A strange little side quest
The fun part of looking behind Rail of War is seeing how many older ideas are still alive in modern play. Games resembling checkers were being played thousands of years ago; evidence of related games reaches back to around 1600 BC. Another piece of context lands nicely beside it: Early computer role-playing games helped turn rules, inventories, exploration and character progression into systems that could support long-form digital adventures. It is a good reminder that simple game mechanics can carry a surprising amount of history.
