- Location
- Somewhere
- Location
- Britain
Though OP, maybe until the thread picks up more traffic we should knock the moratorium back by an hour?
Edit- Huh, didn't expect to be ninja'd this early.
Last edited:
I already asked the thread about that to a degree, they wanted to keep the moratorium.
Though I may have phrased it in a way where they thought I meant get rid of the moratorium all together...
The thread is picking up steam though, hopefully that will increase within the next few days.
- Location
- Somewhere else
As for discussion, I think 3 heads are better than 1, so all 3 foxes should go. The scouting for food mission is definitely a must. I'm going to suggest we either craft ornaments or be more creative, so next turn we can meet with the other tribe and trade stories and/or shiny things for tools. We could build tools this turn, but I think the Skytail tribe might have better quality tools at this point.
Last edited:
- Location
- Somewhere
Archive: Civilization Stat sheet for " The Sky Stone Tribe " choices; (update 3.1 / Threadmark 4)
Welcome, this list will mark changes like this: Section name: list of names of new stuff added, (list of stuff lost in the section name)
Notable Locations: Sky Stone Camp
Notable Locations: Sky Stone Camp
Last edited:
- Location
- Somewhere
The Sky Stone tribe having better tools doesn't matter. The fact Stonetail can't see the future matters.
Then she manipulated us so we will rely on her group for things in the future. Skytail is worse, she either is right that our population is larger than our current food source through observation, or she is telling us to generate food for her tribe.
Allowing ourselves to need the Sky Stone tribe when we don't have homes like them, or anything of real value like tools. Is something we shouldn't rely on never breaking. Besides making tools isn't to compete with them, but establish a knowledge base (to prevent hoodwinking), and get us some buildings.
With our stolen tools, on the same turn we made the tools, the thieves built better houses. We don't have those houses.
Last edited:
Right then, it's about time and I have something to do for the next few minutes.
It's interesting playing as the QM in a quest, definitely a learning experience and as much as I think and know academically what it looks like on the other side of the screen when I'm a player, it's still very disorienting to see things from the other side. I do hope I am running the quest well, and I don't seem to be scaring players off, so that's a plus. Watching the discussions and seeing what the players catch, what they misinterpret, and seeing them theorizing is a lot more fun than I thought it would be.
Anyways You may now vote.
It's interesting playing as the QM in a quest, definitely a learning experience and as much as I think and know academically what it looks like on the other side of the screen when I'm a player, it's still very disorienting to see things from the other side. I do hope I am running the quest well, and I don't seem to be scaring players off, so that's a plus. Watching the discussions and seeing what the players catch, what they misinterpret, and seeing them theorizing is a lot more fun than I thought it would be.
Anyways You may now vote.
- Location
- Somewhere
[X][Stone] The Three Greatest Foxes
[X][Action] Craft Tools
[X][Action][Skytail's quest] Scout
I don't want to do the quest, but if we succeed we gain a stable source of food. Otherwise, we'd be likely to gain more rocks from a normal scout action, if we took craft tools alongside it.
[X][Action] Craft Tools
[X][Action][Skytail's quest] Scout
I don't want to do the quest, but if we succeed we gain a stable source of food. Otherwise, we'd be likely to gain more rocks from a normal scout action, if we took craft tools alongside it.
Keeps the mystics as a personal experience, which means they have a steady stream of individuals going to ask questions. The route is long and thus dangerous however.
We assign basically formal warrior intermediaries, which would make the trip safe, but the advice garbled because they understand neither side.
We assign the local gossip/politican/artisan to convey the problem reliably, but it lets them control the terms of engaging with the proto-shamans.
We assign a proto-shaman to understand the problem and convey it to the central shaman. Keeps them connected, but of course, it means encouraging obfuscation to maximize their power and mystery.
Expensive. Our population is too small to do so.
Don't do this.
[X][Stone] The Wise Crafter
[X][Action] Scout - Quest
[X][Action] Scout - Tool stone
We need food and making tools is hell without tool stones
Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
[X][Stone] The Wise Crafter
[X][Action] Craft Tools
[X][Action][Skytail's quest] Scout
[X][Action] Craft Tools
[X][Action][Skytail's quest] Scout
- Location
- Somewhere
We found a source of tool stone already.
But if it succeeds we nullify the mystery and power plays of Skytail. The tribe can survive without those three temporarily, and possibly guide our civ to become reliant without three super strong leaders of the society.
What problems will those three leaving their posts do? There are other hunters, crafters, and people who can take the position temporarily, right? We won't immediately die as a civ without those three this early, right?
I think the risk is worth sending all three to snuff any reliance on Skytail's tribe in the future, and possibly get new tools out of the discussions.
edit: I really like the story potential sending 3 has. " 3 tails of the 9 tailed divine of fate accept the challenge of a mortal who tricked and stole from others."
Last edited:
- Location
- Somewhere
Wouldn't we have the same problem by sending only the most learned voice of reason? If they persuade the most learned to their way, the tribe who already as one voice chose their way, will have an easier assimilation time. By sending 3 heads that's 3 perspectives that need convincing.
Last edited:
The thing is they are going to them for guidance:
-Problem -> Send the crafters to Shamans -> Shamans tell Crafters how to solve it -> Crafters craft solution to problem(and continue to do so, because making shit is their thing)
Result: Crafters hold the direct power, they only need to consult the shamans once per problem, then they fix it and can make stuff which continues fixing the problem. Any given Crafter can ignore the advice. Nobody can tell them otherwise.
Shamans have Expert Consultant level of influence. They will be consulted infrequently, but they have minimal exposure to the public
-Problem -> Crafters tell the hunters the problem -> Hunters tell Shamans the problem -> Shamans tell Hunters the solution -> Hunters tell Crafters the paraphrased solution -> Crafters interpret the Hunters and try to make something like what they think the Shamans said
Result: We deliberately set up a telephone game which adds a lot of noise between the shamans and the problem. Problems may be solved or solved poorly, with the shamans taking the credit if it goes right, and the hunters being blamed for understanding it poorly if it goes wrong. The Hunters control the flow of information.
Shamans have Sage On the Mountain level of influence. This gives them a lot of legitimacy, because its hard to prove they fucked up, but cuts their direct influence.
-Problem -> The village gathers up the VIPs of a family and sends out a big procession to the shamans -> Shamans tell them the solution -> They go home and solve the problem.
Result: We make a big deal about consulting them for wisdom.
Shamans gain a large amount of influence, with three people taking instructions from them, none of them can ignore it because the advice is against their personal interests. Said influence is more fragile, because if the shaman is full of shit they also have three witnesses to the fuckup.
Sending three is the most likely to produce a theocracy, in essence, if they succeed. If they fail...we have bigger problems.
The concerns the family has with sending the three foxes is that doing so will mean that if something does happen, none of the foxes that the family looks towards for guidance will be on hand.
Now, perhaps this will in fact create a problem. Perhaps there will be another problem that they don't foresee resulting from this. Hard to say in the end.
I will say that this vote may have unintended consequences as a result, and while I have seen some people come close to figuring it out, no one has quite gotten there.
Now, perhaps this will in fact create a problem. Perhaps there will be another problem that they don't foresee resulting from this. Hard to say in the end.
I will say that this vote may have unintended consequences as a result, and while I have seen some people come close to figuring it out, no one has quite gotten there.
- Location
- Somewhere else
[X][Stone] Each fox to fend for themselves
[X][Action] Craft Tools
[X][Action] [Skytail's quest] Scout
A good point was made that power could be consolidated by either the crafters or the shamans being the exclusive point of contact. It'll be more chaotic this way, but constant interaction with the other tribe will build ties. (Even if they are a bunch of tool-stealing thieves.
)
[X][Action] Craft Tools
[X][Action] [Skytail's quest] Scout
A good point was made that power could be consolidated by either the crafters or the shamans being the exclusive point of contact. It'll be more chaotic this way, but constant interaction with the other tribe will build ties. (Even if they are a bunch of tool-stealing thieves.
)
[X][Stone] The Wise Crafter
[X][Action] Craft Tools
[X][Action][Skytail's quest] Scout
[X][Action] Craft Tools
[X][Action][Skytail's quest] Scout
- Location
- Britain
[X][Stone] The Wise Crafter
[X][Action] Craft Tools
[X][Action][Skytail's quest] Scout
[X][Action] Craft Tools
[X][Action][Skytail's quest] Scout
Inscrutable Skies
[Stone] The Wise Crafter
[Action] [Skytail's quest] Scout
[Action] Craft Tools
[Action] [Skytail's quest] Scout
[Action] Craft Tools
Inscrutable Skies
Due to events, you have changed you form of government!
Primitive Despotic Tribe:
A form of government where there is one individual who the tribe all look to for jobs to assign and chores to do. This individual does not have any tradition that gives them leadership over the Tribe, but there is something about the culture that puts an immense amount of power in their hands to the point where there might as well be.
You have become a Vassal of the Sky Stone Tribe!
At the edge of the valley of the Great River a mountain rose, foremost among its neighbors as if to act as a guard for its mighty brethren behind it.
If one approached the mountain they would hear sounds of a constant, steady series of clacks, klinks, and numerous others, all different, yet somehow meshing into a single rhythm which formed a chant that seemed to be repeated by all the surrounding hills in some strange and eerie form of solidarity to reaffirm the mountain's strength.
If that fox were to then continue their journey and try to climb this mountain to find the source of the strange clacking chant, they may, if they were lucky, come across a small, innocent looking trail cleared of brush. Following this, they would find themselves traveling up a winding, disorienting path, occasionally coming across small widths of rock with a steep drop to one side and a wind that seemed to want nothing more than to see them go down it, all while unable to see the top of the mountain, wondering just how much farther they had to go, if this path even led to the source of the sound, or anywhere at all.
But the path did have an end, and as the fox came upon it, just as even the trees gave up the ascent up the mountain, they would see a series of shelters made from tall grass matted with mud and held together by sold logs trimmed and shaped with meticulous care, all partially dug into the ground and surrounding a flat piece of land that overlooked the entire valley.
In the center of these huts would sit half a dozen to a dozen foxes, hitting, grinding, and digging rock against rock, just as any crafter would to make tools or other things, but they would stare at the rock as if not seeing the rock, the cliff, the others, or anything that the onlooker could discern for that matter.
This, was Sky Stone Camp.
It was this sort of sight, experience, that made Strongpaw so very glad she had managed to talk to the other crafters, promising small favors, giving bits of advice, keeping an ear out for the latest talk, and using it all to convince them and get them to convince their lovers that she was clearly the best fox to send to ask questions of the Great Skytail.
This was, after all, where the real game was.
Ignoring the foxes in the center whom she had long since become convinced were looking at nothing as they attempted to create interesting sounds to alleviate their undoubtedly complete and utter boredom, Strongpaw made for a shelter, one near the cliff that had a window positioned just so, as to give the occupant a perfect view of the trail she just climbed.
As she approached, a fox showing her first grey furs stepped out, "Greetings Wise Strongpaw. Here again with questions from your fellows?"
"You're praise is great and generous, Wise Reader of the Stones," Strongpaw returned, to which Skytail merely smiled bemusedly and nodded, though Strongpaw knew how being referred to by a title and not her name rubbed the vixen the wrong way. "May I be allowed in, to sit in your home and share your soup?"
"It would be my pleasure, Wise Strongpaw," Skytail returned, turning inwards and leading her into the shelter. It was a bit silly of an opening to the game the two played, but that was what made it fun, even if was a bit repetitive. Acknowledgements had to be made, after all.
As they sat down, Strongpaw took the offered satchel of soup and they moved on to the next phase of the game, now that the introductions were out of the way. To see who would get bored first.
Skytail started off quite readily, a bold move that indicated she had plenty to talk about and likely had prepared a devious trick. And she was talking about...
Ah, the clouds. Truly a tail blow, and she somehow had found a way to describe many of them in great detail without ever repeating herself. She really had been practicing, though she should have saved that for latter when she was tired as an attempt at a finishing blow. Patience never was one of Skytail's strong skills.
Strongpaw had sat through worse, however, so she listened intently, and asked pointed and careful questions. If she just hmm'd and haww'd, after all, she'd have lost immediately.
It took awhile, and the sun was definitely not where it was when they had started, but Strongpaw managed to persevere and could tell that Skytail was somewhat put off by it, though she doubted she was surprised. The two had gone on for much longer than this about the lives of insects of all things!
Afterwards, Strongpaw started her move, talking in great detail about all the various plants and animals the hunters had been finding chasing that little request of Skytail's. The foxes back home figured it was part of some grand plan or cunning insight of Skytail's, but Strongpaw knew better. The fox just wanted their camp to start sending food with them as gifts so that she would have an easier time supporting her camp.
It was a simple request, however, and by carrying it out, and giving directions on where and what to look for, Strongpaw could wield the power and respect that Skytail herself had, putting the camp into good order, stopping people from doing things that others had already covered, and actually get things done rather than wasting time talking around the camp.
She finished her incredibly overly detailed report and Skytail took her turn, deciding to talk about the stars. It seemed the head of the Sky Stone Tribe decided to live up to her namesake this meeting.
Skytail, of course, knew that she knew that all of the talk about Stone Seeing was a complete lie, just like how she knew that Skytail knew that she knew, and so on and so on. That was the game, however. One of wit, attention, and cunning. To be pleasant, pretend as if this was nothing more than a friendly talk, all while pulling out and discussing numerous topics to great detail in an attempt to bore the other party into giving up.
Skytail finished her discussion about the stars and Strongpaw picked up and talked about the ocean, which Skytail had only seen once when she visited their camp oh so long ago.
Of course, neither would give up, no, trying to get the other to give up was what they pretended they were doing. Listening to an elder who thinks they know better prattle on and on made one more than able to sit through their deep and intricate discussion if they had the mind for it.
It had been Strongpaw who started it upon her first visit. Carefully, slowly, talking to Skytail and getting her to spill all the little secrets about Stone Seeing, slowly closing the trap in setting her up for countless contradictions to collapse in on themselves. She had come so close, but Skytail had seen her trap at the last second, and with a few clever placed explanations managed to avoid the complete and total collapse of the workings on how Stone Seeing functioned.
While it hadn't been a complete and utter victory, Strongpaw would have been disappointed if it was that easy. Sure enough, when she came back Skytail had been ready this time, having thought over and come up with many clever explanations about Stone Seeing without contradicting anything she had said last time.
And so their game began all those seasons ago and continued to this day.
It was late into the night before they were finished, as always, and they called it quits as the sun set and Skytail wrapped up her explanation on all the various stages of tree growth. Strongpaw was offered a place to sleep for the night, and they would get on to the 'official' business in the morning.
Such was the relationship between the two.
It was several days after returning home when Strongpaw noticed something... off, with the weather. The rains were frequent, the sun gone behind the clouds too long. Most saw it and thought little of the occurrence. After all, there was no torrential downpour that could cause a hill to collapse, not that they were anywhere near the areas where that was liable to happen, so what was the worst it could do?
Then it kept on continuing, and Strongpaw noticed the air began to change, and the rest in the camp began to notice it too. As more noticed it, the feeling of dread and despair spread.
It was getting to the point where all of the foxes in camp were starting to insist that she go and see Skytail, and she couldn't do that because she knew Skytail couldn't actually help here, but if they knew that it would destroy the entire story that kept them in line and able to do anything in the first place!
Then the hunters she had been organizing found an area nearby camp that not only had a great number of the delicious yellow berries, but several giant rabbit dens nearby that fed off of them. The excess and varied food quickly seemed to chase away the oncoming gloom and not a few days later did Skytail come along for the first time since she was a kit. Bringing with her beautiful tools, decorated with feathers from various birds offering them to the camp as a gift.
Strongpaw knew that Skytail couldn't have heard about what was going on, about how her errant request from so long ago, that was made solely to get the Sky Stone Tribe more food, had managed to save her home from a calamity before it even happened by nothing but pure, dumb luck.
She knew she couldn't have known, because it would have been Strongpaw who had told her!
But as she explained what had happened, Skytail didn't seem surprised, and she thought she was rather good at understanding her, merely offering her a bemused smile and a nod.
For the first time, Strongpaw wondered if she knew what game the two of them had been really been playing all this time.
The Sky Stone Tribe has arrived with Stone Tools as gifts! Do you wish to offer them anything?
[][Sky Meet] Nah, we're good.
[][Sky Meet] Sing stories in Skytail's name!
[][Sky Meet] Offer them some of your extra food for the trip back!
[][Sky Meet] Everything! This is a time for celebration!
As the seasons came and went, a new generation grew up and the foxes had a new spring in their step. It was time to once more get to work!
Choose two actions from the list bellow to do. Use the [Action] tag to denote your choices for this and put a x2 next to any option you wish to take a second time.
Special: The Sky Stone Tribe has a quest for you! They would like you to build some rafts. This can be accomplished with the Build Rafts action, no need to specify it as a quest.
- Be Creative: Encourage discussion, storytelling, whatever people can think of in order to enrich the lives of your people.
- Build Rafts: Use tools to make extra rafts to allow you to travel much farther to get far away resources and explore further, as long as it is along a waterway.
- Craft Ornaments: Create extra decorative pieces with which to adorn people and their dwellings.
- Craft Tools: Create a stockpile of tools with which to work on major projects.
- Forget Story: Some songs are best forgotten, ornaments best left buried where the next generation can't see. Make an effort to forget several traditions. (Current Targets Available: A Better Way)
- Insult: Show your greatness by insulting another group and showing they can not respond to you. (Current Target Available:
Sky Stone TribeThey're awesome!) - Meet: Sit down and talk with a group to exchange stories and gifts. (Current Target Available: Sky Stone Tribe)
- Migrate: Perhaps, this land is not good for your people. Migrate to a new land. (Current Targets Available: White Mist Coast, the Rocky Mountain Coast, Upriver)
- New Camp: Use tools to construct more permanent shelters so your Foxes can live more comfortably.
- Raid: Someone has stuff that you want or need. Go take it. (Current Target Available:
Sky Stone TribeStill too awesome!) - Refine Story: Discuss the true meaning of a story and how your family should interpret it. (Current Target Available: A Better Way)
- Scout: Explore your surroundings to see what you can find.
- Tell New Story: Songs can be steered to teach new lessons and ornaments new meanings where they had none before.
Vote Open.
Last edited:
- Location
- Somewhere else
I voted for the scouting quest to bring the two villages together; it did, but not in the way I wanted. So, lesson learned; don't be a doormat in the vain hope of cooperation.
How do we move forward from here? Are we okay with being a vassal or do we want to make ourselves more independent?
How do we move forward from here? Are we okay with being a vassal or do we want to make ourselves more independent?
- Location
- Somewhere else
Sorry, I just wanted some input from other people before formulating a vote. I'm feeling a bit rebellious, but I'm not sure if going full "You're not the boss of me!" is wise. I did vote for the options that led us there, and I accept that actions have consequences. Now I want to set things right, if it's possible.