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Old 12-24-2008, 06:44 AM   #41
Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2
 
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Default Re: Four small Polities for Yrth.

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Sadartha
Now this is more like it! Nice cultural differences, playable, a unique flavor without being a miniature nuclear power. I could imagine a Megalan or Araterren merchant-adventurer exploring this place. Or a Sadarthan merchant-adventurer sniffing around Megalos.

I can imagine the rumors about each one that would start up, too. Would the Emperor try to distract the Megalan people with a new Crusade against the heathen of Sadartha? For that matter, would the Caliph? Or would either seek to ally themselves with this new power by offering a dynastic marriage to the Rani of Sadartha? In the meantime, there's moneuy to be made in the luxury and magic-item trades, as well as piracies to commit in new oceans - by both sides!

Flesh it out with a 20-odd page book, this one could be fun.
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Old 12-24-2008, 12:06 PM   #42
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Default Re: Four small Polities for Yrth.

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Originally Posted by Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2
Now this is more like it! [Snip]

Flesh it out with a 20-odd page book, this one could be fun.
Thanks! Like I said, what I really need to flesh this out is more information on medieval India. I've got the d20 sourcebook Mindshadows from Green Ronin, which features a fantastic version of India which served as a major inspiration for this, but honestly I could use more information.

Shame GURPS India never got off the ground...
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Old 12-25-2008, 10:43 AM   #43
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Default Re: Four small Polities for Yrth.

I like Sadartha. I'd like to see several small continents on Yrth with different cultures. Sadatha (India), The Pheonix Isle (China), Zanji(Africa), and some varients too.

Maybe we can't get a GURPS:Africa, but a Ytarria-like continent with people brought to it from Africa would be cool. And could feather a good deal of authentic African culture, lore, and history. Similarly, Sadartha could use the cultures of India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, as a starting point.
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Old 12-25-2008, 03:31 PM   #44
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Default Re: Four small Polities for Yrth.

Had some notes for an african-like continent as well.

Makyamba (another placeholder name, but I like this one)
South of Ytarria, past the Maelstrom, is the Island Continent collectively known to it's people as Makyamba. It has been colonized by humans from Africa and South America, although there was also a group of people from ancient Egypt who have established a new kingdom in their region.

Geography: a mainly Tropical continent, Makyamba is dominated by jungles, savannahs and the occasional deserts. The southern tip of the continent has colder, more temperate climates.

Cultures: the dominant culture on Makyamba are numerous the hunter-gatherer tribes scattered across the continent, some of which have assembled into small kingdoms. There is a rather loose-knit confederacy of tribal kingdoms, in fact. The second dominant culture is a kingdom founded by the Meso-Americans, which have eventually been mixed into a tribe calling itself the Maztol. The final kingdom, Shemketi, was founded by the Egyptians, and while it is relatively small, it's armies are strong and it's fortunes on the rise.

Religions: Mainly Animism, a variant of Voudoun, some scattered practitionners of Islam, and a mixture of Pantheons.

Nonhumans: There are nomadic tribes of Giants, Centaurs, Hobgoblins and Reptile Folk, a few Goblin cities, scattered, hidden communities of halflings, dwarves and elves. There are also numerous Spirits throughout the continent, and many other communities of more exotic races.

One subspecies of Giants found around Shemketi are called Khemtians, and have the perticularity of being born with animal heads, such as hawks, jackals and lions. The Shemketi see them as children of the gods, and offer them respect and reverence. Sphinxes are likewise given great respect by the Shemketi, and are common enough within the more powerful Temple-cities.

Wildlife: numerous creatures from Africa and South America have been Banestormed to Makyamba, where they have blended in with the native wildlife, as well as more exotic creatures from Gabrook and Loren'dil. Quite notably, there are many instances of creatures one could only call "Dinosaurs" that have been found across the continent.

Magic: Makyamba tends to have Normal and High Mana areas, with more then a few Very High Mana spots. Magery is seen as the mark of a Shaman, and magic-users are given varied amounts of respect or fear, depending on the shaman's attitudes and behavior, and the customs of the local tribes.

The kingdoms of Maztol and Shemketi have both a tradition of raising Priest-Wizards similar to the ones of Ytarria, as well as more independant traditions of sorcery. In both cultures, the Priest-Wizards tend to practice "White" magic, socially-beneficial spells, cast with respect of the deities, while the "Sorcerors" practice "Black" magic, more selfish-leaning spells for individual benefit.

Maztol and Shemketi each have distinct magical traditions which make them stand out from one another.

Maztol nutures and cultivates it's native werefolk population as "Beast Warriors", a special caste of elite warriors, bound by oaths of loyalty and a common love of fighting and killing. The three main orders are the Jaguar Warriors, the Eagle Warriors and the Coyote Warriors, all three of which are as fond of fighting amongst themselves as they are of slaughtering outsiders (They're basically the Beast Warriors from GURPS Shapeshifters, p 113-116).

Shemketi, meanwhile, has Priest-Wizards who openly practice Necromancy spells, which are seen as part of Anubis and Osiris' domains. While the mummified dead are usually kept in their tombs, it is not unknown for Anubite priests to occasionally create Mummy Guardians to deal with a threat. (GURPS Egypt covers the concept of Egyptian Undead with a bit more depth). The Pharaohs of Shemketi, in fact, usually have themselves mummified as Liches, and remain in the Necropolis to serve as a Council of Advisors to the current Pharaoh and his court (This concept is more like the Aereni Undying Courts of Eberron).

There is also a scattered tradition of Voudoun which was brought by later generations of Banestorm immigrants, which has largely melded back with Makyamba animism, although with a far greater focus on contacting Spirits. These Voudou Houngans know a number of Spirit-focused spells, and use the "Mortals with Supernatural Servants" and "Spirit Vessel" rules from GURPS Thaumatology (If one wishes to add Path and Book magic to Banestorm, the Voudounistas would definetly use it.)

I picture Makyamba as being a largely untamed, wild continent of adventure and exploration, with a lot of mysteries to uncover, wonders to discover, and dangers to face off against.

Last edited by LoneWolf23k; 12-25-2008 at 08:16 PM.
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Old 12-26-2008, 01:33 PM   #45
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Default Re: Four small Polities for Yrth.

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Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k
Makyamba
Consider it yoinked, perhaps minus the elves, dwarves, n' hobbits, and with more emphasis on the goblins, giants, and weres. :)
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Old 12-26-2008, 02:40 PM   #46
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Default Re: Four small Polities for Yrth.

I'm in the process of knocking together a small, isolated island populated by Hispano-tibetan buddhist conquistadors, but I've hit a small snag. I have no idea how to transliterate Tibetan into English. For that matter I have no understanding of Tibetan. My hazy grasp of Spanish has allowed me to cherry pick and mangle a few terms to suit my purposes, but I intend to present the majority of the population as being Tibetan speakers with a smattering of spanish, so I need some Tibetan words to give some hint of verisimilitude. Anyone got an idea where I might find such a thing?
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Old 12-26-2008, 04:09 PM   #47
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Default Re: Four small Polities for Yrth.

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Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc
Consider it yoinked, perhaps minus the elves, dwarves, n' hobbits, and with more emphasis on the goblins, giants, and weres. :)
Fair enough. I really only added the three because elves and dwarves are still native to Yrth, and therefore might be on all the continents, and the halflings make good pygmies.

Still, if you'd rather not have active elves and dwarves, maybe they got wiped out and all that's left are their treasure-filled ruins to explore...
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Old 12-27-2008, 12:14 AM   #48
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Default Re: Four small Polities for Yrth.

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Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k
Fair enough. I really only added the three because elves and dwarves are still native to Yrth, and therefore might be on all the continents, and the halflings make good pygmies.

Still, if you'd rather not have active elves and dwarves, maybe they got wiped out and all that's left are their treasure-filled ruins to explore...
You could use actual pygmies, you know. :)
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Old 12-27-2008, 07:22 AM   #49
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Default Re: Four small Polities for Yrth.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NorphTehDwarf
I'm in the process of knocking together a small, isolated island populated by Hispano-tibetan buddhist conquistadors, but I've hit a small snag. I have no idea how to transliterate Tibetan into English. For that matter I have no understanding of Tibetan. My hazy grasp of Spanish has allowed me to cherry pick and mangle a few terms to suit my purposes, but I intend to present the majority of the population as being Tibetan speakers with a smattering of spanish, so I need some Tibetan words to give some hint of verisimilitude. Anyone got an idea where I might find such a thing?
English to Tibetan Online Dictionary

Google is a wonnerful thing, yes?
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Old 07-17-2009, 09:25 AM   #50
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Default Re: Four small Polities for Yrth.

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Originally Posted by Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2 View Post
Why do the majority of these "small polities" seem to be rich sources of munchkinite?
A) They weren't all meant to be used together. Pick one or two at most.

B) Each is meant to have reasons to be cautious. The Sea Bard folk are only now settling their new land. They'd like to get tech, they don't know where to get it, and their advantages make them to much trouble to conquer, unless they became a major threat. The Chinese kingdom is mainly concerned with its long term stability, and isn't interested in anything but securing its splendid isolation. The flying ships aren't into conquest, just trade, and avoiding being attacked. And the Kingdom of Roses Triumphant is playing a slow sneaky game. They're Secret Masters with a coherent plan. The nastiest kind.

Last edited by Astromancer; 07-19-2012 at 12:37 PM.
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