D&D Message Boards as Fantasy Kingdoms

[Libertad]

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Established in the middle years of the 2nd Revival, rpg.net is a cosmopolitan realm, full of people of all origins and allegiances, from traditionalist OSR advocates, Call of Cthulhu eccentrics, and even joyful LARPers.  In recent years the country suffered heavily under the Edition Wars, with communities disrupted and friend pitted against friend.  Unwilling to let such a tragedy happen again, the lord moderators adopted draconian law and a zero-tolerance rule against those who’d pick up arms again.  There have been complaints against the new policies now and then, but many citizens fully enjoy the new safety and stability this brings.

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The scripture of the Word has gone through many iterations, translations, and interpretations over the years, sometimes so much so that the new religion bears little in common with the last.  In most domains the 3rd and 4th Revivals are dominant, but the 1st Revival still lives on in the secluded Dragonsfoot hills.  These people live as they always had for hundreds of years, their way of life proving remarkably resistant to change.  While many deride them for clinging to outdated mores, the Dragonsfoot people are genuinely happy and content; they see no need to change what works for them.

They weren’t always peaceful, however.  The early years of the 3rd Revival generated great anger among their number, charging the upstart new religion with blasphemy of the highest order.  There were many wars, and many died.  Eventually the community leaders grew to see how destructive and nonsensical this war was and negotiated a peace treaty with the Magocracy and jailed those who sought to continue fighting.  The war still creates many bad feelings among the Dragonsfooters, and so they swore never to speak of it again, as “That Which Shall Not Be Named.”

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A distrusted lot, Min-Maxers for the longest time had no land to call their own.  Their love for "System Mastery" magic led to conflict with many communities.  In some cases it was no more than reactionary persecution, but other times some among their number brought ruin to villages with nigh-powerful constructs known as "Builds."  They remained isolated and disparate up until the 3rd Revival.

When the 3rd Revival came, Min-Maxers took to it and relocated to the city of CharOps of the Hasbro Coast, forming a greater culture and community, and eventually a power in its own right.  Eventually they were expelled over a political struggle with the greater Coast and relocated to a newly formed city, the Domain of Brilliant Gameology.  Once again they were forced back onto the road when the city fell to a devastating raid .  For a time Min-Maxers thought that they were doomed to never have a permanent home.

Most Min-Maxers currently reside in the Board of the same name.  Their religious scholars are famous for their Handbooks, a collection of 3rd Revival religious texts which opened up new avenues of thinking unimagined by anyone else.  They still continue the controversial tradition of creating titanic Builds and other dangerous weapons.  Although they do it mostly for recreation, other gamers remain wary for the day when one of them “goes rogue” and brings forth more devastation.

Not all Min-Maxers follow the 3rd Revival.  There is a small but noticeable community of 4th Revival advocates in the Hasbro Coast, and there are some who follow the 2nd Revival with proto-Handbook "Kits."  There are almost no known Original Word or 1st Revival Min-Maxers, as the religious principles are difficult to reconcile with their way of life.

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Former devotees of the 2nd Revival, this nation became an economic and military world-power.  Birthplace of the 3rd Revival, the Hasbro Coast dominated much of the known world.  Satellite nations could remain relatively autonomous under the Open Gaming Initiative.  The theory was that a voluntary association of powers would bring greater prosperity to all.  For a time this worked, but eventually the atrocities of rogue nations under the D20 banner diminished the empire's good standing over time.

Things changed forever when a new Edition gained popularity in the Coast, which eventually became known as the 4th Revival.  Like the previous Revivals before it, this led to insurrections and political upheaval, most notably the independence of Paizo and shifting loyalties of 3rd Revival advocates along with them.  Despite this upheaval, the Magocracy still stands strong; in fact, it appears that an unprecedented 5th Revival is forming!

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During the turmoil of the 4th Revival, the Republic of Paizo severed all ties with the Hasbro Coast.  Formerly one of the Magocracy’s staunchest allies, Paizo took with them some of the most notable 3rd Revival minds (and many of their followers as a result).  Unsatisfied with the hierarchy of old, Paizo’s rulers set out to create a “Reformed Third Revival” in the holy city of Pathfinder.  Promising to be more open and receptive to the flock, they drew many large crowds to their public forums to offer advice and debate on the community’s needs.  Unfortunately, over time the leaders refused to listen to problems, and a minority of more zealous 3rd Revival advocates sought to dominate discussion and drive off others.  The Pathfinder project went on, and improved upon the 3rd Revival teachings in some areas.  It fell short of many of its promises, and some left in disgust after it began to repeat many mistakes of the past.  Regardless, it remains a veritable national power, and is beginning to amass the Magocracy’s old satellite states with a variant of the Open Gaming Initiative.  Time will tell what the Republic’s place will be once the 5th Revival comes.

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A ramshackle city of lean-tos and semi-permanent residents, /tg/ is infamous for its peoples’ near-anonymity.  The community as a whole strongly encourages all citizens and travelers to wear white porcelain masks and cloaks upon setting foot inside the city.  A seemingly leaderless and anarchic community, there is no clear means of ownership: residents pick up objects that they want, enter and exit buildings at their leisure, and start and finish on projects with little consequence as someone else will eventually carry on where the last one stopped.

/tg/ culture is responsible for many pieces of legendary entertainment and work, although the city has its dark side.  Anonymity results in a perceived dissolution of accountability and social niceties, and all the problems that go with it.  Those who choose to keep their identity and forego masks are derisively referred to as "tripcodes" and treated as second-class citizens.  Despite the lack of tact and casual acceptance of caustic insults, it is hard for residents to hold a grudge and factions to form, as one cannot make out individuals in a crowd of identically-disguised people.

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Surrounded by a massive Paywall, the nation of Sa is home to the Goon people.  Most among their number have little interest in the other board kingdoms, but the Trad Plains are home to a very large community of advocates of the Word.  Followers of the 4th Revival are the most populous, although there’s a healthy number of Pathfinder practitioners as well.  They maintain a light trade with the RPG.net Principalities, although at times they close their realm off to all outsiders who can't pay a "border tax."  They are currently on a war footing with the Free City of the RPG Site.

Trad Plains Goons are very critical of the follies of earlier Revivals and their advocates, and were staunch allies of the Magocracy during wizard-king Heinsoo's reforms.  The Fortress of Grognards.txt has battled with many forces over the decades, especially Edition Warriors and others who “ruin the sanctity of the Word.”  “The Word has no place for ignorance and bigotry,” they say.  While much of their enemies are genuinely malicious and corrosive to the faith, the nation of Sa has in the past undertaken similar crimes.  Many of their critics accuse them of hypocrisy for this.

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Home to ettins, ogres, titans, and others of the Giant races, the Playground is a large yet new nation.  Founded by Burlew the storytelling titan, the realm maintains friendly relations with many countries (in no small part due to their peoples’ strength and political impracticalness of seizing the realm).  The giants follow a more liberal version of the 3rd Revival; they’re aware of the faith’s faults and remodel them for modern times and discard rules proven to be impractical.  Much of this is due to the art of satire popularized by Burlew, who wrote that nothing is sacred and immune to mockery, not even the Word.  This might have played a factor in sparing the nation the brunt of the Edition Wars; 3rd and 4th Revival advocates alike live together with little strife.  A sizable community of Min-Maxers live here as well, with much crossover between the Playground and the Min-Max Boards.

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Formed during the 3rd Revival, the Free City of the RPG Site boasts a sizable refugee colony of people exiled, cast out, or otherwise no longer welcome in the RPG.net Principalities.  The city hails itself as a bastion of liberty and freedom, where people are free to speak their mind and government policy is open and transparent.  This comes with a price, however, as the city has been a magnet for firebrands and hatemongers all too willing to take advantage of these lax policies.

The RPG Site is ruled by a city council, with the RPG Pundit as governor.  The Pundit is infamous for his hawkish foreign policy.  It’s often joked in other lands that whoever’s currently at war with the Free City is Pundit’s “Enemy of the Year.”  Many outsiders view these battles as excuses for him to expand his coffers, but the Free City sees things differently.  They believe that the survival of the Word is in dire peril, besieged by enemies both foreign and domestic.  Historically they charged Ron Edwards’ Forge soldiers and the White Wolf clan as the mastermind, but in recent years this focus has shifted to the nation of Sa.  There is now a full-blown war between them and the Free City, and neither side is willing to compromise or stand down in the near future.

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The Gaming Denizens are internationally known as raiders and zealous followers of the 3rd Revival, giving no quarter and attacking citizens of all nations, even other 3rd Revival advocates.  The love conflict so much they even fight amongst themselves for blood sport, putting aside their differences at the behest of Warlord Trollman whenever he sets his eyes on a new enemy to fight or village to raid.  And even then this is not enough to unify them for long.

Normally I'd include EN World, but I don't know enough about the forum culture and history to make a write-up.  Possibly more to come.

[bhu]

no gitp?

[Libertad]

I haven't thought up a good entry for it yet.

In the meantime...

Faiths

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It is said that long ago, there was only war.  Hordes of nameless armies clashed for as long as time itself, bereft of humanity and identity.  The Creators looked upon this world and despaired.  They wrote the first Laws and passed them to the people in an immaculate White Box.  It taught individuality, that each man and woman was a person unto himself and herself.  It taught of roles, of an established order and purpose in the universe.  Slowly a new civilization formed, separate from the chaos of battle, bringing enlightenment one scarred soul at a time.

Advocates of the Original Word are few and far between, but they maintain small and dedicated communities.  Many of them are wizened scholars who witnessed the passing of countless ages, others are those who wish to return to a simpler time, bereft of the additional baggage and labyrinthine doctrines of later Revivals.  Others, such as the Mythmere tribe, have adopted new and unorthodox teachings while still maintaining the core values.  Most people respect the faith, for without it none of the later Revivals would exist.

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The Original Word brought about a new way of living, but there were some who felt that there could be more.  Theologians and scholars deliberated upon the existing teachings, revising them as necessary and adding new ones to cover more situations and personal quandaries.  This project quickly turned into a series of tomes which, while disorganized in parts, was overall more comprehensive than the Original Word.  Its differences were enough to mark it as a new religious branch, and soon a new movement was formed.  Unfortunately, this new order would soon attract significant foes.

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The First Revival faced much persecution and demonization in lands unused to their ways.  Notable organizations opposed to them included the Army of 700, an order of witch-hunters working at the behest of an aging charlatan who bled his subjects dry for the promise of salvation, and the Moral Authority, a knightly order dedicated to building a theocratic dictatorship with themselves as rulers.  Despite their best efforts, the followers of the Word could not be wiped out.  Eventually the original prophets passed on to other things, leaving the management of the faith to other capable hands.  This new leadership sought a path of reconciliation with their enemies, promising self-management among their order for signs of demon-worshipers.

The reality was that there were no infernal devotees, but that did not prevent them from judiciously seeking them out.  Scholars revised texts which would be considered "suspect" so as not to upset them, much to the anger of the faithful.  Eventually the leaders settled with a Code of Ethics presented to the witch-hunters to "prove" that they had sensible laws.  In reality the devotees of the Word paid little attention to this once the zealots moved on for targets they deemed far more dangerous.

Systemic persecution, along with a new leadership, led to a transformed culture which subsequently became known as the Second Revival.  In its later years the leaders became corrupt and self-serving, dedicated more to hoarding wealth and bleeding the coffers of underlings than the betterment of the Word and the community.  It appeared that the faith would die off soon if things did not change soon.

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A series of city-states upon the Hasbro Coast gained great power and prestige around the middle years of the Second Revival.  Its Wizard-Kings gathered enough Magic to perform great feats of arcane might and centralized political power into a single nation.  Some among their number were devoted advocates of the Word, and while it was not the majority faith, its followers received a warm welcome in the region.  Everything changed when Wizard-King Cook ascended to the throne and declared the Word to be the State religion.  With newfound political support and power, the faith spread to distant lands the world over.  Backed by arcane might, more than a few nations established friendly terms with the Magocracy.  The Open Gaming Initiative was written as an act of goodwill, promising greater prosperity through the virtues of mutual aid while still granting a degree of autonomy to the satellite nations.

The Magocracy grew by the year, adding more and more lands to its domain.  There were those who managed to resist, such as the White Wolf clan of the northern steppes and 1st Revival holdouts such as the Dragonsfoot Keepers, but the Hasbro Coast's dominance remained unquestioned.

This prosperity carried with it additional complications.  As the church of the Word grew, so did its laws.  Eventually the religion became a labyrinthine codex of rituals, and the nations under the Open Gaming Initiative became too many for the wizard-kings to keep track of.  Many nations carrying the banner of the polyhedron (the Hasbro Coast's national flag) committed atrocities under the empire's name, resulting in geo-political conflict and increased resentment towards the magocracy.  The Erotic Fantasy sex cult of the Valar nation managed to find a loophole in the Open Gaming Initiative at Hasbro's expense, showing the world that the empire's hold on its members wasn't fool-proof.  More nations acted of their own accord, bound to the Magocracy in name only.

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Over time it became clear to many that the 3rd Revival, despite being a very popular faith, had its faults.  Even the devoted grew tired of the blatant favoritism given to mages and the clergy, as well as the overwhelming volume of rules.  The rulers listened to the citizenry, and wizard-king Heinsoo enacted a series of legal and religious reforms to address these matters.  The grievances were many, and in some cases could not be solved one way or the other without political fallout.  Heinsoo and the wizards promoted a doctrine of radical egalitarianism to bridge the gap of power between casters and noncasters; controlled economic planning to manage the unregulated glut of overpowering magic items; and a more restrictive version of the Open Gaming Initiative to reign in the excesses of violent and indolent nations.

Much of the plans were a success, but the rapid amount of social change resulted in chaos and anger.  Advocates of the earlier Revivals, and even devotees of the Original Word, fought against this “heresy” they believed to betray the ideals of the prophets.  Many nation-states declared their independence of the Magocracy, even the Republic of Paizo and other staunch allies.  Advocates of the 4th Revival, feeling threatened and besieged, fought back against attacks on their faith.  These dark times became known as the Edition Wars.

Now that the War has died down, wizard-king Mearls sits upon the Magocracy’s throne.  An idealist promoting brotherhood and unity, he seeks to unite all followers of the Word under one banner again, and has courted many nations to earn their goodwill.  This has met with limited success: 4th Revival critics allege that he’s throwing them under the bus in favor of more reactionary elements, while the Original devotees and 1st Revival crowd show little interest in his promises.

[123456789blaaa]

Fantastic  .

[Amechra]

Excellent.

Truly excellent.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

+1 +more
Gave this a full read.
  in spots.

[Risada]

So much awesomeness...

Mind if I link this into my sig?

[Libertad]

You can totally link to it if you want.

In the meantime, Something Awful Trad Games and Giantitp are added to the list of nations, and I finished the write-up on the Fourth Revival.

[Libertad]

Added The Gaming Den Highlands and The Free City of the RPG Site to the list.

[Demelain]

Hmm. Any take on 5e incoming?
Bravo on this. Highly entertaining.

[Libertad]

Hmm. Any take on 5e incoming?
Bravo on this. Highly entertaining.

I'll have to wait until enough time passes for significant events to occur.  Then I'll pick up my ink and quill and begin writing on the subject.

One thing is for certain.  There is much uncertainty about the future of the Word, and how Mearls' next Revival will play into this.

[linklord231]

Have you ever heard of 3.5 Private Sanctuary?  They're a very small comunity (fewer than half as many members as MinMax), but the administrator does a weekly podcast.  They're definitely transitioning more and more into Pathfinder stuff though.

[veekie]

For communities, there's also Dicefreaks, though after many site outages it's barely hanging on.