Changeling Historical Settings

[No One of Consequence]

So, I've been doing a thread for the general WoD section called Ages of Darkness, looking at various small scale historical settings (Berlin during the 1920s, for example) and how they can work with certain lines. And, interestingly, I've found quite a few that work really well with Changeling. And since I know some people only play Changeling and don't pay much attention to the rest of the World of Darkness, I figured I'd share a few of the Changeling centered ones here for anyone who might be interested.

My initial post mentioned two settings, In the Shadow of the Sun King (France, 1643 - 1715) and Dark Cabaret (Berlin and the Weimar Republic, 1918 - 1929). Because it was the first post, I didn't expand on them a lot, but hope to at some future point, especially in how they play well with aspects of Changeling.

Lords of the North (Scandinavia, @800 - 1000), Dark Ages: Fae with the rival Ljosalf and Svartalf.

Rodina (Kievan Rus, @950 - 1100), Dark Ages: Fae in the land of classic Russian myth and fairy tails.

On Stranger Tides (Nassau and the Caribbean, 1696 - 1726), with pirates and merfolk.

Dreams of the White City (Chicago, 1893), at the World Columbia Exhibition and its dreams of the future.

I Walk These Hills (Appalachia, 1910 - 1940), focused on rural culture, folklore, and mysticism of the region.

California Dreamin' (Southern California, 1960 - 1970), a period of Summer before the return of the Sidhe.

Rust Never Sleeps (American Midwest, 1974 - 1984), a period of economic and social uncertainty and the nervosa that spawn from it, with a special focus on Childlings and Wilders.

I'm currently working on a thing about Shanghai in the 20s and 30s that will talk about the Hsien. Also at some point Regency Era England and late 16th century Bohemia that will include Changeling focuses. I'm also planning something with the Muskogee nation that will heavily involve the Nunnehi.

And I welcome suggestions for other times and places that work well with Changeling.

[tasti man LH]

As an additional fun note: the above eras are mostly Interregnum, meaning no Arcadian Sidhe but plenty of Autumn Sidhe. Fun times of the Commoner Kithain trying to get by on their own...

[No One of Consequence]

Yeah. That has always been one of my least favorite aspects of the setting, the near-total absence of an entire kith and the archetypes that go with them from a big chunk of the setting. Sidhe work really well in places like Louis XIV's France and the golden age of Hollywood, among other periods.

Meanwhile, I'd enjoy looking at heroic/mythic Bronze Age Greece as a Fae setting.

[tasti man LH]

Well, at least in C20, the Autumn Sidhe are a Thing now if you want the Elven Nobility to be around in some form.

[Eldagusto]

The Space Race (America/Russia in the 1960s AD)

Knockers and Boggans infiltrating the Space Programs of Russia and America, believing they have found the Key to Arcadia hidden upon the face of Luna. They try to operate under the radar of the Technocratic Union while they inspire dreamer Astronauts and Engineers. Secretly behind the Scenes the Autumn Sidhe are pulling the strings. If Russia lands upon the moon first a House Varich Duke will attempt to enter Arcadia and lock the door behind him, if a House Dougal Countess in Nasa succeeds then she plans to open wide the Gates of Arcadia and bring back her lost kin. But what of the Mighty Alien Inanimae that stand vigil upon the sea of tranquility? Or the Fomorian Prince that slumbers in a banished tomb?

[MythAdvocate]

So, I've been doing a thread for the general WoD section called Ages of Darkness, looking at various small scale historical settings (Berlin during the 1920s, for example) and how they can work with certain lines. And, interestingly, I've found quite a few that work really well with Changeling. And since I know some people only play Changeling and don't pay much attention to the rest of the World of Darkness, I figured I'd share a few of the Changeling centered ones here for anyone who might be interested.

On Stranger Tides (Nassau and the Caribbean, 1696 - 1726), with pirates and merfolk.

On Stranger Tides greatly appeals to me. And I would be interested in collaborating on such a project. I am an illustrator by trade and passion, as well as a writer. We could start a series of articles to post on my Patreon with an aim to put it all together in a Nexus book. Generate some interest and make this a thing. Let me know.

So many things to play with here. The state of the Dreaming Seas, Undersea realms, Colonial Dreams etc. Houses/Secret Societies for those Autumn Sidhe swashbucklers. Etc.

Along with the "standard" Kithain, Menehune, Nunnehi, Jinn (Changeling Players Guide), Fae of the Cradle of Empires and Realm of Seasons (Changeling Players Guide) and other fae beings all make sense across the waves.

[Gryffon15]

To part the kimono, this is definitely inspired by the old Carnival show, although the show itself is probably more inclined towards offering Mage or Demon inspiration.

AMERICAN JUBILEE

Setting: The American Midwest; 1930s

The Great Depression has shattered the back of the American economy. The lost generation is still scarred from The Great War. Dictators sweep Europe while fascists and bulsheviks drum up support in the United States. The dust bowl has torn up entire communities. Nightmare and Banality fill the air.

Thus it may not be surprising that many changelings band together to survive. From hobo motleys hopping railroads to wandering tricksters emulating comics such as The Three Stooges, many changelings also band together to fork traveling circuses.

Wandering the Great Plains and reaching as far as Mexico, Canada, and the West Coast; wandering circuses create roaming oases of glamour in a hard world and fill lives with dreams whatever they go. With Autumn Sidhe ring leaders, pooka clowns, redcap geeks, troll strongmen, satyr barkers and boggans keeping the whole mess running; kithain of all kinds flocked to these traveling beds of dreams.

Which wasn't to say that there weren't problems. Life on the roads are rough and peril is comes from both without and within. Bankruptcy looms as an eternal Autumn specter while many freaks struggle to deny the nightmare of their treatment from ignorant on-lookers and pooka from the treatment of show beasts. From outsiders there was Banality from corrupt law enforcement to fire and brimstone preachers running them off while Nightmare reeked from criminals and the numerous cruelties that settled people felt entitled to deliver upon traveler's.

The world was still harsh. For the bastards and the strange; for women and people of color and all the outcasts the harshness was worst. Yet despite it all the revelry went on and the circus made itself a home to outcasts of every stripe. Life was hard, but dreams were resilient.

The show goes on! Viva la carnival!

[No One of Consequence]

I am hoping to talk about the Dust Bowl at some point, though I'm trying to find something different than what CoD did with the Prometheans. It's likely to be Wraith-centric, but the Changeling and Carnival angle is certainly interesting. I'd like to try something with the Space Race, but I'm having trouble narrowing it down to a specific location and theme. I'd also really like to do some stuff with Yokai in Japan, and the Menehune in the Kingdom of Hawaii (that would also deal heavily with Mage's Kapa Loei and, to a lesser extent, Werewolf's Rokea).

Meanwhile:

Beautiful Wicked Pearl (Shanghai, 1917 - 1937), which I primarily focused on Vampire and Mage, but only because I had to draw a line somewhere, as it's a setting that's really great for all of the game lines. It's one of those places where Western Changelings can easily interact with Hsien, especially if you have any interest at all in pre-WW2 Asian Noir type settings.

The Golden Century (Spain, 1492 - 1618), which is again presented as a primarily Vampire and Mage setting, but I think the Changeling hook of this being the early days of the Interregnum with newly made Changelings having to feel their way around in a setting that includes both the dangers of the Spanish Inquisition and the massive amounts of glamour that come from Spain's Golden Age of art, music, literature and architecture is a really strong one. If you are at all into the idea of Changelings wandering around with dueling swords, capes and neck ruffles (and possibly fighting windmills that are secretly chimerical giants), it's a potentially fun setting.

[Gryffon15]

Thinking about some of the ideas that you yourself just mentioned, for the Space Race I could see something like one of those old secret California think tanks or a NASA building site or heck, Houston.

The Yokai are also definitely fascinating and for me I think of three or four big periods. Ranging from Sengoku (Warring States) period to the westernization of the Edo and Meiji periods to the Imperial Periods surrounding the world wars and the modern period and the various ways each turbulent period might effect the Yokai.

I'm afraid I don't known enough about Hawaiian or Polynesian history to really bring anything of merit to that part of the discussion with the Menehune.

[No One of Consequence]

Thinking about some of the ideas that you yourself just mentioned, for the Space Race I could see something like one of those old secret California think tanks or a NASA building site or heck, Houston.

I've considered something about the Soviet era science cities, but such a thing would likely be a Technocracy and Psychics centered horror show (w/ certain Tzimisce and Weaver hooks) that would be fatally unfriendly for Changelings.

However, some of the early aerospace stuff out west in California and such probably has potential. Maybe also the Roswell incident.

The Yokai are also definitely fascinating and for me I think of three or four big periods. Ranging from Sengoku (Warring States) period to the westernization of the Edo and Meiji periods to the Imperial Periods surrounding the world wars and the modern period and the various ways each turbulent period might effect the Yokai.

I'm tempted to try something totally unrelated looking at Japan as a setting for Vampire and Changeling that ignores KotE and Lo8MD, with clans and kiths.

One period I am looking at for more conventional use is 17th century Edo, which is the setting for Laura Joh Rowland's Sano Ichiro mystery novels.

I'm afraid I don't known enough about Hawaiian or Polynesian history to really bring anything of merit to that part of the discussion with the Menehune.

I recommend Julia Siler's Lost Kingdom, and James Haley's Captive Paradise. Also The Legends and Myths of Hawaii by King David Kalakaua.

[Gryffon15]

I definitely think that the Soviet angle could be interesting and that a certain variety of Nocker could make their way amongst the science cities. I understand the harshness of the Soviet setting in OWoD although making it nearly unplayable outside of the most ruthless Anarchs, Tzimisce, and Communist Technocrats does a disservice in my opinion.

Anyway, I definitely think that the 50s and 60s Americana of the UFO craze would be a great time for something to do with Changelings. Whether a flush of glamour in Roswell or what, plenty of opportunities there.

I can certainly see there being fair arguments for using the primary systems for Asian and African settings to avoid some of the problematic issues that have come from using distinct systems for mystical beings in those parts of the world. I've already made my peace with using kindred throughout Asia & Africa alongside the Kuei-Jin and Laibon although I do see both the merits of using the Hsien and the merits of using standard CtD rules to create asian kiths.

The westernization and decline of traditional political systems of the Edo period definitely makes sense to me as a strong place to set chronicles within the World of Darkness.

I'll try to get my hands on those, thank you!

[MagicJuggler]

Before I started my current game that's set in North Carolina's Appalachian regions, I originally had planned to do a game set in Baden-Wüttemberg circa 1648 and the Peace of Westphalia.

It tenatively would have been called Shadow Of An Empire and would deal with the Fae of the Interegnum reestablishing their society in the wake of the 30 Years War, and the Trod network being completely scrambled due to the Galileo Affair.

Individual Holds would be "kingdom-building" upwards and reestablishing themselves while dealing with the many political idiosyncracies both mortal and mundane. King Louis XIV is "recently coronated" but still a child, and there are many old Thallain holds that need to be cleansed in the wake of atrocities like Magdeburg.

[Eldagusto]

Thinking about some of the ideas that you yourself just mentioned, for the Space Race I could see something like one of those old secret California think tanks or a NASA building site or heck, Houston.

The Yokai are also definitely fascinating and for me I think of three or four big periods. Ranging from Sengoku (Warring States) period to the westernization of the Edo and Meiji periods to the Imperial Periods surrounding the world wars and the modern period and the various ways each turbulent period might effect the Yokai.

I'm afraid I don't known enough about Hawaiian or Polynesian history to really bring anything of merit to that part of the discussion with the Menehune.

In my headcanon, and eventually fleshed out in one of my projects, The Yokai are the descendants of the Fae dodged the Celestial draft and never bent the knee to Heaven. This kind of made Japan the "Canada of the Middle Kingdom" where Fae from China and Korea escaped to. The Yokai underwent the Changeling Way and they even have Kith Variants of the Hsien, and Foxes and Tengu. India and The Philippines were also major sites that fae went to avoid being incorporated into the Celestial Bureaucracy.


And its a good idea to tie Rosewell into the Spacerace, Have the period Span two decades. And to avoid the Banality of the Soviet Era I can see fae living off the books essentially hiding in their own community, literally underground and in the woods, as well as Domovoi guarding homes. So plenty of room for Knockers.

[No One of Consequence]

I am poking at ideas for something involving the general period of UFO phenomena from about '45 to '70. Mainly for Changeling and probably Psychics and maybe Project Twilight, with some Mage/Technocracy and maybe Arcanum stuff as well.

[No One of Consequence]

A Little Night Music (Vienna, 1781 - 1791), which is the decade Mozart lived there, for those who are fans of the film Amadeus the way I am.

Lost Kingdom (Hawaii, 1793 - 1893), the period in which Hawaii was largely recognized as in independent kingdom by outside powers until its sad (and rather despicable) downfall. Mainly for the Menehune and other native groups, and if you were a fan of Immortal Eyes: Shadows on the Hill, it's a good prequel setting for that.

The Seminole Wars (Florida, 1816 - 1858), which lacks a fancy name, but it's one of those places where you have a good excuse to have a mixed Nunnehi/Changeling/Mage/Werewolf party, though it may be a little on the more violent side of Changeling chronicles.