Could try having a sort of thing like, getting the guns outside of the playable area. So you have to buy them off foreign merchants which means they can be expensive to stock in any number, but if you have a stable economy then it wouldn't be to much of a hassle.

Firearms have been around for a long time, but they were not really effective until after the medieval era. It's kind of like with crossbows; skilled archers would outdo crossbowmen and riflemen, but crossbows and firearms are easier to use. You just pick it up and point it in the right direction, whereas archers have to be trained for years to become effective.

To summerize, firearms are nice but expensive (but unreliable and dangerous, black powder explodes) short range artillery. They are however no match for a squad of skilled archers (like longbowmen).

Is there room for a Dwarven city state?

I would like to use firearms, as they're quite popular in Dwarven fantasy settings, however I agree that they should be in their infancy and totally inferior to say the Elven longbow. More than likely, my missile troops would rely on crossbows, as Dwarves are quite small fellahs, and would struggle to use anything bigger than a short bow. I'd likely equip the King's guard with rifles, and some of the newer more exquisite formations. I imagine they'd be much more advantageous in a tunnel environment, than on an open field where wind + rain could decimate their already questionable accuracy and effectiveness.

But yeah, at least for the beginning-middle part of the RP, my little kinsmen would be relying on axes, shields, pikes and crossbows with a few experimental weapons mixed in (such as early cannons, or early grenades). The late part of the RP would feature a more 17th century style army, with pikes and muskets fulfilling a prominent role... but this is just me hashing out some ideas.

Truth be told, I'd be happy to keep things purely in the medieval era.

Is there room for a Dwarven city state?

I would like to use firearms, as they're quite popular in Dwarven fantasy settings, however I agree that they should be in their infancy and totally inferior to say the Elven longbow. More than likely, my missile troops would rely on crossbows, as Dwarves are quite small fellahs, and would struggle to use anything bigger than a short bow. I'd likely equip the King's guard with rifles, and some of the newer more exquisite formations. I imagine they'd be much more advantageous in a tunnel environment, than on an open field where wind + rain could decimate their already questionable accuracy and effectiveness.

But yeah, at least for the beginning-middle part of the RP, my little kinsmen would be relying on axes, shields, pikes and crossbows with a few experimental weapons mixed in (such as early cannons, or early grenades). The late part of the RP would feature a more 17th century style army, with pikes and muskets fulfilling a prominent role... but this is just me hashing out some ideas.

Truth be told, I'd be happy to keep things purely in the medieval era.

I think that sounds really cool!

I prefer the supercontinent map suggested by Willy, but it seems like we're already bent on the other.
In any case, I'd like to throw out a claim as I get a sheet up - the land to the west of the Nipporcs.

From what I can gather, guns were rather volatile back then - didn't work very well in the rain, too inaccurate to use over long distances, had a rather nasty habit of exploding if overfilled. I won't ban them, but if you do use them keep these restrictions in mind.

The other issue is magic. In the past, lots of people seemed hesitant to join an RP where they can use magic - others wouldn't join one that didn't. What do we all think? Magic or no magic?

I'd vote for magic, and let common sense and player approval police it. I.e, if someone uses a spell in a way that causes upset, then that someone should reconsider their actions or be forced to do so by gm involvement. Simples :)

I would suggest limiting magic to a rare and respected craft. In that sense, it takes a good chunk of one's lifetime to be proficient - this world could have a number of strong Merlin-esque sorcerers scattered around it, but there'd be no hordes of battle mages or the like. I'm all for keeping magic abstract and vague, rather than flashy with lightning, fireballs and whatnot.

I would suggest limiting magic to a rare and respected craft. In that sense, it takes a good chunk of one's lifetime to be proficient - this world could have a number of strong Merlin-esque sorcerers scattered around it, but there'd be no hordes of battle mages or the like. I'm all for keeping magic abstract and vague, rather than flashy with lightning, fireballs and whatnot.

Like this idea.

Well, it seems we're all on the same page. @Aristo's idea seems to work best, and if anyone is unhappy just PM me or @Nerevarine

Magic, gunpowder, technology - are there any other boundaries people need clearing up?

I very much want this to happen. Is there an ETA for the OOC?

@Thrashy

Not yet. I'd like everyone to put their NSes in the character section, whether accepted or not. It will make things much simpler for me

Is there room for a Dwarven city state?

I would like to use firearms, as they're quite popular in Dwarven fantasy settings, however I agree that they should be in their infancy and totally inferior to say the Elven longbow. More than likely, my missile troops would rely on crossbows, as Dwarves are quite small fellahs, and would struggle to use anything bigger than a short bow. I'd likely equip the King's guard with rifles, and some of the newer more exquisite formations. I imagine they'd be much more advantageous in a tunnel environment, than on an open field where wind + rain could decimate their already questionable accuracy and effectiveness.

But yeah, at least for the beginning-middle part of the RP, my little kinsmen would be relying on axes, shields, pikes and crossbows with a few experimental weapons mixed in (such as early cannons, or early grenades). The late part of the RP would feature a more 17th century style army, with pikes and muskets fulfilling a prominent role... but this is just me hashing out some ideas.

Truth be told, I'd be happy to keep things purely in the medieval era.

Cannons are perfectly fine for the era of this setting.
Early type cannons were pretty much introduced around there and dwarven metalworking skills would make you cannons even more affordable.
Similarly I think you may want to switch guns and crossbows.
Discounting the siege handle, the Handgonnes were really small so you can run that in combo with shield.
Guns are actually cheaper than crossbows because they are just a metal tube and bunch of mined stuff put together in a powder.
Windlass crossbows on the other hand were much more of an art.
So I can see dwarven elites using arbalests or similar weapons which were also more effective during this time.
Albeit given how guns are all metal and stuff you can get from mines perhaps using exclusively guns is an even better idea.
It could fit the dwarven theme maybe even better.

@White FeatherI think this haven't been asked before.
How much are you willing to support magic for this setting?
Fireball throwing mages as occasional sight in battles?
Support of minor but army-scale use of magic?
Magical creatures (like the above mentioned dragons) used in battle?
Etc.
I may have something unique in mind.

@White FeatherAlso while I'm at it, I'd like to make this claim for my nation:



It's called the Silver Sky Empire or Imperium Mithrealis.
They are an elven nation and as you can see they're also a considerable sea power.
I'll post my NS when I get time for it.
Albeit first I'd like to hear your answer regarding magic or such.

EDIT: Also I have a question regarding the size of this world.
I think it'd make the most sense if this is just a supercontinent instead of the planet's full map.
Still, a scale for measuring the size of landmasses wouldn't hurt.
It can also aid people to determine roughly how much population they should have.

My NS has been posted in the Character Section.

I'm still sorta waiting for White Feather to respond to my questions.
Albeit I'll post up my NS whenever I can regardless.

Anyways, I have a slight issue to decide the population of my empire.
SSE has over 50 times larger territory than @Nerevarine who has the population of 6.5 million.
On the other hand both @eemmtt, @Elitestpotato and even @Thrashy has larger territories than me and likely considerably less mountains yet their population is around 5+ million.

I can imagine that Nerevarine compared his lands to UK and maybe boosted a bit because Orks are likely reproducing faster.
But unless the map is indeed the whole world I think that assumption is not the best.
Then again, probably the other nations also need some boost in their population, depending on how large these lands actually are.

Anyways, I think I leave my population at 5 million for now.
I'll alter it when we were shed some light on this issue.

Speaking of which:
@White Feather If possible can you give use a rough estimate on the size of this continent?
How wide is the map?
5,000 km?
10,000 km?
20,000 km?
This and using medieval statistics would help me great time to determine roughly how many people my empire could have.

@Willy Vereb
Magic and rough size, yes? okay, let me think...

In terms of magic: We need to have a regulated system of magic, something that is widely accepted. as with dragons, magic creatures should be rare and elusive, so they don't dominate the battlefield. Battlemages should have very limited powers, such as throwing small fireballs or bolts of lightning with higher ranking mages able to take out small groups. Anti-magic, or resistance to magic, is also acceptable. Considering what few battles should take place - war is probably going to be highly uncommon - consulting the sides who are taking place in the battle is advised.

Magic outside of combat - Healing mortal wounds, curing deadly poisons and recovering from disease will require a lot of effort, focus and energy, probably only one or two very adept mages could cast them. Smaller things, like curing minor injuries or nettle stings, shouldn't require too much effort. I will have to object to Illusion-style spells unless the receiving party is comfortable with such a spell being cast

In terms of size: Europe is roughly 10,180,000 km², whilst Asia is roughly 44,579,000 km² in terms of Area. I see our nation as being more Oceanic than European or Asian - roughly 8,525,989 km².

In terms of area, our continent is around 10,000,000 km². Not sure how that fits into population density, however.

@Willy Vereb
Magic and rough size, yes? okay, let me think...

In terms of magic: We need to have a regulated system of magic, something that is widely accepted. as with dragons, magic creatures should be rare and elusive, so they don't dominate the battlefield. Battlemages should have very limited powers, such as throwing small fireballs or bolts of lightning with higher ranking mages able to take out small groups. Anti-magic, or resistance to magic, is also acceptable. Considering what few battles should take place - war is probably going to be highly uncommon - consulting the sides who are taking place in the battle is advised.

Magic outside of combat - Healing mortal wounds, curing deadly poisons and recovering from disease will require a lot of effort, focus and energy, probably only one or two very adept mages could cast them. Smaller things, like curing minor injuries or nettle stings, shouldn't require too much effort. I will have to object to Illusion-style spells unless the receiving party is comfortable with such a spell being cast

Yeah, it would be preferable if we talk things out.
Widespread use of magic must not make conventional weapons obsolete in comparison.
Powerful magic users can be a fun addition if they are only used as super special and rare assets in battle.
As for healing, yeah, if healing magic can cure everything then they pretty much solve the majority of problems with a medieval world. Too easy, too OP.
As for illusions, I think they can be fine, again if used with moderation.
Same with mind control. If the practices aren't too OP but something which can rarely have its uses or give nations a well-grounded reason to fear magicians then I could be okay with it.
So yeah, everything in moderation.

Anyways, time to introduce what I roughly plan for my nation.
How do you feel if my elves have extensive use of Griffins or its derivatives.
They are less of über units and more like literal air cavalry. They have their various ups and downs and of course griffins are still more expensive than horses.
I also think about making air carriages for nobles or chariots riding in the skies. Of course towed by rows of Griffins.
It'd be pretty fun.
If you worry about griffin archers or such, the problem is that winds are greater in high altitudes plus that distance is both a curse and a boon for them. Ground archers may find difficult to hit them but so would Griffin Archers find difficult to hit anything on the ground. So there would be a more optimal altitude for them when griffins are used in battle. I may also think of Griffin Knights if the weight limits isn't too strict. Basically Griffin Riders who attempt to pierce their foes with a lance while directing their griffins in a dive move.
I would also think that magic/alchemy would be implemented with my nation in a method close to technology. The results aren't powerful but can help to bridge some minor technical difficulties.
Basically it'd less of an "über OP magic world" and more like an odd empire with their own unique development.

In terms of size: Europe is roughly 10,180,000 km², whilst Asia is roughly 44,579,000 km² in terms of Area. I see our nation as being more Oceanic than European or Asian - roughly 8,525,989 km².

In terms of area, our continent is around 10,000,000 km². Not sure how that fits into population density, however.

Wow, that's an amazingly small continent.
I mean if I take the square root of 10,000,000 kilometers you get roughly 3000+ kilometers for each side.
I thought the map would be closer to a 10,000 x 10,000 km area.
Oh well according to a rough calculation my empire has the total landmass area of about 151,000 km², then.
That's slightly larger than Greece.
That means I have the population of circa 1-2 million people.
Alright I can work with that.
Also I messed up the calculation for @Nerevarine's territory.
I'm only about 8 times larger.
If we assume his lands are apparently having a rich soil and such then he may even surpass the 1 million mark.
Still, this is a pretty major turnover for both of us.

@White FeatherOh, I just made a calculation.
If you say the Continent has the area of 10,000,000 square kilometers and not the map then my previous calculation on the map's dimension was wrong.
It's roughly an 5200km x 5200km map, then.
That's better than I thought.