http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads6/DGIV_CHD_Title.jpg
background image courtesy of Digital Blasphemy (http://www.digitalblasphemy.com).

Welcome to the Creative History Department. Our halls are open to all citizens and we encourage you to read our collected works and if so inspired, contribute to them as well.

Mission Statement

We are dedicated to the preservation of our nation's history. We shall accomplish this through posted contributions of the tales and legends passed down from citizen to citizen over the ages.

Staff

Co-Founder: FortyJ (http://forums.civfanatics.com/private.php?s=&action=newmessage&userid=3316)
Co-Founder: Cyc (http://forums.civfanatics.com/private.php?s=&action=newmessage&userid=14268)

Fact Checkers:
responsible for checking new posts to ensure that they do not contradict with existing story lines and that they are consistent with the actual game play (ie. no stories about tanks when we only have horses)

Graphic Artists:
responsible for creating the designs of all awards

Director of Development:
responsible for all fund-raising efforts

Security Guards: CivGeneral & Mara Jade
responsible for safe-guarding the Department and the documents within

Custodians:
responsible for general maintenance and cleaning of the facility

We will be accepting applications for these positions. We have limited funds, so we must rely solely on volunteers to fill these spots. If you are interested, please contact either Cyc or myself via PM by clicking on our names in the list above.

IRC Chat Rooms

Official Room: #demogame_CHD

Thank you for visiting. We hope to see you all in here often throughout the course of the game.

General Rules and Information

This is the official departmental thread for the Creative History Department. The actual history contributions shall be made in a separate, forthcoming thread. We will provide a link to that thread here once it is open. Do NOT post history submissions in this thread.

This thread is intended as a reference for the actual history thread. NPC information, timelines and such can be found here. Criticisms, complaints, suggestions and more should be submitted here to maintain the purity of the actual history thread.

If you use graphics in your posts and the images are taken from other sites, be sure to provide any and all required references. We don't want to break any copyrighting laws here.

Story Rules

Stories cannot contain material in violation of CFC site rules.
Stories must be consistent with actual game events. Flashbacks and similar tales of past events are permitted, but flashforwards or similar tales of events not yet transpired are forbidden.
You cannot kill other citizens in your stories.
You can only kill another person's NPC with the creator's permission.
Writing about your own demise in the history is tantamount to resigning from the game, so do so sparingly.
More rules may follow, so be sure to check here from time to time for the most current list of rules.

Official Links - Storylines

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads6/DGIV_CHD_Sign_Main_sm.gifMain Story (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=72816)
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads6/DGIV_CHD_Sign_Huntington_sm.gifCity of Huntington (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=78468)
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads6/DGIV_CHD_Sign_Montpellier_sm.gifCity of Montpellier (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=78040)

Official Links - Facts & Information

Original Tribes and Official Calendar (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?postid=1469676#post1469676)

Welcome to the Creative History Department.

This post will be the place where we list the Official situational information. Here you will find Players, current and expired NPCs, other cities that we have communications with (maybe even other tribes), possibly a calendar of events, and other incidentals of the storyline. This post will try to keep current all relative information for easy reference as the storyline advances. If you are aware of an update that needs to be posted here, please post below. :scan:


List of Non-Player Characters List of Players
_______________________ _______________

1. Jean 2 1. CyC
2. The Birdmen 1 2. FortyJ (40J)
3. Miko 1 3. Stuck_As_a_Mac
4. Gerra 1 4. CivGeneral
5. Runner 1 5. Rik Meleet
6. Luc 2 6. TerminalMan90
7. Elder Bonalone 1 7. Grandmaster
8. Marie 2 8. Donovan Zoi
9. Thomas 2
10. Phillipe 2
11. Gaston 2
12. Francois D'bourg 3
13. Mara Jade 4
14. Tzara 3
15. Rosee 6
16. Jon 6
17. The Ooliga Ifrit 6
18. Cosette 2
19. Desarte 2
20. Mattice 2
21. Jeanette 2
22. Jutagan 3
23. Armand Vandelay 8
24. Yumbo 8
25. Pepe LePew 1



List of Elders From the Original Twelve Tribes ~
________________________________________________

Rik Meleet - The Marse Tribe
TerminalMan90 - The Touloo Tribe
Bonalone* - The Paree Tribe
Fancois d'Bourg - The Bourg Tribe
CivGeneral - The Reim Tribe
Peri d'Ami - The Ami Tribe
Orleroy** - The Orle Tribe
Octavian X - The Lourd Tribe
DaveShack - The Nant Tribe
Noldodan - The Troy Tribe
Amirsan - The Rou Tribe
Bootstoots - The Cala Tribe

*Bonalone passed his Eldership onto Cyc
**Orleroy passed his Eldership onto FortyJ and Plexus

To: Creative History Department
From: Defunct RPG Head, Stuck_as_a_Mac
Re: DG4 RPGish Thing.
How are you Gentlement
You are on the way to destruction. Oh... sorry, wrong subject. My real reason for being here is on a matter very dear to me, the RPG. As we all know, the DG3 RPG was useless while the DG2 RPG was great. We (and by we, I mean me) are currently working on a version where stories go in the city threads. I am asking the C.H.D. to serve as an archive to store stories (in .txt format) and have some of our greater works, such as creation myths and long rambling tales posted in a spotlight for all to see.
All your base are belonging to us. You have no chance to survive your time.... Errr... I mean
Thank you
SaaM

Nice avatar SaaM.

The RPG system from DG2 would certainly need some very dedicated individuals to run it and I'm uncertain if anyone is willing or able to do so at this time.

On the other hand, Cyc and I both hope that the CHD serves as a launching platform for other role-playing sessions and historical tales in other threads (particularly mayorial threads). While we hope the CHD serves as the main thread for our entire civilization's history, we recognize the benefits of having subplots and other side ventures in other threads.

Thank you for your words of encouragement, and I look forward to reading some of your tales once the game gets underway.

Cyc and 40J,

Is it too soon to start writing histories? I plan to write something that predates history and is not dependant on our starting position or chosen civ.

Or are you planning to wait until the start of the game?

Perhaps I will get myself going and make it a flashback once the initial history thread is opened.

I can't wait to both contribute and see what others post!:D

Good job so far fellas :goodjob:

Thumbs up on the initiative guy, after all it's the stories we'll make as a nation together that make this game all the fun it is.
Hopefully, you'll be hearing from me :)

quoting Stuck:
I am asking the C.H.D. to serve as an archive to store stories (in .txt format) and have some of our greater works, such as creation myths and long rambling tales posted in a spotlight for all to see.

Am I mistaken in thinking that what you're asking here is for the CHD to be a repository for some of the great tales posted in prior RPG's? You'd like to store some of the more classic short stories in a scrapbook style here in the Office thread? If I'm not, then it sounds interesting, although I don't see a an immediate answer to your question. Let me think about this.

quoting TM90:
Is it too soon to start writing histories? I plan to write something that predates history and is not dependant on our starting position or chosen civ.
Or are you planning to wait until the start of the game?
Perhaps I will get myself going and make it a flashback once the initial history thread is opened.
I can't wait to both contribute and see what others post!

Yes and No, TM90. As you say, you can start on a storyline by yourself and develop it the way you want. But it is too early to participate in any joint venture in the CHD. Tentatively, the CHD is planning on opening the storyline thread around the Christmas Holiday. It will involve a "pre-history" angle that will lead to the begining of DG4. After Creation Day, we plan to follow the guidelines described in my post in Stuck's RPG Thread. (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?threadid=66946) As the initial storyline will be developed by FortyJ and myself at least until the second city is founded, your "pre-history" piece may be better placed in another cities thread. BTW, we can't wait to see what you and others contribute. :thumbsup:

quoting Charon:
Hopefully, you'll be hearing from me :)

We agree!

Cyc-
Thats not what I had in mind, but it seems like a great idea. Also, I didnt realise that was there. I am going to start a RPG Mainthread in this forum, to be a branch of the C.H.D. it will have the noticeboard for current stories, hopefully to be stickied. Also, we can have a sugestiob section for it. Well, ill make it.
SaaM

In relation to the RPG in the sence of former games, i think the RPG should somehow be seperated from the "creative" section of the Demogame.

It's hard to track the stories when they're all jumbled solely in all these organization threads.

At this point, Falcon 02, I agree. The collection of stories from prior RPG's should go in a thread dedicated for just that (if it is to happen). I also believe the CHD will only have two threads to run its operation. This "Office" thread and the "Storyline" thread. I believe Stuck were in error when he opened his new "Branch" thread, and that it should be deleted to eliminate some of the confusion.

Regarding the Past RPG archives, keep in mind that we now have a website as well. We may be able to dedicate a page to nothing but links to the chosen thread pages. I will need to speak with Fionn about this.

Also, I am a bit confused about SaaM's opening of an RPG thread so early in the game, although I am not sure if this is what was meant by FortyJ's comment:


On the other hand, Cyc and I both hope that the CHD serves as a launching platform for other role-playing sessions and historical tales in other threads (particularly mayorial threads). While we hope the CHD serves as the main thread for our entire civilization's history, we recognize the benefits of having subplots and other side ventures in other threads.

While I can see Cyc's objection to this, I would like to hear Forty's opinion as well. But for now, since the CHD has been the intended "RPG" concept for quite some time now, I am closing SaaMs thread to reduce confusion. If it is later determined that this site can be of use, I will gladly re-open it.

In the meantime, SaaM, I would encourage you try for a role that is endorsed by both founders of the CHD.

Thank you, DZ, for closing the thread. I am off to write my term paper (on Dada, if you would believe it :) ) and I will work on a fill in the blank founding story where we just plug in some names and some details depending on who we are. Pick France!
SaaM

It seems that I've managed to create a little controversy and we're still 3-4 weeks away from even starting the game. Is that a record?

Regardless, please bear with me while I will attempt to address some things and hopefully clarify the official position of the CHD with respect to a few things brought up earlier in this thread. I think, that in order to accomplish this, we must first analyze the concept of our Role Playing Game.

I can't speak as to what happened in DG3's RPG, but in the DG2 version, it seemed to emphasize the game with a few offshoots into role-playing (the Fanatikan Underground, the death of Shaitan, etc.). The problem I had with that version was that the "game" portion of the RPG had virtually nothing to do with the actual Civ game being played. The events that transpired in the demogame had little or no effect on the "game" portion of the RPG or the "role-playing" portion of it either, with perhaps one or two exceptions.

What the CHD is attempting to create is a role-playing feature for the demogame that remains consistent with the actual events transpiring within the demogame proper. In short, we will provide the "role-playing", but not the "game" - that, we will leave to the demogame itself.

Furthermore, I hope that while the CHD will provide the main arc of our national story, I also hope that others will take up the calling and compose a number of mini-arcs within the various city threads and perhaps even a few citizen groups (a la "The Brotherhood of ______", etc.). The main rule being that we always remain consistent with the state of the actual game.

If Stuck wishes to incorporate some of the "game" elements from the DG2 RPG, I have no problem with this, provided that it does not pollute the integrity of our creative history. In fact, our rules on story submissions are clear on this: Content must be consistent with actual game events. Content based on those epic battles and other games that Stuck is proposing would therefor not qualify for submission in the CHD. I think it would be better conducted under the guise of an independent citizens group (ie. Wargames & Epic Battles Club, etc...).

In short, I believe there is room in the demogame for both the CHD and for what Stuck has suggested. I just think they need to be kept separate from each other.

<><><><><>

Now, to address some things mentioned earlier:

Originally posted by Stuck_As_a_Mac
I am asking the C.H.D. to serve as an archive to store stories (in .txt format) and have some of our greater works, such as creation myths and long rambling tales posted in a spotlight for all to see.I was reluctant to say this before, which is perhaps why we have this little controversy in the first place, but I don't see this happening. Neither Cyc nor myself have either the time or desire to catalog stories from the various threads and convert them to .txt format. We will likely have plenty of work as it is (which is why we've requested volunteers to assist us, mind you) in simply maintaining a semi-current list of NPCs and general plotlines. If you are intent on archiving the stories, I suggest you look elsewhere for volunteers.

We will, however, maintain links to the various city threads that have initiated their own sub-plots and side stories consistent with the rules of the CHD. In that sense, we will serve as the central repository of our historical tales.

Originally posted by TerminalMan90
Is it too soon to start writing histories? I plan to write something that predates history and is not dependant on our starting position or chosen civ.In a way, yes. Cyc and I have already invested significant effort into creating this office and fashioning it in a way that will be most enjoyable by all. As such, we are reserving the first post of the story for ourselves. This post will include some pre-settlement story and essentially set the stage for the first turns of play.

Having said that, I must also say that a creative writer could probably find a way to work a little pre-settlement history of his/her own into a post without damaging the storyline. ;)

Originally posted by Donovan Zoi
I would like to hear Forty's opinion as well. But for now, since the CHD has been the intended "RPG" concept for quite some time now, I am closing SaaMs thread to reduce confusion. If it is later determined that this site can be of use, I will gladly re-open it.As I stated above, I believe that Stuck's proposed "game" feature can co-exist in the demogame independent of the CHD. I just fear that mingling the two will irrevocably damage the integrity of the creative history storyline. I would recommend that Stuck (or whoever is interested in participating in those Epic Battles, or land tile acquisition game, etc.) create those games in a citizen group independent of the Creative History Department.

<><><><><>

Thanks also to those of you who have already voiced your support of this department. I eagerly await your submissions to this unprecedented office.

Citizens of ____________,

Since last we spoke, 40J and I have knocked around a couple of ideas, set up a tentative scheduling for the Storyline thread, and 2 ideas have surfaced which you might find pleasing.

Our tentative schedule now looks like this; The Storyline thread will be opened around the Christmas Holiday. 40J and I will make posts to the thread throughout the Holidays and on into Creation Day. Once we discover what kind of terrain we're located on, we can start to firm up the story. That's as far as we've gotten in scheduling.

Because some of you have mentioned writing a pre-history storyline of your own, we were thinking that if, when our map opens up, a goodie hut or a barb camp was spotted then someone could start a temporary thread for it. This thread would be as a city thread, only it would be short-lived. But...if someone like TerminalMan90 or Stuck wanted to do this, their pre-history storyline could be developed independantly of our nation's storyline (just until their Culture melded into ours). On second thought (or sixth) maybe we could have these independant pre-histiry storylines posted right in the CHD Storyline thread. After that, maybe they could become Mayor of a city in that area and base that city's storyline on the indigenous people of the goodie hut or Barb camp they started with. What do you think about that? We could actually do it for every GH and BC we find, allowing our nation to be a melting pot of many different Cultures. One thing we would have to have is a waiting list for people that wanted to be officially assigned a GH or BC to develop. We also think that because of their above posts, TerminalMan90 and StuckAsaMac should top the waiting list, making them front runners to create an alternative pre-history storyline.

I believe we'll also be marking any sub plots in the CHD with a unique icon to help identify the individual storylines. Hope you like them. :D That's it for now.

Cyc

Sure. I could give that a stab. Short lived is good. I doubt I will show the mastery of some of the other writers. CHD, I can't wait.

Originally posted by TerminalMan90
Sure. I could give that a stab. Short lived is good. I doubt I will show the mastery of some of the other writers. CHD, I can't wait.

Great, glad to hear it TM90. If you scroll back to my last post, you'll find that I edited while you were posting. It may be better to post that "short-lived pre-history/current Culture in the CHD Storyline thread. Thanks for the quick response. :thumbsup:

I think posting a pre-history for the lesser villages (ie. goody huts) is a great idea. Not so sure about the barbarian camps though - although they can certainly be a good source for a story or two.

I envision pre-histories for any villages posted within the main CHD story thread itself. Then once a new town is established in the general vicinity of any of those villages, we could provide a link from the respective pre-history post to that city's thread to provide congruity.

I also envision some awards for best submissions and such, so we'll be needing a graphic artist / designer to come up with some appropriate designs for each. To apply, PM either myself or Cyc.

There are many communities here in the US that were actually based on an "outlaw" origin. The same is true with communities throughout the world. Plymouth rock was a Barbarian Camp, for Christ's sake. :D We should take these Barbarian Camps for the opportunity they present, and use them as an independant Culture base for a citizen who wants to participate in the CHD. This could last well into other ages, as our initial exploration may have missed a small gathering of rebels. Even a Barb Camp in the artic regions would probably have women and children in it. I can't see excluding BC's if were going to take the approach of attaching pre-histories to map generated entities.

I'm sold. As long as someone is willing to write about it, I have no objection to including it in the storyline. Let's go for it.

This post will have the Waiting List for people that wish to create the short-lived culture of a Goodie Hut (GH) or Barbarian Camp (BC) that may appear on the map at any time during the game. Please post your interest in writing for a GH or BC below. Also state which one of the two you'd prefer (you'll be held to it), or if it doesn't matter to you. This way if a GH and a BC show up at the same time, it will be easier to assign them.

GOODIE HUT

1. TerminalMan 90
2. Stuck_As_a_Mac
3. Donovan Zoi
4. Padma

BARBARIAN CAMP

1. Grandmaster
2. Octavian X

Bring on the GH's.

Ill take a GH myself. It'll be easier to do. Just make sure that the DP puts down their names and where they were.

Excellent idea about recording the names of the villagers, Stuck. I'll try to make sure I post a note in each President's thread reminding them of this.

I would like to say that you'll each both get a chance to accept a BC if one should pop up before a GH. That is unless someone else signs up for this List that prefers a BC. Then, I'm thinking the BC would go straight to them.

This is all new, so all the rough edges need to be worked out. All in due time, I'm sure. Thanks for the participation, guys.

Just out of curiosity, is it possible to donate graphics that people have created themselves?

Originally posted by CivGeneral
Just out of curiosity, is it possible to donate graphics that people have created themselves?

Well. yes it is, CG. That is if the graphic is directly related to your storyline. If said storyline was based on ocean fishing, then a graphic of men fishing with nets might be appropriate and so forth. A graphic such as this would be posted in your "officially approved" entry in the CHD Storyline thread. Of course if you were Mayor of a town and started your own storyline about that place, you could do anything you wanted.

This thread here is mainly for rules, incidentals, questions and answers, and updates.

I'd like to sign up for writing a short culture story for a Barb Camp. Vicious, pillaging barbarians are definitely more fun to write about then nice little villagers who give us techs and maps. ;)

I'm still trying to figure out what's going on, but I can't wait to write something in the near future. :)

Hive Chairman Octavian:

The Creative History Department will serve two primary functions for DGIV: It will document the history of our nation from the initial settlement to the inevitable victory over our rivals.
It will provide our citizens with a venue for creative writing and contributing to the demogame experience like never before.

To accomplish this, the CHD will open an official storyline thread that will contain posts from any and all citizens. Story submissions must be made in accordance with the rules of the department (posted at the beginning of this thread).

While the CHD thread shall be the primary location for national history, we do hope that other creative histories emerge from certain threads (city threads, citizen groups, etc.). Those ancillary threads that adhere to the rule of the CHD, will be afforded links from within this office so that they too may serve as a living history for our nation.

I hope this clears things up and I look forward to your participation.

No, I am but a mere citizen of the Hive. I wouldn't dream of usurping the Chairman's power. Yet. :mwaha:

Still, go ahead and sign me up for a barbarian camp. Epic battles are more exciting. :)

As we get closer to the opening of DG4, planning becomes more detailed, ideas start to gel as well as spawn new ideas, and guidelines and schedules start to become real things. We are about to launch the maiden voyage of a new twist on an old concept, that of role-playing and storytelling in the forthcoming Demogame. It occurred to me after reading Octavian X’s post (Octavian’s been around a while and has witnessed two RGP launches), that some of you may not quite understand what we’re attempting to do here. So I’ve decided to recap the Creative History Department’s (CHD) concept with a bit more detail to try and bring everyone onto the same page.

One thing that has been lacking in recent Demogames is an historical timeline that tracks the nation’s origin and path through time. A couple of attempts have been made at opening and running a History Dept., but they usually fold after a couple of weeks from inactivity. Another problem that surfaced in the last Demogame was our inability to duplicate the success of our first RPG in Demogame 2. Actually, I’m not sure if that’s possible, as DG2 had a truly great RPG experience. But the RPG attempt in DG3 lacked the support and maintenance that was needed to keep it afloat as well as the original in DG2.

The CHD is an attempt to bring these two needed entities together. The original idea was to run a storyline that reflected the Demogame’s progress through time and allow the DG community to contribute to the storyline with their own characters and subplots. That is still the plan.

The CHD will open a Storyline Thread (ST) a couple of days before Christmas. The ST will remain closed to the public (you) until New Year’s Eve Day. During this week, FortyJ and I will be posting to the ST with a kind of pre-game history that will hopefully set the stage for Creation Day and the beginning of our Civilization. More on New Year’s Eve Day later.


The thread you are in right now is CHD’s Office Thread (OT). This is where you’ll find the rules and guidelines for the Storyline Thread (ST). Other information will also be posted in the OT, to include the waiting list for Map Generated Entities (MGE). By map generated, I mean Goodie Huts (GH) and Barbarian Camps (BC) that pop up in the game and are beyond our control. These MGE’s will be seen by the CHD as an opportunity to introduce new Culture and pre-histories into the Storyline. Any DG citizen may sign up for the MGE waiting list and receive authorization to begin their brief subplot within the ST. Their subplot should include the origin of the people there (their pre-history) and their current story up until their GH is popped by one of our units, or the BC is dispersed by our troops. Once either of these things happens, the independent nature of their storyline will cease, as they meld into our Culture. As a side note here, I would like to see the origins of these GH’s and BC’s extended out to any towns that spring up in that area, but this is just a wish. Once the entity melds into our Culture, the characters in the MGE subplots may continue their story as new citizens of our nation. Of course, if they are Barbarians they may have died in the attack, but who knows. Any extension from the outside world into the main ST is welcome. When your name tops the MGE waiting list and the entity you have requested shows on the map, you are entitled to begin your subplot in the ST. You will be assigned an icon to post at the top of your post to identify it for what it is. We are currently working on these icons now, but one might say GH1 or BC3. This is just to help the rest of us recognize this as your brief storyline for the entity, as you may already have a character in the main ST. So the icons are basically there to reduce confusion. PLEASE post you icon atop each addition to your subplot.

OK, that basically wraps up current info on MGE’s, let’s talk about new cities and towns that we create with Settlers or capture from the enemy (or flip to us). These will be different from the MGE’s in that they will be long term in nature. A Mayor or Township of one of these new cities can start their own independent Storyline and pre-history in its own City thread. If someone other than the Mayor wants to start a storyline in a City thread, I suggest you get the Mayor’s blessing first. On the other hand, if you have been involved in the Mayor of that city’s storyline and are not happy with the way it is going, you can by all means, move to a new city and start your own storyline. Here’s where it gets interesting. As the creator or participant of an independent city’s storyline, you can keep that storyline free and clear of any other storyline in DG4. You can also venture out and try to become entwined in other storylines, such as the main ST storyline or that of a neighboring city. Because City thread storylines can become entwined with others, a way of identifying each city's storyline is required. This is why I believe each city should develop a Coat of Arms icon (similar to the MGE icons) to post at the top of any entry they make in any thread outside their City thread. This will immediately let others recognize your post for what it is, an RPG entry. These City threads can be as wildly entertaining as you’d like to make them. They can be Hell-bent or culturally endowed. Passively accepting others and their trade or being rigid isolationist. It’s up to you, as long as you follow the basic rules listed in the second post of this thread.

The third post of this thread will list as many of the important details and incidentals of the game as possible, to include all active Non Player Characters (NPC’s), important events such as a new City Storyline coming alive, and maybe (if this things gets going big) a calendar of events (perhaps a tournament or an opening of a Wonder). The possibilities may be endless, and if we all stick to the guidelines, those very guidelines may become transparent and allow the possibilities to flourish.

OK, now you're probably asking about the opening of the ST on New Year's Eve Day. As of this time, noon on the East Coast of the USA (1200 EST or 1700GMT) will be the opening time. Once this time passes, any citizen can then post a brief storyline detailing their character and their Journey thus far in our pre-history. By then the basic concept of the pre-history will be laid out and we request that you do not stray tooo far from the prescribed storyline until Creation Day. Remember there will be no map, so the terrain will not be a big issue (you'll see then what I mean). As you will see, these will be difficult times for all, so we ask that everyone remain cool-headed. Please no violence. If anyone has a question or statement to make about their involvement (or someone else's), please post in the OT. Only storylines go in the ST.

To ensure the integrity of the ST until New Year's Eve Day, Moderator Donovan Zoi has authorized me to post the following statement in the initial ST thread ~

Per DZ- Until December 31st, no one is to post in this thread besides Cyc and Forty J. Any post in violation will be deleted.

Trust me. Deletion of one's post is not a good thing. We would not like to see anyone's work get lost, so please wait until the 31st.

OK, that about wraps it up for me. Hopefully we can answer more questions and post more updates between now and the 31st.

Let me confirm Cyc's statement. However, for those just skimming through Cyc's posts(which is no-one I hope ;) ),you can still post your concerns in this thread. My above warning will only apply to the new Storyline Thread. And since I hate to delete peoples' work, please take heed of it once that thread opens. Thanks! :)

Nice mustachio, DZ. Thanks for the clarification.

The Creative History Department's Storyline thread (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?threadid=72816) has been opened.

Please refrain from posting in the ST until noon EST (GMT-5) on December 31st. If you want to post comments or questions about the ST, post them here in th OT. :) Thanks!

The Twelve Original Tribes

Our nation's first settlement was made up of twelve individual tribes. The approximate populations of each tribe are listed below:

The Larger Tribes
=================
Paree - 1,500 (15%)
Rou - 1,400 (14%)
Orle - 1,200 (12%)
Reim - 1,200 (12%)
Ami - 1,000 (10%)

The Smaller Tribes
==================
Nant - 700 (7%)
Lourd - 600 (6%)
Marse - 600 (6%)
Cala - 500 (5%)
Bourg - 500 (5%)
Troy - 400 (4%)
Touloo - 400 (4%)

The Calendar

The Council of Elders named each of the moons after one of the tribes. The moons that coincide with major festivals were named after the largest of the tribes. Thirty risings of the sun separate each new moon and 12 moons mark the full cycle of the seasons.

Reim (New Year)
Touloo
Orle (Spring Festival)
Cala
Bourg
Nant
Ami (Summer Festival)
Troy
Marse
Rou (Fall/Harvest Festival)
Lourd
Paree (Winter Festival)

The day has come at long last. The Creative History Department is opening for business!

On behalf of Cyc, myself and the entire CHD staff, I extend an invitation to all of you to come and join us in celebrating the birth of the newest and most innovative concept ever brought to the demogame stage. All citizens, veteran and rookie alike, are welcome and encouraged to participate.

When: 1700 GMT (1200 Eastern, 0900 Pacific)

Where: Here, in this thread. Or if you have IRC, join us in #demogame_CHD.

So, come by and partake in the celebration. Once the party begins, everyone will be able to submit their stories to the CHD Storyline Thread (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=72816). However, please review the Department Rules (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?postid=1412224#post1412224) before posting your submissions.

Thank you! I look forward to seeing all of you in the Halls of History!

Just a brief statement about posting in the storyline. FortyJ and Rik Meleet and I are still working on a pre-history storyline. This will involve the elections we've just held, so please don't mention them in your posts.

If you'd like to start your storyline, please do, but for now keep it more towards you own personal character development. Once we found our Capital City, our real Hisory will begin. Then contributions of any sort will be welcome. But please let us get the Government structure up and running first. Thanks,

Cyc

:) Another announcement.

When anyone posts graphics in th ST or OT, please make sure the demensions of the graphic does not exceed 800w X600H. If necessary, just find a graphics program (I use 20/20 because it's free) to reduce the image size. Anything smaller than 800 X600 is perfectly acceptable also. Thanks!

I have a question regarding graphics. How many graphic images in one post is limited to, as long as they are below the 200 x 200 size (That is the standard I go by for small story illustrations)

CG...

If you attempt to attach an image to your post (which is frowned upon for a number of reasons), you are limited to the one image.

However, if you upload your images to the file server using the "Upload File" feature and then reference your images using the [img] tags, then you should be able to post numerous (actual limit unknown) images in your stories.

Our main concern is the size of the images. A single large graphic will distort the entire page, making it difficult to read the stories in other posts. I personally try to limit my images to nothing wider than 600 pixels to prevent this problem from occuring.

I hope this helps.

I'm overwhelmed by the contributions already in the CHD. Keep it up everyone!

Cyc and I are so impressed, in fact, that we're going to implement an awards banquet each term in which we will recognize those citizens who have contributed the most to our story.

The beginning list of awards includes: Best Overall Contribution, Best Individual Post, Best NPC Story, and more.

Once again, thanks for your contributions and keep up the great work!

Just so everyone is aware, our waiting list for Goodie Huts is exhausted. We still have two people on the waiting list for Barb Camps, who will be offer the next GH if no one signs up for them.
The list can be found at the top of the second page of this thread. If you would like to sign up for this list, please post anywhere below. Thanks,

Cyc

The CHD stories are really getting good. Thanks all posters to your excellent story lines. Perhaps we should remind all citizens that the story tread is not limited to just the current posters. All are welcome to add their two cents as long as they follow the rules (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?postid=1412224#post1412224) at the start of this thread.

Perhaps we owe a debt to the Minister of Defense, CivGeneral, for adding so much spice to the early demogame. Boots said he wanted a challenge :crazyeye:

I would be interested in forwarding the story of the Jute tribe, if that is not taken. They are the kind people who gave us Pottery in yesterday's turnchat (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=74678).

I'm sorry, Donovan Zoi. That GH was already given to Stuck_As_a_Mac. It is currently named Montparlamer and is being worked in a story by Stuck in the CHD ST.

If you would like to sign up for the next GH or BC please let me know by posting below. We would love to see your contribution. As the second GH we popped last night has Barbs in it, I'm not sure you want that one. In fact, that may have been some of the Ooliga tribe in their attempt to relocate, I don't know. :)

We would be happy to put you on the list.

I misunderstood your last post then, when you stated that the GH waiting list was exhausted. :) I had determined the meaning of Barb Camp to be a goodie hut pop gone awry, when in reality you must have meant a camp that originates in the Fog of War.

No big deal, I can take the story of the Gepids. :)

Ok DZ. I will put your name on the list for GHs just to officially log you as the Gepid GH designee.

The official difference between a GH and a BC is the visual/graphical difference between the two. A GH looks like a small village with huts, whereas the Barbarian Camp looks like a campsite. I'm concerned with the lack of BCs in the game so far, but the rowdy villagers are certainly putting up a fight in response to our aggressive tendancies. :)

True true.......actually, from my Civ3 experience at least, we probably won't see any BCs for quite some time. I don't think I have ever seen one before I founded 3-4 cities. Time will tell.....

Thanks for adding me to the list. I will begin my story tomorrow afternoon at the latest. :)

Originally posted by Cyc
I'm concerned with the lack of BCs in the game so farWe should be more careful with what we wish for. ;) Given the reactions of the so-called friendly villagers we've encountered thus far, I fear the worst if (and likely when) we begin encountering the barbarian camps.

Just to belabor Cyc's distinction between the two NPC dwellings.... The villages (aka goodie huts) are indeed the nice little mushroom-looking icons that can share technologies, maps, or spawn violent barbarians when visited. The barbarian camps are the more fierce-looking icons that only contain barbarians and spew hordes of those treacherous savages upon entering a new technological age.

As far as I'm concerned, anyone can reserve a story for either type of encounter (or even next available, if you have no preference). From my reckoning, now that DZ has reserved the most-recent village, and since there is no other in sight at the moment, I believe the next village and/or barbarian camp is up for grabs.

40J: I'll be glad to take a shot at that next village. :)

Donovan,

I don't know how much of your story line you have already prepared, but I would like you to mention that the Ooliga people passed by your area and forwarned you about the evil Fanaticans. I don't wish them to have joined your new tribe, but to have passed by to settle elsewhere.

I leave it up to you as to which direction you have them head.

Originally posted by TerminalMan90
Donovan,

I don't know how much of your story line you have already prepared, but I would like you to mention that the Ooliga people passed by your area and forwarned you about the evil Fanaticans. I don't wish them to have joined your new tribe, but to have passed by to settle elsewhere.

I leave it up to you as to which direction you have them head.

Hey TMan.....

I had written my post before I saw this, but was able to edit it in time per your request. I was even able to write your character Jon into the story, as it seems that the path I laid out for him is where he may want to go.

I hope this works for you.

Just a note: Francois and Tzara are back with their pots. My huts story is over and I would like to ask the council to create an idea for a new large story, other then Barbies, that we can all pitch in on. It doesnt have to be game related, just a good big story where I can wreak havock... I mean... write in.

DZ -

Great submission. I like the unique introduction of your character. I would caution you about the use of your new contraption. We have yet to discover Mathematics which is required for catapults (although from the description of your device, the rocks are considerably smaller), nor have we discovered The Wheel which would be required to roll such a machine around. Granted, other civs and villages may have this technology, but we have yet to encounter them.

Stuck -

I'm not sure what you mean. Please elaborate on your proposal (either in this thread or via PM).

Thanks, Forty. :) You are correct that Vandelay's invention possesses the characteristics of a catapult, but remember that Armand comes from a land of limited resources and is heading for a land of opportunity. Perhaps bigger stones are in the future? :mischief:

Stay tuned.......

40- What I mean is that we should embark on a new storyline. We are doing well with our stories of Goodie Huts and what we find in them, but something more is needed. We cannot tell of great wars of diplomatic misses or Pindletonesque encounters, but we can still tell other stories. For example...
We never got a creation myth going.
Or....
An epic adventure? The Fanaticad?
These are just sugestions. Its the CHD's choice.

Stuck -

Nothing should prevent you or anyone else submitting a story detailing some happenings of our northern warriors as they stumbled onto the coastline (for example), or what happened when the cattle broke loose from the stables just east of town.

As far as a dedicated thread for an epic adventure or similar, stay tuned. There will be occasions for offshoots and other side-storylines as the game progresses.

People, we have an opening for a GH origin story. Padma signed up for one, but two have been popped since then. At present we have a GH in our NW region. Grandmaster or Octavian X can claim it or anyone for that matter.

We need to keep these GH's and BC's (if one ever shows up) going. They can make a significant difference in our Culture.

Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye!

The Creative History Department is pleased to announce the first of what we hope to be many secondary historical threads! With the foundings of Montpellier and Huntington, those cities have agreed to adhere to the rules of the CHD and conduct their business and internal stories in accordance with the rules of this office.

We hereby extend links to those city threads and acknowledge that they are now fully engaged in the documentation of our nation's history.

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads6/DGIV_CHD_Sign_Montpellier.gif (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=78040) http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads6/DGIV_CHD_Sign_Huntington.gif (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=78468)

Other cities wishing to take part in this historical effort should apply within this office.

Respectfully,
Michelet
Grand Historian and Acting Manager of the CHD

I wish to extend my apologies for my lack of contribution. I thought I would have the time to do this, as I find this aspect of the game quite enjoyable. However, I am operating under an unexpected restriction in the amount of time I spend at the site, and most of that is devoted (necessarily) to mod-stuff.

Perhaps later, when my network difficulties have cleared up....