Creating An OGC Setting

[Jürgen Hubert]

Note that the Wiki does have a "comment" function which I have first used right now. You can add comments to a specific page, and if you want to see all recent comments, go to the "Recent Changes" page and click on the "showing comments" tag.

I suggest we use this thread for the big, fundamental issues and leave the smaller details to the Wiki...

 

[Turanil]

Okay, I won't add stuff to the Wiki for the moment.

Otherwise:

About Continents' Sizes. My own suggestion is this: From western coast to eastern coast, Brennan is of the same width as the USA from western coast to eastern coast. I think that Gerin being the size of Australia is probably too much (I would rather see it approximately the size of India).

 

[Yair]

Okay, I won't add stuff to the Wiki for the moment.

LOL, I just added my stuff to the wiki.
Having done that, I agree with you initial position even more.
I agree with Jurgen: we should settle the major issues here, and post the stuff and alter it there.

I haven't tried them, but I think the comments would be less useful than a thread (or mailing list).

I have to go WORK now. Must do some of that.
I'll get back to this later today.

Yair

 

[Nellisir]

BTW: I personally don't care for the psionic races and wouldn't have included them myself. But since they were already included on the Wiki page I elaborated on them.

I've never used the psi races before, and didn't even realize they were in the SRD. I think they can fit a few currently unfilled archtypal niches, though, and intend to post non-psionic variants for people (like myself) who don't use psionics.

I probably won't have much time to post today, but I'll get into it when I can.

Cheers!
Nell.

 

[Turanil]

I've never used the psi races before, <...> and intend to post non-psionic variants for people (like myself) who don't use psionics.

Excellent idea! I think it should be easy to do anyway.



About Deities and Religions. As much as I like what Yair proposed for the different faiths (churches' dogma and organisations), I must say that I really don't like most of the names proposed. Already I don't like the kind of names usually given in most pantheon, like that of Greyhawk or FR. Now, I don't see the point in giving another set of meaningless words that could be orcs' names all the same. I would prefer words which sounding reflects some idea in itself. For exemple, "Valorius" derives from Valor, and you can easily see how it would fit with a paladin-lke god (*). Also, such pseudo-latin words with a meaningful sounding reinforces a medieval flair (which is what a totally generic setting strives for I guess). I would also like Norce, Celtic, or Christian sounding names. Likewise it's best using epithets such as "The Hammer of Justice" or "The Four Faced God", which are much more evocative than Sod, Shed, Yama, or what not. (Well, part of my interest for this setting will dwindle if it's again to hear about silly deities and religions that seem to have the names of children's plastic toys... :\ )

(*) Likewise, I proposed "Phaeton", as it is a word drawn from the Grek mythology. Phaeton, meaning "The Shining One", was the son of Helios the Greek sun-god.

 

[philreed]

I took a peek at your Wiki and the first link I clicked on, Races, has a problem.

Halfling
??? (could be made in Dark Sun savage halflings?)

I respect what you guys are trying to do, and hope it works out well, but please be careful. I understand things are in the early stages (and you're still working out a lot of details) but getting in the habit now of not mentioning the trademarks of others could save lots of future headaches.

 

[Nellisir]

I took a peek at your Wiki and the first link I clicked on, Races, has a problem.

I respect what you guys are trying to do, and hope it works out well, but please be careful. I understand things are in the early stages (and you're still working out a lot of details) but getting in the habit now of not mentioning the trademarks of others could save lots of future headaches.

Fixed.

This illustrates why thinking in trademarked terms is Bad.

I switched references to Oberon on the "Religion" page to Seid. Oberon, made popular by Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", a male fairy character. Seid is a form of (principally female) magic practiced by the Norse divinities.

 

[Nellisir]

How did you figure its size?
Also, why do you think all the nations are on the southern continent? I was under the impression they were on both, especially the Pact of Thrones (hey, I like that name).

If it's a continent, it ought to be continental. Years ago, on the AOL message boards, Roger Moore (of Dragon magazine, not 007) started adapting Birthright to Greyhawk, and discovered the entire continent of "Birthright" (A- something) was the size of one nation in Greyhawk (Nyrond). That's not a continent. I'm pretty sure that's not even Greenland.

Besides, it's Australia-shaped, esp. if you flip it upside down.

Note, the sizes of the cities are very misleading. They're huge on any "continental" scale.

#2 - from various posts hereabout. I got the impression that Berin was slightly "sidelined" (which works just fine for me). I'll try to post more later. I REALLY have to go to work now.

Nell.

 

[Yair]

About Deities and Religions. As much as I like what Yair proposed for the different faiths (churches' dogma and organisations), I must say that I really don't like most of the names proposed. Already I don't like the kind of names usually given in most pantheon, like that of Greyhawk or FR. Now, I don't see the point in giving another set of meaningless words that could be orcs' names all the same. I would prefer words which sounding reflects some idea in itself. For exemple, "Valorius" derives from Valor, and you can easily see how it would fit with a paladin-lke god (*). Also, such pseudo-latin words with a meaningful sounding reinforces a medieval flair (which is what a totally generic setting strives for I guess). I would also like Norce, Celtic, or Christian sounding names. Likewise it's best using epithets such as "The Hammer of Justice" or "The Four Faced God", which are much more evocative than Sod, Shed, Yama, or what not. (Well, part of my interest for this setting will dwindle if it's again to hear about silly deities and religions that seem to have the names of children's plastic toys... :\ )

You are absolutely right.
Most of my names have a Hebrew entymology, as it's a rare language I happen to speak. Just to give the list, for reference sake:
Aten: egyptian monotheistic sun god
Shefa: Means "plenty", appropriate for an agricultural deity
Ashid: a mangling of "Hashed", meaning "the demon".
Tohu: chaos.
Zedek: justice.
Tyrran: from tyrant, obviously; really this should simply be changed to the name of the current emperor.
Yezura: means "creature (female)", I run out of names there.
Yama: perhaps the most loaded name, it is an ancient form of "Sea", implying "in the direction of the sea", but also heavily connotated to the other world and esoteric things.
Nabut: means club.
Asa: "has made"
Shed: demon.
Kessem: magic
Sod: secret

As you can see, it isn't that the names don't have meaning (well, most of them), it's that they are just mnemonics I used. (Which would not be appropriate for the finished version.)

(*) Likewise, I proposed "Phaeton", as it is a word drawn from the Grek mythology. Phaeton, meaning "The Shining One", was the son of Helios the Greek sun-god.

Oh, I didn't know that.

 

[Yair]

I switched references to Oberon on the "Religion" page to Seid. Oberon, made popular by Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", a male fairy character. Seid is a form of (principally female) magic practiced by the Norse divinities.

I was going to suggest Titiana, but on second thought the more obscure Seid is a better idea.