(Monday) History In Your Game (Islanders)

[mythusmage]

In the right conditions an island campaign allows for anachronisms. The trick is, the island or archipelago has to be relatively isolated. Not impossible to reach, just hard. As a result matters tend to lag behind the mainland technologically.

An extreme example is the island of Tasmania. Before the British colonization of the island the natives had lost much of the primitive technology their Australian ancestors had owned. They simply didn't have the people necessary to keep certain traditions alive. When the last person who knew how to do something died without passing his knowledge on to another, the technology died with him.

When communications with the outside world are good to excellent the situation can be reversed. Crete in the ancient world, and Britain more recently. Both were able through trade to gain much from the rest of the world. Combined with an early unification under one ruler this gave them an advantage in many areas. Advantages they used well. But this sort of thing should be resevered to island nations with a strong maritime technology and tradition.

 

[Tonguez]

I think it would be fascinating to make a campaign of island hopping and an infusion of Polynesian history and myth traditions into this mix could, I think, produce something quite unique and fascinating. .

Yep thats my Campaign setting 'Legends of Hawaiki' set in mythic Polynesia

 

[Tonguez]

Heres some impressive multi-page material on the development and features of the Culture of Ancient Hawaii

It makes the point that

there was no single Polynesian culture when foreigners first made contact...each island group proceeded to develop its own culture, specializing in different directions while still retaining some fundamental elements of the early common culture. When the term "Polynesian culture" is applied to that functioning at the time of European contact, it is an abstraction referring to common features or general similarities underlying local differences in culture within Polynesia

This is especially true when considering Hawaii as its Stratified Monarchal system was somewhat unique in the Pacific (with only Tonga and to a lesser degree Tahiti even coming close to such a system). The standard for Polynesian culture was kinbased 'Chiefdoms' wherein the 'Chief' was appointed from the senior descent line from a common ancestor of the corporate group.
In Hawaii in particular the common descent was overshadowed and a distinct division was made between Kings and Commoners in a manner that closely parallels European fuedalism.

Anyway Hawaii, Tahiti and Tonga make great settings for political intrigue type campaigns and the Empire of Tonga (the Worlds oldest continuous monarchy) once had a huge expansionist thrust occupying a region extending from Fiji across Samoa to the Cook Islands and 'north' into Micronesia.

The Other Island groups are ripe for high adventure and island hoping was a regular aspect of life for the chiefly classes (from whom most PCs ought to come).

Anyway thats my 2 coconuts

- Tonguez, a proud descendent of Cannibals with Muskets

 

[alsih2o]

- Tonguez, a proud descendent of Cannibals with Muskets

There is a good name for a metal band in there somwhere...