The Stone Staircase - Ancient Civilization RP
The temple buzzes with activity, the umber brown stone of it's walls seeming to thud in time with the steps of the multitude, relieved by the gods in the half-humid warmth of the harvest. The local farmers had brought in their produce. Stone shelves are filled with sacks of grain, with wheels of sheep's cheese and with freshly carved meat, from the few animals slaughtered for the oncoming winter. Tomorrow, the young man would oversee the local villagers bring in baskets of fruit and nuts, and the next day he would sit with the priests and lead them in a feast to mark the oncoming winter. Among the throng, a young man stands, his hair in long black ringlets, and in his hands a tablet of drying clay. He rests for a moment to take note of the markings upon the tablet. Only simple check marks for now, but soon enough he would begin to note them in more detail. He would record who had brought in which sacks of wheat, which of the local elders owned the most, and in many years he would be the first to use a few simple pictograms, representing only simple sounds and words, to begin to write down the first story, a tale of a warrior to tell his sons.
He is not alone, as the first written words begin to appear like fledglings in the spring sky. He rests in a temple by a river, though it does not matter where, while others lie upon islands in the wine dark sea, in temples along great rivers, or hidden among mountain valleys. Though none of them yet know it, they have started a fire that will spread and rise across all the world. Civilization.
Hello There everyone! This is a simple enough premise, just that civilization began in a few more places than in our own world. As far as we're concerned, civilization Begins on Krete, in Sumeria, in Elam, on the Bosphorous and on the Po River, though outside of the our area of concern it also became more diverse, appearing in Norte Chico, China, and in a few places different than our own timeline that will be discovered as needed. We will be playing, to begin with, Italy to the Iranian Plateau. The most advanced civilizations will be found in Sumer and Elam, and the further from those places you start, the less sophisticated you will be.
In this game, you will each be playing as among the first civilized states in the world, with the game beginning around 3000BC. In most ways this will simply be a game of nation roleplaying as usual, set in the Ancient world, but with a few mechanics added for fun. But first, the Rules.
1.I will make it clear that I am neither ignorant of Ancient history, nor a qualified historian of the period, so I will sometimes make mistakes, but will also maintain some semblance of historical accuracy/common sense.
2. You are among the first states that has ever existed, act like it. There has not yet been time for sophisticated government to emerge, and we are so early in history that the boot has quite literally not yet been invented. Armies will be small and armed with at the very most simple bronze equipment.
3. Posts should be of a decent length, with proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. Super simple stuff.
4. Be polite where possible in the OOC, though feel free to commit grievous looting and murder as needed in the IC. All fair in Roleplay and War.
5. Saying that, obviously abide by NS rules and try to keep things at least vaguely appropriate for those who could be reading it.
6. Have fun, write some good posts, and build a great big communal story.
Right, with that done, onto the mechanics.
Resources: Some provinces will have resources assigned to them when settled and claimed. These resources can be traded, used, transferred or whatever else you want to use them for. Think of it this way, if you have copper and your ally has tin, you two can produce bronze and share it, allowing you to arm your men in bronze and make them more effective. Resources can be "used" three times, allowing their owner and two others to use them.
War: I will help manage any battles, starting an extra thread for the combatants, allowing each of them to state their formation and tactics to me by telegram before being posted, at which point I'll determine the success or failure of maneuvers and give over the results, allowing the combatants to move on and fight from their new position in the same manner, until either side achieves victory or gives up.
Technology: If you support scholars, or have a scholarly tradition in your nation, you'll likely discover more technology over time. Civilizations that survive on fishing will develop finer nets, and farmers will invent things like the plough.
And now, onto the application. There are two ways you can do this. You can either post the full application and be told your resources after acceptance, or you can reserve a location, I'll give you some resources, and then you can factor them in to your civilization's economy.
Application:
Nation Name:
Name(s) of Ruler(s):
Form of Government:
Description of People: (How do your people look, what do they wear, what sort of architecture do you use? A basic description of your culture)
History: (Where do your people believe they came from? Remember, recorded history is in it's infancy, and any history will have been passed down through legends and stories.)
Religion: (A description of your peoples religious beliefs)
Description of your Economy: (How do your people subsist? Farming, Pastoralism? What crops are grown? Is alcohol produced? What about artisans, traders and settlements?)
Location: (Please choose a province or two to begin your civilization in from the map, found here: (http://imgur.com/gRaxZwe))
Colour: (Your colour for the map)
Military Strength and Composition: (Be reasonable, and give a decent description. The very first militaries are currently forming, almost entirely militia based and small, armed with simple weaponry. Sumeria currently holds the top spot militarily, with a few of the richest cities fielding men in a phalanx, with copper tipped spears and full body shields.
Ready and Willing to get started?:
