History – Oak of Honor Games

Medieval London street names

I’ve recently been in an online discussion about street names in medieval England. I decided to look at my map of medieval London and contribute some notes, but it’s going to take a little work and I might want to refer back to it in future. If I just leave it in the comments of… Continue reading Medieval London street names

Africa in the ‘middle ages’* – first readings

I’ve been thinking about researching African history for my world building. I’m a long way from having much worth saying on the subject, but the question was raised on the FaceBook group Medieval World Building: where do you start researching the continent? So I’ve transferred a section of my very first reading plans into this… Continue reading Africa in the ‘middle ages’* – first readings

Portcullises

I’ve done a little reading on portcullises and castle gates. This was sparked by a discussion in a Dungeons & Dragons (DnD) Facebook group about whether an Immovable Rod would stop the descent of a portcullis. Which led to the question of how heavy a portcullis is. I have yet to find an actual figure… Continue reading Portcullises

Coinage systems: western European models

This is a follow up to my earlier post on historical coinage in general (and how it differed from the tons-of-gold decimal system in the Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks). Here, I offer some usable currency systems; they are based on historical models, though mostly somewhat simplified. I have chosen realms and periods where the coinage… Continue reading Coinage systems: western European models

Coins and currency

This post offers some advice on coins and currency in fantasy game or fiction settings. It responds to the way coins are described in Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) rulebooks, with specific reference to the popular and influential current fifth edition of the game (5e), but I aim to give enough information and references that you… Continue reading Coins and currency

Settlements: critique of the DMG guidelines

I’m spurred to write this post by the settlement generation section of the D&D 5e Dungeon Master’s Guide (DMG). It looks like it is giving a nice little primer on world building settlements for a medieval fantasy setting. But I think there are a few points where it departs from my own understanding of medieval… Continue reading Settlements: critique of the DMG guidelines

Thieves’ Guilds

I’m posting this as a sort of starter for what may become a longer series on underworld organizations. It is rather long at the moment, but if I make follow-up posts I may shift some text to those and replace it with links. Talking of links, please note that my links to further information and… Continue reading Thieves’ Guilds

Historical pub signs and names

I’ve seen people asking for inspiration about names for inns and taverns. So this post is all about pub names in real world history, and how they can provide inspiration for your game world. It is the third (and for now last) post in a mini-series on refreshment in the middle ages. Generic product signs… Continue reading Historical pub signs and names

Hostelries

Characters in fantasy roleplaying games and stories seem to spend half their time staying in inns, gossiping in taverns and carousing in houses of ill-repute. So what blog featuring historical inspiration for gaming would be complete without a post on historical types of hostelry? This is part of a little series, so check out the… Continue reading Hostelries

Drinks in medieval England

Many games and stories feature foaming flagons of ale, fine wines, and suchlike. So this post outlines drinks of medieval England. You can use it to add detail to drinking in your historically-inspired settings, from a peasant’s humble table to a lordly feast or a raucous tavern. I plan to make more posts on some… Continue reading Drinks in medieval England