RPGaDay 2016 #16 What Historical Character Would You Like In Your Group? For What Game?

For me, this question is easy.

I would love to play in a campaign with L. Frank Baum. He would be great as either a player or GM. His Oz stories demonstrate a great sense of magic and whimsy. The fact that he was a playwright and an actor suggest he would have a great sense of showmanship and drama.

As for what game, I think it would be a hoot to play Adventures in Oz: Fantasy Roleplaying Beyond the Yellow Brick Road with him. I also think Castle Falkenstein would be a good match. The steampunk genre as a whole would likely appeal to him, but Castle Falkenstein's focus on pageantry and derring-do seem especially appropriate.

RPGaDay #23 Coolest Looking RPG

This one's actually pretty easy. Castle Falkenstein.

While art and layout in RPG books have been continuing to improve over the years, it reached its peak in Castle Falkenstein. The original rulebook is a visual treat. The majority of the book is given over to the story of Tom Olam, who is something of an artist, that includes many drawings and painting supposedly done by him drawing from "life" in a fantastical realm. Every page, even those that are mostly text are clearly mean to be viewed as well as simply read.


While illustrations in modern gaming books are always improving, their inclusion is still just to break up the text. I can't think of any other game that has incorporated the illustrations so well and made them integral to the setting.