The Heortling Stead Project - An Overview

From: John Hughes <nysalor_at_XZ7hhG1-EolCrpbv44zPjrfd8kaBUjKn2TNFUTU_3_QCs_REG-y5sG8B02jy6Z6MSAV4>
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2002 14:12:29 -0800


THE HEORTLING STEAD PROJECT The Heortling Stead Project is a list enterprise to describe a number of typical and generic Heortling steads and their inhabitants in ways that can be easily customised for individual campaigns.

I have created a home page for the project at:

http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/questlines/stead.html

The page presents a proposed structure for the project for us to gnaw upon, four suggested stead types that we may wish to detail, and some lists and locale examples from my own Lagerwater stead. None of it is set in stone - obviously we'll get together and decide collectively what we want to do and how to do it.

Don't click just yet - the present contents of the page are reproduced below.

One initial question is whether we should form a discrete Stead Building mailing list for the initial stages of the project. A lot of what we talk about will be of practical campaign interest - stead and clans and how they work, but some of it won't - who's doing what etc. Whatever list we use, I imagine we'll be making fair use of online polls to decide directions. Opinions on whether to separate the list, especially from the HW moderators, would be most welcome.

It's my hope that once the basic structures for each stead are in place, HW list members will contribute characters and locale seeds to fill in the details of the steads. We can use the dynamic nature of web documents to full advantage.

John

THE HEORTLING STEAD PROJECT Some Preliminary Ideas

Yip, we're gonna build us a stead. All we need is 'a great tree, a strong god, and a bloodline for a day'.

The Heortling Stead Project is an attempt to create and populate a number of generic steads for use as Hero Wars campaign resources. It will describe a number of distinct stead types, and by successive increments map their buildings and landmarks, describe the clan ring, wyters, stead locale and resources, and provide descriptions and game stats for significant inhabitants. References will be for the most part generic - "the city", "the river", "the rival clan", to allow for campaign customisation. The resulting stead templates will be made available on the web.

The stead project is communal, coordinated through the Hero Wars mailing list, (at least until we decide if it needs a dedicated home) and is open to all who wish to contribute.

FOUR STEADS For purposes of initial discussion, I suggest that we describe four different steads

Each stead description would contain the following sections, build in consecutive stages:

  1. A brief overview and description of the stead
  2. An initial rough map of the immediate locale
  3. A brief timeline recording significant events affecting the stead
  4. A listing and description of the local clan ring
  5. A listing and description of important people at the stead
  6. A detailed description of stead buildings and landmarks
  7. A listing of resources, crops, crafts, shrines, wyters etc.
  8. Associated poems, mythlets, songs, triads and cattle boasts
  9. A list of people and locales keyed to scenario seeds
  10. A final, detailed keyed map

I suspect that certain key characters and locales may be applicable to most or all of the steads. It may also be possible to create a javascript template along the lines of Oliver Bernuetz's Orlanthi Naminator

http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Realm/5545/gaming/herowars/namina.html# naminator]

that will supply unique names for character lists, to assist narrators in producing their own unique campaign material.

To make campaign changes as simple as possible, each stead template will also be made available as a series of rich format text or spreadsheet documents for ease of editing.

The reason I believe this makes such a good list project is that, once a rough framework is established, individuals can contribute to the project in small (individual character or locale) increments, in many cases contributing existing material from their campaigns. And existing characters and locales can be given greater depth by adding more detailed stats, descriptions and story ideas, again just a paragraph or two at a time.

SOME SAMPLE MATERIAL By way of example as to what's required, and to get you thinking about best presentation and what does or doesn't work, here are links to a number of lists and descriptions from my own Lagerwater stead set in the Tresdarnii clan lands of the Tovtaros tribe of the Far Place. Note that these examples are highly specific in terms of location and clan: the Stead Project will produce more generic descriptions that can be fitted into a variety of campaigns with minimal reworking.

http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/questlines/tovtaros.html#tring

http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/questlines/lagerwater.html

[I will post these separately to the List.]

http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/questlines/lagerwater.html#seed

John


nysalor_at_Zl6rogylINDyUgnJlcsQde3mxED86IHEBTLRsjGxnLFGfvbcBZ7099ipazvlwuWXJoDYdcL5nuCVUc1dHA.yahoo.invalid                              John Hughes
Questlines: http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/questlines/

The hills of Largertarn
Midst the storms of Ohorlanth
Are two silver horns,
Two breasts childing,
Two steads of lightning.

Midst the gales of Valind
They are two rusted swords,
Twin waves of darkness,
Twin pillars of ice.

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