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Old 01-21-2017, 09:38 AM   #1
Anders
 
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Default Apocalypse 1177 BC

In 1177 BC, civilization collapsed.

Well, not exactly. But around that time, a triple-whammy of drought, earthquakes and invaders destroyed Mycenae, Minos, the Hittites and brought Egypt to the brink of destruction. Cities were razed, the trade network that bound the Mediterranean together was destroyed, literacy rates plummeted... and presumably there were a lot of things to do if you were a murder-hobo.

I'm toying with setting a campaign here, or in a fantasy equivalent. So...

Technological Level would be solidly 1, although Egyptian medicine (except for surgery) is probably advanced enough to be TL 2. Magical system based on words - I'll probably go with a Threshold-limited version of Incantations, just because I love that combo.
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Old 01-21-2017, 10:56 AM   #2
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Default Re: Apocalypse 1177 BC

Oooh, this is a good idea for a game setting. Even without magic and much fantasy it can definitely make for a lot of adventure because of raiders, bandits, and the general complications of the collapse of civilization. You could also go full fantasy and make the Sea Peoples invading orcs or something and have monsters roaming the countryside as a result of civilization no longer keeping them at bay.

I studied this period fairly extensively in college (particularly Greece) and it is definitely TL1. In warfare there were lots of chariots because horses were too small to ride into battle at this point. In the east and south they were still used as an actual tactical unit with archers, but in Greece they were used more like battle taxis (to borrow Loadouts: LT's phraseology) to get the important people around the battlefield. And don't forget slings, slings (of all kinds) probably outnumbered bows as an infantry range weapon. Settlements (especially in Greece) were small and probably somewhat tribal (with a head man) in organization--though no writing makes this hard to know for sure.

Definitely would be fun.
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Old 01-21-2017, 12:39 PM   #3
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Default Re: Apocalypse 1177 BC

I think I will place it in MesopotAfrica, a fictional land of my own devising. The overall situation then is

1) there are several stable kingdoms with a well-established trade network
2) these kingdoms are etch-a-sketch Mycene, Minos, Egypt, Hittites, Assyria and I'll have to see what else comes up.
3) after a prolonged period of drought and a series of earthquakes, the kingdoms are sufficiently weakened that an invasion by surrounding barbarians (who have learned warfare by serving as mercenaries) can succeed
4) divers alarums occur as people struggle to fill the power vacuum
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Old 01-21-2017, 02:40 PM   #4
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Default Re: Apocalypse 1177 BC

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3) after a prolonged period of drought and a series of earthquakes, the kingdoms are sufficiently weakened that an invasion by surrounding barbarians (who have learned warfare by serving as mercenaries) can succeed
Shall we call one of those groups of barbarians 'Greeks'? The Trojan War from the other side has some interesting potential.
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Old 01-21-2017, 03:34 PM   #5
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Default Re: Apocalypse 1177 BC

I forget, was this the same era that had the Sea People roaming and raiding across the eastern Mediterranean?
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Old 01-21-2017, 06:24 PM   #6
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I forget, was this the same era that had the Sea People roaming and raiding across the eastern Mediterranean?
Yes. The Philistines from the Bible have been shown more and more through archeology to have possibly been Greek/Aegean in origin for example.
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Old 01-23-2017, 02:54 AM   #7
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Default Re: Apocalypse 1177 BC

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I forget, was this the same era that had the Sea People roaming and raiding across the eastern Mediterranean?
Yes. It's also around the time of the Trojan war. Exciting times!
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Old 01-21-2017, 05:04 PM   #8
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Default Re: Apocalypse 1177 BC

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Shall we call one of those groups of barbarians 'Greeks'? The Trojan War from the other side has some interesting potential.
That would be Mycene. They're a civilised people.
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Old 01-21-2017, 05:10 PM   #9
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That would be Mycene. They're a civilised people.
Huh. Dubious assertion in 1177 BC.
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Old 01-21-2017, 05:13 PM   #10
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Default Re: Apocalypse 1177 BC

It's important to note in a Hellenic context that 'barbaros' (barbarian) doesn't mean "foreign person who I assume wants to burn my house down and steal my sheep" - it means "Person who can't speak Greek properly" and more generally "Person who doesn't share cultural roots in the region and hasn't bothered to learn to fit in".

Being invaded by Barbarians means that they must be funny-talking outsiders. When someone who speaks properly invades and burns your house down and steals your sheep, they're just "your enemy".
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