Hello and welcome to my food for thought. I'm not quite sure if this is just a random idea I've been having, a true interest check, or just a process right now for gaining feedback, but I've been toying with an idea for a prehistoric story or roleplay for quite some time, and I'm looking for insight, thoughts, advice or even just wondering if anyone would be interested in something like this.

Now when I say prehistoric, I'm not exactly talking about dinosaurs, Jurassic Park or anything like that, as I feel like those kinds of stories have already been played to death. But I was thinking along the lines of something more original, like a story that takes place during the Cenozoic era after non-avian dinosaurs have already gone extinct. I'm drawing my inspiration from movies like 10,000 BC, or the movie Alpha, or the older classic movie Quest For Fire and things like that. I want to make a story that takes place during the Late Pleistocene epoch, or a time during the Quaternary Period roughly corresponding to the Tarantian Age when early modern humans coexisted with extinct monsters and other primitive human species such as homo erectus and homo neanderthals.

I'd like to have a more realistic, historically accurate RP story which would require the participants to have some fairly good knowledge and education about the time period. I was thinking of naming it the Tarantian Age, or the Age of Giants, or something catchy to that effect. Of course, the Tarantian Age does include a very large timespan from around 130,000-12,000 years ago, and it's a little difficult trying to narrow that down to a single century or decade to use as a reference point in order to make things easier.

I find this entire time period to be fascinating and so I find it difficult trying to decide if it should take place during the Last Ice Age or during the warmer Early Stone Age before the last glacial period. Maybe we could have a map that includes both hotter and colder regions in order to include both variants for the characters to adapt and interact with. Of course this also makes it difficult for me to pick a specific continent or location for the story, as part of me would love to include the whole Earth in general, but if it's too spread out, that might make it difficult for all the characters to interact with all the different species of humans, plants and fauna in a single lifespan and so we might have to adjust the story to include some minor historical inaccuracies for the sake of gameplay just to make it more fun and exciting.

I was also thinking about giving players a choice of which tribe they would like to start with, sort of like when you setup your characters during a RP video game by picking your class beforehand to determine what abilities and skills you will start out with. Only in this case, you would have a very simple choice between being a neanderthal or a homo sapien. The neanderthal class would be larger, stronger, better equipped to survive in the extreme cold whereas the human class would be faster, smarter and better adapted for extreme heat. Both tribes could be mortal enemies in order to add a sense of drama and conflict to the story. I think that would be kind of neat for a roleplaying session.

For an added challenge, there would be a whole myriad of different carnivorous predators and megafauna that both tribes would have to face, both in water and on land, in the mountains, forests and caves they encounter during the story. There wouldn't be any non-avian dinosaurs, but there could be some equally terrifying reptiles, giant birds, aquatic life and large mammals that would actively hunt and prey on both species. Both tribes would have a language that only they could understand. If we get some skilled creative writers, we could even reconstruct some archaic languages for them to speak rather than just having them grunt like stupid cavemen and using primitive sign language, which isn't very fun or realistic to be honest.

Give both classes some very similar but slightly different technology for building weapons, clothing and shelter, slightly different tactics for hunting, etc. and I think it could actually turn out to be a pretty exciting story. Again, this is really more of a thought experiment at the moment rather than an official interest check, but I guess it could be considered close enough, if we can get some feedback and more ideas on how to make it better or even just give it a more solid foundation that we can start building upon to make it an official roleplay.

I don't know, tell me what you all think. Yay or nay? Would you want to join in a story like this? Or is it too boring? Does anyone have any ideas on how I can make it better? Or would anyone like to volunteer their creative skills to work on this RP project? If so, feel free to get involved and just share your own thoughts and opinions. I'm not much of a good game master, I generally just let the players govern themselves and see where it goes. So, let's see what happens. The stage is all yours. Let's hear it. 🤠🤷‍♂️

Brace for feedback

I'd like to have a more realistic, historically accurate RP story which would require the participants to have some fairly good knowledge and education about the time period.

I can tell you from personal experience, assigning homework is a deterrent, and the ones that show interest- and I'm sure they will, this is kind of a cool idea- well, don't be surprised if most/all of them just don't do it.

primitive sign language, which isn't very fun or realistic to be honest.

hand gestures to try and aid communicating an idea is still vastly more realistic than anything presented in 10,000 B.C., my guy. I'm not saying pick a lane; mixing realistic and fantastic elements is fine, but this initial presentation doesn't provide enough definition to what is or isn't allowed.

This is a cool idea, but for myself? I'd definitely wait for a proper interest check, with more clearly defined setting/boundaries for character stuff.

Edit:

I generally just let the players govern themselves and see where it goes.

Again, my own experience, on both sides of a GM screen, this is a really bad idea. I'm sure it's possible that this play style can work, I just haven't seen evidence to suggest it can work here, on this site.

Brace for feedback

<Snipped quote> I can tell you from personal experience, assigning homework is a deterrent, and the ones that show interest- and I'm sure they will, this is kind of a cool idea- well, don't be surprised if most/all of them just don't do it.

<Snipped quote> hand gestures to try and aid communicating an idea is still vastly more realistic than anything presented in 10,000 B.C., my guy. I'm not saying pick a lane; mixing realistic and fantastic elements is fine, but this initial presentation doesn't provide enough definition to what is or isn't allowed.

This is a cool idea, but for myself? I'd definitely wait for a proper interest check, with more clearly defined setting/boundaries for character stuff.

Edit:
<Snipped quote> Again, my own experience, on both sides of a GM screen, this is a really bad idea. I'm sure it's possible that this play style can work, I just haven't seen evidence to suggest it can work here, on this site.

First I want to thank you Ricky for your feedback. Much appreciated, this is exactly the kind of criticism and feedback that I am looking for, so thank you. Also please forgive me in advance for not having the same ability ATM to break down every statement as you have, I am new to RPGuild and I am still learning how this site works. I'm a veteran RPer but obviously not a master of coding, so I hope this will suffice for now.

#1 - Of course I understand that this might not be the story for everyone. Everyone has different interests and sure, not many new-school players are interested in a more educational, history-based RP story that requires a good understanding of the time period. Honestly I find that sad to be quite frank, but not concerning seeing as there are at least 90,000 users who could potentially take an interest. That's more than I am looking for so even if only a small fraction are interested, let's do it. Of course if they even need to do "homework" on this project, then perhaps this isn't the story for them. But then again, if anyone is so interested that they are willing to do some research, then heck yeah, those are the kind of people I'm looking for. Knowledge is power.

#2 - The main reason for this particular reply to be honest is moreso to do with your comment/claim that hand sign language is more realistically accurate to the time period. This simply is not true, not for the inaccurate movies like 10,000 BC, and certainly not for the whole entire Cenozoic Era in general. By this time humans, neanderthals, even denisovans would have been very similar to the way we are today. They were primitive in a technologically advanced way, but not in a physically anatomically modern human way. Neanderthals themselves have medicine, religious beliefs and rituals, man-made tools and quite an impressive culture for the time period. Artwork and rock carvings, special care for disabled members of their society, these are things that would have required verbal communication and a complex language of sorts, no different from modern human beings.

#3 - As for waiting to see what happens, well, that's exactly what I'm doing. I don't have the know-how on this site specifically to do everything that is required for such an idea, which is why I'm inviting others like yourself to contribute in the long term creation of this story. Personally, I have been involved in some very awesome RP groups throughout my years, both strictly ruled and others more open to user input, and from my personal experience some of the best RPs that I have ever been a part of involved a more open table where every player has a say in the way those stories progress. Sometimes the very uncertainty of what happens next is what draws people to the table. Of course in such free environments, being a GM becomes more difficult and so I will agree that RPs can have a tendency to die with such experiments. But that never happens quickly from my experience, and some of the longest RP sessions I've ever been in started and ended in this very way, not to mention that they have been some of the funnest RP group stories I've ever been involved with.

Again, if anybody wants to help contribute to this project, this is the place to do so. I am presenting a basic idea and loosely open guidelines on what to expect, but I also agree that there should be rules and a clearly defined setting/boundaries for character stuff. I'm intentionally leaving that area open for more comments at this time, so I can get more feedback and information, and recruit players who might have the skills to work on such things. Again, I really do appreciate your comments and that is why I'm leaving this thread open to help and suggestions, before we actually turn it into an official RP session.

Thank you again. 😎🤠❤️

P.S. - I forgot to mention the denisovans in my first post, and perhaps we could add them in. So instead of just having 2 races to choose from, we would have 3 races: humans, neanderthals and denisovans. Just food for thought. I look forward to hearing what others have to contribute.

Ok, now I'm pushed into full on "sign me up" just for knowing all that about Neanderthals.

I never meant to make the claim that full sign language was realistic/accurate, that was very poorly communicated on my part; I was referring to speech aided by gesticulating, not proper sign language specifically. So, my bad, I own that. Probably still not accurate, I don't know.

Anyway, I'll keep an eye out for the interest check!

RECAP:

- Work In Progress (open to ideas):

Okay so right now, the Cenozoic Era is still open to interest checks. We are looking for at least 3 to 5 or more players. This is not an official RP thread or IC session, nor is it the official OOC table talk where the specifics, detailed RP development and rules will be posted. This thread is just an open listing to see how many players would be interested in participating in the Cenozoic Era RP once the official story begins.

Right now there are very few basic guidelines, which I'm hoping to add to if more people take an interest, but we need at least 3 players to begin. RickyG85 if you would like to throw out some of your own ideas for this story, please feel free to contribute your own original ideas for the story so we can create a suitable player guide. Otherwise I'll be stuck to do it on my own, and that might take a while with my schedule. Not to mention, my imagination is limited and I like hearing what others sometimes cleverly cook up. Hearing other people's ideas often helps to fuel my imagination and give me better ideas. As all of the ideas keep circling around in a sort of melting pot, gradually the Age of Giants will form naturally and become even grandeur over time like a vintage fine wine. Again, I invite anyone who is interested in the Cenozoic Era to post here, and tell us what draws your interest, and also feel free to share any of your own thoughts regarding the general RP development.

- World and Timeline:

Welcome to Earth, during the Cenozoic Era, or long during prehistory. Nobody knows exactly what year it is, but you live in a time period after the dinosaurs went extinct, after humans evolved, but still long before the Great Flood, an event so old and forgotten, but still so distant now that it won't even occur until well after your story begins. Some time between 50,000 years ago and 15,000 years ago, you were born into a very lucky tribe of diehard survivors who would be destined to change history forever. Not too long in the forgotten past, a super extinction event occurred rapidly, and your species almost went extinct completely following a supervolcanic eruption that changed your world. Your entire species was wiped out and only a mere 1000 of your kind survived the global cataclysm and gave rise to you. You are not entirely sure how old you are now, for it's been many moons. But you have some concept of young and old age, so you have a good idea of who you are physically, how you feel energetically when you look at your own reflection in a calming still rain puddle.

Who are you? How old would you say you are? What is your eye color, your hair color, your skin color, your build and body height? What are you wearing? What is something that your tribe finds interesting or unique about you? Do you have scars, a birth mark, something that distinguishes you from other members of your clan?

- Available Races/Classes:

I think we've just agreed that there will be 3 races you can choose from to create your character profile for this story. All three races have very different complex social structures, different languages and communication skills, different homelands which effect the different types of fauna and flora they are used to dealing with, which in turn effects the different types of foods they consume, hunting strategies, herbal remedies and medicine they are familiar with. Different types of rocks and trees effect different ways of building certain things, so each class has its own unique special skills and abilities that should probably be considered. Of course all of them are anatomically modern in appearance for the most part, and so their differences can be more subtle and not as unevenly balanced as you might expect.

The first is the Denisovans, they are a semi-nomadic people who originate from East Asia where they live as hunters and gatherers. They are the most primitive but hardly the least advanced. The Denisovans are known for their bamboo armor and spears, their violent temper and their ability to survive in the jungle or rainforest. They live in a fantastical world of tiny humans called homo florensis who are all but extinct myths of hobbits and dwarves, the tiny people who once ruled the Denisovan lands. But that's not all, for the Denisovans also inhabit the region where gigantopithecus roams, the world's largest ape that ever lived, and some of the largest known mammoths that ever walked the earth. The Denisovans are also known for their raft building skills and the ability to travel across the open waters. They have acupuncture and crude herbal medicine that borderlines on a more advanced ancient Chinese secret, Denisovans are immune to pufferfish venom and are quite evolved for the ability to fish for larger aquatic life such as sharks and whales. As of right now, the Denisovans are the only tribe who possesses that ability. Rumor is that some of them have even crossed the Beringia landbridge into the New World, and may have been the first people in history to do so. Denisovans have also invented a makeshift torch, the world's first hand-held fire stick for exploring dark places. Although they coexist with some of the largest animals on our planet, the Denisovans are threatened mostly by titanoboa, large terror birds and smaller more dangerous reptiles and amphibians who live in their jungle. They appear to worship the gigantopithecus as either a godly figure, protector or elder brother to whom they respect.

So tribe/class/race option #1 is the Denisovans...

The second tribe you can choose from are the Neanderthals, perhaps being the 2nd most famous and widespread culture in our story. They may also be considered the 2nd most primitive, but again no less advanced. Neanderthals are not as tall on average as members of the other 2 tribes, but they outnumber both of them put together and cover the most territory on our map of the known world. Neanderthals inhabit Europe and Eurasia, Anatolia and parts of the northern Middle East which is very tropical and fertile with rain at this point. But that's about as far south as the Neanderthals can venture, for this tribe is more adapted to more temperate climates and the freezing cold. Neanderthals are the snow dwellers who are shorter and stockier than the denisovans, and can't run or maneuver as quickly as other races. But that's not a setback, for Neanderthals are by far the strongest and most physically powerful, having the highest pain tolerance and the only people who can currently find comfort in the extreme cold. Neanderthals are the least intelligent option on our list. They don't have boats or anything more advanced than a harpoon or spear, but they are the first people ever to take down a mammoth and the first to develop a spiritual culture or proto-religion. Neanderthals invented rock art and may have attempted to build some of the very first man-made shelters in history. They are not as violent as the Denisovans, and in fact the Neanderthals are quite shy and observant from long distances. They have learned to collect, harness and preserve fire, but have not learned yet how to create fire for themselves. They excel in groups and caring for their tribal elders and children, having some basic structure of a hierarchal society. They have however also been known to practice cannibalism whenever times get rough and the food becomes scarce. Neanderthals are therefore the true mythical giants and demons of our story. Although they are the shortest playable species, Neanderthals are by far the strongest physically when confronted. They lack certain pain sensors allowing them to ignore broken bones and some minor wounds when injured. They are known for their bearskins and wolfskins, but also for their infatuation with bones and their ability to build makeshift hunting camps out of mammoth tusk huts and human bones or larger animal skeletons. Neanderthals are also semi-nocturnal which allows their eyes to adjust to the darkness, when they tend to be most active. This is because they practice cave rituals and thrive in darkness. Neanderthals have an everlasting war with dire wolves, sabertooth cats and cave bears. Neanderthals are also tolerant to goats milk.

So tribe/class/race option #2 is the Neanderthals...

Last but definitely not least on our list are the anatomically modern humans, or Homo Sapiens, the youngest of our three tribes. Humans are neither the physically strongest, nor the most advanced species on our list of playable classes. Not yet anyway. But our fledgling species possesses ingenuity, adaptability and something greater perhaps that the other 2 races don't have. Humans are incredibly intelligent, and they are the fastest running species on our list of playable classes. Of course those tiny hobbits in New Guinea are faster and more elusive, but human beings are the most diverse people with the most diverse mindset. Humans hail from Africa, and they are more suitable to the deserts and sandy beaches than any other species. They are intuitive hunters and gatherers who have learned to adapt and thrive by combing the shores and eating shellfish. They have learned how to make man-made tools and even start a fire. They are the first to collect rainwater, and the first to establish a proto-monarchy with their tribal units being led by a priestess or chieftain. They are masters of clay sculpting, body paint for sunscreen, and other more impressive feats. Humans have not yet started to domesticate wild animals, but they are already aware of the potential possibilities. They can coordinate with each other to herd large animals and are known for bringing down even the most dangerous predators such as snakes and crocodiles. Humans coexist with large megafauna such as prehistoric rhinos and hippos and giraffes, but their greatest threat before encountering Neanderthals or Denisovans was actually the dreaded cave lion. Humans live in constant fear at nightfall, when giant hyenas and cave lions prey on their younglings and the most vulnerable elders in their tribe. As such, humans fear the darkness and prefer to be more active during the daylight when they can see beyond the campfire. Nevertheless, they are star gazers and probably the first people to invent the primitive concept of astrology and mathematics. Humans have a special role in our story, for they have the smartest minds to conjure up inventions like the atlatl or the boomerang. Humans are distinguished by their lionskin wardrobe and the male-only gender immunity to their own man-made poison arrows, as the men do most of the hunting while the women do the gathering. Only male tribal members are immune to eating poisoned liver. Only female tribal members are immune to poison berries. Humans are currently lactose intolerant and so drinking milk can cause some stomach cramps and indigestion problems for both genders. But they have the best stamina for running long distances, and they are quick to learn from their mistakes and personal experiences. This makes them the most formidable of any species. Humans are also the first people to practice dentistry and tooth repair, if not the first to practice human burial. They are the most sensitive and emotionally influenced tribe with a deep understanding of birth, death and the gender roles in society. They are the most adapted to extreme heat, sparse woodlands and arid deserts.

So tribe/class/race option #3 is the Humans...

- What to Expect Next:

When our 3 tribes are not busy fighting for survival in their own respective territories, you can expect them to explore. At some point you can expect our players to venture outside of their own homelands and encounter players from other tribes, and these RP encounters will cause rippling effects for character development throughout the story. Neanderthals will be the sole donors of the the type B bloodtype. Denisovans will carry the type A bloodtype, and the Humans will carry type O bloodtypes, both positive and negative. For the sake of our story, Neanderthals will have paler peachy skin, Humans will have darker brown skin, and the Denisovans will have a more reddish orange skin that falls in-between both of them. All three races are genetically similar enough to interbreed and create hybrid species with a wider variety of blood types and skin types, eye colors and hair colors. So expect some possible interaction, interbreeding and even some extreme violence between each of these 3 distinct cultures. Not only will they be competing against nature and the odds of survival, but they'll also be competing against one another simultaneously. That makes the Cenozoic Era RP a story of epic character development and survival. This story will involve random evolution and a lot of possibilities, and uncertain outcomes based on random IC experiments and experiences that are not exactly predetermined by the GM (or GMs) beforehand. In other words, the way this RP progresses will be entirely 100% dependant upon the players themselves and the decisions they make. As such, this has the potential to be a neverending storyline. Nothing is etched in stone, apart from what the players themselves create in-game.

Again, this is just an interest check and recap at the moment. But you can also expect, once we get enough players who are interested, to see an official OOC table and of course, an official RP/IC thread to compliment it once we begin. Since this story takes place during the Tarantian Age, you can also expect to encounter some pretty interesting, and sometimes terrifying NPC megafauna. These will be actual historical creatures, mostly non-fictional, who would already be extinct in 2024 and so probably not like most of the animals or natural predators we see today. Some of these creatures will be absolutely massive, such as the popular wholly mammoths, entelodons, sabertooth cats and rhinos, megalodon sharks, mastodons, stegotetrabelodons, gigantopithecus, deinogalerix, Barbary lions, dire wolves, elasmotherium, cave bears, Syrian camels, titanoboa, eucladoceros, cervacles, giant Irish elk or megaloceros, Tasmanian tigers, giant bison, megatherium, homotherium, amphicyons, megapirhana, and raptor-like terror birds like gastornis or teratornis, purussaurus crocodiles and many other bazaar species, and some of them will be apex predators capable of hunting and preying on your species. In other words, you are not at the very top of this food chain. Dinosaurs might already be extinct, but their distant descendants still haunt this story, so you can expect to make some tough IC decisions and undergo certain scenes where your character will be effected by their own personal experiences and performances throughout the story. In turn you can expect character development and newly acquired tricks, abilities, skills and knowledge for your character profile/sheet as our story progresses in real-time. But I also must warn you that nobody is immortal in this game, or invincible. All characters have the potential to grow, to age over time, to procreate and breed new characters, but also the potential to die. So take heed and be cautious in-character when RPing, because every decision you make will effect your character as if it was really just like an avatar of your own living OOC self.

And right now, that's all you need to know. This concludes the first Recap for this thread. I look forward to hearing your feedback. Thank you again for taking an interest in this project. I hope to hear back from some diehard history-buff RPers who have what it takes to participate in this adventure. Until then, this thread will remain open to suggestions. Let's hear it. 👋🤠