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I released a historical fiction kinetic novel last month, but I emphasized on the fiction aspect by making it take place in a...not completely accurate version of 1600s, Japan. I took a lot of creative liberties, like making up new Shoguns rather than using actual ones like Tokugawa. It wasn't a huge departure from what actually happened, yet I gave it the AU label anyway because it was more fictional than historical (no fantasy elements, though - it was very much grounded in reality).

When I started writing, I wasn't an expert on the setting, and I'm still not. Still, doing the research was fun, and it's something that's pretty much required if you know 0 about your setting. Through researching, I came across a lot of things that helped with my characters' characterization. So, yeah, I definitely recommend it even if you go down the AU route.

1. Do you think setting should always be the priority in historical fiction?

Yeah, historical pieces are all about the setting and how it affects its characters. I know that the characters in In This Dream of Ours wouldn't have been the same people if they were in a different, more peaceful time period. The civil wars that they lived through made them who they were. Setting has a major, important effect on everything in historical fiction.

2. Are historical errors enough to bring you out of a story, or is it more dependent on consistencies within the story itself?

Depends on how jarring the error is, and how historical the visual novel wanted to be in the first place. A bazooka in a story set in Hamlet's time period? That wouldn't work out without a proper explanation, AKA an AU re-imagination of the time period, where there's modern weaponry for some reason. Guess it really depends on the set-up of the story. Let your audience know how accurate you plan on being.

3. If the story isn't accurate to history, is it worth calling the setting an "alternate universe", or does that seem like cheating?

Not cheating at all. It's your story to tell.

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Play: In This Dream of Ours (5/7/2012)
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I'm actually working on a historical fiction VN right now, so I do have to say its very worth it if you're prepared to do the research!

1. Do you think setting should always be the priority in historical fiction?

NO! I feel that the setting should take a back seat when it comes to character development. Of course the setting should be important, but you shouldn't forget the characters the story revolves around.

2. Are historical errors enough to bring you out of a story, or is it more dependent on consistencies within the story itself?

It all depends on the errors, say if its something tiny, like different fashion or something, then no, I wouldn't care that much. It would slightly irk me, but nothing serious. If its a big historical error, like, Abraham Lincoln supported slaverly, then I wouldn't read it. Unless of course it was a AU. Although if you're taking the time to write a historical VN, why would there be glaring errors in the first place?

3. If the story isn't accurate to history, is it worth calling the setting an "alternate universe", or does that seem like cheating?

I would say it would be known as AU, I don't really understand how it could be cheating.

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There are so many popularly accepted 'truths' about certain periods of history that a highly accurate piece of historical fiction is probably just as likely to be regarded as inaccurate as one which actually is inaccurate. Furthermore, even professional historians often have disagreements about the details of what any given historical period was actually like. So long as you don't have obvious glaring anachronisms like Roman gladiators talking on cell phones, you're probably going to be fine. If setting your story in your vision of a historical era makes it easier for you to tell the story you want to tell, I say go for it!