World Building...(TLG PR)

[Inzae]

kalamazoo

The next issue of the seeker will have another teaaser in it. So sign up by sending your email to seeker@trolllord.com

The seeker is a free webzine. It used to be our in-house communication mag but we are trying to exppand its appeal. check out the latest on our website.

davis - or just ask steve to post one LOL

 

[Troll Lord]

pdf

Hello all,

As for a pdf teaser. Yes there will be one, probably next week, late.

The next issue of the Seeker comes out on Wensday next and will spot light Blood Royal (see the other Troll Lord posting, In a Haze of Blood). That will be followed by the pdf teaser for World Builder. The next next issue of the Seeker will spotlight World Builder again (about three weeks again).

I have completely confused myself with my own rambling babble. If you can piece out of the above what I'm supposed to be doing drop me a line would you?

Seve

 

[Drakmar]

does it contain anything on cultures? and why different cultures evolve? Or is it a book purly on the physical manifestation of the world that you are building?

In the armour/weapons section does it tell you why different periods had different armours? why certain armours went out of favour? that certain weapons made certain armours obselete?

 

[Col_Pladoh]

does it contain anything on cultures? and why different cultures evolve? Or is it a book purly on the physical manifestation of the world that you are building?

In the armour/weapons section does it tell you why different periods had different armours? why certain armours went out of favour? that certain weapons made certain armours obselete?

Howdy Drakmar,

Dealing with historical or historically-based cultures in any reasonable depth would require a book unto itself, so that's not treated. The WB is a book of lists and "descriptionary" more than anything else.

The cultural base assumed is the typical one for the FRPG, something of a mic of the medieval and the renaissance od Western European sort.

The value of the various sorts of armor should be that of the FRPG rules set used. While the work is principlayy in the D20 field, its basis is generic, and what is offered is for general use in ant FRPG or like fictional setting.

Armor worn in the 16th century in Eastern Europe was generally long past service in the Western part of the continent, of course. The arms and tactics of the adversaries of states is the major consideration of arms and armor development and use, likely more so than the technology to produce more complex versions of these items.

That cover it?

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Drakmar]

cool thanks. that answers what I was asking.

 

[Nathal]

I felt readers here might like to see a post about the book from the offical Troll Lord site:

"Gamers should find that this book allows one to accomplish---effortlessly---what is often a fun but difficult (or at least time-consuming) aspect of DMing: World Building (facts), thinking of "things" to put into all kinds of rooms (library, lab, torture chamber, privy, etc), populating areas with appropriate flora and fauna, determining simple treasures while running "on-the-fly", etc. It can be used in preparation of a campaign, to help dream up surroundings for characters in a novel, or even as a quick reference during a game in answer to simple questions like, "what is the building's construction? How is it unique?"
The idea for the book started when I was writing (as yet unpublished) adventures for Gary's Lejendary Adventure series. After designing many buildings, dungeons, temples, cities and towns I thought to myself, "How the hell does Gary make every place so unique? How does come up with so much STUFF...everywhere!" My strength was character development, plot and such things, and although I am sufficient to the task of building encounter locations, I wanted a handy menu of "descriptors" to lend everything verisimilitude! Buildings, trees, clothing, geography, herbs, facts and charts, etc...after all, I had painstakingly researched every building I described in my adventures, so a book like this would have made my life easier.

...As Gary said, the book is not only a book of lists and facts. It is a book of descriptive elements and facts to support the basic elements of the Dungeon Masters world-building efforts.

~Dan Cross"

 

[mythusmage]

The one non-European armor I could find in the PDF was the laminar. From the two illustrations given it would appear to be a Persian armor, possibly used by Near East Arabs as well. Further east by the Indian kingdoms of what is now Pakistan.

As the good Col. noted above, a number of things went into the type and style of armor worn. Technology, cost, style of combat, environment, etc. The popular knight in shining armor (most often chain with a few bits of plate added at strategic areas.) was only possible before the reinvention of the phalanx. Once good infantry was available again the knight was doomed as a fighting force.

The rise of the middle class, and the development of the nation state made things pretty much irreversible. Long before gunpowder was invented in the west the knight had lost his place as the primary fighting force, though this fact wouldn't penetrate until fairly late.

The "shining armor" we all know from stories and movies was a late development, and never really intended for actual combat. Late Medieval/Renaissance plate was meant to be used in formal tourneys, where minimizing harm to the participants was the primary aim. Outside of tourneys plate was worn by commanders as identification and to impress folks. With rare exceptions leaders weren't supposed to get involved in the fighting.

Outside of late Medieval Western Europe folks prefered more flexible armors. Early and Middle Medieval Western Europe used chain by and large. Poland used scale up into the 17th century.

Another thing to note about armor is that it is expensive. Even a padded coat could take a potential buyer a year or so to save up for. Something like a suit of chain would take a fair amount of wealth to purchase. Then you add in the cost of horses, weapons, and assistants, and the price of being a knight gets, well, pricey.

Once a monetary economy began to replace the agrarian economy the knight relied on it became very hard to afford even the basics, much less all the stuff needed to keep up appearances. The nobility's reluctance to adapt to changing times didn't help matters any.

So in Western Europe armor became the Renaissance version of football padding, and war became the domain of kings and nations.

And that is a brief look at armor and why it went out of fashion.

 

[Nathal]

And that is a brief look at armor and why it went out of fashion.

I enjoyed reading that concise history, thanks!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

One small point:

Armor was not quite so disregarded as Alan suggests. Rather less complex sort that full field plate used in the 15th centure was retained all the way to the early 19th century, as is evident from troops of the Spanish in the 16th century, the armies fielded in the 17th--notably the English Civil War and the 30 Years War, and so on down to the cuirassiers of the Napoleonic Wars.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Troll Lord]

Very interesting discussion this. Makes me want to revist a project Davis and I have talked about doing. A complete guide to arms and armor of the midieval period. Might be real fun (and right up our alley, my post graduate is in history, his in archeology). Of course a bit of it would be redundant to WB.

But in a side note. An unexpected bi-product of our over zealous artist (Dave Zenz, all bow heads to the master) we were given a number of pictures of complete armor. Roman. Middle Eastern. Greek. and so on. Todd worked up costs and armor class for these suits so when you deck your pc out or deck your npc out, then you can have a more complete picture of him/her/it.

Steve