Fantasy Nation Roleplaying - Discussion

Hello everybody.

So recently I've been playing a game on another forum where, instead of creating characters, you're creating nations. The GM will supply a map where the players select an area for their nation. Then the player fills out the Nation Sheet below. I'll be very lenient with accepting applied nations (creativity is very good, trolling is not). You have the power to form your nations flora, fauna, history and culture, regardless of other players nations. I would however advice that you work together in creating this world of ours.

War is often a quite central theme in nation rps, and often as not it tends to dominate the game in such a way that the game breaks. What I'm trying to say is that, while I do want war (it's a vital plot device), I don't want it to be too central. There are other things worth exploring and playing in a nation rp.

When we've created a nation (or maybe two) each, we will move on with actually playing as characters in the world we've created. We will come up with suggestions for a plot then.

Magic and technology are, as in Arcanum, two opposing forces. Like the two sides of the same coin. The use of both is very varied between individual nations. The least advanced tech your nation may have is stone age stuff. The most advanced is 14th-15th century tech (with maybe a little steampunk in the mix. We all love steampunk, don't we?).

The continent:
The continent is, from the most northely point to the most southly point, about 8000km (5000mi) wide.


Nation Sheet
Flag: (Steal one or paint one in paint, whatever you please)
Nation Name: (Self explainatory, also write alternative names if any)
Demonym: (Swedish, Swede, you get the idea)
Race: (What important/sentient races are living in your nation? How big a percentage of the population is each?)
Race Description: (Further describe the races mentioned above)
Population Scale/Nation Size: (Small: 1-399.999, Medium: 400.000-999.999, Large: 1000.000-2000.000)
Government: (What kind of government does your nation have and how does it work?)
People of Importance: (Important/famous/infamous people in your nation)
Capital: (Name and description of your nations capital)
Settlements: (Briefly describe your nation's architecture, do they use buildings of wood, stone or both or perhaps only tents?)
Nation Description: (A text to get the feel of your nation. May include history, culture, etc)
Ambitions: (Is your nation expansionistic, trade-orientated, a mediator? Just a quick summary, almost like a rumour of what your nation will be known as internationally)

Economy
Imports: (No nation will be self-sufficient)
Exports:

Military
Army Size: (Total army size may be 0-5% of population, unless a specific reason is supplied and accepted)
Regular troops: (Swordmen, spearmen, cavalry, etc)
Navy: (The military navy, if any)

Magic: (The way magic is practiced in your nation)


I'm looking forward to gaming with you

 

I saw that same blank fantasy map while looking for ones to steal for a private world building project.

Also I'm probably in, this seems cool.

 

Well, there are only so many uncluttered fantasy maps out there, and this one is kind of cool

Glad to hear that you like the concept! I'm looking forward to seeing your nation. I should probably get started on my own sometime soon.

 

This concept is right up my alley. Unfortunately I am unable to commit to anything more than a brief drop in till December. Good luck with it and I look forward to reading it.

 

Before we get crackin' on this we should probably do some general worldbuilding such as...

* Religion
* History
* Language
* Racial makeup

Perhaps we can avoid too much ethnopolitics by restricting ourselves to humans..? Or is that too extreme?

 

As I said in the OP, your nation can be whatever you want as long as it's serious. We can start piecing together some common history once we've started fleshing out the individual nations.

 

Might as well insert one of the nations from the worldbuilding thing. Also yes, it's (thinly-veiled) fantasy Switzerland!

Flag:

(Made it in the Stronghold Kingdoms CoA generator, it's pretty cool. Shame you have to play the fucking game to unlock the designs.)
Nation Name:
Helvetic Confederacy (Helvetia)
Demonym:
Helvetic/Helvetians
Race:
Human, quite possibly 100%
Race Description:
A crafty people fair of skin, often with green eyes.
Population Scale/Nation Size:
Small
Government:
Confederacy (Elected delegates represent each of the 8 cantons in a governing council)
People of Importance:
* The eight delegates

Capital:
None (When a council meeting is called for matters pertaining to foreign/domestic policy, the delegates meet in the capital of the canton which called the council meeting. Otherwise, the member cantons are pretty much sovereign.)
Settlements:
When living in such a shifting climate you build for utility. Helvetians often live in fairly simple, yet cleverly built stone and wood houses. When they wish to make a building look 'different' or 'official', they often make due with what they have and simply build it out of a different coloured rock.

Nation Description:
* Mainly formed as an alliance out of necessity against outside threats by the states of the mountains.
* It is said that attempting to take Helvetia from the Helvetians is like trying to end your own life with a hammer. Extremely painful and nigh-impossible. The cold mountains have made for a hardy people not to be trifled with.
* The pleasant summers make for plentiful harvests. However, the tradeoff for living in mountains are the extremely cold winters.
* The plus to living in mountains is the large amount of malleable metals, which have made for extremely talented craftsmen.
Ambitions:
As Helvetia lies over several important mountain passes used for trade, it is able to mainly tend to its own business, extracting tolls and trading with passers-by.
Some of its politicians, however, vie to establish a federal government and centralize the country. Some say it is but a pipedream.

Economy
Imports:
Fish
Textiles
Various luxury goods (spices, wine, tea, fine crafts)

Exports:
Malleable and precious metals
Fuckin' MITHRIL
Gemstones
Surplus crops
Various stone types
Metal crafts, e.g. jewelry, weapons, armor (Helvetic steel is highly sought after)


Military
Army Size:
Each canton has its own army, and each varies greatly in size. Some even provide training and equipment for every single man in the canton.
Regular troops:
Helvetic pikemen are often employed as mercenaries by other countries, and they are fabled far and wide for their abilities and the balance of their weapons.
... Whilst their cavalry can be rather lacking, as they employ but a few lightly armored horsemen. As most of their fighting is done on home turf mountains, why would they need them?
Navy:
A landlocked country has no need for boats!

Magic:
Magick is seen as a way to greatly enhance crafts. Its use in battle is unheard of.


What do you think of that? A little basic but I hope to flesh it out as the RP takes place.

 

Cool.

 

I second Zanza: cool!

The only thing I want you to do now is to show me where Helvetia is located on the map.

 

In this general area!

 

After much deliberation, I decided that I didn't want to miss this. Here is my contribution.

Flag:Something with the caduceus (symbol of commerce). Working on it.

How about this one?

Nation Name:
Republic of Mammon
Demonym:
Mammese, Mammian
Race:
Humans, maybe Vampire merchants (need to know more about the setting before deciding).
Race Description:
An abundance of poor farmers, fishermen and sailors. A tiny minority of wealthy merchants.
Population Scale/Nation Size:
Small. It's just a city-state, but with many distant trading posts.
Government:
Plutocratic Republic. The Chancellor is elected by the Council of Merchants, which is composed by the 12 wealthiest persons in the city. The Council hold the real power as they have the right to veto any decision made by the Chancellor. Chancellors that don't comply with the Council's wishes tend to “disappear”. The Chancellor and the Council is mostly of one mind, though.
People of Importance:
The Chancellor and, more importantly, the 12 Merchants in the Council.
Capital:
Mammon, a fast-growing maritime city-state, with an exceedingly wealthy elite.
Settlements:
The poorest of the commoners (generally the fishermen) live in shacks, the wealthiest (often the farmers, who are in no way wealthy, just better off than the fishermen) live in sturdy stone structures. The lowliest of the merchants live on roughly the same terms as the “best” of the commoners, while the filthy rich ones (council members and their families) live in extravagant palaces.
Nation Description:
Mammon was once an unimportant fishing village, founded by refugees (from perhaps one of your nations?) fleeing a “barbarian” invasion (perhaps one of yours as well?). To protect themselves from pirates, the Mammese constructed sturdy warships. The constant need for a better boat led to the development of the caravel, a ship that enabled trade routes to previously unreachable lands. With the ensuing monopoly on the imported resources, a great economic power was born.
Ambitions:
Trade-orientated, baby! If it exists, the Republic of Mammon will profit from it! Their current priority is the continued trading monopoly. There is nothing that the merchants won't do in order to maintain it. Also, a very brave minority of commoners is beginning to question the authority of the merchants. They are unpopular amongst the other commoners, as they are blamed for the brutal crackdown that is the merchants' only response.

Economy
Imports:
Grain (to feed the populace)
Lumber (to construct ships for war and trade)
Luxuries from distant lands (to be exported)
Exports:
Imported Luxuries (Ivory, Spices and Cotton from their trading posts in distant lands)
Wine (which is domestically produced believe it or not).
Fish (unless the grain shipments are late).

Military
Army Size: The Republic has almost no standing army, relying on foreign mercenaries (so called “free companies”) in times of conflict. Yes, Helvetic Pikemen are popular.
Regular troops: Very few. The city have a militia garrison composed of grape farmers and fishermen. The wealthy are not required to serve.
Navy: Quite large. Due to pirates and unscrupulous neighbours, the Republic of Mammon has been forced to create one of the largest navies in the known world to protect her trade routes. The crew is composed by local sailors and foreign mercenaries.

Magic: Magic is taught in schools reserved for the elite. It's mainly used by the members of the Council of Merchants to ensure longevity (and a few mental powers to strike successful business deals and to be more convincing during diplomatic talks). The commoners tend to believe that magic is nothing but superstition, as it's a very small part of everyone’s lives.



Finally, Yuki, I'm wondering a bit about your choice of location. The north seems quite barren, so I don't see any important trade routes going up there. Also, Aren't you a bit too close to the ocean to be considered landlocked? I don't see anyone else founding a nation on that thin stripe of land east of you. Other than that, I like Helvetia.

 

Very true, but the very nature of the map is a long, thin strip of land. If you see a mountainous region on the map that isn't a thin strip of land (excluding the desert) then feel free to point it out.

Here perhaps!


Seems to cling better with the important trade routes, as you say.

 

Re:

Yes, that looks like a great spot.

I think that I'm going to be located here

The only way that I could be more blatant is to change the name to Most Serene Republic of Mammon.

 

Re: Re:

Mine literally uses the latin name for Switzerland.

I'm cool with Fantasy Counterpart Culture however. It's a good base but it usually builds into something unique.

Speaking of FCC, these are still free:

* Vestigial Empire (á the Byzantines)
* The Theocracy (á the Papacy)
* Hordes From The East (á the Mongols)

etc. etc.

But you know if you wanna try being original that's cool too.

 

I'm going to a desolate island off the east coast of Sweden for a week, so I'll see you guys next sunday.

 

Great idea! May I play?

I'll edit this post momentarily with a completed description. I'm thinking colonial New Guinea fantasy counterpart. Canibals and witch doctors.

Um, I guess the volcanic looking island in the north west part of the map? With the ring of mountains on it.

Nation Sheet
Flag: suggestions?
Nation Name: Pelagia.
Demonym: Pelagian.
Race: 20% coastal, 70% mountain, 10% mixed.

Race Description: coastal tribes are taller and more militant, mountain tribes are more industrious and religious. Mixed races include foreign traders and isolated populations of cannibal hobbits.
Population Scale/Nation Size: Large but mostly isolated. Taxable population of about 400,000.

Government: theocracy/ autocracy/ anarchy.

People of Importance:
"The warlord" is the absolute ruler, with the permission of "the gods themselves".
"The gods themselves" is a priesthood which is believed to be immortal and all-powerful. It's direct influence on politics is unclear but it serves as the ultimate authority across the nation.

Capital:
the economic and military capital is Port Broken Rock. It's population varies from 20 000 to 200 000 depending on weather, season, trade and war. The warlord's castle is built into the mountain which overlooks the harbour, where a spiderweb of jetties and barges makes up most of the city.
The official capital is The Sky, a holy city which is deep in the highlands and highly secretive.
Architecture: ranging from high colonial in coastal ports to pure Stone Age in the highlands. The geology has led to many isolated cultures, including really high tree houses and carved caves.

Nation Description:
the structure of the nation began when the united coastal tribes harvested the more numerous but isolated mountain farmers for meat. For centuries the mountain farmers were livestock. A cult of enchantment and witchcraft eventually united the mountain tribes and led to the current political arrangement.

Ambitions:
aggressive and expansionistic but hopelessly disorganised. The mountain tribes are feircely territorial and rarely leave their farms except to war with their neighbours. Generally the coastal warlords want a modern army, while the mountain priesthood wants isolation. In practise it is a trading hub because it is so disorganised and corrupt. And because of all the booty, me hearties.

Economy
Imports: contraband, steel, textiles.
Exports: mercenaries, minerals, seafood, produce, contraband.

Military
Army Size: Each tribe of 200 tends to field about 40 warriors in the routine local gangwars, but the mobile land army as represented in ceremonial gatherings is about 10,000 total.

Regular troops:
Mountain fighters use spear and bows. Coastal fighter use clubs. All use enchanted equipment.

Navy:
the only real serving military, they use clubs and canoes. About 200 canoes with ten warriors each are usually on call. Larger, oceanic sailing vessels are used for trading and countless fishermen roam the archipelago.

Magic:
central in the politics and industry of Pelagia. The soldiers use enchanted war paint and rituals to armor themselves and enhance their weapons and ships. Magic is also used for farming and hunting.
There's a lot of really nasty looking statues of unusual monsters dotted throughout the place too, carved out of dark wood, which are believed to be Trouble.
It is rumoured that the Pelagian pirates eat people for dark magic, in fact they just do it because they're hungry.

 

Looks fantastic!

I'll be back in a day or two. Then we'll get started properly.

 

Nation Sheet
Flag


Location:


Nation Name: Vortigern
Demonym: Vortigish, Vortigian
Race: Humans (60%), Borgots (30%), Others (10%)
Race Description: The humans of Vortigern are tall and slender, with dark hair and green or brown eyes. They are a warlike people who praise honor and strength above all else. The humans are the dominant race in Vortigern.
The borgots are a humanoid race of swine that live in the mainland woods and mountains of Vortigern. They are shorter than humans, but broader and denser. Borgots are omnivores and are intelligent enough to craft advanced tools such as weapons and tools of iron, but are seen as somewhat stupid by human standards. Borgots are defined by violence and hand-to-hand combat. They even refuse to wield projectile weapons as they believe them to be cowardly, a fact that has led to them being pushed aside by the ever growing human population.
There are dragons, both wild and tame, living in Vortigern. Although these creatures are not intelligent in the human sense of the word, they are important enough to earn representation. The dragons are a race of huge, winged reptiles living in the highest peaks of the mountains. They are about the size of a very large warhorse and have scales that are as tough as iron. Their most awesome traits are their long lifespan and their ability to breathe fire. The dragons are fierce, highly territorial predators that are very much on top of the food chain. As it is impossible to tame a grown wild dragon, one must steal an egg and raise the beast oneself if one wishes to have a pet dragon, something the royals of Vortigern has been practicing for quite some time.
Population Scale/Nation Size: Large: 1.500.000
Government: The humans of Vortigern live in a feudal monarchy. There are three casts of people; the nobles (normally spoken of as “those of the blood”, the burghers, and the peasants.
The nobles form the ruling class, and the foremost among them sits on the throne as Koenig. The greatest of the noble families serve the Koenig as governors of the provinces of Vortigern, and the lesser ones serve the governors in turn as knights.
The burghers are the wealthy merchant or priest families residing in the cities of Vortigern. They are not allowed to rule or own land, but they enjoy more freedom and rights than the peasants.
The peasants are the lowliest of the people of Vortigern. They have close to no rights and function as the laborers and foot soldiers of the nation.
People of Importance: Her Magnificence Anfreit des Donner is the current Koenig of Vortigern. She has ruled with an iron hand since she disposed of her uncle thirty years ago. Anfreit is loved as well as and hated by her people; loved for her prowess in battle, but hated for her harsh and tyrannical leadership.
Heutzig des Salsweld is the current court wizard and chief councilor of Her Magnificence, Koenig Anfreit des Donner. He served the last Koenig as well, and was surprisingly allowed to keep his post after the royal coup. There are rumors concerning his relation to the Koenig; some say the two are lovers, and that Heutzig helped Anfreit seize the throne by means of magic.
Durmann des Jogeln is the current marshal of Vortigerns armed forces. He is a veteran soldier and commander of over a hundred skirmishes and battles, but even though his experience is unquestionable, some doubt his capabilities. The new generation of nobles in Vortigern believes the old warrior is too traditionalistic and afraid of change, and that Vortigern must renew its army if it’s going to have a fighting chance against the other powers of the world.
Tyrande des Sobers is the daughter of the previous Koenig, Svarzmann des Sobers, and the main contender to Anfreit des Donnerns regency. Despite her youth, she is one of the most powerful political figures in Vortigern and controls the loyalty of almost everything east of the mountains. Tyrande has never openly challenged the current Koenig for the throne, but rumors indicate that she has been gathering her strength for some time, and that an attack is likely to come soon.
Capital: Koenigsburg is the capital of Vortigern and is a thriving metropolis of culture and commerce. The city is shielded by thick walls, and has a great keep and palace at its center. The buildings inside the walls are mostly built by stone, while the ones outside are mostly constructed from lumber. There are more than 200.000 people living in Koenigsburg, and throngs of people are passing through every day to buy or sell their wares at the markets in the many squares. The city also sports temples, guild houses, workshops and a university.
Settlements: The towns and cities of Vortigern usually consist of a center of stone buildings surrounded by smaller buildings of wood. The structures in the villages are usually constructed from wood, with one or two stone buildings in the larger ones, and farms are almost exclusively made from wood.
Borgots are not very talented architects, and so they live mostly in tents or caves. They have built larger buildings from both lumber and stone from time to time, though, and a few of these still stands today as bastions of their people’s power.
Nation Description: Vortigern has not existed as a united monarchy until it was unified 500 years ago by the legendary dragon knight, and first Koenig, Arstrauss des Terond. Before that, it had first existed as a loose, rivaling federation of city states, then as two separate nations; east and west Vortigern. Even to this day, even if the nation is united under one ruler, local history and traditions are very important to the Vortigians. It is expected of citizens to stand up for their home regions against people from other places, even within the realm.
There is no inequality between genders in Vortigern. Anyone can do anything within the boundaries of their social station. No one would raise an eyebrow at a female knight or a male nurse.
Religion is widespread but not important. The people worship a plethora of deities and saints, and though there are several institutions that organize and regulate the worship of these, they have no real power. Religion is a very personal thing.
As it is not required of every citizen to serve in the army, being a soldier is a respected and well paid career choice. There is always the danger of getting killed, or maimed, or traumatized, but if one can see past that then the benefits are quite handsome. Becoming a soldier is a good way for people of poor heritage to bring honor and wealth to their families.
Weakness is almost considered a sin in the eyes of the Vortigians. Therefore they are very underdeveloped when it comes to the care for the mentally and physically challenged. It is not a matter of restricted resources as much as it is a simple unwillingness to deal with people that aren’t normal. There is also a belief that insanity and deformations are contagious. People therefore shun these individuals as the plague, but seldom try to dispose of them as it is also believed that whoever slays an insane person will inherit its madness.
Ambitions: Vortigern is known as a powerful, intimidating country that very well could invade its neighbors. It is however also into trade. To surmise, Vortigern is a good neighbor to have as long as you have something they want, and offer it to them at a price they can accept.

Economy
Imports: Spices, fish, grain, exotic and luxurious goods.
Exports: Weapons, lumber, stone, furs.

Military
Army Size: The Koenig of Vortigern can field an army of about 35.000 professional soldiers from the various provinces, and a special band sworn only to the crown of 5000 elite knights. There are bands of militia in almost every settlement, but these cannot really be accounted for as they aren’t much more than peasants with pitchforks and torches.
The borgots are almost all of them warriors, but are in no way part of the armed forces of the human dominion there. They are rather regarded as bandits and miscreant troublemakers.
Regular troops: The two most common kinds of troops in Vortigern are the archers and the halberdiers. A little more uncommon, but still widely represented, are the knight cavaliers. Most rare of all are the dragon knights, of which there are only a few in the entire realm.
Archers are lightly armored soldiers armed with crossbows as their main weaponry, with daggers and bucklers as a reserve if the enemy gets too close. Their role on the battlefield is to support the infantry, and suppress enemy forces with volleys of bolts.
The halberdiers are moderately armored soldiers armed with long poleaxes which are good both for thrusting and swinging. They fight in close, tight knit, ranked units that engage the enemy in frontal or flanking assaults.
The knight cavaliers are the elite troops of the Vortigish army and usually consist chiefly of those of the blood and their squires. The knights are heavily armored, often with steel plate, and carry heavy and expensive weaponry such as battleaxes, lances or longswords into battle. They also fight mounted on large warhorses, which are decorated with cloths carrying their masters’ colors and sigil.
Dragon knights are the legendary few individuals who have achieved the awesome task of taming a dragon for their own steed. These supreme warriors can be seen soaring through the sky above the enemy lines, raining fiery death upon anyone who would oppose them. The position of dragon knight belongs almost exclusively to the Koenigs and governors of Vortigern, or their champions.
Navy: Vortigern has a small but presentable navy consisting of 5000 marine soldiers and the ships that carry them. Vortigern has never been very able shipbuilders or sailors, but the navy has so far been able to protect the mainland from threats, even if it has never launched a successful assault upon an enemy nation.

Magic: Vortigish magic is very structured and regulated. It is viewed as a necessary evil by the majority of the people, and only a few hundred are practitioners. The only place in the entirety of Vortigern where magic is studied is at the Drackenklipfer University of Spellcraft, located at the western slopes of the mountains. There the Council of Magi decides upon all matters regarding magic in the realm; how it should be used, what should be researched, and who is allowed to practice it.
The majority of all magic is performed with a conductor, i.e. a wand. These wands may look differently, but they all have one thing in common; they have a core of mithril. It is this vital ingredient that allows the mage to channel the forces of magic.
The most common way to produce a spell is with a word and gesture. Swish and flick, wingardium leviosa! The mage must however have the understanding required to make the spell work. Uneducated people cannot produce spells even with the right words and gestures; the gestures are mainly there to focus the mages will. As such, the need for focusing rituals gets smaller and smaller the more accomplished the mage becomes. Veteran mages are able to cast spells with only the right gesture, while master magi can produce awesome spells with only their mind and wand.

 

Uhh...

 

Re:

I'm not sure how to interpret this. Please elaborate.