The 2015 w23 Digital Release and Speculation Thread

[b-dog]

This is a really good book. It will be useful for what I am reading now; Ars Magica the Cresant and the Cradle which is set in the mythical Middle East. I have some questions though. Would the Caliphate be a combined Congregation, Military and Nobility? Also how would the other faiths of the People of the Book be handled? I assume they would have no Nobility and they would have a lower status than the Muslims. Would they just be a Congregation? Also, how would earlier pagan faiths be handled? Would they be Spiritual Societies? I would think the Bedouin would be Tribes.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by b-dog

Would the Caliphate be a combined Congregation, Military and Nobility?

An entire imperial government is too large and unwieldy to entertainingly treat as a single guild. Remember, Noble Courts are treated as separate entities from Military Companies and Police, even though both of those organizations are likely subordinate to a Noble Court. Think in terms of exactly who adventurers are talking to. It isn't the government or the religion in any kind of abstract sense. They're talking to some specific batch of people. If the caliph himself calls them in and tells them to do something, they're dealing with a Noble Court. The court is in a relatively good position to tell the army or religious authorities to do stuff (that's why Noble Courts have a low penalty for requests outside their area), but the adventurers' primary contact is the secular bureaucracy. If the caliph's favorite imam calls them in for a chat, they're dealing with a Congregation. If they're summoned by one of the caliph's generals, they're dealing with a Military Company.

Originally Posted by b-dog

Also how would the other faiths of the People of the Book be handled?

If the adventurers are dealing with the community of Christians or Jews within the caliphate (if, for example, the Christian community of the predominantly Muslim city of Randombad ask them to recover the relics of St. Deadguy), that would probably be a Congregation.

Originally Posted by b-dog

Also, how would earlier pagan faiths be handled? Would they be Spiritual Societies?

Societies with pagan religions could have Spiritual Societies, if they have religious organizations at all. That doesn't mean they are Spiritual Societies. If they somehow have a semi-independent political situation (say, the Hill Peoples Who Worship The Tree God Thrunk have proven too expensive to conquer, so they're a small tributary kingdom), there'll also be a Noble Court in there somewhere, or maybe just be a Tribe. Or if they're a very, very small and clannish minority, they may for all practical purposes be an Extended Family. Oh, and if the non-Abrahamic religion in question is like, say, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, or Manichaeism, you're back to Congregations rather than Spiritual Societies.

Originally Posted by b-dog

I would think the Bedouin would be Tribes.

Bedouins would certainly have Tribes.

[b-dog]

Ars Magica has the pagan gods (Babylonian, Egyptian etc. ) merge with magic instead of the Divine. Maybe in in GURPS DF these faiths would be part of the Hermetic Cabal? Maybe this is the way the old gods reassert their power in the world through secret magical societies? Maybe Hermes Trismegistus and Thoth teach wizards and clerics their magical secrets so they gain power in the world in a land where Allah rules?

[Kromm]

Yeah, Guilds doesn't treat entire societies as backers ("guilds"), nor does it presume to restrict specific kinds of groups to particular nations, faiths, races, etc. Rather, it offers a bunch of different organizations that might exist within just about any society you could care to name . . . though obviously, some might fit your personal vision better than others.

It's a bit like how Dungeon Fantasy doesn't treat all elves as wizards or all halflings as thieves, nor does it restrict the wizardly professions to elves or the roguish ones to halflings. Instead, it offers a bunch of professions available to members of almost any race you could care to name . . . though obviously elves (with inborn Magery) have a leg up as wizards and halflings (with DX+1, SM -2, Honest Face, Silence, and Kleptomania) are equipped to thrive as thieves.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by b-dog

Ars Magica has the pagan gods (Babylonian, Egyptian etc. ) merge with magic instead of the Divine. Maybe in in GURPS DF these faiths would be part of the Hermetic Cabal?

While there's no generic answer for all of DF, I imagine that there'd be at least one Hermetic Cabal in your campaign for those guys.

Originally Posted by Kromm

Yeah, Guilds doesn't treat entire societies as backers ("guilds"), nor does it presume to restrict specific kinds of groups to particular nations, faiths, races, etc. Rather, it offers a bunch of different organizations that might exist within just about any society you could care to name . . . though obviously, some might fit your personal vision better than others.

Indeed. However, the same publisher offers many other fine products if you're interested in a broader look at polities or a wider look at organizations rather than the PC-facing focus of Guilds.

(This post brought to you by enlightened self-interest.)

[DouglasCole]

(This post brought to you by enlightened self-interest.)

Is that a guild? (or rather, isn't that ALL of them?)

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by DouglasCole

Is that a guild? (or rather, isn't that ALL of them?)

The "enlightened" might be optimistic.

[Christopher R. Rice]

So it looks like this year is probably going to be my last maintaining the speculation thread. It's been fun, but my plate is becoming full with my blog, my games, Patreon, and regular writing work. That said, who thinks that'd like to do it next year and can properly keep it up?

[TorgSmith]

Well, bought the PDFs I wanted that had built up since the last purchase. Can't wait to see what comes out next year. Well ok, I can wait. :)

[Paulon]

For the end of the year, we get Pyramid #3/86: Organizations.