Index

Sime~Gen background data

• A map of Norwest Territory and neighbouring Gen territories. Norwest is a small territory, covering parts of Washington state, parts of British Columbia, parts of Oregon and parts of Idaho. Use geographic features as boundaries - Simes tended to occupy defensible terrain in mountains and forests, or across fast-flowing rivers from Gens.
  Nivet Territory is huge, and extends a long way west. The 'high eyeway' mentioned in Zelerod's Doom is the old route 80 from Sacramento to Chicago. Existing cities on that route are Carsity (Carson City), Lake City (Salt Lake City), L'ramie (Laramie), Shen (Cheyenne?) and Cago (Chicago). Note that L'ramie is in the neighbouring Gen territory, as, I assume, are Carsity and Lake City. Whoever does this project will need to reread Zelerod's Doom to be sure of their locations.
  The route from Tuck to Shen either follows the old eyeway (routes 40 and 25) from Tucumcari, through Albuquerque (Mountain City?) and up route 25 (I can't identify Ardo Pass on this map) to Capital (Denver?) and thence to Shen (Cheyenne), or goes through the way Klyd and Risa actually went, taking the shortcut past the ruins of Las Vegas.
  I assume that the western border of Nivet is near route 25, and the northern is near route 80, at the time of Zelerod's Doom. I place the houses which were destroyed during the book up around route 90.
  Major flaw in my theory: Rialite is somewhere near Tonapah, Nevada in the map in Zelerod's Doom.

• Prehistory of Sime~Gen, including why Simes and Gens are Simes & Gens (IE: noone knows, and why), and the history of the split into Sime and Gen territories. 2-4 pages.
• Sime and Gen nature, and childhood. Four or five pages.
• Zlinning, nagers, etc. Two pages or so, maybe four or five depending on depth of treatment.
• Physiology and anatomy of Simes and Gens, especially the nervous systems of Companions and Channels and how they differ from those in ordinary Simes and Gens. Two to Four pages, unless you can be fascinating. :)
• Genetics of Simes and Gens, and/or childbirth and child survival stats. One or two pages without genetics, two to four with depending on fascination factor. :)
• Augmentation. What it is, what it can do. Two pages? Maybe four.
• Life cycle of Simes and Gens.
• Pathologies of Simes and Gens, including pathologies of channels and companions.
• Transfer. Everything and anything about transfer, including normal transfer, pathologies of transfer, how it interferes with the sexual cycle...
• Changeover and Establishment, normal sequence and pathologies. As much as necessary.
• Firstyear training in a Household. One or two pages.
• Channel and Companion healing. One or two pages.
• Why channels and companions are so wonderful, what Households are, and why Households aren't commonly accepted. As much as necessary, ideally two to four pages.
• Other ways to survive, alternatives to Households, alternatives to Channels. Two to four pages.
• Zelerod's Doom. What is it, why Norwest (in the main timeline) fell to it, ways it could have been avoided. Two to four pages, ties in to the next section - Norwest Territory development.

Norwest Territory development

• Norwest Territory timeline.
• Six or seven key events on the timeline, including the founding of the first stable Sime City in Norwest, the founding of a system of government in Norwest, the founding of Norwest's first Household and the reason for Norwest's dissolution. One to two pages for each event.
  Actually, I'll take advice. Should the reason Norwest fell be left unknown?
• Descriptions of life in Sime territory and in Gen territory at each stage of Norwest's existence. One page each for Sime, Gen and Household (if applic) for each era. Stages include:
  1. Before the first stable Sime City
  2. During the period between the founding of the City and the founding of a government
  3. Between founding of a government and determining a rough treaty between Sime and Gen governments (possibly unspoken treaty determining acceptable raiding and acceptable borders)
  4. Between the treaty and the founding of the first Household
  5. Between the Households era and when things fell apart
• A section on clothing, shiltprons, trin tea, and all those other delightful things which make life there so different from ours, and yet so similar.
• Norwest Gypsies. Two to four pages.
• Norwest Rathorites/Merryweathers/alternate lifestyles. Two to four pages.
• Licenced raiders. One or two pages, or part of ...
• Genpens, Gendealers and Genrunners. Two to four pages, five or six with licenced raiders.
• Freeband raiders.
• Gen border patrol.
• Sime governmental structures (note: zlinning affects government)
• Gen governmental structures

Norwest Territory Households

Note that this has to be made up - no such households exist in the published works.

Roleplay Techniques

Gamemastering Techniques

• Gamemastering conflict: when to run without dice, when dice are necessary, how to make dice 'invisible', how to use dice for tension (shh, I hear dice rolling!), how to not use dice at all. Four pages, goes in game mechanics section.

• What is a story, how to plan a story
• Why a story never goes how you intended, and what to do to keep the game going when you're at a loss.
• When to call a food run: giving yourself thinking time.
• When to let the players go on without you. When not to.
• What is conflict anyway?
• How to use the game mechanics to work WITH you.
• The themes beneath Sime~Gen: compassion
• Themes beneath Sime~Gen: reincarnation/doing it over till you get it right
• Themes beneath Sime~Gen: whatever you (playtester) want to write about
• Themes beneath Sime~Gen: gamemaster's own themes
• Techniques: foreshadowing
• Techniques: flashbacks
• Techniques: repeated imagery/motifs
• Techniques: use the senses
• Techniques: characterisation
• Techniques: scene setting
• Techniques: other
• Anything else which will be helpful to a gamemaster.

Game Scenarios