Bronze Age FRP Gaming

The metal in your weapon and armor is money.

RuneQuest (by Chaosium) burst into my hobby life at a time when I was searching for a game to advance role-playing as I knew it through D&D/AD&D to the next level. Role-playing had become the centerpiece of my gaming hobby, having replaced historical miniatures and edging out board games. RQ's bronze age setting is focused on myth rather than heroic or high fantasy and this came as a bit of a shock - it would require years of mental adjustment to more fully appreciate the game's bronze age mythical setting (Glorantha) for what it is. The bronze age differs in so many respects from later periods of human development and the "golden" metal swords and helmets are among the least of these differences. Society, culture, religion and world outlook are vastly more important differences than those of metallurgy and technology.

RuneQuest is a game of myth - and people's relationship to the world as interpreted through mythical beliefs. The PC's relationship to their gods, to their culture and to the "spirit" world are what essentially define each character in RuneQuest Glorantha. For many years time this was a lost concept for me as I dived into the combat mechanic with its strike ranks, hit locations, individual weapon skills, and parrying routines without paying near enough attention to how RQ differed from D&D in scope and emphasis. My mechanical approach continued as I explored the RQ magic system wherein any and all characters may cast "spirit" magic. I did note that magic spells in RQ are more limited in power and not so "flashy" as in the FRP systems I had started with. (There are no Fireballs in RQ.) 

Along came RuneQuest 3rd edition and somewhat to my relief the RQ system mechanics were separated from its default setting of Glorantha allowing one to play RQ in a fantasy European setting (the default for the new edition) or using just about any other setting one liked. The basic mechanics of the game were also published by Chaosium as a separate game around this time and simply titled Basic Role-Playing or BRP. The BRP "engine" has proved quite popular over the years and has powered many games including Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu. Starting with its third edition (published jointly by Avalon Hill and Chaosium), RQ would be divorced from bronze age Glorantha and adapted to fit a variety of more traditional fantasy and historical settings. 

The third edition quickly replaced second as my preferred version of the game which I ran using a variety of medieval based fantasy and quasi-historical settings for a number of years to come. It was not until I had experienced renewed interest in historical miniatures wargaming - this time with an emphasis on the ancient period - that I came to an appreciation for the bronze age roots of RuneQuest's original setting in Greg Stafford's Glorantha.

Fantastic role-playing in a bronze age setting would not remain the sole purview of RuneQuest however. Once the potential of a setting based on bronze age principles had been demonstrated by RQ, others started to bring their design talents and fantastic visions relating to that age to the tabletop. Perhaps the first to follow RQ was Palladium's Valley of the Pharaohs published as a boxed set in 1983. 

Blood & Bronze is a more recent "indie" tabletop RPG that draws heavily from a bronze age "mythic" Mesopotamia for its inspiration.  Like Palladium's older Valley of the Pharaohs product, Blood & Bronze benefits from being lavishly illustrated with black and white images that help the reader become immersed in the look and feel of an ancient period. Blood & Bronze is what might be called old school adjacent with respect to mechanics. Advancement is based on acquiring wealth and therefore encourages tomb raiding and mercenary behavior on the part of the PCs. Dice rolls are made using d20  saving throws verses an ability score or with a pool of d6s based on an ability score and looking for 5s and 6s for success. Magic in B&B is linked to either religious ritual, black lotus drug use, or by tapping into the spirit world. Monsters and creatures are inspired by the mythical beasts from Mesopotamian lore. The various tropes including ziggurats, hanging gardens, a view that all writing techniques involve "magic", a number of unusual Mesopotamian monsters, and a roughly historical map of the Tigris-Euphrates region, results in B&B definitely having the look and "feel" of something different from Greyhawk D&D.

A recent FRP game offered by Osprey Publishing is Jackals. Like RQ, Jackals uses a d100 skill based system to power game play. My introduction to Osprey Publishing products was through their extensive line of historical wargaming reference books and it should come as little surprise to anyone familiar with Osprey Books that Jackals is set in a world that is instantly familiar to anyone who has studied eastern Mediterranean civilizations of the historic bronze age. Like most "fantasy" settings, that found in the pages of Jackals goes by different names, but borrows heavily from earth's historic peoples for inspiration. Found here are fantasy cultures highly suggestive of Egyptians, Greeks, Canaanites and Bedouins (as can be seen by a quick glance at the cover illustration). 

Somewhere along my journeying in this hobby, it has dawned on me that even the traditional FRP game has little resemblance to the actual historic European middle ages beyond inclusion of medieval trappings such as the familiar suits of metal armor and fighting with swords and mounted lances. Kings and queens exist in the fantasy realms, but aside from certain niche RPG systems such as Chivalry & Sorcery and Harnmaster, there is virtually no effort among FRP games to represent feudal obligation or the role of the medieval church in any way remotely resembling authenticity. The World's Most Popular Role-Playing Game in its default out-of-the-box state has always represented a modern world view as held by contemporary American society.

So what sets bronze age fantasy apart from traditional or "medieval" fantasy? For me the answer is found in the "bronze age" deification of various aspects of the environment as epitomized by the sun god, the earth goddess and the implied tensions between spheres of influence, gender and so forth. Spirits are ubiquitous and inhabit forests, rivers, mountains, etc. and may be encountered when visiting the mystical places they inhabit. Societal conflicts often center around the ascending role of patriarchal priest kings and their efforts to subjugate various earth mothers and nature spirits. Forces greater than the player characters take an active interest in the happenings of the world and the PCs do not exist in a vacuum. They are encouraged to form ties within the society, as well as to the deities and perhaps to various spirits and cults - all factors that can enhance the richness of role-playing in a fictional setting.

The Magical Arts

Beyond Magic & Advanced Editions

Reading the Advanced game tomes I am thinking about magic and spell casting in the traditional FRP game. At some point after playing for a while the game's mechanics will become quite familiar and start to fade into the background, and little thought is given to them. That is the point at which the play gets really interesting for me, as I view an RPG as an immersion tool - much like a good movie or novel, an RPG can be a way to suspend disbelief and for a few exciting moments experience an escape to some faraway adventure. The basic concepts of the World's First Role-Playing Game indeed became second nature for me at some point in the distant past, so much so that I can actually referee some semblance of the game (using an ample dose of rulings) without reference to any rule book. 

My preference is to default to certain personal preferences when running most FRP games. I don't generally prefer to explain much about the world with regard to deities, how magic works, or what is true about certain faraway places, creatures and people. I prefer to engage in those Setting specific topics through actual role-play with NPCs - ask questions, dear players. Player characters may consult one sage about "the gods" and get that person's answer. If they ask the priest down the road, they will likely get a different answer - thus giving them a feel for "mysteries" and a reason to "find out for themselves". Also, as referee I enjoy hearing what the players think up as revealed through the responses as they role-play their character. In other words - "Tell me what YOU think, young grasshopper."

Magic is what sets "fantasy" apart from many another genre of fiction as I see it. Magic in the World's Most Popular Role-Playing Game comes in two distinct flavors, divine (cleric) and arcane (magic user). The fact that the game uses the same mechanics for both magics always seems a bit disappointing to me and one has to look to the explanation for how magic works to appreciate the subtle differences. In this post I will focus on the nature of arcane magic.

In the Advanced Dungeon Masters Guide author Gary Gygax makes a number of statements regarding why magic exists and how it works. This Gygaxian explanation has not been repeated in later editions and it has often been left up to the players figure it out for themselves - not a bad idea in my opinion. I find the "advice" Mr. Gygax gives regarding the nature of magic to be just the start of an expanding body of thought regarding magic in my own games.

On page 40 of his Advanced DMG, Mr. Gygax describes the magic user's source of power when he writes:

The triggering action draws power from some plane of the multiverse. Whether the spell is an abjuration, conjuration, alteration, enchantment, or whatever, there is a flow of energy — first from the spell caster, then from some plane to the area magicked or enspelled by the caster. The energy flow is not from the caster per se, it is from the utterance of the sounds, each of which is charged with energy which is loosed when the proper formula and/or ritual is completed with their utterance. This power then taps the desired plane (whether or not the spell user has any idea of what or where it is) to cause the spell to function.

The power to make magic happen comes from outside the caster, presumably by the arcane caster having a means to pierce whatever barrier exists between the material plane on which the caster lives and whatever plane the spell draws its energy from. Giving some thought to this concept, it seems likely that piercing the barrier, or veil that separates the planes, may occur as part of the memorization process - and therefore a function of spell preparation, or even comes as a result of the actual utterances of the verbal sounds, or the actions of the somatic movements, and/or as a property of the material components of the spell, or all three! The fact is that the energy is already tapped and stored during preparation because as Mr. Gygax's writes:

Release of word/sound-stored energy is not particularly debilitating to the spell caster, as he or she has gathered this energy over a course of time prior to the loosing of the power. It comes from outside the spell caster, not from his or her own vital essence. The power to activate even a first level spell would leave a spell caster weak and shaking if it were drawn from his or her personal energy, and a third level spell would most certainly totally drain the caster’s body of life!

Magic exists (and presumably originates) in another dimension, or on another plane of existance. The users of magic have learned to access the magic by tapping into the places where magic exists and bringing it into the world in the form of a "spell". This may require divine aid and be acquired through prayer, worship and ritual in the case of the cleric class, or through some other means among the users of arcane magic. Just how that "access" works may even vary from one school of magic to the next. I like to imagine that there is more than one way to cast magic. 

as I think it through, it seems possible that some magic users have discovered ways to pierce the barrier separating the planes through certain sound combinations - vibrations, if you like. I believe this to be the source of elfin magic which I think of as involving song (and maybe dance). Humans would, I think, take a somewhat scientific approach to learning magic - hence their use of sympathetic material components. The actual process of achieving access to the source of magic could be assisted by the use of certain gestures or movements, or perhaps those body movements are simply performed as part of the remembering process (or contributing to the ritual of unlocking as it were). Material components may be consumables that help the caster to "break the barrier" or may be the repository of actual stored magical energy that is then released at the time of casting. I like to describe the "memorization" process of preparing spells as including attunement to any material components the spell requires as well as establishing the "portal" to the plane where the magic resides. Once the way or path is established it is held in the mind of the caster and can quickly be followed to cast the desired spell. Any spell failure is likely to occur during the preparation as that is when the link is established and the  path or portal is created. Thus casting involves following an established path to open the barrier and release the energy that manifests on the caster's plane as a magic spell.

If my players ask a certain sage about just how magic works, I might give them an answer very similar to the one above. I think this aids in player immersion and gets them thinking inside the game's fictional setting and leaving the real world aside for the moment. I also see no reason to presume that magic must work the same in every fictional setting, or even be the same across all schools of magic within a single setting. Why would it be so? I like to imagine some arcane casters access their magic through some diabolical pack with a patron from the great beyond. Others may be imbued with a magical bloodline due to some remote ancestor having mated with a demon, dragon or what-ever! 

Ah, the possibilities abound!

Deep in her underground seclusium laboratory, the sorceress Morbidea works among her distillation apparatus. As she focuses her mind, concentrating, inhaling the poisonous mercury fumes and seeking extra-planar aid - their minds seem to touch, she almost could picture the squat, hairy toad-like form of her patron sitting motionless on some faraway starless planet. She called to "him" softly saying "Ssu-thok-wah", wondering if that were a greeting, or a name. The planar pathway opened - the bubbling liquid traveling up the beak of the alembic until a single silver droplet appeared at its lip. Morbidea smiles as she opens her eyes and delicately positions the tiny vial so as to catch the droplet as it falls. As the thick silver leaves the alembic and settles into the vial, she draws a deep breath and exhales slowly - satisfied that the material component for casting the spell that will bring forth a magical floating disc is amply impregnated with the required energies. Leaning back and closing the tome of spell formulas, she again closes her eyes and mentally focuses on the patterns and sounds that together with the drop of mercury will access the elemental plane of air and bring forth the invisible floating disc which she hopes will aid her in retrieving the lost tome of dark midnight hexenkraft from the tomb of the ancient Brotherhood of the Void inquisitors.

Preparing spells in a manner that involves use of an extensive apparatus, access to a variety of physical material components and frequent consultation of a weighty and expensive tome of secret formulae is not conducive to renewing one's magical repertoire each morning while out adventuring. The traditional "Vancian" spell slot schema seems more like the preparation of certain spells for "emergency" casting - and I think an argument can be made for this interpretation. More spells might be cast during such times way from the laboratory could conceivably involve magical scrolls or potions - and I like to think a selection of such plus select magic items carefully chosen would accompany any adventuring magic user above apprentice level. 

Thinking creatively about magic, reading between the lines of the rule books and imagining how you would like magic to be in your game can add depth, and plausibility making the game more enjoyable - especially if that is the sort of detail you enjoy.

So the next time you play, why not take your magic beyond to the next level!

Against the Darkmaster

Against the Darkmaster

Among the handful of FRP systems that I consider dearest to my gamer's heart is Iron Crown Enterprises' Rolemaster. Particularly in its second edition, Rolemaster is a FRP game that I find intuitive and rewarding to play - and my go-to system for solo RPG play. The Rolemaster charts do require the person behind the screen to be organized and to have a degree of mastery with the system, but I think any referee or judge should exhibit such qualities while using ay system after they have a few sessions under their belt. The difficulty that I have found with Rolemaster is in character creation and especially character advancement which can be math heavy and time consuming. During the actual table play, the system runs quite smoothly, and if it's not the quickest system, Rolemaster delivers some very detailed results when the dice are rolled and the charts are consulted - a fact that enhances my enjoyment and ability to mentally picture the action when playing solo.

During its halcyon days Iron Crown Enterprises (commonly abbreviated to I.C.E.) produced a number of excellent RPG products as part of their Middle Earth Role Playing (M.E.R.P.) line. MERP was a licensed Middle-earth FRP game based on Rolemaster's d100 open ended chart system, but it is a significantly cut down and adapted version for running a setting closely associated with the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's fiction - as the name implies. The MERP products are richly illustrated, contain a wealth of beautifully rendered maps and include lots of plot and lore detail easily borrowed for use with any system. I still find these MERP products quite useful as a resource and have frequently drawn from them for graphics and as a source of inspiration for use with other systems including Adventures in Middle-earth and The One Ring.

Against the Darkmaster is a new game that seems to channel much of the spirit of Rolemaster and MERP, but is not a direct clone or simulacrum of the old I.C.E. systems. Like the I.C.E. games, Against the Darkmaster uses an open ended d100 roll and tables are consulted to give rather detailed outcomes, but that is about the extent of the mechanical similarity with the I.C.E. game products. Against the Darkmaster obviously implies a default setting that seems inspired by the classic Tolkien trilogy, but this is not so uncommon in our hobby, nor in the field of fantasy literature in a post Lord of the Rings publication world. The book store shelves I have visited include many titles published from the 1970s on which are highly derivative of Middle-earth and often involve dwarves, elves and men fighting to save their world from the machinations of an evil "dark lord".

This new system includes a number of "improvements" that are consistent with trends in modern game design. Inclusion of character "Passions", "Drives" and the "Heroic Path" in Against the Darkmaster adds an element of depth to role-play that is mechanically supported. The "Traveling" and "Safe Havens" sub-systems bring a particular "feel" to the game and remind me of aspects found in Adventures in Middle-earth and The One Ring - aspects which are credited with delivering a game experience in those systems that seems much in keeping with the literary setting from which they draw licensed inspiration. 

One criticism I have often heard leveled at I.C.E.'s depiction of Middle-earth in the MERP line is the presence of magic using classes and some overly "flashy" spell lists which may spoil the fell of the setting for some folks. Rather than adhere strictly to what is found in the famous trilogy, games like MERP (a licensed product) and Against the Darkmaster succumb to the desire of many players for magic use in their game. You can definitely play a character in Against the Darkmaster that has the ability to throw a few flashy spells - if that is your desire.

Against the Darkmaster is a new game that I am excited about for a number of reasons. As an open ended d100 system its bones seem strong and is of immediate appeal to me as a fan of that mechanic. The "defeat the darkmaster" high fantasy theme is one that I am both comfortable with and often prefer (alternating between a more pulp sword & sorcery and high fantasy pretty well describes my main RPG interests). The game is complete in a single 576 page volume containing all the information needed for character generation, establishing your unique darkmaster setting, including monsters and thematic plotting ideas enough to last through several campaigns and a three part mini-campaign to get you started. 

So who might be excited about Against the Darkmaster? Anyone who is looking for a game with which to run high fantasy adventures using some fun modern mechanics, especially those to whom a d100 skill based system will appeal. And the added bonus is that one is not burdened by the weight of canon when using an established intellectual property setting in which much is known and not open for creative adaptation. It's really the best of both worlds - familiar and open ended!

Build me a World worthy of Gaming

Advanced Editions and a Toolkit Approach

In my last post I spoke about spending considerable time this past year with the Advanced versions of the World's Most Popular Role-Playing Game and how impactful this experience has been on my opinion of the traditional FRP game. In this post I express some thoughts on a topic I consider central to the entire hobby - worldbuilding.

Most gamers, myself included have treated everything in the Advanced hardcovers (and by extension every other game) as being "on the table" and available for use by any player who thinks they would like to use it. Taken as a whole, that is an everything goes attitude. Until recently, I mostly looked at the Advanced game in just that way - include everything! 

It always need to be said, there is "no right way" to play a traditional FRP game - that would be counter to the spirit or stated intent in the rules. Each person who sets out to act as referee, judge or Dungeon Master is encouraged to do some work personalizing the game for their own use. In the words of AD&D designer E. Gary Gygax, "When you build your campaign you will tailor it to suit your particular tastes."

That also means take what you want, change what you will and leave the rest out. In other words, treat the published game as a toolkit. 

Do what? 

A toolkit like some "generic" system?

This comes as a bit of a revelation to me. Despite the fact that I started in this hobby with the original boxed three little brown books, which are very much a do-it-yourself extension of a miniatures wargame where it is expected that the game will be tailored to fit the particular needs of each wargamer. The original White Box edition offers at least three mechanical options for combat - two require the use of another product - Chainmail and its Fantasy Supplement. The last is the now ubiquitous d20 "alternative" system. It is expected that one will pick and choose, or perhaps combine the various optional mechanics, using one system for individual combat verses other man-like beings, use another verses beastly creatures, and yet another for mass combat involving small armies of combatants as well as characters. Chainmail also includes a separate "Jousting" mechanic for those formalized contests between mounted knights - a contest that plays a part in many literary sources and therefore can also inspire our gamer's imagination.

From its inception, the World's First Role-Playing Game takes inspiration from a variety of sources and therefore includes a number of seemingly disparate elements, especially regarding its list of monsters. Some creatures resemble monsters found in classical mythology. Some other monsters seem drawn from various works of fantastic fiction. Being able to play in games that are inspired by our reading is part of the game's appeal. Certain fictional works, especially the very popular high-fantasy sources, are especially well supported in the list, but taken in its entirety, the game is a large collection of nearly everything borrowed from everywhere. Even the first three Advanced hardcover volumes contain more spells, treasures and monsters than any single campaign is likely to make use of, even if the campaign is played for years. Why this has not occurred to me before is a wonder.

Players in this hobby seem to possess a nearly inexhaustible apatite for new character classes and new playable races, new spells and referees for new monsters and treasures as evidenced by the ton of supporting material that accompanies so many popular RPG systems. When added to the original abundant quantities of same, the resultant game system can quickly assume "unmanageable" proportions. I have stopped running more than one system after experiencing just such a problem with trying to manage the overwhelming amount of published material.

It now seems so obvious to me. The solution, to all this abundance. Pick and choose from the available material when we "build our campaign" and do so with no expectation that we have to "use it all" in every setting. Yes, even the amount of stuff found in those original rule volumes. 

The resulting campaign is likely to benefit from limiting its scope thusly. Only certain classes and races need be available as PCs. Characters can encounter only certain monsters chosen beforehand from the lists. By placing such limits on the campaign the referee or DM makes it both more internally consistent and more believable and also more manageable for their part - all while also making it more engaging for the players who now know what to expect and who/what they oppose.

The era of publication of the second edition of the Advanced game also saw the publication of a number of official settings (including the excellent Dark Sun setting material) which do just this - pick and choose as well as add some original material. Exploring the Dark Sun setting recently has suggested to me that there are many such examples. There is no reason that a homebrew (or even published) campaign cannot feature player characters, monsters and more that deviate from the standard rules. I am thinking of a homebrewed example where the PCs are heavily drawn from the Advanced cleric and paladin classes who will be fighting monsters that are primarily of the undead variety along with some associated cultists who worship undeath. 

Not every campaign has to include every imaginable thing just because there are game stats for it. 

A Year Well Spent

And an "Advanced" Opportunity Taken!

Today I am pondering a year of social distancing and the fact that it has been more than 12 months since I was last able to play an in-person game. The role-playing hobby remains immeasurably interesting to me, but I have engaged with it quite differently this past year. Firstly, I have learned to play online using Discord. I have experimented with Roll20 and have found that for me the virtual tabletop adds little to my personal enjoyment above that achieved with Discord alone. I attribute this to my preference for the  "theater of the mind" style of play (and while physically gathered around the gaming table).

Reading about games, watching online video streams featuring others who are playing their games, and the occasional solo RPG session have also scratched my gaming itch in the absence of the usual face-to-face gaming, conventions and visits to the game shop. Do I look forward to the return of in-person gaming? Absolutely, yes! But I have used the enforced "distance" to broaden my experiences engaging with other aspects of the hobby and learning is always a plus.

During this past year I have spent a lot of time with the Advanced version of the World's Most Popular Role-Playing Game and have acquired an increased appreciation for that version of the game, including how it can add to my enjoyment of the hobby. Like many things in America today, the Advanced game now exists in several versions, because we are all about having choices. The versions I have include 1e, 2e and OSRIC, and I have spent hours and hours this past year delving into each of these. As a result, my appreciation for them has never been greater.

The first edition of the Advanced game is mostly the work of a single designer, E. Gary Gygax and it demonstrates much about the man and his attitudes regarding how the hobby should be enjoyed. As a designer, Mr. Gygax places much of the control of the game in the hands of the Dungeon Master - a new term which he practically invents to describe the role previously referred to as the "referee" or the "judge" of the game. In his three Advanced hardcover tomes, Mr. Gygax in turn is speaking to the player, offering his advice to that audience, and to the Dungeon Master whom it is obvious he holds in the greatest regard. For Mr. Gygax the Dungeon Master is the "creator and ultimate authority" of the game. This is emphasized by parceling out many of the game's essential rules for exclusive inclusion in the Dungeon Masters Guide and cautioning non-DMs to refrain from reading said DM Guide lest they discover too much and thereby lesson their enjoyment of the game; in his words "by taking away some of the wonder that otherwise arises from a game that has rules hidden from participants."

The second edition of the Advanced game takes a somewhat different approach to inclusion and represents a shift in game philosophy. Credited to David "Zeb" Cook as 2e designer, the second edition Players Handbook expressly aims to place all the rules necessary to play the game into the hands of each player participant. The second edition retains the three volume format of 1e including a dedicated DM Guide, but rather than containing essential rule systems, the 2e DM Guide is devoted to providing additional options, explanations and advice for setting up and running the game at the table. It is also a far less "essential" tome than its 1e predecessor in my opinion.

OSRIC, the Old School Reference and Index Compilation is a simulacrum version of the 1e Advanced Game using the Open Gaming License and Standard Reference Document. OSRIC is a single volume of just over 400 pages which combines the essential material found in the original three hardcovers. OSRIC is a complete game and its stated goal is to provide a mechanism for authors to design and publish for sale modules written for the first edition Advanced Game - that it can be used at the table to run said game is a plus. OSRIC is not an exact restatement of the original however, and it contains various system interpretations based on what its authors consider the most common ways the original version was actually played. These are informative and interesting to consider, even if it isn't the way I recall playing my Advanced game.

During the past year I have gained appreciation for each of these Advanced versions of the World's Most Popular Role-Playing Game and have come to consider them among the best FRP game products available today. Reading each has deepened my understanding of the others and I feel that each of the three versions contributes something unique and of great value to the hobby. I consider the time spent reading and thinking about these three variations on a traditional approach to tabletop role-playing in fantastic milieux a fortuitous opportunity which I am likely to continue to make good use of.   

Herbalsim

The Magic Leaf and other herbs.

Healing potions, poison antidotes and charms against evil. What is athelas or kingsfoil besides a flower? What effect can wolfsbane or garlic have? While being mostly mundane substances they can add a bit of magic and wonder to the game by applying a bit of imagination. Seemingly common remedies are too often overlooked in a milieu full of flashy magics. When used liberally, the herbal concoctions can make low-level magical effects more available and also add some unique flavoring to anyone's fantastic setting. They certainly do so in the famous works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Smoke, tea, plaster and powder - the stuff of folk healers and hedge witches also makes for a lot of interesting game-play. The search for an herbal remedy, or a special spell component can form the basis of wilderness, underworld or social encounters. 

Appendix J found in the 1979 Dungeon Masters Guide is a good place to start when seeking inspiration for the inclusion of herbs in the RPG campaign. Other game resources I have found useful can be found in the Rolemaster (Classic) Character/Campaign Law book and in Maelstrom, a FRP game written by Alexander Scott and first published in 1984. Each of these games contains a section on using various herbs in a very "magical" way, adding to and enhancing game-play.

In his Riftwar Saga novel Silverthorn, author Raymond E. Feist makes use of both a potent poison and a plant based remedy or antidote as a plot mechanism. Author Katherine Kurtz makes use of a number of herbal substances and potions in her Deryni novels - some with unpredictable side-effects. In her novels, merasha has a debilitating, almost hallucinogenic effect on the magical Deryni folk, but has no effect on non-magic users. 

One doesn't have to look far to find many other authors who make use of various mundane or non-magical substances which can be prepared in various ways to produce effects which have wonderous power over the living or occasionally, the undead.