What is Qaiyore?

Qaiyore is a continent on the world of Celandra 'the unyielding land', a fantasy setting of high magic and dark forces. (More information on the fantasy world of Celandra can be found at The Unyielding Land site).

The game played in Qaiyore is an interactive history, where players take on the responsibility for a tribe, nation or organisation and it's actions through history. The emphasis is on the stories and legends resulting from these activities. Empire-building is permitted but is not the goal.

Each round players send in the actions which can involve intrigue, innovation, confrontation and so forth. These are sent to either the Celandra mailing list or directly to me, the GM, to be resolved. The results can then be the basis for creative narrative and storytelling. The players submit details of their societies as and when they please, which are added to this site regularly. (Full rules can be found at the Fudgified Interactive History site but need not be read as a prerequisite).

To find out more subscribe to our mailing list and see for yourself. Drop me a quick mail at jtsl@attglobal.net if you'd like to know more. 8-)

How to Join

1. Subscribe to the celandra mailing list hosted by The Phoenyx. For information on subscribing (lurkers are welcome), check out their subscription page. Or, just send email to majordomo@phoenyx.net with no subject and the message body simply stating subscribe celandra-L. Qaiyore shares the list with the related Elyria game also based on the world of Celandra. This has major benefits, especially the sharing of information and discussion possibilties.
2. Check out the background information. Have a look at the Geography and read through the History to get a flavour of the continent. Have a look at existing Societies. Also the other Celandra societies on the Elyrian continent are worth a look.
3. Select an NPS (non-player society) from the list of societies. I am currently only accepting new players who take on existing NPS. You may, however, modify them to a significant degree if you wish. Available societies (as of  23-Nov-00) are Bel'Adne, the Free Cities (Anaduan or Damaris), the Hansari, the Hisarian Empire, Kaeir, the Ka'Shari, the Olozog, the Onagir, the Terebuani.
4. A society proposal and the society page need to be fleshed out to some extent before play can begin - the details are up to you.

Society proposal

The initial society proposal need not be too long. The description should answer the following questions:

• how big is it (land area and population)?

• what kind of political organization does it have, especially who or what is the governing agency?

• how advanced is it technologically (presumably medieval; iron tools, script, no gunpowder)?

• if there are any really important specialities about the people / culture

Celandra is a very old place, and the origins of men and other creatures are lost in the mists of time. Many civilizations have risen and fallen, leaving crumbling ruins and pockets of civilization.

Most player societies should be "fairly realistic", as far as following real-world examples. The culture around the Midsea area in Qaiyore, the main focus of the game is mainly Mediterranean in flavour (the north shore ~ saharan Africa, the south shore ~ England/Germany. The northern areas on the continent and off-shore islands are rainforest, the extreme south is tundra.

Most socieites should be human. Nonhuman societies should have fathomable motivations (from a human perspective). You may create any races you wish, as long as there aren't too many. Once a race is created, anyone can use it, so the creating player does not retain editorial control over it (but all suggestions are welcome, and the creator should be consulted on various details).

Player societies should be moderate in size. A single nation, a city-state or a barony is fine. Empires are not allowed - if you want one, start with a smaller society and try to build one. The societies are not restricted to just states. For example, other Celandra games have religions, secret or guild societies.

Society page

The society's pages allow additional details for the society to be maintained.

In order to play the game, two sets of society details must be fleshed out. These are the determinants, the IH (interactive history) term for attributes of a society, and a society description. Read through the Determinants pages on the Fudgified Interactive History site and have a look at existing societies. The Qaiyore game is using the Points-based Society Creation Rules, so read through those in order to set up the determinants. The society description can be a modified version of the intial proposal. Both of these should be sent to me in order to publish them. You may then begin play. If you haven't done so already, have a look at the Game turns information.

The focus of all IH games is to design and detail societies and cultures, and build a rich history, in our case for the continent of Qaiyore. Below are some suggestions of how your society could be fleshed out. Check out societies, including those on related sites, for more ideas and examples. Worldbuilding sites are further great sources of inspiration. The PC Wrede's Worldbuilder Questions site, for example, has a great set of questions that'll get you thinking. I'll publish your additonal details on the corresponding web pages when you send them, or you can start maintaining the pages on your own.

Languages

Most human spoken languages should be descended from or related to one of the language families detailed.
Players may write their own languages (if you do please submit them to me). Language should be described, since it will have a large influence on communication between societies.

History

Player societes must have a place in the history of the world. Players should determine the cultural and historical origins of their societies. There should be a founding date (related to Qaiyorean history) and dates for important events in the history.

If your culture has remained isolated, explain why. If it has interacted extensively, explain how and describe what effects it has had. Feel free to modify or add to the existing world history in order to fit your society into it.

Culture

Players may develop their own unique cultures. However, all cultures should be influenced by their neighbours to some extent, unless utterly isolated. They might borrow customs, foods, beliefs, technology, or language.

Society Age

Player societies may be any age, even unimaginably ancient. Most societies should have origins somewhere in recorded history, and should have a starting date. Keep in mind that an old society is probably a stable and strong one, but may be somewhat static. A new society will be more dynamic, but may lack stability.

Isolation and Interaction

Qaiyore is a big place; the continent is thousands of miles wide and holds many natural barriers. Most societies should be located in the Midsea area, and will have some integration with neighbouring lands. Societies away from the Midsea area, such as the southern tundra, northern rainforests or outlying archipelagos would be rather more isolated.

Most societies should be reasonably interactive, so that the game doesn't get stagnant.

Subsistence and Mobility

Most societies should be fully agricultural, though barbarians would be an obvious exception. Given the existence of magic, Qaiyore enjoys agricultural yields roughly double those of the historical Earth. Also, better agricultural technology will produce crops with higher yields, allowing fewer farmers to support the same population.

A village has 100-150 people; a town has 500-100 people; a large city has 5000-20,000 people. This may vary in some cultures, but these figures should be averages. Cities of 100,000 or more are very unlikely! Assume an urbanization of around 10%, or 1-2% if the society is primitive or nomadic. Farmers live in hundreds of tiny villages, and urbanites live in a few towns and cities. Note that knights, soldiery and rulers are considered townies.

Player societies can have a total population between 500 and 2,000,000. If your society has extra farm capacity, you can export food. If you have too little farm capacity, you must import food. Each farmer requires approx 32 acres of land; each village of 100 farmers occupies 3200 acres, or 5 square miles. This gives you an idea of how closely to space your villages. This represents farmed land; there will probably be at least as much land which is not being used...

Military

Each society should determine it's military type, examples being feudal, volunteer, mercenary, professional, milita etc.

Politics

The "standard" political structure will have a single ruler with extensive power, such as a king, despot, overlord, etc.
Democratic and Republican forms are acceptable, but should be the exception rather than the rule.

Economy

Each society should define its economic system. This includes monetary units, trade goods, etc. Most monetary systems should be based on silver or gold.

Religion

This is up to you. Celandra GMs have not specified any religious aspects beyond the creator god, who is supreme. There are many beings in the metaverse who are worshipped (whether they ought to be is another matter), and many beliefs. In Qaiyore, most religions will have somebody behind them, even if only some demon, who supplies power. Religious power is usually Authority-based, but not all Authority-based power is inherently religous. It is possible for wizards to make deals and obtain Authority in many different ways.

Magic

Magic is very important in Celandra. Full details of its origins and background can be found on the Celandra site.

If you don't say anything about it, it'll be assumed that you have a 'standard' level of magic. Your society benefits from magic as much as any other and magic does not really effect the overall politics very much. Extra areas of thought could include:

• prevalence, tolerance and diversity of magic

• who uses magic, and how are magic users organized (if they are)

• what are state-of-the-art magic effects

• what are the 'common' manifestations of magic (healing, material transport, entertainment, communication, ...)

Game turns

Each round takes up 1 year of game time and around 3 weeks real time. A round is divided into four phases:

• Events Phase - at the beginning of the turn, the GM posts a summary of the past year, plus some random occurrences. There is a 2% chance of a natural disaster befalling a society, and a 10% chance of an event, which has an equal chance of being positive or negative.
• Action submission Phase - the players submit their Actions.
• Resolution Phase - the GM calculates the results and posts them. (Results are returned as soon as possible from receipt.)
• Write-up Phase - the players "write-up" the results and expand or modify the GM's interpretation.

Actions

Each society will have four actions. More can be submitted, but they will have a lesser effect. You can also submit less in which case the ruling agency is putting more effort to those few actions and may get some kind of bonus.

The actions are freeform. The actions represent the most important policies, inqueries and resource allocations set forth by the governing agency (which you as the player represent). An action description should tell what is done and what is the purpose of the action. All additional details are welcome because they enrich the game (and help my job as the GM). For example you could describe the action in more detail and make follow-up actions, or e.g. describe why the action should be exceptionally easy to accomplish. You can also link actions, for example perform an 'observation' action prior an 'intrigue' action. The success of the first action effects the difficulity of the second action.

For each action it should be specified:

1.Is it tactical (resolved this turn - most actions are this type) or strategic (resolved after more than one turn. Strategic actions must take up one action each round they take place and when initiated should specify how many rounds they're likely to take. They are used, for example, for long-term building projects).
2.Is it targeted in or outside the society (Internal/External)
3.What is done / what is the objective and the risks. You can also suggest a difficulity for the action. Please remember that you are acting on behalf of the ruling agency.
4.What kind of action it is - is it based on intrigue, diplomacy, use of armed force, or something else. I'll base the determinants that I use primarily on this part. You can also suggest which determinants I should use, or whether you should get a special bonus for the action.

In addition you can submit any number of free actions which will act more or less like incidentals: interesting happenings/activities with little game-influence. But they enrich the game and help to detail your society and its history further.

Mail me directly at jtsl@attglobal.net with your secret actions or post them to celandra-qaiyore@phoenyx.net   if they are OK for general public perusal. I will post the results of actions on the mailing list and highlight them in the History. Any actions which have been deemed secret will not be posted on the list or summarised in the History initially. I will mail the results of those directly to you. Beware though that if things go completely awry the secret actions may still come out somehow...

Responding to external events

If your society is the victim of some action by a neighbour, you may respond in kind. In case of war, this means you get to defend yourself; no special action is needed. If another player initiates diplomatic relations or similar dealings, you may participate without requiring any special action, as the recipient of the action. However, if you do respond, you will be liable for any improvement/regression in your own society as if you'd initiated the action yourself.

Competition & Cooperation

Competition can be fun. The goal is to have fun and tell an interesting story in the process. That said, try not to take unfair advantage of out-of-character knowledge. If you discover that an enemy is spying on you, or that someone is preparing to invade, it might just make a better story if you let them get away with it. Use your judgement, and be dramatic. Think of yourself as an author, rather than a competitor; an author sometimes kills a good character if it advances the story and makes sense.

Also cooperation is possible: e.g. two players may make an alliance for trading or military purposes. Another possibility occures when a player plays a smaller society inside a bigger nation played by another player. In this case the two players may decide to help each other. Or leap into another's throats (which can be loads of fun!)

Administrivia

Gamesmaster: Jason Todd Heaps

Game World: The continent of Qaiyore on the world of Celandra.

Game System: FUDGEfied Interactive History (FIH) rules available online developed by Juha 'Juuso' Vesanto.

Player Experience: No previous experience required. Very few people have ever played Interactive History, so it will be a learning experience for all.

Time Frames: Target is 1 turn per 3 weeks.

If you need to be absent for some time, let me know when you'll be back, along with any instructions on how you want to deal with interactions (in case I have to play for you).

Turn Style/Format: the game follows the four phases outlined above. The next year will be processed only after the current round (/year) is finished.

Player Autonomy: I will read each turn exactly as your write it, and make whatever assumptions I feel appropriate. If you want me to interpret your turn a particular way, be explicit. You cannot "take turns back" once processed. However, you can re-write the interpretation of the result (which is actively encouraged!) as long as the spirit is kept.

Combat: Combat/War will be descriptive; I will summarize it for you, using the relevant statistics when appropriate. You may specify a style or tactic before combat begins, but there will be no blow by blow action or the game will be too slow.