GURPS Fantasy , shared world, recruiting

[Agramer]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

Ah , yes, more swords and sorcery!

I could incorporate it into "Knightly Georgia".

Id just need to get some "meterstick" from you on amount of such Flying lizards compared to True Knights...or some other ratio so I can work on it.

"Knightly Georgia" could be set with one side on Wall of the World Mountains,reaching 15 km hight and impassable.

Only real requirement,as I see it,is to avoid any direct border with Big Empires so "Knightly Georgia" can be very loosely organised and based on Arrogance,pride,honour..etc instead "sacrificing" all of that for practical necessities that bordering Large empires with wast armies would entail just to survive.

[Kuroshima]

Originally Posted by Threlgar

GURPS Spirits 3e used to have a "Spirit Warrior" advantage. Does it still exist somewhere ? If not, would be worth reinventing it...

Thaumatology returns this option to us. It's basically an Alternate Form that doesn't usually include an actual physical transformation.

[Threlgar]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

Thaumatology returns this option to us. It's basically an Alternate Form that doesn't usually include an actual physical transformation.

Ah yes, very useful book :-)
Thanks !

[tantric]

Instead of germ theory, I say we go with humors or miasma. Let magical healing be really desirable, because the non-magical medicine is all TL 0-3 stuff. Yrth has germ theory, after all.

I'm planning on an island culture that might have some odd technology. The fantasy isn't the magic, it's the culture. Recycling isn't exactly TL3. I was planning on a holistic medical system that is very good at preventive medicine through diet control - in game terms, the average citizen has HT 12. On the other hand, they treat disease with palliatives and isolation - they do nothing to actually cure it, but they make the patients feel better and limit epidemics. I might allow vaccines for pox, which long predate germ theory in our world.

Let me make a comprehensive proposal before you nix it - I may not need the medicine and I think the whole culture will be within limits.

I notice that you don't like Powers, but again, if you want to be different from Yrth and have a GURPS fantasy world that people will pay attention to, ditch Magic for Powers.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by tantric

I'm planning on an island culture that might have some odd technology. The fantasy isn't the magic, it's the culture. Recycling isn't exactly TL3. I was planning on a holistic medical system that is very good at preventive medicine through diet control - in game terms, the average citizen has HT 12. On the other hand, they treat disease with palliatives and isolation - they do nothing to actually cure it, but they make the patients feel better and limit epidemics. I might allow vaccines for pox, which long predate germ theory in our world.

Let me make a comprehensive proposal before you nix it - I may not need the medicine and I think the whole culture will be within limits.

I notice that you don't like Powers, but again, if you want to be different from Yrth and have a GURPS fantasy world that people will pay attention to, ditch Magic for Powers.

Actually, recycling can be low tech. Read about the rag and bone trade, sometime. Fascinating stuff.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by Agramer

I could incorporate it into "Knightly Georgia".

Id just need to get some "meterstick" from you on amount of such Flying lizards compared to True Knights...or some other ratio so I can work on it.

"Knightly Georgia" could be set with one side on Wall of the World Mountains,reaching 15 km hight and impassable.

Only real requirement,as I see it,is to avoid any direct border with Big Empires so "Knightly Georgia" can be very loosely organised and based on Arrogance,pride,honour..etc instead "sacrificing" all of that for practical necessities that bordering Large empires with wast armies would entail just to survive.

I'd have to know how much food those flying lizards eat. Must be a helluva lot, to fly and bear a human rider. Big caloric intake. I'm thinking that they cannot be very common, and that lots of livestock go to feeding them. Dunno about hard numbers.

[Threlgar]

Originally Posted by tantric

I notice that you don't like Powers, but again, if you want to be different from Yrth and have a GURPS fantasy world that people will pay attention to, ditch Magic for Powers.

Don´t take it personal, but I disagree. With Powers, instead of knowing many spells, you tend to have a very limited number of special abilities, which always reminds me of computer games. It´s fun in a computer game, but it does not feel like magic from the legends.

If you want to distinguish the magic of your setting from standard, use options from Thaumatology. Threshold limited is one of my favourites. Ceremonial only. Path / Book. But PLEASE not Powers...

EDIT: I forgot to mention magical styles. These really add some flavor !

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by Threlgar

Don´t take it personal, but I disagree. With Powers, instead of knowing many spells, you tend to have a very limited number of special abilities, which always reminds me of computer games. It´s fun in a computer game, but it does not feel like magic from the legends.

If you want to distinguish the magic of your setting from standard, use options from Thaumatology. Threshold limited is one of my favourites. Ceremonial only. Path / Book. But PLEASE not Powers...

I don't necessarily dislike Powers- I'm just not inclined to use it all that much for this setting. That doesn't mean that you cannot use it! Just try to make it mesh with the magic system as we have it now. [U]Magical powers should be mana-driven. [/U]

Keep in mind that Jurgen's zone is set up with the standard magic system, as modified by our original guidelines.

If people feel a burning desire to tinker with rules, we can look into that.

I'm thinking that 'lenses' might be a good compromise, allowing for a mechanical tweak for the rules-oriented types, but keeping things fairly simple for the non-gearheads out there.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by tantric

I'm planning on an island culture that might have some odd technology. The fantasy isn't the magic, it's the culture. Recycling isn't exactly TL3. I was planning on a holistic medical system that is very good at preventive medicine through diet control - in game terms, the average citizen has HT 12. On the other hand, they treat disease with palliatives and isolation - they do nothing to actually cure it, but they make the patients feel better and limit epidemics. I might allow vaccines for pox, which long predate germ theory in our world.

Let me make a comprehensive proposal before you nix it - I may not need the medicine and I think the whole culture will be within limits.

I notice that you don't like Powers, but again, if you want to be different from Yrth and have a GURPS fantasy world that people will pay attention to, ditch Magic for Powers.

That sort of holistic health care is certainly fine. It's not too high TL for this setting. Variolation fits, too.

[Agramer]

Originally Posted by Threlgar

GURPS Spirits 3e used to have a "Spirit Warrior" advantage. Does it still exist somewhere ? If not, would be worth reinventing it...

"Spirit Warrior" advantage is now in 4ed Alternate Form advantage.

Originally Posted by Threlgar

There are things I don´t like much. Ultra Powerful heroes, for example. I like things gritty and semi-realistic. A couple of those Elminsters and Khelbens etc. is fun, but when you can´t go through a large city without falling over one of them...

I didnt want them to be as numerous to "fall over them on every step".
If you read above youll notice that I said that there should be gradation:
First sword of Empire is awesome character...but when you consider that he is "The Best"(probably) very high point value is believable.

We are talking here about Fantasy World.Write up GURPS MA 3ed has template for Miyamoto Mushasi at 575 points(would be more if revised for 4th ed) Katana skill 30 +assorted skills 18+. And He was in real world.

I really dont see a problem with such individuals being one in few million,and having "lesser versions" available for different campaign scopes.

Where in "Rome" you go with trained mass,ofc Emperor would have such individuals also but they wouldnt be called "Heroes" but simply Guards,Bodyguards,Honour guards,1st Centuria...etc

And depending on Campaign scope PCs could or would not see them or be affected by them.

If youre playing gritty military 150 cp PC campaign, worst your PCs would run into is local village thug or something similar in their scope,since PCs would be way over average soldier in CPs and would essentially represent that Unit/Armys "Heroes".
Unless you are staging some major battle between 2 Empires..and even than they will only watch those heroes duel,while having enough of their problems with some sneaky action that can change tide of war/battle.

Demography of Ancient Greece...

Europe 400-1000 Year pop:

As the ancient world came to an end there was a steep decline in population, reaching its lowest point around 542 with the Plague of Justinian, the last great plague in Europe until the Black Death of the 14th century. Estimates of total population of Europe are speculative, but at the time of Charlemagne it is thought to be between 25 and 30 million, and of this 15 million were in the Carolingian Empire that covered much of modern France, the Low Countries, western Germany, Austria, and Italy. Medieval settlements were thickly populated, with large zones of unpopulated wilderness in between. To be alone in the Middle Ages, and not part of a community, carried great risks.


Europe 1250-1350 year population:

Overall, the population of Europe is believed to have reached a peak of 70 to 100 million. By comparison, the 27 member-states of the European Union in 2009 had a population of 499.6 million

England, which had a population of around 1 million people in 1086, is estimated to have grown to somewhere between 5 and 7 million people.

France in 1328 (which was geographically smaller than France is today) was believed to have supported 18 to 20 million people,

The region of Tuscany had 2 million people in 1300, which it would not reach again until 1850.
Interesting tidbit on food:

By 1300 Europe had too many people and not enough grain production.

This compares to grain yields that in the 14th century were between 2:1 and 7:1 (2:1 means for every seed planted, 2 are harvested). Modern grain yields are 30:1 or more, but the population is only 5-7 times higher.

Originally Posted by Threlgar

TL-4 guns, too. They have too great an impact on warfare, and I really like battles with phalanxes. There are so many settings that feature technology that should have changed society but strangely has not, that this has almost become the norm. Being consistent with these things could contribute to the uniqueness of the setting.

However, this is just my two cents.

Y TL4 guns(or any cannons) are no-no Imo also.

Phalanxes,Roman legions,Feudal armies(Bravehearth...),Calvary charges are so much more fun.

I fully agree on consistency of impact of technology and Magic on society.
In our,so far proposed model,Magic will be so rare that it will have just minimal effect on overall life but much higher on Religion....etc