pictish defences

I have been too defensive I suppose, I have not read Bran Mac Morn or the Lost Race. The Picts may be more mutagenic than some of the other races.

If this were so, then perhaps Picts are on the up spiral and what we are seeing in the Hyborian Age, is a somewhat conflicting picture of who they really are. The influence of the Shamans may be one factor that may have kept them from progressing more rapidly, due to the bloody sacrifices they demand.

Without a clear picture, we require a ready reference to something that is more clear, that of the Native American culture. Clans may actually be the outgrowth of the Picts climb from the savage cycle they are in. Clans give strong organization and keeps family lines from interbreeding, which may have been one cause of their degeneration.

I would have two types of Picts, those out for blood for bloods sake, and those that are attempting to raise above this savage level. Consider this:

A party of PC's have heard of a Pictish camp close by a Bossonian settlement that has been raiding and making off with live captives. The party of adventurers go on the hunt and then find themselves hard pressed against these raiders. Just when the going is particularly bad, the Picts themselves are attacked and run off by a larger group of Picts. These Picts show no aggression towards the party, but are willing to aid the party in fighting the raiding Picts, whom they call "Worshippers of Snakes," or something along that line. Afterwards they will tell the party that they are heading to a gathering of Clans, to work out trade agreements and perhaps a non-aggression pact between the major Clans.

Anyway, a possible scenario.
 
Judge Morbo said:
i think i will never understand why some people will always try to explain a FANTASY world with real world history or parallels. if i'm correct Vincent used the iroquese and other tribes as inspiration and as an example....

I feel the same way Judge - especially for an RPG where the only rule for style and setting is that there are no rules. You could have the Picts rule Hyboria or even have dwarfs and elves. You spent the $50 bucks - have a go at it. I love the RAW for the Conan RPG and the setting Vincent and others have fleshed out in various adventures and settings but really they are there to either be used or not. Influences and inspirations of real world counterparts for the Hyborian countries and races - to me at least - diminish the realism of the setting. It's real to me when you just accept the word on the page as described without preconceived notions from the real world. Howard describes characters and setting very well. That's just how I feel though.
 
Strom said:
Judge Morbo said:
i think i will never understand why some people will always try to explain a FANTASY world with real world history or parallels. if i'm correct Vincent used the iroquese and other tribes as inspiration and as an example....

I feel the same way Judge - especially for an RPG where the only rule for style and setting is that there are no rules. You could have the Picts rule Hyboria or even have dwarfs and elves. You spent the $50 bucks - have a go at it. I love the RAW for the Conan RPG and the setting Vincent and others have fleshed out in various adventures and settings but really they are there to either be used or not. Influences and inspirations of real world counterparts for the Hyborian countries and races - to me at least - diminish the realism of the setting. It's real to me when you just accept the word on the page as described without preconceived notions from the real world. Howard describes characters and setting very well. That's just how I feel though.

The historical comparisons are there because that is precisely what the Hyborian world was for REH - a historical kaleidoscope in which he could freely jump across historical periods and regions to write in his favorite genre, historical fiction (with a sprinkling of wierdness).
 
In defense of Vincent, since he went to all the trouble to do a lot of research on Native Americans, which in my opinion is very commendable, there are similarities only because REH wrote it that way.

I have argued to dissociate such notions by pointing out differences. But the Native Americans can be used to give some understanding of a culture that has never existed. We can only go so far, as Picts should be a distinctive culture, as I would like to make them.

So you guys are right about keeping too many references to other known cultures down to a minimum.

So how would you guys describe the Pictish culture?
 
they sound like highly superstitious semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers, with individual warrior tactics, no overall strategic command structure and have a trophy collecting belief, with a hybrid spiritual/natural magic religion.

Never read the books, just play the game, but thats how I see them.
 
Taharqa said:
Strom said:
Judge Morbo said:
i think i will never understand why some people will always try to explain a FANTASY world with real world history or parallels. if i'm correct Vincent used the iroquese and other tribes as inspiration and as an example....

I feel the same way Judge - especially for an RPG where the only rule for style and setting is that there are no rules. You could have the Picts rule Hyboria or even have dwarfs and elves. You spent the $50 bucks - have a go at it. I love the RAW for the Conan RPG and the setting Vincent and others have fleshed out in various adventures and settings but really they are there to either be used or not. Influences and inspirations of real world counterparts for the Hyborian countries and races - to me at least - diminish the realism of the setting. It's real to me when you just accept the word on the page as described without preconceived notions from the real world. Howard describes characters and setting very well. That's just how I feel though.

The historical comparisons are there because that is precisely what the Hyborian world was for REH - a historical kaleidoscope in which he could freely jump across historical periods and regions to write in his favorite genre, historical fiction (with a sprinkling of wierdness).

Sure they are there - but the question is why? It provides no greater understanding of the material nor is it necessary to have even an inkling of historical knowledge to enjoy the stories or RPG immensely. I have played numerous Conan games and historical references and/or real world comparisons have never been a part of our game. And we have had a ton of fun and true to Hyboria adventures. To some of us, Hyboria is as Howard describes it. And for the RPG, if a leather jerkin reduces damage by 4, I have no interest in how mayhap back in the Dark Ages leather jerkins were hardly worn or whatever. It just doesn't effect the game and in fact would ruin the atmosphere to even bring it up. Like I already said, there were influences obviously, but Hyboria can be described without quoting the real world - just read the books.
 
don't know if anybody here knows the german author "Karl May".

he is noted chiefly for wild west books set in the American West and similar books set in the Middle East.

especially his "western stories" were very famous and successful....he visited the countries he wrote about in his last decade and died 1912. so he wrote stories about a "world" without knowing first handed details. the stories are nevertheless "flawless".

think the same about the Conan RPG. of course....many races have a real world twin....but i don't think REH knew very much or every cultural detail about them or the country they come from.

so why bother about the real world details ? you like the world ? play the game....don't like it ? fine...read hundred books about iroquese, chinese, french or marsians and make your FANTASY roleplaying game a more real world roleplaying game.

but i think it's pointless to argue about a fantasy world culture and its real world INSPIRATION !
 
Judge Morbo said:
don't know if anybody here knows the german author "Karl May".

he is noted chiefly for wild west books set in the American West and similar books set in the Middle East.

Aaah, wonderful youth! It was "Schatz im Silbersee" I started my reading career seriously.

[being entranced by memories]
 
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