Cambrean Chronicles

[Gamer Printshop]

Usually I create a world, then continents, working my way done to specific locations. So I decided to work in reverse. Beginning with my September Challenge Map entry at Cartographers' Guild, I recreated the coastlines and geographic features required for the challenge rules. By doing the map hand-drawn with a distinct historic map flavor, in the use of parchment, no ocean color and site notes placed directly onto locations at land and sea - I was inspired to create more.

In the Cartography thread, I posted both of these, map and gazeteer, but am doing so again:

 


 Archean Gazeteer

Adding to the above content, I've created a mini adventure module for D&D 3.5, also incorporating Green Ronin/Adamant Entertainment Corsair: the Definitive D20 Guide to Ships, as I required a "known" sailing ships movement and combat rules (downloaded from RPGNow for $1)

This is essentially a pirate adventure, involving a cursed ship that the adventuring party purchases for their own use and profit, and must successfully destroy to complete the module. Please download and play-test, I'm seriously considering to market it for some low dollar amount. Note: its a 15 page, full color mapped and illustrated 7.6 MB PDF document.

 Ship for Sale - the Devil's Daughter adventure download

Keeping the pirate flavor, I created a hand-drawn map entry in December 07 called Witch's Rock, another pirate adventure, set in a Caribbean setting. I think I'd like to include it into this world, I'm building, of course, in a warmer clime, than the setting presented above.

Thoughts?

GP

[Gamer Printshop]

Another thought, since the region of the Archean Strait is positioned to be the midway point on the Great North Trade Sea Route, some 2000 miles from the ports of the orient and 2000 miles to their homeland ports in the West (European-like cultures). I wanted to include some interactions with oriental navies and merchant craft - since this is starting to be a heavy sea related campaign environment.

Even though I don't need actual historical events to help create backstory for major events, having historic references can really put some authority on my choices of international activities in my world. From 1604 to 1635, the Tokugawa Shogunate established the Red Seal Ships system. Around 350 galleon sized oriental/western tech merchant ships, chartered under the Red Seal of the Shogunate began commerce throughout the Pacific South West and India. The Red Seals were put in place as a measurement of keeping the Japanese pirates from maligning Japanese sea trade. If a Japanese trade ship did not have a Red Seal, the foreign port could consider them as pirates and deny them access to the port.

Thus only approved merchants and families with Shogunate favor got the Red Seal charters.

Another condition of the Red Seal charter was that, any who attack a Red Seal ship, has initiated war with the Shogunate itself.

Of the six towns that comprise the Archean Trade League, Cleod is the pirates port on the pirates island of Cormaer. Though an official member of the League, the Cormaeran national identity is piracy and sometimes tolerated by the Archean navy, because of their official recognition.

What if a Cleodan Pirate attacks, sinks and takes prisoners a ship under a similar charter, from a Japan-like Shogunate government? This could allow me to bring 17th century styled Japanese ships, culture and warring samurai into the Archean heartland. A plauseable scenario with historic reinforcement, even though the events never occurred in history.

I got ideas perculating...

GP

[snakefing]

Are we going to be role-playing trilobites here?

[Gamer Printshop]

Are we going to be role-playing trilobites here?

Actually, I don't really "get" that remark.

This campaign definitely has a maritime flavor - there might be some fossilized trilobites in the devonian age rock, like anywhere else (if any of this is what you mean...)

As far as the adventure mod, I'm more interested in critique and comment, not so much expecting anyone to roleplay it. I guess I'm asking what kind of content am I missing.

I've created adventures in the past in the same flavor as pirate adventure. Funny thing though, I've never played a pirate adventure, so I don't know why I keep creating them. But this world gives a place for my previous pirate mods to have a place of belonging.

Just spouting ideas... :)

GP

[snakefing]

Oops, Cambrean, not Cambrian. My bad.

[Gamer Printshop]

Ah! I understand. For some dumbass reason, I named the countinent CAMBRE - don't know why.

GP

[Ishmayl-Retired]

GP, I think your plans on introducing "the orient" into the campaign work, but you'd want to flesh out how it is historically relevant in your own campaign.  2000 miles is an extremely long ways away to wage war in a 17th century environment, especially for Asian style cultures.  From what I know, in our "real world," there's no real evidence of any sort of long-distance oceanic warfare in the eastern Asian cultures until literally WWII.  The Japanese and Chinese fought, but that's talking about a distance of a few hundred miles verses two thousand.  Of course, on the Western Culture flank, there's good evidence of oceanic long distance warfare back to around 430 BC, so that's definitely not a problem.  I guess it just becomes a matter of the motivations and the technological advancement of your Asian culture.

What seems to me an interesting way of introducing an Asian influence into the campaign would possibly be the introduction of an Inuit-like people, but possibly with a bit more seafaring in their culture.  They could essentially be island-hopping on some sort of archipelago, and they've already got the northern culture you've got going, so nothing to stir up there.

[Arthnek]

First.  Beautiful map.  Drool.

Next.  Why do the samurai need to sail to the enemy nation over the sea?  Airships are everywhere now in fantasy fiction.  Why not adopt Japanese style magical flying airships that cross a hundred miles of open ocean in a day?

Check out the Eberron books for ideas about magical flying ships.  There are also a number of 3.0 and 3.5 books that featured airships rather heavily for a fantasy style setting.

Magical flying ships make the enemy that much more exotic, tough and likely to show up anywhere.  Maybe after afew adventures the heroes are dispatched to capture one of these enemy ships and discover what makes it work.  Maybe they become airship privateers with letters of mark to take on and sink / destroy the samurai airships.

=D  Besides I am partial to airships.

[Gamer Printshop]

Part of the problem is you don't see the continental map where everything is located - it only exists in my head right now. Yeah, 2000 miles is a bit far, I should edit that down to somewhere less than 1000 miles. If Cambre was Asia, then Archea is located on the mainland coast north of Vladivostok, and Japan is further down the coast, towards the northern end of SE Asia. So Archea is a northern oriental region, settled by "european" colonists. Its not like Japan going to war with America - different continents, etc. They are pretty close to each other, relatively speaking.

The first reason I'm preferring Japan is I'm half Japanese and I want to bring in my culture into this game.

The second reason is historically based, the Shogunate's Red Seal Merchant fleet of 350 ships really did exist. The charter included a provision where any assaults to a Red Seal ship was an attack onto the Shogunate itself and Japan was willing to go to war with a foreign power to defend it. The Red Seal Merchant Fleet of 350 ships were going to India, SE Asia, Java and Indonesia from 1604 to 1635. So they were sailing pretty far away for a 17th century mercantile navy. (I don't know off the top of my head, but I think Japan to India is at least 1000 miles, by sea.)

The fact that no one ever threatened a Red Seal ship, and the fact that their tour of duty was only 31 years before Japan closed its borders and became complete isolationists for next 250 years, makes so that such a war never happened. But, the premise of my campaign as I see it now, is what if something did trigger a war, in the exact method as the Shogun's Red Ship provision. It never happened in history, but is plausible and the charters of history did exist that could initiate such a situation.

Ishmayl, thanks for the Innuit idea, its certainly worth pursuing. I've always been fascintated with ancient seafaring peoples, the Innuit included. Perhaps after my Japanese arc of the campaign is passed, seafaring visitors from the east across the ocean could easily enter the storyline.

Arthnek, thanks for drooling :) Regarding the use of air ships, nothing wrong with the idea, even having an ironic twist - think of Pearl Harbor by balloon... LOL. Actually, though this is a fantasy world and magic and such exists in my world, I'm very grounded and like a realistic feel in my RPGs (I like the historic comparisons to earth cultures in my creation) - consider the fact that I'm basing my invasion plans on actual 17th century documents that said such a situation could happen. I tend to prefer humans being the dominant if not only race on my world. In the past I've always played dark ages/medieval settings. I've never played a 17th century theme, so I think I need to stick with the plauseable to make this experimental world work for me.

Additionally, since visiting Hawaii a couple years ago, I'd be interested in a Polynesian culture finding its way, or the other way around, ships from Archea discover a mid-ocean island chain and a primitive seafaring people there. All is food for thought.

GP

PS: Arthnec, Ebberron has its fans, and good for you that you are too, for me, however - airships, railroads and warforged... I'm not a fan of Ebberron. Until about 10 years ago, I didn't care for history newer than the 13th century, actually preferring dark ages 500-1000 AD. I've grown and am more interested in less ancient history, even into the 19th century now.

[Gamer Printshop]

Woot! The map at the start of this thread was the winning entry for the September Challenge at Cartographers' Guild (thanks for the vote, Ishmayl!) There were 30 entries - many just fantastic - and 116 voters, the most ever (entries and voters.) Now I've got three Challenge Wins under my belt. Woot!

GP

[Steel General]

Congrats GP!