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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AFGNCAAP" data-source="post: 2803010" data-attributes="member: 871">Despite the climate & culture, I see a couple of key things for barbarian cultures:A strong oral tradition: Illiteracy would be the norm, and literacy would be seen as a mark of civilization (take that for what you will), or may even be taboo, allowed only for shamans & other such miracle-workers to perform (stress on the word/concept perform, rather than just do).  Because of this, knowledge os preserved through oral tradition, or visual arts (cave paintings, tapestries, carvings, etc.) which provide visual cues for remembering/oral recitation of knowledge/tales.Tools first, weapons by chance: The weapons of the barbarians aren't just for war--they're tools as well.  Axes for chopping, hammers for crafting/smashing, bows & spears for hunting, staves for walking/poking/prodding/etc., daggers/knives for cutting, etc.  Weapons like the sword are seen as the weapons of notable folk (chieftains, heroes, warrior caste, etc.), since it takes a LOT of time, resources, and skill to craft one (one of the reasons, IIRC, why swords were named--it's just not another item, it's a sword).Basic armor: Lots and lots of metal armor doesn't make sense, unless warfare is on the mind & practiced often.  Leather, wood, hide, & other natural materials should predominate for the masses.  Metal armor, when it exists, is piecemeal (like a chain shirt or breastplate, with a helmet of some sort), rather than a full (body-covering) suit; and, like the sword, is used by notable folk of the community.Identity: If anything, a cultural identity is a must.  One look and you'll know not just that they're barbarians, but what culture/tribe they're from.  Even the larger groups can be easily split into smaller groups by their peculiarities, obvious to all but the most unknowledgeable/obtuse folk around.I'd say barter & the like for commerce would work well, but I'd argue that it wouldn't have to be like that.  Some of the metal-working cultures could churn out coins in a crude mint, while another could use beads, shells, ivory, hides, or other objects as trade tokens of some sort between various tribes.  It could be currency, but the currency may have more value/meaning to those cultures than it would for outside or "civilized" cultures.</blockquote>

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