I’m thinking peasants during the European medieval period but it doesn’t necessarily have to be that. The main thing is that I don’t want the main character to ascend to a higher social order—t least immediately. It’s okay if they end as a warrior or landholder, but I don’t want this transformation to take place as soon as act 1 is over.
I really liked Kingdom Come: Deliverance (video game) because the guy isn’t all that special. He has an in with the local lord but everyone still treats him as an ordinary peasant. He loses brawls, gets robbed by highwaymen, and only over the course of the game does he attain status through reputation and impressive clothing and armor. So maybe like that. Speculative/fantastic elements are fine as long as it also has some good historical stuff
by reddt-garges-mold