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[Dayl]

Hey guys,

I'm working on a fantasy game, and I'm trying to establish what era it's set in.

I really like Medieval stuff, but I also like Renaissance stuff. Do you guys think its okay to mix eras? Like if I set it in a transition period somewhere between the 14th and 15th centuries, and have the nobles be a bit more advanced than the commoners? It's an alternate universe so I don't necessarily have to be true to history, do I? Steampunk mixes eras, after all.

Any suggestions? How would you go about this?

[TitoOliveira]

I believe that would work.
What i really don't like is the incredibly high fantasy stuff like Final Fantasy. People live in a world that is full of tech and magic, but still wield swords to fight dudes. I don't know...

[s0]

Almost every fantasy game does this already, so yeah you should be fine. It's even realistic. I mean it's not like the renaissance suddenly came and changed everything overnight. The renaissance was largely a phenomenon of the elites, most "common" people continued to live "medieval" lives.

Besides the renaissance is considered to be part of the middle ages anyway.

[Dylan Moon]

Give it a try - I think it would work nicely, as Silbereisen said the renaissance didn't really happen over night and even if it did; it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to do it that way in your fantasy world.

Having the nobles be a bit more advanced than the commoners makes sense in more ways than one - they have the resources, and sometimes the access to certain knowledge that commoners may find it harder to find. Unless your settled for what the player will play as in terms of back-story: this also gives you the chance to let the player choose their back-story and ultimately view the society and world your developing from the eyes of individuals with a different background (as a noble or as a commoner for example), it would be an interesting way to explore the world although it may add a fair amount of work, but I'd say the result would be worth it if it's what your looking for!

[bdsowers]

Like you say, it's fantasy, so you can do whatever the hell you want.

I can't think of a game that's been seriously criticized for "mixing eras." Final Fantasy 7 mixes sci-fi, medieval, feudal, and a few others. Chrono Trigger (which, to be fair, is a game about time travel) has eras where swords & sorcery interact with flying ships and steamboats and electronics. The list goes on... there are probably actually pretty few RPGs that stay confined to a single era.

And if you do want to maintain some self-consistency, what everyone here is saying about different wealth levels is true enough. Plus you also have geographical issues that play into socio-political issues. Europe and America were in vastly different spaces during the medieval era - they've converged a bit more recently now that we have instant communication and fast travel options, but that hasn't always been true.