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Month: August 2024

Minor Site Update: “Science!”

Minor Site Update: “Science!”

As part of the slow-but steady process of upgrading the site’s organization – the better to support Architect of Worlds in particular – I’ve just created a new tag: science!

The purpose of this tag will be to focus on posts that are mostly about specific results in the scientific literature, as they pertain to world-building for fiction. Most of these will have obvious relevance to Architect of Worlds.

The architect of worlds tag will remain, but that tag will also include posts about the process of writing, editing, selling, and maintaining the book. If you’re mostly interested in reading what I’ve had to say about astronomy, exoplanetary science, and so on, look for the science! tag instead.

Yes, the exclamation point is required. If you like, read it in the voice of Magnus Pyke in mad-scientist mode.

Fourth Millennium: Rough Draft Outline

Fourth Millennium: Rough Draft Outline

For general interest, here’s a first cut at an outline for the Fourth Millennium core book. This is going to be my working outline while I start writing sections of the rough draft. Naturally, this outline will be subject to change while I develop the project.

As a review: this is planned to be a Basic Roleplaying (BRP) sourcebook, relying on the BRP Universal Game Engine book under the ORC license. It will be the first of (possibly) several sourcebooks detailing the Fourth Millennium setting. Fourth Millennium is a universe centered on the Mediterranean region of Earth’s classical antiquity, but with an alternate history and fantastic elements built into the setting.


Fourth Millennium (Core Book)

  • Introduction
  • The True Kosmos
    • On the Shadow Kosmos
    • On the Reckoning of Years
    • How We Arrived Here
      • The Kretan Diaspora
      • The Athenian Hegemony
      • Alexandros the Great
      • Successors of Alexandros
    • Lands of the Hellenes
      • Kingdom of the Seleukids (Europe)
        • League of Korinth
        • Bosporan Kingdom
      • Kingdom of the Temenids (Asia)
        • Kingdom of Bithynia
        • Kingdom of Pontus
        • Kingdom of Galatia
      • Ptolemaic Kingdom (Egypt)
        • Kingdom of Judea
        • Kingdom of Nabataea
        • Matriarchy of Danassos
        • Republic of Karkhedon
        • Kingdom of Numidia
      • Republic of Rhodos
      • The Lost Kingdoms
    • The Great Rivals
      • Republic of Rome
      • Kingdom of the Parthians
      • Kingdom of Armenia
    • The Barbarian Peoples
      • Kelts
      • Thrakians
      • Sarmatians
      • Arabs
      • Nubians
      • Libyans
  • Adventurers
    • Getting Started
    • Procedure
    • Step 1: Homeland
    • Step 2: Family History
    • Step 3: Characteristics
    • Step 4: Base Skills
    • Step 5: Occupations
    • Step 6: Personal Skill Bonuses
    • Step 7: Wealth and Equipment
    • Step 8: Other Information
  • Game System
  • Skills
  • Combat
  • Passions, Traits, and Reputation
    • Passions
    • Traits
    • Areté
    • Reputation
    • A Hero for the Ages
  • How to Be a Hellene
    • Hellenes, Hellenists, and Barbarians
    • The Hellenic Personality
    • Speaking the Hellenic Language
    • Worshiping the Hellenic Gods
    • Participating in Hellenic Exercise and Sports
    • Appreciating Hellenic Literature and Theatre
    • Studying Hellenic Philosophy and Science
    • Fighting like a Hellene
    • Women in the Hellenic Kingdoms
  • The Working of Wonders
    • Humans and the Gods
      • Gods of the Hellenic World
      • Public Cults: Prayer and Sacrifice
      • Mystery Cults: Initiation and Enlightenment
      • Philosophical Schools: The Examined Life
      • Being a Priest or Priestess
      • Omens, Astrology, and Divination
      • God-Touched Men and Women
    • Spirits and the Spirit World
      • Spirits and Spirit Allies
      • Summoning and Binding Spirits
      • Catalog of Spirits
    • Mageia
      • High Mageia (Theurgy)
      • Low Mageia (Goetia)
      • Catalog of Spells
    • Powers of the Mind
      • Philosophical Schools
      • Being a Philosopher
      • Catalog of Thaúmata
  • Wealth and Equipment
    • Coinage
    • Standard of Living
    • Households and Retinues
    • Property and Investments
    • Goods and Services
  • Between Adventures
    • Experience
    • Training and Research
    • Increasing Characteristics
    • The Winter Phase
    • Passing the Torch
  • Bestiary
  • Library of Adventure Components
Planning for August 2024

Planning for August 2024

I spent most of July building out the alternate-historical timeline for Fourth Millennium, by playing through several of my tabletop historical-simulation games and compiling logs of the results. That effort is basically complete, although it didn’t generate much finished material so I didn’t have a patron release for July.

August is going to be a different matter!

I plan to spend most of this month on Fourth Millennium again, and this time I have a specific plan in mind, which will likely result in some solid material for my patrons and readers. I also need to do some maintenance work for Architect of Worlds, and get started on some prep work for Travellercon in early October. All that is more than enough for the next few weeks, so some of my other projects are going to be pushed off the raft for the time being.

So here’s the list for the coming month:

  • Front Burner:
    • Fourth Millennium: Produce an initial outline for the setting bible (BRP sourcebook).
    • Fourth Millennium: Write a summary of the alternate history.
    • Fourth Millennium: Produce a master map for the setting, covering the Mediterranean world with terrain features, political borders, and the most significant cities all marked.
    • Fourth Millennium: Write a gazetteer of major regions in the setting, tied to the master map.
    • Architect of Worlds: Finish setting up the page(s) for the book on this site.
    • Architect of Worlds: Start making at least one post per month (errata, edge cases, new material) supporting the book.
  • Back Burner:
    • Travellercon: Begin designing the scenario for the adventure “Raid on Markidu.”
    • Travellercon: Begin setup work for the Architect of Worlds world-building workshop.

All this work for Fourth Millennium is very likely to amount to more than enough new material for me to consider making a charged release for my patrons, so look out for that at the end of August. Meanwhile, the material I produce for Travellercon will also be a patron release at some point, whether part of a free or charged release remains to be seen.

Looks like it’s going to be a very busy month. Not a problem I mind having, as long as I can keep up with my other commitments at the same time.