- Location
- United States
I agree very very much.
Paths of Civilization
- Thread starter Academia Nut
- Start date
- Original
zamin
The Watcher in the Dark
- Location
- Hell
While I agree with a lot of what Veekie said, a lot of what he and zamin had stated that we've managed to get so far because we took the time to invest in our agriculture infrastructures. The thing is, with how fast we expanded to suddenly expanding and feeding three different groups that are very spread out we risk our current fields not providing enough, especially with all the drought/flood madness going on right now,
So in hopes of providing an alternate bandwagon
[X] Restrict such activities
[X] No
[X] {Main} Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
[X] {Secondary} Step-Farms
[X] {Secondary} Establish Annual Festival
Focuse on organizing the Settlement instead as that is what boosts most of the projects. This ensures we are absolutely ready to continue many of the other projects as well as what I mentioned before, avoids disease outbreak due to crowding and bad village land development. As is, I doubt we have a centralized waste disposal system, and Academic Nut has already stated all the problems we have where the Silo's are placed in awkward places for consolidation.
Step-Farms. If we want to keep up with our suddenly doubled population, we need to continue advancing our agriculture tech. What might have been abundant for one village, is not enough for three. This also has the benefit of helping against further drought/flood mishaps that were happening
Establish Annual Festival. This is literally the bread and circuses we need to avoid strife. This gives people something to focus on away from the Spirit Talkers as well as giving us a chance to expand our circle of influence. So that we have more trade opportunities and further cement our culture into the local area as opposed to theirs.
So in hopes of providing an alternate bandwagon
[X] Restrict such activities
[X] No
[X] {Main} Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
[X] {Secondary} Step-Farms
[X] {Secondary} Establish Annual Festival
Focuse on organizing the Settlement instead as that is what boosts most of the projects. This ensures we are absolutely ready to continue many of the other projects as well as what I mentioned before, avoids disease outbreak due to crowding and bad village land development. As is, I doubt we have a centralized waste disposal system, and Academic Nut has already stated all the problems we have where the Silo's are placed in awkward places for consolidation.
Step-Farms. If we want to keep up with our suddenly doubled population, we need to continue advancing our agriculture tech. What might have been abundant for one village, is not enough for three. This also has the benefit of helping against further drought/flood mishaps that were happening
Note that it was our farming on the hills that helped us survive. Step Farms would be on those hills and therefore less affected by the flooding.
Establish Annual Festival. This is literally the bread and circuses we need to avoid strife. This gives people something to focus on away from the Spirit Talkers as well as giving us a chance to expand our circle of influence. So that we have more trade opportunities and further cement our culture into the local area as opposed to theirs.
- Location
- United States
We haven't really expanded a huge amount though. The only other settlement we have is the sea village. Also, the sea village was able to provide more than enough food for its own population, so us assimilating their population and fishing grounds isn't straining our food production.
The problem is that we've become overly centralized in terms of government. Since everyone smashed the irrigation button so much we have such a dense population that we're going to run into problems soon. The only reason we've yet to have problems is because of the bonus towards our centralization tolerance. Re organizing both settlements will greatly boost future projects, prevent future diseases from becoming as much of a problem, and improve the efficiency of our farming methods.
zamin
The Watcher in the Dark
While you do have a point, note that we're not the only ones providing food now. We're also getting seafood from the fishing village and meat from the traders, which means that everyone isn't completely dependent on our farms.
We are yes. It's forcing the elders to accelerate development of writing and become an administrative class.
Fortunately people are currently fairly favorable to the idea, since it just saved them from disasters. Dissatisfaction with overcentralization had been mitigated by our high centralization shielding us from the plague(being able to have the Super Big Man order a quarantine is something nobody else had, and similarly the food stockpiling and emergency drainage ditches, etc).
Plus our current Super Big Man is an Administrator, so he can handle the load a bit better.
I'd probably keep an eye on the development of the chief system in the years to come. Once the tribes start to blend together the previous constraints on the heir being non-hereditary and non-tribal is going to be harder to make stick. But that's the nature of power. It likes to gather more power.
And I think our great project is less reflective of how well we're doing and more that it's possible due to our combining three tribes into one though.
Basically we've hit the critical mass of centralized power that we can afford to feed a large number of people to do one project, that simply wasn't possible at lower centralization, since you need to coordinate dozens of people over several generations.
Since they've done the religion thing from the start, their meteorology should be unusually good, even if it's in the form of omen reading at present.
I think they truly believe they can influence the weather, but that they've also seen such a pattern forming(read: the will of the spirits), and have been sacrificing in the hopes of directing some of that.
The outcome can be natural, just be aware of the weather, stockpile the food that people have been gifting them(biased towards less perishable food too, since they need to travel and won't bring the stuff that rots fast), and have a well fed force of warriors who didn't need to farm(what with all the gifts) to raid when the signs finally come to pass.
Whether it actually works...*shrug* more interesting if it's mysterious.
Just the Spirit Talkers.
Now might actually be a GREAT time to start up diplomacy with them, someone else kicked their face in for us, so we can do the missionary thing the next expedition turn?
They'd be receptive to new ideas due to being in such a weak position, their sacrifices of people not working to save them and being stomped by the foreigners is a massive blow to their cultural pride.
Now would be a good time to go down there and see if we can sell some food and flip some over.
Mentioned some precautions to take before the Great Dam. We need a LOT more prereqs to do it safely.
-Experience with planned constructions(Organize settlement)
-Geographical safety buffer to strengthen the soil and tank any failures(Expand forestry)
-Experience with larger scale construction(Build Walls and Great Canal).
-Experience with water load(Great Canal)
-Better masonry(Build more shit to practice)
-Better administration(Organize Settlement or any government improvements)
-Better meteorology would also help anticipate droughts/floods so we know when to vent the water and when to save it up(Expand intellectual caste)
We already have experience with storing standing water so we don't need to worry about fouling it.
But it'd also have synergy with expand fisheries and Domesticate Sea Snail, since we can use a dam to farm fish inland as well.
Foundation Story
- Pronouns
- He/Him
When the children ask "Where did the people come from?" there is a tale that their elders tell, and this is it.
---
Long ago the people came from a place of abundance, a garden where all was in order and one could simply pick food from eternally full bushes and trees when one was hungry. All was well and peaceful, until Axchin came. A greedy, grasping man, he insisted that all of the abundance belonged to him. When people protested he struck them down and burned the bushes, and so the people gave way. The men he put to labour, gathering food for him, while the women fed it to him and appeased his sense of beauty. It was this way for many years, for none had the strength to oppose Axchin, and he horded all good things for himself.
Then was born Crow, a clever child who was blessed with knowledge and wisdom beyond his years by the spirits. Crow knew that Axchin was wicked, and he knew that he needed to be opposed, and while he did not have the strength to fight directly, he was a trickster who could outwit the wicked man, stealing away the things taken and giving them back to the people. The beasts he broke free from their confinement, the seeds he scattered to the wind, and the women he stole away in the night with, bringing them back to the men.
Soon enough Axchin's rage was beyond the breaking point, and he gathered everyone he could find together and said, "Look at Crow, look at how he steals from you! Am I not generous and give you food to survive, while he releases it all into the wild where you will have nothing?"
And thus it was that some people came to resent Crow, and Crow knew that he would soon be surrounded by traitors. So he went to the people and said, "I have not taken your food away, I have merely set it free from one who could not own it in the first place. Come with me, and I shall teach you the secrets the spirits have whispered in my ear since I was a babe. There shall be both food and freedom for all."
Thus it was that the people were divided. There were those who stayed, disbelieving in him, and those who followed him, their leader being the most beautiful woman in Axchin's possessing, Crow's wife Mwya. Crow took the people out into the wilds, where he taught them all the things that make a people great. He taught them to hunt wild beasts and tame domestic ones, he taught them to gather sweet fruits and farm. Though life was not as easy, Crow and Mwya taught the people how to respect the land and the spirits, who grew increasing angry with Axchin and the wicked people who stayed. Finally though Axchin's crimes grew too great without the righteous people Crow had lead away to restrain him, and dark clouds gathered. With a single stroke a tremendous bolt of thunder broke the sky and smote the garden Axchin fouled. The land was flattened to the horizon, the good earth pounded to dust and sand.
Crow could not recreate the garden Axchin ruined, but it was he who had the last laugh.
---
Apologies, but if everyone could recast their votes, this time using [] instead of {} to designate Main and Secondary, that would be great. I have been planning something like this for a while, and using this point as a threadmark interrupt to reset the vote is rather useful for me. Also, I have added another option for sending a trade mission, which really amounts to a diplomatic mission.
Also, this has been fun to plan, in thinking about how stories get rearranged based on incorrect memory and embellishment based on later considerations.
---
Long ago the people came from a place of abundance, a garden where all was in order and one could simply pick food from eternally full bushes and trees when one was hungry. All was well and peaceful, until Axchin came. A greedy, grasping man, he insisted that all of the abundance belonged to him. When people protested he struck them down and burned the bushes, and so the people gave way. The men he put to labour, gathering food for him, while the women fed it to him and appeased his sense of beauty. It was this way for many years, for none had the strength to oppose Axchin, and he horded all good things for himself.
Then was born Crow, a clever child who was blessed with knowledge and wisdom beyond his years by the spirits. Crow knew that Axchin was wicked, and he knew that he needed to be opposed, and while he did not have the strength to fight directly, he was a trickster who could outwit the wicked man, stealing away the things taken and giving them back to the people. The beasts he broke free from their confinement, the seeds he scattered to the wind, and the women he stole away in the night with, bringing them back to the men.
Soon enough Axchin's rage was beyond the breaking point, and he gathered everyone he could find together and said, "Look at Crow, look at how he steals from you! Am I not generous and give you food to survive, while he releases it all into the wild where you will have nothing?"
And thus it was that some people came to resent Crow, and Crow knew that he would soon be surrounded by traitors. So he went to the people and said, "I have not taken your food away, I have merely set it free from one who could not own it in the first place. Come with me, and I shall teach you the secrets the spirits have whispered in my ear since I was a babe. There shall be both food and freedom for all."
Thus it was that the people were divided. There were those who stayed, disbelieving in him, and those who followed him, their leader being the most beautiful woman in Axchin's possessing, Crow's wife Mwya. Crow took the people out into the wilds, where he taught them all the things that make a people great. He taught them to hunt wild beasts and tame domestic ones, he taught them to gather sweet fruits and farm. Though life was not as easy, Crow and Mwya taught the people how to respect the land and the spirits, who grew increasing angry with Axchin and the wicked people who stayed. Finally though Axchin's crimes grew too great without the righteous people Crow had lead away to restrain him, and dark clouds gathered. With a single stroke a tremendous bolt of thunder broke the sky and smote the garden Axchin fouled. The land was flattened to the horizon, the good earth pounded to dust and sand.
Crow could not recreate the garden Axchin ruined, but it was he who had the last laugh.
---
Apologies, but if everyone could recast their votes, this time using [] instead of {} to designate Main and Secondary, that would be great. I have been planning something like this for a while, and using this point as a threadmark interrupt to reset the vote is rather useful for me. Also, I have added another option for sending a trade mission, which really amounts to a diplomatic mission.
Also, this has been fun to plan, in thinking about how stories get rearranged based on incorrect memory and embellishment based on later considerations.
Last edited:
Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
:O, Welp time to revote!
[X] Regulate such activities
[X] No (high chance of social strife, mitigated by certain other choices)
[X] [Main] Establish Annual Festival
[X] [Secondary] Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
-[X] Coast
[X] Regulate such activities
[X] No (high chance of social strife, mitigated by certain other choices)
[X] [Main] Establish Annual Festival
[X] [Secondary] Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
-[X] Coast
Last edited:
- Location
- California
If he's getting remembered as a hero, he really did get the last laugh.
[X] Regulate such activities
[X] No (high chance of social strife, mitigated by certain other choices)
[X] [Main] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[X] [Secondary] Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
-[X] Coast
- Location
- Illinois
[X] Regulate such activities
[X] No (high chance of social strife, mitigated by certain other choices)
[X] [Main] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[X] [Secondary] Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
-[X] Coast
Trade missions look interesting, but I think organizing is more important right now.
[X] No (high chance of social strife, mitigated by certain other choices)
[X] [Main] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[X] [Secondary] Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
-[X] Coast
Trade missions look interesting, but I think organizing is more important right now.
Last edited:
Aabcehmu
Confusion as a Natural State of Being
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Pronouns
- Any/All
[X] Restrict such activities
[X] No (high chance of social strife, mitigated by certain other choices)
[X] [Main] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[X] [Secondary] Step-Farms
[X] [Secondary] Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
[X] No (high chance of social strife, mitigated by certain other choices)
[X] [Main] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[X] [Secondary] Step-Farms
[X] [Secondary] Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
[X] Regulate such activities
[X] No (high chance of social strife, mitigated by certain other choices)
[X] [Main] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[X] [Secondary] Organize Settlement
-[X] Coast
[X] [Secondary] Trade Mission
-[X] Spirit Talkers
[X] No (high chance of social strife, mitigated by certain other choices)
[X] [Main] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[X] [Secondary] Organize Settlement
-[X] Coast
[X] [Secondary] Trade Mission
-[X] Spirit Talkers
Last edited:
- Location
- Voidbetweenstars
[X] Restrict such activities
[X] No (high chance of social strife, mitigated by certain other choices)
[X] [Main] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[X] [Secondary] Step-Farms
[X] [Secondary] Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
[X] No (high chance of social strife, mitigated by certain other choices)
[X] [Main] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[X] [Secondary] Step-Farms
[X] [Secondary] Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
zamin
The Watcher in the Dark
[X] Regulate such activities
[X] No (high chance of social strife, mitigated by certain other choices)
[X] [Main] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[X] [Secondary] Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
-[X] Coast
Huh, interesting to see how the stories change over time. I'm guessing that Mytan and Cwryl would be feeling pretty smug about the result. Ashryn may have killed him, but Crow had the last laugh.
Wait, does that make Crow a proto trickster god for our people?
[X] No (high chance of social strife, mitigated by certain other choices)
[X] [Main] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[X] [Secondary] Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
-[X] Coast
Huh, interesting to see how the stories change over time. I'm guessing that Mytan and Cwryl would be feeling pretty smug about the result. Ashryn may have killed him, but Crow had the last laugh.
Wait, does that make Crow a proto trickster god for our people?
Last edited:
- Location
- Hell
The thing is before Economy 5 used to mean that a lot of grain spoiled, yet now we are hearing nothing of the sort. I'm not saying that we are starving but the food is now being stretched, and at long distance at that. I think it would be best to continue to prevent that from ever becoming a problem. Also as I said it helps avoid the problems drought and flood have caused.
The step-farms would be built in our valley as we are only one's with the infrastructure, knowledge and manpower dedicated to building them.
[X] Restrict such activities
[X] No
[X] [Main]Organize Settlement
-[X] Valley
[X] [Secondary]Step-Farms
[X] [Secondary] Establish Annual Festival
- Location
- Hell
redzonejoe
Vaguely Pastafarian
- Location
- Canada
Yeah deleted that already, just not fast enough.
Though his interlude does say primary and secondary, and some of the votes.
Tag them I guess? And delete evidence of my flaws!