Recently, I've found a new appreciation for what you'd call "anachronistic prehistory". That is to say, everything from prehistoric times mashed into one fictional setting that is only vaguely based off of cancepts from our own world.
>"Cavemen" and archaic Homonids are different "Fantasy Races".
>Different tribes and clans make up the different variants of player characters.
>Players main goals and quests are to simply survive, gather resources, build small settlements, and hunt megafauna.
>Hunters must use pack tactics to take down creatures that are appropriate, inappropriate, or completely imaginary.
>Imagine cavemen gathering their primitive resources to take down a dragon or a troll.
>Magic is completely spiritual and mysterious. One man may devote his entire 25 years of life to mastering a couple of spells that are simple illusions or remedies to a singe disease.
Have you ever had any experience playing in this setting? What sort of concepts would be interesting in a role playing game based around this?
We played a caveman setting that while generally grounded in reality, had some supernatural things here and there we encountered. Nothing like dragons flying around, but we did find goblins dwelling underground, and some strange possibly elves imprisoned in stone tombs.
Mostly though it was a little bit of oogah, a little bit of boogah, and a whole lot of oogah boogah. Also ridiculous gender disparity.
I once made a setting pretty similar to thus, but it had more generic societies to go with it.
Or basically, it was closer to Native American tribe level, plus lots of magic and stuff, less caveman. Metal was magical and unusual, most tools are made of the typical bone, wood, and stone. Also awesome Aztec cloth armor.
>>44420994
Been thinking about running a game where each of the players are the founding members of a new tribe.
A successful tribe has reached it's threshold for population, so as tradition dictates, a group of 6 men and 14 women must set out and create a "brother-tribe". Over the years, this sacred tradition has created a network of different tribes that are all very different. It is up to the players to find a new location for their tribe and survive 4 years, until the tribes gather at their new settlement for a special ceremony.
I was thinking of having them get attacked by a giant monkey-rat thing that was the size of a gorilla.
>>44421135
I should steal this idea. Maybe have one clan that has discovered the secret to making basic metal weapons and tools. Their secret is highly prized and no one is willing to go to war with them because they carry metal spears and blades.
Throwing a native american inspired clan in the mix would also be pretty cool.
>>44421141
That sounds pretty fun and cool, how were you planning on running it?
In our game, we were just survivors of a warlike tribe butchering our own one, only the five of us made it out. Perhaps ironically we eventually resorted to combat to get by though and ended up raiding some relatively peaceful fishing tribes, killing their men and taking their women. Before long it got pretty stupid, like 4 guys and 26 women. It reached a point where they realized they could have just easily overthrown and killed us, but had nowhere else to go since we'd either killed or driven off any other tribes within a reasonable distance, and actually had made a decent place to live what with all the gathered spoils of the tribes.
>>44421169
Metal was a bit more common then that, but metallurgy was kind of magical. All metal was gathered from weird sources (stomach of prehistoric terror birds, made by congealed blood, etc.) And was very specific in usage. Like one empire had a really dense metal, but it was terrible for sharp objects, so they switch from bows to slings with the metal. There was one empire they wanted to start using bronze and they are pretty cool, but bronze will stop being a 'thing' when their God King dies.
I know it's not exactly what you are looking for OP but I'll post PDF when I get off work for you, if you care.
i was working on this idea not too long ago.
i was using Kingdom Death Monster as a heavy influence. weird monsters strange, landscape, Science defining things. including a geocentric world, when the light is right you can see the bars that hold up the sun & moon and the plates that are the stars.
>>44421220
I don't know which system I'd use to run it. GURPS is generally "decent" at doing whatever, but I think there is also a book for 3.5 regarding prehistoric settings. I might use that.
I'm trying to think of other fictional animals and monsters to fill the world with. I'll probably make a basic hex-map of the surrounding area and start coming up with a general idea of what kind of dangers the surrounding areas have. I might make a random encounter table for the settlement, so as they stay there and start building, occasional things start happening.
>>44421311
>3.5 book
Despite /tg's revulsion for that system, I'd love to read it at least. What book was it specifically?
>>44421453
I like that system too. Lots of material for it.
I know Frostfall has a lot of info on Neanderthalls and cavemen.
Frost and Fur is apparently another book that has a lot of Primitive stuff in it.
I used to have a book that was nothing but primitive/caveman material and it had "Savage" in the title, but I can't seem to find it or recall what it's called. If I find it, I'll post it here.
>>44421516
Thanks anon. You're too good for this sinful earth.
Really love this game. OP, you should give this a read.
>>44420925
No, I haven't.
Good luck with your game.
>>44420925
yes, too bad that it didn't last too long, i was really enjoying it, i used a versatile fighter who fought with javelins and primitive sword and board.
>>44424123
>primitive sword
>not primitive hatchet
>>44424140
i never said that it wasn't anachronistic, i had a falcata
>>44424161
It could be a bit pointier at the end, in my humble opinion
>>44424178
it's probably completely dulled for exposition
Quest idea: the shaman has told the chief a star has fallen from the sky and that by the glimmer in it as it fell, there is star metal in it. The chief has tasked the caveman party with accompanying him to the site of the star's crater to gather the metal and forge, with the fire from the heavens, a powerful new weapon so his legitimacy as high king will be solid.
The chief is a mighty warrior and has the shaman's blessings and wisdom with him, but he must be kept alive for the good of the tribe.
Your tribe is not the only tribe looking for this star, though, and there are bound to be other things drawn to this celestial visitation, too...
I love this idea. Here's my PC.
Let's go wrestle some dino-dragons.
