HISTORICAL ATLASES FOR HISTORICAL SETTINGS LIKE

Before this post I just want to announce that Strange Tales of New England is out in PDF. I will have more on that in the coming days but in the mean time you can check it out HERE. 

Today I want to talk about historical atlases and how useful they are for gaming. I've covered this topic in prior blog posts, and will probably be repeating a lot of what I said before, but I think this is a helpful concept for anyone running a historical campaign.  

THE HISTORICAL ATLAS 

When I was a history student, I was the type who would go to my professors after class and pester them with questions. For my Ancient History class I was having difficulty with a particular topic, and couldn't find the information I needed in the texts books we were using. The professor asked "Do you have a good historical atlas at home?". When I told him 'no', he said "go get a historical atlas. Not just for this course, but if you are a history student you need to have a solid historical atlas you can refer to."

I am paraphrasing and going by memory but this was a bit of a lightning bold moment for me. I simply didn't know about them before. I had seen plenty of historical maps, I was very interested in history which is why I majored in it, but no one ever told me about a historical atlas prior to college. So I went to the local book store and picked up DK's Atlas of World History (the professor didn't tell me which one to get so I grabbed the most useful looking historical atlas I could find).

The book made me see history in a different way. I had mostly only studied text and never really paid that much attention to maps beyond glancing at them for reference when they were included in books about the past. And the DK book was helpful because it covered world history, so I could get information on a wide range of places and times. It is still available and I think affordable if you buy it used (last I checked I found listings for under 10 dollars). And there are other more recent Atlases of World History available too (though my impression is the DK atlas is still well regarded). 

After that I picked up other historical atlases like The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome. And there were books adjacent like The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens and Rome. The latter was wonderful because it depicted daily life in both ancient cities, complete with cross section images of important structures. But the atlas maps were really the thing that helped me see history in a new light. 

Something I realized later was how useful these resources were for gaming. 

GAMING WITH ATLASES 

When you run a campaign setting, you are reliant on the maps the RPG publisher provides or the ones you make yourself. Generally when dealing with fantasy worlds, it is very easy to go beyond these initial maps. If you want to flesh out an area that hasn't been covered in depth, no one can really stop you and your players are not likely to mind. But if you are running a game like Servants of Gaius, or Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades, the wuxia RPG I co-designed with Jeremy Bai, then once you go beyond the maps included in the book, you may face some hurdles as a GM. 

When you are running a historical setting, you are bound by the past. You can make up maps if you want, but this can create believability issues. And sometimes it is hard to find the map you need (which is why I almost always suggest starting with the maps you can find then building your adventures and campaigns around those). 

Thankfully it is easier than ever to find maps with a simple search online. And that is a good place to start. I usually begin there, and will also look at maps included in history books I own. But it is generally a good idea to pick up a historical atlas or two. As a general rule: one world historical atlas and one for the period you are running the game is good (though sometimes there isn't one available for the time and place you are looking for).

A historical atlas gives you greater access to the past by providing maps over a span of time, showing you how boundaries have changed. It makes it easier to plan campaigns and adventures. They will also usually include maps of cities, trade maps and other details that help you understand the geography of the time period better. 

Obviously you may still need to supplement with online resources if you want to get very granular with the details, but having maps of a given period will be a good starting point for making your own maps in a historical campaign. 

And books that illustrate daily life or city life can be especially helpful. One that I found useful was The Chinese City in Space and Time. I don't believe this one is available in print any longer, but I have seen used copies at fairly affordable prices online. 

Affordability is another issue here. Thankfully many of the books I have mentioned are ones you can buy used at a good price. But academic books, in my opinion, are way over priced. This has been the case since I was a student, but it honestly appears to be more of a problem than before. Sometimes you luck out and the book you want is reasonable. And I think Atlases on the whole have broad enough appeal that many are priced fairly (the Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome looks like it is affordable for example). But I've seen books on historical topics for over 100 or 200 dollars. So I always suggest using your library if you really need access to an expensive book (it just isn't work spending hundreds to run a campaign). 

And if you find resources, you can help other gamers by recommending them and letting people know (there is no benefit to holding such knowledge for yourself). Also if you are having trouble finding a good historical atlas or resource, remember that library staff are generally well trained and can assist you (simply ask them about what atlases and resources are available). You can also try reaching out to historians who have written on the subject (I do this all the time and most responded with useful information: just be respectful of their time). Most historians I have interacted with are more than happy to help a curious public. 

Those who have found useful historical maps or atlases, feel free to recommend them in the comments.