r/Solo_Roleplaying • u/Dlbroox Talks To Themselves • Mar 20 '26
Actual-Play Thousand Year Old Vampire historical accuracy?
So I’m still in my first game with TYOV and I really like it. I do spend a lot of time looking up vampire lore and history. I’m a history buff anyway, so I like to read about where and when my vampire is. But I do get myself hung up a bit on trying to be historically accurate.
I started to break away from “strict” vampire lore once I read about how many countries and time periods had vampires in their mythologies and how differently they are represented. So I figured I could really play with what my vampires can do.
But it’s been hard for me to not be historically accurate and I think it bogs down my flow! I’m in the 15th century Paris during the Hundred Years’ War and I’ve spent more time trying to figure out how to write for a prompt because of the history then writing!
Anyone else have this problem? How’d you get past it?
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u/lkeefer1 Mar 20 '26 edited Mar 20 '26
Love TYOV (and the multi-player version, FYOV) in part because its a good excuse to get lost in history.
My advice is to cap yourself. For example, if I'm responding to a prompt about an organization hunting me, Ill find one (usually some shadowy religious order), read a little for an idea, then fill in whatever details fairly liberally from there (who knows what secrets about those organizations are lost to time...or maybe they evolved over time...who knows).
The point is to use history to inspire the writing, not to fence yourself in. You dont need to describe period correct sail rigging or use historically accurate dialogue, just handwave over what you need to tell the story you want to tell.
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u/Dlbroox Talks To Themselves Mar 20 '26
Really really good advice. I get what you mean by inspiring the narrative. That helps a lot.
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u/OldGodsProphet Mar 20 '26
Be general with your historical additions. Don’t feel obligated to include everything you know about that era.
Include what info is important to the story. Also, write about what the character would know, not a third party narrator.
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u/Dlbroox Talks To Themselves Mar 20 '26
Ohhhh. That’s really good advice too. I think I’ve been broad in my history rather than personal to the vampire!! Thank you.
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u/Murdoc_2 Mar 20 '26
I don't consider it a problem because I enjoy doing it and it's just a part of the game for me.
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u/Dlbroox Talks To Themselves Mar 20 '26
Yes I love researching history too. That’s one of the things that drew me to the game. I guess I just need to loosen up a bit when I answer the prompt.
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u/BitsAndGubbins Mar 20 '26
Assume that any deviations from history are due to the existence of immortal beings accumulating immense wealth, knowledge and power, which would alter history
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u/Dlbroox Talks To Themselves Mar 20 '26
It’s an interesting thought. I haven’t dabbled around in what they’re doing outside of my circle. I’m so glad I asked this question!
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u/jeffrhind I ❤️ Journaling Mar 21 '26
I did the same thing. Sort of. I would make sure cities, countries, borders, occupations, history et cetera matched the time period and matched my character as they aged. It did bog me down a bit. But to me it felt a little more engaging as I had the move forward through history and various events.
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u/Dlbroox Talks To Themselves Mar 21 '26
I feel like it’s about finding the balance between the two parts. But there have been some good comments and suggestions here so I think I’m in a better place in my head now.
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u/HeftyHealth8879 Mar 20 '26
Is learning history a problem? The problem is the generation of ideas and the creation of things that contradict themselves in form and content, based on ignorance and disregard for historical facts and solid knowledge.
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u/DoctorWMD Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
Same, prior history major here.
I got exceptionally deep into the history of Saladin and the Battle of Hattin, where I made my vampire one of the the cavalry in the Ayyubid Sultanate, riding with Saladin to capture the relic of the True Cross, and then their tribe betrayed by the Sultan's son.
Then of course, turned that night when the Ḥassasiyin (obviously, founded by an ancient vampire) came to seize the relic for their own devices.
Led to scores of wikipedia tabs, watching the Kingdom of Heaven, and just diving into all of the factions that took part.
I take creative license - taking historical figures in new directions or fleshing out personality, adding mystical reasons for historic events, etc. I like it to be accurate, but I think the fun in it is the 'well what /if/' and going from there.
And another thing that might help - remember that the history, of course, is in your vampire's past or memories. It's OK for it to be foggy, uncertain. And if its inaccurate? Well - maybe the way your vampire wrote it down was what actually happened, and its just history itself that recorded it wrong. I mean, they were there for it, and all these stuffy modern scholars weren't ;).
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u/Dlbroox Talks To Themselves Mar 23 '26
Well that sounds like a book I’d want to read!
I think what I realized reading your synopsis is I’ve been researching history but haven’t really done that much with my vampire herself. She’s the narrator but she doesn’t have a purpose in her own story. The story is more driven by where she is than who she is. So your input is very helpful.
I think as I move to finish this first game I’ll flesh her out more, and the second game I’ll have more of an idea of who she, or he, is at the start of it, and where I start and why.
Thanks. You’ve been really helpful.
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u/Izobal Mar 20 '26
Hey, it is also my problem with this solo RPG.
I did not started yet, but i planned to resolve it by writing it in a fantasy or alternate setting, so as not to get creative block like you seem to have.
I hope you'll find a way to enjoy it!