People of Venus

[TheUdjat]

This is really only tentatively thought-out, at this point. But hey, that's what the creation process here is for, right? I welcome feedback, specifics, ideas, etc. As usual.

Venusian Skies is envisioned as a Victorian-style adventure setting. Therefore, the main civilization on the planet will closely resemble the UK circa 1880-1890 (though obviously with some differences). There will also be plenty of unexplored and untraversed territory, to focus on the Victorian Adventuring theme.

At present, I only have the Aphrodite Empire completely named. They are so-named for the naming convention of Venus's features, namely the elevated 'continent' of Aphrodite (where they are located). They are the hub of technology, magical research, and most other civilization.

I have also tentatively planned other very different societies, modelling them after many of the nations Britain colonized during that era - a society modelled after China, one modelled after Indian (I named it Ishtar for the time being), one modelled after South American tribes (very loosely - the Mayahuel of my introduction), and another tribal society in a 'Savannah' setting. It might even be worth it to incorporate something American Indian-themed, though this seems to fit less. All of these general societies would obviously have greater complexity within themselves - different tribes, city-states, histories, etc - most of it the Aphrodite Imperialists are fairly ignorant about, of course.

I toyed around with the notion of adding non-human races into this, but I don't think I want to. While they could certainly fit, I think I want the other cultures to be different by their customs and behavior rather than their actual physique. It might also come across as a little derogatory. But I might make room for completely original societies based on various 'monsters'. But they are a secondary concern for the purposes of this thread.

And that's largely what I've got so far. I also thought it'd be neat to have a nomadic society somewhere that literally works just to be in the light all the time. They race the sun, picking up and moving off every day, trying to ensure that they're never caught in the night.

Which is another matter. 'The Night' will probably be discussed in greater detail in the Dangers of Venus thread. But for this thread, it's worthwhile to discuss customs that might have arisen from the 60-day period of night, and how it would effect people's lives.

Clearly, I need a lot of help focusing on the different elements here.

[TheUdjat]

Updated.

[VemuKhaham]

Okay, so we have one continent that is Aphrodite, which is where the Victorian-style civilization will be. Has the Aphrodite Empire sovereignty over the entire continent? What is the size of this continent? Is it like Europe, only with one great empire ruling all territory, like a Napoleonic empire should it have been realized and kept intact for over a hundred years?

Also, you seem to have planned four or five other civilizations, based on the British colonies of that time. But in the history thread you mention six ships producing six societies, and a seventh which crashed and produced the undead. That leaves one or two societes open, depending on whether you do the American indian society. Of course nothing is definite yet, but I was wondering what to do with those vacant spots for societies.

I haven't yet heard you say anything about an Arabianlike (desert) society. Will such a thing be possible? Britain certainly had imperialistic ties with these societies in that time. Think about Egypt, for instance.

But mostly, I mention such a society to find out what you think about other civilizations which are more or less independant and to some extend quite powerful or civilized, in other words possible competitors of the Aphrodite Empire.

Also, a former colony now independant, like the US, may also be possible.

Or any kind of society you can think about that does not really resemble any examples from Earth.

Also, to what extend do you want the civilizations on Venus to mirror those on Earth? If we're going to create a civilization based on China, will it be almost the same but with different names and geography?

Finally, this is all just so I can get a better feel for what you want. How can we help you with this? Create our own civilization ideas, or help you with working out yours?

[TheUdjat]

vemukhaham said:

Okay, so we have one continent that is Aphrodite, which is where the Victorian-style civilization will be. Has the Aphrodite Empire sovereignty over the entire continent? What is the size of this continent? Is it like Europe, only with one great empire ruling all territory, like a Napoleonic empire should it have been realized and kept intact for over a hundred years?

Essentially, yes. Aphrodite is an empire, an essentially 'the' empire, as far as 'civilization' is concerned. They're the most technologically advanced, and magically advanced for that matter.

I was thinking that their empire could be made up of Provinces (and to a lesser extent, colonies). These provinces, in many cases, would once have been nations unto themselves - like a conquered Europe, I suppose. There could even be stirrings of rebellion among some of them.

Also, you seem to have planned four or five other civilizations, based on the British colonies of that time. But in the history thread you mention six ships producing six societies, and a seventh which crashed and produced the undead. That leaves one or two societes open, depending on whether you do the American indian society. Of course nothing is definite yet, but I was wondering what to do with those vacant spots for societies.

I was giving myself breathing space. In the event that I forgot some of the traditional colonies or wanted to add something unique. 'Course, I could add them anyway - the ships have an important place in the history and development of the world, and should be very critical sites for largescale nations to develop, but they needn't be the only ones (see the above example: Aphrodite's ship will be in the capital, their palace, but theoretically dozens of little nations sprang up on the same landmass before ultimately becoming part of the Empire).

I haven't yet heard you say anything about an Arabianlike (desert) society. Will such a thing be possible? Britain certainly had imperialistic ties with these societies in that time. Think about Egypt, for instance.

And this is exactly why I left room. What an oversight! There should definitely be an Arabian/Egyptian themed nation (or city-states, or something).

But mostly, I mention such a society to find out what you think about other civilizations which are more or less independant and to some extend quite powerful or civilized, in other words possible competitors of the Aphrodite Empire.

Also, a former colony now independant, like the US, may also be possible.

I dislike the idea of other competitors with Aphrodite. At least, at present (maybe you can convince me otherwise). Aphrodite's biggest competition is itself, with internal trouble, struggles for the throne, warring nobles and province governors, and that kind of squabbling. Many of the so-called 'savage' lands will be quite powerful in their own right, of course, but it is a different sort of power than Aphrodite.

But there's not explicit reason why there couldn't be a competitor. I just hadn't really considered it. That might be something better suited to a plotline in the setting - a sizable chunk of Aphrodite's provinces deciding they want to be independent, and thus breaking off ties. Could be very interesting to play/write.

Or any kind of society you can think about that does not really resemble any examples from Earth.

That's the Seventh Ship.

Also, to what extend do you want the civilizations on Venus to mirror those on Earth? If we're going to create a civilization based on China, will it be almost the same but with different names and geography?

This is the trickiest part. I don't want exact clones. I want thematic similarities, and perhaps allusions to real history, but I want them to be different. The civilization based on China should really be more based around a few elements of Asian culture, potentially mixed and mashed. This is dangerous, as some are quite different and can be conflicting, but ideally I'd like to create something the blends a few ideqas together, ultimately creating something unique in its own right.

But I'm not sure how to do that. I know the overall idea of what I want, but I don't know specifically what I'd like. Do I want an Empire, like Japan? Or perhaps a series of Dynasties, like China? Difficult choices.

Finally, this is all just so I can get a better feel for what you want. How can we help you with this? Create our own civilization ideas, or help you with working out yours?

Both, really. A world is a big place, so there's lots of space for lots of ideas. What I'd like is more ideas stemming from what I've already got - building on it, fleshing it out, clearing up my admittedly blurry vision here. What I don't want are things very obviously the opposite direction from what I want. I don't need Norse-like societies and the like, and I'm not ready to pursue the unknown Venusian creatures and societies. I want to figure out what's happened to mankind in the several thousand years or however long it's been since they landed. I want to detail the nations, tribes, and cities that have risen and, that done, I want to create a 'who's who' for the world. Rules, influential people, etc.

But the first step is figuring out what nations exist and what they're like.

...I really ought to get a map, too. That's another difficult project to tackle at some point.