D&D 5E Setting Idea: Bronze Age Utopia

[Paul Farquhar]

I would just like to point out that it is possible to have conflict in a setting without it being grimdark: see Star Wars for example.

Also, how much of this detail are players actually likely to see?

 

[HalfOrc HalfBiscuit]

Certainly some interesting ideas in there.

As regards adventure despite the existence of a "utopian" society, you might want to consider how Iain M Banks handled his "Culture" novels - essentially conflict still occurs at the edges, where the Culture rubs up against other societies.

 

[Aldarc]

Have you looked into RuneQuest or any of the Glorantha setting materials?

 

[dave2008]

I'm not understanding why you are not just using gold? It is a great conductor, not sure about magic though. It can be everything you want bronze to be. Some games already have bronze as the peasant metal. I like the ideas tied to magic, but could you not just use gold since everyone plays with it already and knows it is valuable.

Possibly because gold is very dense and doesn't make good weapons; whereas we have actual history with making bronze weapons

 

[Derren]

Sounds interesting. But don't forget tin instead of ignoring it in favor of copper.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Have you looked into RuneQuest or any of the Glorantha setting materials?

Far from utopian, but does have a very similar bit with staying bronze-age because it's more compatible with magic.

BTW, I wonder if Wild Sorcerers in this setting go ahead and use iron?
And are they dangerous anarchists who threaten the utopia? A utopia that's not secretly a dystopia needs an outside threat of some kind.

Oh, and even more tangential, but might offer a bit of inspiration, I once used an isolated city of celestials, essentially immortal humans leading an idealized existence, the premise was that they were given a version of Pandora's Box, but dutifully never opened it...
….the twist (because the players were expected to open the box at some point, which of course they did) was that it didn't contain all the ills that plague humanity, but divine sparks that imparted Free Will.

 

[dave2008]

@gyor In general I really like what you got here, good job. Are you looking for any particular suggestions or help? My only thoughts at this time relate to your comments regarding diamonds and gold.

• Diamonds: This is a fantasy version of RL, I don't think you need to explain why diamonds and gold are not valuable. IRL the value of diamonds is artificially inflated anyway, so no reason for them to of any particular value on your fantasy world, they are just lumps of carbon after all and a really not all that rare.
• Gold: You have provide a story for why copper / bronze / tin & silver are valuable. There really isn't a need to explain why gold is less so. In your fantasy world gold is only valuable for artistic / rarity reasons. bronze and silver have are much more valuable in the context of your setting. No need to "explain" that gold is readily available IMO.

 

[jayoungr]

I say all that because it's a unique and fun vision, but it feels like a bit of a waste to just make the home base "perfect".

There's always the "threat from without" angle, aka "barbarians at the gates."

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

There is no society so perfect that all of its members are satisfied with it.

Beyond the minds that reasonably disagree with a culture’s structures, there are always madmen. misanthropes, nihilists and anarchists.

 

[gyor]

There is no society so perfect that all of its members are satisfied with it.

Beyond the minds that reasonably disagree with a culture’s structures, there are always madmen. misanthropes, nihilists and anarchists.

You assume every society must produce madmen, misanthropes, ect..., I'd suggest those are only produced by societies failures.