Hello everyone! Ankou (who's out of town ATM) and I are looking to get a civilization roleplay off the ground. This is our first RP on this forum, but we've both run quite a few elsewhere. I'm hoping we're done forum-hopping now- this place seems pretty great. I'm putting up this thread to check interest and get a little feedback on some of the ideas.
For those who haven't heard of them, in a civ RP you control an entire nation, rather than a character. (The general expectation is you do try to develop some characters with depth, however. They'll be shallower than a normal RP character, simply because you have so many of them, of course). They're generally sandbox, with the aim of the game being to play the game. Building connections with other nations, developing your own lands, waging war, and exploring the world are some things to do.
This one (Name pending!) has a mythic setting. That means... Magic! There's also elves and stuff like that. Since this introduction is starting to fall apart, I'll just jump to explanations of... a lot things, actually. Some of it may change. Suggestions and questions are welcome!
RP link will be posted here when it's ready. Below is the current working version of the thread.
Table of Contents
I. A: Player List, B: Nation Relationships
II. Rules and Regs.
III. Map (WIP)
IV. Races
V. Magical Rules
VI. Bio Sheet
Ia. Player List
Nation/Current Government/Current Ruler(s)/Pg #/Creator
Ib.Nation Relationships
Allied:
Friendly:
Cooperative:
Neutral:
Uncooperative:
Opposed:
Conflict:
II. Rules and Regulations
1. Just use common sense. If you have a good amount of that then you’re already likely to do well.
2. Please possess proper grammar skills. Small slips are perfectly fine, and if you are not a native English speaker or possess a learning disability that affects this then we understand. Otherwise, write coherently, and there are limits to how much we will accept even taking into account those aforementioned exceptions.
3. Tying into the first rule, be logical with the advancement in all aspects of your civilization. Jump from slinging stones to building cannons in one post? You will be smote. Pull thousands more into your army from a population that can’t spare that many people? You will be smote.
4. We ask you use humans or an elf variant as your race. We will allow heavy modification of the elves (Think TES, except even more lenient). If you run something else by us and we really like it, we might let it happen. Ask before typing up too much to avoid wasting effort.
5. If you try to break the laws of magic, they will break you.
6. Other than that, there is really not much else to mention. Just respect your fellow roleplayers, use your heads, and have fun.
III. Map (WIP)
Red marks the Torrid Zone; an area, banding the planet, of intense heat. Inland, it is beyond inhospitable; nothing can survive the days here. On the coastal regions within the zone, as well as the various islands, life is only barely tenable. There is negligible vegetation, and water may be hard to acquire.
Green marks a large area of magical disturbance, responsible for warping the land and its inhabitants. Something gargantuan is moving its way towards the surface. Whatever creature is the source of the magical field, it will not reach the surface for tens of thousands of years or longer. Ankou’s guys live here. It is also responsible for warming the southern hemisphere beyond what is natural. There is no southern ice cap, and very few areas with cold climates in this half of the world.
Black is the landform. If you want modifications made for your nation’s territory, I’ll try to make them. The final map will be nice and pretty, too.
IV. Races
You are most likely human. Humanity first emerged in the interior of the eastern continent, north of the torrid zone. Restrained by Elvish settlements along the coasts, they lived as herdsmen and warriors upon the steppes. They have long since emerged from this region and staked out a significant portion of the globe, but in many cases retain the old affinities of their ancestors for meat and combat.
The Elves are an older and more diverse race. Before the human race was even born, they had settled the entire globe. They are a magically inclined race (In some cases, they have been warped by magic). Their origins are unclear, owing to the age of their race. Elvish lifespan is similar to human lifespan. Many Elves have lighter frames than the average human. However, as previously stated, there is a huge variety in the musculature, stature, complexion, etc. (Closest comparison in popular culture would be TES; which considers Orsimer (orcs), Falmer (twisted cave-things), Dwemer (Tall dwarves?), and all your normal kinds of elf to be elves, based on shared ancestry.)
V. Magical Rules
This is just a concise explanation of the laws of magic and existing systems for the use of magic, as easily observable by any rational being in-game. It's fairly basic, but in-game theorists may flesh it out more to describe the whys and wherefores.
The general understanding of magic states that every magical act has three components: the font, the conduit, and the focus.
The first component, the Font, is the source of all energy consumed by a magical act. Every living body is a potential source of magical energy, and various forms of energy may be transformed into magical energy (I’ll hit on this more in the last paragraph, but… This implies that the conservation of energy applies to magic).
The second component, the Conduit, is an ability, construct, or system that allows energy to flow as magic. Many casters have a natural ability to tap the stores of their own body to provide energy for spells; this ability is considered a Conduit. The ability to tap into the energy stores of surrounding life is another. Some priests and religious display Conduits of less clear origin, capable of drawing from energy sources of their own. Magically induced and mechanical-magical Conduits are possible. Build them if you wish.
The third component is the Focus. The Focus… well, focuses magical energy. It may be words, gestures, thoughts, scrolls, tattoos, mechanical devices, monoliths, buildings, or just about whatever else you want. It just has to be done in a purposeful manner to direct magical energies.
Multiples of each component can be utilized in a single magical act. For instance, if many mages were to participate in a ritual to cast a single spell, there would be many Fonts and Conduits, but one Focus. If one caster was working many spells at once, all powered from his internal store of energy, there would be a single Font, a single Conduit, and many Foci. Various other configurations are possible.
As stated before, magical energy is conserved. This means that completing an act with magic requires the same amount of energy it would to do so naturally. The advantage of magic is that it can be much more efficient than physical means (bursting a vein in the brain rather than a drawn-out swordfight, etc.) Magical acts may also occur instantaneously. The forces they unleashed are not required to begin working from the point of the caster, meaning energy is not lost to pushing, say, a projectile, over the gap between a caster and a nearby opponent. In cases where a magical act CANNOT be completed by natural means, an appropriate amount of energy is required. The conservation of energy is satisfied by a release of thermal, mechanical, or electromagnetic energies into the immediate environment.
Sorry for lying to you guys, I know that wasn't concise at all!
VI. Bio Sheet
Official Name:
Common Name:
Government:
Ruler(s):
Important Nongovernment Entities:
Notable Citizens:
Current Economy:
Historical Overview:
Religion(s):
Region:
Capital City:
Other Notable Settlements:
Population:
Population Distribution (rural, urban, etc.):
Primary Race (name and description):
Secondary Race(s) (name and description:
Magic (anything special about your people’s magic):
Other:
No length requirement; just make it as long as it has to be to answer all the questions.
The bolded fields are required. Filling out the rest is suggested.
Once accepted, tell me where you'd like to be on the map.
We'll launch when we have enough people. "Enough" depends on how closely the nations are grouped and various other factors.
For those who haven't heard of them, in a civ RP you control an entire nation, rather than a character. (The general expectation is you do try to develop some characters with depth, however. They'll be shallower than a normal RP character, simply because you have so many of them, of course). They're generally sandbox, with the aim of the game being to play the game. Building connections with other nations, developing your own lands, waging war, and exploring the world are some things to do.
This one (Name pending!) has a mythic setting. That means... Magic! There's also elves and stuff like that. Since this introduction is starting to fall apart, I'll just jump to explanations of... a lot things, actually. Some of it may change. Suggestions and questions are welcome!
RP link will be posted here when it's ready. Below is the current working version of the thread.
Table of Contents
I. A: Player List, B: Nation Relationships
II. Rules and Regs.
III. Map (WIP)
IV. Races
V. Magical Rules
VI. Bio Sheet
Ia. Player List
Nation/Current Government/Current Ruler(s)/Pg #/Creator
Ib.Nation Relationships
Allied:
Friendly:
Cooperative:
Neutral:
Uncooperative:
Opposed:
Conflict:
II. Rules and Regulations
1. Just use common sense. If you have a good amount of that then you’re already likely to do well.
2. Please possess proper grammar skills. Small slips are perfectly fine, and if you are not a native English speaker or possess a learning disability that affects this then we understand. Otherwise, write coherently, and there are limits to how much we will accept even taking into account those aforementioned exceptions.
3. Tying into the first rule, be logical with the advancement in all aspects of your civilization. Jump from slinging stones to building cannons in one post? You will be smote. Pull thousands more into your army from a population that can’t spare that many people? You will be smote.
4. We ask you use humans or an elf variant as your race. We will allow heavy modification of the elves (Think TES, except even more lenient). If you run something else by us and we really like it, we might let it happen. Ask before typing up too much to avoid wasting effort.
5. If you try to break the laws of magic, they will break you.
6. Other than that, there is really not much else to mention. Just respect your fellow roleplayers, use your heads, and have fun.
III. Map (WIP)
Red marks the Torrid Zone; an area, banding the planet, of intense heat. Inland, it is beyond inhospitable; nothing can survive the days here. On the coastal regions within the zone, as well as the various islands, life is only barely tenable. There is negligible vegetation, and water may be hard to acquire.
Green marks a large area of magical disturbance, responsible for warping the land and its inhabitants. Something gargantuan is moving its way towards the surface. Whatever creature is the source of the magical field, it will not reach the surface for tens of thousands of years or longer. Ankou’s guys live here. It is also responsible for warming the southern hemisphere beyond what is natural. There is no southern ice cap, and very few areas with cold climates in this half of the world.
Black is the landform. If you want modifications made for your nation’s territory, I’ll try to make them. The final map will be nice and pretty, too.
IV. Races
You are most likely human. Humanity first emerged in the interior of the eastern continent, north of the torrid zone. Restrained by Elvish settlements along the coasts, they lived as herdsmen and warriors upon the steppes. They have long since emerged from this region and staked out a significant portion of the globe, but in many cases retain the old affinities of their ancestors for meat and combat.
The Elves are an older and more diverse race. Before the human race was even born, they had settled the entire globe. They are a magically inclined race (In some cases, they have been warped by magic). Their origins are unclear, owing to the age of their race. Elvish lifespan is similar to human lifespan. Many Elves have lighter frames than the average human. However, as previously stated, there is a huge variety in the musculature, stature, complexion, etc. (Closest comparison in popular culture would be TES; which considers Orsimer (orcs), Falmer (twisted cave-things), Dwemer (Tall dwarves?), and all your normal kinds of elf to be elves, based on shared ancestry.)
V. Magical Rules
This is just a concise explanation of the laws of magic and existing systems for the use of magic, as easily observable by any rational being in-game. It's fairly basic, but in-game theorists may flesh it out more to describe the whys and wherefores.
The general understanding of magic states that every magical act has three components: the font, the conduit, and the focus.
The first component, the Font, is the source of all energy consumed by a magical act. Every living body is a potential source of magical energy, and various forms of energy may be transformed into magical energy (I’ll hit on this more in the last paragraph, but… This implies that the conservation of energy applies to magic).
The second component, the Conduit, is an ability, construct, or system that allows energy to flow as magic. Many casters have a natural ability to tap the stores of their own body to provide energy for spells; this ability is considered a Conduit. The ability to tap into the energy stores of surrounding life is another. Some priests and religious display Conduits of less clear origin, capable of drawing from energy sources of their own. Magically induced and mechanical-magical Conduits are possible. Build them if you wish.
The third component is the Focus. The Focus… well, focuses magical energy. It may be words, gestures, thoughts, scrolls, tattoos, mechanical devices, monoliths, buildings, or just about whatever else you want. It just has to be done in a purposeful manner to direct magical energies.
Multiples of each component can be utilized in a single magical act. For instance, if many mages were to participate in a ritual to cast a single spell, there would be many Fonts and Conduits, but one Focus. If one caster was working many spells at once, all powered from his internal store of energy, there would be a single Font, a single Conduit, and many Foci. Various other configurations are possible.
As stated before, magical energy is conserved. This means that completing an act with magic requires the same amount of energy it would to do so naturally. The advantage of magic is that it can be much more efficient than physical means (bursting a vein in the brain rather than a drawn-out swordfight, etc.) Magical acts may also occur instantaneously. The forces they unleashed are not required to begin working from the point of the caster, meaning energy is not lost to pushing, say, a projectile, over the gap between a caster and a nearby opponent. In cases where a magical act CANNOT be completed by natural means, an appropriate amount of energy is required. The conservation of energy is satisfied by a release of thermal, mechanical, or electromagnetic energies into the immediate environment.
Sorry for lying to you guys, I know that wasn't concise at all!
VI. Bio Sheet
Official Name:
Common Name:
Government:
Ruler(s):
Important Nongovernment Entities:
Notable Citizens:
Current Economy:
Historical Overview:
Religion(s):
Region:
Capital City:
Other Notable Settlements:
Population:
Population Distribution (rural, urban, etc.):
Primary Race (name and description):
Secondary Race(s) (name and description:
Magic (anything special about your people’s magic):
Other:
No length requirement; just make it as long as it has to be to answer all the questions.
The bolded fields are required. Filling out the rest is suggested.
Once accepted, tell me where you'd like to be on the map.
We'll launch when we have enough people. "Enough" depends on how closely the nations are grouped and various other factors.
