Adam's Stepchildren: A collaborative effort.
Posted: 2004-03-16 04:09pm
Ok, you guys know me, you know I like to do new and interesting things, and here's one of them: We're going to write an alternate-history, and we're going to do it together.
How? You ask? By putting together or collective intellects and doing some good thinking.
Why? You ask? Why not.
Here's my POD (Point of Departure):
100,000 years ago Neanderthals ruled the earth. Not ruled really, but dominated. Then homo-sapiens came and drove them to extinction about 30,000 years ago.
But wait! The fickle hand of fate has changed history! A large group of neanderthals made the sociological "great leap forward" in intellect and social structure, and migrated to the Americas where there were no humans. They spread out and built their own civilization and prevented Native Americans from gaining any sort of foothold. Everything in Human history went as expected until 1492...
What I need from you is to help me figure out what a Neanderthal civilization would be like:
What is their social structure?
How do they live?
What do they value?
Also, how does history change? Genocidal wars? Peaceful trade? The enslavement of Neanderthals? Neanderthal conquest of Europe?
A few guidelines:
1. Neanderthals are not as advanced as Europeans. They may have gunpowder or not, but they're definitely late-middle ages.
2. Neanderthals have taboo about crossing deep water, so they never built big ships before Europe found them.
3. Everything we know physiologically about neanderthals applies; They're shorter than us, far stronger, and primarily meat-eaters.
4. Anthropology applies too: They lived in more 'clans' than single family groups, and even way-back-when they cared for their elderly.
5. No magic. Sorry.
6. They preferred cave-dwellings to other locations, maybe these neanderthals have stone cities and a decidedly dwarven bent.
7. Neanderthal population of the Americas is less-dense, possibly only 2/3 the population of Europe+Middle-East.
8. Neanderthals are immune to most human disease, but they could be carriers:twisted:
9. I like megafauna, so they didn't get hunted to extinction.
I'll function as a moderator and refine and focus ideas as we go.
Tallyho!
How? You ask? By putting together or collective intellects and doing some good thinking.
Why? You ask? Why not.
Here's my POD (Point of Departure):
100,000 years ago Neanderthals ruled the earth. Not ruled really, but dominated. Then homo-sapiens came and drove them to extinction about 30,000 years ago.
But wait! The fickle hand of fate has changed history! A large group of neanderthals made the sociological "great leap forward" in intellect and social structure, and migrated to the Americas where there were no humans. They spread out and built their own civilization and prevented Native Americans from gaining any sort of foothold. Everything in Human history went as expected until 1492...
What I need from you is to help me figure out what a Neanderthal civilization would be like:
What is their social structure?
How do they live?
What do they value?
Also, how does history change? Genocidal wars? Peaceful trade? The enslavement of Neanderthals? Neanderthal conquest of Europe?
A few guidelines:
1. Neanderthals are not as advanced as Europeans. They may have gunpowder or not, but they're definitely late-middle ages.
2. Neanderthals have taboo about crossing deep water, so they never built big ships before Europe found them.
3. Everything we know physiologically about neanderthals applies; They're shorter than us, far stronger, and primarily meat-eaters.
4. Anthropology applies too: They lived in more 'clans' than single family groups, and even way-back-when they cared for their elderly.
5. No magic. Sorry.
6. They preferred cave-dwellings to other locations, maybe these neanderthals have stone cities and a decidedly dwarven bent.
7. Neanderthal population of the Americas is less-dense, possibly only 2/3 the population of Europe+Middle-East.
8. Neanderthals are immune to most human disease, but they could be carriers:twisted:
9. I like megafauna, so they didn't get hunted to extinction.
I'll function as a moderator and refine and focus ideas as we go.
Tallyho!