Okay, this will be hard to explain. Please, be patient.
In the game, the civilizations born, the civilizations die, the civilizations figth and the most important point: the civilizations growth. This growth can be interrupted by a bad day in the war field, by a specially angry megabeast, by a totally psycho man or anothe fun stuff in this great game.
All civilizations have a thing in common: all have the same technological level, and the same capacity to built. Obviously, his diference are clear in camps of the structures, the gobernment type and antoher ethics and laws aspects, but in the most basic form, all of the races are the same. My suggestion is abaout a necesary diference bethewn all of the nations: the knowledge an the capacity to built sistems.
Good, let's go:
-Civilizations level-
-The levels:
I'm not talking about a really rigid system with specifics characteristics of limitations for the civilizations, no, i'm talking about a flexible framework with few randomsized elements, to keep the order an the coherence in the diferents levels. Lets go the explain this:
Imagine a civilization with a serious problem to use stone: Obviously, a civilizations with this tipe of limitation is really, really poor in camps like construction or workshops. This primitive nation don't have a advanced civil or government organization system (to keep the order and coherence) and they are totally limited to use a tribal-monarchy structure.
In a different case, a really, really advanced civilizations can use all materials, have a advanced aristocratic gobernment structure and can make complex buildings. Obviously, they have few limitations, but in general terms, are really advanced.
Obviously, the initial limitation, which will guide others to give coherence, could have elements randomsized, or be completely random. That will be decided by the community.
The primitive civilizations have the potential to be advanced, but their knowledge will not allow it. The solution? Exist a lot of solutions, but on their one, only one: Experimentation.
-Experimentation.
I'm talking abaout a new order, function or button. Basically, this function allow send a character to experiment with especific elements, like materials, objets and another work stuff. In this project, the dwarf/human/elf/goblin experiment and discover new ways to use the selected object. For example, in the case that a dwarf named Urist Thunderfart, who live in a low level civilization, experiment with metal, may find ways to use it, and slowly, with more experimentation, unlock diferent objects made of metal.
In similar cases, a nation that does not know how use the stone, can experiment with this material and discover noew ways to built her structures. This is appiclable to all materials and objets of the game.
In the case of objets, the experimentation with him be more specific, finding new styles,new variations of the same object and another things of the same style. For example, a civilization discover a sword, and with the continous experimentation, make variants like the short sword, the two-handed and the scimitar. Obviously, all variants exist in the raws, but are locked for the primitve civilizations.
Among civilizations, not all objects have to be equal. A sword can be stronger in one, but in another it may be weaker, and have a different design. These charactertistics may be random, and if appropriate, could affect the performance of the weapon, or the resistance of the object. This point is specially relevant in camps like ornamental objets, where differentiation can make border with other nations. Diferents crown styles, diferent entities.
-Law and ethics experiments.
In the case of the gobernment system, the laws and the ethic stuff, this points turn more interesting: With the future adition of phylosophy, could discover new styles of government in discussion rooms. in these sites discuss new ideas, and the winners could be taken by the members of the community.
Of course, there is another factor influencing the acceptance of new ways of doing things in a society: The culture and love of tradition.
-The tradition: The rival of the change.
In a really really traditional society, this new ideas, this new objects an this experiment can be rejected, and slowly, the tendence to experiment turn really really poor.
In this traditional civilization, the new ideas are dangereous to the most older or closed-minded members, and he can ban this tipe of progress or ways.
Obviously, this tipe of civilizations depends totally of the ethics and personality of his members, and can fall with a generation change, a generation with a open mind.
-The clash of the worlds-
What if two different civilizations meet? Let's go to explore the posibilities of this new form of discover and progress:
-The pacific way:
Oh yes, the ideal, caused by a diplomatic, a comercial or a casual encounter by two nations.
In this case, the inferior civilization discover a new form of make things;
the form of the another civilitation: They not discover by their own, they discover thanks to other persons. The unlocked objects are limited by the form of the advanced civilization, and the laws, the ethics an the gobernment form are not exceptions.
In the case of assimilation, three things can happens:
-The local culture resist: The civilitation are really really closed, and the new ways are rejected. The nation don't change.
-The local culture change: The new culture, ways and forms be combined with the local. In this case, the culture changes, but retains its original values.
-The local culture fall: The new culture domain over the tradition; the original culture disappears.
-The violent way: Colonization and war.
In this case, the war and the colonization exerts influence over the domined civilitation, and the local culture is suppresed by new traditions, the another culture traditions imposed by the new gobernment.
This can happen:
-The old tradition survive: The old traditions survive, but only in few sides, and is prohibited by the dominant empire. The participants can be killed by the autorities.
-The old tradition disappear: The old tradition is suppresed by the new form. Is killed by the new ways and the prohibition.
The old tradition mix with the new: The dominant nation allow the old culture, and he's mix with the new.
I will continue with my idea in another post...
