Airk, Asmadeus and I, along with (hopefully) a few more people, thought about arranging a LARP game here (live action roleplay, kinda like advanced cowboy&indians, for adults). The setting would be somewhere in Germany, around 1540...or something. But, we need some help, so I'm pleading to all you historians out there.

First...how was the catholic easter rituals in the 1500's? I heard they practiced something similar to the islamic ramadan, with a month of starving, and then a great feast.

The inquisition...were they all spanish or italian? Or were there local fractions too?

Ideas for torture, executions, interrogations?

Any great famines, wars etc in germany around that time?

That's about it, I think...please help?

no idea. but when you get it together, let me know.

Hmm... Unsure about the germans... I believe there was no real "Germany" at the time, merely a cluster of autonomous states (which today compose the "Bundesländer", the United Countries). You would have to narrow the setting to a state, before I could try and dig up some info...

I do have a bit of info about the dutch standard of living at the time...

Might be interesting: I believe the Black Plague was ravaging the whole of europe at that time. Not sure tho... Wars between the states were common.

The Inquisition was Spanish.

actually the inquisition was around the world...the spanish one just sticks out more like the salem witch trials...this does sound interesting...what kind of characters would be played?

oh and clear...tell your brother happy birthday!

The Spanish inquisition was in noooooorthern spain at 1st mainly in the Basque area where the remaining Christian rulers were pushed to, so i would imagine alot of the earlier begginings of the Inquisition in spain would have been Spanish and French. Since most people in the northern areas of spain getting towards france speak French, not spanish.

Also there was No germany as we know it i think it was Prussia wasnt it? which was just a bunch of seperate provences or states or somesuch idea.

But if youre going to have an inquisition in dont forget to include the Jews they were tortured just as bad as the muslims, but usually the muslims get the most chit chat because they aggressively forced themselves into Spain through the Straight of Gibralter in northern africa.

Is this for Vampire? I actually think Lithuania would make a better LARP setting myself. Or if it's the 1500's, maybe Italy.

No vampires, DM, just ordinary peasants, and perhaps a witch or two, but not nevcessarily. The important thing here would be to raise the mass hysteria.

SOK, Aet, thx guys. Any ideas as of which province to choose? It could be anywhere....

I doubt we'd find many muslims in germany at that time, though, or am I wrong there? Could definately add a touch... :p

But does no one know about the catholic rituals? No catholics here..? And torture methods? We might have to keep the suspects occupied for days...variety is always a good thing...

Jordyn, will do.

For some reason Sachsen sticks out in my mind as a good place to set it.

The Black Plague... Yes come to mention it, I do think there was a new, huge outbreak somewhere around that time...

Hey, Clear! That's why they're in a new village! They've all escaped plague outbreaks!

Yes!

OHehe...this is going to be so good! If things gets dull, we can just throw in a little disease... :p

Depends, CW. Tell me what kind of terrain you'd like. There's mountains in the southern states (the Alps), there's a large forest called "the Blackwoods" on the western borderland, and there's the coastal area's to the north. The river Rhine flows pretty much trough the whole of Germany, and mounds in the North Sea in Holland...

Give me a general setting idea, and I'll get back to you about the location

hmmm...

curious...

Well, we're not going to Germany...we're holding it here in Norway. And since Norway is full of woods, it's all set already. Besides, dark woods are much more fun at night.

Wether or not there'll be a small lake there depends on which huts we get to rent...But I think I can safely say no mountains and no coastline.