Role-playing in Sub-Roman Britain – Dealings with Historical Accuracy

OK, that’s a bit of a daunting task, but I’ll face it. I’ve delivered a coup de grâce to my Year 1900 Warsaw Call of Cthulhu campaign. It won’t disappear without me sharing notes, scenarios’ overhauls, and setting material (which I will do at a good time), but a space appeared in my RPG calendar. Some of you who follow my newsletter know that I’ve started putting together a homebrew setting, but my group of ex-19th-century-Investigators decided to try something else. Namely, we’ll be role-playing in Sub-Roman Britain, i.e., somewhere after 410 A.D.

So you’re playing an Arthurian legend, right?

Many believe that the mythical King Arthur lived in that time. Hence, when you search the web for RPG material on the Sub-Roman period in Britain*, you’ll find Pendragon, Mythic Britain, or other Arthurian-legend-inspired systems and settings. But that is not what we’re aiming at here. What speaks to me (and, apparently, to my players even more) is an attempt to re-create a bit of reality. Not that much is unquestionably known about the actual history of 5th century Britain, but we’ll do with what little we know and what we can reasonably guess. There are no Merlins and Excaliburs, no fairy-folk, Ladies of the Lakes, Avalon, dragon-fighting, and Grail-questing.

* – For those unfamiliar with the historical jargon, Sub-Roman means time after the final departure of Roman legions from the imperial province of Britannia in 407 A.D. That was one of the many attempts of Britannia’s generals to usurp the emperor’s throne of Rome, all of which none ever succeeded. The ultimate one was made by Flavius Claudius Constantinus. After his defeat, the imperial soldier haven’t returned to Britain. British people first expelled the Roman administration in 408 only to write a plea for help to emperor Honorius in 4010 A.D. The emperor famously replied to them “to see to their own defences.” Thus, Britannia became virtually an independent state.

Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub-Roman_Britain

What are you playing, then?

The part about “re-creating reality” in the paragraph above may give you a feeling that we’re very much into historical details like dressing, food, ways of living of various social groups, etc. That’s not true. We like the feeling of the realisticity of our game. But we don’t necessarily need to re-make every aspect of life in all possible minutiæ. Instead, we’ve asked ourselves during the pre-zero session what we’d like to play most.

My players weren’t all that keen on dynamic, tactic fights, or heroic deeds. Instead, they enjoyed good investigation. And having such without underlying Mythos seemed to them a great idea. Also, they found lacking in our Call of Cthulhu games a feeling of freedom and exploration. So, a setting with numerous mysteries of the past, a possibility for meaningful social interactions, and an essential aspect of exploration/travel.

Sub-Roman Britain – A Perfect Setting for an RPG

Despite the place and time we’ve chosen for our next campaign seeming like a perfect theme for a role-playing game, I found surprisingly little RPG material about Sub-Roman Britain. Well, there is quite a lot about Arthurian legends-themed RPGs. The abovementioned Pendragon is by far the most notable one, but certainly, it isn’t alone on the stage. Yet, all of those titles are about low-to-high fantasy settings with very loose ties to the actual history. I want to write in more detail about how I’ve developed the system itself in the other post(s). Let’s stick to the central premise I’m about to show you here.

A Land of Mystery

In the game, the Romans have left Britannia for good as recently as one generation ago. Most people remember them somehow. Many are still adhering to the Roman ways of life. But few are well-versed in their crafts of masonry, metal-working, or military. Imperial villas, legions, mosaics, and bathes are now semi-mythical figures. The landscape is dotted with whole desolate cities and empty lavish estates. And within them – artifacts of the past wait to be claimed. The same is with the “old ways” of druids and pre-Roman living. They, too, are only distant memories, however enthusiastically invoked by those happy with the Romans’ departure. Standing stones, sacred groves, and deserted hillforts of the ancestral Britons wait to be re-discovered.

Politics!

Sub-Roman Britain also presents an excellent opportunity to include politics in the game with the intended emphasis on social interaction role-playing. I’ve had rather unsatisfying experiences with such attempts, but I’ll try to do it right this time. It shouldn’t be that hard, given the (presumed) state of society in Britain in mid 5th century. After the main power had withdrawn, the wealthy landholders and potent warlords dominated their immediate regions. Yet, they could not gain control over wider areas, which enabled fierce competition.

To spice it up, the ethnic and worldviews composition of the British society introduced further divisions. Ones were looking forward to the Legions’ return, and those happy with them gone for good. Some were Christians and Roman pagans and those eager to restore the religion of their ancestors. There were Celts and Romano-Celts, Anglo-Saxons, Irish ‘Scoti’ and Picts. There were also probably some Romans and foreigners from more distant corners of the still vast and mighty Empire.

Threats from Outside and Inside

The shores of Britannia were in constant danger of ‘barbarian’ raids. It was so important that the Romans had to keep ca ⅕ of their whole army in Britain to repel those. And for an isle, “shores” mean pretty much the entire country. And the legions were there also to suppress the constant rebellions, which wouldn’t quench suddenly on their own, too. So life in Sub-Roman Britain was a dangerous one. And probably, we’d all agree that a sufficient level of uncertainty is crucial in providing an engaging RPG session.

Exploration Challenges

The weather in Britain is proverbial in some places. Even some of the preserved letters from the Hadrian’s Wall’s guards contain extensive complaints about the harsh climate. Also, the constant threat of bandits, raiders and invaders from the neighboring dominions seems like enough of a challenge to make Sub-Roman Britain a perfect fit for a thrilling role-playing game experience.

So how does it sounds to you? Are you half as excited as I am to see this new campaign? If yes, keep an eye on this new series which joins my monthly blog routine. And if you’ve got some ideas about how I could approach the topic of role-playing in Sub-Roman Britain better – I am all ears. Please, leave your thought here, on Facebook, or in an e-mail.