Technological levels

I would be interested in trying to set up a game at some point... but have been pondering the practicialities of doing so.

One thing in particular that I've been wondering about is technological development. For many players, one of the major goals upon gaining control of a by-the-book late stone age tribe is likely to be to teach them the arts of civilisation.

There's a bit of discussion of this in the Play by Post forum, but....

What fields would people think would be appropriate for focus?

One option would seem to simply be to have one broad category for each type of endeavour - physically-enhancing technologies (mostly martial); the development of learning; the development of moral and spiritual codes....

Another might be to focus on technological fields and let them be developed - pottery, weaving, smelting, writing, laws, etc.

A third might be to identify specific technologies - bronze-smelting; sword-smitthing; the use of manure; the potter's wheel - and have those developed individually.

And how should these work in game-mechanic terms? Should there be bonuses for each technolology discovered? Should there be a progression through ranks upwards towards some greater goal?

Hello Exile,

We are implementing a new rule for technology called resources. This rule will be coming out by this weekend along with the introduction article.

There will be ways to advance it in a future article (that I have drafted out). Technology advancements will follow population increases. It will be a fun way to add some spice to the game.

The technology bonuses will come in bonuses to die rolls, extra followers per year in upkeep and rerolls on conflict resolutions.

Stay tuned for the article.

I was thinking of perhaps 5-7 levels from the stated default in the New God's Handbook, up to the kind of level seen at Santorini/Thera. Bonuses (+1 to a die roll) would come every second level or so....

For fields, I was thinking of pottery (and other domestic implements?), agriculture, animal husbandry, smithing, construction, perhaps hunting, maybe weaponry, and possibly a few social ones (justice, government, and philosophy, perhaps).

Re-rolls, I hadn't thought of using.

I'll be very interested in seeing what you've come up with.

Currently in the works besides an adventure are stats and special abilites for Gnome Mercenaries and Salamander Raiders/ Slavers.

For advancement of followers I am thinking of the more people you have the more progress you have as well. So followers themselves would be sort of a resource gage and the more followers you have the more resources and abilites you get.

Right now there are no plans to go beyond the age of bronze in this game. The only ones with Iron are the gnomes and they are not giving that secret up so easily!

Iron-working being restricted to the Gnomes does make sense, though there's quite a lot that you can do with bronze of various qualities, and smithing techniques - from basic spear-heads and knives to armour and long sword-blades.

Similarly, with a great deal done in the bronze age with construction, pottery, and water management (up to domestic running water on Thera) there're many options for grades of achievement there....


On the point of acquiring more technology... the base book includes a sample Miracle to bestow technological knowledge upon your followers. Could that be used to effectively skip up population levels? Would technologies come at set population levels, or could people choose their own paths of development?

It will probably be paths of development that will be worked out at a later time.

I am looking to make some more technology developments in the up and coming articles.

The gnome warriors (Merchants of Death) might help a struggling god by providing these technologies, at a price.

I will be working on an article later this summer on this subject.