But what you do in that case is, instead of reading the news analysis of the press release, you go find the actual press release (and pay attention to who it's coming from, so you're aware of the bias). The press release will usually be shorter, but nothing else the journalist adds is worth reading anyway.
So, this is an interesting take on things, but... Well, here's why I still read news articles:
I like to know...
What the media wants people to hear,
What the media is leaving out,
And what people are being told.
This may seem silly, but this is a huge reason for me to keep track of what the media is saying. A LOT of people still listen to one or two media outlets and accept everything they say as truth. Now, that's an awful thing to do, but that's what people do anyway. So, I take my darned time paying attention to what the media has to say about things.
Another thing to pay attention to (if you drive a car a lot) is talk show hosts. I live in Texas, so I get to listen to some particularly scary individuals while I drive like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. Now, I don't like what I hear from them, but I listen anyway because I know that folks around me like what those two say. Plus, you never know when you're going to have to argue against someone who's getting their information from these talk shows.
I guess I can summarize my opinion as this: being aware of what you're being told is true is just as important as knowing what's actually true.
Huh, I didn't realize Mesoamerican lizard people were so common. Interesting...
You should made them British, though.
Yeah, Mesoamerican and just a general "they nekkid and werr loincluth witt spearz" thing is common to all lizardfolk in your typical medieval fantasy setting. They often ride or are servants to dinosaurs, dragons, or turtles as well.
<Snipped quote by Shorticus>
I don't mean to criticize, but I think you should. The 200,000-300,000 we've been doing is already larger than actual ancient cities were.
That's not criticism, that's an honest answer to my own concern. I'll go for 300,000, thanks!
@Shorticus Don't see why you can't just use mesoamerican with a raider aesthetic, you could then use lizardmen from warhammer for pics.
Well, there's a pretty straightforward reason for that:
Everyone makes lizardfolk Mesoamerican.
Seriously. Warhammer is a good example. So is Warlords Battlecry 3. Lizardfolk in Age of Wonders were Mesoamerican. They wear loincloths in Heroes of Might and Magic 3. They run around butt naked sometimes in D&D, and when they're not? Loincloths.
It's overplayed, and monitor lizards are the smartest lizards in the real world, and you can find a lot of them in desert climates and on islands... so, I went with a Berber aesthetic instead.
Also: I think I may have given my nation too many people. I just glanced at the character list again and realized 700,000 is waaay more than the population of other cities. ...Should I reduce this?
Dude, no worries. We're all hypocrites at some point.
I'll also say that I never, ever go into a roleplay trying to make a one-trick nation, or even a one-trick character. Focusing solely on war would make for a boring nation. I intended from the start to eventually phase out of the "raider" mentality and toward something different. I don't know when, and I'm not sure what it is yet, but cultures evolve. The Vikings became the Scandinavian nations we know today: very socialist and very progressive and very much not pillaging your lawns.
I only found one picture of soldiers I considered using before I switched from the Mesoamerican theme to the Berber theme. I doubt I'll find any pictures of awesome Arabian lizardfolk wearing turbans.
My original concept for the saurians looked something like this:
@ClocktowerEchos Not stupid, just reasonably concerned because, yeah, a lot of people DO go into NRPs with "CONQUER THE WORLD" as their principle focus.
Don't worry, I don't think either myself or Sigma are planning that.
I get'cha. My nation is meant to be more than just "fite," but fite is an important part of the culture. There's a reason for that, and it basically comes down to "The nations I'm playing in my other NRPs are very peaceful and I wanted a change of pace." (RIP Preservers, you will be missed.)
I mean, I guess think of how Vikings were way more than just fite. They were famous for their trade and they also loved to set up colonies all over the world. That's what I'm going for with Zaqir, but with a more "Berber Pirates" feel. That's all. People will remember them as raiders because that's what will stand out the most about any culture that raids the coasts of the known world.
God fucking dammit. I made the Regulii as they were since I specifically wanted not to have to fight but fuck it, might as well go be militaristic as fuck then.
EDIT: I think I came off as snappier than I meant to >_>
NP. But seriously, if you're worried: Zaqir isn't a city of conquerors if it gets accepted. Compare their style of warfare to that of Viking adventurers. They might go and take someone's England every now and then, but they're way more likely to just attack shoreline provinces, loot temples, run off with some human captives, that sort of thing. I'll honestly not be trying to wipe anyone off the map.
I was going to go for a Mesoamerican theme, but decided to change my civ entirely and went with this instead. Very NOT Mesoamerican.
Let me know what needs changing! Enter Zaqir! Oh, and I'm putting the colors I want to use for them on the map in code below (which you can view at this HTML color website.
Green color: [color=68b184] Red color: [color=d93f3f]
Name of Species: Saurians Genetic Compatibility: There are incredibly rare records of Saurians interbreeding with other reptilian humanoids. The children that hatch from such unions, however, are not as fertile as either of their parents. Physical Characteristics of Females: Saurians (also known as lizardfolk) are a race of amphibious, bipedal reptilian humanoids. They resemble monitor lizards and have some obvious sexual dimorphism, but not in the mammalian way: their females are the stronger gender, tall and sinewy, and the males are smaller and seen as more delicate and gentle. Some saurians, both male and female, have scales that blend in with their surroundings. They are believed to have a destiny as warriors.
Female saurians are the more powerfully built and more dominant of the two genders. They typically stand between seven and eight feet in height, though there are outliers who are much shorter or somewhat taller. Their scales tend are typically brown, red, or sandy, and their bodies are muscular.
Some humans expect female saurians to have some characteristics belonging to human females, most notably some sort of breasts. Saurians, of course, laugh at this idea. They are reptilian. They do not have mammary glands.
Physical Characteristics of Males: Male saurians are much smaller than their female counterparts, typically standing between five and six feet tall. They have a much wider array of scale colors - blues and greens and purples and blacks, for instance - and some even have a prismatic look to them, their scales shifting in coloration depending on the light. They often have spotted fins that display an array of shapes, and they take great care of their appearance so they may win the attention of female saurians with their beauty.
Life-Span: Saurians reach adulthood very quickly (around 8 years) and if they are not killed in battle may live between 80-120 years of age. Diet: Omnivore - Saurians favor meat, but also eat fruit, certain greens, and insects (especially the giant variety of insect). Racial Attributes:
Comfortable in desert and tropical climates
Incredibly uncomfortable in cold climates - extreme cold can kill them easily
Moderate regenerative capabilities (slow regeneration, but can regrow limbs over the course of several (5-8) weeks)
Amphibious
Tough hide
Age: Saurians of today have existed for roughly one hundred thousand years. There are proto-saurians that existed before them.
Replace "Zapotep" with "Zaqir."
Name of City: Zaqir Population:
200,000 Saurians (roughly even numbers in favor of men)
50,000 Humans freefolk (roughly even gender numbers in favor of women)
50,000 Human slaves (roughly even gender numbers in favor of women)
Negligible number of half-breeds
Known For: Nest of raiders, large fleet, sugarcane, exotic wood, fish, fine falcatas Culture: The female-dominated society of Zaqir is not unlike the male-dominated societies of other realms. This reflects the nature of the saurians: their women are strong and warrior-like whereas their men are naturally smaller and slighter of build.
Fighting is a central component of Zaqiri culture, but that does not make them conquerors. Rather, the people of Zaqir are raiders and plunderers, attacking shoreline provinces for the sake of taking valuables and slaves to fuel their economy at home. This is not to say that expansionism is something Zaqir does not entertain. Far from it. However, Zaqir's tribes know better than to waste resources on holding onto distant foreign lands, and at the moment are far more concerned with going on maritime adventures for gold and glory.
Interestingly, Zaqir's people do not have any great hatred for foreigners, and indeed are also known to sail great distances to trade with others... including the Prometheans. They know when they have met someone they cannot bully, and those people they treat as equals.
Zaqiri clothing is airy and easy to breathe in as befits the sort of clothing one might wear in the desert. They favor long tunics that reach down to just above their knees, loose knee-length pants, and intricately patterned, colorful sashes. Their armor is likewise breathable: simple chainmail with cloth woven into it is favored when affordable, and otherwise simple clothing is seen as sufficient protection. Turbans are commonly worn by saurians and humans alike in Zaqir.
There is a great respect among the saurians for heroic exploits, especially those of battle, and a great many songs and stories are told of those brave few who fought against impossible odds. Whether or not such legends are true, they are the heart of Zaqir's culture. Zaqiri youths look forward to the day they can take to their ships, don their bronze mail, and bring their falcatas into battle against their enemies.
When captives are taken as slaves by Zaqir, they are expected to live for a certain number of years as slaves. After a certain amount of time - usually ten to fifteen years - they are released to live as freefolk in Zaqir.
Religion Overview: Zaqir's tribes still worship a pantheon of spirits that are clearly their own, but at the head of these gods is an overdeity that bears some resemblance to the the Great Ape of the Prometheans and the Grand Divine of the Regulii. Their name for this deity is simply the Divine, and their traditional patron spirits are seen as subservient to the Divine, or at times as its enemies. They worship the Divine with animal sacrifice... and human sacrifice on special occasions.
Government Type: Stratocratic-Republican Dictatorship - Only Saurian women may participate in the government, and even then only those who have fought in a war or in a series of raids. They elect tribal leaders who in turn elect a single woman to rule the city. This saurian rules over Zaqir with undisputed control, and the only check against her power is the possibility of a coup. Calendar: Promethean
