Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DMaster42 02-17-07, 06:38 PM	Hey, I have been running campaigns in the same world for awhile now, and my players have asked me to create a few new nations for the world, to add some new feelings to the world. The problem is that I've never been good at making countries, and the first time, when I made the original countries, I never went into much detail. Does anyone have any suggestions for me on how to make great, detailed nations?
HellflameArcanite 02-17-07, 06:52 PM	I base my nation creation on the format used to describe nations in Eberron. If you want an example, here is one, the Trobek Union of Clans. Feel free to critique it, I'm not claiming mastery of this art, I'm just sharing my methods. Trobek Union of Clans Capital: Trobek Population: 5,220 (100% Dwarf) Exports: Ores, Weapons, Armor, Holy Symbols Languages: Dwarven, Common People: Trobekkians Industries Dwarves being Dwarves, they are usually engaged in activities such as mining and smithing. As is typical in most loosely organized nations, each area, in this case a clan, has its own specialty in armor or weapons. Some clans prefer to smith Dwarven Waraxes; other like Half-Plate Armor. Others prefer to go to the source, and specialize in mining. It is said that among the Trobek Union, you can find every typical weapon and armor availiable, although the Dwarves refuse to make weapons such as Orc Double Axes. They are willing to trade with foreigners, though they usually barter for things they cannot find in their mountain homes. Life and Society Each Dwarf knows his clan comes before himself in all matters. As a result, each clan is a tight-knit unit, with each member willing to place the clan before himself. In a warband, Trobekkians place the safety of the group above that of the individual. In daily life, a Dwarf may mine, smith, test weaponry or armor, train for combat, and hunt. They obey the Clan Elder, who decides the laws and actions of a clan. This is done without question by all but the most radical Trobekkians. Rarely, however, does a member of one clan see another. They usually keep to themselves, and one clansdwarf can go years without seeing anyone outside his clan in extreme cases. Government and Politics The Trobek Union has a simple social structure. The Clan obeys the Clan Elder, and they Clan Elders come together once every year at a different location for the Gathering of Elders. This is when they decide the direction of the Union, review internal affairs, and strike agreements between their clans. These decisions are made not by voting, but by a consensus of all the Clan Elders. While a Clan Elder’s rule is absolute, he or she can be removed. If the majority of the clan decides that the Clan Elder is not the right person for the position – if he or she is evidently corrupt or unfit to rule – a new Clan Elder rules until the old one’s case is taken before the Gathering of Elders, at which point a verdict is given by the other Elders. This possibility is usually only made reality in cases of madness or evil, however, and most Clan Elders enjoy popular support. Arcane/Divine Conflict Since Dwarves do not have an aptitude for Arcane spellcasting, and they do have a great devotion to Moradin, they usually tend to favor the Divine. While some clans do not wish to have trouble with Arcane spellcasters, others are very vocal in their protests against “The Unholy Magics”. However, all clans are against Clerics of evil deities, but most do not place them and Arcane spellcasters in the same category. Settlements: The Trobekkians do not have individual towns or cities, but instead each clan stakes their claim to a single mountain, an ancestral home that they have held for thousands of years. This mountain is surrounded by a territory, which is also owned by the clan but is rarely used. • Trobek • Baarint • Ebrock • Naaltor • Moradiat • Savrant Trobek (Small Town, 1,070): This is the clan of Trobek the Union-Maker, who is now known only by his clan name. It is said that when all clans were at war, and clan elders called hatred into the hearts of their people, only Trobek had the foresight to call for a gathering of peace. The Moradiat say that he was visited by Moradin himself in a vision; others say differently. The most popular theory is that he was simply a wise and charismatic leader. He called for peace between the clans, and as they experienced the fruits of peace, finding them supremely superior to the punishment of war, decided to cement their alliance by becoming a nation, a nation of clans. The Gathering of Peace set the date of the Gathering of Elders, and to this day it is held on that same day when the sun rises. In this City of Trobek, the social and economical center of Clan Trobek’s territory, you can find a smith for every need and an ore for every smith. The Union has little trade with outsiders, and that is reflected in Trobek; the dwarves there have become accustomed to self-efficiency. Baarint (Village, 430): Baarint is the most militaristic clan in the Union, which has contributed somewhat to keeping its numbers down. Instead of warriors, it usually produces fighters, and what few dwarves there are in NPC classes are experts, with maximum ranks in Craft(Weaponsmithing) and/or Craft(Armorsmithing). The entire clan is centered around their military; children are trained in the fighter’s ways from the day they can walk. They specialize in the construction of Dwarven Waraxes and Full Plate Armor, both of which they tend to produce in masterwork. Ebrock (Small Town, 960): Ebrock is a moderately large clan, and as a result tends to lean heavily on its numbers. Although it specializes in the smithing of Greataxes and Half-Plate Armor, it prefers not to produce these in masterwork, instead concentrating on training their large numbers of troops for a battle with overwhelming odds. They often send their full force against even the most pathetic of enemies, generating the saying, “A Dwarf from Clan Ebrock is always ready to use a boulder when a pebble would do.” An Ebrock Dwarf is usually regarded as a Dwarven stereotype, a battle-hungry, madly yelling, well-ordered and strong soldier, with no other uses. Naaltor (Village, 800): Naaltor is often regarded as the primary industry of the Union. Nearly all of its members are miners, have been miners, or are going to be miners; the only ones who don’t take mining shifts are the full-time warriors and fighters. They reside in the middle of their mountain home, in what may be one of the most secure non-magical strongholds in Khydal. This is partially because dwarves are stoneworkers by nature, and have the social structure to run a stronghold of 800. When their members take mining shifts, they mine iron, coal, and even mithril and adamantite. When they take guard shifts, they transform into the most stoic and reliable guards around. Naaltor Dwarves are some of the richest in the Union, but they remain dedicated to their jobs regardless of how much wealth they amass. Moradiat (Small Town, 1,800): Moradiat is the largest clan in the Union. They derive their name from Moradin the Soul-Forger, patron god of the Dwarves. They do so because they are religious almost to the point of fanaticism, and hold their god above all else. They regard divine magic to be the only magic truly accepted by the deities, and believe arcane spellcasters are the spawn of evil itself, placing them in the same category as evil clerics, whom they attack on sight. They specialize in warhammer smithing, as the warhammer is Moradin’s favored weapon. They also produce holy symbols on a regular basis. They often go on raids to eliminate worshippers of or temples to evil gods. Savrant (Village, Population Unknown): Clan Savrant is shrouded in mystery. They rarely reveal themselves to the rest of the world, or even the union, as their only publicly known member at any time is their Clan Elder, and only then at the Gathering of Elders. Rumors abound, and many adventurers have investigated, but none have returned. Note: the Arcane/Divine Conflict is a quirk of my world, in some places there is a fierce conflict over which magic is superior, Divine or Arcane. Also, pepper the nation with hooks. For example, I plan to have Clan Savrant revealed to be ruled by a powerful dwarven necromancer, who controls his mass of minions with a powerful artifact and uses Gentle Repose spells on those who have to interact with outsiders. In addition, give each area a personality if it's practical to do so. Don't place a potential mystery in every hamlet - that's what dungeons and areas outside settlements are for, along with event-based adventures - but give everyone their own personality. As noted above, “A Dwarf from Clan Ebrock is always ready to use a boulder when a pebble would do.” Give others their own personalities, such as tendancies to be heavy-handed, favor arcane magic, worship strange deities, etc.
ewancummins 02-17-07, 09:08 PM	Hey, I really like that Union of Clans ! Mind if I borrow some of that for my homebrew setting? -Ewan
HellflameArcanite 02-19-07, 09:40 AM	Feel free. Thank you!
GoriceXII 02-19-07, 11:38 AM	HellflameArcanite's template is good, based generally on the style of the World Almanac's entries for countries. I usually try to add a sense of drama about the country. In the kind of era D&D is normally set in while there can be a sense of peace and prosperity there are always monsters, always intrigues, always wars and power games.
taradusis 02-19-07, 01:16 PM	They have some d+d novels based around nations.TALADAS,the minotaur nation was detailed in the taladas trilogy.SERPENT KINGDOMS detailed alot of kingdoms in forgotten realms that could be lifted?Amazon usually sells these for about 7-14$,.Dandadventures,com has a city generator and some other etools?
HellflameArcanite 02-19-07, 02:40 PM	Thanks Gorice.
DMaster42 02-19-07, 04:24 PM	Oh. That's a nice system. Thanks. Yeah I always try to make sure there is something not quite right in a nation. It's no fun to have a perfect nation (especially if it's the ruling one).
ssvegeta555 02-20-07, 04:29 AM	When I create a nation I try to think up a central theme. It can be inspired from a monster, geographical region, magical influence, racial dominance, historical civilizations etc. For example, one of my nations in my CS has undead as citizens. Another example is a desert nation that has an egyption feel being ruled by High Priests of the god of thievery. Also, maybe these questions can help you in you creations. Who is the leader? Is it leader who wields magic/divine/psionics? Is the nation governed by a council? A king? Merchant lords? Gods? Creatures? Who's the dominate race? Or is there a wide mixture of multiple races? Is the nation at war? With who and why? Do they have allies? Who do they trade with? Are there any laws banning certain goods? Is there a black market? Is the nation in question highly avanced through magic/technology? What are some of the marvels the nations is known for? What are the nations major exports and imports? Any special brews, crafts, art pieces etc the nations in known for? Is there slavery? What is the major geopraphical feature? Forests, Mountains, Plains, Swamps etc? What is the climate, cold, temperate, hot? How do the citizens view magic/psionics? What about outsiders? What are the local customs? Any unique garbs worn only by citizens in that nation (i.e. turbins, fur coats, loin cloths etc)? Any restrictive laws for the average citizen, or are they all free? Is there a hierarchy for citizenship (example, slaves-laborers-merhcants-nobility-ruling council)? Any guilds or organizations? What impact does these guilds have on military, trade, economy, the citizens, merchandise, magic/technology, religion etc? This is all I can think of right now. Hope it helps. Also if you want to see some sample nations for inspiration, a format to use or whatever you can check my campaign world in my sig. Happy World Building. :)
krichaiushii 02-20-07, 08:29 AM	For innernation conflict, look no further than our world and use racism and religion as the driving points of trouble. Racism is easy to pull off, due to the plethora of sentient races in the typical D&D world. Religion gets more interesting. Good religions may have a constant debate and political intrigue, while Evil religions may be running outright battles and assassinations. Use a wide variety of goverments. Republics, magocracies, confederation of citystates, tyrannies, religious states, have fun with it. I always end up with a LE (very organized, very efficient, very brutal in suppressing rebellion) Empire or country that is run by Hobgoblins; being very efficient, they might be trade partners or in defensive alliances with otherwise Good nations. It could make for interesting times. Try to allow each country one exotic locale. It could be the high temple of a certain religion, the main governmental buildings float on a cloud, a city built into the caldera of a volcano or on the side of a cliff, a huge former battlefield, etc. You want something to make the players say, "Oh, country X - that is where that <exotic location> is." I'm out.
ZolDarklock 02-21-07, 01:28 AM	dont listen to any of them... take a fantasy novel you read, or can read and tailor that land into your world.... I have done this with many fantasy novels, they already have a complete history, maps, the peoples, creatures, and awesome plot ideas, just tailor it to your world... My favorite was the Shannara series, my players loved battling foes like, Warlock Lord, Dagda Mor, Changling, Reaper, Pell El, Skullbearers, Mord Wraiths, Rimmer Dall, and all the others from all the books, and good guys like Allanon, Garet Jax, Panama Creel and so on make wonderful and colorful npc's to interact with, and the wonderous unique magical items like the Illdatch, Sword of Shannara, Elfstones, and so on from the land are pretty special also, and the area locations are out of this world, especially there first visit to places like Paranor, Hadeshorn, Hall of Kings, Chard Rush, Hearthstone, and so on...
ssvegeta555 02-21-07, 03:34 AM	dont listen to any of them... Why? :confused: Any advice is good advice IMO.
DMaster42 02-21-07, 04:32 AM	I think your advice is good as well. The questions you asked are thought stimulating. I'm planning to create a nation of "pure good" that has slavery to "help" its poor and criminals to gain things they didn't have before. This will be fun.
HellflameArcanite 02-21-07, 06:50 AM	That's interesting...a nation of good doing traditionally evil things. I assume that some grand high muckety-muck has created some divine justification for this or something.
krichaiushii 02-21-07, 08:18 AM	I think your advice is good as well. The questions you asked are thought stimulating. I'm planning to create a nation of "pure good" that has slavery to "help" its poor and criminals to gain things they didn't have before. This will be fun. Like work camps for the criminals? For more fun, define crime as "being unable to pay one's debts". All sorts of people then work on public works (so the nation has a well-developed infrastructure and maybe Wonders ala' the Pyramids), meaning that nationalists have a vested interest in keeping the work camps around. For more fun, the goods and land of criminals become property of the church or state (or both), resulting in corrupt officials of both setting people up to be sent to debtor's prison and work camps. A related thought is to have a rather complete listing of crimes, complete with fines/amount of time to be served for each crime based on severity. When the PCs inevitably break a law, they can experience a work camp first hand; perhaps exposing the drawbacks of it (poor housing, limited food, great disease). The dominant religion may feature the idea that one can work their way to redemption via hardship or hard physical labor. The work camp is a political manifestation of this belief. By the way, by "fun", I mean "moral quandaries and difficult decisions for PCs".
Jayne 02-21-07, 02:54 PM	Hellflame, that style of information is actually quite handy. Tau Empire >Capital: T'au >Population: 83,174 (83.2% Tau, 4.7% Human, 5.1% Dwarf, 7% Other) >Exports: Machinery, Mercenaries >Languages: Tau, Common People: Tau, Gue'vesa (Humans), Ben'tu'sin (Dwarves) , Kor'Mal'Coar (Vespid) & Kroot. Peoples: >With the recent pushes into the surrounding territory made by the Tau, a significant number of races have been incorporated into the Empire. Although this has largely been peaceful, the borders of the territory are largely hostile, with numerous other nations trying to reclaim the lands they have recently lost. As such, the conflictt has been largely contained by the thoroughness of the Tau in dealing with potential threats within its borders.. Territory: >The far eastern Empire of the Tau consists primarily of open, flat savannah framed by inhospitable mountains to the west and south and seas to the east and north. They are well-insulated against attack by their lands' natural isolation, but see little reason to be content with their current holdings. The Tau have begun launching a series of expansionist pushes further and further from their homelands, subjugating or driving off all they encounter. They have already completely absorbed several other races (such as the forest-dwelling Kroot and the insectile Vespid) and are beginning to push into the more well-known regions, where their expansions are beginning to run into armed resitance from the stubborn peoples who have already claimed the land. Life & Society: >Tau society revolves around the concept of Tau'va; The Greater Good. As it was the Greater Good (and by extension, the Ethereals) that saved the Tau from descending into complete barbarism, the concept has proven an immense unifier amongst the Tau Castes and allied peoples. The Caste system is based upon the four sub-races of the Tau, their primary role, and the element most closely related to it. For example, the Fire Caste is responsible for defense and security, Air Caste for messaging and transport, Water Caste for research and diplomacy, and Earth Caste for construction and production. Unlike most nations, caste and rank carry no stigma; A lowly farmer has just as much input into the governing of the Empire as the wisest general. This goes true for outsiders as well. A Tau is more than willing to aid a potential ally or friend, provided of course, that he has good reason to expect that alliance to be maintained. Government & Politics >The Tau governmental style is a caste-based federation, based upon what information can be obtained. Each of the four castes has equal say in policy, with the Ethereals making sure that such policy is carried through. Rank is based primarily on ability, coupled with age, and so the majority of decisions are made by the ones who are most capable of understanding the nuances of such power. The High Council, the highest governing body of the Tau Empire, meets in T'au to decide empire-wide decisions; all other decisions are handled by city (Sept) Councils. Officials are elected to their posts through a variety of contests, each designed to test the limits of the person's abilities. Each contest is overseen by the Ethereals, and so far there have been no major incidents or, for that matter, fatalities. Religion: >The Tau are not a religious people, but their faith in the Tau'va makes up for this deficiency. A Tau who lives a life of service to the Empire has done his duty so that the Empire may continue to prosper, and to a Tau there is no greater reward than to die knowing he has bettered the world through his actions. Clerics are almost completely unknown in Tau society; most spellcasters are Wizards or Magewrights. At the present time, two small movements have risen amongst the Fire Caste, claiming that the ancient Commanders Puretide and Farsight (respectively) are deities. As the Empire believes this to be little more than hero-worship, little attention has been paid to this, aside from carefully monitoring it. Major Cities: >T'au (Population: 17,563) The major center of power within the Empire, T'au is known for the wisdom of its residents. Built in the center of the Khal'Mar'Sul Desert, the city is largely composed of white marble, and has an open, cosmopolitan appearance. At the center of the city lies a large, though elegant fortress. Unlike any other structure, only the Tau are allowed within its confines, with every Tau making a journey to it at least once in their lifetime. >Vior'la (Population: 6,483) One of the more infamous septs of the Empire, the sept of Vior'la is home to the oldest of the Fire Caste Academies; centers of training for the Tau soldiery, and by far the most heavily defended fortress within the Empire. It is also home to many of the research facilites of the Fire Caste, who are on an unending quest to improve the quality of their military. Based upon their previous successes in weapon design, this may prove thew death-knell for any hoping to win the arms-race. More information is located at the sites in my sig, and you can probably find alot more about the Tau. As ZolDarklock said, take a fantasy (or sci-fi, in this case) novel or concept, and run for it (or cover.).
turalisj 02-21-07, 08:45 PM	I was just about to post something similar to this. Does anyone have a template for making a nation? And along that same idea, does anyone have a thing for making random nations?
yellowdingo 02-22-07, 12:28 AM	So you want to build nations, The Vaults of Pandius have good examples of nations by template in the Mystaran Almanacs (Mystaran Almanac AC1016 is a good place to find both nations and ongoing reports of histories by the day). I suggest you start at the Map level and go for random outcome if you dont have a clue. Open Up Word, go into print setup and change the size of your page to 21"x21". I like to knock down a hexgrid of a most common colour, lay down a duplicate layer group of "no-fill" hexes and widen the lines of the "no-fill" hex layer to size=3 and colour=lightgrey, then overlay changes such as pictures of mountains, hills, population centres, pretty much everything a nation would want. It is an easy map maker and with some skill you can generate pretty good maps. That gives you a geographical area with terrain and climate to develop from. The Kingdom of Anglsax Geographical Area: 123,590 Squ. Miles Population: 134,000 People (98% Halfling 1% elf) Capital of Cordissmelsfuni (36,000) A large community Parted by the river Muddy. Government: Monarchy (King ruling assorted Barons) Important Figures: King James (Halfling L8), Erwin Longarrow (Elf L8) leader of the rebels, Tyrannus Paine (wizard L14) Kings Physician/ manipulating the rebels into assassination of the king. Taxes: Sextary Method 5/6 of all produce is taken as tax Coinage: Dugg (A 1 LB tile of silver) Languages: (common)Anglsax, Treehuginfae (spoken by elves) Flora and fauna: Wolves, Sheep, Oxen, Falcons, Oak trees, Treants in the deep woods, Undead on the moors and near the barrows. The Land: 60% forested with hills in the north, farms, estates, mountains in the west, bogs and fens in the middle from which flows the Rivers Muddy, Blackwater, and Corpswash. The People: Predominantly angry little folk with a complex about the tall elves who owned the kingdom before they invaded from across the sea. Cordissmelsfuni (36,000): The capital is a haven of clean streets (paved in stone) and pretty gardens. The river however lends much to the city name. the foul things of the Bogs stalk the streets at night in a perpetual fog. The Kings' Palace is a sprawling structure of many towers and stairs. Otherstuff: Now you throw in a map, history of the kingdom, briefing on individuals and places as you need them.
questionc 02-22-07, 12:30 AM	I was just about to post something similar to this. Does anyone have a template for making a nation? And along that same idea, does anyone have a thing for making random nations? Rich Burlew has some very good articles about world building (http://www.giantitp.com/Gaming.html) (the bottom section, "The World". My personal favorite is the one about geography (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/xO3dVM8EDKJPlKxmVoG.html).
yellowdingo 02-22-07, 12:46 AM	I was just about to post something similar to this. Does anyone have a template for making a nation? And along that same idea, does anyone have a thing for making random nations? Short of Digging out a copy of Dragon #281-297? There is is a build a nation template based on points you can plot the Type, age and size of a kingdom and pick up extra points for problems such as isolation, resource shortages, vulnerable locations, as such and buy benifits such as magic rich, good metal deposits, alliances with others, ect. If you can find it and stick that in the excel on your PC with major use of =RAND(), you can pretty much gen characters, monsters, adventures, nations, anything. Learn your software packages!!!
turalisj 02-22-07, 07:30 AM	There's a big problem right there Dingo, I do not, nor have I ever owned a copy of dragon magazine. As for sticking it in excel.... Nope, don't realy know how to do that either. I do know how to edit an image to make it look like George Bush jr. is making out with his dad thought.....
Demarest 02-22-07, 11:35 AM	My advice would be to start with a map. Figure out the environment the nation will be in and figure out its natural resources. In a big way, this will help to determine the economy and the politics of the nation. For example, if you have a desert nation, there's certain things desert people might want that a neighboring nation has. How the two countries trade with each other helps determine politics. Trading politics determined a lot in medieval worlds. It can lead to peace and prosperity, or conflict. This is if you're into this type of thing. For cities and towns, I'd use the guidelines on world-building from the DMG. Roll randomly for power centers, etc.. The random outcomes of dice-rolling can inspire some good ideas for the new area.
Iddig Ap Nil 02-22-07, 04:15 PM	I base my nation creation on the format used to describe nations in Eberron. If you want an example, here is one, the Trobek Union of Clans. Feel free to critique it, I'm not claiming mastery of this art, I'm just sharing my methods. Trobek Union of Clans <...a lot of really excellent work snipped...> It looks good, though there should definately be a strong Civil Engineering presence in the settlement as well (for to construct the great dwarven stoneworks that everyone enjoys immensely, they'll also serve well in times of conflict. Just my two cents, and to further pimp my own work...Check out Knowledge Arcana (http://wizo.wizards.com/ka)#8 and the Peak Strider prestige class I have in there...
Iddig Ap Nil 02-22-07, 04:17 PM	There's a big problem right there Dingo, I do not, nor have I ever owned a copy of dragon magazine. As for sticking it in excel.... Nope, don't realy know how to do that either. I do know how to edit an image to make it look like George Bush jr. is making out with his dad thought.....I've been contemplating using the CIA factbooks entries that can be found online myself. Just though I'd mention it, yo.
turalisj 02-22-07, 04:41 PM	Where are these factbooks? And thanks, this info should help me...
Iddig Ap Nil 02-22-07, 05:10 PM	Where are these factbooks? And thanks, this info should help me...Sorry, here (https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/) it is. There's a lot of stuff that will have to be culled as it doesn't fit a fantasy model, however.
krichaiushii 02-22-07, 05:38 PM	There is a long-defunct RPG called Aria: Canticle of the Monomyth (http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=53851). While the game system itself was obtuse (being kind), the information on different countries, governments, and all points in between make it VERY worthwhile as idea fodder. Provided you can find a copy. My googlefu is weak and only turned up the linked thread.
Iddig Ap Nil 02-22-07, 05:56 PM	There is a long-defunct RPG called Aria: Canticle of the Monomyth (http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=53851). While the game system itself was obtuse (being kind), the information on different countries, governments, and all points in between make it VERY worthwhile as idea fodder. Provided you can find a copy. My googlefu is weak and only turned up the linked thread.And failing that, there's always GURPS Fantasy for 4th edition, it's full of great ideas that can be plugged into any system with some minor work.
HellflameArcanite 02-22-07, 07:42 PM	I do know how to edit an image to make it look like George Bush jr. is making out with his dad thought..... That just seems really wrong.
turalisj 02-22-07, 07:47 PM	Maybe, but it passes the time when you are sitting in computer class with nothing to do :P
krichaiushii 02-23-07, 12:09 PM	Here is another source of questioning that can help craft new countries. Mythopoet's Manual (http://www.rpgmud.com/WorldBuilding/Mythopoets/tmm.html)
Jayne 02-23-07, 02:36 PM	Here is another source of questioning that can help craft new countries. Mythopoet's Manual (http://www.rpgmud.com/WorldBuilding/Mythopoets/tmm.html) An excellent find, Krichaiushii. Oddly enough, that came in quite handy for school.:)
HellflameArcanite 02-23-07, 04:42 PM	Good point. I suppose it would pass the time.
taradusis 02-24-07, 06:29 PM	You could use the city generator from dandadventure and place the randomly generated cities on islands.Also consider making some island nations of nonhumans,just to increase pc choice,conduct a survey of your players and take that into consideration when designing these potential "homelands".
DMaster42 03-06-07, 11:16 PM	Thank you very much to all who helped me. It has been very helpful.
yellowdingo 03-07-07, 07:44 AM	I was just about to post something similar to this. Does anyone have a template for making a nation? And along that same idea, does anyone have a thing for making random nations? Dragon #259: Build your own Fantasy Kingdoms by Mark A. Hart. Gives a list of nation Types Ancient Kingdom-Tens of centuries old, once an empire,The Glorydays are long gone. Savage Land-A region of bandits, barbarians, off the map communities. Here be Dragons, bandits, and Robbers. Borderlands-A lawless buffer between kingdoms, perhaps a few Barons fighting over territory. Chivalric Kingdom-A realm of Knights, Kings, barons and the rest. Conqurered Nation-Occupied by an enemy this state was invaded some time ago and is occupied by foreign troops, churches and nobles. Decadent Empire-Once powerful and feared, it is now corrupted from within and without. The leader is weak and under the sway of others. Non-Human State-Demihuman or humanoid, this regime is any strong culture of non humans. Desolate Land-Cataclysm has destroyed this land. The population is few and far between. Expanding Kingdom-Expansionistic and land grabbing. It will probably be looking to invade smaller weaker states. Merchant power-City States, Mercenary, struggling to control international trade. Banking Mystical Realm- A place of sinister and magnificent magic. Nation under Siege-Struggling to hold their own in an ongoing conflict. Pastoral Homeland-Farmers and Agriculturalists Religious Regime-Religious government, daily sacrifices of human flesh like the Aztec or simple churches vs the heretics. Villanous Domain- A Place of Fear and loathing. Evil Barons and Overlords. Provides you with a selection of Sizes (although you want Tiny and Huge): SMALL- 1,000 squ miles MEDIUM- 10,000 squ. miles LARGE- 100,000 squ. miles EMPIRE- 1,000,000 squ. miles Ages are there as well Young <100years Mature <500 years Old <2000 years Ancient >2000 years A selection of Special benifits and Disadvantages like: Abundant Natural Resources Population Alliances Feared Blessed Product Culture Magic Metal Rich Power of Armies and Navies Priests Prosperity Location Technology Wonder of the World Cursed Dispised Decadent Ruler Despised Devastated Metal Poor Mixed population Monster infested Powerful enemy Resource dependancy Reputation They give points on age and size and disadvantages to allow advantages. It is a useful article.
yellowdingo 03-07-07, 07:48 AM	If you want Random Try your EXCEL spreadsheet =(choose(RAND()*RANGE)+1, "EVIL REGIME","THEOCRACY","MAGOCRACY",...)
turalisj 03-07-07, 11:14 PM	Problem is, I don't know the first thing about using excel.... I can barely make a chart on it let alone a random generator thingy. The chart thing will help though. :D
yellowdingo 03-08-07, 03:25 AM	Problem is, I don't know the first thing about using excel.... I can barely make a chart on it let alone a random generator thingy. The chart thing will help though. :D neither did I, Then I put a Character generator, a random knights estate generator, worldbuilding, kingdombuilder, ... Its all about experience. I learned more about the limits of EXCEL Spreadsheet expanding my DM tools than for any other reason.
Iddig Ap Nil 03-08-07, 10:42 AM	If you can get your hands on it, the late second edition World Builder's Guidebook is a great help, and perfectly viable to use with 3rd Edition.
DMaster42 03-09-07, 12:28 AM	The World Builder's Guide is a good source, but I would much rather create my own countries out of my head than roll most of it up from tables in a book. That said, it is a very good book for world-building.
turalisj 03-09-07, 12:45 AM	Problem is, the store I go to doesn't have any 2e books. They barely have any 3.5e books.:rolleyes:
krichaiushii 03-09-07, 07:19 PM	Problem is, the store I go to doesn't have any 2e books. They barely have any 3.5e books.:rolleyes: Can you buy pdfs online (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=1484&)?