Dark Age Britannia as an FRPG Setting
- Familiar, but obscure
Everybody has at least a general idea of what the Roman Empire was like. The Dark Ages shatter this world, and arrange the pieces into a new and strange pre-medieval mosaic. Because of the thin historical record you can twist the facts to tell almost any kind of tale and add your favorite fantasy tropes, all without diminishing the authentic feel of historical role-playing. - A Place for every Kind of Adventure
From the lochs and glens of the Scottish highlands through the primordial Cambrian forest and the trackless moors, vast areas in the north and west of the British Isles in 400 AD are still wilderness. But the fertile fields of the south and east are crossed by paved roads, studded with forts and still host proud Roman cities and tribal capital towns, complete with amphitheaters, baths and forums - true points of light, their count diminishing as the Dark Age rolls on. - Towns, Ruins and lost Treasure
When the Roman legions left, Britannia was beset from all sides as it broke up into dozens of petty kingdoms. There are more than a hundred settlements to help defend, loot, or rebuild. As people flee the burning towns and indefensible villas, they leave behind ruins, and buried treasure. Many fantasy worlds lack a good reason for the existence of dungeons, but in Dark Age Britannia, they're there for a reason. - Warring Factions
Britannia is home to three culturally distinct factions, frequently at war with each other, and among themselves: The urban Romano-British elites, clinging to the dream of a fading global empire. The pagan Germanic mercenaries of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, hungry for land and power. And the resurgent Celto-British tribes, from the savage Picts to the Irish and Welsh, with their new-found rogue Christianity. - Heroism on a personal Scale
In the Dark Ages, a war-band is just a few dozen men with spears and shields. Armies numbering in the hundreds decide the rise and fall of kingdoms. The population of the British Isles numbers less than three million people. Every one of them can make a difference, and brave unknowns rise to become heroes. Rub shoulders with the last men of Rome, catch a glimpse of Arthur and his companion warlords, or build a new kingdom of your own.
- Monsters, real and fantastic
Much of the British Isles is uncharted wilderness, where snakes, boars, wolves and bears were all too real threats. With a dash of Celtic myth, your party can meet fey-folk, giants, and ghosts on the moors. Beowulf adds dragons and dwarves; and if you want to get creative, just think of the Plague of Justinian as an epidemic of ghouls, and the Picts as demi-human barbarians gone berserk. Used sparingly, most fantasy monsters can find a home in this setting. - Myth and Magic
The late Roman world had many rival faiths, all of which made claims of magical powers and boasted of miracles: The Old Gods of the druids. The warrior cult of Mithras. The mysteries of Isis. See Roman bishops battle Pelagian heretics while trying to convert the heathen Saxons; or join the ranks of Britannia's bards, soothsayers and hedge wizards. All but the most flashy spells will fit.
Related RPG Products
Pendragon
A masterpiece RPG-adaptation of the Arthurian tales, with many supplements.
The full publication history is here.
GURPS
Low Tech 4e and all its supplements are invaluable, whether you play GURPS or not.
They also have 3rd edition sourcebooks on Camelot, Celtic Myth, and Rome.
AD&D
Second Edition AD&D saw a series of historical sourcebooks titled "The Celts Campaign", "The Glory of Rome", and "Charlemagne's Paladins".
Smaller Publishers and OSR
Age of Arthur is a FATE-based adaptation of Dark Age Britannia, available here.
Rædwald is a neat OSR game about "Anglo-Saxon outlaw scum" (sic) in Britannia, with a great Old English bestiary.
Any Others?
If you know of, or have made, content that fits this setting, please drop me a mail and I will feature it in this list.
A masterpiece RPG-adaptation of the Arthurian tales, with many supplements.
The full publication history is here.
GURPS
Low Tech 4e and all its supplements are invaluable, whether you play GURPS or not.
They also have 3rd edition sourcebooks on Camelot, Celtic Myth, and Rome.
AD&D
Second Edition AD&D saw a series of historical sourcebooks titled "The Celts Campaign", "The Glory of Rome", and "Charlemagne's Paladins".
Smaller Publishers and OSR
Age of Arthur is a FATE-based adaptation of Dark Age Britannia, available here.
Rædwald is a neat OSR game about "Anglo-Saxon outlaw scum" (sic) in Britannia, with a great Old English bestiary.
Any Others?
If you know of, or have made, content that fits this setting, please drop me a mail and I will feature it in this list.