Hi everyone,
Well, as requested this is an update on the status of the Birthright Online
City Project. This document is pretty long, so I’ll start with the general
stuff, and then move on to specifics. Just in case you missed it last time I
posted, the homepage has been moved and can now be found at the following
address:
http://www.nw.com.au/~slg/OCP/
This is on my personal web space, but I am only allocated 5 Mb, so if anyone
has a better (faster) home for it, then please let me know. The contents
currently stand at about 2 Mb, but the site does get quite a lot of hits.
- General Status:
Well, to answer the first question on everyone’s mind, the project is
definitely going ahead, and we have had submissions from quite a lot of
people. Lots of excellent and creative stuff has been put out at this point.
However, I feel that the project is being left to a core group of about
10-20 people, and I think they would love a hand. With the (possible)
imminent demise of the Birthright Campaign World by TSR (anyone heard
anything to the contrary?), this project is one of the ways in which we can
all collectively voice our opinions on how great BR is. The works on the
Birthright netbook speak for themselves as to how great the Birthright 'net
community is, and how much we love our campaign world
A page has been established which lists the names of members (those who are
actively contributing, not just subscribed to the mailing list), which you
can check out at:
http://www.nw.com.au/~slg/OCP/members.html
If your name is not there, and you feel it should be, then contact me (or
your SC member) and we will work it out. Remember, these are people who are
actively contributing to the project. You are more than welcome to be
involved in more than one group.
- Specific Updates:
Okay, here are some of the things that have been put up so far. You can find
all of these on the web page, under the individual design group pages. The
introduction is available from the front page.
Introduction to the Imperial City of Anuire
(http://www.nw.com.au/~slg/OCP/intro.html)
This introduction details things which apply to the city as a whole. It is
ongoing, and will be added to as ideas come to hand. If you have any ideas
to add to it, send them to me or the list for discussion. I
am handling the introduction, so it is not attached to any of the groups. It
details the following (many of which are not yet complete):
- Layout & Map
- Population
- Climate
- Money & Currency
- Festivals & Important Days
- Local Customs
- Laws (basic outline until the Law group gets around to this)
- Level of Magic (general statement)
- Things To Do
Please comment on this document, as it sets the mood for the IC, and
ultimately determines the background and setting.
There is also a short story, involving Gwrfelling Berisman which serves as
an introduction to the great city which is the Imperial City of Anuire.
(A) Guilds Group:
Note: the guilds group is still looking for members, and ideas for specific
guilds/merchant houses. If you wish to submit a guild, or help with all of
the guilds, then send your ideas to Scott Koester .
- Overview of Imperial City Guilds - this document describes the make-up of
guilds in the city, and how they operate/interact with each other. It does
not outline exactly what the major guilds are, as these will be open as
individual projects. It outlines how the guild council is arranged, the
differences between Noble, Major and minor guilds, etc.
(B) Magic Group:
Note: the magic group would also like more members, and ideas on things such
as rebel wizards, secret sects, etc. Also, since their major jobs will
obviously be the College of Sorcery (CoS) and the major faiths of the city,
results from this group are likely to come much slower than from the others.
If you would like to help in this, contact Darren Cooper
- Project #1: Gwrfelling “the Mouth” Berisman - Gwrfelling is an NPC who is
the eyes and ears of the IC. He is designed to be used as someone the DM can
use in his campaigns as an adventure hook, a source of information, and many
other things. Ostensibly, Gwrfelling is the Guildmaster of the Bayview
Carriage & Carters Tour-Guild. However, he has many deep, dark secrets. He
is also designed to be a tool the DM can use to bring extremely secret
organisations into his/her IC campaign. He is a great example of an NPC who
is not very powerful (in level), but has a lot of clout (exactly as
Birthright works in general), and reinforces the fact that we want to be
true to the low-power/low-magic/political intrigue factors of the Birthright
campaign.
(C) Miscellaneous Group:
The miscellaneous group has been very busy, and some fantastic stuff is
coming out from it. Many of the projects are small, and specific, and if you
have any ideas which don’t fit into any other categories, then send them off
to Mark VanderMeulen
Note: All of the projects are still open to comment, and if you wish to help
with any of the projects, or have your own ideas, then contact Mark at the
address above. Comments on projects can be posted to this list. Please feel
free to voice your opinion, since there are likely others who feel the same
way.
-
Project #1: The Diemed Ferry - this project is now completed, and
describes the major ferry that crosses the River Maesil and joins the Diemed
shore with the rest of the IC. Some images of the ferry and it’s workings
are available on the web site. -
Project #2: The Tomb of Michael Roele - this small project outlines the
tomb and surrounds which house the body of Michael Roele. -
Project #3: Elves in the Imperial City - this describes the small
contingent of elves who call the IC home. This project requires further
comment. -
Project #4: The City Market - This is a huge market, which travels around
the various districts of the IC. The submission outlines the market itself,
and it’s history. Now what are needed are some ideas for the sort of things
that should be in the market. If anyone has any ideas for stands (probably
some weapons/armour shops for PC’s to use), people (the sellers, conmen,
police, pickpockets, bullshit artists…er…philosophers), send them to
Mark or the list. -
Project #5: The Black Rose Tavern - originally from Darkstar’s PBeM game,
this tavern is home to Aleric, who, along with “The Mouth” (see the write up
on Gwrfelling Berisman), is probably one of the primary and best (if
expensive) sources of information in the IC. This details the tavern he
operates his business from, and the staff and NPC’s who reside there.
Diagrams and maps are also provided. -
Project #6: Imperial City Bridges - One of the 7 great wonders of the
city, the main highway of the IC stretches from the Avanil shoreline up to
the Imperial Island/Caern itself. It is a monumental structure, and consists
of 7 great spans. The submission details the history of why and how the
bridge came to be, and outlines dimensions, shape, etc. Engineering details
are also included for those (like me
) who are interested. Not often do
you get a massive structure in a fantasy world which is backed up by
engineering data! Your PC’s won’t have a leg to stand on with this one!!!
Some pictures of the bridge are provided at the web page. -
Project #7: The Water Clock of the Imperial City (as submitted to the list
recently) - this is the great clock/timepiece, originating from ancient
times and dwarven engineering, which stands in the Imperial Park. The
submission details the history behind the clock, it’s workings, current
state, etc.
Well, that’s about it for the moment. If you want to join this project, and
believe me when I say the satisfaction of seeing it unfold is immense, then
contact either myself, or the steering committee member for the group which
you are interested in. Relevant email addresses are all up on the Main page,
or simply send the email to me and I’ll pass it on.
- Steering Committee Discussions
At the moment (and for the last month or so), the steering committee is
discussing the game aspects of the College of Sorcery. We want to keep this
“supplement” as close to official material as possible, and we don’t want to
bend any rules along the way. But, there’s a little sentence in the Ruins of
Empire supplement (boxed set) under the Imperial City of Anuire information
section, which basically implies that each of the 10 council members of the
CoS is a regent and holds a ley line. However, it also states that the
CoS holdings are source(0), which puts us in a bit of a bind. So we have
been discussing options for solving this dilemma, and so far have come up
with a big zero. However, Darren has a lot of good ideas, and we seem to
have found an idea that might work. Hopefully we will be ready to pass
something on to the BROCP list next week. At the moment there is little
point in passing on what we have, as it breaks several rules, and has too
many holes in it.
Cheers everyone, and I hope this update has kept everyone aware of what is
going on,
Simon
Simon Graindorge
Coordinator, Birthright Online City Project
E-mail: slg@nw.com.au
ICQ: 9222846
OCP Homepage: http://www.nw.com.au/~slg/OCP/