Commerce Trade and business within and without the society. Products Consider regional specialties, proximity of raw materials, sources of skilled labor or craftsmen, and transportation to market. Some examples: textiles, clothing, leather goods, ores and refined metals, animals, food, liquor, spices, slaves or laborers, services, information, art, publications, entertainment, tourists, vehicles, machines, weapons. Invent several (three to five) distinct products for which this culture is known. Imports Decide what products are brought into this civilization from abroad and why (scarcity, luxury item, foreign technology, etc.). How are these products transported from source to market, and from market to consumer? Is this importing a major drain upon the economy? Exports Decide what products are sold abroad and to where they are sent. Who are the buyers and why (scarcity, luxury item, proprietary technology, etc.)? How does your civilization transport these products from source to foreign market? Does this exporting bring in a great supply of wealth to your culture? Monetary System Does your civilization engage in any of the following: trade, barter, preestablished pricing, coinage, paper money, credit, usury? Intangibles In addition to hard currency and products, trade always brings other intangibles, both beneficial and detrimental. Knowledge, broadened mindsets, new technology, release of population pressures, religions, news, politics, diseases, moral decay, conflict and warfare. Communication Consider the technologies and distances involved. Is immediate or delayed? This greatly influences the way their government will be structured, size of it's dominion, and autonomy of the regional governments. How attainable are the various methods of communication by the general populace? If information plays a crucial role in this civilization, it must have a highly developed means of fast and accurate communication. Conversely, if communications are limited, then the culture cannot have developed a great interest in or reliance upon mere information. Invent at least one means of distance-communication employed frequently by your civilization. Some categories of communication: spoken, body-language, pheromones, pictorial, written (hieroglyphic, alphabetic, iconic), sign-language, moving pictures, empathic, telepathic, postal, broadcast, narrowcast, point-to-point. Transportation Consider the technologies and distances involved. Can important destinations be reached quickly or do they require much travel? As with communications, this greatly influences the government's structure, size of dominion, and autonomy of any local governments. Also, decide how easily procurable by the general populace will be the various devices of transportation. Invent one or two interesting and distinct travel methods used by this civilization. Categories of transportation: public, private, mass, individual, groups and large groups, for any of the following modes. Modes: ground, surface water (ocean and river/lake), underwater, air, underground, telepor, tation, astraVethereal, outer space, interplanetary, interstellar, intergalactic or other. Social Structure The interpersonal relations of the members of this culture. Castes & Classes such as slave, peasant, laborer, untouchable, servant, craftsman, merchant, educated, professional, priest, ruler and so on. Define each class and how it interacts with the others. Is it possible (or even common) for an individual to raise himself or herself in social status? if so, by what means? Education & Literacy Who can acquire an education, and how much? What percentage of the population is literate? Does the functioning of civilization depend upon it? Is more than one language or writing method employed? Institutions Such as religion, government, education, medicine, military, communications, transportation, news and information, research, entertainment, manufacturing. Of course there will be gender relations to consider between males and females (or other?). Also generational issues between the youth, adults and elderly. And in any advanced culture which engages in trade with other nations or species, there will very likely be minorities to deal with. Realistically, there should be some tension in most of the above relationships. If not, explain how this culture has surmounted such difficulties. Religion This is frequently the category the Storyteller of a fantasy game explores first. There have been many articles and guides published on this category, so I won't delve into it in great depth here. If religion will play an important part of your campaign (as it usually does in fantasy games), you should make up at least one detail in each of the categories below. For example: completely describe one holiday, one ceremony, a few common oaths, a myth or two, and so on. The more the better. I can practically guarantee that once you've concocted these details, they'll get used in a story scene at some time or another! Ceremonies Worship Services, Birth, Coming of Age, Adulthood (if different from Coming of Age), Marriage, Childbearing, Death, Other. Holidays Invent a story or myth behind each holiday (explaining why it's holy), and how the people celebrate them. Some may be celebrated similarly, but most will be wildly different, owing to their diverse mytho-historical origins. Customs & Traditions Beliefs and practices that people do "because that's just the way it's done around here." Such as: naming of children, oaths and maledicta, marital relations, games, gift-giving, moral and ethical beliefs, philosophy and theology. Myths to explain the how and why of things in the world. Superstitions to allay fears and inadequacies. Parables to enlighten and encourage. Social Customs (If different from religious customs.) Many of the same categories as for Religion, only you should explain why these customs have nothing to do with religious beliefs. Even if a culture practices no religion at all, they have developed from something most likely some sort of religious beliefs. Invent at least one custom for which this civilization is famous. Some examples: secular holidays, myths and common stories, oaths and maledicta, mating and reproduction, games and entertainment, philosophy, unwritten laws or practices, manners and etiquette. Arts and Entertainment You know the adage: "all work and no play...." Usually, the more advanced the civilization (at least technologically), the more prevalent will be their forms of play, owing to their greater amount of leisure time. Some examples: storytelling, music, dance, drama, drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture, boardgames, acting, sports, merely observing professional sports, publications. Invent at least one form of entertainment distinctive to this culture. Government Again, this aspect is rarely neglected by gamers, as it's usually the cornerstone of a gaming campaign. I recommend you devise your civilization's government only after inventing the previous cultural categories. In this way, the governmental details will not seem out of context. International Relations Any advanced civilization must have contacted others, meaning they must have relations with each other. Some examples: amicable, neutral, antagonistic, enemies, formally allied, trade partners, ambassadorial exchange. Do they engage in trade with each foreign nation? Consider what form's of national defense your civilization employs, and how aggressively they use it. Invent at least one antagonistic nation, a at least one amicable nation. Domestic Affairs How does the government treat its own populace? Consider racial tensions, wealth stratification, caste/class conflict, gender relations, taxation, unemployment, orphans. Who is considered a citizen, and can others acquire this 'status? Are non-citizens treated differently? Legal, Penal & Judicial Systems If there are laws (and how could any culture be considered a true civilization without laws), there must be a system for enforcing them. How are new laws made or old ones changed, if at all? How are they enforced? Who makes legal judgments? How are criminals dealt with? Some examples and categories: a knightly caste, volunteer militia, police, military, mercenaries, hired security officers, courts, judges, prisons, rehabilitation. Civic Services This is probably the most-neglected category of details when it comes to fleshing-out an imaginary civilization, probably because they deal with unpleasant items. Indeed, in our own real world, many of these things are kept hidden and out- ofsight. How often do you think about where your water comes from, or where Your sewage goes? For precisely this reason, if you make up details about how your civilization deals with these issues, it will seem vastly more realistic. Many of these may or may not be governmental functions. Water Supply: For a large city, where does their water come from? How is it purified for human or humanoid consumption? How is it distributed to the various regions of the city? Is the reservoir susceptible to any dangers or threats (such as drought, poisoning, overuse)? In an artificial community such as a spaceship or space-station, this will be a particularly important issue. Some examples: local river or lake, artificial reservoir, springs, aqueducts, pipelines, storage tanks, catchment of rainwater, vapor condensation, closed-system recycling. If water is not an essential for an alien life-form, you should make up some other element which is. Consider the same issues above for the other element instead. Disposal of Waste Civilization produces a lot of waste, and no one wants to think about it or deal with it. But they must deal with it in some way or another. If not, a city would probably bury itself within months! Of course in a closed- system like a spaceship or space-station, nearly everything must be re-used or recycled. Typical items which must be disposed of. rainwater overflow, sewage, feces, food scraps, animal carcasses, roadkills, material processing dregs, manufacturing scrap, product packaging, broken machinery, general consumer refuse, recycling programs. Transportation Maintenance If there is any sort of public transportation, someone must be responsible for it. It may be the government, or private enterprises, or even individuals. Consider road repairs, snow removal, clearing landslides, street- lighting, traffic control, building new roads, vehicle repairs, fuel stations, harbors, airports, spaceports, weather prediction. Public Buildings These structures tend to be more permanent and sturdily built than simple family dwellings, for they are expected to be use by vastly more people. Also, they allow the culture to display its wealth and aesthetics to themselves and visitors. Considers the buildings for institutions such as government, military, education, religion. Specific examples: harbors, airports and spaceports, hospitals, banks and offices/businesses, museums, universities and schools, goverril ment capitols, treasuries and mints. Animal Control Not only wild animals, but also domesticated ones could be a threat to peoples' safety, due to disease, hunger, lack of predators or over-population. Disaster Control How is the civilization prepared to deal with natural disasters such as fire, flood, groundquake, hurricane, tidal wave, exceptionally heavy snowfall, avalanche, drought? Are they able to predict such occurrences, and if so, do they have an infrastructure of preparedness for dealing with them? What about un- natural disasters such as war, terrorism, bombing, hostage crises, transportation accidents, sabotage, and so forth? Parks & Recreation Does your culture set aside land specifically for recreational use? Do they manage the land, or leave it to run wild? What sorts of outdoor sports and activities do the people enjoy? Institutions: The government may sponsor various institutions such as: schools and universities, museums, publications, healthcare, public housing, orphanages, employment services, land-, game- or natural resources management, transportation system(s), communication system(s), religion, recreation, etc. One final suggestion: pick a handful (three to five) of distinguishing characteristics from any of the previous categories. These will become the attributes for which the culture is most famous, the things for which everyone else in the world remembers them. Some examples from the real world: France is known for its exceptional variety and quality of wines; the Eiffel Tower, and its romance language. Mexico is known for its poverty, many archeological sites and beach resorts. India is known for its philosopher-politician Gandhi, extreme over-population and its religions. These are by no means a complete picture of each civilization, but merely quick, easily remembered attributes which quickly evoke the essence of the culture to an outsider. When building your fictional civilization, I recommend inventing the above listed aspects in roughly the order I've presented here. Although they're not strictly in a chronological order (earliest developments to later inventions), I've listed them in a way that works best for me. Start with the essentials of life, add the foundations of civilization, later develop the richness of culture, and finish with the infrastructure that keeps your world functioning. Details of Construction Back to Shadis #23 Table of Contents Back to Shadis List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines © Copyright 1996 by Alderac Entertainment Group This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com