Old Russia
Mythic Russia takes you to the world of Russian myth, history and folklore, a
land just freeing itself from the Mongol Yoke and already beginning to face
threats from the armoured knights of Europe, a land of deep, dark forests and
onion-domed citadels, a land where Christianity is often a thin veneer over the
Old Faith, a land of peasants and heroes, of dragons and bathhouse-spirits and...the
flame-feathered Firebird.
After all, few peoples have suffered as
much through their history as the Russians – periodic foreign invasions,
famines, poor soils, hot summers and arctic winters, insane and capricious
rulers, you name it – and few have retained their humour, dignity and culture
so well. One manifestation has been in their traditional folklore and a
mythologised version of their history. Russian folklore is a rich in variety and
drama as Russian history, as strongly influenced by other cultures… and as
striking a mix of the entertaining and the macabre. Tales of heroic figures and
the chronicles of proud cities stand alongside (and as often mix with) a huge
body of folktale and legend.
Much of this is sunny,
uplifting and optimistic, of the bogatyri, mythic heroes who travelled
the lands righting wrongs and doing good. Yet this is also a world of darkness
and danger, the land of Baba Yaga, the hook-nosed cannibal witch, carried
through the night in her stilt-legged walking hut and of many equal horrors.
I have long wanted to
find a game system which allows me to run and play games set in this mythic
setting, but needed one in which the love of a mother could keep her
all-but-dead son alive, while sword and spear cut and stabbed him, or in which a
hero really was able to kick down a city wall or wrestle a dragon, yet be
bamboozled with a riddle or laid low by a maiden’s smile. In HeroQuest,
I found it, and am delighted that Mythic Russia is the first – I hope of many
– licenses to use this tremendously flexible and dramatic game engine outside
its core world of Glorantha.
The World of Mythic Russia, land of
the Firebird
It is the 1380s. Some
150 years ago, the Mongols (or Tatars) swept across the principalities of the
Rus’ – an irresistible, alien host convinced that the whole world was their
rightful dominion. Some Rus’ tried to fight but in vain: they even laid waste
to the great city of Kiev. Instead, the Rus’ learnt the wisdom of surrender
and cooperation. After all, the Mongols were conquerors rather than imperial
administrators and they had no interest in the detail of government, happy to
leave that to subject princes, so long as they acknowledged the authority of the
Great Khan and paid their tribute in silver and humiliation.
The Daniilov dynasty
of a small, upstart city called Moscow proved to be the greatest beneficiaries
of the ‘Tatar Yoke.’ They grew in power and wealth as the Mongols’ most
ruthless and effective vassals amongst the Rus’ but they were cunning enough
to know when it was time instead to turn against their masters and instead
re-invent themselves as the champions of a new, reborn Russia – under their
rule. After all, through the fourteenth century, Tatar power and unity had been
waning. Prince Dmitri of Moscow finally decided that the time was right. In
1380, a combined Rus’ force broke the forces of Tatar Khan Mamai at Kulikovo
Field.
Kulikovo marks just
the beginning of the struggle to create a define the new Russia. It is a land of
feuding principalities, especially divided between three great cities: Kiev, the
ancient capital; Novgorod, the cosmopolitan trading centre; and Moscow, the
brooding and ambitious home of an emerging dynasty. It is by no means wholly
free of the Tatars, and Dmitri will have to rebuild his bridges if he is to
avoid a punitive invasion from the east. The lands of the Rus’ are also
threatened from the west, by traditional enemy Lithuania and the zealot
crusading order of the Teutonic Knights.
This is therefore an
era of danger and opportunity. Heroes, schemers, patriots and turncoats may
engage themselves with the complex and often murderous internal politics of the
Rus’. Entrepreneurs can grow rich on new trading opportunities and
storytellers spread news, myth and gossip. This is also a time of social and
religious turmoil. The Rus’ practice dvoeverie, ‘twin faiths,’
through which they reconcile retaining many of their pagan ways with
Christianity, but this is being challenged both by different, less inclusive
Churches both to the south (the Orthodox hierarchy in Constantinople) and
Europe.
Is this ‘Real History’?
No. Or rather, not
entirely. While this is a game of fantasy and myth, it is rooted in Russia’s
history and how the Russians themselves saw their world. However, this does not
pretend to historical accuracy. Obviously there are major differences, such as
the inclusion of magic. There are also minor liberties taken with reality: for
example, while vodka did not become widespread in Russia until later, what is a
Russian game without ‘living water,’ so in this case accuracy takes second
place to fun.
How can I Learn More?
Over time, samples and further information will be posted on this site -
subscribe to the free Mythic Russia news
service for regular updates.
In the meantime,
check out the Game page, and especially the
buttons along the side of this page, which will take you to further information
on the kind of heroes you might play, how magic will be handled in Mythic
Russia, and the otherworlds beyond the mundane realms of humanity.
Resources
Medieval Russia offers a huge range of exciting opportunities to gamers, but
is still too little explored. The buttons to the left will take you to lists of various resources to help players
and narrators alike, from the best books on the period (ranging from heroic
fiction to scholarly studies) to useful web links. These will be added to
regularly, but if you have a suggestion for a book or site to include, go to the
Contacts page and use the 'Contact the Firebird about
the Website' option on the mail form to let us know.
All content throughout this site relating
to the Mythic Russia game and setting is
copyright © Mark Galeotti 2004-5.