Millennia

Inspirations:
-	How to Host a Dungeon by Tony Dowler
-	The Quiet Year by Avery Mcdaldno
-	Heavy is the Head by Simon Carryer
-	Downfall by Caroline Hobbs
-	Microscope by Ben Robbins
-	Fiasco by Jason Morningstar 
-	In a Wicked Age by Vincent Baker
-	playing too many video games

The purpose of the game is to collaboratively create a fantasy setting with your fellow players and play out millennia of history and conflict in that setting. While there is war and conflict, it doesn’t occur between the players but between different fictional societies and subgroups that different players can direct at different times.

The game is played in five Ages.  In the Age of Creation, all players collectively draw a map of the game world.  

The other four Ages, Myth, Legend, History, and Memory, involve taking turns to play through the events of the ages of this world.  In each age, take turns being the first player, or roll randomly to determine who will be the first player.  The first player must make a specific move (A).  Each other player in turn may choose any of the moves for that age.  Choose your move, roll 1d6, choose one of the options for that number,  add your own details, and record the events on the world map or lined paper.   Each age should take 2-3 rounds of every player taking turns.  The last player may have to make a specific move.  

If you roll a result that doesn't fit with what has gone before, feel free to re-roll.  Of course, instead of  rolling, you could always choose an option from the list, or create your own option not on the list.

Actions in the game, CANNOT UNDO WHAT A PLAYER HAS DONE. Things only go forward, not back. Even if the ocean swallows an island community into the sea, it’s not simply erased but leaves behind refugees that must go elsewhere and ruins beneath the sea that someone may someday uncover.

1.  Creation (Natural Terrain)
1. In the beginning ...
First, how was the world made?  The first player rolls (1d6) and details:
1.	The land rose from the waters   or   from the bones of a vast ancient creature
2.	The world hatched from an egg  or  from the fruit of the world tree.
3.	Created by the gods  or  created by the one god.
4.	Built by travelers from beyond the stars  or  the dream of stones.
5.	Eddies of cooling gas and debris from a cosmic explosion.
6.	Several worlds came together to form this one. 

2. Basic Terrain
Give each player a piece of blank paper (for mapping) and some lined paper (for keeping notes, since you don’t want to write much on the map).   

On the blank sheet, each player sketches out the basic natural terrain of a landscape, a specific swath of terrain that distinct from the landscapes of the other players. 
 1.	Rolling hills  or  grasslands.
 2.	Forbidding mountains  or  rugged coastline of cliffs and fjords.
 3.	Swamp  or  jungle.
 4.	Desert  or  forest.
 5.	Archipelago in the sea   or   island continent.
 6.	Exotic (floating island in the sky  or  metal body of a giant ancient robot).

Don't fill up your map too much, you'll want a lot of blank space left.  In terms of scale, you’re going to eventually be drawing small cities on your map with distinct districts and large buildings that are visible, so don’t zoom out too much. A major city is probably the size of a playing card. A large castle or fortress is probably the size of your thumb.  

2. Key Landmarks
Next, take turns swapping maps with the other players, with each player adding or elaborating upon one specific feature drawn on every other player’s map. If you don’t already see something that sparks your interest, consider adding something that fits in with what’s already there (1d6): 
 1.	A river flowing through the low areas  or  a wooded valley  or  a tranquil pool.
 2.	A series of caves  or  a cluster of lakes  or  a chain of islands.
 3.	A high peak  or  a deep chasm  or  a great herd or pack of wild beasts.
 4.	A waterfall  or  a volcano  or  a huge tool abandoned by the gods.
 5.	A strangely shaped boulder  or  a graveyard of giant bones  or  a frozen sea.
 6.	An enormous tree  or  a portal to another world  or  a site of wild magic.

Remember to be polite when drawing on someone else’s map: support what they’ve done rather than undermining or destroying it, and don’t use it as an excuse to simply impose your own vision all over the place.

3. Combining Them
Once you are done with this very basic sketch, tape your landscapes together to form a map of the setting that the game will take place in. The last player rolls (1d6):
 1.	The world is round, the edges of your map wrap around to the other side, 
	or the world is flat, the edges of your map are the edges of the world.
 2.	One of the landscapes is a moon, separate from the rest of the world,
	or each landscape is a separate world, connected by a series of magic portals.
 3.	In between the various landscapes are vast areas of open ocean,
	or the various landscapes are all connected by one great river.
 4.	The landscapes are connected by bands of cold, temperate and hot climates,
or one of the landscapes is a vast underground cavern.
 5.	The landscapes blend and overlap at the edges.  
 6.	Some borders are impassable mountains, other are easy to cross.   

Working together, make any adjustments or additions that you need to blend the landscapes together at the edges.  Use combining the maps as an another opportunity to be influenced by what other people have done and to pull some of those elements into your own landscape.  

2. Myth (The Golden Age of the Ancients)

The next part of the game involves playing through the lost “golden age” that occurred long ago. During this phase, players take turns selecting one of the moves below and making it occur somewhere on the combined map.  

The first player must Introduce a New Ancient Society.
  
A. Introduce a New Ancient Society
The first player must chose this move.  Add an ancient society to one of the landscapes, initially as a small community living close to a source of shelter and sustenance.  These Ancients are (1d6):
1.	Giants  
2.	Fairies
3.	Intelligent beasts (1 apes, 2 birds, 3 canines, 4 felines, 5 reptiles, 6 mixed) 
4.	Insects or spiders
5.	Aquatic 
6.	Beings of pure energy  or  tentacled horrors

B. Add Buildings and Wonders
Add one of the following within or adjacent to an existing community (1d6):
1.	A technological marvel  or  a site of great magic.
2.	A floating building or city  or  a hole left from extracted resources.
3.	The entrance to an underground complex  or  a great wall.
4.	A domestication or harnessing of nature  or  a monument or tomb.
5.	Preparations and instruments of war  or  preparations to leave this world.
6.	A Legendary people  or  a race of monsters.

C. Expand a Society
The nature of the expansion is (1d6):
1.	Search for sufficient resources (follow the resource and found a new outpost)
2.	Join a neighboring community (start an outpost among a different society)
3.	Exiling criminals or heretics (move away, turn bandit or start a community)
4.	Schism in the society (move far away and found a new community)
5.	Merge with a neighboring community (combine two adjacent communities)
6.	Population growth (move nearby and found a new outpost)

D. Make War 
A community attacks either (a) another community or (b) part of its own community declared to be heretics and criminals.  If there is only one community, split them into two factions.   As a result (1d6):
1.	Exodus (one community is driven out, forced into another area.)
2.	Rebellion (a related community arms itself for war and rises up)
3.	Destruction (one community is Lost (see F))
4.	Destitution (The whole area is cursed or barren, all resources in the area are destroyed, both societies must leave, create a wonder, or are Lost (see F))
5.	Imperialism (one community is now occupied by members of another)
6.	Better Weapons (create more powerful instruments of war)

If you are the last player, both Societies are Lost (See F).

E. Invoke the Power of Nature
Some kind of natural disaster occurs or the natural world otherwise impedes upon the activities and internal squabbles of the ancient societies. Inflict one of the following (1d6):
1.	River, lake, or ocean waters rise in a particular area, due to heavy storms
or  rivers and lakes dry, and islands rise from the receding sea.
2.	Mountains crumble or the land cracks from major earthquakes
or  new mountains are formed by earthquakes or volcanic action
3.	A race of monsters emerges from their lairs and attack communities,
or  a single huge monster emerges from it's lair and attacks communities.
4.	The climate shifts, bringing intense cold or heat, or destroying a key resource
or   wild plant or fungus growth spreads, creating a vast forest. 
5.	Mystic planar energy teleports a major feature to a distant part of the map
or  wild magic transforms a major feature into something different.
6.	A great plague sweeps across several adjacent communities, killing many
or  a meteor strike creates a huge crater, and a dust that blocks out the sun.

Are any of the ancient societies Lost as a result?  If you are the last player, all remaining Societies are Lost (See F).

F.  A Society is Lost.  
You may make this move as part of Making War or Invoking the Power of Nature, or you may make this move on its own.  The society goes into decline, departs this world, or sleeps for ages.  Something of them survives (1d6):
 1.	Their buildings   or   artifacts. 
 2.	Their language  and stories  or  their rituals.  
 3.	Their domesticated beasts   or  their roads and waypoints.
 4.	Their bloodlines  or  a way to their new, hidden home.
 5.	Their bloodlines  or  a way to their new, hidden home.
 6.	A few scattered, isolated survivors  or  a way of contacting them. 

The last player must declare all remaining Societies are Lost, either by Making War, Invoking the Power of Nature, or simply declaring the last Society is Lost.  When all the Ancient Societies are Lost, the Age of Myth ends.  

3.  Legend (The Dark Age)
The Age of Legends may last for thousands of years.

A. Introduce a New Legendary Society
The first player must chose this move.  Add an ancient society to one of the landscapes, initially as a small community living close to a source of shelter and sustenance, perhaps in the ruins of the Ancients.   The Legendary Society is made up of people, but they may not be human.  Choose a few visible, outward signs that distinguish these people from modern humans, and reflects the people's origins.  These people are (1d6):
 1.	From the sky  or  from the deep
 2.	Children of the Ancients  or  the Ancients, transformed.
 3.	Made by the Ancients  or  the Ancients, reincarnated.
 4.	Stole from the Ancients  or  escaped from the Ancients.
 5.	Raised up by the gods  or  from another world
 6.	Evolved from beasts  

B.  Introduce a Character or Organization (1d6):
 1.	Hero  or   movement.   What do they protect?
 2.	Monster   or   cult.   What do they destroy?   
 3.	Ruler   or  dynasty.   What do they rule?
 4.	Prophet  or  religion.   What do they teach? 
 5.	Builder  or  institution.   What do they build?  
 6.	Rebel  or  criminal cabal.   What do they want?

C. Add Buildings and Wonders 
Add one of the following within or adjacent to an existing community (1d6):
 1.	A system of roads  or  a fleet of ships.
 2.	A great city with a castle or  a network of small towns.
 3.	A tunnel  or  a bridge.
 4.	A mine  or  a dam  or  a lighthouse. 
 5.	Preparations and instruments of war  or  a castle or temple
 6.	Discover a lost secret of the Ancients. 

D. Expand a Society or Organization
See page 3.  (1d6+1)

E. Make War 
See page 3.  Roll 1d6+1.  Note that Legendary Societies are not Lost, but they may be displaced, weakened, scattered, or enslaved.

F. Invoke the Power of Nature
See page 3.  Note that Legendary Societies are not Lost, but they may be displaced, weakened, or scattered.

The last player draws borders around the various nations.   At the end of the Age of Legends, all players take turns naming the nations.  

4.  History (The Modern Age)  
The Age of Modern History my last from a hundreds to thousands of years.  Modern people are mostly ignorant of Myth. 

A.  Introduce a New Historic Clan.  
The first player must chose this move.  Add a clan to one of the landscapes, probably within or near a Legendary city.   Modern people are mostly human.  Choose a visible outward sign that distinguishes this clan from other humans, and reflects some aspect of their legendary ancestors.   This clan has (1d6):
 1.	Wealth and political power
 2.	Ties to the ancient world
 3.	A terrible secret
 4.	Tragedy, persecution
 5.	Nomadic lifestyle
 6.	Explorers and adventurers.

B.  Create a detailed map of an existing city.  
Take a blank index card, and draw the basic layout of an existing city.  Name the city.  What are it's major roads, districts, or landmarks?  As with the Creation maps, pass the card to all players, who each add a feature or landmark to the city.  If necessary, number the features and write out more detail about them on a lined sheet.  
 1.	A factory   or   bridge
 2.	A rail yard   or  ship yard
 3.	A university  or  prison
 4.	An inn  or  slum
 5.	A park  or  graveyard
 6.	A military base  or  mansion

Place the index card over the city's location on the larger world map.  You can still “zoom out” by removing the index card to see the surrounding landscape.

C. Add a Revolutionary Wonder
 1.	A system of travel within cities  or  a system of communication.
 2.	A system of travel between cities  or  a system of medicine.
 3.	A new way to wage war  or  a new way to police cities.
 4.	A way to live in previously inaccessible areas  or  a new source of energy.
 5.	Improve an existing wonder  or  make an existing wonder widely accessible.
 6.	Discover a lost secret of the Ancients. 

D. Expand a Society or Clan.
See page 3.  Roll 1d6+2.  

E. Make War 
See page 3.  Roll 1d6+2.  Note that Historical Societies are not Lost, but they may be displaced, weakened, scattered, or enslaved.

5. Memory (Now)
The Age of Memory is only the last 20-50 years.  

A.  Introduce a character.  
The first player must choose this move.  Before the game ends, every player should create at least one character.   Place this character somewhere on the world map, probably within a detailed city.
1.	A child of the Modern Age  or  a highly trained professional.
2.	Part of a Historic clan  or  traveler from a distant land. 
3.	From a Legendary people  or  learned a dangerous secret. 
4.	Descended from a Legendary hero or monster  or  an orphan.
5.	Empowered by Mythic beings, magic, or artifacts  or  falsely accused.
6.	Empowered by the forces of Creation   or   leaving their old life behind.

E.  Add a relationship.
The relationship should involve at least one existing character.
 1.	Parent and child  or  teacher and student.
 2.	Siblings  or  betrothed.
 3.	Friends  or  rivals.
 4.	Professional and client  or  master and servant.
 5.	New partners  or  ex-partners.
 6.	Enemies  or  sharing a secret.

D. Add detail to an existing city map.  
 1.	Gang territory  or  a crime scene
 2.	A guarded treasure   or  busy marketplace
 3.	A fire  or  riot
 4.	A condemned building   or  shining monument
 5.	A prison   or  subversive graffiti
 6.	A theater  or  a unique shop

E. Introduce a Plot.
The plot must involve at least one character.
1.	Steal something.  It is still missing.
or  search for something.  It is still missing.
2.	Attack someone.  The battle is still ongoing.
or  someone escapes.  They are still at large.
3.	Discover something.  It is still a mystery.
4.	Fall in love.  It is still undeclared.  
or  protect someone.  They are still in danger.
5.	Receive a prophesy.  It is still unclear.
or  a powerful ruler is dead.  Their succession is still in question.
6.	Invent something.  It is still unique.

F.  Start a scene.  
Who is there?  What is happening?  What is in question or at stake?  Choose at least one existing character to be part of the scene, although you may also create and name new characters as needed for the scene.  Choose which character you will play.  The other players may choose or create characters to play, or may take the role of the narrator / crowd / environment.  Roleplay the scene.  Do not resolve ongoing plots, although you may reveal more information about a plot.  If anything is gained, it should come at a cost.  
 
The last player must Introduce a Plot.  The game ends when all players have a character, and all characters are involved in an unresolved plot.