"How much for the Q-36 explosive space modulator?"
There's one in every group — the complete adventurer! He packs along everything, including a kitchen sink, and is always asking the gamemaster for items that never seem to appear on the rulebook's basic equipment list. Of course, these jokers expect the GM to figure out how much an item costs and weighs, how much it holds, what effect it will have on the game; you name it. Instead of preparing an interesting adventure, the GM is forced to spend his limited free time drawing up lists, tables, and descriptions of equipment.
Now an alternative exists: this book! Conveniently separated into ages of history, each section contains a brief description of the science and technology of the time, along with suggestions for adapting each era to a campaign. Lists of equipment for interpid explorers of the unknown follows each era. While it is by no means possible to include everything, this book attempts to be as complete as possible... but there is always room for one more gadget.
Observant readers will notice that there is very little mention of areas beyond Europe and America. This is not intended to slight the contributions of other cultures to science, technology, or the history of the world. It was decided that the focus of this book would be the western world. Future volumes may focus on other portions of the globe.
A warning to players: Just because an item is listed in this book, does not mean the GM must allow it in his game. Agruments of "But it's in the Book!" shall fall on deaf ears, for the GM's word is law. For example, while gunpowder was known by the 13th century (at the height of the Middle Ages) and firearms and cannon could be built using the technology of the time, this does not mean that a player can have one! Gamemasters are final arbiters of what is and is not possible in their world.
This book is dedicated to the memory of my father, David W. Bernhardt, who taught me that nothing is impossible, as long as you try hard enough... and you use the right tools.
To Mom, for putting up with noisy gaming sessions in the basement for years with very little complaint. And to Bill, Fred, Sonny, Paul, and all the rest, whose equipment requests over the years would fill several volumes. I only wish I'd kept all of them, as this book would then have written itself.
All weights given for equipment listed in this book are in pounds, unless otherwise specified. All measurements use inches, feet, yards, etc. Wherever there is a reference to "him" or "his" or "man" or any other seemingly gender-specific term, the appropriate female term can just as easilly be substituted by the reader. The male terms were used merely in the interest of space, and by no means imply that females have made no contribution to science and technology through the ages.
All abbreviations herein conform to the Rolemaster Standard Rules. The monetary system used for the equipment lists is either the usual tin / copper / bronze / silver / gold / platinum / mithril used by Rolemaster (see Section 2.1), or the dollars and cents of the United States. Note that actual coins did not begin to appear until Bronze Age. Before this time, the term "silver piece" means just that — a piece of silver, weighing approximately one-quarter to one-half ounce. Stone Age trade relied on barter, though those shiny rocks might still be highly prized for decoration (see the Treasure Companion for a more thorough discussion of monetary systems).
Equipment prices will vary depending on where purchased. Each item is given an availability code:
| C | City |
| T | Town |
| R | Rural |
| A | All |
Items that are expensive and hard to find in a rural area might be more common — and cheaper — in a large city, and the reverse is true as well. Farming equipment, for example, ws rare in cities until the Industrial Revolution and the rise of factories and mass production, and therefor cost more. As a rule of thumb, a piece of equipment in the same area as its availability code costs the listed price, and is 90% likely to be available. One area away, i.e. Rural items purchased in a Town, have a 60% chance of being available, and cost 150% of the listed price. Two areas away, the chance is reduced to 30%, and the cost is 200% of the listed price.
Materials also change the price. Silk, for instance, might raise the cost of an article of clothing by twenty or thirty times (or more). During Bronze Age, steel made from meteoric iron was available, rare, and considered to be magical. This raised the cost of weapon made from it out of the range of all but the wealthiest nobility and royality. Individual gamemasters can also add whether variables tgey desire, depending on how rare or common they determine an item to be.
Note: before the Industrial Revolution made mass production possible, most items were handcrafted, and took longer to produce. Armor and clothing were typically fitted to the purchaser. Though "off-the-shelf" purchases were possible, they should be considered ill-fitting and, in the case of armor, uncomfortable as well.
The following abbreviations are used in this book:
| Appreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tp | tin piece |
| cp | copper piece |
| bp | bronze piece |
| sp | silver piece |
| gp | gold piece |
| pp | platinum piece |
| bu | bushel |
| lb(s) | pound(s) |
| qt | quart |
| pt | pint |
| oz | ounce |
| lt | liter |
| mins | minutes |
| pcs | pieces |
| sq. yds | square yards |
| Approximate time | Age |
|---|---|
| Before c.9000 B.C. | Stone Age |
| c.9000 B.C. - c.3500 B.C. | Copper Age |
| c.4000 B.C. - c.1000 B.C. | Bronze Age |
| c.1200 B.C. - c.500 A.D. | Iron Age |
| (753 B.C - 476 A.D. | Age of Empire) |
| 500 A.D. - 1450 A.D. | Middle Ages |
| 1400 A.D. - 1650 A.D. | Renaissance |
| 1650 A.D. - 1750 A.D. | Age pf Reason |
| 1750 A.D. - 1840 A.D. | Industrial Revolution |
| 1840 A.D. - 1900 A.D. | Age of Steam |
| 1900 A.D. - 1945 A.D. | Electric Age |
| 1945 A.D. - 1979 A.D. | Atomic Age |
| 1980 A.D. - Present | Information Age |
How much money did the "common man" have in his pockets? How much money did he have to spend on that new axe he wants? On a wheel of cheese, a mug of ale, and a loaf of bread?
Historically speaking, not very much. During the Stone and Copper Ages, of course, there was no money. All trade was done by barter. The equipment lists for these sections list a price merely to show the relative value of one item to another. It is not until the Bronze Age that money (in the form of coins) came into use. Even then, barter and money were used about equally in trade. It is not until the late Iron Age — at the height of the Roman EMpire — that coinage became the most common form of transaction. After the fall of Rome and the collapse of the Empire, much of western Europe once again reverted to barter. Coins were still available, butfor the most part the "common man" didn't have two coins to rub together in his pockets.
The following chart shows the minimum, maximum, and average daily wage for each era. Wages listed for the Stone and Copper Ages show the relative value of a man's work, while those of the Bronze, Iron, and Middle Ages represent both monetary and bartered earnings.
Note from the editor: The Treasure Companion shows the average peasant's daily wage as 4cp. That should be clarified as "coinage" paid. The wages listed here include "bartered" worth as well.
Each world usually has one or more of its own coinage systems. Some are based on the worth of coins' component material or craftsmanship; others are tied to the society's faith in the coins' producer or guarantor (e.g., the government backs their wooden nickles).
Obviously, a world rich in varying political entities and cultural groups rarely relies on only one coinage system. Silver might be worth more than gold in certain regions, while other locales may value stone pieces or have no coinage at all. Barter, after all, is the norm in most places lacking a central authority. We do suggest, however, that the GM establishes a comparative standard in order to regulate exchange. This enables folk to compare the value of their goods, even if they are simply trying to trade six ferret skins for a sheep hide. It also makes it easy to weave a localized jade-based economy into an imperial system that embraces silver as its standard.
When selecting a monetary system to use, there are two things a GM must consider. The first is "flavor" and believability. The second is ease of use in play.
It is interesting when different societies have different types of coins and coinage systems. It is also very believable when this happens. Historically, there were nations across Europe that each used their own type of coin.
However, when more than one coinage system is used, the GM must create a believable system for coinage exhange. Unless the two nations have absolutely no dealings with each other, there will already be an exchange rate set up in the world. For example a gold coin in Nation A is worth 3 silver coins in Nation B.
In most cases, all coins will probably be made of similar metals. For example, there will probably be silver coins through the realms. There may be instances of some nations have access to more of a given type of metal. This would result in that metal becoming the standard for the coinage system.
There is also the issue of banks. Public banking was rare in a medieval society. However, private institutions were known to exist. These individuals usually had access to superior methods of storing hard cash and always charged a healthy fee for doing so (10% was very common).
Very few nations of the medieval era used "paper" money or notes. However, it should not be precluded from a given fantasy setting. It is possible that a given noble would be so highly regarded that he could issue "notes" that could be exchanged for hard cash.
Finally, there is no reason that a monetary system should be limited to metal coins. It is perfectly reasonable to have a society where people use molded jade, obsidian, or other material as their money. In a desert world, it is possible that water is used as money, or perhaps wood, or some other rare item. The only guideline that a GM must follow when choosing a material for his monetary system is that the material must be rare enough that only powerful (i,e, wealthy) people would have it.
The term wealth should be defined as all wealth, not just coins. This includes property, jewelry, and other items that have a value (e.g., cattle, ships, etc.). It is possible to have a large quantity of wealth without having much in the way of coins.
A GM must be very conscious of the amount of wealth the player characters have. If any given PC has 1,000 gold coins in his pocket plus some fancy jewelry totalling more than 1,000 gold in worth, what does the average duke have?
A GM should figure that, unless the PCs are nobility themselves, the average NPC low nobility (including wealthy merchants) should have at least 10 times more wealth than the PCs. Wealthy nobility could have as much as 100 or 1,000 times more.
As can be seen, the more wealth the PCs have, the more serious the question becomes. With a lot of wealth in a given country, the economics of the world comes to be questioned. If this nation has this much wealth, wouldn't they constantly be under attack of other less wealthy nations? Or are the other nations even more wealthy?
There is also the matter of the number of physical coins available. If the PCs have 1,000 gold coins, then the nobility around them have 10 to 1,000 times in their treasury. Looking at the most extreme example in history, the Spanish empire minted around 1,000,000 silver coins and several hundred thousand gold coins. This was TOTAL coins in circulation! With our example (1,000 gold coins), the PCs might have as much as 1% of the total wealth of an average historical nation!
It might be possible that for a short time, the PCs are more wealthy than the local nobles. But this should only occur when the characters have unearthed a vast fortune from some forgotten society (of course, that fortune wasn't always lost...)
Note: The price list throughout the RM system assum a relatively wealthy nation with a large number of coins in circulation. If there are fewer coins in circulation, the prices shown should be used as a guide to relative worth of the object.
We suggest the following comparative exchange system, using coins of a uniform one quarter ounce weight.
| Coin | Abbreviation | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| 1 mithril piece | mp | = 10 pps |
| 1 platinum piece | pp | = 10 gps |
| 1 gold piece | gp | =10 sps |
| 1 silver piece | sp | = 10 bps |
| 1 bronze piece | bp | = 10 cps |
| 1 copper piece | cp | = 10 tps |
| 1 tin piece | tp | = 10 ips |
This system revolves around a gold standard, assuming that a gold piece is the most valuable commonly used currency, although Mithril is more precious and solver coins are in much wider circulation. The GM may wish to tinker with the coin weights (e.g., using half-ounce or tenth-ounce currency), or add his own material standards (e.g., a jade piece [jp] = 2 sp). He might wish to remove bronze, tin, and iron pieces from general use, leaving copper coinage as the effective floor. Whatever the GM desires, this system works as a suggested guide and is employed in the price chart found throughout RM.
When a GM begins to handle trading and commerce in his world, there are two things he must understand. The first is whether or not the player characters are going to be trading a lot (e.g., are they going to become "merchants" in their own right). The second is that he must have some kind of understanding of resource allocation around his world (e.g., which countries mine salt, where is that piece grown, which countries make glass, etc.).
If the PCs are not going to make a habit of speculating in trade, the GM has much more flexibility in the rules he uses for trading. In general, he will be able to wing it (see The Simple System below). However, if the PCs are going to become "traders" and start adventuring just to find exotic items to trade, the GM should have a good system for trading. In addition, the GM should start considering the effects of guilds and other ruling bodies that might regulate merchants and the selling of goods.
If there is to be a fair amount of trading in his world, a GM should understand the resource allocation of his world. For example, where are heavy crossbows made? What province raises horses? What city is known for its fine statuary? Before a given commodity can be sold or bought, the GM should have a grasp of where the origins of that type of commodity are.
If the GM needs a simple system to handle a trading situation, he can use these simplified systems for buying and selling goods.
When the PCs are attempting to purchase (or sell) and item, the GM should assign a difficulty of finding that item (e.g., Medium, Hard, Sheer Folly, etc.) or finding a buyer for that item. Have the player roll a d100 (open-ended) adding his Trading skill and substract the standard modifier for difficulty (-10 for Hard, -20 for Very Hard, etc.). Look up the result on the appropriate Static Maneuver Table below.
When the PCs sell the goods they have acquired they may accumulate a large profit. This may be fine, but occasionally it will result in a game imbalace that defies mercantile sensibilities. Therefore, the GM may wish to employ the following guidelines governing the purchase and resale of goods.
In all cases below, it is presumed that the PCs are taking action. For example, when using the tables below, it ispresumed that the PCs are purchasing or selling.
There are two major factors for the GM to consider when the PCs are buying goods: (1) is the object available and (2) what is the asking price.
When handling the selling of goods, there are also two factors to consider: (1) is there a buyer for the object and (2) what are they willing to pay for the object.
Use the following procedure when the player characters are attempting to purchase an object (referred to as commodity).
There are four different types of markets for a given commodity. An "oversupplied market" is an area where the commodity is overstocked or is produced in relatively large quantities (and then exported). A "supplied market" is an area where the commodity is normally stocked. This is typical of most cosmopolitan areas or well-stocked trading town. An "undersupplied market" is one in which the commodity is occasionally found (but is probably not available at any given time). This is typical market for imported goods. An "unsupplied market" is an area in which the commodity has either never been seen or is seen so rarely that most people have never seen it.
The type of market a character is in will determine which of the Commodity/Trading Tables to use. It is possible that a given locale will use different tables for different commodities. For example, in a given city, statuary is common and might use the Oversupplied Market Table; but glassware might be less common and use the Undersupploed Market Table.
There are four different types of locations in which the transaction can take place. When dealing with merchants in a regulated environment (i.e., any area where there might be local laws on buying and selling goods), the transaction should be classified as "Regulated Merchant". When dealing in a cosmopolitan area, but in a non-regulated way (i.e., in the local bazaar or just street vending), the transaction should be classigied as "Street Merchant". When dealing with an individual in a non-cosmopolitan setting, the transaction should be classified as "Individual Transaction". When attempting to deal with the black market, the transaction should be classified as "Black Market".
The classifications of transaction locations are shown as different columns on the tables. It should be noted that most people prefer to deal with regulated merchants. The prices are not the best, but the risk is also less.
Before availability can be determined, the commodity type must be determined. There are two different types of commodities: internal and external. An internal commodity is produced in the immediate locale (i.e., less than a day's travel from the transaction location). An external commodity is produced elswhere and imported to the locale (i.e., is produced more than a day's travel from the transaction location).
On each column, of each table, the first entry is the chance that a given commodity will be available. Use the number to the left of the slash ("/") if the commodity is an internal commodity. Use the number to the right of the slash ("/") if the commodity is an external commodity. Roll d100 (not open-ended) amd add the Availability# to the roll. If the result is over 100 (i.e., 101+), the commodity is currently available. If the roll is less than 100, the amount less than 100 should be an indicator of how long it will take (in days) to get the commodity. Of course, the GM can decide that the commodity will never be available (due to cultural limitations).
There are two modifiers to the availability check. If the commodity is produced nearby, a positive modifier could be given to the die roll. As a general guideline, commodities that are produced in an area that is about two week's travel away should have a modifier of zero. For each dat closer that the commodity is produced, add +1 to the availability check. For each day further, a -1 modifier should be applied to the availability check.
In addition, the distribution of the item will affect the availability. For example, if everyone in an area has glassware, it is more likely to be available (even if it is not locally produced). However, if statuary is owned only by the nobility, it is less likely to be available (even if it is locally produced). To represent the distribution of the commodity, the GM should assign a modifier ranging from +25 to -25.
The last step is to determine the actual price of the item in question. There are two things that will affect the final asking price of the item: (1) the Trading skills of the people involved and (2) the utility of the commodity in question.
To determine the price of the item, the GM must roll a d100 (open-ended), adding the PCs Trading skill and substracting the owner's Trading skill. In addition, there might be another modifier based upon the item's utility.
An item's utility can be classified in one of the following ways. An item of "locale affecting" utility would include items that can affect large areas in a broad and sweeping fashion (e.g., irrigation equipment). An item of "very useful" utility would include items that are affecting only a smal group of people, but are used quite frequently and are hando to have around (e.g., chandeliers). An item of "useful" utility would be used by many people, but only affect individuals at a time and not in a major fashion (e.g., spectacles). An item of "oddity" utility would probably never be used by anyone in the area (e.g., a seaman's navigation chart sold in a land-locked village).
When indexing the value, read the value to the left of the slash ("/") as the percentage of "list" price the seller of the item is asking. The value to the right is used when the PCs are attempting to sell an item. If the result is not a number, the GM should examine the descriptions below to determine what has occurred.
Note: If the player wishes to actually haggle with the GM (and the GM allows such things), allow him to do so. Depending on how well the player does, the GM can assign another +10 to -10 to the final roll.
Following the procedures outlined above to determine the final asking price for the item in question. A player should be allowed to roll on a given column as many times as he likes. Each additional roll on the column has a -10 penalty (cumulative). GMs should decide whether to allow the PC to return back to a previous offer or make the PC roll again for a new price. It is suggested that the GM make all deals binding only as long as the PC remains in the shop (at the store, etc.). Once the PC leaves, he must "re-negotiate" the deal.
All modifiers to the all dice rolls are shown on the tables themselves.
Here is a list of "non"-percentage results that can be generated on the tables and an explaination of them. Some results on the table are given in asterisk. This indicates that this result is applied before any modifiers are taken to the open-ended dice roll.
Swindle: The character has been swindled by the merchant (on purpose). The exact nature of the swindle shold be adjusted according to the circumstances. For example, the merchant has passed of shoddy goods (and the character is not aware of it). Alternatively, the character might have sold the goods and received counterfeit money in exchange. The character should believe that he has just received an incredible bargain.
Theft: The character has been robbed! The exact nature of the theft should be adjusted to fit circumstances. For example, the merchant might arrange to deliver the goods if the party pays now without the intent to deliver. Alternatively, the merchant might promise to deliver payment for goods without actually paying.
Note: The biggest difference between a theft and a swindle is that when swindled, the character ends up with something that he doesn't want. A theft results only in the loss of the item(s) in question (usually through the promise of goods or services that never occurs)
A-Theft: The character is a victim of an armed robbery. The exact nature of the theft should be adjusted to fit the circumstances. For example, the merchant was not a merchant at all, but a rogue out to steal the character's money. Alternatively, the merchant refuses to buy the character's goods and instead sends some thugs to steal them.
Note: The biggest difference between an armed theft and a theft is that the character's life is put into peril as a result of an armed theft (while this is not usually true of a normal theft)
Turned In: While trying to make a purchase or sale on the black market, the character is turned in to (or caught by) the authorities. The exact repercussions of this should be adjusted to fit the circumstances. For example, the character could be caught up in an elaborate "sting" operation (in an attempt to catch an established ring of thieves). At bare minimum, the net result should be treated as a "No Sale" result.
Report: While attempting to make a purchase or sale of the item, the individual spread the word about the sale (and refuses to complete the transaction; treat as a "No Sale" result). The exact repercussions of this should be adjusted to the circumstances. For example, if the character has just purchased three weeks of rations, word might spread that the character is going to be leaving soon on a long journey. Alternatively, the individual might put out words of warning to further prohibit this character from making similar purchase or sale attempts in this vicintiy.
No Sale: The character is unable to sell this item at this time. All further price rolls for selling this item in this vicinity will suffer a -10 penalty (cumulatuve with previous "No Sale" results).
The procedure for selling an item remain the same as for purchasing an item, except it is the availability of a buyer that the character check for and the final asking price is determined by lookin at the number to the right of the slash ("/") in the table.
Note that the result to the left of the slash apply to purchases and the result to the right of the slash apply to resales (if there is only one result, it applies to both purchases and resales). Asterisked ("*") results indicate that the result applies before any modifiers are taken to the open-ended dice roll.
| Price Roll Modifiers | |
|---|---|
| awsome utility | -40 / +30 |
| very useful utility | -20 / +10 |
| usefyl utility | +0 / +0 |
| marginal utility | +10 / -20 |
| oddity utility | +30 / -40 |
| haggling | +10 to -10 |
| per previous "No Sale" | -10 |
| Availability Modifiers | |
| source distance | ±distance in days |
| distribution | +25 to -25 |
When the first remains of prehistori man were excavated in the nineteenth century, Victorian society (and Victorian scientists) pictured our ancient ancestors as stupid, brutish, club-wielding, cave-dwelling savages. It is this image which has come down to the modern day, courtesy of Saturday morning cartoons and plethora of B-grade movies such as One Million Years B.C. and Cavveman. When thinking of the stone age, the first picture that springs to mind is the "caveman" charging a mammoth with a spear, or bashing a prospective mate over the head with his trusty club and dragging her back to the cave by her hair. After all, he was a primitice, wrapped in ill-cured hides, barely able to speak, let alone create anything beyond the most rudimentary tools and weapons, right?
Wrong! Cartoon and movie stereotypes and Victorian-era prejudices aside, our stone-age ancestors were far from being barbarous savages who lived exclusively in caves. They were a surprisingly advanced people who left behind a treasury of artwork that depicted their daily lives, the animals that sustained them, and the spirits they looked to for guidance. They danced, played music, raised children, and cared for the sick and the elderly. They were also inventors.
If necessity is the mother of invention, our primitive, stone-age ancestors are the fathers. From the Neanderthal Man appeared on the scene (c.240,000 years ago) to the rise of so-called "modern man" (c.200,000 years later) our ancestors made and used tools. Many of them were finely crafted and of surprisingly high quality considring the materials used. Stone, bone, horn, antler, wood, sinew, leather, and plants of all kinds — all products of nature — were all they had to work with. Yet they managed to produce a wide variety of tools, weapons, and aquipment. In fact, many things still used today were invented by these "primitives": needles; fish hooks and traps; rope; saws; knives; axes; hammers; and drills. The basic form and function of these inventions has remained the same for literally tens of thousands of years.
Of course the big question is why? Why did our forefathers become so inventive? Why not continue on with the rudely shaped sticks and stones that had served our even more ancient ancestors for over a million years? The answer: Survival! Neanderthals, and their successors homo sapiens sapiens —us!— appeared on the scene during an interglacial period of the Pleistocene epoch. As the glaiers moved in once more of the millennia, our prehistoric ancestors had to adapt to a changing world in order to survive.
Adapting to changes in the environment is nothing new. Animals do it all the time. They grow thick coats of fur when it gets cold, and shed them when the temperature rises again; hibernate; or migrate to better climate. What makes man unique is that while purely physical adaptations do occure, his true success at survival can be directly attributed to the tools he makes and the way he uses them. Ill-equipped bu nature to ruvive, early man had to develop substitutes. He took the fur from animals to wea as his own, eventually learning to tailro it to his needs. In placeo f claws and fangs he didn't possess naturally, man made spears, knives, and other tools.
The herds man followed across the plains of Europe and Asia provided food, as well as the materials he used to build his equipment. Mammoth bone provided the framework for his home, and the hide kept it safe from the elements. Tusks, horns, antlers, and bones from mammoths and other animals were used to make weapons, needles, musical instruments, and other items. Plants were used for everything from food to providing a soft bed to sleep on at night. The limbs of trees were turned into spear shafts, bows and arrows, clubs, oars for the dugout canoe — you name it.
Neanderthals gave way to homo sapiens-sapiens around 30,000 years ago, but their legacy lives on. Originating in Africa, or possibly southern Europe or Asia, the successors of the Neanderthals took the tools and techniques learned over the millennia and improved on them with a vengeance. Considered to be the first truly "technological" men, they applied mechanical principles to their tools and weapons. Before the rise of these "archaic modern men", weapons and tools were grasped directly with the hand. The addition of the spear-thrower, or atlatl, made their attacks longer-ranging, harder-hitting, and far more accurate than ever before. The introduction of the bow and arrow (arround 25,000 B.C.) gave the hunters a lightweight, easily carried weapon that was as useful for bringing down a rabbit as it was a bison, musk ox, or horse. And they did not limit the use of these principles to weaponry, devising tools such as an ingenious fire-starter and simple rotary drill for boring holes in wood, horn, and bone.
Their advances were not limited to the arts of hunting and tool making. Our stone age ancestors lived close to nature. It is quite likely they discovered the curative (and poisonous) properties of the various plants indigenous to the plains and forests of Eurasia and the savannahs of Africa. Speculation aside, it is certain (based on hundreds of finds made thus far) that their skill as healers was actually quite good. Examination of skeletal remains shows these prehistoric doctors could set broken bones, amputate damaged limbs, and even perform, believe it or not, brain surgery! The latter technieuq, known as treanation, involved removing a protion of the skill — probably to remove fragemnts of bone or reduce swelling after an injury. Of the examples found so far, a surprising number showed signs of healing, which at the very least means they survived the surgery. A few even indicated they lived for a good many years afterward mbecause cinoketem ir bear cinokete geakubg gad iccyred, Naby so-called primitive tribes continued to practice this technique clear to the early twentieth centurym wuth a syrvuvak rate far ub excess if that if the first "modern" medical doctors to attempt the practice.
Other discoveries include burning coal in place of wood and the preservative effects of freezing and drying meat. Kilns, which doubled as ovens, were used for firing ceramic ornaments and pottery, as well as baking bread. By the end of the last ice age (around 11,000 B.C.) they had domesticated the ancestors of dogs, sheep, goats, cattle, and other animals, and were making a start at cultivating various plants, primarily grains.
Spreading out across the globe, thse early men adapted to the diverse environments they encountered. They developed technologies to cope with the different problems posed by each new region settled. Supported by the still extant herds they followed across the Bering Straits, the Indians of the North American plains continued to live the same nomadic life that their ancestors had followed. At the same time, in northern Africa and the Middle East, their distant cousins were setling down into villages and towns. They farmed the land and tended their herds and flocks of domesticated animals. One group built houses of stone, while another used sun-dried brick, and still another group built out of wood. Far from being ignorant, savage, primitives, they were an intelligent, highly adaptive people. These ancient men solved the problems of daily living using their brains to develop tools and techniques that allowed them to change the world around them.
Of course, much of the above is pure speculation. The simple truth of the mather is, wi don't know what life was like in the Stone Age. The evidence is fragmentary, at best, and a great many artifacts have naturally been lost as many theories about our ancient kindred as there are antropologists, archaeologists, and historians. New finds are being made every year that might validate one theory, invalidate two more, and give birth to a half-dozen others. An example of this was the discovery in 1995 of three spears. Each six to seven feet long and shaped like a javelin, they are about 400,000 years old. Found amid more than ten thousand bones, mostly horses, they were made some 200,000 years before previous evidence indicated systematic hunting by early man.
But if we think of these forerunners of modern man as thinking, creative people, we can imagine what kind of implements they created to take care of their daily needs of food, shelter, clothing, and entertainment. One can imagine children in these early times skipping rocks, climbing trees, and playing games. Cave paintings are believed by many to have been part of some spiritual or magical ritual, designed to insure a good hunt, plentiful food, or good weather. But it is just as easy to see them as the ancient equivalent of television or the movies. Stone age artists might have been the tribal story tellers, illustrating their tales to spark the imaginations of those who hadn't taken part in the hunt, or to document the tribe's history for the generations yet to come.
Nor is this setting limited strictly to humanity, or even to the time we consider to be the classic Stone Age. In a fantasy world, Trolls, Orcs, and other nasties, isolated from the more advanced Elves and Men, might rely on homemade stone tools and weapons when they can't steal metal ones. ANd what about Dwarves? Masters of stonecraft that they are, they quite likely have any number of items made from stone — even the harder, tougher stones such as granite and marble.
For the GMs and players looking for a change, there is the staple of pulp fiction B-movies: a "lost world" setting. Take characters from almost any setting, send them on an expedition up the uncharted river, or beyond the "impenetrable mountains", and voila!— they find themselves in a land where time somehow stopped. Here, Neanderthal Man is still alive and well, hunting the herds of mammoth, horses, deer, or whatever else the GM decides. For an interesting twist, the entire area might be in a magic-dea part of the world (for characters from a traditional magic-filled game), leaving the characters to rely on their wits rather than powerful magic. And, if your game is set in a more "modern" era; a time when magic doesn't exist, or ignored as superstition; the opposite could be used as well. Using the Black Ops sourcebook, draw up a typical CIA agent or soldier of fortune — then imagine his surprise as that primitive-lookins shaman stops muttering, and throws lightning from his fingertips.
If the lost world setting doesn't appeal to you, remember that even today there are still remnants of stone-age peoples living in isolated points around the globe. Perhaps the characters were sent to study them... or to find out what happened to the last expedition. Or perhaps you discovered them stricly by chance, or they found you. A group of players looking for a change might take the roles of stone-age primitives suddenly thrust into the modern world. Excellent examples of this area the films The Gods Must Be Crazy and The Emerald Forest.
No matter what style of campaign the gamemster chooses, the players and GMs alike can have a great deal of fun in a stone-age setting, limited only by their inventiveness, imagination, and creativity. Focus on what primitive man had, rather than what was not available. Look at the things they accomplished, and play a game of "What if?" What if, for example the stone-age builders of the great standing stones that dot the landscape of England and France hadn't vanished? What type of civilization might have been created, if they had remained? What other structures would they have built? Or ask yourself "How did they do that?" How, exatly, did stone-age peoples around the world excavate, move, and place into position, massive stone blocks weighing tens and hundreds of tons? Did they use magic? Or merely brute force and an unexpected knowledge of engineering and mathematics? The point is: we don't know the answers for certain which leaves the indicidual GM to tailor his or her own world.
Copper Age or Late Stone Age? Actually, either term can be applied to the period when man was making the transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer to settled farmer. The tools of his ancestors were still used, made from the same stone, wood, antler, horn, and bone. But metal was being discovered as well. The earliest metal artifacts found so far were made of copper, hammered into various shapes such as rings and other small ornaments.
Man was settling down, either raising crops, herding animals, or both. These early farmers settled in upland areas, where the soil was light, easily worked, and also easily exhausted. Unlike later farmers, they were not rooted to one spot, but moved on as needed to open new fields. By 5,000 B.C., they had spread into the river valleys of central and southern Europe, the Middle East, north Africa, and India. It is here, in these valleys, that the greatest technological changes began. The rivers acted as roadways, connecting the isolated farms and communities. Annual floods replenished the fields with minerals and rich soil, allwoing settlers to crop the same fields year after year. Because no two rivers flood at the same time, however, each area was forced to develop different techniques to cope with the rising water.
In Egypt, the Nile floods in early spring were easily predictable within a period of a few days by the Egyptians. They simply waited for the water to recede before planting, and used a system of canals and ditches to carry water to the fields for irrigation. In Mesopotamia, on the other hand, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers floods in the summer — far too late for planting as unprotected crops would wash away. The solution was a complex system of dikes and canals that protected the fields from the worst of the flooding while still reaping the benefits.
Once the rivers were conquered and controlled, man settled down to farming in earnest. Various grains were grown, such as millet, barley, and later, wheat. Grapes, olives, figs, and dates were cultivated as well. With fields that could be planted year aftr year, more long-term crops such as orchards, became feasable. Communities began to grow with their expanding fields. A village that once housed a few hundred, could now support a few thousand people.
But as more and more land was given over to agriculture, less was available for the herds of cattle, sheep, and other animals. Cultivated land could not be used for grazing. The herds would quickly turn carefully planted and tended fields into wasteland. Villages that had once been comfortably far apart might, as their populations grew, develop conflicts over remaining lands for grazing. This ultimately resulted in several things: almost all the land between villages being devoted to crops; a large, dense population in the river valleys; and a breach between the farmers and the herdsmen, with the two groups becoming separate distinct communities. A breach that hadn't healed by the nineteenth century, when cattle ranchers argued and faught with farmers in the American west.
Man's interest in copper, and other metals was probably piqued while searching for suitable color pigments to decorate the home, temples, and pottery. Broken, weatherworn, and grubby as the artifacts are today, a modern study of primitive peoples shows that early man probably used the brightest colors he could find. Yellow and red ocher, blue azurite, and green malachite — all minerals used as the basis for early paints — contain copper. Unlike iron (where the metal is bound up with other elements, requiring a great deal of work to remove) copper can be found as smallish limps inside these (and other) minerals. Breaking up the raw ore to use it in paint revealed these limps, and man soon learned to shape copper by hammering or carving.
The major drawback to working with these tiny lumps of copper, was that they could not be joined to make larger ones, at least not by hammering alone. Something else was needed. Fire! No one knows when man (or his primitive ancestors) first used fire. But by Copper Age, it was an important tool in man's evergrowing aresenal of technology. Man used it to heat the home, cook meals, and frighten away predators. By the beginning of the Copper Age, man used fire to transform clay into pottery jars, bowls, and utensils. At first they placed the unbaked pottery directly into the fire, and later into kilns. Experience sooon taught these early potters to use heat to transform other materials, like copper.
Soft and malleable, copper takes only a limited hamering. It becomes brittle, prone to cracking due to stress. Undoubtedly early metalworkers learned just how far they could push before the breaking point was reached. Modern analysis shows that many of the earliest copper artifacts were almost at that point. With the addition of fire, however, copper can be hammered on as much as you like. Heating the copper relieves the built-up stress within the metal, allowing continual shaping and reshaping until the desired form is achieved. Known as annealing, this continual hammer—heat—hammer process was discovered within a century or two of the first known use of copper.
Gold and silver caught man's eye around this time as well. Rarer than copper, they were most likely found in deposits in streams, where they had washed down from the veins higher up in the hills and mountains. Gold was highly prized because smaller pieces could be hammered together to form larger ones, and did not have to be heated and reheated to prevent stress cracks. However, it's rarity and softness prevented it from being used for anything except small trinkets. But it was a beginning. Silver, which is found even less frequently than gold in it's natural state was prized as well. Generally found mixed with gold as a natural alloy (electrum, whose properties vary considerably from area to area), pure silver was virtually unknown. Although pure silver was occasionally found, and several artifacts have turned up, the techniques for separating two metals were not known at that time.
Another pretty rock, even more highly prized than silver or gold, was lapis lazuli. A lustrous blue stone, rare in the copper age world, it was used for ornaments and decorations. Before 4,000 B.C., men were actually attempting to synthesize lapis lazuli! By coating a talc stone with podered azurite or malachite, putting it into a sealed container, and clacing it in a hot fire, these early metalworkers produced a blue-colored glass known as faience.
A few metal trinkets, pieces of pottery, and bits of colored glass might not seem like much technologically. But they marked man's discovery that he could transform materials from one form to another, and introduced the idea that metals could be altered by high temperatures. Using fire, he bonded small lumps of copper together to form larger pieces. Moreover, he learned that fire would actually separate the copper — and other metals — from the raw mineral ore. Man discovered smelting! By 4,000 B.C., man was on his way to a true metal-vased technology. Beyond his use of copper, and other metals, man's technological knowledge developed in other ways. Early forms of pictogram writing — pictures representing animals and objects and words — began to appear. Clay pellets, incised with the owner's seal, were used to count the herds, a so the priests and the city rulers could take their cut. Agricultural development insured the growth of cities. This in turn forced mankind to develop new customes, new ideas, and new technologies for living together.
In a Copper Age campaign, GMs and players alike have many options. Because this time period represents a transition between stone and metal, and no two areas advanced at hte same rate, gamemasters can easily create worlds whose peoples have widely different technologies. For a strictly historical campaign, characters might be soldiers for one of the early city-states — such as Babylon, Ur, Lagash, or Eridu — fighting to exand territory at the expense of someone else. Or they might be wandering mercenaries. Areas rich in copper traded with other regions, so merchants (pr their guards) would be a good coice. for the power-hungry, a GM could develop a wolrd where the great civilizations are just beginning. Characters could ultimately become kings, emperors, and pharaohs — rulers of all they survey.
Another good idea for such a historical setting is to send the character out exploring. Characters become discoverers of new lands where the people are still in the Copper Age. For an interesting twist, just remember that some cultures skipped the Copper Age entirely, moving straight to the Bronze Age — or even the Iron Age. Take these copper-using adventurers and would-be explorers, put them in contact with a more advanced group, and see what happens.
For fantasy campaigns copper weapons and tools might belong only to the dwarves. This is a time when the master metalsmiths are just getting started, before the return of an Eldest Race and the dwarves use their superior technology to keep upstart humans and orcs in line. For those who don't wish to give dwarves so much power, simply insert the race of your choice (e.g. elves or humans or orcs) into the premier spot. Or the GM might even be nice, and give access to these wondrous metal tools and weapons to everyone.
Gaming in the modern age? Once again, there is the classic "lost world" campaign setting. Set your game in the nineteenth century or ealrly twentieth century; throw in a lost copper age civilization in a hidden valley, a trackless jungle, or the center of the Earth; and voila &mdashl instant Edgar Rice Burroughs. Now all you need is a maiden ro rescue, and Tarzan...
Believe it or not, there are still areas where people are little advanced beyond the Stone Age or Copper Age. They usually live in little-exposed regions that are only now being searched for exploitable resources. Using the Black Ops sourcebook, characters can be anything from technicians sent in to evaluate the area to the hired soldiers sent in to guard them (or eliminate any local "resistance"). The only limit is the imagination of both the GM and the players.
Copper is soft, and easily worked once the secrets of annealing and smelting are learned. But because it is soft, and bends easily, it is not really suitable for use in tools and weapons. Even as they were learning how to work copper effectively, the early metalsmiths were searching for hardening agents to make copper strong. Their eventual answer: Bronze. An alloy of copper, tin, and occasionally other metals, bronze is light and easily worked while hot — just like copper. Once cooled, however, it is far stronger, and more resistant to damage than copper alone. Moreover, if it is damaged, bronze can be reworked into the original shape. Bronze weapons, and tools with cutting edges, stay sharp longer and can be easily resharpened as necessary.
Like the Copper Age, the early Bronze Age was a period of transition in technology. In some cultures it superseded the Copper Age entirely. In most parts of the world, copper was the first metal worked by man. In others — most notably China and Britain — manking moved from Stone Age straight into Bronze Age. It is not known with any certainty if this was the result of independent discovery, or if bronze-working technology spread to these cultures by some other means. Bronze was most likely developed in the Middle East, and even in the prehistoric past this area was a crossroads of trade and travel. By about 3,000 B.C., bronce tools and weapons were in abundant use in the city-states of Mesopotamia and especially Egypt. Copper mines in the Sinai were producing hundreds of tons of copper a year. Because tin was scarce in some areas, however, trade became increasingly iportant. Without large quantities of tin, bronze could not be mass-produced. It is likely that the "secret" of bronze spread by merchants. By 1,800 B.C., the use of bronze had spread across most of Europe.
With the rise of the city-states, there came the need for soldiers. The advent of bronze meant that durable weapons such as swords, daggers, axes, spearheads, and arroheads could be mass-produced by casting. They protected the city from its enemies, attacked other cities for land or loot, or enforced the will of their rulers. These soldiers were primarily infantry, armed with a long spear, a large dagger, and a shield. Armor was of leather, later enhanced by addition of thin metal plates sewn or riveted into place. A few archers rounded out the army, made even more effective by the addition of the horse-drawn chariot between 3,000 B.C., and 2,500 B.C. Lighter and more mobile than the carts that preceded them, the war chariots revolutionized military tactics. Continual improvements, such as spoled wheels, metal axes, and lightweight bodies, were made to reduce weight and improve speed. Horseshoes were invented as well, further increasing military mobility. A shod horse travels over terrain that would destroy the hooves of an unshod one.
On the defensive side, tall city walls were built, serving both as a boundary marker, and to protect inhabitants from direct attack. The ancient city of Jericho, the oldest known city on Earth, had started its defensive fortification around 7,000 B.C., — before they even invented pottery! By the Bronze Age these walls were some thirteen feet thick, enclosing an area of about ten acres and dominated by a massive stone tower. As the Bronze Age progressed the development of defensive works progressed as well, and continued on long afterward. A sign of the times, perhaps, as the great empires of the ancient world were built, faught over, conquered, and rebuilt anew.
The great works of the Bronze Age were not limited to weapons and war. Bronze revolutionized technology in other ways as well. Woodworking, using bronze tools, was refined, and craftsmen produced some truly remarkable fornityre, statues, and works of art. Stonemasons were able to cut blocks with more precision than ever before, while artisans were able to add detail to statues and carvings that was unheard of before the advent of metal tools.
Nor was bronze the only great discovery of the "Bronze Age". Basic mathematics (e.g., 1+1=2) had been around for thousands of years, but during the Bronze Age man took math to new heights. Math is the basis of engineering, and some of the greatest engineering feats of the ancient world were built during this time. Examples are: the first of the great pyramids of Egypt; the ziggurats of Ur and Akkad in ancient Babylon; and the palaces and fortification of the Minoans on the island of Crete. Built of brick and stone, using a basic knowledge of mechanics and raw muscle power, both animal and human, they were impressive in the extreme. Impressive enough to lend credence to the claims of later generations that they were built by the gods.
Along with mathematics, but by no means less important, was the continued development of written language. Beginning in the Stone and Copper Ages, mankind had made marks on stone, wood, bone, metal, and clay. These marks signified the passing of the seasons (the first lunar calendar dates back to around 17,000 B.C.), the count of a herd, and ownership. As time passed, more marks were added, each one signifying something new: a symbol for larger numbers, perhaps, or one for the different types of animals in a herd. During the Bronze Age, these systems of writing continued to evolve. The hieroglyphs of Egypt, the cuneiform of Babylon, the alphabets of India, and the Canaanite alphabet were all developed during this period. For the first time, men was able to express his thoughts and ideas in written form: whether it be orders from a king to his generals, the secrets of a metalsmith passed on to his sons and grandsons, or even the records of the taxman or the temple.
The earliest writing was done on stone, but other methods were soon developed. In Mesopotamia soft clay was used, the letters incised with a stylus. Once the clay was covered it was baked in a kiln to preserve it. In Egypt, papyrus reeds from the Nile were transformed into scrolls and the hieroglyphs painted or drawn on with inks. Other methods included writiing on leather hides or vellum and the bark of certain trees. Literally thousands if these tablets and scrolls have survived through the ages. It is from these artifacts that we have learned about these ancient lands.
The Code of Hammurabi, the basis for many ancient legal systems, was found on tablets such as these. It not only provides a look at the laws of our ancestors, it provides a glimps into their daily lives — and their technology as well. Set down by King Hammurabi of Babylon c. 1750 B.C., towards the end of the Bronze Age, the Code covered such diverse matters as contracts, slavery, property ownership, medicine and doctors — even the price of beer! Most Mesopotamian brewers were women, who made and sold beer out of their homes. In an attempt to regulate these early "bars", Hammurabi enacted laws telling them how much they could charge. Overcharging was punished by being thrown in the river.
Thievery and banditry were a problem as well, and diverse laws covered the crimes and their punishments. Taverns were clearly a hangout for troublemakers, even at this early date. Bs both Hammurabi and the ancient Egyptians had laws against letting outlaws in taverns, and warning against loose talk while inder the influence. The punishment for letting outlaws drink at a bar, and not reporting them to the authorities, was death.
Another law in the Code of Hammurabi shows their advancement in the medical arts. The law governed eye surgery — specifically the removal of cataracts — and included both rewards for success and punishment for failure. Nor were Babylonians alone in their "advanced" medical knowledge. Egyptian papyri dating from the same period as the Code of Hammurabi, ising a language at least a thousand years older, describe medical techniques and equipment for sewing up wounds on the head, limbs, and torso. The ancient Hindus were skilled surgeons as well. They developed techniques that were not "discovered" in the west until the nineteenth century. Among these were various plasti surgery techniques, including the repair of torn and damages earloves, cheeks, and lips. Even more amazing, they invented the technique of rhinoplasty — the repair, or even creation, of noses!
The mere fact that these techniques were developed, and gad soecific laws directed at them, point to something else as well: that men (and women, too) were settling down into specialized trades. Priests didn't work in the fields. Instead they served as administrators and tax collectors in addition to their religious duties. Doctors were available at least as early as 2,700 B.C. According to surviving records, a man named Lulu practiced medicine in ancient Sumaria. He was undoubtedly not the first, as doctors appear in Egyptian records from around this time as well. Soldiers defended the city-states and kingdomws from invaders — and marched off on wars of conquest. Brewers and bakers and barbers, and farmers and herdsmen and fishermen, scribes and accountants and lawyers — these were just a few of the professions practiced in the Bronze Age.
Game options for this period are almost endless, for the Bronze Age was the true age og heroes. Mythical and llegendary heroes of ancient Greece; of Egypt, Babylon, China, India, and more; lived and loved, faught and died during this period. Characters in a Bronze Age world can be of almost any profession. From warrior to magician, it is up to the individual GM to determine what, if any, special abilities characters will enjoy. Does magic really work? Or are so-called magicians simply charlatans and tricksters, duping the gullible through sleight of hand and misdirections? Are the prayers of the priests and shamans effective? Do the gods answer the faithful with miracles of healing, bountiful crops, and temperate weather? Punish the unbelievers with pestilence and plague and lightning?
For campaign ideas, the GM can steal ... er ... borrow the storylines of Homer's plays, and tales of classic mythology. Thousands of books have been written about ancient Greece, Egypt, and other nations of the time. There are a hundred movies — B-grade and otherwise. Another good source for campaign information is the Judeo-Christian Old Testament. Aside from its significance as a religious work, it is the story of Jewish history, and a great deal of it took place in the Bronze Age.
Fantasy Games (like Rolemaster) can easily be tailored to a Bronze Age setting. The GM designs his world — perhaps modeled on ancient India — and decides what races besides humanity he is willing to allow. Imagine a city-state or burgeoning empire, backed by the wealth of the dwarven mines and ruled by near-immortal elves. Or are they truly, as they claim, the sons of the gods?
For more traditional fantasy role playing game, there are a number of regions that quite possibly have not advanced beyond the Bronze Age. Perhaps due to isolation, or maybe they are struggling to recover after the end of the Dark Years. The always more primitive Orcs are a good race for this, as are the metal-minded Dwarves. Humans and other races could be from a nation far to the east or south — or one of the new, unexplored lands to the west that replaced lost Atlantis.
Elves and dwarves and orcs in a historical game? Preposterous! Or is it? Legends and myths have their basis in historical facts, and "fairy tales" are no exception. True mythical elves (who could not abide the touch of "cauld iron") are believed by some to be a corrupted memory of Bronze Age people in a world of iron. Stories of dwarves, their love of metal and legendary averice for gold, could just as easily described ancient miners. Forced to stoop over to make their way through the twisting, narrow, lowceilinged passageways of the mines, it could have been no wonder they seemed short to ordinary people — and just a bit supernatural as well.
Wanting to play Black Ops, but don't want just another cheap spy thriller? The Mesopotamians had commandos and even had specialised equipment for them. Spycraft has developed right alongside statecraft for as long as there have been cities and nations. The were sent out by their ruler to get the lay of the land and to discover the military strengths and weaknesses of their enemies (and allies). Spies have always been an individual tool. Other than the penalty if caught — death — being a sppy could be an interesting and rewarding career for a devious minded player.
The Bronze Age is an interesting time. A campaign set in this period could be very enjoyable and rewarding for who is willing to put a little time and effort into developing his world, can find any number of resources in their local library. Or search the internet and see what you can find. It's out there, if you look hard enough.
Iron was known from ancient times, and for millennia held a near-mystical importance. Locked away in various ores, requiring high temperatures and special techniques to extract it, native iron was virtually unknwon. The only source came from the heavens! Shooting stars (meteorites) were seen as omens and signs. It is no wonder pre-Iron Age man thought of the metal as magical; it was a gift from the gods! Early iron artifacts were therefor reserved for the wealthy. Kings, priests, nobles, and wealthy merchants used iron mostly for ornamentation: rings, amulets, ceremonial weapons, and the like. It had a value on a par with gold.
Unlike gold, silver, copper, and other metals, ores did not yield iron. Other metals could easily be extracted in a wood-fired furnace. But the temperatures required for obtaining iron are higher than can be achieved by burning wood alone. It was not until the discovery of charcoal that the smelting of iron from native ores became feasible. Charcoal, made by burning wood with an insufficient amount of air, reached a higher temperature than wood does. With the aid of a bellows, temperatures could be made hotter still — though still not hot enough to actually melt the iron. The iron extracted in this manner was disappointing to the early metalworkers. It was strong yet, but inferior to meteoric iron — weaker even thn the best quality of bronze.
Iron producing ore was readily available in many areas. The techniques of iron smelting soon spread across the Middle East and into Europe, Asia, and Africa. Experimention finally yielded a strong, tougher form of iron — steel. An alloy of iron and carbon, steel is harder than bronze. Steel holds an edge much longer, making it ideal for weapons and the edged portions of tools. By 1000 B.C., it was being produced in quantity and the true Iron Age had begun.
Soldiering was one of the first professions of man to feel the impact of iron and steel. When the barbarian Dorians, ancestors of the Greeks, invaded the north, the Mycenean Empire was still firmly entrenched in the Bronze Age. The Dorians, on the other hand, had acquired a knowledge of iron; perhaps on their own, perhaps from travelling merchants. Whatever the source, their iron weaponry made the difference. In the end, the Mycenean civilization was gone. In the Middle East, the Israelites defeated the Philistines with their iron weapons. They established an empire of their own that controlled much of the eastern Mediterranean coastline for many years.
Other professions were affected by iron as well. Farmers found iron tools were far stronger than bronze ones, and needed less repair. Iron tools revolutionized the stonemason and woodcraft arts, just as bronze had done a millennia before. Pieces of iron and steel found their way into any number of atrifacts, from furniture to ships. once the technique of extracting iron was discovered, it was produced in such quantities that even the common man could afford to buy it.
The concept of money had been around since at least the Bronze Age. The Code of Hammurabi containe dmany financial penalties for various crimes and set the prices for various products — all in shekels. Originally a unit of measurement, equal to approximately one quarter to one half ounce in weight, it later evolved into the coinage of several Middle Eastern peoples, primarily the Israelites. The first coins were produced by the Lydians of Asia Minor, and were in use prior to 700 B.C. Stamped with a royal seal or the face of a sovereign (or even animals, plants, or gods) the concept of using coins spread throughout the Mediterranean and beyond.
Commerce played a big part in the spread of knowledge and the ideas during the Copper and Bronze Ages. It played an even bigger one in the centuries yet to come. The greatest merchants of the ancient world were the Phoenicians. They plied the seaways in swift galleys, mounting both sail and oars. Early sailors, when they strayed from the rivers to venture onto the sea, stayed close to land. Even the Myceneans, who ruled an emprire from the island of Crete, sailed the Aegean by "island hopping". Not so the Phoenicians — the first of the deep-water sailors. With their newly developed skill of celestial navigation, they sailed far and wide across the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
With mastery of the seas came exploration. Once the Phoenicians had shown the way they were no longer alone on their voyages. The Greeks and Egyptians were setting sails as well. Lengthy voyages were made as far as the northern coast of Africa; the mouth of the Atlantic Oceanl and perhaps beyond. And where they went to trade, others soon came to settle. The Greeks founded colonies in Italy and Sicily and France. Phoenicians colonies dotted the north coast of Africa. One — the city of Carthage — survived the fall of the Phoenician empire to become a powerful city-state in its own right. The Egyptians, meanwhile, were not idle. A great series of canals connected the Nile with the Red Sea. Egyptian mariners sailed from the heart of their empire to the coasts of Arabia and Africa. They carried with them their knowledge and culture, and returned with raw materials, trade goods, and slaves.
But while the discovery of iron smelting might have given this era its name, a far more important discovery made during this period: science. The Mesopotamians and the Egyptians had developed rudiments of science in ages past, but it was little more than general observation and lists of practical applications for daily use. Around the sixth century B.C. all that changed.
Like the majority of their neighbors, the ancient Greeks had a diverse pantheon of dieties, each with their own powers and history and place in the order of heaven. Merchants travelling to Grece brought with them their own religions, legends, and myths; Greek colonists encountered still others. Comparing these with their own religion, many Greek philosophers began to wonder if, perhaps, there were some other explanation. One that didn't require gods, religion, or mystical, magical occurences. They looked beyond the general and the practical for the unifying principles that goided nature. "Speculative philosophy" applies logic and reasoning to observation and experimentation, searching for an explanation of the universe.
Starting with the learning and knowledge of Egypt and Mesopotamia, Greek philosophers pushed ahead, developing new theories and ideas. They sought to understand the natural world through reason and observation alone. This new "scientific method" was applied to mathematics, medisine, engineering, and astronomy. Almost every science of today has its roots in the speculatuve philosophy of the Greeks.
And they were not alone. The Egyptians in particular applied science to more practical concerns. Several schools were founded in the city of Alexandria, along them a school of engineering. Men (and women) from all across the known world came to Alexandria to study and work. Among their invnetions were numerous labor-saving devices, like the force pump or the Archimedean screw. Descriptions survive of mechanically-driven water clocks and model steam engine experiments. Undoubtedly many more have been lost with time. Applied engineering allowed the building of great aqueducts, bridges, tunnels, and networks of roads. Not as impressive as the pyramids and other monuments of the past, perhaps, but far more important in the long run.
Nor were all of their inventions stricly above-board. Some were pure showmanship, designed to decieve the masses. Like the automatic door opener, designed for one of the Egyptian temples. A brazier outside the doors, when lit, heated a concealed kettle of water. The resulting steam travelled through a series of copper pipes to another kettle in a chamber beneath the door. As the steam condensed, the kettle was lowered to the ground — pulling on an ingenious system of ropes and pulleys. The door opened just like magic ...
The Iron Age was an important time. No longer a race of land-locked farmers and coast-hugging sailors, men met the challenge of the sea and travelled where and when they wanted. Production of iron and steel provided cheap and abundant metal tools for the first time, allowing even the common man to possess them. The beginnins of science broadened their understanding of the world around them, and set the stage for development yet to come.
In a fantasy game setting such as Rolemaster the Iron Age has the makings for an excellent campaign. Earlier "empires" were made up of a few dozen towns and cities, and covered a few thousand square miles. Now, whether through trade and colonization, or outright conquest, the Phoenicians, Greeks, Egyptians, and Persians were founding empires that covered the whole regions. These stretched from one end of the Mediterranean to the other, and beyond. It is the time of Alexander the Great, conqueror of the known world; of Zerzes, King of Persia, whose armies nearly overran the Greek. Periclean Athens and the "Golden Age"; and the founding of Rome.
In a straight historical campaign, players could take on many roles. Explorers could sail the seas in search of new lands to trade with, colonize, or conquer. Merchants might travel the length and breadth of the known world where vast fortunes were made and lost. And where there is money, there are envariably thieves, and guards hired to foil them. Mercenaries and soldiers could wander the roads between wars, looking for work. Priests might be honest pious believers or involved in politics up to their eyeballs, plotting to control the land through fear of divine retribution.
Want a little magic in your world? History shows that most people in this era believed in magic. So what if it did work? What changes would take place if magic and spells actually existed? Would the Greeks have triumpher over the Persian army? Or ouwld the law of Xerxes have held sway from one end of the Mediterranean to the other? Perhaps the early Greek philosopher, rather than studying nature, turned towards magic instead, and applying reason and logic to codifying the "laws" that governed it. Would Akexabduam center of learning and culture, have developed its famous school of engineering? Or a school of magic?
In a similar vein, there is the "Alternate Earth" campaign. Choose an important event from the period: a key battle or invasion; the death of an important ruler; an invention — anything you want. Then try to imagine the turn of events if things had turned out differently. What if Alexander the Great hadn't died at the age of thrity-three, but instead went on to fulfull his plans of conquest? He had already conquered Greece, Egypt, and northern India, why not Carthage or rome or even China? Or go back a couple of centuries, and let the Persians overrun the Greek peninsula? Don't think a single invation could change the world? What about the experiment with steam, conducted in Alexandria? The finest engineers in the world at that time lived and worked in the city. They had all the necessary elements to construct a primitive steam engine: efficient pistons and cylinders; valves; and the metalworking skill to build a high-pressure boiler. The Greeks already had a muscle-powered version of the ralway across its isthmus of Corinth in the sixth sentury B.C. — so why not a steam locomotive to pull it? What if some inventive philosopher-scientist had stumbled across the recipe for gunpowder? They certainly had the chemical know-how to produce it, and the metalworking expertise to build cannons at the very least. Could they have developed firearms two thousand years early?
In a more traditional fantasy campaign, humans are just beginning to use iron and steel. Perhaps they acquired the techniques from the more learned elves, or the dwarven metalsmiths. Savage orcs, living on the fringes of civilization, covet iron and steel more fiercly than gold. Lacking the skill and the technology to smelt it themselves, they acquire it in brutal raids on the villages and towns.
Other genres that could be used include historical-fantasy settings. Here the elves, dwarves, and other fantasy races co-exist with humans in our own world. In a world such as this, seafaring elves might be in direct competition with the human empire-builders. Or have they already established their empire, and resent the intrusion of human upstarts? Dwarven metalsmiths are making a fortune, selling iron and steel waepons to all comers. Their engineers are hired to build the roads, bridges, and tunnels necessary to hold a widespread empire together. For a twist take a look at the Bronze Age — and the idea that stories of elves and faeries, and their aversion to "cold iron" are a memory of Bronze Age peoples. But what if it wasn't just a story? What if it were true, and elves are burned by the touch of iron and steel? Or even killed? What effect would that have on a traditional fantasy or historical-fantasy campaign?
For adventure ideas set in the Iron Age, a GM need look no further than his or her local library. Thousands of books have been written on "Classical Greece" and the other city-states and empires of the Iron Age era. Homer wrote his great epic poems in this era, chronicling events that were at least based in fact. The city of Troy, for example, actually existed. The story of Jason and the Argonaut is believed to be a chronicle of early voyages into the Black Sea. And that is just scratching the surface. The Iron Age is ripe with possibilities for adventure, especially for GMs and players who are looking for more than just another "hack'n'slash" dungeon crawl.
The Age of Empires was the age of Rome. Rome the City. Rome the Republic. Rome the Empire. Rome the Ethernal. For a technological standpoint, this was the late Iron Age — set apart by the marching of Rome's legions, conquerors of half the known world. Starting its life as a poorly situated village on the banks of the Tiber, Rome grew in a few short centuries to become the most important city in the western world: capital of the most impressive civilization the world had ever seen.
The origins of Rome are shrouded in legend and myth. According to the traditional story, the city of Rome was founded in 753 B.C. by Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars and a mortal woman. Shortly after the city was copleted, the brothers quarreled over the name, and Romulus killed his brother. Whether or not the story of the brothers is true, modern archaeology indicates a city was founded between 700 and 800 B.C., when the Sabines, Etruscans, and Latins were united under a monarchy. Rome was dominated by Etruscans, a technologically advanced people whose culture and language remain undeciphred to this day. In 509 B.C., according to tradition, the Latins rose up and overthrew their Etruscan masters. They founded the Republic of Rome and vowed never again to have a king.
For the next three hundred years, Rome was a city on the march. The Etruscans, the Greek cities of the south, the Latin League; all these, and more, the Roman legions brought under the banner of the Republic. By 272 B.C., almost all of Italy was under Roman control, and they began to look towards the horizon.
Roman expansion eventually led to conflict with Chartage, a former Phoenician colony that had grown into the wealthiest city in the Mediterranean. Initially clashing over the island of Sicily, the Romans and the Carthaginians were at each other's throats for the next one hundred years. The Punic Wars eventually led to the fall of Carthage by the might of Roman arms. When it was finally over, Carthage was destroyed, her once great empire becoming provinces of Rome. Greek and Macedonian kingdoms that had supported Carthage were conquered as well. Over the course of the next century, the legions would conquer Gaul, the middle eastern nations of Syria and Judea, and parts of Asia and Africa. And though they acted in "the name of the Senate and the People of Rome", they were building an empire that would last for five hundred years.
To control the empire, Rome needed legions — and the legions needed the roads. Everywhere the Romans marched, through every land they conquered, army engineers surveyed the land. They laid out cities and towns, set the boundaries of fields, and laid out a network of roads that criss-crossed the empire. Built and maintained by the army, the roads were the lifeblood of the empire; the arteries and veins that carried troops and supplies, merchants and merchandise from one corner of the world to the other. In the Age of Empire, all roads did lead to Rome.
The vastness of the Roman Empire, and it impact on civilization, demands a section of its own. The empire was a combination of dozens of different regions. Each had its own culture, language, customs, and yes, technology. But the empire changed all of that. While the legions carried Rome to the provinces — Roman law, Roman customs, Roman language, and Roman technology — the Romans also learned from those they conquered. Greek philosophy and religion; Egyptian mathematics and engineering; culture, knowledge, m and technology from across the known world were carried back to Rome, spreading from there to every corner of the empire. Sharing of ideas and information helped to build the empire. After the fall of Rome and the empire's collapse, the very fact that Roman civilization was so widespread preserved their knowledge and technology for future generations.
Role playing in the Age of Empire has all sorts of interesting possibilities, whether the empire be Rome or one of the GM's own creation. Conquerors of half the world, players could be merchants, diplomats, colonists, or conquered subjects. Are they proud citizens of the Impreium? Or rebels, working to bring it to its knees? Spread across three continents, the empire has room to spare for adventure.
Historic-minded GMs and players will find plenty of action in the Roman Empire. Set your campaign in Rome, and characters can be anything from wealthy senators, vying for control of the empire, to gladiators battling the arena games. Vigiles — the city watch and fire department — patrols the streets, the bane of an honest thief's existence. In the homes of the patricians plots are being laid to seize the Impreial Throne, and the legions choose up sides for the battles to come.
If a more rustic campaign is more your stylle, move your game to the frontiers. Here, in the wilderness fringes of the empire, player characters will encounter barbarian tribes (or perhaps even the barbarians, encountering the might of Rome), and strange beasts. Many Roman coonists were former soldiers, given grant of land to settle in the provinces. They formed the core of local militia forces in times of trouble.
For a spice of magic in the world, GMs might want to add spells — or perhaps some of the creatures of Roman myth and legend. Monster vs. man, in an arena battle to the death, and all for the delight of the bloodthirsty crowds. Priests receive omens and messages from the gods, while street magicians peddle charms and curses that just might work. Nor is magic the only way to alter historic Rome. Play a little game of "What if..." and see where it takes you. What if ... the Carthaginians had won the Punic Wars? Or the legions hadn't succeeded in conquering Greece? Take any historical event, change the outcome, and run with it. And what about things that never happened? The Romans knew of the existence of China, for example, though they only traded indirectly and never marched against them. But what if they had? What if the two mightiest empires of the age had gone to war, locked in a struggle for Asian supremacy?
From a technological standpoint, the Romans were highly advanced for the time. They had the knowledge and technical skills of dozens of peoples and cultures, but what about the things they didn't invent? They were certainly capable of building a steam engine — so what if they had? Simple firearms are also within the realm of possibility, but and even more likely one is the crossbow. The legions employed them on a larger scale — ballistae — but the smallest required a crew of two men. But what if they had made crossbows? Would it have made a difference? Their possible achievements are not limited to steam power and weaponry. Many of the developments of the Middle Ages were actually produced at a lower level of technology than the Romans possesed.
In a strict fantasy world such as portrayed in Rolemaster, the empire — whatever its name — produces mighty works, both technological and magical. Its citizens create marvels their ancestors never dreamed possible. For campaigns set in or other places, the empire could be "the enemy beyond the horizon", known only through rumors of fabulous wealth and military might. Or perhaps the empire is nothing more than remembered glory; a name invoked to inspire awe, or grant a degree of legitimacy to the present ruler. Charlemagne, for example, was proclaimed Holy Roman Emperor — though he was neither holy nor Roman, and his empire was a tenth the size of the original. Characters might be adventurers, journeying to see the grandeur of the empire for themselves — or searching for the treasures of a bygone age. Adventurers in the modern world might stumble across a "lost city" — an outpost of the Roman Empire, hidden away for centuries. Or they could be time travellers, journeying backward to prevent the fall of Rome — or to loot the lost treasures of the past.
The empire will make an interesting addition to any world, whatever the style of campaign. Whether ally or enemy, the empire is a formidable force — one whose legend lives on long after its fall. GMs searching for information will have an easy time finding it. Thousands of reference books have been written, and there are plenty of novels as well — speculations on what might have been.
Modern historians call the early years of this period "The Dark Ages". In the centuries following the collapse of Rome, the flame of civilization almost went out. Rome the city might be eternal, but the Empire of Rome was not. Weakened by internal strife, corruption, and decay, divided off and on into Eastern and Western Empires, the Romans were no match for the "barbarians" from the borderlands. When Rome was captured in 476 A.D. by the Goths, the Roman Empire ceased to be.
In western Europe, the collapse of the central government left former provinces in the hands of governors, senators, and generals. Some held onto the fiction of Roman authority, in an effort to add legitimacy to their rule. Others used their new-found freedom to found independent states. Nor were the "barbarians" idle, founding kingdoms of their own in Gaul, Iberia, and Italy, attempting to recreate the empire that they had torn apart.
The Eastern Empire was having trouble of its own, though not as severe as in the west. More populous than the west, the great cities managed to survive, but the empire was still beset by barbarian invaders. They raided the frontiers, picking away at the lands ruled from Constantinople — later known as Byzantium. The emperors of the east — who considered themselves rulers of the west empire as well, now that Rome had fallen — paid many of these barbarian tribes to move westwards. In effect, they became mercenaries in the employ of the Empire, attacking their gothic cousins who had alrady taken Italy. The emperors intended for their leaders to be viceroys, ruling their newly conquered territories in the name of a reunited empire. Like the tribes who had come before them, however, these barbarian mercenaries had other ideas. They became kings in their own right, their campaigns of conquest financed by Constantinople.
Without the legions to repair them, the roads in the west decayed, becoming muddy quagmires. Without the legions to patrol them, the roads became haunts of bandits, and travel and trade virtually ceased. Without travel and trade, the remains of Roman civilization began to fall apart. First to go were the cities. Already in a decline, the loss of trade meant that the larger cities could no longer support their population as food supplies dwindled. Only the wealthiest could afford to flee, retiring to country estates and farms.
Technology took a step backward with the death of the cities. Without raw materials — or customers — manufacturing stopped. Skilled craftsmen were out of work, and many of them died — either during one or another of the invasions, from the plague, or from starvation. A lucky few managed to flee to the comparative safety of the Eastern Empire. Those who remained were too busy surviving to preserve the knowledge and technology of Rome.
Two things acted to keep at least a semblance of civilization and culture alive in western Europe: the Catholic Church and feudalism. Proclaimed the state religion of the empire, Christianity survived the colapse and even managed to convert many of the invaders. The church provided a unifying force that brought together Roman and invader alike. As they had in the days of the empire, church leaders encouraged Christians to "do their duty" and obey their overlords, pay their taxes, and provide military service. In the monasteries, much of the learning of Greece and Rome was preserved in collections of books and scrolls. The monks kept alive a tradition of learning through the Dark Ages.
As they forged new kingdoms from the ashes of the empire, the kings and princes followed the ancient Roman practice of rewarding military service with land. Trusted generals and advisors were given titles and placed in charge of large territories. Further divisions parcelled the land out to lesser nobles, who swore fealty to the noble above them. In exchange they were to act as judges, enforce the laws, and provide their overlord with certain amount of military service each year. In the feudal system each man knew his place in society, and while at times it could be cruel and harsh, it provided needed order and stability.
The feudal system was at its peak from the ninth to the fourteenth centuries. It was during this period that the kings and nobles buil their great castles and fortifications, and the church built great cathedrals. Sometimes known as the Age og Chivalry, or the High Feudal Age, this era saw the evolution of a new civilization; one that drew on the classical world of Greece and Rome, welded together with the culture and traditions of the "barbarians". As conditions stabilized in western Europe, the chivalric era saw a rebirth of long-distance trade and commerce. The monastic orders, having hoarded the knowledge og the ancient world, began to teach the children of nobles and wealthy merchants. At first their pupils were only thos destined to become priests or monks themselves, but this was later expanded to other noble chirldren — even daughters. In fact, a nobleman's daughter often received a more scholarly education than his sons would, as the sons' education concentrated primarily on hunting and fighting.
The term "Middle Ages" was actually coined in the 15th century, by an Italian historian, Flavio Biondo. Like most Renaissance scholars, he considered the era between the collapse of Rome and the Renaissance a void of ignorance and superstition, where learning disappeared and progress stopped completely. Like most one-sided arguments, however, this was not strictly true. As a matter of fact, many of the things we take for granted today first appeared in western Europe during the Middle Ages: universities, movable type printing presses, cast iron, and paper mills. Or how about something a little closer to home? The ancients had knives and spoons, but the fork as an eating utensil didn't appear until Middle Ages. The manners your mother drilled into you as a child are descended from the :high table" manners of noble and royal banquetes.
Perhaps the most important invention of the Middle Ages, however, was the lowly horse collar. Before this era, horses were restricted in the load they could pull by their harness, which cut across their windpipes. Light chariots and carts were about all they could manage, and oxen were used in agriculture. The horse collar, however, put the load of the harness on the horse's shoulders — more than doubling the load it could pull. An ox-drawn plow was slow. Using horses, farmers could cover more ground in a shorter period.
Medieval towns were small — usually less than 2000 people — and were limited by the availability of food. More land under cultivation meant larger surplus for the peasants (or more accurately, their lord) to sell. This surplus food fueled a population explosion in the towns and cities. While none had yet reached the population of Rome at its peak, there were still several that approached the hundred thousand mark — and a few that even passed it. The growth of the cities sparked still more trade, and the beginning of manifacturing. Techniques and technology that had been lost for generations were reinvented, and new discoveries were made as well.
Warfare was almost constant throughout the Middle Ages: noble vs. noble; kingdom vs. kingdom; crusader vs. infidel. As it has throughout history, the art of war both benefitted from and encouraged the development of new technologies. Forts were built as strongholds to fall back to in time of war, gradually evolving from simple wooden palisades around a hilltop keep into imposing structures of stone. Virtually a village in unto itself, the medieval castle had its own blacksmith and armourer, stables for the lord's horses and cattle, storehouses for grain. Many even had their own chirch. Tall walls and cunning defenses protected the residents — which in time of war might have included the village peasants as well. Catapults and other engines of war hurled destruction at the enemy.
Improvements in metalworking made the individual warrior more powerful. During the Middle Ages weapons and armor appeared in a diversity never before seen: broadswords and bastard swords; dirks and daggers; spears and javelins and lances; polearms of every description. Plain leather jerkins or breastplates protecting the infantry — mostly peasants and yeoman farmers or townsmen — while a knight or lord might have metal plates or rings added. Rings were later joined to make the stronger, more flexible chain mail. The addition of steel breastplates, gauntlets, and other pieces added even more protection, eventually evolving into the classic full-plate "suit of armor".
The most important wars of the Middle Ages were the crusades to free the Holy Land from the "infidel Moslems". Though in the long run they failed, the effect they had on Europe as a whole was immense. The Crusader States — kingdoms carved from Moslem territory in and around the Holy Land — helped to reopen contact with the east. Both Byzantine Empire and the "infidels" had managed to preserve Roman knowledge, and in many cases had improved upon it. The exchange of information and ideas led to further disoveries, and helped to set the stage for the Renaissance that was to come.
Most GMs and players are familiar with the Middle Ages. It is, after a fashion, the standard setting for fantasy role playing games, including Rolemaster. Heroic fantasy however, tends to ignore the harsher realities of life in the medieval times — though reality is sometimes the best source for adventure. Peasant life could be harsh, and uprisings were not uncommon. Characters who find themselves caught up in a full-scale peasant rebellion — on whichever side — will find there are plenty of possibilities for both fun and profit.
Another interesting campaign setting is the crusades. Spread across several centuries, these so-called "holy wars" were as much about land and loot as they were liberation of the Holy Land. There is plenty of room for just about any character class or type. Priests or monks might be pilgrims and searching for enlightenment, or cholars in search of truth. Are the warriors in your party devouted believers in the Faith? Or are they younger sons with no prospects at home, searching for fame, glory, and riches ... and land of their own? Dozens of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, and counties were hacked from the Holy Land by force of arms. Nor did the crusaders confine their attacks to the infidel Moslems: they also attacked "infidel Christians" of the Byzantine Empire, eventually sacking Byzantium in 1204.
Medieval thieves stood to make a great deal of money by preying on wealthy merchants in the larger cities, or attacking caravans on the road — provided they did not get caught. The penalties for thievery were harsh, often involving the removal of limbs (or heads). Part of the nobleman's duties to his overlord was to keep the roads safe for travellers and merchants. Of course noble bandits were not unheard of in the Middle Ages (raiding a caravan or two — then charge extra to protect the others). Many of the oldest noble houses of western Europe got their start this way, no matter how much they would like to deny it.
The people of the Middle Ages were largely ignorant of the wider world around them, and superstitious to boot. Magic, as far as they were concerned, was real, and creatures and monsters of all sorts actually existed. Stone and Bronze Age burial mounds became "fairy halls" where mortals could become trapped for eternity if they strayed too close. The great standing stones scattered across France, England, Ireland, and elswere became giants &mdahs; trapped in stone for all eternity by some ancient curse, waiting for the day when they would be set free. So why not take these beliefs one step further? Set your game in a slightly altered medieval France or England — one where the Wild Hunt rides from the fairy hall on munnless nights. Where no army goes into battle without a sorcerer or two to help breach castle walls or destroy the enemy siege engines with magical lightning or fire.
Take it a step further, and crusading armies of the faithful aren't trying to oust Moslems from the Holy Land, but rather were invading orcs and goblins. Or perhaps the orcs and goblins were invading "barbarians" that brought about the collapse of thewestern Empire — driven from their ancient homelands by some pestilence ... or a more powerful horde?
Gamemasters shouldn't feel constrained to use just the Middle Ages as their campaign setting either. Combining several different eras could produce an interesting world. For instance, what would the Middle Ages have been like if the technology was limited to that of the Bronze Age? What if Rome hadn't fallen until much later, and medieval Europe had steam power? What if Charlemagne's empire hadn't fallen apart after his death, instead going on to become the new Western Empire? Speculative history aside, the Middle Ages are full of possibilities, both for campaign settings and as a source of ideas for your own world.
Renaissance means, literally, rebirth, and in fifteenth century Italy, that was just what was happening. A rebirth of culture. A rebirth in art and literature. A rebirth in mathematics. A rebirth in science. A rebirth, in fact, in almost every human endeavor — especially technology.
Looking back there is still no one thing we can point to and say, "This is it! This is what started it all!" In fact, there were probably as many reasons for the Renaissance as there were for the initial collapse of the Roman Empire a thousand years earlier. They differed just as widely from region to region. One of the most important factors leading up to the Renaissance, however, was widespread. Very widespread indeed: The Black Plague.
Medical historians are almost certain that the Black Plague that ravaged Europe in the Middle Ages was a virulent form of bubonic or pneumonic plague. Carried by fleas, it spread via rats from ship to ship and seaport to seaport. Young or old, highborn or low, the Black Plague was an indiscriminate killer. First appearing in Italy in 1348, it soon spread to almost every corner of Europe. Between one0quarter and one-third of the entire population of Europe died (up to two-thirds in some of the largest cities). Many villages and manors were abandone completely, not to be reclaimed until height of the Renaissance in the sixteenth century. The "Black Plague" became deeply ingrained in folklore of the time. Moreover, it had a lasting impact on medicine and science, as debates in the medical community on the origin and spread of disease led doctors away from ideas of Aristotle, Galen, and other ancients, and towards new theories of contagion.
The plague's most dramatic effect on the Renaissance, however, was more indirect. Every city, every town, every family lost someone to the Black Death. Among the nobility and wealthy merchants a few survivors found themselves heir to multitude of titles, lands, and vast amounts of money. Money that they, and their descendants, used to sponsor artists, writers, and musicians; sculptors and architects; even inventors. Michelangelo. D'Vinci. Where would the world be today without their like; without the patrons who supported them and their work?
The patronage of the arts and literature, of science and technology, had its roots in the earlier rebirth of literacy. Prior to fiteenth century, few outside the church could read or write. Those that could were hampered by the limited number of books available to them. By the fourteenth century a few universities had been founded in the larger cities. The teachers were typically churchmen; the pupils were the sons of nobles and wealthy merchants and craftsmen. There was no homework because books wer far too rare and expensive. Monks and other members of the clergy had to write them out by hand. The printing press helped, but the process was still time consuming and expensive. It was not until the goldsmith-turned-printer Johann Gutenberg invented movable type in 1450 that the process of producing books became less arduous. Suddenly books were availlable to the mases!
The first books printed were the Bible and reprints of certain ancient Greek and Roman texts. But as literacy became more widespread, and with the patronage of wealthy aristocrrates, new books were written as well, with subjects ranging from alchemy to zoology. Translations from the old Greek and Roman texts (Aristotle, Euclid, Homer, and Plato, to name a few) were popular, as were the pseudo-authentic "voyages of discovery". These fictional works purported to chronicles actual voyages, and to describe the faraway lands, cities, and eoples the travellers encountered. Some were meant as an intelectual exercise, describing "the perfect society". However, the vast majority seem to have been written for pure entertainment — the first fantasy / science fiction novels!
Yet these novelists' stories were inspired by fact, for the Renaissance was the great age of exploration. Kings and princes financed ships and explorers. They offered fabulous rewards to anyone who could find a shorter route to the fabled lands of Cipango and Cathay; the modern-day Japan and China. Wherever they travelled these explorers took with them the culture and technology of home. Upon their return, the tall-tales of their adventures inspired others to write about these "new" lands ... and still others to set sail.
And they brought back more than just stories: spices and tea from the Orient; gold, jewels, fabulous furs and hides from the Americas; slaves from Africa. The wealth flooded homeward from these voyages sparked jealousy rivalries, bloody wars, and waves of immigration to the New World. The nations of Europe planted colonies wherever their ships sailed. The colonies suffered as much, if not more, than their mother countries as the wars for control of these vast riches spread across ocean.
Not since the Iron Age discovery of steel has warfare been changed so dramatically as it was during the Renaissance. The first survinging mention of gunpowder comes from the mid-13th century Opus Majus by Roger Bacon. Cannons were developed by mid-fourteenth century. These early artillery pieces were ineffective, and as dangerous to the cannoneers as they were to the enemy. But continued development produced a more effective cannon within fifthy years. Within a hundred years, the number and types of cannon could not easily be counted, and were found on fortresses and city walls across Europe.
The fifteenth century marked the development of the first man-portable "handgonne". Large and ungainly, it was little more than a tube with a couch-hole to ignite the powder. Iron nerves were required to use one of these in battle, facing down a charging enemy while you prayed your powder ignited. The addition of an external "flash pan", which held a small amount of powder just outside the touchhole, made this sex to seven foot long monsters a bit more reliable, but still unwieldy to aim and fire. A prop was needed for the barrel, and changing targets rapidly was simply out of question!
Around 1450, the first matchlocks appeared. Similar in design to the handgonne, the matchlock added a simple arm-and-lever action. The arm held a burning wick or match — actually a length of slow-burning fuse. When the lever was pulled, the arm fell into the touch-hole, igniting (hopefully) the powder in the flash pan, which in turn (again hopefully) set the powder in the barrel. Simple and easy to build, the matchlock continued to be produced until the early 1700s, long after more sophisticated, more reliable ignition systems were developed.
Next up was the wheel lock. Similar in design to a modern flint lighter, the wheel lock uses a roughened metal wheel, wound-up by a spring, and an arm which holds a piece of flint. When the trigger lever is pulled, the arm falls forward and the wound-up spring is released. The wheel spins against the flint, creating sparks which sets off the chain reaction ignition of powder. Complex and difficult to build, they were harder to maintain. Few but the wealthiest could afford to own them. Armies were still equipped with matchlocks. As for civilians, many countries had strict laws against gun ownership — mainly to prevent uprising.
The first flintlock, also known as the snaphaunce, appeared in 1570. Far simpler than the complicated wheel lock, the flintlock operates by snapping a spring-loaded arm down against a metal striker positioned directly over the flashpan. The primary difference between the true flintlock and its precursor is that , in the flintlock, the striker plate and the flash pan cover are all one piece, while in the snaphauncer they are separate. This made the flintlock even easier to prodduce. By the end of the Renaissance it had become the standard rirearm of European militaries and colonists alike.
Technological advances were not limited to warfare, however. Discoveries were made in mathematics, and algebra was introduced into western Europe from the Middle East. Astronomers like Galileo, Copernicus, and Kepler were studying the heavens, and making such controversial claims as, "The Earth revolves around the Sun". An obvious absurdity, as any right-thinking Renaissance scholar could tell you! Accepted or not, their theories and discoveries laid the groundwork for modern science of astronomy, forever separating it from the mystecism of astrology — a "science" most people in the Renaissance believed in.
Medicine saw advances as well. The lessons learned during the plague years were not forgotten. The connection between health and decent sanitation did more to prevent a widespread epidemic during later outbreaks than anything else. Moreover, doctors of the age were at least beginning to question the so-called "truths" of the ancients. They began looking at illness and injury from different perspectives. Still as likely to kill as to cure, they were at least peeking down the right road.
The Renaissance was a period of great social, economic, and technological upheaval. As literacy became more widespread, and advances in science and technology became more widely known and used, people began to question other aspects of their world as well. Dissenters wrote tracts about corruption in the givernment and especially with the Church. The more the Church tried to stamp out the dissent, the larger and more widespread it became. Religious war, both literal and figurative, was added to the general upheaval that was the Renaissance. All in all, an excellent period for adventure and intrigue! In confusion there is profit!
Gamemasters wanting a swashbuckling capaign would do well to look at the Renaissance, especially the later period between 1550 and 1650. This was the age of D'Artagnan and the Musketeers; the early days of pirates flying the skull and crossbones while they preyed on Spanish treasure ships. Cannons roared and steel clattered on steel on the battlefields of Europe and the decks of gold-and-jewel-laden galleons. Characterrs could take on the role of sailors sent to safeguard a merchant convoy, or to prey on enemy shipping. Or stick them in uniform of the King's Musketeers, whose plot and intrigues both for and against His Majesty, the King og Grance, have been documented in works both fiction and non-fiction.
Wilderness adventures more the thing? Then imagine what it must have been like for the early colonists of America. People accustomed to the large towns and cities of Europe, where forests were almost non-existent, were suddenly confronted by unimaginable, unexplored wilderness. A wilderness filled with savages, wild animals, and God alone knew what! Few colonists had any idea how to hunt (game in Europe usually belonged to the king or the nobility). There was a genuine fear that the same might hold true in the New World. Poachers, after all, were hanged.
The Renaissance is easily adapted to classic fantasy role playing games such as Rolemaster. This is especially true for games which revolve around intricat plots and intrigue, and for players who like a bit of backstabbing and political mayhem to spice things up. Take a leaf from the pages of history. Set your campaign against the backdrop of politics and intrigue of the Catholic CHorch (or whatever powerful religion you desire). Another good choice would be the machinations of high-ranking nobles and clergymen for control of France. Throw in Musketeers, pitted against the Cardinal's guard of Orc mercenaries, an assassination or two, and you have the biginning of a tale to rival Dumas or Sabatini.
For those with a bit of salt water in their veins, there are plenty of adventures to be had: sailing the high seas with a bloodthirsty band of cutthroats; sinking ships; attacking coastal towns. Orcs make especially good pirates, though it would be wise to have a human or two aboard who know hot to navigate. Notoriously less-than-bright, a ship sailed by Orcs alone just might get lost. Say, though ... that isn't a bad idea!
Though only a few have been presented here, it is easy to see that the Renaissance is bursting with opportunities for role playing campaigns. Some excellent sources on the period includes the works of Alexandre Dumas (The Three Musketeers; The Man in the Iron Mask) and Raphael Sabatini (Captain Blood; et al). And there hav been various movies based on them. Renaissance politics and intrigue are to be found in several of Shakespeare's works, such as Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet. There have been several books written on the exploits of the Borgias, a famliy dynasty of scoundrels, murderers, politicians, and popes. No matter what souce you use, or what variation of the Renaissance strikes your fancy, in the end all that matters is that you have fun.
The Age of Reason represented the "final triumph" of science over myths and superstitions of preceding ages. Running from the mid-1600s to the end of the eighteen century, it had its foundation in the secular humanism of the Renaissance. It was an era of philisophical as well as scientific and technological advancement. The religious reformations of the Renaissance had broken the power of the Catholic Church. No longer restrained by religious dogma, blind faith, or fear of the Inquisition, scientists and scholars were able, for the first time, to freely question many long-standing beliefs of the ancients. Science was freed from the taint of charges of "heresy" and "wichcraft" and firmly established in the secular world. Discoveries were made in the heavens as well as on Earth. Scientists and Scholars of the day turned their attention to astronomy, optics, mathematics, medicine — the list goes on and on, The scientific revolution of the Renaissance touched off a spark. But it was not until the Age of Reason that scuence became a fullblown fire!
Sir Isaac Newton's Principia was perhaps the most important scientific work of the Age of Reason. In it, Newton not only laid the foundation for modern physics, he also advocated what we come toknow as the scientific method. His "method of analysis and synthesis" included: careful study of natural phenomenon; the formation of theories from observation; and using these theories to predict other phenomenon. Newton professed that every natural phenomenon could be explained by mathematical law. He is most famous for his mathematical description of gravity. He believed in it wholeheartedly, even though he knew hos theories said nothing about how or why gravity worked. Nor would Newton formulate hypotheses that were not verifiable. It was during this period that the final break between physics and metaphysics (philosophy) took place.
Observation and experimentation, the twin pillars of modern science, displaced the notion that knowledge and wisdom could only be found in the writings of the ancients or through faith. Though still venerated the old masters such as Aristotle or Archimedes were no longer relied upon as the source of truth as scientist studied the results of their own experiemnts. Orderly notes, recording variables such as weight, volume, and temperature, meant that experiments could be successfully repeated over and over again. Scientific instruments were widely available in major twons and cities. Still called "natural philosophy", science was the study of all phenomena of nature. The experimentation of the age resulted in many discoveries and observations that were not completely understood, but which laid the groundwork for advances a century-and-a-half later.
Not that scientist were stricly bound by these rules that they had created, For example, Christiaan Huygens designed and built a pendulum-driven clock that was far more accurate than the older mechanical and water clocks. Later he developed the first prectical spring-driven clock, precursor of the pocket watches and wristwatches of today. Then, he spent several years working out the mathematical and scientific basis for why they worked. Other scientists of the era relied on hunches or flashes of insigth as well, not worrying about the "how and why" of a thing until afterward.
Many of the tings we take for granted today were invented during the Age of Reason. The sealed glass tube thermometer was invented in 1654, by the Grand Duke of Tuscany. The barometer, invented by Galileo then years aerlier, was first used to forecast the weather in 1660 by the German inventor Otto von Guericke. Other inventions range from the carpenters' level, to devices for measuring wind speed and humidity, to rolling mills for producing sheet metal. Some less-well-known inventions of the period include mechanical calculators that could add, substract, multiply, divide, and even extract square root. A cards fed in by operator, was first built in 1728 — a hundred-sixty years or so before IBM (in 1880s) got its start in the punch-card computer business.
Nor were advances limited to machines. Medicine had progress to the point where a patient had a much better chance of surviving the treatment, not to mention illness or injury. The concept of inoculation — giving a person a mild case of the disease to help prevent a more serious one later on — was first proposed and tried with smallpox. Numerous new tools and techniques were developed (or rediscovered): artificial respiration in 1667; the syringe in 1714; forceps in 1721; the appendectomy in 1736. Diagnostic techniques improved as well, and the fist studies of blood pressure and its relation to various medical conditions were first begun in the 1730s Chemistry, long bound up with medicine, began to slowly emerge as a separate science of its own. However, many of the earliest discoveries were not understood until the Industrial Revolution or even later.
Beyond the scientific and technologial, Europeans also saw the expansion of their world. In the latter days of the Renaissance, the great voyages of discovery opened trade with India, China, and Japan; places that had once been little more than legend. Two new continents, the Americas had been discovered as well. Colonies sprouted up on the shores of this "New World", later expanding into the interior. The colonies were viewed as vast storehouses of such raw materials as wood, fur, metals, and minerals — all things in short supply in Europe. Competition was fierce for control of the wealth and riches of these new lands, and from the beginning often led to bloody wars. Open wafare in Europe and on the sea often spilled over into the colonies as well. The battle between Britain and France for control over North America, often using Indian proxies and colonial troops, set the stage for the break of the colonies with Europe — the American Revolution!
While the giants of Europe were battling over the colonial prize, pirates sailed against the shipping of whatever nation they pleased. The late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries was the "golden age" of piracy. The buccaneers of the Caribbean controlled the island of Tortuga outright, and sailed with impunity into Port Royal and other harbors. Raids on colonies were common practice. During times of war many of the "Brethren of the Coast" took royal pardons and became privateers in the service of the crown, and went right back into piracy one the war was over.
The Age of Reason filled with opportunity for role playing, whether you choose to set your game in the wilderness of the Americas or in "civilized" Europe. In the early years, civil war tore ENgland apart and cost a king his head. In France the Sun King's court was filled with plots and intrigues to seizze control of the crown. Weakened by the reformation of the Renaissance era, and the splintering off of numerous new Christian sercts, the Roman Church was trying to regain its influence over the lands and peoples it had lost. At the same time, they were cracking down on dissenters, heretics, and unbelievers within their own ranks. Scientists were often forced to publish their works in small, easily concealed pamphlets to hide them from the eyes of the Church and the secular authorities.
Gamemasters wanting to run a campaign in the Age of Reason should take a long look at the years they want for their campaign startung point, as well as the region of the world they want for setting. Though only covering 150 years, the advances and changes within that short peropd are profund. For example, in the mid-seventeenth century the snaphauce flintlock is available and relatively inexpensive to produce. German gunsmiths, however, were producing the expensive, complicated wheel lock until the late 1700s. The matchlock was still commonly used in some armies and in the colonies!
Campaigns in Europe might be set against the backdrop of the English Civil War. Players could take on the role of the rebel Roundheads, battling hte king. Or they could be loyalist Cavaliers fighting to restore the rightful monarch to the throne. Bandits and brigands feasted on the carnage, preying on anyone and everyone — a plague for both sides. Players interested in more political campaigns will find many conspiracies and conspirators, both for and against the crown. Who knows, they might even succeed in restoring the monarcchy, possibly even placing themselves on the throne.
Other places of interest include the petty kingdoms, principalities, duchys, etc. of Germany. There sqabbles for the dominant position had been going on since the collapse of Charlemagne's empire. Italy, birthplace of the Renaissance, and a center of culture and learning into the nineteenth century, was another collection of mutually hostile states. They were held from each other's throats by the power and influence of Rome. Spain, once one of the grat powers in Europe, had lost much of its power and prestige after the defeat of the Armada at the hands of ENgland. But it was still a power to be reckoned with. France was a hotbet of intrigue, always on the verge of war with her neighbors.
In the wilds of the Americas, colonists battled native Indians, strange new animals, the elements, and each other for survival. Some explorers set out to find glory, fame, and riches. They followed tales of lost cities of gold or miraculous fountains that restored health, vigor, and youth. Some searched for land to call their own. Others set out to see what lay on the other side of the next hill, or around the next bend in the river. As time passed, the tiny colonial settlements became large towns and cities in their own right. There were those who complained about the laws enacted far awy, by men who didn't understand the New World. Colonial uprisings occured everywhere, from Canada in the north, to the Sapnish and Portuguese settlements of South America.
For a more classic approach to role playing, inject the traditional elements of fantasy into a European setting. After all, while the learned scholars of the Age of Reason tried to divorce science from superstition and magic, the average citizen still firmly believed in elves and goblins, fairies and dragons. Take it a step further, and suppose that magicians and wizards are the focus of the age. Using the "magical method" og research, they study the universe and formulate theories about natural and supernatural phenomena. They work to discover the physical, mathematical law that govern the mundane world and the magical.
The primeval forests of the New World make a fine home for Elves and other faerie kindred, as well as other darker creatures. Perhaps they fled there (as later, human settlers did) to escape persecution in Europe. Would they decide to stand their ground against the wave of immigrants from the Old World? Native Americans, with thier own legends of the tree-spirit (and evn the "little people") might see them as emissaries of their gods, or demons to be destroyed. The two groups could become staunch allies or bitter enemies.
Campaigning later in the era, you have Queen Anne's War, the Seven Years War, the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and that is just in North America! In a humans only campaign, there are still lands and riches to be won, and great battles to be faught. Add in the elements of fantasy, and you have some interesting options to consider: Elven scouts; Dwarven engineers and artillerists; Orcish bandits, raiders, and mercenaries. Historically, the British troops complained that American militiia units lacked discipline. They didn't "fight fair" because they hid behind trees and rocks to do their fighting. And that was when they fought on the same side. But how would they react to the more fantastical elements? Orcish savagery would be enough to put any "right thinking" European off. And how would they react to an enemy or ally that could glide theough the forest without making a sound, like Elves? Or on e like the Dwarves, who could erect fortifications in just a few days of stone they quarried on the spot?
These are just some ideas and suggestions, not hard and fast rules. Individual GMs will undoubtedly come up with their own. Whatever elements you decide to include in your campaign world, the most important thing it so look at how they all fit together. Observe the different elements, come up with a theory or two, make a few predictions, twist your theory around some. Then hammer it till it fits ... like any good scientist.
Progress, progress, progress — modern ideas were the heart and soul of the Industrial Revolution. What was good enough for great-granddad was no longer good enough for the modern world of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Beginning in the Age of Reason, with advances in mechanics, the Industrial Revolution was the development of machines that could do the work of two ... three ... or even twenty men. Machines that did repetitive tasts without complaint. Machines that many displaced and unemployed workers felt were replacing them.
The first to really feel the impact of the Industrial Revolution was the textile industry. Prior to the mid-1700s, the production of cloth was slow, labor-intensive process, requiring numerous skilled workers. The first changes were in the size and speed of the looms, which increased production, but still required people to operate. Advances in mechanics changed all of that, with the invention of machines that performed many of the repetitive tasks of weaving automatically. Now, where once a handful of workers were needed, one or two would suffice to run each piece of equipment. The displaced workers were, understandably, upset by the machines that were taking away their life and livelihood. They often vented their frustrations on the machines. The word sabotage comes from this period, when irate workers would attempt to destroy a machine by trowing their sabot — wooden or wooden-soled shoes — into the machine works. The term later came to mean any destructive act designed to shut a machine down.
Tectile workers were not the only ones displaced. By the 1800s, mechanization had spread to other industries, ranging from steel works to printing companies. It was by no means a quick process. Many of the machines were tried didn't work exactly as they were planned, but the beginning of the end was there. The advent of steam engines to provide power meant that even larger, more powerful machines could be built; machines independent of the muscle-power of human operators. Even fewer workers wre needed to oversee the operation of the machines. Those that remained had to learn new skills — a pattern of history being repeated today, as machinery becomes more and more computer controlled.
Following the tenets of observation and experimentation laid down during the 9.0Age Of Reason, scientists and inventors of the Industrial Revolution made significant advances. "Natural philosophy" began to separate into the familiar fields of science. Astronomy, mathematics, geology, chemistry, medicine, physics; a lengthy list, and as new discoveries were made, new fields were added. The universities of both Europe and the New World added schools of engineering and medicine. This was a radical concept in an age where many careers were still learned by apprenticeship under a master. The doctors and engineers produced by these schools were better educated than their colleagues and were more likely to have learned newer, more modern techniques.
There might not hae been an Industrial Revoluption without the discovery of a cheap, easy, and most importantly, reliable method of producing cast iron. Traditionally, iron and steel had been made with charcoal, which doesn't burn hot enough to actually melt iron. Coal, which had been used as fuel since the Stone Age, doesn't burn cleanly: the impirities bond with the iron and make it brittle. In 1735, however, a method to rid the coal of its impurities was discovered. Coke — coal treated by this process — burned hot and clean. Hot enough to melt iron. With cast iron, he last hurdle was cleared; machine parts could be quickly and easilly produced, pabing the way for a production of still more machines.
But while cast iron made the Industrial Revolution possible, the machines of the era still required muscles to power them. Human, horse, ox, or some other source, the simple truth is that muscle power is inefficient. What was needed was another source of power; a source that didn't get tired or needed a break. A power like steam!
Steam engines were not unknown, or even "a new ting under the sun". The principles of steam power were at least known to the Greeks and Romans, even if they did little with their knowledge. During the Age of Reason many scientists and inventors toyed with the idea in their laboratories. In 1712 Thomas Newcomen took steam out of the lab and into the real world when he developed the first practical cylinder and piston steam engine. Vastly inefficient and underpowered, it was still more powerful than muscles alone, and was considered quite a marvel. James Watt (whom most history books credit with inventing the steam engine in 1765) merely improved upon the Newcomen engine. He made it more powerful and more fuel-efficient. His rotary design becoming the standard by which others were tested. By the turn of the century steam power was invading factories across Europe and the New World.
Manufacturing was not alone in reaping the benefits of the machine age and the Industrial Revolution. Agriculture benefitted as well with the invention of improved plows and machines for harvesting. Canals connected rivers and towns and provided farmers with ready access to markets for their crops. Barges were originally pulled by horses or oxen. But it wasn't long before inventors inspired by the power of steam, began to work on the idea of powering a boat with a steam engine. Steam was also applied to ther conveyances. The first "horseless carriage" rolled down the road in Englang in 1801! Given the condition of the road of the period, it was far from successful, but the idea was there. The addition of iron rails for the engine to travel on was all that was needed for the idea to work. Within fifteen years the first steam locomotives was in operation.
The changes of the Industrial Revolution would not have been possible wouthout the developet of new tools and techniques to make the machines. In other words, inventors had to invent the machines to make the tools to make the machines! The Industrial Revolution is the end result of a process that began in the Renaissance. Its roots can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome. Military needs drove much of the research, but the result were often applied to other, more mundane pirposes. For example, the same machine that bored out the barrel of a cannon or rifle could be used to bore out cylindrers for steam engines. It is considered one of th key developments of the age. By the 1840s, machine tools were capable of producing precision parts — with measurements accurate to within a millionth of an inch. This made it possible to produce standardized, interchangable parts, an impossible idea before this time.
Military needs were also aided by the fledling science of chemistry. In 1807, Scot clergyman-turned-chemist Alexander Forsyth invented a method of igniting a cannon without using a match. Percussion powder, actually fulminate of mercury, is stable enough. provided you don't hit it too hard. It also reduced the chance of ma misfire. The percussion caps were soon tried on rifles and pistols. Within twenty years percussion cap "locks" had become standard and slowly replaced the aging flintlock in both military and civilian service.
To go along with the new ignition system, inventors around the world were coming up with new ideas for weapons. One of the first successful breechloading rifles, designed by Major Patrick Ferguson of the British army, saw limited service during the American Revolution. It was never officially adopted and after his death passed into obscurity. In 1811, however, American inventor John Hallpatented a breechloading rifle. Other patents followed from other gunsmiths. Patents for breechloaders, multi-barrel pistols, and revolvers were jusst a few of the many different types of firearms developed during this period, but they all had one thing in common: Alexander Forsyth's percussion caps.
The world of the Industrial Revolution was changing rapidly. From the American Revolution onward, colonies in the New World were throwing off the yoke of their mother countries — who were in turn having trouble enough of their own at home. France was town apart by civil war, later an outright revolution where the king lost his crown and his head. The French Republic didn't last long. It was supplanted by the imperial dynasty of Napoleon Bonaparte. His wars of conquest, followed by the wars to oust him from power, ravaged Europe from Spain to Russia. In plow for the first time. Settlers moved into the Ohio River Valley, and later further westwards as the Louisiana Purchase open up even larger tracts of land. Mexico became independent in 1821. In South America a series of revolutions (some bloodless; most not) frees colonies from the rule of Spain and Portugal. Industrially, ENgland and France were far ahead of most other countries in manufacturing. Others were not long in trying to catch up. As their eonomies shifted from agriculture to industry, people flocked to the cities looking for work.
Nor was America too far behind, though still primarily a nation of farmers. The New England states in particular were becoming heavily industrualized. Many American processes and patents were adopted (i.e., stolen) for use by companies in Europe. Tensions between the northern and southern states had always run high, and the New Enlgand states had even threatened secession during the early part of the nineteenth century. A fact they conveniently forgot when the southern states began muttering about it towards the end of the era.
Gamemasters and players looking for an interesting period in which to campaign, look no further! Basically ignored by the role playing industry thus far, the Industrial Revolution has plenty fo possibilities. The American Revolution? The War of 1812? The French Revolution and the Terror? Start yourself a little guerilla war in SOuth America and overtrow the rule of Spain! Lots of room for action, with players taking on the roles of the rebels and revolutionaries — character tupes most players are quite familiar with! Or they could adventure on the side of the right, perhaps setting themselves up as a band of Scarlet Pimpernel-types, rescuing French nobles from Madame GUillotine.
Nor is war the only chance for adventure. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, there is still a great deal of the world yet to explore. Adventurers were always setting off on jounreys to some far-off place or another. Seeking fame and fortune, they set of in search of a shorter passage to the Orient; in search of gold and jewels and fabled lost cities filled with treasure. Other sought out the high mountains, some to trap beaver for their pelts and some just to see what they could see. On the oceans, the heyday of piracy was over .. at least in the Caribbean. Around the Cape of Good Hope, however, the pirate haven of Madagascar had a few good years left in it. The pirates of the Indian Ocean were some of the most savage who ever lived.
In a classic fantasy campaign, the first thing a GM should ask himself is what effet science and technology will have on magic and the supernatural. Magic, after all, belongs to a simpler time, when the incomprehensible was explained by the superstitious as ... well .. magic! But in a world where magic actually works, to whatever degree the GM chooses, will science, techology, and other natural wonders weaken the supernatural? Will one have any effect on the other? A campaign set around the conflict between technology and magic might make the Elven kin the secret masters behind the Luddite movement in EUrope (and later America). Using the remnants of their magic they may have charmed weak-willed and fearful mortals into smashing the machines that threaten to destroy amgic forever. On the other side of the coin, technically minded dwarves might be aided and abetting the scientists and inventors. They might give a new process for milling steel financing (at a high rate of interest, of course) to get the ball rolling. Caught in the middle of this war are the poor, hapless mortals who don't understand science very well, fearing it as much as they do magic.
Gamemasters who don't want to deal with the clash of science and magic, preferring to blend the two in some way, might want to consider a couple of other possibilities — like the reaction of a water elemental when it first confronts a steam engine. Particularly if that engine is magical in nature, with a fire elemental bound up inside. Another possibility is a campaign where magic is asecret thing, known only to a few, wary practiotoiners who don't divulge their secrets easily. Or perhaps, after millennia in hiding, the creatures of fantasy return to the mortal world ... bringing magic with them.
The strongest possibilities for role playing during the Industrial Revolution do not come from our own real-world history, however. Nor do they require introduction of dragons, Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, or Orcs. The best opportunities come from playing a "what if" game, using the Industrial Revolution as your starting point. What if ... the British army had formally adopted the Ferguson breechloading rifle? What if .. Jacques Charles had continued his experiments with hydrogen balloons, producing dirigibles a hundred years early? What if ... the 1801 steam car of Richard Trevithick had been a marcinal success instead of a marginal failure? With the countless inventions and techniques, successes and failures of science and technology during the Industrial Revolution, there is plenty of room for a change here and there. A truly radical change would be to start the Industrial Revolution ... a little bit early. With the Romans, perhaps, or the Greeks. There have been severa lscience fiction stories with just that as premise.
If there is one thing a GM wanting to run a campaign during this era won't have any trouble finding, it is information! Thousands of books have been written on the subject, with as many different ideas about who and what was important as there are authors. Nothing is set in stone. If an individual GM wants to change something around to suit the needs of his campaign, so ne it. After all, it's his game and his rules.
Power. That's what it came down to in the end. Power to run factories. Power to propel a ship against the current or wind. Power to travel further and faster than was ever thought possible. During the Age of Steam, manking had that power for the first time. Two of Aristotle's four elements — Fire and Water &mdashl were harnessed and used to conquer a third &mdahs; Earth. The Industrial Revolution in Europe had first harnessed steam. It was used to drive machines in the textile mills and factories of Europe and America. Seeing the possibilities of so much power, inventors in the early nineteenth century sought other ways to put steam entines to work. Steamboats, locomotives — even a steam -powered carriage! By the 1840s, networks of iron rails were criss-crossing Europe and the eastern United States, and steamboats plied every navgable river and canal. The Age of Steam was born!
The AGe of Steam would not have been possible without steel: steel for boilers, cylinders, and pistons of the steam engines; steel for the machinery that they powered. Basically carbon and iron, steel isn't that hard to make. It just takes a lot of time and the quantities produced are small. FOr years inventors searched for a quicker, easier, cheaper way. In 1856, an Englishman named Henry Bessemer found it: a way to transform molten iron into steel. With steel more affordable than ever, industry could move ahead at full steam!
In many ways the Age of Steam was a coninuation of the Industrial Revolution, with new developments in science, industry, and technology. But it was during the Age of Steam that the advances that began in preceding eras came into their own. Steam-driven machinery was bigger and faster, pushing production to new heights. Increased availability meant lower prices — prices that the common man could afford. Besides providing easy access to market for farmer and factory owner alike, steamboats and rail-roads made long-distance travel prectical at last. They opened up the world to people that, a generation earlier, would have spent their entire lives within then or twenty miles of home.
The telegraph made the world even smaller. First conceived in the late eighteenth century the original model for the telegraph required multiple lines. One for every letter in the alphabet, and then some! Samuel Morse changed all that. He invented a working telegraph, and devised a code that allowed messages to be sent over just one wire. Within a decade major cities were being connected together. Information was no longer dependent on slow, sometimes dangerous travel. Newspapers received last word from London, New York, Paris. Not in days or weeks, but within hours. Ordinary citizens could receive urgent news from relatives. The military could keep better track of their troops, and send orders if need be.
Always important, basic medical knowledge advanced, if slowly, as doctors investigated the cause of disease. By the 1870s, the germ theory had achieved widespread recognition (though not widespread acceptance, especially from older practitioners). By far the greatest advance in medical technology was the discovery of the anestethic properties of ether. Anesthesia not only makes surgery relatively painless, it also reduces the risk of death through shock. Invasive surgical techniques that had been all but impossible before could now be preformed. Yet another discovery of the era — perhaps better term rediscovery — was plastic surgery. Learned by British army doctors in India, the techniques had been practiced there since the Bronze Age.
During the Age of Reason and the Industrial Revolution "natural philosophy" began the transformation into the varied, diversified fields of science. The process continued during the Age of Steam, but at the same time these fields of science became more closely intertwined than ever before. Advances in one field could lead to developments in another; if not immediately, then five, ten, even a hundred years later. There were breakthroughs in mathematics and physics, that in the twentieth century produced the atomic bomb, and later put a man on the moon. The fledgling art of photography laid the groundwork for motion pictures — not to mention advances in chemistry, optics, metalurgy, and other fields. Many of the things we use in our daily lives were invented in the nineteenth century. Blue jeans. Sewing machines. Typewriters. The internal combustion engine. Aspirin. Elevators. Telephones. The list goes on and on, the name of their inventors ranging down from Alexander Graham Bell all the way down to "Who?".
Weaponry and tools of war, always a favourite category in any role playing game, saw some of the incredible advances. Many of the techniques invented in the nineteenth century are still in use today. The first reliable cap-and-ball revolvers were produced in the late 1830s and early 1840s — right at the beginning of the steam age. By the 1860s percussion caps were the standard method of setting off the powder charge in a gun, though the search continued for an even faster, more reliable method of firing and reloading. Examples include: ribbon caps (exactly like the ones toy "cap gun" use today); various stules of paper cartridges; and finally the familiar "all-in-one" brass cartridge.
Brass cartridges cut reloading time of handguns considerably and the first self-loading firearms were making an appearance by the laste 1850s and early 1860s. Lever-action rifles allowed to fire four ... five .. six or more times before reloading. This is significant adventage, whether on a battlefield or in a gunfight. Later designs increased the number of bullets the gun held and themechanisms more reliable and less prone to jams. Other firearms included R.J. Gatling's famous gun (the precursor of the modern machinegun); the intriguing LeMat, with it's standard revolver design mounted around a shotgun barrel (ideal for close-in work); and the famous Colt Frontier "six-shooter" and Winchester '73 rifle — the gun that tamed the West. The first true machinegun — the belt-fed, water-cooled Maxim — was developed in 1884. By the end of the century, the semi-automatic pistol is added to the list, with models produced by such famous firms as Mauser, Webley & Scott, Colt, and others. The tools of war saw a great deal of use during the nineteenth century: from the British expansion across India and into Afghanistan, to the American Civil War; the petty wars and diplomacies of the eternally squabbling Germany nation-states, to the seemingly endless wars with the Indians in the American "Wild West."
Gamemasters wishing to set a campaign in the Age of Steam have a wide variety of genres and settings to choose from. The period was not only great technical advancement, but sweeping social change as well. Up until this time, for example, slavery had been widespread throughout the world. It was a virtual necessity, in fact, especially in areas whose economy depended on large-scale agriculture. The invention of new farm machinery lessened the reliance on human muscles for labor, and more and more people began to question the morality of owning another person. Britain was one of the first nations to abolish slavery, and many others followed suit. By the turn of the century, slavery was virtually nonexistent outside of the more promitive regions of Africa and Asia.
First on the list of possible settings is, of course, the American Civil War. One of the most written about periods in history. The vast amount of information available makes it both easy and extremely difficult to run a campaign set in this period. If you conform striclty to the history books, after all, the outcome is laready known — and where's the fun in that? But an alternate history, where the winner is unknwon ... that could be intereting indeed. The best choice for character types in a Civil War campaign are warriors, taking the role of cavalry scouts, skirmishers, and the like. That is, soldiers who are least likely to be involved in largescale pitched battles, and more likely to run into small units such as themselves. Another option is for the players to play bushwhackers. These renegade soldiers and deserters, from both sides, raided farms and towns, hijacked supply wagons, and loted and pillaged their way through the war.
For games set in an alternate timeline, where the outcome of the war is still unknwon, gamematers who really get into developing the history of their campagin world can have a ball. What would happen, for instance, if General Lee had accepted Lincoln's offer of command of the Union forces? If General Grant had died, or "Stonewall" Jackson had lived? What if the Confederate soldiers, victorious at Bull Run, had pressed the attack and marched all the way to Washington, D.D.? Other changes might include recognition of the Confederacy by Britain or France, and their possible intercession on behalf of the South. How long would the Union blockade of southern ports have lasted if the greatest naval power in the world at that time — Britain &mdahs; had decided to press the issue?
Another campaign possibility is the great Gold Rush of 1849, when word of gold strike in California spread around the world. Under the spell of gold fever, immigrants set out for California. Many of them had no clear idea where it was, or how long it would take them to get there. There was no short, direct route from Europe, and even many Americans preferred the long sea voyage around South America to the hazardous overland joirney across virtually unexplored wilderness. But whether they travelled by clipper ship, steamboat, or wagon, the hopeful miners flooded California by the thousands. Most went bust, a few broke even, and fewer still struck it rich. More importantly, they started the United States on the path of westward expansion, opening up new territories and exploring new lands.
This westward expansion was a direct cause of the Indian Wars, in yet a third possible campaign era: The Wild West. Whether you want to run a realistic campaign, or a more cinematic, John Wayne-style one, the American west has plenty of room for adventure. Anything from an 1840s mountain man campaign, where the players are interpid outlaws and Indians of the 1870s. Wagon trains set out every spring from Missouri, taking all summer to make the long perilous journey westward. Along the way, they encountered hostile Indians, outlaws, and previous settlers who din't want any new neighbors. Not to mention the elements, animals, and the natural dangers of an unexplored land.
And youcan still include more traditional elements of fantasy role playing. Despite the advances in science, there were still plenty superstitious people around. Most nations and cultures have traditions of magic, witchcraft ... even Elves, or folk much like them. Adding an element of the fantastic to an otherwise contemporary campaign gives things a little spice, and makes the players wonder what will happen next.
One source of magic might be the codoun practices brought from Africa (via the Caribbean) by slaves imported into the south. Most areas had at least one old wise woman, or revered old man, who made potions and salves, cast spells and removed curses .. or set them. Ina Civil War campaign, the woodoo spell might be used to call forth creatures of the night to fight for an outnumbered South; perhaps countered by other creatures, summoned by runaway slaves to fight for the North. If your campaign is set either before or after the Civil War, voodoo could have been carried westward quite easily. There were plenty of African-Americans in California during the Gold Rush, both slave and free. Even more travelled there after the Civil War, looking for a fresh start; a new place to call home.
Beyond vodoun, there are the magic and rituals of the American Indian tribes. In the Wild West game where magic works, the curative spells of tribal shamans are effective, and the ritual dances really might bring the sun and the rain. The spirit dance, which would send the white man away and bring back the buffalo is responsible for a number of disappearances, its effect countered only by the power of American sorcerers.
Hexes. Sorcery. Magic and witchcraft. Whether your game is set in the American west, the "civilized" east, or Europe, any and all of these have a place in the traditions and superstitions of the nineteenth century. Chinese laborers, who settled in California during the Gold Rush or came over to build the transcontinental railroad, brought with them their own language, culture, and traditions — including magic. For GMs who want to include the traditional fantasy races, there is plenty of room as well. Elves are especially well suited for campaign set in the wide-open wilderness of the early west. Their affinity for nature make them equally well-suited as allies of many of the Indian tribes, who possibly view the immortal kindred as spirits and emissaries of their gods.
No matter what style of campaign you choose, what races you include, or whether or not magic works, the most important thing to remember about this era is the rapidity of change. WHen compared to the eras that cambe before it, the Age of Steam was a marvel. Civilization was expanding. Science was pushing back the frontiers of knowledge, just as men were pushing back the frontiers of the world. New industries were being born, and people were travelling faster and faster than ever before. All through the power of steam.
Electricity. Marvelous stuff. The power of life itself. Scientists were fascinated by electricity for hundreds of years. They played with it in their labs, building devices that threw sparks while they speculated on its properties and wondered just what they could do with it. Like so many discoveries, however, they would have to wait until other fields of science and technology caught up with them. Bu the closing years of the Age of Steam, as the twentiech century fast approached, their dreams were finally being realized ... and the Electric Age was born.
The first practical appllication of electricity was the telegraph. First proposed in the eighteenth century, the telegraph came into its own during the early years of hte Age of Steam. Not content with only one use for electricity scientists and inventors searched for more ways to put it to work. One dream was the transmission of the spoken word, in a manner similat ro the telegraph "Impossible!" said the skeptics. But in 1876 ALexander Graham Bell proved them wrong. His telephone not only worked, it worked well, and proved to be such a hit that it rapidly moved from being a toy of the rich ro an indispensable tool of everyday life. By the turn of the century even rural areas were being connected to the ever-growing network of telephone lines. The first transcontinental phone call was made in 1915. The Electric Age saw plenty of impossible deams realized. The electric light. The fist practical "horseless carriage". The "wireless telegraph (radio). Motion pictures and phonographs. And the most important dream of all: heavier-than-air flight. The airplane!
First flown at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright's airplane remained in the air only a few minutes. But it proved once and for all that it was indeed possible for man to fly. Within a decade, dozens of different styles of airplanes were in the air. Planes that flew farther, faster, and longer than had evr been though possible. The needs of a world at war pushed the fledling science of aeronautics even further, with advances and improvements coming fast and furious from both sides of the trenches. First used for observation, the planes could not fligh high enough to escape the dangers of ground fire, and many pilots began to carry grenades to drop on the enemy down below. Except for these, and the sidearms many pilots carried, the first "warplanes" were unarmed. The addition of machine guns and bombs brought the airplane into its own as a weapon of war.
On the ground, science and technology made war more dadly than ever before. Machine guns swept the "noman's land" between the trenches of World War I, making an already bloody conflict even bloodier. Poison gas killed friend and foe alike. British tanks rolled onto the battlefield in 1915. Less effective than had been hoped, these early steel juggernauts were still a formidable sight. Perhaps the most important addition to the military arsenal, however, was the truck. Capable of hauling supplies and munitions by the ton, army trucks kept troops fed, and often served double duty as ambulances when it came time to clear the field of the wounded.
During the twenties and thirties, the advances of the war years were refined and built upon. Cars and trucks became plentiful, and replaced horses, wagons, carriages, and buggies as the most common means of transportation. Train began the long, slow transformation from steam to diesel and electric power. Airplanes grew larger and more powerful. Commerial airlines had begun offering regular scheduled flights by the twenties, with the first transcontinential passenger service being available by the late thirties.
Automobiles and airplanes are not the only things invented or improved during the Electric Age. Jukeboxes appeared in bars and diners, much to the delight of the flappers in the "Roaring Twenties". Radios, once only capable of transmitting morse code, soon improved to the point where voices, sounds — even music! — could be carried across the airwaves and into people's homes. Radio shows were popular, entertaining the masses and bringing them news from across the country and around the world.
The medical world saw the invention of such instruments as: the x-ray machine; the spring galvanometer (precursor of the electrocardiograph), used to measure tiny electrical currents in the heart; and the gastroscope, for looking inside a patient's stomach. New techniques developed by Electric Age dictors include blood typing and direct blood transfusion; a test for tubercolosis; and vaccinations for diphteria, tetanus, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The sulfa-series of antibiotics were discovered during the thirties, and provided invaluable at both preventing and treating various illnesses and infections. Another antibiotic, penicillin, was actually discovered in 1928, four years before the first sulfa drug, but was difficult to produce. It was not widely available before the 1940s and the World War II.
World War II. Its roots can be traced back over two thousand years, to the Romans and their dream of Empire, but more directly to the end of World War I. The crippling peace treaty imposed by Framce amd Emg;amd destroyed the German economy. Folliwing the age-old practice of "to the victors belong the spoils", the allied nations stripped Germany of its wealth, its military might, and its industry. When the National Socialist Party (the Nazis) rose to power, they were heralded as saviours of the nation. Within the space of a few years they had managed to rebuild and modernize Germany's factories. Modern military war machines was built up from scratch, around a cadre of officers who remembered the old days of German glory.
The rest of the world barely noticed, thinking that another war in Europe was ipossible after the carnage of "The War to End All War", as the war of 1914-18 was then known. Perhaps nothing would have come of it at all if Hitler — like so many befor him from Charlemagne to Napoleon — had not been infected with the dream of a united European nation.
Tanks, improved beyond measure from the small, slow battlewagons of World War I, were important part of German strategy: first in their conquest of Poland; then their drive around the French fortifications on the border and into Paris. Bu the time the German army moved against Russia, their tanks were the finest in the world. Heavily armored, they could stop vurtyally any round, while the power and accuracy of their main gun kept them safely out of range of all but the heaviest the enemy could bring to bear. In the air, German planes dominated the skies over Europe. Their planes were larger, faster, and more maneuverable than anything the hard-pressed allies could put into service. They were aso more heavily armed and armored, easily capable of sruviving a dogfight. Long-range bombers, and later rockets, brought the war to a more personal level, droppimg tons of high explosives onto civilian as well as military targets. Submarines attacked and sank freightes and passenger ships, as well as naval vessels. It was a new kind of war; no holds barred, and surrender the only answer Germany would accept.
To counter the power of the German military machine, the Allied nations had to become more inventive than ever before. As in World War I, the needs of the military pushed science and technology to their limits, and beyond. Faster planes. More powerful guns. Better armor for tanks, trucks, and aircraft alike. Radios became at once more powerful and smaller. Hand0held umits ("walkie-talkies") were available for soldiers in the field. Classified military units seached the skies over England, the only nation to possess the technology at the time, with alectrodetection (the early name for radar). Their mission: to spot enemy planes and rockets before they reached the coast. The first all-electronic computer, known as The Colossus, was built in 1943, and put to work decrypting coded German messages.
For battle both on and under the sea, sonar! Developed originally in 1915 as a means for ships to spot icebergs, it was improved and used to find enemy submarines. Meanwhile, the Aqualung (better known as scuba gear) was invented by Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gangan, allowing man to move freely under the sea for the first time. Put to the work of war, the self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (s.c.u.b.a.) allowed commandos to slip inside harbors and other fortified areas for reconnaissance and sabotage missions — and get out again safely.
The changes wrought by World War II were not all in science and technology, however. Society as a whole was shaken to its roots as millions of men signed up or were drafted to fill the ranks. Before the war, the only skills a woman was expected to have were cooking, cleaning, and raising children. No, with the men gone off to war, women found themselves working in factories; building airplanes, tanks, and other weapons of war. Many women joined the military as well, serving with distinction. A shortage of pilots forced many of them into the near-combat role of ferrying new planes across the Atlantic from the United States to Great Britain. Once the war was over, most of these women returned home. But a few remained in the workplace, sowing the seeds of change that would bear fruit in another twenty or thirty years.
The Electric Age is an interesting one for role playing, comprising as it does three separate eras rolled into one. The first, the pre-war, turn of the century world, see the end of the "Wild West" era of American history, and the last golden age of Europe before war engulfs the continent. The second, World War I and the decades that follow, are the time of the great war aces, such as pulp-fiction stule heroes as Doc Savage and Indiana Jones. Not to mention anti-heroes like Capone, Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, and other (in)famous bootleggers and gangsters. The third, the great conflagration of a world at war once again, with weapons more powerful than any ever imagined.
Probably the most popular campaign for this era is the pulps. Larger-than-life, two-fisted heroes, rescuing the stereotypical damsel in distress while foiling the evil chemes of the lastest mad scientist. Hardboilded detectives, working the mean streats of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Think Casablanca, African Queen, and dozen other old Bogart films, and classic radio programs like The Shadow, and you get the idea. Not content with just one era, the authors of the pulps took their heroes (and villains) to lost worlds, where time stood still and dinosaurs still walked. Or voyaging backward (and forward) in time, to the bydone days of Greece, Rome, or the Aztec Empire. Are they there to alter history themselves? Or to keep Dr. X from destroying the future by changing the past?
Adventures during World War I might include soldiers, trapped behind eney lines — or sent there to rescue a fallen comrade. Espionage, always a tool of war, is another possibility. Mata Hari, perhaps the most (in)famous spy in history, worked her charms during the Great War. Whether they are military scouts, sent to recon enemy positions, or more traditional spies, sneakin into headquarters to steal theplans for the next offensive, the life of spies is dangerous. Almost as dangerous as climbing into those cloth and wood contraptions known as airplanes, and deliberately searching for enemy pilots to engage in aerial dogfights!
World War II campaigns might center around a commando unit, or resitance group, working to sabotage the German war effort. For a twist, the characters might be "the villains": German spies, perhaps in England, or even America, working to furher the goals of the Fatherland. Ordinary soldeirs are possible as well. THis last would require a great deal of work on the GM's part, determining what battles were faught when, and what units took part in them.
Like the era, but don't want to run a military campaign? Back on the homefront, there is still plenty of room for campaigns that barely touch on the war in Europe. Detectives still plied their trade, as did gangsters and G-men. Throwing in a bit of magic or the occult, players might take on the roles of poor unfortunates who have stumbled across "things man was not meant to know". They could encounter creatures of the night, whose battle with mankind predates any purely human squabble. Indeed, the humans themselves might just be mere pawns in a greater game, the horror of their war fueling even greater horrors elsewhere.
In a pure fantasy game such as Rolemaster, a campaign set against the bakcdrop of an entire world at war would provide plenty of opportunity for action. Hitler, for example, is said to have been a nut for the occult and the supernatural. In an alternate world, where magic really works (or worked in the distant past), who's to say it won't work for the Nazis ... or the Allies? Elves — the good ones, anyway — might have sided with the Allies, adding their bit of audacious magic to the fray. Maybe even training human wizards and sorcerers in hte long-forgotten ways of magic. Orcs, on the other hand, seem tailro-made to be either Gestapo thugs, or cannon-fodder common soldiers. Dwarves, safe in their mountain fortresses in the Swiss Alps, might make a fortune supplying weapons and armor to all takers.
These are just examples, of course, not hard and fast rules. Whatever choice you make for your own campaign, the most important thing to remember is the first rule of being agamemaster: "This is my game".
"God doesn't throw dice with the universe"
— Albert Einstein
"Albert, stop telling God what to do!"
— Enrico Fermi
It started with a bang. A very loud bang. On July 16, 1945, the world's first atomic bomb was detonated at Alamagordo air base in New Mexico. As the towering column of fire rushed skyward, returning Prometheus' gift to the heavens, it heralded a new age in the history of the world. An age that many feared would not end with a bang, but with a whimper: The Atomic Age.
The war in Europe had drawn to a close, but in the Pacific the Japanese Empire continued to battle against all odds and hope of victory. Faced with the choice of invading the home islands (a bloody prospect that would have cost hundreds of thousands of lives) the President of the United States authorized the use of this powerful new weapon against Japan. On August 6, 1945, the city of Hiroshima was destroyed by a single bomb. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. Fearing that more would follow, the Japanese emperor and his advisors ordered immediate surrender of their troops to the Allied forces. At long last, World War II was over.
The principles behind the atomic bomb were known for decades before work ever began on the Manhattan Project. Known, that is, if you were one of a handful of theoretical physicists that no one had ever heard of before. Albert Einstein? Enrico Fermi? Robert Oppenheimer? Who were they? Maybe one person in a thousand could have told you. One in a million might have a chance of understanding their work. And even they didn't understand it completely.
The Atomic Age brought not only great changes in science and technology, but a whole new group of fears and superstitions as well. World War II might be over, but the Cold War had begun. There was a new enemy, and the most powerful weapons ever known to fear. Your average layman knew next to nothing about atomic bombs. All the populace alarge knew was that we had them, and so did the "commies". Families built fallout shelters in their basements and backyards, in preparation for surviving the nuclear war they feared was just around the corner.
War — or the fear of war — has sparked invention and discovery for thousands of years, and the Cold War years of the Atomic Age are no exception. Giant bombers to carry nuclear fire to the enemy were built in great numbers, only to be replaced later on with an even larger number of missiles. Control systems went from mechanical to electr-mechanical to almost wholly electronic. The transistor allowed airplanes to pack in all sorts of instruments and sensors. On the ground computers were being built that were faster and more powerful than any ten of the old vacuum tube models.
Back at home, ordinary citizens could choose from dozens of improved household appliances: washers and dryers, electric mixers, and vacuum cleaners, to name just a few. And then, of course, there was the television, bringing movies and shows, as well as the news, straight to your living room. Now you didn't have to go to the movie theater and watch the news reels to see what was happening last week in Paris or New York or Washington, D.C. You just turned on the television and watched the evening news over dinner.
The Atomic Age also saw the "race for space", as the United States and Soviet Union competed for the glory of being the first to send man beyond the boundaries of the Earth. Throughout the 1960s the roar of rockets blasting into the sky shook the Earth. Not the nuclear-topped missiles that had been feared since the launch of Sputnik in 1957, but rather fiery chariots carrying men into space. Yuri Gagarin, a Russian, became the first man to orbit the Earth in April 1961. A month later, Alan Shepard, Jr. carried the American flag into space. In 1962, the Marinerprobe became the first man-made object to voyage to another planet (Venus), and 1963 saw the first woman in space: Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova.
Spacecraft became larger, carrying more crew, and supplies for longer and longer stays in space. Launches andorbital missions became almost routine. But on July 16, 1969, all that changed. Apollo 11, carrying Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, was launched. For four days, the eyes of the world were glued to their televisions. Finally, on July 20th, they heard the words, "The Eagle has landed". For the first time ever, a human being walked on another world. The centuries-long dream of astronomers was finally being realized.
Technologies first developed during World War II, and improved during the space race, rapidly entered the civilian world. New alloys and heat resistant materials made jet engines feasible. Advances in radar, communications, and electronics made large-scale civilian aviation not only possible, but probable. Plastics, and other artificial materials sharply reduced manufacturing costs, making products more affordable. By the mid-seventies, even computers had moved into the home market, with the appearance of the MITS Altair 8800 computer kit in 1975.
Technological breakthroughs in the Atomic Age were not limited solely to weapons, or space travel, or electronics. Medicine in particular made some astounding breakthroughs during the Cold War years. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was first identified in the fifties. Scarcely twenty years later doctors were already learning how to alter it. CAT scans, and later MRIs, allowed doctors to look anywhere inside the body without exploratory surgery for the first time — especially important in the detection of certain tumors and cancers, as well as other medical conditions. New vaccines were developed against measles, polio, and other diseases, and an old killer, smallpox, became theoretically extinct outside the laboratory in 1977.
New surgical techniques for reconnecting small blood vessels allowed the reattachment of severed limbs, and brought organ transplants into the realm of possibility. The first attempts were invariably failures, but studies of the immune system led to the discovery of immunosuppressives (drugs that suppresses the body's natural defenses). With them, transplants were possible with minimal tissue rejection. The innovative techniues included: the first sex change operation (1952); the "painless" high-speed dental drill (1958); ultrasound examination of an unborn child (1958); and the first implanted pacemaker (1959). Over the course of the next twenty years, medicine became increasingly "high tech". Lasers were first used for eye surgery in 1962, and 1969 was the implantation of the first artificial heart. Throughout the seventies, transplant operations improved to the point where they were almost routine. New techniques — and the refinement of old ones &mdashl appeared almost daily.
The rapid-fire changes in technology that occured during the Atomic Age had a significant effect upon society as a whole. Prior to World War II, science and technology advanced, but at a rate slow enough for people to adjust to the change. It was almost as if the first atomic bomb served as a catalyst, spurring scientists, doctors, engineers, and inventors to press forward at an even faster rate. Where once a gap of ten or twenty or even fifty years might separate new scientific discoveries, during the Atomic Age it shortened to a few years. Sometimes even months, weeks, or days.
Probably the best campaign to run during the Atomic Age revolves around the world of espionage. This is the era of the "Red Menace" and fears of the nuclear terror and World War III. It is the era when spies stole the plans for missiles and subs, and "extracted" key scientists, military officers, and civilians. America and the Soviet Union, the two "big boys on the block", were flexing their muscles, putting pressure on friendly governments, and sometimes toppling unfriendly ones. Fidel Castro had taken Cuba "commie", angering both the United States and the Mafia, and plots to assassinate him were rampant.
Espionage campaigns can be incredibly diverse, ranging from the suave sophisticated James Bond, to the comic mayhem of Maxwell Smart. Players might be agents for the CIA or the KGB, or even British Intelligene. Or they may be part of a secret international agency, like U.N.C.K.E. or Control. They could even be the villains, working for the enemy (whoever the enemy is) to dominate the world. And of course, because spies get all the neat toys to play with, gadgets that wouldn't normally be available for several years fon the road, are issued as the needs of a mission require them. More military-style campaigns could center on the wars in Korea or Vietnam. Another possibility is the Congo War of the mid-sixties, fought with mercenaries and financed by the CIA. For a change of pace, the players might draw up a group of sixties radicals, like the Black Panthers, or the Symbionese Liberation (who kidnapped Patty Hearst and robbed banks to finance their "revolution"). Or they could be federal agents, sent to infiltrate the movement.
But why stick to real-world history, when you cna right your own? Maybe in your world, World War II din't end in 1945, but dragged on for another year ... or more. What if the Korean War spread across SE Asia, becoming an open conflict between superpowers? Would it have gone nuclear? Or left the world poised enternally on the brink? What about Vietnam? What if we had pulled out early? Or never pulled out at all? Of course, just as you don't have to stick to "real" history, nor do you have to limit yourself to "real" wars. What if, for example the OPEC oil embargo of 1973 had led to a U.S. (or Soviet) invasion of the Middle East? Or the Israelis had decided to "strick to their guns" and pressed on into Syria or Jordan or Iraq? What effect would it have on our technology? Our society? The history of the future?
In our world, America was the first to land a man on the moon, but what if it had been the Russians? Or the French? What if they hadn't been stopped, instead continuing until the first colony was planted on the lunar surface, perhaps just in time for the American bicentennial celebration? What would the world be like then?
If classic fantasy (like Rolemaster) is more your style, then by all means enjoy! Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and all the other fantasy races can be made to fit the modern world of the Atomic Age with a little bit of effort. Perhaps they have always been there, hiding on the fringes of civilization, awaiting the return of simpler times. Or perhaps they have been here all along, hiding within each of us, waiting for magic to return to the world and free them.
Magic, if it does work, could be a secret known only to a very few. Or it might be as common and everyday as light bulbs and automobiles, giving a whole new meaning to the term "Wizard of Wall Street". Research into the arcane arts might turn up defenses to the atom bomb, or magical weapons even more terrifying. Adding magic to an espionage campaign, for example, the characters have more than just marvels of technology up their sleeves. A definite bonus when it comes to searching that magician's tower for the defense spells he developed for the other side. In a secret magic campaign, the character's first introduction to the arcane could come while theu serve as mercenaries in the Congo War, where Bantu and Congolese shamans exchange spells across an otherwise modern battlefield. Afterwards, their spells heal the injured and raises the dead, all so that the battle may be fought again tomorrow.
These are just a few of the campaigns that could be run in the Atomic Age. Gamemasters will doubtless come up with more, tailoring things to suit their vision of the world. After all, the universe is a big place, with plenty of room to make a change here and there. So go ahead. Roll the dice, and see what happens.
You ordered it from the back of a magazine, and it was delivered to your house in a box. Carefully reading the instruction, you worked on it in your spare tie, assembling it piece by piece, component by component. Finally it was done. The Altair 8800 personal computer, with its 256 bytes of memory, was up and running, ready for that first program. The Information Age was born ... only nobody knew it.
In the mid-seventies, the smart money was on Cray-1 supercomputer. With a speed of 100 million operations a second, it was a marvel of electronics technology. The lowly personal computer, designed for the home hobby market, wasn't even in the running. Computers in the home? Preposterous! A science-fiction dream that wouldn't be realized until the 21st century at the earliest. Computers were too difficult to operate, required years of training to learn how to program and use them properly. An idea born too early, the personal computer sat on the back burner. It simmered slowly in the minds of a few who saw its potential, but was otherwise ignored.
The Apple II computer changed all that. The first personal computer that came assebled and ready to use, it was a big hit on the home market, and some schools even started buying them. Though few programs were commercially available at first, it wans't long before dozens, then humdreds of small software companies began producing programs that did everything from accounting to games to graphic design to word processing. Primitive by today's standards, these early programs were still incredible compared to what had been available before. Within the space of ten years, the personal computer had escaped from the pages of science fiction to become an important part of daily living.
While computers were invading our homes, so were VCRs, miniature tape players, and a thousand other gadgets, made possibly by the breacthrough in miniaturezation and microelectronics. "Future shock", where everything you grew up knowing changed overnight, rapidly, became the norm as advances in science and technology appeared on a daily basis. In previous eras, ten or twenty years might pass before improvements to a machine made the original obsolite. In the Information Age, however, machines (especially computers) are outdated almost before they reach the store!
The impact of computers on other areas of science and technology has been enormous. In the fields of genetics, computer-driven gene sequencers scan and match more DNA code in a single day than a team of scientists, working by hand, could do in almost two hundred years! Without this high-speed approach, doctors and scientits would never have made breakthroughs that they have in genetic research. Breakthroughs that might one day lead to cures for cancer, or the regeneration of damaged organs or limbs. The first successful cloning of a higher animal (a sheep) in 1997 is just the beginning. Who knows what the future might bring.
Like genetic engineering, the field of medicine has benefitted greatly from the advances in computer technology. CAT scans and MRIs, both of which are dependent on computers for their imaging, have improved to the point that even the tiniest of tumors can be spotted. Working with computer drafting equipment doctors and engineers can design prosthetic limbs, and then test them with computer models that can simulate every aspect of their use. All before a single prototype is even built. Computers are also being used to decode the signals of the human nervous system, in an attempt to attach cybernetic protheses that can be directly controlled by the brain.
Despite the fact that it is no longer the chief driving force behind advances in technology, the needs of the military have still produced some rather remarkable equipment: submarines that are so quiet as to be virtually undetectable; tanks with gyro-stabilized turrets, allowing them to fire on the move, while computer-controlled laser sighting systems make them devastatningly accurate. The B-2 stealth bomber, and it's companion F-117, were both designed on computers that exactly modelled the curves and angles of the aircraft to make them virtually invisible to radar.
Advances in technology have also changed what it means to be a soldier. Gone are the gun-toting grunts who know little more than how to tie their boots, lad their rifle, and shoot the enemy. The militaries of the Information Ate are too technically oriented for that. Now soldiers have to know how to use computers, laser range finding, sophisticated radio equipment, and complicated electronic imaging systems. High-tech gadgetry that makes it even easier for gun-toting grunts to fulfill what is, in the end, their primary function: to find the enemy and kill him, before he kills you.
Nor is the sophisticated hardware limited to the military. A great deal of it is found its way to the civilian market. Laser sights are obtainable for most civilian firearms. Night vision optics, both light intensification and infrared, are sold in sporting goods stores. Global positioning systems, modified to be less accurate than military models, are available for your car or boat or RV — never get lost again! Cellular phones and satellite communications systems, based on equipment originally designed for the military, has entered the civilian market in a big way. Many of the latest gadgets of the Information Age, in fact, are based on older military technology that for years was classigied and unavailable to civilians.
The Information Age also saw the rebirth of space flight, though on a slightly different scale than the great Apollo and Soyuz missions of previous decades. Both Americans and the Soviet built, and used, reusable shuttlecraft of remarkably similar design. Their missions were similar as well: the retrieval and repair of damaged older satellites, and the lanunching of new ones. Of the latter, the two most important have been the Mir space station, which has long-since outlived its excepcted lifespan, and the Hubble space telescope. Complete with its corrective "glasses" the Hubble telescope has provided us with an engless stream of data about the universe and how it was formed. Using the telescope astronomes and astrophysicists have been able to confirm earlier discoveries of planets around other stars, while the magnificent photographs of the Shumacher-Levy comet impacts on Jupiter yielded a great deal of information about the largest planet in our solar system, as well as the nature of comets.
Mir — a Russian word meaning both "peace" and "world" — has been in orbit around the Earth since February 1986. It has been continuously manned since May of the same year. While the experiments and observations made by the cosmonauts are important, even more valuable is the wealth of medical data accumulated before, during, and after theri stays aboard the station. Information that will be of immeasurable benefit in any future efforts to build permanent habitats in space.
All this information, and much more, has been made widely available, not only to doctors and scientists, but to ordinary citizens. Such a thing would have been unthinkable during the height of the cold war years in the Atomic Age, when both sides only grudgungly shared scientific secrets. But the world of the Information Age is vastly different; as unthinkable to a devout capitalist or communist of the 1950s as the idea that the Earth revolved around the sun was in Copernicus' day.
The change began with what one Soviet official later admitted was an intelligence operation. The border of East Germany, a Soviet puppet-state since the end of World War II, were opened, allowing dissidents to leave the country unopposed. Intelligence agents — spies — were to be secretly scattered among the refugees, who would be welcomed with open arms by the western democracies. Once secure in their new homes, the spies would begin stealing technical information to send home to Mother Russia. A good plan, and one that would have worked, if not for one tiny flaw: they vastly underestimated the number of people who wanted to leave! Tens of thousands flocked to the borders, taking advantage of the proclamation to flee the failing socialist states of the Warsaw Pact.
After that, to quote frm an old British tune, "The World Turned Upside-Down". A reformer was elected chairman of the Communist Party and president of the Politburo. Taking his lead, other reformers began to speak up, urging even more drastic changes. Capitalism came to Mother Russia with a vengance. When old-style hardliners attempted a coup, they were met in the streets by the Russian people, who demande their voices be heard.
Elsewhere in the Washaw Pact nations, governments were tumbling like dominoes. The old gyard was tossed out on its ears, in some cases even imprisoned and executed for "crimes against the state and the people". Under the watchful eyes if other European nations, East and West Germany were reunited into one nation, while Czechoslovakia was sundered into two. Some nations made the transition from Soviet puppet to independent government peacefully. Others, like Romania and Yugoslavia, were a bit more bloody. The largest casualty of all, however, was the massive Union of Soviet Socialist Republic itself. Made up of a dozen or more states, it contained scores of different ethnic groups, each with thier own language and cultural traditions. Once the coercive hand of the Soviet government was no longer at their collective throats, the collapse began. Formal dissolution occured on December 8, 1991, when the three largest republics formally dissolved the U.S.S.R. and replaced it with the Commonwealth of Independent States. At long last, the Cold War was over.
Or is it? Gamemasters running an Information Age campaign would do well to think long and hard on this one. While the Soviet Union is no more, the stockpiles of nuclear weapons built by both sides during the Cold War still exist. Not to mention those built by other nations of the "Nuclear Club". The threat of large scale nuclear war might have diminished with the collapse of the Soviet Union and its puppet nations, but it is still there, lurking in the background.
The greatest threat, however, comes from nuclear terrorism. The plans for building a nuclear bomb have been available in American public libraries for decades. With the advent of the Information Age, and easy access to data from almost anywhere in the world, the threat only becomes more real. Moreover, the collapse of the old Soviet Union has created a thriving black market in stolen military hardware, and rumors circulate of nuclear material for sale. If the price is right. Campaigns using the Black Ops sourcebook might have a mission to retrieve a blackmarket warhead from a group of terrorists. For an interesting twist, have two groups of players: one as the special forces unit or CIA spy team, and the other playing the terrorists!
Or make the characters freelance agents, and send them on missions for their unknown "untraceable" patron: industrial espionage, kidnapping key scientists, engineers, and other personnel from government labs and private corporations alike. Maybe even the odd assassination or two, carried out as the corporate policies or political aliances of their mysterious employer(s) shift day by day. Suspicious players might be willing to follow orders at first, but it won't take them long to start wondering just who is behind it all, and start digging for information.
Campaigns can also be centered around the more mundane realities of everyday life, with adventure ideas stripped straight from the headlines. Street gangs have been around since Roman times. Now, however, they have access to high-powered handguns, rifles, shotguns, and even a few automatic weapons (though far fewer than portrayed by Hollywood). Despite propaganda to the contrary, most major cities around the world do have a gang problem. From the motorcucle gangs of Moscow and Tokyo, to the vicious drug gangs of Los Angeles, they number in the millions, hiding in the back corners of society, unnoticed until they do something to attract the attention of the media.
A group of computer hackers is another potential source of adventure. They don't have to save the world everyday, but their methods of acquiring covert access to computer systems can often be enough excitement. Rummaging in dumpsters for account numbers and passwords carelessly written down, and even more carelessly discarded. Breaking into offices or, even better, walking right in and bluffing your way into obtaining the information you want, is another method. And then there is the hacking itself. Did you get in successfully? What information is there? Did they manage to trace you down before you broke the connection? Is the FBI going to be knocking at your door first thing in the morning?
No matter what the style of your campaign, the thing to keep in mind is the rapid changes occurring almost every day. Fundamental scientific knowledge doubles every year, and improvements in technology are popping up every day. Yesterday's science-fiction dream, is today's new toy, and by next month it will already be obsolete. But hey, you can handle it. You're already prepped to buy the next new gadget off the assembly line. You read about it on the internet. This is the Information Age, after all!