Shadows of Blackmoor Manor, what time period?

[IcarusWulfe]

So I've been working on a campaign for Pathfinder that I have dubbed Shadows of Blackmoor Manor. It is going to be a campaign involving exploring a magically corrupted dukedom known as Blackmoor. I've already worked out the world's cosmology and magic system, but am at a loss as to what time period I should try to emulate. I wanted firearms to be a fairly significant feature of the campaign, though nothing more advanced then a flintlock. I was at first thinking of going for an early Renaissance feel, but now I'm wondering weather I should go for a 1600s setting, which should still allow for both melee weapons and firearms to remain relevant at the same time while giving me more leeway when it comes to technological advancement. I want to nail this down before I move further along world building. Any thoughts?

[AMFV]

Well first it's important to recognize that technology doesn't really fall into neat "time periods", it's a lot more complex than that with regional variations significantly what technology is common in what area. Also there's no reason you have to have your world have developed along the same exact lines as ours as far as technology goes. You could have munitions development be far ahead of tactical development if there hadn't been a major war recently. See the Civil War and World War 1 for examples of tactics not keeping pace with munitions development.

It'd be possible to replicate that sort of thing earlier, so you can have more advanced firearms without significantly advancing tactics so long as the firearms haven't seen mass use that would force a tactical adaptation on a real scale.

[Gnarlymuppet]

Blackmoor Manor by the sound of it drips early Victorian, which corresponds to cap and ball firearms being cutting edge and rifled muskets being commonplace. Same era as Antebellum South, early early Cowboys & Indians, and even pirates! 1800-1850ish. Such an exciting time period!

[Dusk Raven]

No connection, I assume, to the Blackmoor setting of very early D&D, retconned to be part of the ancient history of the Mystara setting? I found the name amusing since I've just been researching Mystara...

Anyway, the time period I suggested isn't one I use often - I prefer either medieval (or, often, antiquity), or Victorian for my fantasy settings. But around that time period... I'd say the 1600s, the Elizabethan period of England if I'm not mistaken. If your goal is more technological options, that'll be better than the Renaissance - and you can always tweak things around, especially with firearms, which need only be as advanced as you want them to be. After all, gunpowder was discovered basically by accident, by Chinese alchemists trying to create an elixer of life with unusual ingredients, or so I hear... if you wish, gunpowder can have been discovered earlier or later, with accompanying changes in technology level for firearms.

[IcarusWulfe]

Hello all and thanks for all of your responses. I'm sorry i took so song to get around to checking back on this thread. Thinking about it I think I'm going to be using something of a blend of concepts and themes from different time periods as it was pointed out that there is no reason that a fantasy world's progression of technology has to follow the same path as our own. I was thinking mid to late 1600s for the general aesthetic and firearms tech level in some small, more advanced countries, while keeping some of the other larger countries a bit behind that curve, thus allowing for both traditional melee weapons and firearms to be in play at the same time.

edit: I also had no idea that the name Blackmoor was used in another D&D setting. I just picked something that sounded like it would fir what with the manor in question being both near a moor and the center for a bunch of occult rituals that screwed over the entire province.

[AMFV]

Hello all and thanks for all of your responses. I'm sorry i took so song to get around to checking back on this thread. Thinking about it I think I'm going to be using something of a blend of concepts and themes from different time periods as it was pointed out that there is no reason that a fantasy world's progression of technology has to follow the same path as our own. I was thinking mid to late 1600s for the general aesthetic and firearms tech level in some small, more advanced countries, while keeping some of the other larger countries a bit behind that curve, thus allowing for both traditional melee weapons and firearms to be in play at the same time.

edit: I also had no idea that the name Blackmoor was used in another D&D setting. I just picked something that sounded like it would fir what with the manor in question being both near a moor and the center for a bunch of occult rituals that screwed over the entire province.

Darkmoor, maybe?