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<blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 7127875" data-attributes="member: 92305"><p><strong>RUNNING GAMES IN ARGOS V</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>THE GM CRUTCH</strong></p><p></p><p>When thinking of Argos, think of the Hyborian Age with a strong dose of Coastal Ancient Greece. You can see that influence in the ethnic type of the people, in their technology and architecture, in their style of dress. It's not an exact copy of Greece, not by any stretch of the definition. But, there is a strong influence of a fantasy version of Coastal Ancient Greece in this part of the known world (not unlike Nordheim having a strong influence from Viking culture).</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>CONVOLUTED PROPERTY VIEWS</strong></p><p></p><p>The Argosseans have a convoluted view of property rights. On the one had, mercantilism runs strong in the kingdom, and most likely because of this, Argosseans detest theft. Burglary is a sin. Thieves who steal face harsh punishments, and these types of thieves are looked at with disgust from all aspects of society.</p><p></p><p>On the other hand, Argosseans as a whole idolize pirates. Many are folk heroes. Children grow up wanting to be pirates. Many young men actually do take to the waves as a pirate under an assumed name, make their stake, and return home after a few years with enough booty to start a business. There are laws against piracy, and these laws are enforced at selective times in order to keep piracy in check. But it is not uncommon to have soldiers policing the dock to turn their gaze a different way as a pirate ship makes port to unload cargo for an Argossean fence.</p><p></p><p>And business deals, where one businessman finds a way to take advantage of another, is not considered theft. Instead, people look upon that as good business.</p><p></p><p>Characters of the Thief class, in Argos, tend to be more the type of confidence artists, assassins, embezzlers, forgers, smugglers, and kidnappers.</p><p></p><p>How's that for a rich, realistic society? It's just convoluted enough to be believed.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>SOPHISTICATED ARCHITECTURE</strong></p><p></p><p>Most homes are one story affairs. They have stone foundations, with the walls made of clay brick over wood frames. A standard design is have a rectangle with the center cut out. It's an open air atrium (called a "harbor") with the house surrounding it on at least three sides--sometimes partially on the fourth side. Several doors lead off from the harbor to different parts of the house. Often statues of some significance to the family dominates the harbor, and often this is a statue of Mitra. Columns (think Greek) and arches are common on almost all types of buildings.</p><p></p><p>The Argosseans are fairly sophisticated in that sewage runs under the roads. Towns are laid out in streets. Pipes dispense water in fountains and hand bowls and bathtubs by way of pressure boxes. Aqueducts are used in the less sophisticated cities. Under-floor heating via hypocausts keeps the building warm during the winter months. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>THE LARGEST MERCHANT FLEET IN THE KNOWN WORLD</strong></p><p></p><p>Merchants tend to hug the coast as it is somewhat safer than deep see voyages. Thus, merchants use coasters, cogs, and the like. These trading vessels are not equipped for extended sea voyages and make port often. </p><p></p><p>This is not to say, though, that larger, more seaworthy craft are not common. Merchant galleons, carracks, and caravels can embark on longer voyages and sail through almost any weather.</p><p></p><p><strong>The maritime trading season starts in late spring and ends in the early fall.</strong> Stygian ports are temporarily open to Argossean traders during this period.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>SLAVERY IS ALIVE AND WELL IN ARGOS</strong></p><p></p><p>Most slaves are used to man the oars of both merchant and naval vessels. Other slaves are used as laborers inside the kingdom. Most slaves are taken from the lands of Kush and the Black Kingdoms. White slaves exist, but are a lot less common. Slaves are referred to as "sweats".</p><p></p><p>Slavery was a stronger institution in the kingdom's past. The average Argossean today does not own any slaves. He doesn't need them because of the strong Argossean work ethic and the Argossean philosophy of <strong>a fair day's wage for a fair day's work</strong>. Free farmers of the interior cannot afford to feed slaves. Instead, they have big families and spread the work around.</p><p></p><p>Slaves are maintained by wealthy merchants and nobles, but most slaves are used by the kingdom's institutions--the Order of Engineers, for example, maintains an entire labor force of slaves.</p><p></p><p>Slaves typically live squalid lives in cave-like warrens of rooms with no natural light or amenities of any sort except a straw mat for a pillow. </p><p></p><p>Many Argosseans tend to prefer female and children slaves as male slaves require too much work to control. Most male slaves are children who have grown up knowing nothing but slavery.</p><p></p><p>The law is that a master cannot kill a slave, even though the master has total control over a slave's life otherwise, unless that slave has tried to escape. Recaptured slaves are branded as such, if they are not killed outright.</p><p></p><p><strong>Notable Slave Institutions:</strong> Wealthy Merchant Houses. Noble Houses. Labor Institutions. Gladiators. Merchant and Naval vessels.</p><p></p><p><strong>Character Classes For Slaves:</strong> Slaves are typically of the <strong>Commoner</strong> class. Gladiator slaves are typically of the <strong>Barbarian</strong> class (S&P features a Gladiator class). Tutor slaves are taught to be in the <strong>Scholar</strong> class. The other classes are rare, while the <strong>Thief</strong> class , the <strong>Borderer</strong> class, and the <strong>Nomad</strong> class are just about non-existent. Characters who are captured typically multi-class into Commoner, Barbarian, or Scholar, depending on their role as a slave.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Water Bob, post: 7127875, member: 92305"] [b]RUNNING GAMES IN ARGOS V[/b] [b]THE GM CRUTCH[/b] When thinking of Argos, think of the Hyborian Age with a strong dose of Coastal Ancient Greece. You can see that influence in the ethnic type of the people, in their technology and architecture, in their style of dress. It's not an exact copy of Greece, not by any stretch of the definition. But, there is a strong influence of a fantasy version of Coastal Ancient Greece in this part of the known world (not unlike Nordheim having a strong influence from Viking culture). [b]CONVOLUTED PROPERTY VIEWS[/b] The Argosseans have a convoluted view of property rights. On the one had, mercantilism runs strong in the kingdom, and most likely because of this, Argosseans detest theft. Burglary is a sin. Thieves who steal face harsh punishments, and these types of thieves are looked at with disgust from all aspects of society. On the other hand, Argosseans as a whole idolize pirates. Many are folk heroes. Children grow up wanting to be pirates. Many young men actually do take to the waves as a pirate under an assumed name, make their stake, and return home after a few years with enough booty to start a business. There are laws against piracy, and these laws are enforced at selective times in order to keep piracy in check. But it is not uncommon to have soldiers policing the dock to turn their gaze a different way as a pirate ship makes port to unload cargo for an Argossean fence. And business deals, where one businessman finds a way to take advantage of another, is not considered theft. Instead, people look upon that as good business. Characters of the Thief class, in Argos, tend to be more the type of confidence artists, assassins, embezzlers, forgers, smugglers, and kidnappers. How's that for a rich, realistic society? It's just convoluted enough to be believed. [b]SOPHISTICATED ARCHITECTURE[/b] Most homes are one story affairs. They have stone foundations, with the walls made of clay brick over wood frames. A standard design is have a rectangle with the center cut out. It's an open air atrium (called a "harbor") with the house surrounding it on at least three sides--sometimes partially on the fourth side. Several doors lead off from the harbor to different parts of the house. Often statues of some significance to the family dominates the harbor, and often this is a statue of Mitra. Columns (think Greek) and arches are common on almost all types of buildings. The Argosseans are fairly sophisticated in that sewage runs under the roads. Towns are laid out in streets. Pipes dispense water in fountains and hand bowls and bathtubs by way of pressure boxes. Aqueducts are used in the less sophisticated cities. Under-floor heating via hypocausts keeps the building warm during the winter months. [b]THE LARGEST MERCHANT FLEET IN THE KNOWN WORLD[/b] Merchants tend to hug the coast as it is somewhat safer than deep see voyages. Thus, merchants use coasters, cogs, and the like. These trading vessels are not equipped for extended sea voyages and make port often. This is not to say, though, that larger, more seaworthy craft are not common. Merchant galleons, carracks, and caravels can embark on longer voyages and sail through almost any weather. [b]The maritime trading season starts in late spring and ends in the early fall.[/b] Stygian ports are temporarily open to Argossean traders during this period. [b]SLAVERY IS ALIVE AND WELL IN ARGOS[/b] Most slaves are used to man the oars of both merchant and naval vessels. Other slaves are used as laborers inside the kingdom. Most slaves are taken from the lands of Kush and the Black Kingdoms. White slaves exist, but are a lot less common. Slaves are referred to as "sweats". Slavery was a stronger institution in the kingdom's past. The average Argossean today does not own any slaves. He doesn't need them because of the strong Argossean work ethic and the Argossean philosophy of [b]a fair day's wage for a fair day's work[/b]. Free farmers of the interior cannot afford to feed slaves. Instead, they have big families and spread the work around. Slaves are maintained by wealthy merchants and nobles, but most slaves are used by the kingdom's institutions--the Order of Engineers, for example, maintains an entire labor force of slaves. Slaves typically live squalid lives in cave-like warrens of rooms with no natural light or amenities of any sort except a straw mat for a pillow. Many Argosseans tend to prefer female and children slaves as male slaves require too much work to control. Most male slaves are children who have grown up knowing nothing but slavery. The law is that a master cannot kill a slave, even though the master has total control over a slave's life otherwise, unless that slave has tried to escape. Recaptured slaves are branded as such, if they are not killed outright. [b]Notable Slave Institutions:[/b] Wealthy Merchant Houses. Noble Houses. Labor Institutions. Gladiators. Merchant and Naval vessels. [b]Character Classes For Slaves:[/b] Slaves are typically of the [b]Commoner[/b] class. Gladiator slaves are typically of the [b]Barbarian[/b] class (S&P features a Gladiator class). Tutor slaves are taught to be in the [b]Scholar[/b] class. The other classes are rare, while the [b]Thief[/b] class , the [b]Borderer[/b] class, and the [b]Nomad[/b] class are just about non-existent. Characters who are captured typically multi-class into Commoner, Barbarian, or Scholar, depending on their role as a slave. [/QUOTE]
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