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Old 07-12-2017, 11:58 AM   #1
b-dog
 
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Default It would be nice to have a high powered "historical" fantasy series

I liked GURPS Silk Road and also Arabian Nights a lot. What I was thinking is there could be a high powered historical fantasy series that could set easy to play templates, magical items and monsters to defeat. I think that having the series be able to overlap and supplement the Dungeon Fantasy series would be smart and useful too. I would think that maybe 125 or 150 point starting templates would work well but it should include expansion to the DF norm of 250 and beyond. In short this should have a world where high powered PCs and monsters are part of the setting. I would like a world where there is both historical interest along side adventure and magic. It should be a middle road historical and epic fantasy. One where you start low powered and then work your way to hero, where the treasure has interesting historical connections and magic items have a culture surrounding them. It should also span the globe in search of adventure, sort of a fantasy James Bond traveling around the world.
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Old 07-12-2017, 12:03 PM   #2
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Default Re: It would be nice to have a high powered "historical" fantasy series

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Originally Posted by b-dog View Post
I liked GURPS Silk Road and also Arabian Nights a lot. What I was thinking is there could be a high powered historical fantasy series that could set easy to play templates, magical items and monsters to defeat. I think that having the series be able to overlap and supplement the Dungeon Fantasy series would be smart and useful too. I would think that maybe 125 or 150 point starting templates would work well but it should include expansion to the DF norm of 250 and beyond. In short this should have a world where high powered PCs and monsters are part of the setting. I would like a world where there is both historical interest along side adventure and magic. It should be a middle road historical and epic fantasy. One where you start low powered and then work your way to hero, where the treasure has interesting historical connections and magic items have a culture surrounding them. It should also span the globe in search of adventure, sort of a fantasy James Bond traveling around the world.
That sounds like Prince Valiant.
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Old 07-12-2017, 12:50 PM   #3
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Default Re: It would be nice to have a high powered "historical" fantasy series

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That sounds like Prince Valiant.
What's wrong with that?
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Old 07-12-2017, 12:58 PM   #4
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Default Re: It would be nice to have a high powered "historical" fantasy series

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What's wrong with that?
Absolutely nothing!

One possibility is using GURPS Adaptations to do a GURPS Prince Valiant conversion. :)
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Old 07-12-2017, 01:11 PM   #5
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Default Re: It would be nice to have a high powered "historical" fantasy series

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What's wrong with that?
I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. I just said that is what it sounded like. Which it does.
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Old 07-12-2017, 01:56 PM   #6
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Default Re: It would be nice to have a high powered "historical" fantasy series

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I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. I just said that is what it sounded like. Which it does.
Ok. Anyway I just think it would be cool to have loose history historical setting with high powered PCs and monsters to fight. It would be a fun setting.
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Old 07-12-2017, 02:06 PM   #7
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Default Re: It would be nice to have a high powered "historical" fantasy series

This actually sounds a lot like WHFRP: vaguely historical setting, lots of monsters, and zero-to-hero.
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Old 07-12-2017, 02:13 PM   #8
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Default Re: It would be nice to have a high powered "historical" fantasy series

What makes these kinds of settings fun, IMO, is not the "monsters to fight", but the outwitting of non-monster adversaries. If you're going with "historical fantasy", like a "Prince Valiant in the Time of Camelot" type campaign, the real fun will be outwitting folks like Mordred and Morgana, not fighting a nest of griffins.

A few of Hercules's Twelve Labors were more of outwitting people, not slaying/fighting monsters: Cleaning the stables? He divered the course of a river! Obtaining Hippolyta's golden girdle? He seduced her! And one of his Labors had him fighting a monster not to the death, but in a wrestling match to a pin/submission (Cerberus), as Herc's deal with his uncle Hades was "Cerberus must not be harmed".

Odysseus is another one who relied on outwitting his foes as much as slaying them. The Sirens? He plugged ears and lashed himself to the mast.

Devolving a "historical fantasy" setting to "find monsters to slay" removes most of the fun of the setting, IMO.

YMMV, though. Just remember that there's more to RPGs than "slay the monster". Sometimes, your "monster" is human, and the idea is to capture to bring to trial... and sometimes you may not even be able to do that, if the enemy is the head of another kingdom.
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"But mom, I don't wanna go back in the dungeon!"

The GURPS Marvel Universe Reboot Project A-G, H-R, and S-Z, and its not-a-wiki-really web adaptation.
Ranoc, a Muskets-and-Magery Renaissance Fantasy Setting

Last edited by Phantasm; 07-17-2017 at 11:48 AM.
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Old 07-12-2017, 03:09 PM   #9
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Default Re: It would be nice to have a high powered "historical" fantasy series

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Originally Posted by Phantasm View Post
What makes these kinds of settings fun, IMO, is not the "monsters to fight", but the outwitting of non-monster adversaries. If you're going with "historical fantasy", like a "Prince Valiant in the Time of Camelot" type campaign, the real fun will be outwitting folks like Mordred and Morgana, not fighting a nest of griffins.

A few of Hercules's Twelve Labors were more of outwitting people, not slaying/fighting monsters: Cleaning the stables? He diverting the course of a river! Obtaining Hippolyta's golden girdle? He seduced her! And one of his Labors had him fighting a monster not to the death, but in a wrestling match to a pin/submission (Cerberus), as Herc's deal with his uncle Hades was "Cerberus must not be harmed".

Odysseus is another one who relied on outwitting his foes as much as slaying them. The Sirens? He plugged ears and lashed himself to the mast.

Devolving a "historical fantasy" setting to "find monsters to slay" removes most of the fun of the setting, IMO.

YMMV, though. Just remember that there's more to RPGs than "slay the monster". Sometimes, your "monster" is human, and the idea is to capture to bring to trial... and sometimes you may not even be able to do that, if the enemy is the head of another kingdom.
I agree with what you have written and all of that would be fun to play. I would like that kind of setting but also add monster fighting, going on quests and exploring ruins in search of treasure and magic items.
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Old 07-12-2017, 06:56 PM   #10
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Default Re: It would be nice to have a high powered "historical" fantasy series

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I agree with what you have written and all of that would be fun to play. I would like that kind of setting but also add monster fighting, going on quests and exploring ruins in search of treasure and magic items.
Surely. Some pretty good fantasies have something of a mix of the two.
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