 08-19-2018, 09:08 AM   #6
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Default Re: Looking for resources for a game set in Early Middle Ages Europe

Yes, get Vikings and Middle Ages 1. If you have not already, you will quickly learn of the ridiculously high quality of GURPS historical supplements. They might have everything you are looking for.

As with Gollum, I'll cede the floor to others regarding other resources. I've got some neats ones for Rome, but not what you are looking for. There are several people here whom I would be shocked if they cannot name half a dozen great resources off the tops of their heads.

If you end up more cinematic/fantasy, The Hall of Judgement adventure for DF just got released. But like all DF it's sort of over-the-top, well, dungeon fantasy.
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Old 08-19-2018, 09:21 AM   #7
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Default Re: Looking for resources for a game set in Early Middle Ages Europe

GURPS Camelot takes several approaches to examining the King Arthur mythology, including examining both the cinematic legends (which tend to place the mythology in the early middle ages) and the historical figures the legends were based on (which lived in the very early middle ages/dark ages at the end of the Roman period).
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Old 08-19-2018, 12:05 PM   #8
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Default Re: Looking for resources for a game set in Early Middle Ages Europe

Also someof the Hot Spots and Location books might be useful. They cove varying time periods, eavh usually have a range of quite a few years.
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Old 08-19-2018, 01:51 PM   #9
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Default Re: Looking for resources for a game set in Early Middle Ages Europe

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Also someof the Hot Spots and Location books might be useful. They cove varying time periods, eavh usually have a range of quite a few years.
Not to discourage any sales, but two Hot Spots don't remotely address the time frame (Venice and Florence) and none of them touch on the region in question (because I'm 100% done with northern Europe). The sources which get closest in time and space to this are the 3rd edition ones already mentioned.
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Old 08-19-2018, 09:39 PM   #10
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Default Re: Looking for resources for a game set in Early Middle Ages Europe

You could try:

Handbook for William: A Carolingian Woman's Counsel for Her Son, trans. by Carol Neel (Medieval Texts in Translation)

and:

Two Lives of Charlemagne - by Einhard (Author), Notker the Stammerer

Really, anything on Charlemagne should be appropriate.


The Crusades are a little bit after the time period you are talking about but I highly recommend "What Were The Crusades" by Jonathan Riley-Smith.

Amadis of Gaul, while fiction, is fun and provides a lot of knightly derring-do. Although the time-period of Amadis' adventures is kind of nebulous; it could range from post Arthurian to the 13th or 14th century, it's still entertaining and mood setting if romanticized knights are your thing.
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