THE WORLD

This is the only post where I will speak to you as players, not to your characters. These are some things you need to know so you can understand the game world better, to avoid your character having non-realistic ideas. When playing live with friends, we had common arguments when players were insisting their characters are mentally able (waving their character sheets with high Reasoning) to invent something new in their game world, using players knowledge from this world (glider, crossbow, etc). Some things are simply out of the question, as you world is on the different technological level, and that’s why this post is important: so you should know what you can and cannot have (for example, in this game iron swords will be rare). Also, socially, it is good to know in what kind of the world you are, so you shouldn’t make mistakes calling on nonexistent social structures. One player mentioned “militia” in his character description. In this world there are no militias, as only middle and upper classes bear arms. So, here we go, these are some guidelines.

There are no other races, just Humans. Exceptions are various evil intelligent things and one mythical race of super humans, said to live somewhere in the world

Technological development is on the level of Greece in time of the Peloponnesian war, 5th Cent. B.C. Steel is unavailable except as a gift from strange people/creatures, there are no long range weaponry as longbows, sailing is limited to hugging the shore, city walls are rare, etc.

Most of the humanity lives as bronze age farmers and herders, simple barbarians, and some 30% lives in organized city-states and small kingdoms, with different types of government

In cities and other more civilized areas society is divided in classes based on income level. Everybody is free, but those who pay higher taxes are involved in war and politics. Egalitarianism among the barbarians (which are 70% of the population)

Much of the world is unexplored

Organized religion is early phase. There are cults, prophets, mystics, wise man, but  not many big temples and not much hierarchy. Beliefs vary from place to place

Free thinking is very cherished, literacy rate is 90% in cities, 30% in the countryside, sciences are in the early stages

Usual weapons are all which not require too much metal: spears, javelins, slings, short bronze swords. Short bow exists, but is considered cowards weapon

No horses

Several major languages exists, several important currencies

There is EVIL in the world. All kind of terrible things lurk in dark places, they are very varied and apparently not in league with one another. They seldom set far from their caves/mansions/huts/whatever, but when they do it is in force, ravaging the neighboring territories, and sometimes threatening whole regions with hordes of undead, monsters, demons, etc. But human forces always come together in such cases, even pausing wars and sieges for that purposes

Magic appears spontaneously in some individuals and usually provides them with abilities to counter evil, and do many useful tasks. It cannot be learned, and is developing spontaneously