Building a colony

[DMH]

This is a systemless look at demographics that can be used for colony and culture creation:

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=4846&

It is very textbookish, but the concepts are very useful. Reminds me of Aria, but much easier to read.

 

[Tonguez]

I've got a homebrew system (at home, I'm at work atm)

Basically it makes the colony a character with four Parameters (Ability Scores) being Economy (Con), Authority (Cha), Culture(Wis+int), Enforcement (Str+Dex)

Anyway a Colony gets Feats and Skills like a character and can make skill checks

so to Harvest Wood you use an Economy check D20+Econ mod+ Prof:Lumberjack skill
vs DC = Yeild/Labour units/Time

eg I need 200 units of lumber and have 10 workers available for 2 days 200/10/2 => 10

200 units of wood will build me say 5 huts (value 500gp) so I use another Econ check using Prof:Builder (Prof:Architect gives synergy bonus) vs
DC = 500gp/labour/time=>500/8/5 = 12 -ie it takes 8 people 5 days to build 5 huts on a skill result of 12. A failed check either means it takes longer or the houses have a flaw (maybe they leak), a successful check means they finish faster

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Man, why you guys/everybody so wood obsessed?

Round where I live wood is maybe the worst thing you can build a house out of, but that doesn't stop everyone from importing the wood from hundreds of miles away to build a house that will not last well in the climate, insulate poorly, and attract/import loads of damaging exotic insects.

A little bit of wood is fine cause it helps keep the mud and the roof up, but otherwise I'm agin it.

Leave your tree branches for burning gol dang it.

 

[DMH]

So you would make your house out of what? Bricks, concrete or soil (don't laugh- they do make good houses)?

 

[Tonguez]

So you would make your house out of what? Bricks, concrete or soil (don't laugh- they do make good houses)?

I'm planning on building my next house out of straw - seriously

(well hay bales actually)

 

[DMH]

Uh, that is cool- as long as you don't live in a rainy area (like here). I have heard that hemp (part of it, at least) makes a good, fire resistant material sort of like concrete.

Personally I would love to live underground.

 

[Roger]

My favourite source for this sort of information is a book called "The World Tamer's Handbook", written for Traveller: The New Era.

You'll have to ignore everthing past TL3 or so, but you may still find it handy.



Cheers,
Roger

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Man, why you guys/everybody so wood obsessed?

It was the Century Worm thread. We're not to blame. I'm the victim here!

Anyway....

Data point: On the Mayflower, one of America's original colony ships, there were 102 passengers. I would suggest 150 as a colony size. The Pilgrims kinda did things by the seat of their pants.

Random thought: In a highly magical society, wouldn't they try to build a teleport circle as their first priority? Or at least enchant various wondereous items that could be assembled into a teleport circle?

I don't know much about Austrailian history, but some of their original colonization projects were fascinating. Essentially, the inital survey was done in a very wet and temperate year. So they thought that Austrailia was this fun, happy place. They didn't find out about the dryness, heat, and carniverious kangaroos until the civilians arrived.


-BG

PS Actually, the carniverous kangaroos may have been extinct by then. But they're fun to imagine.

 

[Tonguez]

Anyway....

Data point: On the Mayflower, one of America's original colony ships, there were 102 passengers. I would suggest 150 as a colony size. The Pilgrims kinda did things by the seat of their pants.

There was a DNA study done in New Zealand which suggests that all NZ Maori (there were about 100,000 in 1840) descended from 20 women (unknown number of men) who arrive about 1000 years earlier so a colony might be viable on even less than 100 if the conditions are right (ie warm conditions, no predators/enemies, abundant resources)

 

[Derren]

Actually it would in most cases would go this way:

1. Colonists step from the ship.
2. Colonists start building a settlement
3. Monster gets attracted by the noise and eats all colonists as the puny Lvl 2 guards pose no threat to a CR 8+ Monster

The End.