The Civilizations of the Lost Worlds Scenario:


The League and Society (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6894243&postcount=53)

The Martians (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6895228&postcount=57)

The Moon Races (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6898217&postcount=62)

The Undersea and Underground Races (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6901012&postcount=64)

Pellucidar Races (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6901827&postcount=65)


The current Civs are:

Humans (England)

The League of Gentlemen..........Phineas Fogg
The Evil Secret Society..........Professor Moriarty
The Blackcoats...................John Devil
The Gothic Union.................Master Heathcliff
The British......................Queen Victoria

Underground Civs

Atlantis.........................Prince Namor
The Vril.........................Fuhrer Ragnuk

- Pellucidar

The Amoz.........................Diane the Beautiful
The Mahar........................King Kong

Lunar Civs

The Selenites....................Grand Lunar Ortis
The Uga..........................Jemadev Naheelah

Barsoom Civs

- Red Martians

Helium...........................Tardos Mors
Toolian League...................Lara of Gathol
Manator..........................Jeddak O-Tar

- Green Martians

Thark Horde......................Tars Tarkas
Warhoon Horde....................Bar Comas
Torquas Horde....................Hortan Gur

- White Martians

Thern............................Princess Phaidor
Holy Thern.......................Matai Sheng
Lotharians.......................Tario
Orovar...........................Ho Ran Kim

- other Barsoomians

The Firstborn....................Jeddak Doxos

The Kaldanes......................King Luud


Misfortune (Barbarians)

24 Civs in all.

The Mahar have both Pellucidar and Barsoomian branches (their units are resource-dependent)

There are a lot of Barsoom Civs, but only the Green Martians have settlers until the fourth era. Barsoom Civs cannot trade techs.

The LoG unit "John Carter" begins the game on Barsoom, and must survive there alone until he is "rescued". If he can capture the Temple of Iss and rescue Dejah Thoris from the Holy Thern, she will upgrade into a Transporter Pad unit.

Reserved for Civ Backgrounds

Reserved for further Civ Background Stories

I'd replace Sokoto with the Fulani Empire, replace African Tribes with Abyssinia, and replace Madagascar with the Zulu. Just my initial thoughts!

I thought the Fulani Empire and Sokoto Caliphate (or possibly Sultanate to be more accurate) were roughly the same entity. According to my Times Atlas of World History there was a Fulani-Jihad proclaimed by Uthman dan Fodio in 1804 that led to the emergence of the Sultanate of Sokoto. This existed until the British invaded Nigeria in the 1890s.

I have Abyssinia in there already.

It would be nice to represent the Zulu as a separate civ so I might well ditch Madagascar. However, Madagascar itself has quite a nice history and wasn't fully conquered until late 1800s by the French.

If I made a straight swap of Zulu for Madagascar I could keep the African Tribes (excluding the Zulu) or put in one other pre-partition power. I'll need to think about that one.

Oops, didn't see Abyssinia. I thought Sokoto and Fulani were distinct, but I don't know much about that period, so I'll bow to the authority of your atlas!

And a very nice atlas it is too. Great for dipping in and out of or just to look at the colourful maps. It's a 3rd edition copy, I bought it about 18 years ago so they may well have revised things by now - still I trust it more than Wikipedia.

I'm going to lobby again for Emperor Norton (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=189108) as the USA LH. No other real-world American politician could touch him for Steampunkitude.

I'm going to lobby again for Emperor Norton (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=189108) as the USA LH. No other real-world American politician could touch him for Steampunkitude.

I'm going to bow to your all powerful lobbying Blue Monkey :)

I will make a space for Emperor Norton but not as leader of USA but as a distinct civ based around San Francisco. I just need to come up with a convincing back story and decide whether to drop Brunei or Madagascar. His appearance should make for some interesting dynamics in the Americas.

I'm going to bow to your all powerful lobbying Blue Monkey :)

I will make a space for Emperor Norton but not as leader of USA but as a distinct civ based around San Francisco. I just need to come up with a convincing back story and decide whether to drop Brunei or Madagascar. His appearance should make for some interesting dynamics in the Americas.California, and maybe Gadson Purchase territories, or Texas Republic, secede in disgust over the whole North/South Slavery/States' Rights/Civil War thing, carefully keeping neutrality until war's end. Maybe they get good relations with the Pacific Rim civs because of all the Chinese that came to build the railroads. Knowing Emperor Norton the civ would end up with a weird name like "Libertarian Empire of the Pacific" or something. Or it might be named "Bummerania-Lazarustia" after the dogs that he was associated with.

You only have 30 civs- you can fit one more in without deleting a thing! (I swear I posted this, with the suggestion of Tibet? I guess not...)

The 31st civ is taken up by a 'secret' civ - actually not so secret if you go hunting in the other threads of this subforum.

Ok I made some changes for fun.

Out go Brunei, Korea and Madagascar. In come California, The Secret Evil Society and the Zulu. The 31st civ are the Selenites. Latin America was renamed Gran Colombia. All is evident if you look in the reposted biq.

The Secret Evil Society is headed by Fu Manchu with their HQ in the NE China, another location in the Gobi desert, an uncharted Pacific island and Transylvania. This civ will work completely differently from the other 'nation' civs in that they will be dependent on character units (Dr. Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr Moreau, Captain Nemo etc) and feature some unique units, improvements and wonders that only they can employ. I had thought of another such civ to counter them a Secret Society of Gentlemen (who may or may not be extraordinary) but decided against it and instead will incorporate some of those ideas as special units for the nation civs.

Fantastic! Clearly the Secret Society of Gentleman should be a Wonder (perhaps Small Wonder, to permit branches throughout the world?). An idea: it may be possible to have this Wonder churn out Gentleman units which can then be upgraded to various hero characters. This would require clever tinkering but I believe it could be done if you wanted.

Makes me think of a Dr Jekyll unit which transforms into Mr Hyde in order to attack. Although if I remember correctly, in the book Mr Hyde is actually smaller than Dr Jekyll, so this would be a counter-productive move, but I don't care.

Fantastic! Clearly the Secret Society of Gentleman should be a Wonder (perhaps Small Wonder, to permit branches throughout the world?). An idea: it may be possible to have this Wonder churn out Gentleman units which can then be upgraded to various hero characters. This would require clever tinkering but I believe it could be done if you wanted.

Makes me think of a Dr Jekyll unit which transforms into Mr Hyde in order to attack. Although if I remember correctly, in the book Mr Hyde is actually smaller than Dr Jekyll, so this would be a counter-productive move, but I don't care.

Great idea. I will include the Secret Society of Gentlemen as a small wonder. This will spawn Gentlemen with the upgrade path evolving as the techs progress. I can also use the Society wonder as a prerequisite for buildings and wonders further along the tech tree.

A Jekyll/Hide unit would be great. Invisible Men is another I thought of.

Just to expand upon this idea. It may be possible to have this play out as a scenario within a scenario with large nation states vying for global power and smaller special units fighting each other for key sites and battling the Selenites.

The way I see this working is to make jungle, mountains and marsh impassable to wheeled units. Only the gentlemen, Fu Manchu minions, Explorers and Workers will be able to cross this terrain. This is where the Selenite bases will be in their crashed saucers. I think this can work especially with the map I'm using.

Sounds good! :goodjob:

although I do prefer the sound of the Secret Society of Gentlemen civ ;)...

Sounds good! :goodjob:

although I do prefer the sound of the Secret Society of Gentlemen civ ;)...They would, after all, be one of the few truly civilized societies.:p

Edit: Such a society ought, of course, to include Phileas Fogg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Other_Log_of_Phileas_Fogg). Some of these gentlemen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_1602) might also be considered as precursors (backstory or first era).

They would, after all, be one of the few truly civilized societies.:p

Edit: Such a society ought, of course, to include Phileas Fogg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Other_Log_of_Phileas_Fogg). Some of these gentlemen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_1602) might also be considered as precursors (backstory or first era).

I'll have to read The Other Log of Phileas Fogg, it sounds fantastic. The Marvel 1602 sounds interesting but a bit weirder. You sure do come up with some cracking stuff Blue Monkey.:goodjob:

Just came across this Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Republic_of_Central_America). Maybe you could use some variation of it as part of your Gran Colombia.

Edit: Combine that + this one (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Circle_%28Slavery%29), and with California, Incas, & Aztecs you'd have a suitably weird Americas.

Interesting. I don't know if I'll be able to fit it in but I can use some things for civilopedia ideas. One of the more interesting bits was about William Walker's attempts to conquer large parts of Central America. I could even mix it up further by including a Confederate States of America - not enough room though and doesn't really fit the start date of the scenario.

You could always make a justified reason for it being founded earlier than it was?

Too true.

Actually, I'm thinking that North America in this timeline should be a lot more colonised & developed than in our own. And since putting in California there's more justification for a CSA that would occupy territory from Florida to Texas. It would mean reassigning some French and Spanish towns like New Orleans and Floridas and possibly even Monterrey but I can live with that.

re William Walker - although the phrase wasn't coined until later, I'd say we have him to thank for the idea of "banana republics".

CSA: why not turn it around: call it the Creole States of America - New Orleans as the capitol of what never became the Louisiana Purchase. Posit a back story in which the Haitian Revolution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Revolution) was even more successful, spread to the southern USA, and led to an independent state founded by a union of former slaves, Acadians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajuns), etc. That version of the CSA could encompass the whole Gulf of Mexico from Monterrey to Florida & some of the Caribbean islands.

sounds like a cool idea. We could have a slave owning North and slave free South.

If you want to go into a COMPLETLY alternate world, may I suggest some civs from stuff like Tenku No Shiro Lapyuta, Howl's Moving Castle and Girl Genius?

For Girl Genius, I can already provide some civ background (also, see the webcomic's page Here (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/))

Central/eastern Europe should be split between these two factions:

Wulfenbach Emprie; Lead by Baron Klaus Wulfenbach... UU's; Air Fortress (a.k.a. Castle Wulfenbach)

Heterodyne Empire; Lead by Lady Agatha Heterodyne... UU's; Jaegermonsters (mad-scientist created creatures)....

I'll see about adding more as I thing of it.

I think I'll stick to something that's rooted in the familiar but still offers scope for "original" ideas. I don't think I could manage that by following Girl Genius. That's not to say I wouldn't incorporate some of the ideas from that. Jaegermonsters could be used by my Austro-Prussian civ. I liked the look of the Stompers shown on Friday's comic. So please do add more things.

Haven't posted a biq update in a while so I updated the one on post 1. You can see how the CSA looks, scout out the Selenite bases and find the octopus like control the Secret Evil Society exerts over the globe.

Well, you could perhaps maybe add the Heterodyne Boys in as either (a) a great wonder of some kind (b) this mod's equvalent of the heroic epic or (c) some kind of elite wonder-produced unit....

Also, I think you should put some civ like Skifandir (Xeetha's faction) in Africa, since steampunk Amazons would be cool....

Oh, and an adendum: why not make Baron Klaus Wulfenbach Emperor of Austria, since his territory covers, for the most part, that of the RL Austro-Hungarian Empire, and not only that, but one of Rob's LHs looks just like him....

A few suggestions for wonders:

Transylvania Polygnostic University (the place where the story starts): Doubles Scientific research

Professor Payne's Travelling Circus of Wonders (replacement for Shakespeare's theater?)

Professor Payne's Travelling Circus of Wonders (replacement for Shakespeare's theater?)Until I remembered your obsession with Girl Genius I thought you were talking about Cooger and Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show (http://www.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/movies/vhs/cover120/drv500/v509/v50959d60hw.jpg).

I know King Arthur has already seen Tsuga's Underworld Terrain (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=6169033). So that got me to thinking about a Lost World/Hollow Earth mod; maybe a sequel (as in the Zombie Island series) to this SteamPunk mod. Potential civs could be the Explorers (Euro-Americans), Lizardmen (the whole unit line is already in the Warhammer mod), Agarthans (Orientals from Mu), Morlocks, that tribe She ruled, the natives from Kong Island, Pseudo-Mayan Atlanteans, Old Ones or whatevers from "Mountains of Madness"... The map alone would be really fun to make.

And the tech tree could be deliciously weird. Maybe instead of eras there could be one track for the Explorers, one for the Agarthans, Atlanteans, etc., and one for the primitive tribes.

It could focus on the victory through control of strategic locations (victory points like Kong Island) & resources (maybe a certain mushroom, for example that allows the building of the SS analog).

I think it's a great idea -that terrain is quite inspirational (but must stay on track gnhhh!!!)

A Pueblo-Apache Country based in what is now Arizona, New Mexico, Western Texas, and parts of Mexico.
This suggestion has a historical background, the Pueblo Indians really did temporally succeed in driving out the Spanish, and created a independent state that last for twelve years between 1680 and 1692.

I'm not sure if this goes here, but here's a thread over at the Steampunk Forums that had some good ideas for Steampunk Mid-East/Asian civs would look like:

http://www.brassgoggles.co.uk/bg-forum/index.php?topic=6877.0

This is as good a place to post it as any. Looks like an interesting set of forums over there. Thanks for the link.

Yeah thanks for the link. I can use a few ideas for that area. Also looking for ideas for the Aztecs and Incas too.

Yeah thanks for the link. I can use a few ideas for that area. Also looking for ideas for the Aztecs and Incas too.Seen this thread? (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=184973&highlight=gold+airplane)

Is the first numbers a date?
If so remove poland, it had so called "Rozbior" in 1772 that totally splitted its territory between Prussia, Austria, and Russia,

Russia got Warsaw, Radom etc,
Prussia got Danzig, Poznan,
Austria Cracov.

Is the first numbers a date?
If so remove poland, it had so called "Rozbior" in 1772 that totally splitted its territory between Prussia, Austria, and Russia,

Russia got Warsaw, Radom etc,
Prussia got Danzig, Poznan,
Austria Cracov.King Arthur may choose to change that. On the gripping hand this is an "alternate history" mod.

Exactly!

and I still say that Baron Klaus Wulfenbach should be the leader of Austria

Whilst foraging for something else I came across references to the Bamana Empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamana_Empire) - a West African power that endured from the 17th through the 19th cent. Another possibility for one of those "might have been" civs.

First time I've heard of them Blue but that was a very volatile region.

Regarding Poland this is definitely alt history/reality stuff. I had actually thought about giving Poland the Ukraine territories too - this does have an actual historical basis.

HT - I will make him a Great Leader

What about the Republic of Texas (or Tejas), under the leadership of Sam Houston, with the pistol-packing Ranger as one of its unique units? Also, the Aztecs were pretty thoroughly subjugated at this point, and could be replaced by Mexico under Emperor Maximilian I. Brazil could be a big player in the western hemisphere, too.

What about the Republic of Texas (or Tejas), under the leadership of Sam Houston, with the pistol-packing Ranger as one of its unique units? Also, the Aztecs were pretty thoroughly subjugated at this point, and could be replaced by Mexico under Emperor Maximilian I. Brazil could be a big player in the western hemisphere, too.In the AH laid out in this thread Texas is split between the Creole States of A, Indian Country, & California. Aztecs with steam power is part of the whole point of an AH mod. & I'm pretty sure Brazil is intended to be part of Gran Colombia.

I say that the Western areas (NM, AZ, NV, MN, WY, ID, ND, SD & WA) should be controlled by some kind of alliance between the Dine (Navajo), Lakota (Souix), Hopi (Pueblo), Zuni (Pueblo), Apache and Cheyenne... I've had some interesting ideas for Native American Steampunk, especially considering the Dine Nation's proclivity for adopting modern tech to their purposes, and the fact that they've been pretty big players in the trucking industry for some time now....

I say that the Western areas (NM, AZ, NV, MN, WY, ID, ND, SD & WA) should be controlled by some kind of alliance between the Dine (Navajo), Lakota (Souix), Hopi (Pueblo), Zuni (Pueblo), Apache and Cheyenne... I've had some interesting ideas for Native American Steampunk, especially considering the Dine Nation's proclivity for adopting modern tech to their purposes, and the fact that they've been pretty big players in the trucking industry for some time now....

Hey, I :( already suggested that in back in Post 34 (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6449300&postcount=34).

Axolotl: there's no real room for a Texas civ -see BM's post.

BM: Brasil is still a patchwork of European colonies mainly Portugese. I may juggle it up a bit though and give some cities to unexpected civs: The Papal States for instance (I've already placed one city for them on the West African coast - perhaps they have bases there trying to administer/control/abolish the Slave Trade (delete whichever you prefer)). I guess a city or two in the north could go to Gran Colombia too.

Regarding The Indian Territory. I suppose the discussion boils down to how advanced do we make the Indians in this scenario. My initial thought was to make them a primitive power who at most would have incorporated some steampunk tech into their culture but this would be limited and only what they get from trade with their neighbours. Any ideas on this? Steampunk bows / horses perhaps :)

Well, as I said, the Dine and Lakota were actually pretty keen on adopting Western technology... As a matter of fact, the Lakota under Chief Crazy Horse were actually armed with more modern and advanced rifles than the US Army at the time. :lol: ...The Cavalry was still using single-shot Sharps and Trapdoor Springfields, whereas the Lakota were using winchester repeating rifles.... Ain't no wonder Custer got pwned.

As for ideas, One of mine was (again, partially in keeping with Dine trucking and transporation prowess) some kind of armored steam-lorry, but decked-out native style.

Perhaps the Indians could adapt some kind of steam-powered velocipede to their purposes - a vehicle that is not particularly well armored, but is fast and armed with a decent weapon. They could call it the Iron Horse.

In Gibson and Sterling's The Difference Engine the British covertly supply modern repeating rifles to the Plains Indians specifically in order to prevent the westward expansion of their former Colonies. If the Brit-allied Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy hadn't fallen apart during the American Revolution, it's likely that a similar situation would have developed in the real-life Ohio Territory. Steampunk Indians are gonna be hard to win as, but if we assume a trade dynamic like this it'll keep them competitive.

First time I've heard of them Blue but that was a very volatile region.

Regarding Poland this is definitely alt history/reality stuff. I had actually thought about giving Poland the Ukraine territories too - this does have an actual historical basis.

HT - I will make him a Great Leader

As a matter of fact poland in the golden age had most of Ukraine, Half the Balkans (Hungary, Northern Romania, Moldavia.) Half Germany, and the region which is now Lithuania, Lotva, Estonia, not counting the Belorusian teritories.
They were the most powerful land power in whole europe at the time, holding a regular army of 100 000 soldiers and over half a milion to be able to call to arms at any time, which in those times were an almighty army.

No wonder poland were able to stop the ottoman expansion on Europe (as a matter of fact Ottomans NEVER accepted the fact that poland was splitted between russia, austria, and prussia, all the time did they send official letters to "the polish goverment" althou there was no goverment at the time, they just couldnt believe a country as strong as poland could fell to such weaklings.) And yeah Prussia, Russia and Austria were uber weaklings at the time.

WOW! Damn i overexarated.

I may juggle it up a bit though and give some cities to unexpected civs: The Papal States for instance (I've already placed one city for them on the West African coast - perhaps they have bases there trying to administer/control/abolish the Slave Trade (delete whichever you prefer)).Albino assassins & black-robed Illuminati:goodjob:. "Bring in ... The Comfy Chair!" Goa & a couple other cites in India were in a similar status to Hong Kong during the era as well.

I was thinking "Great Game" in North Am. instead of Central Asia. Euros fighting proxy wars by covertly supporting locals & inflaming their conflicts. Well, as I said, the Dine and Lakota were actually pretty keen on adopting Western technology... As a matter of fact, the Lakota under Chief Crazy Horse were actually armed with more modern and advanced rifles than the US Army at the time.The horse itself was a pretty rapid adoption to advanced technology. Most of the Native Americans I know who practice traditional Earth Medicine use "buffalo gas" (disposable cigarette lighters) & use crazy glue, etc. in their bead & feather work. To them it's not the technology per se, but the spirit in which it is used.Perhaps the Indians could adapt some kind of steam-powered velocipede to their purposes - a vehicle that is not particularly well armored, but is fast and armed with a decent weapon. They could call it the Iron Horse.Steampunk bows / horses perhaps :)Don't call it an Iron Horse; it is an Iron Horse.

Maybe those Anasasi cliff dwellings were really a sort of steampunk DARPA/Area 51 & the Hopi kivas double as bomb shelters. Inca accounting & administration... Mayan mathematics & astronomy... Dine adaptability... Lakotah warrior code... Iroquois governance... Hopi resource management... for starters... combined: pretty formidable. Just don't let the Lenapi handle diplomacy & foreign trade.:lol:

Civilopedia Entries

I shall attempt here to provide descriptions of our Civilizations for the Civilopedia:

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/6756/leagueofgentlementxttr9.jpg

The League of Gentlemen: The League is an organization composed of "extraordinary" individuals who have joined their talents together to oppose a new, more powerful class of criminals that developed out of the political turmoil that swept the world at the dawn of the industrial revolution. This period witnessed the rise of "master" criminals who grasped the tremendous implications of the new technologies suddenly available and quickly outstripped the abilities of governments to control them. They created, in effect, multinational high-tech corporations that profited from misery, misfortune, theft, and murder. The League was chartered to offset this lethal menace by the judicial use of ability, dedication, and scientific application. The true strength of the League does not reside in the incredible abilities of its members, notable though they may be; it is, rather, the League's dedication to investigation and innovation that makes it such an effectively powerful organization. Despite its name, the League's membership has included some certain females, who, contrary to their fair species' reputation of frailty and aversion to conflict, have participated wholly in the battle against criminals and even served in positions of leadership!


http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/2741/malumsoldalitaslogo.jpg The Malum Sodalitas

Malum Sodalitas (Latin: The Evil Secret Society): was founded by Professor Moriarty, a former Oxford Professor of Mathematics, to be a secret society of master criminals under his personal direction. Because this elite group was known only to (or more accurately, suspected to exist by) certain members of Scotland Yard, its activities not been chronicled in popular literature, although Moriarty's infamous handiwork has become known by the ingenuity and intricacy of its planning and the violence of its execution and aftermath. Even less is known of the membership of the Malum Sodalitas, save for the fact that they have always recruited only from the crème de la crème of the criminal world, so that its members are invariably the most cunning, treacherous, and talented criminal minds of the day.



http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Books/Pix/pictures/2007/06/18/jack460.jpg Britain
http://gaygamer.net/images/PF_408971_999%7EUnion-Jack-Posters.jpg

Great Britain: When the young Princess Alexandrina Victoria was told that she would one day be queen, she reportedly said, "I will be good." This statement, applied to the reign of Queen Victoria, would prove to be succinct, accurate, and predictive, for Victoria would bring the British Empire into being, preside over the industrial revolution, and popularize Christmas trees, railroads, white weddings, and marriage between first cousins. During her reign the Empire has expanded so far around the globe that they say "the sun never sets upon it", and this worldwide military success surely proves that her military was and is among the best ever fielded. Despite this, her reign is also known as one of relative peace between monarchs, bolstered no doubt by the fact that almost all of them are related to her.
On September 29th, 1829, Scotland Yard (and London's Metropolitan Police) was founded by Sir Robert Peel and the controversial French detective (and former criminal) Francois-Eugen Vidocq. Scotland Yard introduced both scientific method and bureaucracy into police work, and both continue to be central to the conduct of professional police forces to this day. Whitehall has occasionally (quietly) turned to the League of Gentlemen for assistance, although the relationship between Her Majesty's government and the League is invariably strained, at least on an official level.

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2289/blackcoatslogo.jpg The Black Coats

The Black Coats (Les Habits Noirs) - The origins of the Black Coats go back to 1625, when a young Andrea Vitelli, aka Bel Demonio, organized a criminal gang to avenge the death of his father, the heir of Monteleone. In 1795, great-grandson, Count Mario de Monteleone, formed the Companions of Silence (aka the Iron Knights) to help the less fortunate. Unfortunately, the Count was framed and murdered in jail. The Companions swore to avenge him and turned (back) to crime as a way to do so. In 1802, the son of the Count, who called himself Fra Diavolo, took control of the Companions and rebuilt them into a greater criminal organization called the Black Coats, working from the Corsican monastery of the Freres de la Merci.

Since that time, the Black Coats leadership has been international, including, for instance, Fergus O'Brean, who established the Black Coats in England as the Gentlemen of the Night in order to avenge the murder of his family by the British.

From 1832 to 1843, the Black Coats were led by Mlle Marguerite Sadoulas, who went by the (stolen) title Countess of Claire. When she was apparently murdered by Roland de Claire (the true heir to the Claire title), Colonel Bozzo-Corona rose to head the organization, and held that position through treachery and murder for nearly twenty years, at one point faking his own death so that he could kill his competitors with a bomb he'd placed at the presumed location of Fra Diabolo's treasure. During this period, Marguerite Sadoulas returned and again turned the Black Coats to revenge against the Claire family.

In 1852, Colonel Bozzo-Corona had Mlle Sadoulas' daughter, Justine (named after her great-grandmother, whose exploits had been chronicled by M. De Sade), kidnapped and sold to Leocadie Samayoux, aka Maman Leo, a performer in a crime circus. Justine was endowed with the criminal talents (and libido) of her forebears, and rose to leadership of the Black Silk Hats, a rival of the Black Coats, under the direction of her one-time kidnapper, Saladin.

In the meantime, Henri De Belcamp, aka Jean Diablo, aka John Devil, the son of the Countess De Belcamp (another pseudonym of Mlle Sadoulas) was run out of France by his half-sister Justine, and traveled to England, where he has resurrected the Black Coats (aka Gentlemen of the Night) to be a potent criminal enterprise, surpassing the continental Black Coats in cruelty, coercion, and scope of purpose.

The Black Coats prefer to control by force, rather than reason, and often use foreign mercenaries to carry out their deadly plans.

Link: Black Coats (http://www.reocities.com/jessnevins/vich.html)


http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/272/gothicunionlogo.jpg The Gothic Union


The Gothic Union Heathcliff was a gypsy orphan discovered on the streets of Liverpool by the Earnshaw family of Yorkshire and brought to their estate at Wuthering Heights. Despite his Transylvanian roots, he was raised as a member of the family and became a gentleman "in dress and aspect", though a neighbor, Mrs. Linton of Thrushcross Grange stated that the urchin they first saw could be a "little Lascar or American castaway."

A silent and at first solitary child, Heathcliff was initially resented by both Catherine Earnshaw and her elder brother, Hindley; whilst Catherine later befriended and learned to love Heathcliff, Hindley continued to resent him, seeing him as an interloper who had stolen his father's affection. Upon Mr. Earnshaw's death and his inheritance of the estate, the spiteful Hindley proceeded to treat Heathcliff as little more than a servant boy and made him work the fields, which fostered Heathcliff's lifelong anger and resentment. Catherine, however, remained close to her foster brother.

As she matured into her young teens, however, Catherine grew close to Edgar Linton, a timid and well-bred young man of the neighbouring estate, Thrushcross Grange, and accepted his proposal of marriage; but she privately insisted that her true and only love was Heathcliff. She claimed that she could not marry Heathcliff, however, because it "would degrade her" and that the two would be beggars were such a union to take place. Nevertheless, she also declared her passion for him in such ways as "whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same," and the famous quote "I am Heathcliff." Aware only of Catherine's decision to marry Edgar, rather than her proclamation of true love for him, a bitter Heathcliff left Wuthering Heights upon overhearing her saying that it would degrade her to marry him, and headed for the continent.

In Paris, Heathcliff rediscovered the survival skills he'd learned as an urchin in Liverpool; and combining those with the knowledge he'd gained of the upper classes from his adoptive family; he soon became an accomplished gentleman thief. Adopting the alias Lord Ruthven, he moved easily in the upper echelon of society, picking the pockets of the rich even as he flattered them. One fateful day, however, he picked the wrong pocket and was immediately attacked turned into a vampire by his wrathful victim, a young russian named Armand (who was actually a very old vampire), who was moved to this act mostly by his flustered surprise at having been gotten the best of by a thief. Armand then ordered Heathcliff to leave Paris; "Go back to wherever you came from Thief, and when you have emptied the souls of all whom you love, remember that it all began when you emptied my purse."

So Heathcliff returned to Wuthering Heights a quite different man than the one who had left. Like many vampires, he appeared to be in the peak of health - "like a soldier", it was said. His heightened vampire senses made manipulating those around him an easy task, and he'd soon seduced and married Edgar Linton's sister, Isabelle, who he thereafter treated abominably, alternately beating her, then feeding on her while she was unconscious. When his beloved Catherine fell terminally ill after giving birth to a daughter, Heathcliff resolved to turn her into a vampire, but stopped just short of completing the process, fearing that she would resent him for it. Because of his efforts, she remained suspended between life and death; she appeared to everyone else to have died, but he knew the truth of it, and would twice later have her grave opened so that he could confirm for himself that he had actually preserved her in that state, and because of the fear that she might awaken and be unable to either escape her grave or die.

Meanwhile Isabelle escaped to London and had a son, who she named Linton Heathcliff. Heathcliff was left to focus his rage on his foster brother Hindley, who had treated him badly when he was a child. He toyed with Hindley as a cat would with a mouse, alternately befriending him with drink and card games, then feeding on him after he'd passed out. Hinton's health declined rapidly and he finally died, and Heathcliff took ownership of Wuthering Heights, and began raising Hinton's son, Hareton with as much neglect as he had suffered at Hinton's hands, but did not feed on the boy, instead quenching his unholy thirst with the blood of small animals, and masked these small deaths as acts of random cruelty.

Thirteen years later Isabella died, and Linton came to live at Wuthering Heights with his father, but Linton's resemblance to Isabella drove Heathcliff to begin abusing the boy as he had his mother. When Catherine's and Edgar's daughter Cathy later came to visit and appeared to take an interest in Linton, Heathcliff formed a plan to gain final revenge on Edgar, whom he irrationally blamed for his wretched existence. He redoubled his nocturnal feeding on Linton, and when Cathy returned to the Heights to care for Linton, Heathcliff held her hostage and forced her to to marry his son. Shortly thereafter, Heathcliff killed Edgar and then his own son Linton, finally allowing that poor soul to rest in peace.

By these deaths, Heathcliff acquired Edgar's estate, Thrushcross Grange, and his revenge was complete. But it was a dish served cold, as they say, and when Cathy eventually fell in love with Hareton (as her mother had fallen in love with him when he was in similar circumstance), Heathcliff developed a longing for Catherine that caused a psychic connection to her in the grave, though she yet slumbered in deathly mortis. He began speaking aloud to her as if she were in the room: "I will be with you soon." What his confused relatives couldn't have known was that he could sense her answer from the grave: "I am waiting, my love."

In the end, it was a simple matter for him to reach the grave. He starved himself, both his vampire and mortal selves that is, until his body stopped functioning, and Cathy and Hareton buried him, as he'd requested, in a grave adjoining Catherine, taking off the adjoining sides of their coffins so that they could be together.

After a long while, possibly decades, Heathcliff was able to move himself close enough to Catherine to comingle his blood with hers; by this they were both awakened. Though still weak, Heathcliff tore at the earth above them until he was able to finally pull himself and Catherine up onto the moonlit moors. He captured whatever small animals he could find and they fed until she was able to walk, and then took her back to Wuthering Heights, which had been closed and shuttered in the years since Heathcliff's death. They lived secretly there until all who had known them in life had died, and openly thereafter, and Heathcliff was eventually able to secure the deeds for the land in a trust so that it would be theirs in perpetuity.

Though they remained happy in each other's company, in time they yearned for the company of others like themselves, and formed the Gothic Union, inviting all supernatural beings (for there are many) to join them, and they have been so successful in this pursuit that it threatens to turn a sizeable portion of Britain into the walking dead.

But first, on earth as vampire sent,
Thy corse shall from its tomb be rent:
Then ghastly haunt thy native place,
And suck the blood of all thy race;

There from thy daughter, sister, wife,
At midnight drain the stream of life;
Yet loathe the banquet which perforce
Must feed thy livid living corse:
Thy victims ere they yet expire
Shall know the demon for their sire,
As cursing thee, thou cursing them,
Thy flowers are withered on the stem. - Lord Byron

Sorry, Old Chap, but it's "the fairer sex". None of us, at least not the wise, oppose them. ;)

Edited! Thank you, Blue. Sorry that your post will now make no sense to anybody else.

Those are great! Good pedia entries always make a big difference.

A couple of carping comments, just in the spirit of making them perfect: You can't say "comprised of" - it should be either "comprising" or "composed of". You have stray apostrophes in "its symbol" and "its existence". "Crème" has a grave accent, not an acute one.

...Victoria would bring the British Empire into being, preside over the industrial revolution, and popularize Christmas trees, railroads, white weddings, and marriage between first cousins.

Genius.

Civilopedia Civilizations Part II: Mars (Barsoom)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7yz42DKZuJ0/TPugA4QfdcI/AAAAAAAAANs/dbvdDoPoIbE/s320/DejahThoris.jpg You can find the leaderheads for these Civs here (http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/9533/barsoomleaders.jpg).

Red Martian Civs:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dtCJxSHT7Ac/SaYSXCOh66I/AAAAAAAAALA/N3nXVf1c4rE/s400/PS_02_HeliumWeb.jpg


Helium

Not the inert gas, but he most powerful red Martian nation upon Baroom, Helium is located in the South East Hemisphere. This nation has the largest armada of any red Martian empire, consisting of some 6,000 advanced warships. The Jeddak of Helium, Tardos Mors resides in the city of greater Helium, while his son Mors Kajak, father of Dejah Thoris lives in lesser Helium.

“In addition to the twin-city formation of Helium, another distinguishing feature is the two immense towers, one of vivid scarlet rising nearly a mile into the air from the center of one of the cities, while the other, of bright yellow and of the same height, marks her sister.” (PM XXIII)

Helium is unique for its twin capital cities which are two karads (75 miles) apart; these cities lie 27 karads southwest of Zodanga. A great wind storm toppled the Scarlet Tower of lesser Helium about twenty years after the birth of Tara of Helium, daughter of John Carter and Princess Dejah Thoris. (CM V)

“As he moved with the throng in the parklike canyon of the thoroughfare the life of an awakening Martian city was in evidence about him. Houses, raised high upon their slender metal columns for the night were dropping gently toward the ground. Among the flowers upon the scarlet sward which lies about the buildings children were already playing, and comely women laughing and chatting with their neighbours as they culled gorgeous blossoms for the vases within doors.
“The pleasant ‘kaor’ of the Barsoomian greeting fell continually upon the ears of the stranger as friends and neighbors took up the duties of a new day.
“The district in which he had landed was residential—a district of merchants of the more prosperous sort. Everywhere were evidences of luxury and wealth. Slaves appeared upon every housetop with gorgeous silks and costly furs, laying them in the sun for airing. Jewel-encrusted women lolled even thus early upon the carven balconies before their sleeping apartments. Later in the day they would repair to the roofs when the slaves had arranged couches and pitched silken canopies to shade them from the sun. Strains of inspiring music broke pleasantly from open windows, for the Martians have solved the problem of attuning the nerves pleasantly to the sudden transition from sleep to waking that proves so difficult a thing for most Earth folk.
“Above him raced the long, light passenger fliers, plying, each in its proper plane, between the numerous landing-stages for internal passenger traffic. Landing-stages that tower high into the heavens are for the great international passenger liners. Freighters have other landing-stages at various lower levels, to within a couple of hundred feet of the ground; nor dare any flier rise or drop from one plane to another except in certain restricted districts where horizontal traffic is forbidden.
“Along the close-cropped sward which paves the avenue ground fliers were moving in continuous lines in opposite directions. For the greater part they skimmed along the surface of the sward, soaring gracefully into the air at times to pass over a slower-going driver ahead, or at intersections, where the north and south traffic has the right of way and the east and west must rise above it. From private hangars upon many a roof top fliers were darting into the line of traffic. Gay farewells and parting admonitions mingled with the whirring of motors and the subdued noises of the city. Yet with all the swift movement and the countless thousands rushing hither and thither, the predominant suggestion was that of luxurious ease and soft noiselessness.
“Martians dislike harsh, discordant clamour. The only loud noises they can abide are the martial sounds of war, the clash of arms, the collision of two mighty dreadnoughts of the air. To them there is no sweeter music than this.”
(TMM II)

http://www.johncarterofmars.ca/mars/whelcm4.jpg


Manator

Located north east of Bantoom, and 814 miles west of Gathol, this isolated red Martian nation is protected by treacherous air currents, haads of meager vegetation, ‘torn rocks and yawning chasms.’ These people are notorious for their Jetan games (Martian Chess) that are played with gladiators and slaves. About one million descendants of Gatholians serve as slaves in Manator. Three major cities; Manataj, Manatos & Manator comprise the kingdom of Manator.

“Banners and pennons broke from many a staff. People were moving about the gate before them. The high white walls were paced by sentinels at far intervals. Upon the roofs of higher buildings the women could be seen airing the sleeping silks and furs. Turan watched it all in silence for some time.

“I do not know them,’ he said at last. "I cannot guess what city this may be. But it is an ancient city. Its people have no fliers and no firearms. It must be old indeed . . .There are no landing-stages upon the roofs—not one that can be seen from here; while were we looking similarly at Helium we would see hundreds. And they have no firearms because their defenses are all built to withstand the attack of spear and arrow, with spear and arrow. They are an ancient people.

“From their vantage point they saw a body of armed warriors ride forth from the gate, and winding along a well-beaten road pass from sight about the foot of the hill from which they watched. The men were red, like themselves, and they rode the small saddle thoats of the red race. Their trappings were barbaric and magnificent, and in their head-dress were many feathers as had been the custom of ancients. They were armed with swords and long spears and they rode almost naked, their bodies being painted in ochre and blue and white. There were, perhaps, a score of them in the party and as they galloped away on their tireless mounts they presented a picture at once savage and beautiful.” (CMM IX)

The Jeddak of Manator is O-Tar, “a large man, the perfection of whose handsome face was marred only by the hauteur of his cold eyes and the suggestion of cruelty imparted by too thin lips. It needed no second glance to assure the least observing that here indeed was a ruler of men—a fighting jeddak whose people might worship but not love, and for whose slightest favor warriors would vie with one another to go forth and die. This was O-Tar, Jeddak of Manator, and as Tara of Helium saw him for the first time she could not but acknowledge a certain admiration for this savage chieftain who so virilely personified the ancient virtues of the God of War.” (CM XI)




http://www.erbzine.com/mag8/amm06h6.jpg Toonolian League
A confederation of the Cities that border the Toonolian Marshes. From the summit of the landing tower I had my first view of a Martian city. Several hundred feet below me lay spread the broad, well-lighted avenues of Toonol, many of which were crowded with people. Here and there, in this central district, a building was raised high upon its supporting, cylindrical metal shaft; while further out, Where the residences predominated, the city took on the appearance of a colossal and grotesque forest. Among the larger palaces only an occasional suite of rooms was thus raised high above the level of the others, these being the sleeping apartments of the owners, their servants or their guests; but the smaller homes were raised in their entirety, a precaution necessitated by the constant activities of the followers of Gor Hajus' ancient profession that permitted no man to be free from the constant menace of assassination. Throughout the central district the sky was pierced by the lofty towers of several other landing stages; but, as I was later to learn, these were comparatively few in number. Toonol is in no sense a flying nation, supporting no such enormous fleets of merchant ships and vessels of war as, for example, the twin cities of Helium or the great capital of Ptarth.

Green Martian Civs:


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dtCJxSHT7Ac/SaYSXQ72zNI/AAAAAAAAALI/j0dGCyeZnwI/s400/PS_02_TharkCityWeb.jpg


Thark Horde:

Located about 15 karads (550 miles) southwest from the territories of Helium is the capitol city of this green Martian tribe. “a city from whose long-forgotten people this horde of green men have stolen even their name. The hordes of Thark number some thirty thousand souls, and are divided into twenty-five communities. Each community has its own jed and lesser chieftains . . . Five communities make their headquarters at the city of Thark, and the balance are scattered among other deserted cities of ancient Mars.” (PM XVI).

Green Martian hordes are distinguished by their insignia and metal ornaments. Upon the harness of a Thark warrior is “a small mirror, about the bigness of a lady's hand glass, which hung midway between his shoulders and his waist against his broad back.” (GM III)

“At length Tars Tarkas laughed softly, after the manner of his strange kind when in the presence of the horrible or terrifying. It is not an hysterical laugh, but rather the genuine expression of the pleasure they derive from the things that move Earth men to loathing or to tears. Often and again have I seen them roll upon the ground in mad fits of uncontrollable mirth when witnessing the death agonies of women and little children beneath the torture of that hellish green Martian fete—the Great Games.” (GM III)

“Sharp talons and cruel fangs had torn leg, arm, and breast literally to ribbons. So weak was he from continued exertion and loss of blood that but for the supporting wall I doubt that he even could have stood erect. But with the tenacity and indomitable courage of his kind he still faced his cruel and relentless foes—the personification of that ancient proverb of his tribe: ‘Leave to a Thark his head and one hand and he may yet conquer.’ ” (GM, IV)

Unique amongst green Martian tribes or hordes, the Tharks are particularly adept at handling their steeds or thoats; “these great brutes, by the uncertainty of their tempers, often were the means of turning victory into defeat, since, at a crucial moment, they might elect to unseat and rend their riders . . . And so I explained as carefully as I could the entire method of training I had adopted with my beasts, and later he had me repeat it before Lorquas Ptomel and the assembled warriors. That moment marked the beginning of a new existence for the poor thoats, and before I left the community of Lorquas Ptomel I had the satisfaction of observing a regiment of as tractable and docile mounts as one might care to see. The effect on the precision and celerity of the military movements was so remarkable that Lorquas Ptomel presented me with a massive anklet of gold from his own leg, as a sign of his appreciation of my service to the horde.” (PM XIII)


http://www.johncarterofmars.ca/mars/ty01h4.jpg


Torquas Horde

Green Martian tribe ruled by their jed, Thar Ban and Jeddak, Hortan Gur. Their capital city (also called Torquas) is located in Barsoom’s SW hemisphere about 7000 haads (2583 miles) west of Helium and 200 haads (74 miles) from Aaanthor.

“The men of Torquas had perfected huge guns with which their uncanny marksmanship had permitted them to repulse the few determined efforts that near-by red nations had made to explore their country by means of battle fleets of airships.” (TMM V)

“The temper of the thoats of Torquas appeared even shorter than their vicious cousins among the Tharks and Warhoons, and for a time it seemed unlikely that he should escape a savage charge on the part of a couple of old bulls that circled, squealing, about him; but at last he managed to get close enough to one of them to touch the beast. With the feel of his hand hand upon the sleek hide the creature quieted, and in answer to the telepathic command of the red man sank to its knees. . . Even in the hands of the giant green men bridle and reins would be hopelessly futile against the mad savagery and mastodonic strength of the thoat, and so they are guided by that strange telepathic power with which the men of Mars have learned to communicate in a crude way with the lower orders of their planet.” (TMM XI)


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YNvr8_AfW0g/TKy7tosEQbI/AAAAAAAAAb8/COTecJTh5Bo/s320/tarsart.jpg Warhoon Horde
An exceedingly savage tribe of 20,000 green Martians found in Barsoom’s SW hemisphere lead by an old and insolent Jeddak, Dak Kova. They decorate their torsos with the hands and skulls of their victims. Warhoons are notable for their semi annual gladiatorial games which are held in a sunken amphitheater. “They are a smaller horde than the Tharks, but much more ferocious. Not a day passed but that some members of the various Warhoon communities met in deadly combat. I have seen as high as eight mortal duels within a single day.” (PM XVIII)

There is a somewhat larger tribe of Warhoons of the South ruled by Kab Kadja that shares an uneasy truce with their northern cousins; otherwise, “The various hordes of green men of Barsoom are eternally at deadly war with one another, and never, except on that single historic instance when the great Tars Tarkas of Thark gathered a hundred and fifty thousand green warriors from several hordes to march upon the doomed city of Zodanga to rescue Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, from the clutches of Than Kosis, had I seen green Martians of different hordes associated.” (GM II)

White Martians (Orovar):

http://www.erbzine.com/mag33/ty93h6.jpg Therns, Holy Therns, & Orovars

THERNS are the degenerate descendants of the ancient fair-skinned race and are integral to the pandemic Cult of Issus. “The therns for their part have temples doted along the entire civilized world. Here priests whom the people never see, communicate the doctrine of the Mysterious River Iss, the Valley Dor and the Lost Sea of Korus to persuade the poor deluded creatures to take the voluntary pilgrimage that swells the wealth of the Holy Therns and adds to their number of slaves.” (GM, XIII, p.111) The Valley Dor is not the promised land of peace and happiness, but a nightmare of cruelty and exploitation.

Therns are deceived by superstitions of their own; “As man may eat the flesh of beasts, so may gods eat the flesh of man. The Holy Therns are the Gods of Mars.” (GM, VIII, p.73) In addition to this, and other delusions, therns worship the plant men and white apes as reincarnations of fellow therns who have died before completing the 1000 year life cycle. Therns who die a dishonorable death are thought to forever inhabit the slimy body of an aquatic reptile, the silian. They are an immoral race given to conceit, debauchery, greed and idleness. Telepathic, but not oviparous, there is no marriage amongst the therns. They fear deep water and black pirates.

Therns are similar in appearance to red men except that therns have milk-white skin and are bald. To conceal this shame, both males and females wear long, yellow wigs which they revere. It is a disgrace for a thern to be seen without this wig. An impressive diadem set within a gold tiara identifies a Holy Thern; otherwise, harness and weaponry are very similar to that of the red Martians. They are known “to be the least honorable and most treacherous fighters upon Mars.” (WM, IV, p.44)

In the center of the lush Valley Dor is the Lost Sea of Korus. Upon the shores of Korus (the Red Planet’s only open body of water) is the sacred temple of Issus. The sheer perpendicular Otz Cliffs circumscribe the oval Valley Dor. Beyond the bejeweled Otz cliffs are the frozen and treacherous Otz Mountains of the south pole which are inhabited by furred beasts.

In the subterranean world under the Otz Cliffs, dwell millions of slaves and the ferocious banth. The therns are ruled by a theocracy that sometimes receives written revelation from their goddess, Issus. The thern navy consists of some 2,000 battleships, and one million warriors guard their surface temples, courts and gardens.

http://dudeman.net/siriusly/cyd/dm.jpg


Lotharians

An ancient city in the South East hemisphere nestled within a hidden valley adjacent to the mountains of Torquas and a small forest. Accessed upon foot by an inconspicuous tunnel next to a forest, here the 1,000 survivors of Barsoom’s ancient auburn-haired, fair-skinned race still subsist. They are rule by Tario, a cruel and tyrannical despot. The Lotharians worship an ageless, giant banth (TMM IX) and are protected by a force of illusionary bowmen.

After considerable parleying he consented to admit them to the city, and a moment later the wheel-like gate rolled back within its niche, and Thuvia and Carthoris entered the city of Lothar. All about them were evidences of fabulous wealth. The facades of the buildings fronting upon the avenue within the wall were richly carven, and about the windows and doors were ofttimes set foot-wide borders of precious stones, intricate mosaics, or tablets of beaten gold bearing bas-reliefs depicting what may have been bits of the history of this forgotten people.

"There are no women in Lothar. The last of the Lotharian females perished ages since, upon that cruel and terrible journey across the muddy plains that fringed the half-dried seas, when the green hordes scourged us across the world to this our last hiding-place—our impregnable fortress of Lothar. Scarce twenty thousand men of all the countless millions of our race lived to reach Lothar. Among us were no women and no children. All these had perished by the way.” (TMM VI)

‘Poor Lothar,” he said. "It is indeed a city of ghosts. There are scarce a thousand of us left, who once were numbered in the millions. Our great city is peopled by the creatures of our own imaginings. For our own needs we do not take the trouble to materialize these peoples of our brain, yet they are apparent to us. . .

"There are others among us who insist that none of us is real. That we could not have existed all these ages without material food and water had we ourselves been material. Although I am a realist, I rather incline toward this belief myself. It seems well and sensibly based upon the belief that our ancient forbears developed before their extinction such wondrous mentalities that some of the stronger minds among them lived after the death of their bodies—that we are but the deathless minds of individuals long dead.” (TMM IX)

Other Barsoom Civs:


http://www.erbzine.com/mag3/lg2jb4.jpg The First Born

The First Born are “men six feet and over in height. Have clear cut and handsome features; their eyes are well set and large, though a slight narrowness gives them a crafty appearance. The iris is extremely black while the eyeball itself is quite white and clear. Their skin has the appearance of polished ebony.” (TMM, glossary, p.154) The harnesses of the black pirates are lavishly adorned with gold, silver, platinum and precious gems. Although courageous and disciplined warriors, the black pirates are “far inferior to the red men in refinement and chivalry.” (GM, VIII, p.71)

“There is no peasantry amongst the First Born. Even the lowest soldier is a god, and has slaves to wait upon him. The First Born do not work. The men fight- that is a sacred privilege and duty; to fight and die for Issus. The women do nothing, slaves wash them, slaves dress them, slaves feed them.” (GM, XI, p.98) Just like the yellow Martians, the First Born are neither telepathic nor oviparous; they neither labor nor invent. They have a healthy respect for the Green Martian.

The First Born are ruled by a twisted charlatan posing as a goddess. This bloated, toothless megalomaniac has lived for millennia and has unquestioned authority. Black pirate princes or dators have the privilege of gazing upon the visage of their goddess, Issus. If captives are allowed to view Issus, their life expectancy is less than one year.

“The whole fabric of our religion is based upon superstitious belief in lies that have been foisted upon us for ages by those directly above us, to whose personal profit and aggrandizement it was to have us continue to believe as they wished us to believe. I am ready to cast off the ties that bind me, I am ready to defy Issus herself, but what will it avail us?” (GM, X, p. 93)

The lower chambers of the Temple of Issus are found in the underground caverns bordering the subterranean tributary of Korus, the Sea of Omean. There is only one aerial entry to the phosphorescently lit Sea of Omean; this is through the mouth of an extinct, but hidden volcano. The might of the First Born is their black and silver armada of 1,000 modern battleships (TL VIII) which are docked upon the windless, subterranean surface of Omean.


http://bp3.blogger.com/_qZnu_4-2mW0/SEjBEB_l2iI/AAAAAAAAArk/KR5EfpI8vB0/s400/kaldane_2.jpg Kaldanes

Kaldanes are small crablike creatures (a little larger than your head), who, though of great intellectual capacity (and even psychic powers), pose little physical threat to a warrior. However, they have developed a race of creatures – the rykors – which have full-sized human bodies, and serve them as mounts to do fighting and labor. Rykors have no head, and only the simplest of sensory and central nervous systems: they are all but blind and deaf, and possess no true will of their own. A kaldane can place itself on the neck of a rykor and use its peculiar appendages to take control of the rykor, serving as its head. The resulting combined creature is then able to do anything a normal human can do, and the two creatures become one for all practical purposes.

In spite of their advanced intellect and telepathic abilities, the Kaldanes have little technology; no firearms, no fliers, no telescopes and no contact with the outside world.

"None who enters Bantoom ever leaves," repeated the creature without expression. "I know nothing of the lesser creatures of Barsoom, of whom you speak. There is but one high race—the race of Bantoomians. All Nature exists to serve them. You shall do your share, but not yet—you are too skinny. We shall have to put some fat upon it, Sept. I tire of rykor. Perhaps this will have a different flavor. The banths are too rank and it is seldom that any other creature enters the valley. And you, Ghek; you shall be rewarded. I shall promote you from the fields to the burrows. Hereafter you shall remain underground as every Bantoomian longs to. No more shall you be forced to endure the hated sun, or look upon the hideous sky, or the hateful growing things that defile the surface. For the present you shall look after this thing that you have brought me, seeing that it sleeps and eats—and does nothing else. You understand me, Ghek; nothing else!" (CM

Well done, Balthasar!

Superb stuff Balthasar. Those Tharks scare me ;)

Superb stuff Balthasar. Those Tharks scare me ;)

- ~but their motto reminds me of the Black Knight in Monty Python's Holy Grail.:D

On the other hand, you can't help but be impressed by the way Burroughs (who had done a stint with the 7th Cavalry in Arizona) makes this, on a whole other level, a tongue-in-cheek allegory of the settlement of the American West by Irish immigrants. The Orovars (redskins) are Native Americans as they were seen by the white man: cruel, exotic, and casually violent, but conversely fanatically devoted to honor and family. The Tharks, on the other hand, are the Irish (green) settlers (hordes) as seen through the eyes of the Native Americans: Large, loud, constantly fighting, and surrounded by children that don't seem to belong to anyone. At other times, it seems as though Burroughs wants us to understand that the situation could be seen as the reverse: it is the Orovars after all, who represent civilized society in this metaphor. As literature, it deserves greater respect; as social satire, it is among the best. The Tharks see themselves as having already won, describing the Orovars as a "dying" race, but Burroughs turns the tables on the Tharks and their theory of manifest destiny: in his stories, the redskins win.

Couldn't it be the "O'Rovers" vs. the Saxon-sounding "Tharks"? :p

Couldn't it be the "O'Rovers" vs. the Saxon-sounding "Tharks"? :p

That would be my preference, since I'm mostly Irish, myself. That having been said:

Civilopedia Civilizations part III: The Moon races


[Note to group: for the sake of balance, as well as getting Verne's Selenites into the game, I have taken some liberties with the description of these races]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Rf9S3GkkeyI/SRxuQ-_kz6I/AAAAAAAAGt8/Up0gOAG-vSE/s320/frank+frazetta.+the+moon+maid+and+the+centaur.+001 .jpg


The U'ga: In the perpetual twilight of the Moon's meridian - the thin strip of rock where the dark and light sides of the moon meet, and it is neither dark and freezing nor blinding and unbearable - the U'gas and the Selenites have found two different ways to thrive and grow in an environment that most other races wouldn't survive at all.

The U'gas call their lunar world Va'nah. They are humanoid, and were originally part of an ancient race from a distant galaxy, the Vril-ya, who were stranded on the moon's surface and learned to adapt inside the moon's deep craters, where water and even atmosphere exist. The city of Laythe is the U'gas' capitol city, from which they are ruled by their Jemadar, Sagroth.

All gentlemen of this race carry, as their custom, a short lance or javelin, a dagger, and a sword. They keep these weapons with them at all times because the Selenites are extremely unpredictable and can attack without warning. Many U'ga hunters carry a coil of rope around their bodies underneath their clothing. The rope is used for emergencies such as to gain entrance to tunnels below the crater’s edge. That the U'gas would remain at such a high state of vigilance might seem strange to some, in fact they are as used to it as we are used to wearing shoes.


The U'gas have learned that they can occasionally capture a Selenite and domesticate it to work, and in fact they are considered to be extremely competent workers, as once set to a task, a Selenite will keep doing that task until it is completed. It is not unusual for a Selenite worker, given a task which is beyond its abilities, to literally work itself to death.


http://home.comcast.net/%7Eabunny2000/movies/fmitm/grandlunar.jpg

The Selenites - Because of their exoskeletons, most humans would say that the Selenites look like insects, only much, much larger. They share the moon with the U'gas, an advanced civilization. Most Selenites have low intelligence, but all Selenites share one spectacular talent: they are perfect mimics, and can duplicate any structure or technology, down to the source minerals. They are also social mimics, can pick up a new languages instantly, and will adopt the body language and attitude of whatever being it comes upon (so if you are surprised by a Selenite, it is wise to be friendly; of course, if a Selenite is hungry, it will find a way to eat you anyway). As a result of this mimicry, the cities of the Selenites are as big and beautiful as those of the U'gas themselves. Some say that the cities are a variation on a Venus flytrap; that somewhere in the past the Selenites' ancestors developed this technique to lure unwary travelers into their lairs to be eaten. Actually, the Selenites devote most of their attention to the care of their Queen, upon whose milk the Selenites depend for life. The Selenite entrusted with the care of the Queen has the title GrandLunar, and acts as the Selenites' leader.

Such a pity that the dregs of our country ruined such a noble people... Granted, they moved out of necessity, and were coarse through abuse of heritage, but the west of america was raped by colonists- Irish and others alike. Ah well, it's the way the world works isn't it?

And boy, Balthasar, those pedia entries are astounding! Top marks! :D

Such a pity that the dregs of our country ruined such a noble people...

They didn't. That was done by the Spanish, British, Portugese, Dutch, French, and even Russian settlers who preceded them.

And now for something completely different. . . .

Civilopedia Civilizations, part IV: Undersea, Underground

[Note to the group: for the sake of clarity, the Vril race will be spelled with one "L" while the resource will be spelled with two.]

http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/events/statecompetitions/webawards/winners2006/secondary/10/images/Atlantis_sm.jpg

Atlantis:

The clues we had kept mentioning 'Atland' and the North Sea, but Ahab insisted that there was no such place, not even an island, that fit the description. "Fools!" said Nemo, "They are describing Atlantis! It is not on the North Sea it is under it!" This declaration was met all around with skepticism, as it was generally agreed that Plato's description of Atlantis had been of a place near the Straits of Gibraltar, or in the Americas. "You shall see!" cried Nemo, and left, returning a short while later with a manuscript, which he described as an ancient document recently discovered in Fresia, called 'The Oera Linda Book' . Fogg, who had knowledge of obscure languages, examined the book and after a while declared that it did indeed describe the location as being under the North Sea. Nemo only glared at the rest of us, and finally said, "I shall prepare," and then stormed out. Later, Holmes took me aside and intimated that he had examined the document, and decided that it was a fake. "But," he said, "we could never convince Nemo of it." Then he added, "I'm sure the captain will provide us with an interesting voyage nonetheless."

When Atlantis sank beneath the sea, the only thing that saved its occupants from watery death was a network of tunnels beneath the city, provided from below with breathable atmosphere . These tunnels apparently existed before the city sank; one theory is that the mountain upon which Plato says Atlantis was built was actually a hollowed-out volcano, dead from ancient times. The Atlantans adapted in time to their new environment; they tamed the creatures of the sea around them, most notoriously training Giant Squid to defend the sea that lies above them. However enlightened the Atlantans may have been before their country sank (and they have wonderful ancient archives), twenty-five centuries of isolation have left them extremely xenophobic and aggressive. They are unusually healthy and very long lived, having access to a form of concentrated, nutrient-rich water resource called Vrill that is collected in the underground tunnels. Some centuries ago, the Atlantans that lived underground and collected the Vrill fell into civil war with those who lived on the seabed above, and the two factions split into separate nations, neither of whom have anything resembling an agreeable nature.


http://pixdaus.com/small3/1209706909UylU4tW.jpegThe Vril: The Vril are a disagreeable people who live in the tunnels and caves that riddle the earth beneath Atlantis. When the great general of the Vril, Magrot, led his people in revolt against the Atlantans, his motto was, translated: "Because We Deserve It". Little more needs to be said about the Vril, who are possibly the most self-satisfied, self-congratulatory, self-centered race that ever lived. To that end, they have amassed a great library of self-complimentary histories, all culminating with them saving mankind (of whom they know nothing). That they never come out of their tunnels is not mentioned. They have access, however, to Vrill, the valuable substance after which they are named. Vrill, a form of concentrated, mineral-rich water, can quicken healing, and lengthen life. Also available in the tunnels of the Vril is oil, which collects in pools and ruins whole caves with its stench, and a wide variety of minerals, so they would be valuable trading partners, if you could stand them. Be careful though, as they are likely to attempt to trade their history as a valuable resource, when in fact it has no value at all!

And now the final installment:

Civilopedia Civilizations, part V: Pellucidar

http://bp0.blogger.com/_UEY_Bhs-Bp4/RtmD43ECALI/AAAAAAAAAko/i6Ey9DbcqEA/s400/Edgar+Rice+Burroughs+Pellucidar+4.jpg

The Amoz: The Amoz are a primitive people who live in the lost world of Pellucidar, deep beneath the earth's crust. Nobody knows how they got there (they do not look like the Atlantans) or how long they've been there. Despite their being a primitive race, they have a very complex society. They are a strikingly attractive race, and also a friendly people, quick to call you Padang (friend) and to offer you a cup of Tumal (a native brew). Their life, however, is harsh, as they are caught in a life-and-death struggle with the Mahar, a confederation of ancient deadly creatures that occupy nearly half their world. The Amoz are aware of the Vril, but call them "The Buried Ones" and believe them to be cannibals. The Amoz also control the world's only source of Cavorite, a mineral essential to the development of space flight! They are familiar with agriculture, tending to large farms despite the Mahars' threat, but have not yet mastered mining. They have been able to domesticate a few of the Mahar beasts by a method we'd call lobotomy, and use them as we would use horses or oxen. Dogs are apparently immune to the mechanism that controls the other beasts (retaining their reputation for loyalty to mankind), and the Amoz use them for early warning, tracking, and protection. The Sagoths are ruled by Diane the Beautiful, Daughter of Kandar, King of Amoz; Princess of Amoz, Empress of Pellucidar.

http://bp3.blogger.com/_UEY_Bhs-Bp4/RtmEAnECAMI/AAAAAAAAAkw/IR7HyBlXYMA/s400/Edgar+Rice+Burroughs+Pellucidar+5.jpg

The Mahar: To call the Mahar a civilization is actually a misnomer; in fact all of the prehistoric beasts of Pellucidar are under the control (possibly telepathic) of the Kong, a race of giant intelligent Great Apes that have a deep hatred for humans. The greater question is where these beasts came from, as most of them disappeared from the earth millions of years before mankind even appeared. There are also beasts in Pellucidar that were familiar to early man, such as the Sabertooth Tiger and the Mammoth; one can find modern creatures such as wolves and jungle cats among the Mahar as well, and even some that weren't believed to exist, like sea dragons! Regardless of the type of beast, it is wiser to avoid a Mahar than to confront it, but if you must, it is even wiser to kill it before it kills you.

The more I read these entries the more I drool waiting fro the mod...:goodjob:

Now that we have civs worked out I propose we start thinking about units we would like to see. Feel free to make suggestions in the unit lines discussion thread. It might be hard getting some units made as I've mentioned before so try to identify some existing units that will fit in. Thanks

I almost posted these in the Units thread because of the cool war machine, but decided they belong here as illustrations of otherworldy civs.

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/5461/barsoomillosfr5.png

"Other Worlds" Map Civs:

I thought of posting this in the maps thread, but it more properly belongs here. I don’t think the different versions of the mod should become too distinct yet. There may be some elements that will spark ideas for the Lost Worlds & Counterfactual Terra versions. I’m certainly open to being influenced to draw my list more closely to the others as well.

Here’s a tentative list of civs (28 so far) I’m considering for the mod-version temporarily called Sceptre & Orbs - "A Clash of Empires Across the Depths of the Aether". They are divided into 5 vaguely defined culture groups. The parenthetical notes give a bit of back story as to the character of each civ.


Euro-Ams

In the Old World
Anglian Empire (AH version of the British Empire with a stronger Saxon influence; Harold beat William the C.)Various historic forces lead to the advent of multiple states, where in our world stood the French Empire and a united Germany:
Occitania (the Oc speaking cultures came out on top in the Albigensian Crusades)
The Dogal States (Venice eclipsed Rome in the Renaissance; includes most of Italy & the Adriatic states, and many overseas colonies under the sway of the Jesuits)
Hanseatic League (a mercantile oligarchy centered around the North & Baltic Seas)
Compact of Free Bohemia (inspired by Mozart & the other freethinkers of the 18th c., Anarcho-Syndicalists throw off the oppressors & a new Renaissance flowers in central Europe)In the New World

Empire of Brasyl (former French royalty, squeezed between the strong cultural hegemony of Occitania & the burgeoning economic power of the Hanseatic League, sought refuge by slashing and burning a new kingdom out of the wilds of the New World)
New Arcadia (A French-speaking North American democracy spreading from New Amsterdam to the North & West)After a failure to reach a compromise on entry of new slave vs. non-slave states caused total disintegration of the union, elements of New England & the Great Lakes states joined Arcadia and 2 new nations arose from the ashes of the USA :
Grand Republican Empire of Kalifexas - stretching from California to Texas, under the able leadership of Joshua Abraham Norton
C.S.A. (Creole States of America) a sort of anti-Golden Circle forged from the slave rebellions of the Caribbean, free American Blacks, and the Acadians of Louisiana, with New Orleans as its capital.
Orientals
Golden Khanate (from Krakow, across the steppes of Central Asia (capital at Samarkand), and even into Alaska)
Middle Kingdom ( a “mandate of heaven” unifying China, Korea, & Japan)
Bharata Varsha (Greater India, having repulsed the Mongol invasions & currently dealing with European mercantile colonialism)
Sri Vijaya - ( a thalassocracy based in Java)
Empires of the Crescent
River of Ma’at ( an Egyptian theocracy)
Andalusian Caliphate (the Iberian Peninsula, across North Africa to Carthage, and up to Sicily)
Byzantium (a syncretic culture, more Bogomil than Orthodox)
Parthia (Carthage defeated Rome, and the culture of Zarathustra & Mani survived into modernity)
Lost Tribes
Ajawil of Tikal (Mayan version of the Delian League, lead by Tikal)
Abyssinia
Bambara Empire
Great Hoop (the Iroquois Confederacy expands to the shores of the Pacific)Two groups without a strong central government - foils and sources for rare resources & guardians of victory points; probably not effectively playable civs:
Primitive Tribes (scattered across islands & isolated valleys throughout Earth, and possibly beyond)
Lizard Men (stand-ins for Tharks, Sagoths, & Morlocks)
Celestials
Selenites (Luna)
Mongons (Mongo & its inhabited moons)
Orovars (Barsoomians)
Amtorians (Venus)
Agarthans (Hollow Earth)

Some excellent suggestions to cherry pick there. And some I had never heard of before and will need to google :)

Although my current emphasis is on the Lost Worlds (look out for a progress update soon), I am thinking about a total revamp for "Steampunk: Earth Conquests" as the variant on the World Map is coming to be known (name courtesy of Balthasar).

Here's the ones I like best from your list:

-The Dogal States - perhaps they would also have trading colonies in India and Far East -legacy of Marco Polo?

-The Hanseatic League - some nice competition for the Dogal States and perhaps have overseas trading colonies in the Carribean, Africa and Americas. Perhaps they even supplant a British presence in the New World?

-Grand Republican Empire of Kalifexas - you did say Norton would have a suitably grand name for his "Empire" and you certainly came up with one. Kalifexas LOL.

-Bharata Varsha - I was always going to have a stronger (unified) India in there: surely an India with command of Steam Elephants would be unstoppable (on land at least)

-River of Ma’at - I think an Egypt strongly flavoured by Ancient Egypt & Steampunk technology would be fascinating. I think they'd be strong on the more spiritual aspects of a Steampunk world particularly in dealings with the dead.

-Byzantium - I've always had a big thing for the Byzantines. They could be grand political schemers but funnily I'd prefer them as Orthodox: The Arrogant Bulwark of Europe!


Some I think are great but...

-Anglo Empire - I had thought of a different spin on this. A republic evolved from the English civil war where the Royalists never regained power, led by a Lord Protector. This would be a slightly dyspotic "Great" Britain with a populace oppressed/repressed by Puritan ideals. They would make interesting enemies for a Papal States Civ. Then I thought how quintessentialy steampunk "Victoriana" is and decided to keep the conventional/historic Victorian GB.

-Free Bohemia - but wouldn't they be lousy fighters?

-Sri Vijaya - I had these guys in in an earlier inception. Then I changed them to a trading empire of Siam that was a vassal state of China or at least closely tied to them. May still change them back though but I like Siam.

-The Great Hoop - I will stick though with my United Indian Territories led by Tecumseh (a fascinating individual). I have a great interest in and admiration of American Indian culture.

-Lost Tribes- yes need to have these in any steampunk world: a perfect antithesis to a techonological utopia/dystopia is a primitive paradise/barbarous land. My only contribution to this was going to be Dinosaurs, Great Apes and Amazon unit scattered throughout the world map (non-playable of course and possibly just barbarian units/camps).

-Celestials - On an Earth map they should not have a strong presence. I was going to have a few crash sites of a (botched) Selenite Expeditionary Force whose aim is to stop Earth's advanced civilisations from gaining spaceflight technology. Martians are a more logical choice but I wanted aliens who where perhaps not so overwhelmingly advanced and powerful. Also, I think Selenites rock LOL - an intelligent social insect race was a great imaginative creation by Verne considering he did it back in 1901(?).

Other ideas:
I always liked the idea of having ancient powers survive to modern times: Aztecs and Incas for instance. Even though these are wild suggestions I cannot force myself to disbelieve in an alternate reality where they do not survive. Actual history seems the most unfeasible outcome (you are always remarking that history is stranger than fiction) where Conquistadors numbering in hundreds (I know they had help from other natives and disease) brought down a large Empire. I have been many times around the British Museum in London and the Aztecs seem the most "alien" culture I have encountered.

River of Ma'at technology - there's the whole pyramids / ark as power sources thing & the whole possibilities of a sort of steampunk stargate thing - Tim Powers "Gates of Anubis"? & maybe some tie in to the war against that darned squid god.

Free Bohemia - maybe not a strong power in terms of conquest, but think about the whole "Huss Memorial Brigade" thing, liked happened in our world during the Spanish Civil War; that there's already a "Wobbly" bomb-throwing unit (invisible + hidden nationality); and that this is the culture (in my counterfactual history) that gave us Tesla. They could be pretty hard to successfully invade, & strong on culture flipping & espionage missions.

Primitive Tribes - I was thinking that this "weaker" civ ought to have some one-off non-buildable special units. Maybe guarding a victory point - like, say, a remote island with a giant ape. Or a rare resource guarded by an undead army. And I'd like them as a civ - so there would be the possibility of negotiation & trade. Although it could be fun to set them up so that they share colors & units with the barbarians. That could reflect the difficulties of colonial imperialists subduing the natives.

The extra-planetary civs should not, of course, be included in an "Earth Conquests" biq. My thinking on the celestials was that they not have access to technologies that would let them invade Earth. Bronze Age civs as Burroughs had them, with some slightly weird techs giving them some "unusual" units or improvements. Mongo might be a possible exception, although their spacecraft could be non-buildable and therefore limited. As to the contact thing - perhaps there could be some pre-placed units on Earth - they might conquer a city or two, but not really invade. In the "EQ" version, perhaps they could exist as special one-offs, autoproduced, or UUs for those civs (Ma'at?) with an Atlantean/Lemurian connection. Possibly, in "Sceptre & Orbs", teleportation tech as a late era counter to Earth's aetheric flyers.

I also thought it might be fun to go the other way, and place some of the more primitive Earth units, like some Mayans or Egyptians, on the other planets. "A mysterious hand in the prehistory of humanity". That way there would be some competition for the indigenous celestials. And of course the flagitious lizard men showing up everywhere, as a scatter-shot nuisance.

I did think about hyperlinking some of the civs, like Bambara (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bambara_Empire), & Empire of Brasyl (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Brazil). I was under time pressure this morning. I can certainly explain any of them further, in answer to queries.

Further thoughts on my civ list -

Anglian Empire - It's definitely English. And it's still quite Victorian: the root thought of this alternative was "So, your father's German, you're half-German, and you married a German?" Only the name has changed, to reflect the AH aspects.

Byzantium - My only objection to it remaining officially Orthodox was the stifling imposition of Orthodoxy. I see part of its ability to survive into the eras of the mod as a cultural syncretism combining open-minded elements of European & Middle Eastern cultures. Greek Culture + Arabic Practical Science if you will.

Colonialism: All the Euros, as well as Bharata, Parthia, & Sri Vijaya, will have at least one colony in Africa. Sri Vijaya & the Middle Kingdom similarly on the west coast of the Americas & 2-3 of the Euros + Andalusia on the east. Sri Vijaya & Anglia get a couple of Hong Kong type locations in Asia, whilst Sri Vijaya & Middle Kingdom have countervailing spots on Australia. And of course the Hansa all over the place.

With 3 open civ slots, I'm thinking of including:

Lemuria (an evolved Polynesia?)
Some sort of "Empire of Fear" type monstrosity (put some units like those zombies, unspeakable horrors, etc. to use in the period of their original apocalypse).
La Société Diabolique Secrète (excellent idea guys!) - developed along the lines it followed in the old "World of Jules Verne" scenario from Civ II. Very limited growth except by conquest or espionage & a panoply of expensive but exclusive units.

:D I just saw a show about the 7 wonders and saw that the temple of artimis may trace to the amazons...:lol:

I'm late to the party but here are some ideas. Make Egypt and Arabia part of the Ottoman Empire. That frees up two more civs. The world of Steampunkdom must have some mysterious civs - perhaps Timbuktu or Shangrila. If nothing else make them cities with some unique wonders that can only be built them.

I'm late to the party but here are some ideas. Make Egypt and Arabia part of the Ottoman Empire. That frees up two more civs. The world of Steampunkdom must have some mysterious civs - perhaps Timbuktu or Shangrila. If nothing else make them cities with some unique wonders that can only be built them.Check out discussions of "Lost Worlds" & "Sceptre & Orbs" in our map-making thread.

Hikaro mentioned Miyazaki's films Laputa and Howl's Moving Castle as offering some Steampunk inspiration. There is another Miyazaki film, Porco Rosso (Crimson Pig), which has air pirates of the Adriatic Sea as a major theme. Is there room for any air pirates in the Steam Punk universe?

Is there room for any air pirates in the Steam Punk universe?There are certainly dirigibles with commandos, & such figures as Ker Karraje (a Vernian pirate) along with their minions. I'm not sure about a piratical civ, such as the Orang Laut, but given that there are four variant biqs at some stage of development I wouldn't discount that possibility.

Lest we forget "underground" favorite "Micky Mouse vs. the Air Pirates Funnies"!

Lest we forget "underground" favorite "Micky Mouse vs. the Air Pirates Funnies"!How a bout a link??

yeah, me and what armies of lawyers? Disney won't let you see it. look in wiki

Those are great Balthasar - the cloudbuster is weirdly Monty Python like but great.I can't wait till this scenario is finished! (P.S. I find it amusing how Pythonism is one of the "Things that Man was not meant to Know.)... given that there are four variant biqs at some stage of development I wouldn't discount that possibility.
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/9471/pythoncivlu6.png

I hate to just kinda butt into this thread, and since I don't really know where to post this, I thought this'd be a good spot. I've had a steampunk idea floating in my head for some time now. What if this parallel universe/alternate reality is visited by a one known only as "The Doctor". ;) He and his TARDIS could have crashed through the void and are lost somewhere in the scenario. You could find him and make him 'regenerate' (aka upgrade) as techs progressed. I guess the only problem with this would be finding suitable graphics for his 11 known regenerations (Although, I'd use the generic Einstein that came with Conquests for his 1st). With this little subplot you could also add a great wonder called The Torchwood Institute that doubles scientific output. Anyway, just a thought.

And if you did this... You'd need a few daleks. :)

Thanks for joining the discussion. Take a look at the steampunk units request thread. We've got a TARDIS. Great minds think alike. ;)

Well all be darned... there it is! HaHa, sorry for interrupting just for that then...

I have another quick question. In this mod, will the Sorns or Hross be featured on Mars, or is it strictly Barsoom steampunk?

Sorns or Hross??? Link?

They're from C.S. Lewis' "Out of the Silent Planet". I believe the séroni (also known as Sorns) were featured in "The League of Extraordinary Gentleman V. II"...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_the_Silent_Planet#Hrossa.2C_S.C3.A9roni.2C_ Pfifltriggi

Tsk Tsk! Those be CS Lewis creations! See >here (http://www.erbzine.com/mag14/1409.html)<.

There are some Barsoomian creatures I wouldn't mind seeing in our world. A list of Barsoomian Creatures is here (http://www.savagebarsoom.com/search/label/Bestiary).

Take a look at my latest post in the Unit thread for more.

So is that a no... :( Drat, the Space Trilogy are some of my favorite books, but I guess we all can't get want we want. ;)

I am sorry, Malbeth. I'm afraid to venture too far from Burroughs creations here because it could get out of hand rather quickly... We're already at 250 units and counting in this biq....

HaHa, I understand. Just thought I'd ask. :)

I guess we all can't get want we want. ;)We can't get all that we want even if we limit ourselves to steampunk. ;)

We can't get all that we want even if we limit ourselves to steampunk. ;)

Ouch! True..

We can't get all that we want even if we limit ourselves to steampunk. ;)

Ouch! True..
on the gripping hand...
Lost Worlds
Steampunk Earth ( or whatever KA's got for the working title)
The Hollow Earth
Scepter & Orbs
Kekule´ (:hmm:)
. . .

Because of this thread I've started reading the EGB's Barsoom series on my phone as e-books. 100 years old and they are still a fine read. I can't believe I've ignored such a classic author of Sci-fi for so long.

Also... General Grievous is a THARK!!!
http://www.bigbaddaddyvader.com/800px-The_General.jpg
http://www.johncarterofmars.8k.com/3.gif

Also... General Grievous is a THARK!!!It's well known that George Lucas created Star Wars as an homage to the golden age science fiction authors of both film & print. Thark unit(s) are badly needed for the steampunk scenarios - they also look to be among the most difficult units to make. Probably why no one has yet accepted the challenge. :mischief:

If you've already caught my latest post (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=8814104&postcount=123) in the Map thread, you'll know that I've been working hard on Barsoom.

This started when I went to add-in new martian races, specifically white martians and Firstborn (black martians), and had to figure out where to put them. That led to creation of the new map as a first step. Then I had to research every city on the map to find out which race occupies which city. Finally, I had to figure out how many civs it would take to pull off a reasonable representation of Barsoom society.

It turned out that the map that I used didn't include any cities occupied by the Yellow martians (Okars), because they live at the north pole and it didn't include the poles, as our map doesn't. As a result, I dropped plans to include the Okars because 1) they only appear in one book, and not throughout the series, as the other races do, and 2) it's frankly alot of work to design an entire civ to occupy just one City far away from everyone else.

As for the rest, the easy thing would be to have just three civs and divide Barsoom up between them, but that would make no sense to a true fan of Barsoom, knowing that the place is actually a cauldron of squabbling kingdoms. On the other hand, it would be ridiculous to put a different Civ in each city.

So I compromised. I divided up the Red Martians into the competing kingdoms of Helium, Manator, and "The Toolian League", based (except for the Toolians) on alliances described in the books. I divided the Green Martians into three: the Warhoons, the Torquas Hoard, and the Thark Hoard. The White Martians get four cities, but are also split into four civs: the Holy Therns, the Therns, the Lotharians, and the Orovar.

About the Orovar. "Orovar", it turns out, is the name of the original martians. Only the white martians of Horz still call themselves that, so we've been doing this all wrong, naming wise. I've fixed that now, assigning the proper names to the proper civs.

So here's a chart of what we end up with:

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/9533/barsoomleaders.jpg

You can right click -> view image to see it in better resolution. Note that Dejah Thoris is no longer running Helium. That's her grandfather in charge now. Her daughter is leader of the Toolian League, though. That's because I'd like to have Dejah Thoris as a unit (like John Carter is), so that she can be "rescued".

Purists would argue the creation of the Toolian League, arguing that just about every city in that area is at war with every other city. That's precisely why I bundled them.

Still, that's twelve new Civs, all of them under the control of the AI. So if you want to argue about this, feel free; I'll listen.

You'll also note that there is a separate Kaldane civ, although we have no Rykor units yet. For an answer to that and other unit questions, meet me in the Units thread....

so what is the curent list of 30 civilizations it the mod pack? bathathasar has made it clear the one that are going to befighting each other on the map. but with modpacks everything gets changed so i want to know the current 30 civs that are in the world. now i got done reading all the posts in this thread yesterday.

I must add: it's horde, not hoard.

Fair necropolis (winner of my personal ee cummings award), you have asked a good question:

The current Civs are:

Humans (England)

The League of Gentlemen..........Phineas Fogg
The Evil Secret Society..........Professor Moriarty
The Blackcoats...................John Devil
The Gothic Union.................Master Heathcliff
The British......................Queen Victoria

Underground Civs

Atlantis.........................Prince Namor
The Vril.........................Fuhrer Ragnuk

- Pellucidar

The Amoz.........................Diane the Beautiful
The Mahar........................King Kong

Lunar Civs

The Selenites....................Grand Lunar Ortis
The Uga..........................Jemadev Naheelah

Barsoom Civs

- Red Martians

Helium...........................Tardos Mors
Toolian League...................Lara of Gathol
Manator..........................Jeddak O-Tar

- Green Martians

Thark Horde......................Tars Tarkas
Warhoon Horde....................Bar Comas
Torquas Horde....................Hortan Gur

- White Martians

Thern............................Princess Phaidor
Holy Thern.......................Matai Sheng
Lotharians.......................Tario
Orovar...........................Ho Ran Kim

- other Barsoomians

The Firstborn....................Jeddak Doxos

The Kaldanes......................King Luud


Misfortune (Barbarians)

24 Civs in all.

The Mahar have both Pellucidar and Barsoomian branches (their units are resource-dependent)

There are a lot of Barsoom Civs, but only the Green Martians have settlers until the fourth era. Barsoom Civs cannot trade techs.

The LoG unit "John Carter" begins the game on Barsoom, and must survive there alone until he is "rescued". If he can capture the Temple of Iss and rescue Dejah Thoris from the Holy Thern, she will upgrade into a Transporter Pad unit.

Thanks, Plot for the correction on the spelling of Horde. I was sleepy.

Is the first numbers a date?
If so remove poland, it had so called "Rozbior" in 1772 that totally splitted its territory between Prussia, Austria, and Russia,

Russia got Warsaw, Radom etc,
Prussia got Danzig, Poznan,
Austria Cracov.

i agree we diffinatly got to remove poland as a civilization in this modpack. in other news it did re-apear inthe world after 1945 and lasted to see end of part 2 of this modpack in 1960 even after it re-apreared it was quicly become a soveit ocuption-protectorate. then in the 1990's it was free and barbarian then eventually part of the EU.

What part of "alternate history" is so difficult to understand?

All the threads in the steampunk subforum are temporarily closed while we reorganize. Expect a reopening of a new, organized improved version soon.