Ideas and Development--Story NES

[North King]

Quirk of geography, and this world doesn't really have deserts as bad as ours--mainly due to the fact that continents are much narrower, allowing prevailing winds to blow rather far into the continent delivering rain. You'll also note almost all of those rivers are "exotic"--they flow from a non-desert terrain (mountains) into desert.

 

[das]

Precisely - isn't that a bit too many exotic rivers? Ah well.

 

[das]

Upon some brainstorming I decided that it indeed would be VERY difficult to write down all the history of this world by myself from the scratch (especially within the time I've got left before Prague (though if I find a good internet cafe there, I will ofcourse try and help out here even then)), so I would only welcome other people's ideas and contributions.

For start, we probably can assume that the human race will evolve in the southwestern continent, as it seems the best-fit for it. From there it could relatively easily spread to the main, northern continent, while the others will be settled later still (and presumably still coming from the progenitor continent over the island chains in rafts, as opposed to moving there from the northern one).

Btw, we cannot always reffer to the regions as to "northern continent" and so forth. We need some general names for the main regions - we already have the Empty Ocean, but we need more ideas. The Northern Continent I could imagine being called simply "the Mainland". The gulf to the northwest of the "Home Island" (one more quip here, now that I thought of it - shouldn't it at least have some mountains?) will be the Great Gulf. The middle ocean will either be called the "Middle Ocean" or the "Mediterranean Ocean". Anything else?

 

[North King]

The Home Island has highlands, but not true mountains. Pretty Britain-like.

I'm okay with most of those names.

I'd think that the wraparound-world-spanning-ocean should be called the Outer Ocean.

The vast southern island group is the South Seas Isles.

What style of names should we have for our characters (ie, what's the nation's language like--English, or what?)?

Civilization, as I have stated, should originate on the Mainland, and in this world's equivalent, the Home Island should begin to gobble up territory on the Mainland through dynastic union, leading to an eventually unstoppable force after the colonial period lends it the riches and wealth of some of the other faraway continents--hence it conquers most of the mainland, and has a vast colonial empire as well.

Just some food for thought.

 

[Swissempire]

I favor generic names until the developed cultures can assign names.

North Continent= The Mainland
The EMpty Ocean= The EMpty Ocean
The Southwest Continent= The Homeland
The Middle Island= Blob Island
The Southeastern Continent= Long Islandlol: )
The Small Islands between Homeland and Long Island= Detail Islands


I suggest we give them actual native names ASAP.

 

[North King]

We need native languages before we can give native names, don't we?

EDIT: The Empire's names for the continents are probably the common usage, in any case.

 

[North King]

Das, am I to infer from your last post that we are to write the entire history as a community?

 

[Swissempire]

I think we should make a format, and assign regions for development, and as international contact ensues, work together more, and around the COlonial Era, Have three, then have two in the OTL 1800's, and then hand it off too Das for the Rise of the EMpire

 

[das]

Das, am I to infer from your last post that we are to write the entire history as a community?

Basically, yes, though I'll try to coordinate it (and ofcourse contribute).

 

[das]

Swiss, I rather doubt it would be worth it, as the Empire will knock over several civilizations along the way. Is it worth the time it would take to write down their history? It is best if we do not separate this, too. We don't really need an awfully detailed history, I believe

Btw, another matter comes up - the calendar. Any ideas, NK?

 

[Swissempire]

I think a semi-detailed history would be beneficial, as it would add to character development, and the Stagnating Empire rebellions.

Plus, we could do a detailed ancient history while your getting all the chicks in Prague(Das the Playboy )

 

[~Darkening~]

I've read through this thing five or six times and thought it was about time I put my two-cents in ;].

I don't know if this stuff has already been decided or what, but I'm just making sure I understand everything clear (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong):

We would be playing as one person, correct? I.e not as a nation?
One week would roughly equate to three months of game time?
Pretty much anything goes with a limit on the psychotic elements? (No Nuking, no running around with a mosse tied to your arse, no saying "Badda Bing Badda Boom. I just shot you and now you're dead so go have fun with a shroom.") I also believe there should be somebody who decides what is legal and what isn't.

I also strongly advise for modern age, mainly cause I'm too lazy to devolp yet another culture. Also players wouldn't have any contact with each other and the world wouldn't know about the various on-goings if its a fresh start, since cultures would be isolated for a large portion of the game. Also modern age greatly increases the choices of players greatly.

As for the empire, I believe it should be something compared to the rule of the Roman Empire under Antoninus Pius (138-161) through the Reign of Commodus. While there were small military actions throughout the empire, it was mostly peaceful in the beginning. However it changed after Pius and the germanic invasions began. It's also the beginning of when cracks began to appear in the Roman Empire and the rule of Commodus is often refered to the end of Pax Romana.

The langueges of the world would probably center around the empire's native tounge. The other states would have their own tounges, but as english gradually replaced others in the 19th and 20th centuries, the empires tongue should do also. I'd prefer if it was somehting long the lines of a Latin/Greek combo with a chinese/arabic influence upon it.

For the fact that none of the continents are connected; I believe that human-kind would probably start upon the empire's homelands and expand as they did in OTL: across the island chain, up the southwest contient and so on. Reasons would be the isolation of the continent, the supporting terrain ( the meeting points of the three terrains would probably assist in evolution and could be the "Sumer" of the world), the location of the continent (If you look at Africa in OTL, its just about the continent that lays in the middle) through that may not matter, and the fact that if there was a "pangeae" of the world, the continent would most likely be the crossroads for migrations and have a unique ecosystem (through maybe not that unique due to the islands.)

I support Das's idea (I think it was Das) of having players create characters as various members of society. People shouldn't just attempt to be kings, or soldiers. A minister calling for change in a stagmenting government could be a powerful force if s/he has enough charisma. Likewise politicians, political rebels, and other non-military members of society could play a huge role in the story. Imagine something along Ghandi, Boris Yeltsin, Nelson Mandela, or others standing up to the government and leading massive protests. On the other hand, characters could attempt to take over the power of a nation the likes of Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, or other dictators.

For the history, I support a brief outline and allow the players to fill in the rest as we go along. A brief summery of various wars, alliances, colonies, government policies (anything like apartheid or anti-semitism to the something like Pol Pot's crusade against intellectuals), cultures, and other little tid bits.

I believe religion could play a major part in this nes so a couple should be created. Around four or five resembling modern day religions could be feasable and not prove to be to much of a nuisance. However, the empire's dominant religion should be the main one due to its increased power.

I also believe that there should be many nations (remember no stats). The empire should have land on every continent, but rather than dominating everyone the empire should be held back by weak alliances. The main strenght of the empire would be its ability to mobilize rapidly and a very large percentage of the worlds population.( Think USSR, USA< or GB before it lost all of it's colonies).

The government of the Empire should also be decided. A hard-lined empire (most logical), A republic and its colonies, A dictatorship controlled regime, A political party controled empire (USSR, Nazi-Germany, or Mussolini-Itatly), or even a democratic nation with the home lands ruling the empire.

Just some ideas and questions. And thats all that i can think of for right now. And yes, I know I jumped around alot and was quite random ;].

 

[das]

It's also the beginning of when cracks began to appear in the Roman Empire and the rule of Commodus is often refered to the end of Pax Romana.

Not a specialist in Rome at all, but in our Empire, the cracks didn't just BEGIN to appear - they are already present, and getting worse. So more like the Severi, I suppose.

I support Das's idea (I think it was Das) of having players create characters as various members of society. People shouldn't just attempt to be kings, or soldiers. A minister calling for change in a stagmenting government could be a powerful force if s/he has enough charisma. Likewise politicians, political rebels, and other non-military members of society could play a huge role in the story. Imagine something along Ghandi, Boris Yeltsin, Nelson Mandela, or others standing up to the government and leading massive protests. On the other hand, characters could attempt to take over the power of a nation the likes of Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, or other dictators.

My favourite idea is the various "well-meaning" societies - both reactionary and revolutionary, and, ofcourse, the Masons.

I believe religion could play a major part in this nes so a couple should be created.

I'd say it probably could be something of a Romanojapanese Emperor cult. The Empire must have an Emperor... even if he is a figurehead.

The empire should have land on every continent, but rather than dominating everyone the empire should be held back by weak alliances.

Its not much of an Empire if it can be held back by some weak alliances. No, the Empire must be hegemonic. There could, would and should however be some small and medium-sized powers waiting for it to collapse.

he main strenght of the empire would be its ability to mobilize rapidly and a very large percentage of the worlds population.

The strenghts of any real empire are a good strategic position, vast resources (of all kinds) and the ability of projecting force in any position; furthermore, it needs the willpower and organization to do so. And, ofcourse, no empire rose in vacuum - they all rise when everybody else is too weak to stop them from doing so.

However, our Empire is overstretched and stagnating, and hated by the others; oh, it is also feared ofcourse, but as soon as things begin to go wrong for it the fear might disappear, and being neither feared nor loved is a rather unpromising situation...

The Empire itself - I've been thinking of the various models, and, as already hinted in this post, perhaps it could be something like pre-1945 Japan combined with Rome under the weaker emperors? Basically, a figurehead revered emperor dominated by various military strongmen and politicians.

 

[North King]

Okay, calendar is more or less like ours, approximately 360 days in the year, divided into 12 months, divided into 4 weeks. Just for ease of simplicity. I'll set to working on some of the earliest parts of the timeline myself later today, if no one objects.

 

[Jason The King]

nay, it shouldnt be that we are confined to even follow a character or whatnot...you're not "playing" a character, a nation, or anything...just write stories about the current setting, and help the thread evolve into some good kind of story.

 

[das]

I'll set to working on some of the earliest parts of the timeline myself later today, if no one objects.

Technically I had some ideas for it as well, but meh.

 

[North King]

If you want, go ahead.

 

[Symphony D.]

lurker's comment: Both NK and Panda are using avatars from the same painting of Napoleon... some sort of foul conspiracy is afoot...

 

[das]

I was wondering if anybody else had noticed...

NK, lets see what you have first - my ideas come to think of it are rather vague and undeveloped at the moment.

 

[North King]

I have an update to write--you write it!