WayneLigon said:
I will at some point. That was a quick pick-up game that I run when the regular GM doesn't feel well or cannot make it. Also, Matt's player lives in California and we see him about twice a year; I can't really capture Matt's character as an NPC nearly well enough to do him justice. The scene where he's going to walk up to the orcs and talk to them was amazing to watch. See this was Matt's 'about face' moment, the instant he really, really realizes that he's not in Kansas anymore.
I have some rough ideas about the Orcs. They mainly live in the jungles of Central and South America now but there used to be tribes of a much larger orcish subrace that ranged in the Arctic and the very northern wilds of Canada. These barbarous cousins immigrated to Europe over the land bridge and terrorized the Russias, and eventually slightly south of that. Ogres and trolls and giants live in the Rockies and Andes. Humans know very little about what goes on south of Mexico or so. If the orcs don't get them, the dinosaurs do.
Ah. I thoroughly enjoyed what I read and await more.
I did a little brainstorming last night before I went back to bed. Human racial groups as we know them will still exist in the regions where we know them to exist. However, in the cases of places like Britian, which is ruled by the elves and has the largest concentration of fey beings, humans are greatly outnumbered and are seen as second-class citizens. (This is also where Half-Elves, Half-Fey, and Feytouched come into being predominantly.) This also leads to ever-present animosity between humans and elves.
Most of the time however, most races get along with one another, even if the peace is uneasy at best. Gnomes are an exception to that rule, however, as they have peacefully co-mingled with nearly ever civilized race in Europe without any problems whatsoever. Above all other races, gnomes have spread farther and have been widley accepted than any other race. They primarily hail from what we consider to be Switzerland, but their proficiency with Mechanika has made them valuable allies and workers across around the world. Their shrewd business and political sense has kept them from becoming slaves or being otherwise taken advantage of.
Of the "uncivilized" races, goblinoids (goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, and the like) primarily inhabit South and Central America and they have a very warlike and vicious tribal culture. However, Gobbers (from IK) have integrated themselves somewhat into the new societies forming in North and Central America. (South America is still a vast unexplored region in total control of the local tribes in spite of a handful of successful settlements along the eastern shores.) They are primarily a gypsy race, going from town to town selling their wares (usually cobbled together mechanika that somehow works properly...at least for a time) and offering cheap entertainment in the forms of gambling and amusement rides. This puts them in direct competition with halfling bands that have emigrated to the New World as well as gnomes that are usually the primary suppliers of mechanika (although their works are usually more expensive, but are at least known to work more than a few days).
The Mediterranean Sea from Italy and into Greece is the stomping grounds of the Tidal Minotaurs (from Dragonlance). They are among the finest sailors in world, but their lack of a strong central goverment (their culture is centered more around loosely alligned city-states than a true goverment) has kept them from really striking out on their own and making them and becoming a true naval power. Any crew at sea from any port in Europe worth its salt has at least a couple minotaur employed. Beyond the ports, they are still feared thanks to the tales of savagery on the part of their savage, larger minotaur cousins that haunt the lands throughout Turkey, Greece, and up into the Carpathian Mountains.
Ogres are found throughout Russia and into China, but are held back by the Oni that are ravaging China.
A gate to the Otherworld was opening during a failed experiment of some kind on the part of Chinese Mechaniks. Central China is filled with demonic Oni that are twisting all life in the region. So far, the Chinese government has been able to keep them in check, but who knows for how long. As far as any outsiders are concerned, however, the area is simply off-limits as it's a training ground for the Chinese Army.
Trolls are found throughout the world, though not in great numbers except in Northern India and into Korea and Indonesia. The reasoning for this and the great variety of trolls is an ongoing debate among scientists.
That's all I've got for now.
It is a great little book that doesn't get very much credit.
