http://www.moddb.com/mods/middle-earth- ... 2#imagebox

Dunland in middle earth role playing. Is this the kind of look we are aiming for but a more desert arid feel?

Ah, should have posted this in this thread!

Had a look. Youre aiming for something extremely south african. We have to be aware that the land region is kind of mid Spain 10,000-20,000 BC. We maybe need to make it a blend then of African and very ancient meditteranean. Any ideas of how we can get something unique? I like the kraal idea and the roundhuts, there is a strong argument that all homo sapiens sapiens emerged from Africa but we dont want to end up with an african kraal in southern europe. We just need to merge in something a bit more Med to give it a uniqueness.

Roundhouses were popular all over Europe. It has more to do with technological development and available resources than culture. Example: igloos, which were made of wood, stone, sod or snow, depending on resources and which were as far from South Africa as you can get. Aside from some slight variations in shape, Celtic and African roundhouses share almost identical construction. Of course, depending on the availability of lumber, a kraal set in Spain might be more properly constructed of crude stone walls, but I like the idea of building them along the concept of a maze. As far as the appearance and artistic style of the race goes, why not just merge them? Bold geometric patterns and stylized images of people and animals were popular everywhere. Of course, you need a flat surface to paint on, which means the buildings would either be plastered or your art would be restricted to patterned textiles and ceramics. As long as we can get the architecture in place, though, we can always develop the artistic style later. There have to be a few artists in the community who would be interested in something like this.

P.S. Do you think the Mesogea mod is not as popular as it should be because it's core team consists of archaeologists and art historians?

Yep, I think so.

Actually I think its more that people see a huge download and think it might not be worth the effort as they dont really know what its about. It will likely be a landslide effect that a few people will play the quests once available, find themselves sucked out of the main questline and wandering about the place, then get excited. Others will hear there are quests, see the NPC's and substantial content rather than some modding resources and either mod it or play in it. Build it and they will come.

Anyway no problem with the roundhouses but the amalgam of the whole thing, the location, art, architecture, name etc all starts to point south, and the pictures posted of zulu kraals kind of put the icing on it. All I want to do is ensure that we aim for a look but dont slide too close to Africa, though the Karith were essentially an african people originally, so maybe that seals it and Im talking tosh.

I think its an excellent look, entirely lore friendly and totally fitting. Guanotwozero has come up with a real beauty here.!

Hehe! I do think our history/archaeology geekery will bear real fruit, but it will take a while to get to critical mass. This is a very ambitious project, a bit daunting to beginners, but also quite realisable. Regular punters want something to play, so I think interest will pick up when we launch some quests that get people talking about it. As long as we're patient and stay on course we'll be fine.

Ah, sure, I just thought of the Shona/Matabele/Imperialist idea to create some multi-tribal tensions and dynamics, a good hook for quests. I do like the idea of a warlike semi-nomadic tribe that carves out a kingdom, pushing the natives to the fringes. They would likely become softer and more settled due to the bounty of their new environment e.g. a fertile river plain. Their settlement styles would reflect their origins - e.g. defended encampments, but these would evolve into more settled versions. Hence something like temporary huts that later become more permanent and elaborate. Round huts or even tents would make more sense for semi-nomads, but they'd want something more substantial when they'd been in the same place for ages.

Defences may initially be something like a tough roll-up stick fence which can be transported and deployed easily, and the more permanent version may be a palisade or even stone. I'd suggest wood more than stone for the river plain - lots of trees, less rocks. And I do like the idea of different segments of the camp for different purposes, and the internal labyrinth of fences just adds a nice touch! Their economy would likely evolve from herding goats to a richer and more permanent cattle basis.

Painting the settlement walls is just an afterthought, again taken from Ndebele culture. Could add a touch of individuality if not too much work - stylistically we could have anything that reflects the Karith. BTW I have seen painted round huts too, though maybe modern acrylic paints makes that easier!

Yeah, I'm guessing the Karith tribes would likely be culturally something like early Berbers, a Mediterranean people, a very long shot from the ancestors of the Ndebele. The Sahara was a huge intermix barrier to humans even in its least arid days. Their styling would likely reflect this origin - weapons and armour originally made from wood, bones, ivory, rocks and hides, whatever they could acquire from the environment. The styling of more evolved versions may still reflect this origin, or at least the ceremonial ones. I certainly don't want to steamroller in any southern African style, but I think a few ideas can be used. I also think something like stone enclosures would make a good model for the ruins of the Brugauran civilisation at its height - a culture based on herding and mining amongst the rocks and hills.

Totally agree, if it fits, we use it. Good idea.