Creating a new fantasy world.

[dcarson]

If the IEs are playing the empire game properly they'll have troops from different groups as the forces in each area. So a dwarven area has human troops and a human one dwarfs. With the non IE elves as mid level managers and administrators. This makes the groups distrust each other more and makes control easier.

[FuelDrop]

Fist draft for the map of the Empire.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by FuelDrop

Fist draft for the map of the Empire.

What did you make that map in?

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by Loukas

What about a twist in the tale? That the PCs eventually discover that the IE mages are actually defending the Empire/our plane of existence from a demonic/alien invasion? And the purpose of the empire is to provide infrascructure for magical defence, which doesn't need tech advancement?

This aspect reminds me of Brust's Dragaera where that is a major purpose of the Empire, though it differs in many other ways from the one here.

[fredtheobviouspseudonym]

Originally Posted by FuelDrop

. . . Good idea on the underground schools.

IIRC during the English occupation of Ireland various clandestine priests would hold "hedge schools" to teach Catholic catechisms -- and Gaelic language.

[fredtheobviouspseudonym]

Originally Posted by FuelDrop

. . . Net result is a -1 on most initial reaction rolls for anyone not of your own species, though in more cosmopolitan settings this is less prevalent.

This is actually more realistic than not.

Most peasant societies have REAL suspicion of any one that is an "Other" -- i.e., not from the same village. (And they often have long standing feuds inside their own village -- perhaps for generations -- often with no one remembering who started the feud or why but always know "those [deleted] Timsons are not to be trusted!" Kids learn this at Mam's knee. See or read The Return of Martin Guerre for a good example of this life.

So, add a genuine difference in species and you'll have serious interpersonal differences.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

What did you make that map in?

Looks like Campaign Cartographer 3.

[FuelDrop]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

Looks like Campaign Cartographer 3.

That is correct. I'm only an amateur with it at the moment, unfortunately.

[Figleaf23]

Originally Posted by FuelDrop

Good idea on the underground schools.

You could also consider an underground communication system, like
the Tarot or knotted cords or some such.