User talk:Bannable/Dwilight

Aw man. I wanted to do something like this first. Looks fun, though. George the Hippy 21:40, 20 December 2007 (CET)

1984 - Dwilania

Ooh! I do like this idea, but how to implement it in a medieval setting? From a game perspective, I'd point you towards the Vodacce sourcebook for the RPG Seven Seas. There has to be others however - where did you get your inspiration for this, if not Orwell?

I see nothing so far to violate the rights either, so extra goodies for that.

May I suggest that if you're (we're?) going to borrow from Orwellian fiction, you might as well go all out: Ministry of Peace (Marshall), Ministry of Love(Judge), Ministry of Plenty(Banker) and Ministry of Truth(Archpriest). You may want to consider these to by Guilds, actually. The Guild of Love - "We have always hated <insert country here>."

To help flesh this out, you'd need to describe what the various class types are.

Knights, Cavaliers and Heros are pretty obvious as Peace members, but if you're going for names, I'm at a loss. Maybe 'Keeper', as in "I am my brothers' keeper". 'Exemplar' for hero?

If we're grifting from other sources, I would point you towards that B-movie, Equilibrium. If you muddle that with the recent Assassin's Creed game concept, you suddenly have what Infiltrators are in the society. Second them to MiniLuv (there's a frightening concept - "What happened to him? It looks like he was fed headfirst to a hungry hog!" "He suffered an overabundance of love...")

I'm stuck for Mentors. I'd likely lump them in with MiniTruth along with the Priests. Maybe 'Monitor' and 'Preceptor'.

Bureaucrats and Traders are definitely MiniPlen. Again, I'm stuck for a name/concept. Maybe 'Rectors' for Bureaucrats, as they rec-tify production issues. Traders would be 'Diplomats' or 'Sanctas' (think trade sanctions).

Adventurers...hah! Either 'Proles' or 'Revolutionaries' - See your local Guild of Love for details (plan for an extended stay). - Baatarsaikhan 22:18, 20 December 2007 (CET)

These are great ideas, thanks for the advice. I really like the ideas - maybe you would be interested in helping me get this off the ground once Dwilight opens up? --Bannable 22:57, 20 December 2007 (CET)

Cheerfully! Wait, doublespeak time - umm, with reserve and loyalty. We may want to consider the Guild aspect more, however, since it's more of a medieval concept. I'd also recommend coming up with a 'flavour'. Something that helps players visualize the nation. Maybe Tyannical/Imperial Rome moved forward to a Dark Ages time frame. Massive army, secret police and masses of disenfranchised proles. :) - Baatarsaikhan 23:38, 20 December 2007 (CET)

Massive army, secret police and masses of disenfranchised proles.

Sounds exactly like what I had in mind. --Bannable 04:02, 21 December 2007 (CET)

Discussion Point: How do we keep a medieval feel to the nation?

Pulling the above out of the previous discussion, I can see a definite need for us to keep a medieval (medi-evil?) feel to the nation. Not just in the naming of ministries, classes or the like, but for the whole social-cultural beast. Since we're starting out creating this from whole cloth (as it were), we should aim to have the feel of the nation woven in at the most base levels. Keeping in mind that it may not survive first contact with other players, I would think that we should cobble together a few points that we can ask of ourselves whenever we come up with something new in terms of society, culture or history so as to keep us all on one track.--Baatarsaikhan 09:25, 29 December 2007 (CET)

Discussion Point: Ministries or Guilds?

It might become an issue, since the word 'ministry' has decidedly modern connotations beyond the religious ones (although it IS a very old word - the near-equivalent Chinese term was in use in middle-age China). However, guilds are also an old construct and may get the "hey, we're playing in the Dark Ages" idea across better. That said, not all of them would have to be Guilds.

• The Guild of Truth sounds like an ancient newspaper or a group of hovel-to-hovel hucksters selling discount enlightenment, but the Church of Truth sounds more like a major movement espousing a fundamental opinion on the way the world works.

Thats interesting - this could quite possibly turn into a theocracy (? or not) with the 'Church of Truth' or Orwellianism as the state religion. Meanwhile the Judge/Archbishop figure could be the a combination of the leader of the 'Church of Truth' as well as MiniTru. Or something.

• The Marshall figure could lead the Peace-time Army (which of course thanks to doublespeak would be the main war-time army).

Hmm, how about the National Police?

Can we find a more medieval-ish term for it?--Baatarsaikhan 08:28, 31 December 2007 (CET)

• The Guild of Love, when you think about the bordello-esqe implications, works quite well in implying that they might be free-wheeling, loving people (if not prostitutes). This I think is great, especially since they'd be the judges, juries and executioners of the realm and thus not very loving or forgiving ("I sentence you to four weeks of hard love and not time off for good behavior - bailiff, get the cage of rats and some figs...").

Maybe Assembly of Love? Or perhaps the 'Court' of Love? (Like Courting? Get it?)

Oh, I like that. "The Courts of Love" - Multiple gallows, no waiting. -Baatarsaikhan 08:28, 31 December 2007 (CET)

• I'm blocking mildly on the Ministry of Plenty, although the thought of a "Well of Plenty" has a certain doublespeak meaning to it - after all, how much food does a well provide? Any food at all? What about metals? Wood? Stone? No, none, just water - the very basic thing you need to live. Which is what the Ministry of Plenty would provide - the least amount of supplies necessary to survive.--Baatarsaikhan 09:25, 29 December 2007 (CET)

The Palace of Plenty! Which, of course, should be a little grass hut. ;) -Fighting for Peace

This too, I like. Maybe a foreboding stone warehouse-like building, with no detail nor ostentation. Sorta like how Soviet Russia was explained to be in the 70's.--Baatarsaikhan 08:28, 31 December 2007 (CET)

Discussion Point: Banners and Flags

I like the current flag, but it does seem very modern in style. Do you have something more middle-age-ish? I would think that we'd want elements of what Oberon (I'll take that to be the name of the country for the moment) represents, but ones that have two meanings. Like an outstretched hand, which could be either offering help or begging aid. Or a tower, which could represent strength or oppression. The eye, being either knowledge or constant scrutiny.

I threw together the following banner as a sample of some of the ideas and the implications thereof. The black background being the darkness of death on the battlefield...or the darkness of the ignorance we keep our serfs in, the gray block being the strong stone our castles are made from...or the crushing lead weight of our presence on our serfs' lives, the brown eye being the everyman of our nation...or the unceasing watch of The Father, and the tear being the sadness brought by the loss of our men to battle...or the tear of despair that our serfs shed on a daily basis.

--Baatarsaikhan 09:25, 29 December 2007 (CET)