@Rogar and @Kho Thanks, I actually do understand how (most of) it works. It’s mostly the fact that if I get bogged down in the details (and I will if I let myself), not only will it take me forever to write every little bit, a lot of people won’t be able to understand what’s going on (Why can I lay claim to this land, but not the other? Why if I take over this land can the king take it away from me, but not if I take over this land? and so on). So I’m streamlining the system (or, at the very least, I’m not exploring it in its full depth) for the sake of the narrative.
However, just to note, it probably won’t be the only out of place thing. I’m already planning on the cities being significantly more Roman than Medieval, and overall the ‘feel’ to be smeared from the fall of the Roman Empire down to the late Medieval period (technologically concentrating on the early Medieval period, and sociologically splitting the difference between the Roman Empire and the Late Medieval period, particularly after the decline of the church’s power, although religion itself will be a minor if at all present factor of the story). On the other hand, I probably don’t have the necessary finesse to pull it off, and it’ll just appear to be a jumbled medieval setting with major problems. >.<
@Bastiaan The name was actually picked pretty much randomly (It’s not a hint at something to come or anything, it’s just simply random fiat, based on that I was handling the stats in sets of eight, and it’ll probably be changed at some point). No idea that the first book of A Song of Fire and Ice was called A Game of Thrones. It’s like War and Peace, one of those things that you always intend to read, but never actually find the time to.
@Canisa Firstly, can we please stay away from personal insults and hatred? If you want to attack what I’ve written (within the game, or without), feel free, but do not turn it on me personally. Beyond that it does nothing to strengthen your point, it is too quick to turn a community to infighting, and I do love that the majority of the people on this forums has been, so far, fairly supportive of everyone else, even when there have been points of disagreement. Secondly, do note that I will not be taking the approach same writers have said they will (hetwhitemale POV only/as the main POV). The majority of the game will be the same regardless of the PC’s gender (the PC’s status as a ‘black-marked’ automatically makes them a feared outcast and a soldier of the kingdom) (and before anyone asks/comments, ‘black-marked’ is specifically referring to the fact that they are tattooed so that they can be identified). Thirdly, to the guys defending my choice, I shouldn’t be admonished for what I’m writing, don’t. Such discussions are good for improving both people’s writing and views. I take no objection to Canisa telling me that she thing’s what I’m writing is wrong.
Now, before getting to the point at hand, let me first state that the reason I decided to use such a dark setting was specifically for a deromantization of medieval Europe, specifically how it so common to slap magic on it and then add, almost as an after thought, ‘Oh, and there were no social injustices’. To me that’s depressing. Now, yes I could have used the same ‘fix’ that CoB used by just having a single variable flipping all the pronouns and just assume that the PC is the ‘dominant’ gender. (Actually I still can. It’s not too difficult to just go through and just mark every pronoun as a ${stat} and just have the game flip males and females.). I specifically decided not to and, believe it or not, it’s not a choice I came to lightly. The reason is that I think forcing the player to be the dominant gender (and therefore, in my opinion forcing the POV to be hetwhitemale, even if the PC is called a female) lends less credit to the story than allowing the player to take up the same sort of mantle as Joan of Arc or Grace O’Malley. Specifically, I wanted the player to have the option of actually being able to play as a woman, rather than just playing a man with some labels switched around.
Now, don’t get confused, I loved CoG for giving the option. I would have, however, preferred that they give the choice of an ‘integrated’ army like they had considered, where you would have actually had the option of playing a woman, rather than a man with a different label. Or, better yet, as a woman, prove that you’re as capable as any man and truly force the patriarchal society to bow and acknowledge a woman can be as capable as any man.
Now, If you want everyone to be equal, all kings and queens to be just and competent and deserving of their reign, everyone to fight honorable and pretend that Western Civilization wasn’t built on the backs of slavery, exploiting foreign cultures and abusing those too weak to defend themselves in what you read, then yes, you won’t like what I’m writing. But if you don’t mind someone actually turning an eye on how utterly horrible some time periods were, I ask that you give what I’m writing a chance before you dismiss it.
Finally, a point of much smaller contention, @ScarletGeisha, I disagree with what you say in your last sentence, specifically that many people (and I’m specifically saying people here, rather than men) believe that women haven’t been in places of prominence out of wishful thinking. Many people actually do not realize how much women have influenced (and of course continue to influence) history, and many men (this time specifically men) do not believe it because they want it that way, but only because it’s all that they’ve ever been taught, and I personally think that’s something to pity rather than hate.