Responding to an old question, in case it's something you feel like adding a few more cases of:
Finally, I'm hoping to have a system of legal/illegal goods on the black market, depending on what the government has outlawed. Alcohol can be one, I guess, but any ideas on other things? I'm not too sure what drugs or illegal substances were present in ancient societies, although I'm willing to make some up for the sake of interesting gameplay.
I'm not sure how much of this is anciently attestable, but perhaps:
- Various sorts of arms and munitions. The controlling faction might have a technological advantage (e.g. the only bronze swords around) which it wishes to avoid falling into enemy hands. For that matter, any particular other thing else (food, clothes, ...) of which other factions thought probable near-future enemies are in short supply.
- Writings which are subversive or against the morals or precepts of the controlling faction (obscene, anti-Communist, ...). If there's enough literacy for that as a category. Or non-languagey symbols: a strict-monotheist religion might prevent you selling symbols of other religions' false gods, etc.
- Items proscribed by sumptuary law? i.e. stuff too extravagant for the commoners.
- Stolen goods?
- Items at the wrong price, under a factional price control law. (ISTR the Romans etc. having had price control laws, but not the details.)
- Things whose manufacture and sale is the legally-blessed preserve of a certain faction: I guess I'm more thinking of a medievalesque guild system here, but who knows, a given faction of e.g. farriers with enough political clout could make anyone else selling a horseshoe illegal.
- Anything, if you don't pay your protection money, capisce?
- State (faction) secrets? Though that's a whole other mechanics can of worms.
ETA:
Not too much, but here are a few. Keep in mind these first two are extremely rough. They show the combat view that I currently have. This one shows my wonky combat system in a small scuffle. The gray and cyan in the background is the early work on a city street generator:
Ancient cities didn't tend to be planned, and grid-like streets are a feature of planned cities, AFAIK. If I were you I'd have the city layout generator be accretive, instead: take the principal roads to nearby places, erect a bunch of buildings along them growing outwards, put in some new peripheral roads as seeds governed by where the extant buildings are every once in awhile, etc. I think someone in FotF (or the suggestions forum?) posted a bunch of good maps illustrating this once, when Toady was doing city maps. Oh, and add city walls in the accretion process now and then too (e.g.
London 1300).
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Topic: Iron Testament - an ancient "open world roguelike" (pre-alpha) (Read 81987 times)