[Ice Age] TL0 Gadgeteers and Civilization-Building

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by fredtheobviouspseudonym

Key element -- remember that originally the human species was in the middle of the food chain -- our ancestors were basically snacks for cats. Fire changes this -- the Lion King doesn't like being burned and keeps his distance. [Actually the Lion Queen -- males don't hunt.] So build a fire, stay by it at night == and you will live longer in the Paleolithic.

Other factors are that fire enables you to cook food, which increases the percentage of nutrients you can extract from some foods, and detoxifies others; and it opens the door to "firestick farming," which increases the productivity of many habitats.

[Willy]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Other factors are that fire enables you to cook food, which increases the percentage of nutrients you can extract from some foods, and detoxifies others; and it opens the door to "firestick farming," which increases the productivity of many habitats.

Besides the above mentioned protection from wild animals and the quote above, fire also keeps you warm and helps you build better weapon may it be fire hardened wood or birch tar to attach stone better to arrows, spears, knives etc. From this point of view the ability to make a fire whenever you wanted with a high reliability of success was a major game changer.

[whswhs]

There is a case to be made that the control of fire, and the cooking that it made possible, reduced the amount of energy required for digestion, freeing up energy that could support a larger and more demanding brain, and thus making possible the evolution of sapient hominids in the first place.

[Stormcrow]

Originally Posted by Anders

Ayla from the Children of Earth series is a gadgeteer. She invents the spear thrower, animal taming and flint sparking.

Atook from the movie Caveman is a gadgeteer. He invents the wheel, a sedative delivery system, slings, and the treebranch-powered animal snare, and assists in the creation of lever-based weapons, armor, animal-taming, cooking, and fire.

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by Anders

Ayla from the Children of Earth series is a gadgeteer. She invents the spear thrower, animal taming and flint sparking.

And the linkage between sex and reproduction.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by cptbutton

And the linkage between sex and reproduction.

Well, no., that one already existed.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Well, no., that one already existed.

From Wikipedia:

One of Ayla's most important insights is the concept that men have something to do with the conception of children. Clan people believe that pregnancy and birth are a matter of spirit totems competing; when a woman menstruates, it means her totem has fought off another and has won, but if a woman gets pregnant it means her totem has been overcome. Ayla suspects that this all has something to do with sex

Which I guess means that in that universe, Neanderthals are dumber (or at least less informed) than Gorillas and Mice.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by cptbutton

And the linkage between sex and reproduction.

And horse-riding and the travois. Also, suturing. Besides which she met the woman who invented tanning.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Well, no., that one already existed.

Right. She worked it out, or discovered it, rather than inventing it.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Anders

Ayla from the Children of Earth series is a gadgeteer. She invents the spear thrower, animal taming and flint sparking.

By Jean M. Auel, starting with Clan of the Cave Bear.

The series is pretty much required reading for any semi-realistic TL0 Gadgeteer campaign, although Ayla's inventiveness and skill set gets increasingly cinematic as the series progresses.