Post by Bob (DM) on Jan 29, 2014 11:23:44 GMT -5
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when writing your histories and things, first of all given the really clumsy way that the years are named retrospectively rather than sensibly numbered, the study of history in Zaidan is more of a creative art than a science. Combine that with the fact that there is nearly 1000 years of history to play with, you can pretty much make up nearly anything you want. However the really fantastical stuff should be in the Gokai Taisan or the early years following that, with things getting more realistic the closer to the present you get.
Next, the Paramount Lords and the 5 regions are a feature of the current era and they were established in the closing years of the Time of the Contending Lords, in fact the current era could well be regarded as just a phase in that period, so you shouldn't refer to either when writing about a previous period (though you could claim that some ancestor of yours was the Paramount Lord of some other entity for a brief time, especially since the last 250+ years has been a time of nearly continuous conflict between the various clans).
The clans that are around now and named in the various writings & in the Holdings & Assets sheets are not the only noble clans around. There are any number of very minor clans just waiting for a chance to rise to the top, and there have been any number of others who have tried and failed and been eliminated in the attempt, so feel free to make one up if you need a foe who has been wiped out.
Also, regarding marriages, etc. Since the clans have been intermarrying for love & politics for hundreds of years, you can safely assume that at some point or other some member of your clan has been married to some member of every other clan, so again, feel free to make up whatever you want.
The same thing goes for wars, at some point during the long centuries, your clan has fought with every one of its neighbours at least once, and has also likely fought against more distant foes as well, so feel free to make up anything that works, as long as you don't wipe out a clan that is listed as still existing (if you do feel the need for a Castamere or two of your own, just make up some hapless clan to be your victims).
And the same goes for vassalages, etc. You may, for the purposes of your story, claim to have ruled over, or been ruled over, any given clan for some brief period as over the centuries such things would have been quite common, and quite impermanent as well.
And finally, keep in mind that this is a land where the majority of what passes for "history" consists of oral traditions and obsequious panegyrics of doubtful authenticity and what you are presenting is YOUR clan's version of events, which may vary considerably from another clan's version. And that neither version must necessarily bear any relation to the truth.
So in short, you can make up just about anything you want.
Now on to the best procedure. I think it best if you first post your histories in your private sub-board so I can look them over and point out any errors that have to be fixed and make any suggestions first. Once it has been fixed up it can be moved or reposted to this board for everybody's enjoyment.
And finally - have fun!
Next, the Paramount Lords and the 5 regions are a feature of the current era and they were established in the closing years of the Time of the Contending Lords, in fact the current era could well be regarded as just a phase in that period, so you shouldn't refer to either when writing about a previous period (though you could claim that some ancestor of yours was the Paramount Lord of some other entity for a brief time, especially since the last 250+ years has been a time of nearly continuous conflict between the various clans).
The clans that are around now and named in the various writings & in the Holdings & Assets sheets are not the only noble clans around. There are any number of very minor clans just waiting for a chance to rise to the top, and there have been any number of others who have tried and failed and been eliminated in the attempt, so feel free to make one up if you need a foe who has been wiped out.
Also, regarding marriages, etc. Since the clans have been intermarrying for love & politics for hundreds of years, you can safely assume that at some point or other some member of your clan has been married to some member of every other clan, so again, feel free to make up whatever you want.
The same thing goes for wars, at some point during the long centuries, your clan has fought with every one of its neighbours at least once, and has also likely fought against more distant foes as well, so feel free to make up anything that works, as long as you don't wipe out a clan that is listed as still existing (if you do feel the need for a Castamere or two of your own, just make up some hapless clan to be your victims).
And the same goes for vassalages, etc. You may, for the purposes of your story, claim to have ruled over, or been ruled over, any given clan for some brief period as over the centuries such things would have been quite common, and quite impermanent as well.
And finally, keep in mind that this is a land where the majority of what passes for "history" consists of oral traditions and obsequious panegyrics of doubtful authenticity and what you are presenting is YOUR clan's version of events, which may vary considerably from another clan's version. And that neither version must necessarily bear any relation to the truth.
So in short, you can make up just about anything you want.
Now on to the best procedure. I think it best if you first post your histories in your private sub-board so I can look them over and point out any errors that have to be fixed and make any suggestions first. Once it has been fixed up it can be moved or reposted to this board for everybody's enjoyment.
And finally - have fun!