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Uncharted areas

Started by Egi, February 11, 2004, 07:54:44 PM

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Egi

In the map of Weyrth, there seems to be uncharted areas; islands or part of a continent in the north-east and just barely visible land mass in the north-west corner of the (internet) map.

Couple of questions:

What is out there? Someone has gone there and mapped the area. Who and why? How much there is exploration in general?

Some brave explorer could find a new continent of "Amaric" and discover cultures that are Weyrth version of Incas, Aztecs or Indians... just a tought.

Brian Leybourne

Heh, yep, it's been about a year, it was time for the Aztecs-from-off-the-coats-of-Weyrth to showe their heads again...

Sorry Egi, I'm not mocking you, this is just one of those topics that seems to come up once a year or so. Personally, I love the Aztec and Inca cultures (and travelled through South America for that reason) and would love to one day work on something along those lines for TROS.

If you do a search through the forum, you should find some prior references to stuff like this.

Brian.
Brian Leybourne
bleybourne@gmail.com

RPG Books: Of Beasts and Men, The Flower of Battle, The TROS Companion

Ingenious

Regarding the map.. where the hell does the east border of Tzaul end? is it that black line that parallels the river Na'Zigg? If so that leaves an un-named coutnry there.. which brings up this thought. I remember reading a post in here not too long ago regarding 'blank' nations.. but I thought that mean Tzaul.. Kudara, etc.
The same question for that heap of land up north bordering Odeon and Zhidara. Also.. that black line nearest to the Xanarian Empire... the one between otamarluk and svarastra.. also.. those two parts between ixliaph and cyrinthmeir..

*shrug* More creative control for seneschals I reckon.
-Ingenious

Egi

Quote from: Brian Leybourne
If you do a search through the forum, you should find some prior references to stuff like this.

Ok I checked them through... The Aztec was the search keyword it seems :-)

One thread mentioned that Weyrth is huge continent and would need a large planet to sustain it. Correct me if I'm wrong but Weyrth is about 3500 x 4000 miles, not even the size of our own Asia. It is mentioned in the book that the planet is similar size to our Earth so there could be a lot more land mass in the planet.

I suppose the map in the book is the "real" map of world. How much do the maps of the inhabitants differ from the real map? Do they place Seat of the Xanarian empire in the middle or something like that? Exaggarate areas? How much a average "civilised" person knows about other nations or their locations?

It would be just really nice to have a map which would be "drawn by the inhabitants" that could be handed to the players instead of an modern accurate map of the book. Any suggestions or advice?

Mike Holmes

Egi, you seem to be looking for canon answers to these questions, but I believe that there are none. That is, the answer is that you should make it up yourself because it's left intentionally undefined.

Now, if you're looking for suggestions about what "might" be in a particular place, or what would be fun to see in a particular part of the map that's not enumerated, etc, that's different. But realize that there will be all sorts of different answers.

For example, I think it would be equally fun to say that sail technology and cartography was such that good maps just aren't to be found. I also think that the exact opposite is also very interesting. If you're looking for suggestions, then goals that you want to meet with them would be a good idea. Why do you want to know what's over there? Do you have a group that's considering exploring the west?

Mike
Member of Indie Netgaming
-Get your indie game fix online.

Egi

Quote from: Mike HolmesEgi, you seem to be looking for canon answers to these questions, but I believe that there are none. That is, the answer is that you should make it up yourself because it's left intentionally undefined.

Just tought that there was something planned to be there that would be revealed sometimes in the future... but now it has been left to individual gamemasters to decide so I'm content with that.

Quote from: Mike Holmes
For example, I think it would be equally fun to say that sail technology and cartography was such that good maps just aren't to be found. I also think that the exact opposite is also very interesting.

I think the sailing technology is so major part of Weyrth setting that I would like to know what the designers though of it. Technology, ships, cartography and the like. Searched a bit and now waiting for Flower of Battle...

Quote from: Mike Holmes
If you're looking for suggestions, then goals that you want to meet with them would be a good idea. Why do you want to know what's over there? Do you have a group that's considering exploring the west?

Why? Out of curiosity mostly. Thinking "has the developer left something great to reveal in the future?". What to tell to players that want to go there? Not that they would likely go there but... Now that there are no intentions to develope anything there by the designer I'm content again. And when I design something there it will be not overruled by some "official" description.

Lxndr

Sailing has got to be very difficult in Weyerth, what with all those moons screwing with the tides.  In fact, coastal cities probably have a hard time of it themselves...  I'd imagine the tides make venturing beyond the horizon, where you can't see the coast anymore, even more perilous than it was on our planet.
Alexander Cherry, Twisted Confessions Game Design
Maker of many fine story-games!
Moderator of Indie Netgaming

toli

Quote from: LxndrSailing has got to be very difficult in Weyerth, what with all those moons screwing with the tides.  In fact, coastal cities probably have a hard time of it themselves...  I'd imagine the tides make venturing beyond the horizon, where you can't see the coast anymore, even more perilous than it was on our planet.

Eeeeeeeew.  The thought of so many moons affecting the tides is scary.  There are enough parameters on Earth as it is.  

However, what do tides have to do with sailing beyond the horizon?  They would only really be a problem for shallow water navigation and confined area navigation where you'd have to be worried about changes in depth and tidal currents.
NT

Ingenious

*Sigh* The sailing issue again.. I asked about the ship technology in Weyrth, and I made an attempt to parallel it to medieval sea-faring vessels and/or ocean-faring ones.(Typical questions of pirates too)

Regarding the tides..
Go research. Find out the exact effect that the moon has on Earth... then carry that over to Weyrth but mutilply it by 6.. so that's a cycle of 6 high tides.. and 6 low tides in a given Weyrthian day..(Assumption)
(Or multiply it by however many moons Weyrth has at a given time period for reference to the story..)

Anyways... I would like to finally put the ship technology question to an end.. and have an answer that seems feasable and realistic... though I do not remember if that was the case with my last attempt..

*shrug*
-Ingenious

toli

Quote from: IngeniousRegarding the tides..
Go research. Find out the exact effect that the moon has on Earth... then carry that over to Weyrth but mutilply it by 6.. so that's a cycle of 6 high tides.. and 6 low tides in a given Weyrthian day..(Assumption)
*shrug*
-Ingenious

It is actually much more complicated than that.  The number of high and low tides varies with latitude and location.  Ocean basin has a large effect on tidal cycles and heigh, angle between the moon and earth and a whole lot of other things, time of month...it goes on...

I would not put a lot of effort into figuring out the tides.  Just make some thing up and don't worry about the real world physics behind it all....
NT

Lxndr

Yeah.  Just remember it's not "six sets of high and low tides."  It's closer to "some days with really dang high tides and really dang low ones, and other days where the moons mostly cancel each other out and the waters just sort of barely churn."
Alexander Cherry, Twisted Confessions Game Design
Maker of many fine story-games!
Moderator of Indie Netgaming

Mike Holmes

Or there are no tides. I mean, the moons could just be magical lights with no effect on bodies of water at all.

Could any of the canon guys step in and quickly clarify what's canon here, and what's not?

Mike
Member of Indie Netgaming
-Get your indie game fix online.

Jake Norwood

I've got my theories on the moons--what I see them as--but it's quite intentionally not cannon.  What I know is that in Thayer beliefs it's the rising tides from the increasing numbers of moons that will sink the world one day so that the Thayer God can reclaim his world.

Jake
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." -R.E. Howard The Tower of the Elephant
___________________
www.theriddleofsteel.NET

Lxndr

Which assumes, then, that the tides are indeed rising.

But I suppose Thayers could be bad with math.
Alexander Cherry, Twisted Confessions Game Design
Maker of many fine story-games!
Moderator of Indie Netgaming