Island-based Civilization Ideas - Need Help!

[Phlebas]

theres some good ideas in my city thread which i'm sure you could convert to islands


http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=182012

 

[fusangite]

I would recommend that you make some use of the great classics of archipelago mythology; I'm thinking in paticular of The Odyssey and the Life of Saint Brendan the Voyager (not the short version, the long one).

 

[ssampier]

Skull Island A mysterious island with crazed cultists, giant bugs, dinosaurs, and a giant ape (King Kong). What, someone had to recommend it.

Of course there's Savage Tide in Dungeon for inspiration.

 

[cattoy]

Islands being what they are, it is always interesting to note not just what an island has, but also what an island lacks.

Islands that lack key resources are a driving force behind interisland trade which makes embargos, tariffs and smuggling a lot more interesting, to say the least.

In a stone age setting, if one island has abundant high grade stone for tools, another has good fisheries and the third has lots of trees, then you have the perfect ingredients for a seafaring culture. Assuming that one tribe/clan/race controls all three islands. Put competing groups on each island and things get interesting...

 

[Brimshack]

2 Islands in remote locations with nearly identical cults.

...turns out they have a sort of teleportation link.

 

[frankthedm]

Here are two island nations just south of the lhe locations of the Basic series modules. The old school Isle of dread lies miles to the south.

http://www.pandius.com/minroth.html

Being a merchant myself, I find that makes me perfectly qualified to talk about the money-grubbing Merchant-Princes of the Minrothad Guilds and their nation. They currently enjoy supremacy of the sea-trade, but mark my words, Thyatis is about to claim that title from them.

The Land
Like many of the islands of the Dread Coast, the Minrothad islands are volcanic in origin. The mountain ridges are covered with forests, while the closer to shore are scattered patches of palm trees. The beaches on the eastern shores, are long and shallow, while the western shores tend to be dominated by cliffs and black sand beaches.

The islands of Minrothad have only a few forests remaining, and these are mostly replanted. In their constant pursuit of the domination of the sea, the Minrothaddans nearly cut down every tree in sight to make their precious little boats. Although I admire their enthusiasm, this simply goes to show how short-sighted they are to long-term profits.

Minrothad is situated right where the moist Dragon Winds from the south meet the cold Continental Sweep Winds from the north. This has two main effects on the weather of the area. First, it creates a lot of fog (something the local pirates enjoy), which makes any sea journey treacherous to those who do not know the location of every reef and rock that sticks out of the waters. Second, it creates tornadoes, which can devastate towns or create huge waterspouts to capsize boats, neither of which are useful to anyone.

There are six main islands that compose this mercantile nation. Trader's Isle contains Minrothad City, the capital of this bureaucratic nation. There are two volcanoes on this island which are, unfortunately [we hope he meant to say fortunately. Ed.], inactive.

Alfeisle is home to the wood and sea elves of the nation. It is the one place where forests are still rather abundant, but that's only because of the elven love of trees. Admittedly, these elves are extraordinary sailors. Fortress Island, on the opposite side, is the stronghold of the Minrothad dwarves - dwarves who live on an island and sail the seas. Something about that just screams treachery against the essential nature of dwarves.

The other isles have little importance. North Isle is simply a stopover for ships heading north. Both Blackrock Island and Fire Island are active volcanoes, hence are uninhabited by the Minrothaddans.

The People
What can be said about the Minrothaddans besides the fact that they will do anything to get your money. They call this "the Ethics of Competition," which blatantly means that anything short of murder and treason is acceptable, provided that Minrothad comes out ahead. All the races of the islands believe in this; even the elves and halflings, who are just as bad as the human Minrothaddans [As you might have guessed, these are obviously the opinions of the writer, and not of the editors of the Almanac. Ed.].

Their laws are all aimed at profiting the locals and hurting foreigners, especially their merchants. Just look at the ridiculous sur-tax they have on foreign goods! Worse, unlike any other civilised nation, their punishments are more severe on foreigners who don't know their laws than on the locals. Death is a very common sentence to many crimes, including anything that has to do with money.

Speaking of laws, they have the most complicated system anywhere. Every dispute is handled by the courts instead of with an honourable duel. And the winner is usually the one who can afford the best lawyers. Needless to say, with the extra tax on services for foreigners, it's usually not the foreigner who can afford such legal services.

http://www.pandius.com/ierendi.html
Ah, the relaxing lands of Ierendi, known by everyone as the tourist capital of the world. And, I must admit that after spending several months there, I long to return. The trip was one of the most pleasant and comfortable ones I have ever taken during my years as a yallaren.

The Land
Ierendi is composed of a series of volcanic islands located on the southern edge of continental Brun. These beautiful islands are covered with lush, tropical rain forests with many colourful exotic animals and birds. The western shores of the various islands are rugged and steep, often containing numerous spectacular waterfalls or viewpoints. On the eastern side of the islands, almost every shore are long sandy beaches with wide sandy bays - ideal for swimming or just plain sitting in the sun. And the water is completely crystal clear and absolutely refreshing. And the water is never too cold thanks to the warm currents from the southwest.

 

[green slime]

Read up on the various histories and cultures of the Pacific: not only Easter Island, but many other islands provide fascinating insights and ideas.

Pitcairn Island: habitat of the descendants of the only successful mutiny onboard a british naval vessel, including the story of the mutiny itself, and its aftermath.

The Pacific contains such radically different peoples, cultures and histories: Japan, Hawaii, the Aleutians, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Phillipines, Tahiti, complete with mythologies, faiths, value systems, different currencies, already for the taking.

I can heartily recommend "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive" by Jared Diamond.

 

[Wolfwood2]

For example, the metal poor island is a nifty idea as is the culture (war god, priests, etc.) and more in line with what I'm looking for. (I'm already using a lot of the obvious sources - Isle of Dread, for instance - but definitely want to have an abundence of ideas as I'm expecting the party will learn or hear about dozens of places. I want to give them plenty of choices and really let them take the lead in deciding where to go).

Let's try the converse: The metal rich island(s).

When the Cataclysm hit, this was a mountain community built around several rich veins of ore in close proximity. The resultant flooding resulted in several "mountain peak" islands of iron, mithril, and coal. All within a few miles of each other. What it did not result in was a lot of arable land.

Consequently this community is metal rich and wood poor. Famine is a constant threat, but they probably have access to more metal than anyone else in the world.

After generations of work, they have managed to construct several great ships made nearly entirely of mithril that can float on the seas. But even for them, this was difficult work and they only have three. (Used to be four, but one was lost.) Still, the legendary "mithril fleet" has become a legend across the seas.

 

[Umbran]

Pirates
Dinosaurs
Lizardmen

... these are mandatory for island adventures. You could put all of these on one island. The pirates use an underground cove for a base. Dinosaurs walk around and scare the crap out of everyone, which is why nobody has found the cove. You can ally with the Lizardmen against the pirates or vice-versa depending on who you want around. The lizardmen know some magical secret to avoid dinosaurs.

Or you just make 'em into... The Pirate Ninjas from Dino Island! (as seen in Tom Smith's "comic opera" The Last Hero On Earth

We're... the...

Pirate ninjas from Dino Island,
Ain't our livin' grand!
With cutlasses, kusari-gamas
And nunchucks in our hands!
We've all got pterodactyls where
Our parrots ought to be!

And let me tell ya, my right shoulder's
In some misery, arrr....

 

[Imagicka]

Greetings...

I don't know if anyone mentioned it... because I haven't read the whole thread...

I'm sure everyone has contributed more than I could have imagined...

But...

The Palm Islands