Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[kiba]

I propose that there should be a dwarven postage system in which dwarves mail each other letters acrosses different forts and towns.

For example, if a 160 years old great grandmother just die, you will get a delivered a letter informing the relevant dwarf the losses, which will cause him to suffer bad thoughts.

However, it doesn't means all letters are delivered. If the mailman got murdered by bandits on the way, or the letter is lost on the way, etc, than the dwarves won't get notification in a timely manner or maybe not at all. Thus, it is prudent to send the same letter three times on different routes and different time.

If the territory is pretty safe, you can bet that delivery will be swift and timely. There can be a new job for clerks who have to write back that the dwarf in question is dead. Than you can have jobs for couriers and courier guards!

[darknessofthenight]

Seems interesting. I always pictured trained cats delivering messages.

[kilakan]

could help deal with the quantum 'Everydwarf knowing everything all the time'  hivemind issue we kinda have going about parties and bad thoughts

[Graknorke]

Couldn't news just come with the caravans?

[kiba]

Couldn't news just come with the caravans?

That's one way to get messages, but for certain news, you want "pony express"

For example, urgent war messages, or messages for funeral invitations, sudden summary of a champion, etc.

[GoombaGeek]

That is a great idea. I fully endorse it, and it would be a great way to control the flow of information (since we already enjoy playing "thought police" and making sure there is no body left behind). I also think the overseer should be able to assign expedition leaders, mayors or nobles to draft letters to other fortresses with certain predetermined messages, like "Request more migrants", "Request soldiers", "Send tribute" and more. This would allow you to curry favour with your home civ; sending them your riches would make them more willing to send an armed force for you to house, but killing your own caravans would make them more likely to send the armed force against you.

Even better, letters could show up in worldgen (probably written on hide or leather) with random names. The humans embroiled in The Battle of Sparks could send a dispatch to their enemies, the elves, asking for a peaceful settlement and offering goods ("The 567 Treaty of the Battle of Sparks", "The 567 Battle of Sparks Dispatch", etc.), or a goblin civ could demand food and slaves from a weak dwarven civ ("The 1050 Letter of Subjugation", etc.). Letters could be saved in keeps, and historical hostile letters could be saved and make that civ less likely to desire peace/trade with their historical oppressors (since the people in charge have read these old letters and were appalled). They could also be lost, either by wreck of cart or the sacking of a keep, or stolen by kobolds even. An adventurer might have to steal back the Elven Reinsurance Treaty of 938 from bandits or even terrorists before the sun sets in two days' time or the elves will declare war on their home civ.

This is a fantastic idea! Thank you for posting it; it never really occurred to me.

[Andrew425]

I like this idea. I think it would be best set up so that only forts send messages to each other through caravans or through an armed convoy. When wars happen the king might send a letter demanding aid. Your Baron might try to marry jis daughter to another fortress to secure an alliance. You could send a letter to a fortress in the area that you are musyering a force to fight the goblins and want to meet.

You'd be able to read the message and ignore it if you want to or act on it in multiple ways.

As for interpersonal dwarven communications I don't think its needed. Perhaps when the caravan comes he can update the dwarves about deaths and stuff without you having to deal with it.

[darknessofthenight]

I think for urgent news or if something is not worth an armed escort you could send a single dwarf who could walk, ride an animal, or travel by chariot.

[kiba]

I think for urgent news or if something is not worth an armed escort you could send a single dwarf who could walk, ride an animal, or travel by chariot.

A chariot is lot more useless if there's no paved roads. A horse or an eagle is better.

[kiba]

Hmm. You could have war correspondence that tell the dwarves' deeds and life in the war.

You could have historian sniff through the letters after the local government confiscated the letters under "national treasure" reason. A very good historian will be able to sniff through the lies and put the truth together.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Here's an interesting question: How did mail delivery work in the real-world medieval world?

[GoombaGeek]

Wanna look that up yourself?

[Itsdavyjones]

I love this idea.

[Kipi]

Here's an interesting question: How did mail delivery work in the real-world medieval world?

More or less the same way it worked back in Ancient Rome; slowly (compared to current time). Most often the messages were carried by couriers with horses. The requirements to become a courier was to be physically fit (strong and healthy) to survive the journey and know more than one language. In case of religious messages, the courier was required to have knowledge of Latin.

It usually was a freelance work, due the nature and dangers, and the couriers were usually competing against other couriers. It wasn't even rare to have situation where the courier was ambushed by another courier just to get the given task from the original one, especially if the message was important and the clients were wealthy and powerful enough.

[kiba]

Can't you create a high speed mail delivery system with outposts that have fresh horses and food and bed for couriers? That way, couriers work as part of a network.