Who wouldn't want to help me build nations?

[penguinreich]

Well i really like to build worlds, but I'm constantly changing them (don't worry, I don't change the world in the middle of a campaign) so while the humans of my world have a bunch of little countries that are left from three shattered empires I'm think maybe like 6 large countries.

That's where you come in. I'd be cool if you guys just tossed around a idea or two for a country like "how about a uber-religious country" or " wouldn't a genocidal country add flavor?" doesnt have to be elaborate, just some basic type of country. I'll let you crazy cats get to work.

[thehothead]

A theocracy/democracy, where different religions are the equivlent of political partys.

[aaron_the_cow]

how about a country that is running rampent with deamons and its goverment is devils, nobody lives there exsept for evil/crazy/posesed people and no one whants to attack it because it will "gate in 1 more balor, gate in 1 more balor...ect." and it is so confused that it dose nothing exsept for the acational random demon to walk out and kill some body.
this contry could also be formerly home to a grate civilsation so you could say "the item you need is in "insert random dungen in that area" that a grate magic-user made".
just empting my brain on you :smallwink:

[Hectonkhyres]

A nation of dwarves who are the descendants of an exodus led by Loki... who thought of it as yet another of his cosmic jests/ fits of jackassery. He sits them on a block of metal poor land where the rock is too crumbly and fissure-ridden to make tunnels. Instead, they have turned to quarrying rock and building massive, blocky fortifications above ground with very few windows. That, and probably turning to crystalworking and the like.

A very loosely bound confederate republic of (non bugbear/ hob) goblin tribes which is perpetually ripping itself apart. They have something of a senate set up between tribes that vote on issues... generally with more than a little threatening and bribing going on. And perpetual low-grade civil war. Though they still do quite a bit of conventional raiding and the like, they actually have a very successful trade in leasing their neighbors cheap mercenaries and laborers. Lets hear it for goblinoid sweatshops.

[WillWolf]

A somewhat militaristic country run solely by knights in which the representatives are handed from father to son while the women is in charge of the local county and defense and hands it over to the most competent daughter. Should make some interesting RPing there.

Oh and I like the democrocy/theocracy idea too.

[Poppatomus]

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Oh and I like the democrocy/theocracy idea too.

Visit Sunny Lebanon.

My Suggestion: A group of true neutral wizards and clerics, holed up during the war doing arcane research, are put off by the chaos that follows, which intereferes with their own private agenda of study and contemplation of all things magical (tough to get reagents when there's a famine on and such, war party's traversing their part of the country). After the war ends these fairly high level guys leave their area and conquer the region, creating a benign magocratic dictatorship.

Disinterested in running the empire, and without the charisma or organizational skill to operate large armies or administrative agencies, they simply create obedient followers. In exchange for peace and prosperity, those that accept the government pledge their bodies to eternal service, with anyone taht dies being raised as one form or another of undead creature. These undead are under the control of the day to day rulers and serve as enforcers, street sweepers, spies, etc... Mix in a few golems, especially flesh golems, doing the same sort of jobs and you have the idea. The rulers aren't evil, nor are the regeants with direct control of the undead, at least not more than a normal humanoid empire, but there are zombies and constructs everywhere keeping the place running. The people, though preferring this to the chaos of the post war period, still don't entirely accept it.

[Danin]

One I came up with and am attempting to impliment, a total millitary society. There are no civilians and from birth you are trained and specialize in a field of your choice (limited of corse) in one of the different branches. I even had a breakdown or rank structure and effectively balancing food supply, entertainment and consumer goods (all of which would be issued out). Kinda like a completely Fascist society run by a millitary dictatorship that everyone is a part of.

[The Grim Author]

For some reason the idea has now popped into my head of a country that was once the site of an ancient civilization at the brink of technological progress. Cue Druids destroying many of their cities, destroying their overly-destructive-to-nature technology. Over a few centuries, they calmed down. Now, the country is a strange place, a tangled, overgrown forest/swamp/jungle. Most of the armed forces are Barbarians and Rangers, as they have the easiest time navigating the country. Wars fought on their soil are guerilla affairs, with the native troops striking at their enemies from the trees and heading back within.

[Rimx]

Roman empire like kobold city-states. Who enjoy watching the "big uglies" fight in gladiatorial games.

Goblin seafaring culture. Forced out to sea these goblins adapted by building communities from their boats and farming the sargasso.

A Big Brother style magocracy. The wizard is watching you.

A wild west frontier region, where a rush on a valuable magical metal has broken out. Adventurers are needed to stop outlaws and maintain law and order.

[penguinreich]

Wow fantastic stuff, would i be pressing my luck if I asked you guys to come up with some stuff for a continent, nothing fancy, just a general overview. I just love hearing your ideas.

[Hectonkhyres]

I would suggest a situation where a small subcontinent jammed itself up underneath a full sized continent, the uplift creating something like the Himalayas. Now imagine the grandmama of all ice ages literally gutting the inside of this mountain range with glaciers. Once they thaw, you have the equivalent of the Great Lakes (at various altitudes) surrounded by an immense series of mountains. These are connected to the ocean by a narrow strait where the whole thing overflowed sometime in prehistory.

Now straddling this strait, much as real-world Istanbul does with a salt water strait, is a major trading city. It has been invaded by so many different groups and had so many slave rebellions that it no longer even has a dominant species. Though it is a citystate with a hereditary ruler, it has been some time since anybody actually inherited the position of Tyrant. There have been assassinations, coups, mass riots, and every other disorderly exchange of power though. More often, the current Tyrant knows things are going down the toilet and will willingly hand over the crown if someone can show that they could take off his head. An assassin lying a note next to him while he is sleeping, somebody fielding a big enough army or militia, whatever.

North of the straight, it is mostly barbaric lands that never really repopulated after the iceages. One illithid hive that is self-sufficient and unconscerned with world affairs... and who didn't even notice the ice age. Some megafauna and a few nasties, including frost giants and winter wolves. Dotted, less than civilized tribes with herds (sometimes of megafauna) here and there. But it has a hell of a lot of mineral resources due to the fact that the ice scraped ore veins clean of rock. Every year it gets a bit warmer and the north more liveable.... and its causing a political and demographic shift.

South... lots of less wealthy (but usually more stable) city states. The lakes and the mountains themselves, on the other hand, should be the wildcard.

[stolenchariot]

How about a nation located around some location of natural importance (Ancient forest, lake untouched by man since the dawn of time, etc) who is ruled by a conclave of druids presided over by a triumvirate?

[Renloth]

What about a nation originally made up of a number of nomadic tribes, very territorial, which would explain why they havn't been assimilated into another nation, and ruled in a rather warlord like manner, though without as (or even any) in-fighting. A group of people very strong in small numbers, and able to call for re-enforcements from everywhere. Difficult to fight, hard to clearly defeat.

Now, throw in a growing movement near the center of the nation (Where the sort of "ancient seat of power" is, defining the borders, since the land around it was what they could hold on to.) that wants to unify everything, and become more like the nations around them.

The irony here would be that the very thing that made them strong would disolve them, as they were more concerned with staying near the borders as protection. Thereby, the center is taken with little word, and the fighting is breaking out both politically and physically in the middle of the nation, while those at the fringes are repelling invaders side by side, regardless of how they feel.

[Yakk]

Society features:

Peasant:City:Troop:Noble ratio.

Where "Troop" means "someone trained in combat".

A nomadic society might be 100:1:40:1.

A feudal farming society might be 100:5:1:2.

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What stops governments from getting bigger, and how big are they?

Anything from balkanized territory to weak Command&Control social structures can keep governments small. But powerful governments swallow up nearby areas until they have issues getting larger.

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Productivity of the peasants and city-folk. How much wealth are they pumping out? What is the standard of living of peasants, and why aren't there more of them until they hit starvation level standard of living?

The amount of surplus determines the wealth of the noble cast.

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Level of magical/military technology. Some technology requires large-scale social structures to support, others is easily copied given trade.

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Level of trade. This can boost the wealth of a society significantly. Note that primitive long-distance trade is very dangerous: in the age of exploration, sending 5 ships out on a trade run and getting 1 back was profitable, because that one ship load of goods could pay and crew 10 ships next season.

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Attitude towards strangers. Expect most societies to consider theft from and killing of strangers/non-family to be a non-sin. You avoid killing people who can protect themselves enough to make it too risky, or who have relatives who can exact revenge on you.

Even so, most people find trying to kill someone dangerous, and talking to them interesting: so they will talk to strangers and listen to tails. But if the strangers are killed by someone else, that is no skin off of their back.

Most societies do have a "guest of the house" ritual: once accepted as a guest, you are safe until you leave the house/dwelling. They might kill you as you leave... Not everyone follows the "guest" rules, naturally. ;)

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Geography and Peasant occupation. What do the unwashed masses do that produce that productivity?

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Peasant wealth transfer. How do the upper caste/troops convince the peasants to give up wealth to them?

[Matthew]

Some good ideas here, but thinking up a description of a Continent is quite a challenge. I have to say, though, I find it hard to think up nations/countries and kingdoms in isolation from one another. Are you going to develop your Campaign Setting here or are you just looking for inspiration?

[penguinreich]

Just looking for a few fresh ideas from you guys. I already made the campaign, i just wanted to hear some of your ideas and maybe use a few.