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A Play of Steel and Powder (ASOIAF NG)

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EliudFS1 said:
White Harbor is a true city.

I am counting on my location striking gold by the fact of having to be the only link between the inhabitants and Westeros proper. I would think that is a great start up point by definition alone.

Edit: Also, those cities might be simply towns. Two of them probably are. That sounds better and more reasonable I think ,will go edit.
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It's the smallest Westerosi city, and all Westerosi cities just about match/pale in comparison to the larger towns in Essos. The North's main strength in this scenario is that the winter tends to kill off the excess of your population, which you can now drain off and shuffle away abroad, provided you can convince them to go and sustain them with enough food over there year after year, and then provide a way for these people (mostly men) to become an actual community by finding them vajayjay somewhere (the natives? freed slaves from Westeros? idk).​
 
Velasco said:

It's the smallest Westerosi city, and all Westerosi cities just about match/pale in comparison to the larger towns in Essos. The North's main strength in this scenario is that the winter tends to kill off the excess of your population, which you can now drain off and shuffle away abroad, provided you can convince them to go and sustain them with enough food over there year after year, and then provide a way for these people (mostly men) to become an actual community by finding them vajayjay somewhere (the natives? freed slaves from Westeros? idk).​
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What do you think I've been doing for the past 15 years?o_O

Propaganda machines. Life in the colonies! Longer Summers! Less shitty winters! Vauge great promises! The New North! (As well as investing in literacy so that propaganda can increase its effectivity.

And yeah, there was actual money involved that I had to scrounge up through actions not mentioned here and backed up by the Honorable Company on top of that.

White Harbor is still a city nonetheless. And dosen't smell as much as the rest of them.
 
*Puts on Town Planning hat*

There are probably as many different ways of conceiving what a city is as there are cities. A simple definition therefore has its attractions. The simplest is that a city is a human settlement where strangers are likely to meet.

Richard Sennett, The Fall of Public Man, 1977, p. 39.
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One of my favourite set of criteria that defines a city is:

  1. Large population and large settlements (cities)
  2. Full-time specialization and advanced division of labour
  3. Production of an agricultural surplus to fund government and a differentiated society
  4. Monumental public architecture
  5. A ruling class
  6. Writing
  7. Exact and predictive sciences (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, calendars)
  8. Sophisticated art styles
  9. Long-distance trade
  10. The state
Criteria 1 is not an absolute value and should instead be considered a relative comparison to surrounding settelments. For example Jericho was undoubtedly a city but in comparison todays it would be considered a town. The Winterland's city may compared to its neighbors fufill all the criteria of a city, but if it was in western Essos or next to Oldtown it would be considered a town or village.
 
EliudFS1 said:
What do you think I've been doing for the past 15 years?o_O

Propaganda machines. Life in the colonies! Longer Summers! Less shitty winters! Vauge great promises! The New North! (As well as investing in literacy so that propaganda can increase its effectivity.

And yeah, there was actual money involved that I had to scrounge up through actions not mentioned here and backed up by the Honorable Company on top of that.

White Harbor is still a city nonetheless. And dosen't smell as much as the rest of them.
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"Propaganda machines" and literacy seem vaguely crazy for the North and its culture (or really, for Westeros in general), especially when there have been wars and winters in the way.

The smallest of the Westerosi cities which, as I said, are the best we've got, not proper cities that match with their Essosi counterparts, bar perhaps Oldtown and KL.​
 
Velasco said:

"Propaganda machines" and literacy seem vaguely crazy for the North and its culture (or really, for Westeros in general), especially when there have been wars and winters in the way.

The smallest of the Westerosi cities which, as I said, are the best we've got, not proper cities that match with their Essosi counterparts, bar perhaps Oldtown and KL.​
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Wars that never involved the Northern mainland, and Winters that we have survived comfortably.

It's you guys with the war torn realms.

Edit: Already changed it to one fledging city. Not even a proper one. But a single one. I admit to overexageration and butchering of terminology. Should have known better.
 
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EliudFS1 said:
Wars that never involved the Northern mainland, and Winters that we have survived comfortably.

It's you guys with the war torn realms.

Edit: Already changed it to one fledging city. Not even a proper one. But a single one. I admit to overexageration and butchering of terminology. Should have known better.
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Wars affect everyone, as do rampant inflation and winters (you most of all, being the banker prince and northernmost of Westeros). I imagine it's possible for a paramountcy to "comfortably survive" a winter but still have thousands of people die off from fevers and whatnot, just not enough thousands that it meaningfully impacts the economy or military capabilities. I wouldn't interpret "comfortably survive" as necessarily meaning everything is hunky dory...but I'm getting into useless semantics now, so....yeah. :drevil:​
 
I am thinking of sending the new Prince and Princess of Pentos on a diplomat trip to Westeros. Would anyone be interested in hosting them?
 
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