GURPS Canadian Adventures

[Johan Larson]

Maybe it was the runaway success of GURPS Munchkin, or an exciting game by the Dallas Stars, or a not-quite-right plate of pancakes with maple syrup, but there is no denying Steve Jackson fell for all things Canadian in a big way.

And being the game-company head honcho that he is, Steve immediately set aside his Cuban and called his number three guy, Sean Punch the unrepentant Canadian. He(Steve) told him(Sean) to put into production a twenty-four-part series of GURPS supplements covering all the most exciting incidents of Canadian history.

The dear Mr. Punch, hardly believing his fortune (and observing that food is more easily obtained with money) agreed immediately. Yet he quickly found himself in a conundrum: what were the twenty-four most exciting (and gameable) events in Canadian history?

[Purple Haze]

Aren't you about 8 days late?

[somecallmetim]

Gotta start with the War of 1812. And didn't Mr. Punch talk about a city that was a pirate port?

[David Johnston2]

The attempted colonization of Vinland (Probably Newfoundland)

Champlain's Colonization of Quebec and subsequent involvement in the conflict between the Iroquois and the Huron.

Father Le Loutre's War

The 1720 pirate attack on Trepassey Newfoundland

The private war between the Hudson's Bay Company and the Northwest Company

The quest for the Northwest Passage

The 1775 invasion of Canada by the American rebels.

The War of 1812

The Fenian Raids

The establishment of the North West Mounted Police

The Yukon Gold Rush

The Black Donnellys massacre and the feud leading up to it

Alexander Graham Bell sets up his laboratory in Canada (an accurate depiction of the history involved wouldn't be all that interesting but a more Tom Swift inspired fictionalization could have some gaming value)

The rise of alchohol smuggling during the 20s.

World War II (The Dieppe Raid, the role of the Canadian navy in Atlantic warfare and the Canadian role in Normandy and beyond)

The activities of the FLQ between 1963 and 1970

The Montreal Mafia war of the 70s

The Quebec Biker War between 1994 and 2002

Robert Pickton's serial killings in Vancouver

[graham_s]

You know what? If they did a Hotspots PDF about the Quebec Biker War, I'd probably buy it.

[Johan Larson]

David Johnston has a fine list. Let me add a few more:

- settling the new world (from the west, across the Bering Straits)
- the Riel rebellion
- WW-I, particularly Vimy, but also other battles
- the Avro Arrow affair (particularly interesting in an Illuminated setting)

[Bruno]

The Halifax Harbour Explosion (largest non-nuclear explosion ever). Go nuts with conspiracy/spy-espionage adventures around it.

The Oka Crisis: town tries to build golf course on ancient Mohawk burial ground. Mohawks fortify the reserve border and institute their own customs stations, with armed warriors. Excellent place for PCs in an active-spirits setting, whether a traditional Horror setting or a Werewolf The Apocalypse style gung-ho-action-spirits setting.

[Figleaf23]

The subversion of Canadian democracy and rise of totalitarian government from 2005-2015.
-Sourcebook: "Harperland" by Lawrence Martin

Operation Archer: Kandahar 2006

[ClayDowling]

David, I want to buy that book. I'm just on the other side of the Canadian border and would love to learn about all that history.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Figleaf23

The subversion of Canadian democracy and rise of totalitarian government from 2005-2015.

Ouch. And that's the truth hurting . . .