rust Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 A few days ago I was looking at a map of the Indian Ocean, and there was this island, Sokotra. Almost desert, 80 km long, 25 km wide, mostly plains, but with a mountain 1,500 m high, lots of caves, a very unusual vegetation, bats as the only native mammals - a very strange and ex- tremely remote place. Remote, but in a fascinating location. To the south west is the Swahili Coast, to the west is Ara- bia with the ports of Aden and Muscat, to the north west is Persia, to the north east and east is India, and to the south east are the Maldives. Lots of different, fascinating cultures, just close enough to visit, but still far enough to be no immediate threat for the island's inhabitants. Sokotra could be perfect for an alternate earth setting. Historically the island was inhabited by Christian Arabs (must have surprised the first European visitors somewhat), but for a possible alternate earth setting I would not hesitate to remove the natives and turn Sokotra into an un- inhabited island, with perhaps only some ruins left by the previous inhabitants. Well, there could also be the occasional pirate crew visiting the island for fresh water ... The setting's main ingredient could be European settlers, either intentional colonists like the Pu- ritans of the Mayflower, or unintentional ones like the mutineers of the Bounty who settled Pit- cairn Island. They would have to explore the island, start their settlement there, and finally to contact their various neighbours (the pirates would contact them ...) to trade with them for the goods their new home does not offer to them. The best time period for a setting of this kind would probably be around 1600, when ships from Europe could reach the region, but the Europeans did not yet control the entire region - a few Dutch, English and Portuguese outposts would add some more colour and opportunities for di- plomacy to the setting. The ships could be European caravels and carracks and native dhows, the weapons would be musket and rapier - the usual swashbuckling outfits. The players could start with a ship and crew, a few dozen settlers, some money to buy what they consider necessary to build their small colony, and a convincing reason to leave Europe be- hind and search for a new home. Perhaps they did hear rumours of a remote island inhabited by friendly Christians ... Well, this is where I am right now. I am not yet sure whether to write this setting, but the basic idea seems interesting to me. Comments and ideas are most welcome. Quote "Mind like parachute, function only when open." (Charlie Chan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GianniVacca Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 Sokotra could be perfect for an alternate earth setting. Historically the island was inhabited by Christian Arabs (must have surprised the first European visitors somewhat), but for a possible alternate earth setting I would not hesitate to remove the natives and turn Sokotra into an un- inhabited island, with perhaps only some ruins left by the previous inhabitants. Well, there could also be the occasional pirate crew visiting the island for fresh water ... The setting's main ingredient could be European settlers You forget all the Chinese left there by the sinking of one of Zheng He's ships Quote 「天朝大國」,https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/92874/celestial-empire 很有意思: http://celestialempire.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rust Posted May 18, 2010 Author Share Posted May 18, 2010 You forget all the Chinese left there by the sinking of one of Zheng He's ships I doubt that he would have left them behind, it seems he cared quite well for his crews. However, Chinese traders should indeed be a part of the setting. I am not sure how far or how often they travelled the real world's Indian Ocean, apart from the Treasure Fleet, but in an alternate earth setting Chinese junks en route to Arabia may well be normal - they had all the necessary technology and skills, just not the Emperor's permission, if I remem- ber it right. Quote "Mind like parachute, function only when open." (Charlie Chan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 A few days ago I was looking at a map of the Indian Ocean, and there was this island, Sokotra. Almost desert, 80 km long, 25 km wide, mostly plains, but with a mountain 1,500 m high, lots of caves, a very unusual vegetation, bats as the only native mammals - a very strange and ex- tremely remote place. Comments and ideas are most welcome. If you wanted a more fantasy edge to your island you could have your bats have become the bizarre night stalkers from the After Man book by Dougal Dixon(scroll down this page for the creature illo). http://stevyncolgan.blogspot.com/2008/05/all-about-flies-and-tubesharks.html Quote http://www.basicrps.com/core/BRP_quick_start.pdf A sense of humour and an imagination go a long way in roleplaying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rust Posted May 18, 2010 Author Share Posted May 18, 2010 If you wanted a more fantasy edge to your island you could have your bats have become the bizarre night stalkers from the After Man book by Dougal Dixon Thank you, a very nice idea. The settlers will be in for quite a shock when they discover what is killing their goats, and since bats usually prefer caves, there is an opportunity for a very special kind of "dungeon crawl" ... Quote "Mind like parachute, function only when open." (Charlie Chan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoking Frog Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 However, Chinese traders should indeed be a part of the setting. I am not sure how far or how often they travelled the real world's Indian Ocean, apart from the Treasure Fleet, but in an alternate earth setting Chinese junks en route to Arabia may well be normal - they had all the necessary technology and skills, just not the Emperor's permission, if I remem- ber it right. That's correct. At first, there was a policy of reaching out that led to Zheng He's ventures, and then a change in policy that forbid precisely that sort of venture. If I'm not mistaken, Chinese merchants nonetheless were sailing around the Indian ocean; I think Singapore was settled fairly early by some number of Chinese merchants. In an alternate Earth, you could even have a Singapore-like trading base set up on Sokotra; or even reverse the historic flow: Instead of Dutch and English East India Companies, have an Imperial Western Barbarian Company that sends fleets all the way to Europe and back. Another interesting twist is that the Ming Dynasty -- a native Chinese dynasty -- fell to the Manchus in 1644. You could make the struggle part of the politics of any merchant base on Sokotra. Quote My avatar is the personal glyph of Siyaj K'ak' a.k.a. "Smoking Frog." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rust Posted May 19, 2010 Author Share Posted May 19, 2010 If I'm not mistaken, Chinese merchants nonetheless were sailing around the Indian ocean; I think Singapore was settled fairly early by some number of Chinese merchants. Thank you very much, I like this idea. Meanwhile I settled for about 1625 as the starting date of the setting, but my little research showed that most of the important ports around Sokotra were already under foreign control at that time - Aden by the Ottomans, Surat by the English of the East India Company, Goa by the Portuguese, and so on. These nations would probably not welcome another bunch of Europeans on Sokotra, especial- ly the Portuguese might well decide to eliminate this potential competition immediately. There- fore it would by prudent for the colonists to avoid such contacts and search for other trading partners and potential allies, and the Chinese would be a very interesting and colourful option. Quote "Mind like parachute, function only when open." (Charlie Chan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoking Frog Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 Meanwhile I settled for about 1625 as the starting date of the setting the Chinese would be a very interesting and colourful option. Nice. I love the Seventeenth Century, and during the Thirty Years' War is a fascinating, if particularly inhumane, time. One suggestion for research I would make is to look at the Chinese from Fujian province. While most Chinese didn't seem to like traveling around, the Fujianese couldn't stop sailing places. Most of the "overseas" Chinese until recently were from Fujian. Also, there are some very interesting unique cultural aspects of Fujian: such as a type of round, fortified house you don't find anywhere else in China. (My father-in-law's family were tea merchants from Fuzhou, so this area has a special place in my heart.) Good luck with this setting; it sounds like a beauty! Quote My avatar is the personal glyph of Siyaj K'ak' a.k.a. "Smoking Frog." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rust Posted May 19, 2010 Author Share Posted May 19, 2010 With the location, the island of Sokotra, determined and the general background sketched, I would build the actual setting around some personalities. Here is an example: Charles Ferguson The leader of the expedition to Sokotra is Captain Charles Ferguson, the owner of the merchant ship Orkney Lass. He knows the Indian Ocean region quite well, as he took part in the siege of the Portuguese fort at Hormuz in 1622 and found and explored Sokotra on his voyage back to Scotland. Soon after his arrival there, he met and joined a protestant sect, the New Covenant, and also befriended their leader, Alan Docharty. Together they developed the plan to found a colony on Sokotra, both to escape the expected re-introduction of Catholicism by the new king Charles and to build a community that can follow its religious ideals without outside interference. Ferguson and Docharty convinced most of the other members of the New Covenant of their plan and began to prepare the voyage to Sokotra. The Orkney Lass was modified, the few experien- ced fishermen among the sect's members were trained as the ship's crew, and the necessary equipment for the new colony was purchased. In early 1625 the Orkney Lass left Scotland with 58 men, 51 women and 31 children, hoping to arrive at Sokotra within about 90 days. Quote "Mind like parachute, function only when open." (Charlie Chan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rust Posted May 19, 2010 Author Share Posted May 19, 2010 One suggestion for research I would make is to look at the Chinese from Fujian province. Thank you very much for the tip, I will do that. I also hope that Gianni Vacca's Tian Xia supplement will be published in time to give me a few more informations on Chinese culture and history, which I do not know very well. Quote "Mind like parachute, function only when open." (Charlie Chan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GianniVacca Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 there are some very interesting unique cultural aspects of Fujian: such as a type of round, fortified house you don't find anywhere else in China. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakka_architecture Quote 「天朝大國」,https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/92874/celestial-empire 很有意思: http://celestialempire.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rust Posted May 19, 2010 Author Share Posted May 19, 2010 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakka_architecture Thank you very much for the link, a really fascinating architecture - and perhaps an idea what a Chinese trade post on my Sokotra might look like. Quote "Mind like parachute, function only when open." (Charlie Chan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpgstarwizard Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 In several books there are adaptation for bats, the Chiropti from Manhunter, imagine bats evolving all sorts of things. There is a cool book out there, iirc, done by the Guy that done the TTA that had a giant bat attacking a female human savage as she protects a wounded astronaut. What I guess I am trying to say is that evolution, especially fantasy evolution could fill all sorts of gaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rust Posted May 27, 2010 Author Share Posted May 27, 2010 In several books there are adaptation for bats, the Chiropti from Manhunter, imagine bats evolving all sorts of things. There is a cool book out there, iirc, done by the Guy that done the TTA that had a giant bat attacking a female human savage as she protects a wounded astronaut. What I guess I am trying to say is that evolution, especially fantasy evolution could fill all sorts of gaps. A good idea, but for this setting it would be "overkill" to introduce more than one or two such species, the island is simply too small to keep this plausible. Quote "Mind like parachute, function only when open." (Charlie Chan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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