Monday, January 14, 2013

Fantasy sandbox II

Continuing from my previous post, I've decided I really love the swashbuckling era just too much to not have my sandbox in that era. I love the idea of the clash of budding technology and magic, as well as the common memes of the era:
  • exploration
  • colonization
  • art
  • science
  • religious conflict
  • firearms
  • guilds
  • sailing ships and pirates
This sounds more and more like what The Fantasy Trip assumes for many parts of  the rules. TFT has firearms, grenades, fencing, powerful guilds, mechanicians (engineering), chemists (science), and thus has the technology and some of the social stuff covered.

This looks like I should either run this as TFT, GURPS (easily handles the time period), or some other rule system that handles this time period.

Does anyone have suggestions for other rules that cover the Renaissance technological period? If it was not focused on Europe, so much the better.

12 comments:

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  2. Chad Davidson's "Heirs to the Lost World RPG, a 17th C. alt history game set in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean is a good fit. Clean system with some excellent gamist dice mechanics.

    Heirs to the Lost World

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  3. What fencing rules does TFT have? I've never seen it.

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  4. TFT has a Fencing talent (skill) that gives enhanced damage, doing triple damage on rolls of 3 or 4, and double damage on rolls of 5, 6, or 7. You must have an AdjDx of 14 or more. It also has a Two Weapons talent and main gauche rules.

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  5. Haven't seen my Fantasy Trip books (or anyone else's) since I was a kid, but I remember thinking it was pretty cool -- and I remember all those rules as you bring them up.

    "Flashing Blades" is a historical swashbucker RPG that my brother introduced me to 20+ years ago. I never played enough to vouch for its quality, but not surprisingly for a game of that era, I recall it as being heavy with D&D influences in the mechanics.

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    1. I've played the opera house scenario from Flashing Blades using GURPS rules. I don't remember the rules at all. I'll have to go back and reference my copy. Regardless of the system, though, the background and support materials are very good. Really captures the time. Unfortunately for my purposes, it has no magic, as I recall.

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  6. If you like your rules to be almost ridiculously rules-light (and free!), then I guess Eureka's "And One for All" fits the bill... it is ALL about the swashbuckling (and not much else)

    www.eurekamin.com.au/andoneforall.php

    not sure it would take you very far in a campaign, but it looks like a fun mechanism for a set-piece...

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  7. There is also Gloire, which is more of a traditional rpg. There is a demo version of the rulebook out there somewhere, so you can get a preview. I'll see if I can find it in the morning

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  8. http://www.rattrapproductions.com/shop/gloire-demo-rules-pdf/

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  9. 7th Sea looks like it was the sort of thing you have in mind: "Swashbuckling & Sorcery." It's been out of print for some years, but looks like it had a good print run:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_Sea_%28role-playing_game%29

    "Renaissance is a free D100 roleplaying system designed for historical and fantasy gaming in the age of black powder weapons." Looks like it's sort of a complement to Clockwork and Chivalry.
    http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=97426&affiliate_id=31065

    "Principia: Secret Wars of the Renaissance" might be worth a look too. It's still in Beta but has some ideas that sound interesting:
    http://planet-thirteen.com/Principia.aspx

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    1. I think I have 7th Sea, and I know I have Renaissance, which is Legend/BRP based. Principia looks amazing in concept. Definitely to be mined for ideas.

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