Bronzing History

This is now the longest page on my wiki, with 35,847 characters thus far, or about 5,500 words.  So, not as long as some of the posts on this blog.  On the other hand, it isn't done yet; the below only includes human history; I'm working on determining the general feel for accepted history before inserting historical inventions into my game world.

Okay, but ... why?  What's it all for?  It's not as though my players are going to have any direct connection with ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia or the Hittites.  All of this takes place 3000 years before my campaign.

In general, I'm against DMs building up lengthy, invented historical records for their game worlds.  This content, when read, tends to be a collection of unfamiliar persons and events stacked against dates that don't mean anything, so there is no sense of connection with the campaign.  I don't believe that is the case here.  We, the players, are familiar with actual ancient history, so unfamiliarity isn't the case here.  Nor are the dates a meaningless list for us, as those with historical backgrounds are able to piece together the signposts that dates represent.  Unlike an invented history, we know that -- in general, at least -- the events described above really happened.

Well, sort of.  This is not a history account written for a textbook, this is a description of my game world.  As such, I can cheat enormously when writing out the content.  For example, most of the dates listed above are fluid, in that they reflect a "best guess" by historians of the event in question.  We don't know for certain that the Hittites sacked Babylon in 1595 b.c.  Various books will give different dates, with some sources being wildly out of synch, and in history this is an accepted principle because all this happened a long time ago without reliable records.  As a dungeon master, however, I can say absolutely whatever I want.  I can say it happened on June 7th and that it was a Tuesday -- though, obviously, our present-day calendar didn't exist at the time.  Or did it?  This is, after all, my campaign.

Still, I try to adopt the most probable or agreed-upon dates and events, because this is fun for me.  Though this doesn't explain what use it is.

In my game, I make a lot of references to things, particularly the past.  And my players, bless them, tend to possess a minimal degree of familiarity with history.  If they wish, however, the above overview -- distilled from the endless quibbles and counterfactual arguments that confuse history for the lay person -- can be read over in not very much time, if there's some reason why a player should wish to be familiar with it.  Many of the campaign stories or adventure structures I tend to build include elements of something that happened a long time ago ... and because the source material shapes how I present those elements, knowing the source material helps a player understand my motives and viewpoint.  And while in many cases the history written above isn't exactly accurate, it isn't purposefully inaccurate either.  It contains material from sources that have been "debunked," if we can believe the debunking source, which often has more credibility due to the political faction of a university supporting it than any real "proof" -- but that doesn't matter much.  Just as it is good enough for most people to believe that electrons and protons are little spheres, just like the diagrams taught us in grade school, it doesn't cause harm for people to have, at best, a generalized understanding of the Egyptians or the Sumerians.

Having the time to work on this material, and considering it worth working on, also goes back to recent posts where I've said I have the time because I'm not rebuilding game systems that already work.

The overall task is monumental and probably impossible to finish, given my limitations, but who knows.  I may live to be 90, and still be able to write.