Something else for your consideration Paul is a GURPS - No! Wait! Don't run away screaming!! I'm talking setting, not rules.

'ahem'...In GURPS All-Star Jam 2004 there is a concise setting with a small world map called 'Alchemical Baroque'. It's only 14 pages long, but I think it has a lot of charm and could easily provide a good framework for what you are after.

It's set in a fantasy world similar to 1720s Europe. The style is based on European fairy tales, which as you probably know from Brothers Grimm is a lot darker than the sanitised versions the Victorians published. It wouldn't take much to just dial it down a bit further to a more Gothic/Hammer Horror setting.

The major power is the Solar Empire, a bigger fantasy version of France at the time of Louis the Sun King (later 17th century). To the south is the Golden Archipelago (pseudo Itally/Greece). To the north east lies  the Green Archipelago (British Isles). To the east is the Woodland Dukedoms (Germany). Further east beyond a great wall is the sea of grass dominated by green skinned (not goblins - so why make them green?) horsemen. In the far north is the White Archipelago (Scandinavia).

It's a loose mini-setting, so it's easy to add stuff or delete anything that doesn't appeal, as well as scroll back the default tech level to earlier in the 17th century.

I was rather taken with it and did some work on adapting it to a BoL/EW/H+I mash-up. There are really no GURPS rules in the 14 pages, it's just a setting framework. I think you can still get a pdf of the book from Steve Jackson Games. 

Gruntfuttock wrote:

Something else for your consideration Paul is a GURPS - No! Wait! Don't run away screaming!! I'm talking setting, not rules.

'ahem'...In GURPS All-Star Jam 2004 there is a concise setting with a small world map called 'Alchemical Baroque'. It's only 14 pages long, but I think it has a lot of charm and could easily provide a good framework for what you are after.

It's set in a fantasy world similar to 1720s Europe. The style is based on European fairy tales, which as you probably know from Brothers Grimm is a lot darker than the sanitised versions the Victorians published. It wouldn't take much to just dial it down a bit further to a more Gothic/Hammer Horror setting.

The major power is the Solar Empire, a bigger fantasy version of France at the time of Louis the Sun King (later 17th century). To the south is the Golden Archipelago (pseudo Itally/Greece). To the north east lies  the Green Archipelago (British Isles). To the east is the Woodland Dukedoms (Germany). Further east beyond a great wall is the sea of grass dominated by green skinned (not goblins - so why make them green?) horsemen. In the far north is the White Archipelago (Scandinavia).

It's a loose mini-setting, so it's easy to add stuff or delete anything that doesn't appeal, as well as scroll back the default tech level to earlier in the 17th century.

I was rather taken with it and did some work on adapting it to a BoL/EW/H+I mash-up. There are really no GURPS rules in the 14 pages, it's just a setting framework. I think you can still get a pdf of the book from Steve Jackson Games. 

Interesting!

GURPS doesn't send me screaming, as it does some folks. I played for quite a few years. Plus, their source books are excellent reference, even when you're not using the system.

I'm intrigued by what you're describing here. I'll have to check it out.

Thanks!

-- Paul

P.S. It looks like Alchemical Baroque has been expanded and revised in it's own PDF supplement GURPS Thaumatology: Alchemical Baroque.

Last edited by CaptAdventure (5/20/2024 8:19 am)

Sorry for my absence. I just travelled over to the UK to visit family and friends and I've been offline for a few days.

Obviously, AFO and Solomon Kane have both been mentioned, which I would've talked about. I'm not sure why AFO is constricting. The Thirty Years War was a mess and books are still being written trying to unpack it. Basically, Europe is burning and you have free reign to do what you like. Triple Ace Games produced a nice book called Satan's Playground which is excellent at giving more detail on the war itself. As Simon mentioned, just use a combo on BoL & H+I and you're set.

Now, to throw something completely unexpected at the group, I'm going to also mention Clockwork & Chivalry by Cakebread & Walton. This is a nice RPG that makes good use of d%. It's set during the English Civil War and is well worth checking out.

Personally, I think you could do a lot of good with Legends of Steel with some H+I thrown in as well. That's what I'm planning to do at some point. I'm going to make it more medieval (a bit like Game of Thrones) but add in some blackpowder as well.

Last edited by The GIT! (5/21/2024 10:25 am)

FWIW I'm still in the UK and just discovered that Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company has closed my favourite micro-brewery (Ringwood Brewery) so I'm pretty depressed right now. It seems to be a trend in the UK with big brewing firms buying out small breweries and then closing them. Ringwood was an important brewery that influenced craft ale throughout the world, and had been brewing for 45 years - this is a sad day.

Right, back to the important topic of real-world vs created setting. It seems to me that Théah in the 7th Sea RPG is as good an option as any to adapt and use with Bol / H+I / Everywhen. Théah is specifically designed to be a fantasy version of 17th century Earth, so it will probably suit your needs perfectly. I realise there are some complaints from gamers about trying to jam in too much to the setting, but it's not a historical setting and you can tweak it how you like, so I think it can still fit the bill as it were.

Last edited by The GIT! (5/22/2024 12:59 am)

You're probably right about Theah. I can't quite recall what put me off of it when I first checked it out. Think I've got a bunch of the PDFs, so I should probably revisit.

The most common suggestions I receive (elsewhere) is 7th Sea and Warhammer Fantasy/The Old World.

-- Paul