Inverse Earth: The Book

[reformer]

Ok, remember Inverse Earth? Great game, but the remake didn't work. well, I'm starting to write a novell based on the concept (not for publishing or anything, just practice.) Could the old Carribean players please post exactly what they were really doing breifly? Lots of cloak and dagger in that game. Can't get everything from the original message board.

[Diamond]

Tarkos was all about expanding the glory of the Empire and regaining 'lost' provinces - namely Sulia and Aiodill. They wanted the Shining Cities too, but those could wait. Tarkos had a secret alliance with Dzil-Naa; we were going to try a three-pronged invasion of Aiodill and Zergardii after Tarkos had dealt with Sulia.

Sulia was desperately seeking allies. Unfortunately, no one wanted to help 'em. :( They probably would have fallen to Tarkos, but then it would've been followed by decades of guerilla warfare in the mountains...

The Shining Cities wanted colonies, first and foremost. All they had was a relatively thin strip of land south of Tarkos (they had broken away from Tarkos centuries earlier), with no real room for expansion. As they were all independent city-states, their territorial ambitions would've been disorganized and probably wouldn't have amounted to much unless some Great Man came forward and united them. (That's what I was planning.)

The Azrit had been preyed upon for years by the Shining Cities, Tarkos, and the Seehdin, and they were getting sick of it. I'm not sure what I would have done with them, but it would have been cool. Yeah, cool. :)


*sigh*
Inverse Earth...

We should try it again, but start fresh, in a different region.

[reformer]

Well, I've never been able to totally forget this game. Keeps in the back of my mind. I do think it would make a good story though.

Sadly, I don't think starting in a new region would revover the old game. we had a nice diplomatic ballance of power dance going around in the Carribean. Its very hard to just recreate that. The thing that confuses me is why the original game died. Four players were in the middle of secret dealings, we were on the verge of a war, and no one was completely certain what was going to happen. And then, two months later, everyone reminices about it. . . ah well. It had a good if short run. Thanks for the info Diamond. . . it'll be used. may i ask what sort of great man would unite them (scholar, warrior, religious figure, politician)?

[Diamond]

Thanks for the info Diamond. . . it'll be used. may i ask what sort of great man would unite them (scholar, warrior, religious figure, politician)?
It probably would've been a powerful merchant who sees unification of the Cities as the only way he's ever going to get really stinking rich. Since no one else is stepping up to the plate, he decides to do it himself. He turns out to have an unexpected flair for strategy and statesmanship, and I was going to have him forge an alliance with the Azrit and possibly try to annex a chunk of southern Tarkos to secure the Cities' northern border.

[reformer]

That would have changed the order of things. If that were the case, the Council of Northern Kings would see another strong nation not run by an aristocracy, and try to form an alliance that would actually be able the hold the Dzil-Naa back. We were hoping to eventually try to encourage a mostly peaceful unification in thoes areas.

[Psychomeltdown]

Ok, remember Inverse Earth? Great game, but the remake didn't work. well, I'm starting to write a novel based on the concept (not for publishing or anything, just practice.) Could the old Caribbean players please post exactly what they were really doing briefly? Lots of cloak and dagger in that game. Can't get everything from the original message board.

Are you still attempting this Novel? Mainly because I would like to see it and I've been actually thinking of writing a few short stories on the War that Never Happened. :D

Here was my plans for the Future:

Dzil-naa

Goal One: Destroy Aiodill.

Goal Two: Destroy or cripple the Northern Kings.

Goal Three: Cripple the Tarkos and the Zergadii.

I had a whole plan fleshed out for the dismantling and destruction of Aiodill.


Alliances and Plenty of Gift Giving.

I had an alliance with the Zergardii and the Tarkos. The Tarkos alliance was a close guarded secret, I don't think the Zergardii knew.

Basically I allowed the Zergardii everything in the West, including a chunk of the Barbarian Lands near the Tsalaa River. The Tarkos would grab half or more of Aiodill and I'd get the River and a large chunk of the land. Tarkos would get the Straits and have free reign in the South. I get the North and the Whozhdee' Sea, once the Northern Kings were put in their place.

The Plan

The plan was basic. The Dzil-naa and the Zergardii would declare war upon the Aiodill. We'd capture the Tsalaa River, then push East. A large number of ships were being shipped to the Zergardii via the rivers of the interior. So those would be launched to deal with the Aiodill and Northern Kings ships along the Straits.

Once the war really got going, where the Aiodill were grinding themselves against the Kinzhon and sending forces to deal with the Zergardii and Dzil-naa threat on their western flank, the Tarkos would be sending legions to help the Aiodill from the East. At a given time they'd backstab them and wreck havoc upon the interior of Aiodill. If possible I was hoping the Tarkos would be able to blow the hell out of the Aiodill fleet with their Tarkos fire, if they could get their own ships mixed in with the Aiodill ships.

I think the Zergardii/Dzil-naa forces would be bypassing Pur and heading straight for Aio. The Tarkso would probably take Mesua and much of western Aiodill. Since now the Aiodill are outnumbered basically five to one (they had a small population) they're be a long grinding war to destroy them, trapping much of their army in the north and basically cutting them off. If they retreated south, the Dzil-naa forces in the Kinzhon would chase them as far as Pur and take the city.

My plan was to use only a small amount of Dzil-naa forces in this war, make excuses as to why I was keeping back most of my forces, and have it so the Tarkos and the Zergardii took most of the brunt of the fighting.

Just to spite Othniel, I was going to raze Aio and kill off it’s people. Basically all men and women, and enslave the children. There’d be much in the way of destroying temples, sacrificing whole towns for the gods, and much earth scorching. Who knows how long the war with Aiodill would have dragged on, but it was a unconditional surrender or be erased from the land kind of war on my part.


Once Aiodill was basically finished I’d deal with the Northern Kings, mainly relying upon the Tarkos fire to burn down their ships and towns. Also I’d be sending raiding parties on to destroy their mainland colonies. Sheer numbers and new allies, Zergardii, would basically force the Northern Kings to make a deal. Afterall the Aiodill are gone and they’re trading with no one significant. Terms would be laid and I’d get all the North and make sure to cripple their ship building capabilities.

after the Northern Kings were finished, I'd back stab the Zergardii. re ally with the Tarkos and wage another long war bloody war against the Zergardii. My goal was for the To'lin River and all lands between it and the Tsalaa and the Western coast colonies (old Aiodill).

I'd basically have control of all major waterways in the Middle Lands and be sitting pretty.



Seehdiin

Basically they’d be a Unifying war among the clans. The new Mother of the Clans would then send her warriors out to erases the Wetlanders from the earth. Starting with the barbarian tribes in the north and making their way southward.

I didn’t really know where I was going with these people. Just that they’d be a barbarian horde invading and killing everything in sight.

[Othniel]

Why do you hate me so?

[Psychomeltdown]

Why do you hate me so?
Mainly because I didn't like your religion (the Aiodill) and how they were all Warrior priests and such things.

Plus I wanted to cause as much destruction in the Middle Lands as possible.

:D :D :D

[Othniel]

Mainly because I didn't like your religion (the Aiodill) and how they were all Warrior priests and such things.

Plus I wanted to cause as much destruction in the Middle Lands as possible.

:D :D :D
Acualty I just think because I controlled the west.

[Psychomeltdown]

Acualty I just think because I controlled the west.
I didn't really care about the West. i was more concerned about the North, since the Northern Kings basically controlled everything there. I wanted it. ;) Plus it was the only logical way to expand, the West was already laid claim to by others, and the South was too populated. The North was nothing but plains and savages (including the Northern Kings).

Here's how things would have looked after the War. That is if Tarkos managed to conquer the Sulians.

[Diamond]

"...and thet's th' way the War happened, kiddies. Why, if only Gen'ral Psycho hadn't gone insane, we'd a ruled the world..." :D

That is if Tarkos managed to conquer the Sulians.
That's a big if. The Sulians had a lot going for them. First and foremost, they had incredible natural defenses - all those mountains. Food would've been tight, but they had hordes of goat and sheep :D herds for meat, and various fruits and nuts growing in mountain valley farms.

It would've been ugly. They would've held out a loooong time, bleeding Tarkos of much-needed troops for the war in the west.

[Othniel]

And then the Asyrrians from Altverse invade, the end. :rolleyes:

[Diamond]

I think the main reason I lost interest was that once again, I took too big a bite. Four distinct civilizations is just too much to handle.

(Plus, it was a bitch playing two of my nations against each other and trying to be fair about it and not confuse myself as to who was plotting with who.)

[Psychomeltdown]

"...and thet's th' way the War happened, kiddies. Why, if only Gen'ral Psycho hadn't gone insane, we'd a ruled the world..." :D
Hey, I did plan it all out. I even drew up a map of the defenses of Kinzhon Province.

That's a big if. The Sulians had a lot going for them. First and foremost, they had incredible natural defenses - all those mountains. Food would've been tight, but they had hordes of goat and sheep :D herds for meat, and various fruits and nuts growing in mountain valley farms.

It would've been ugly. They would've held out a loooong time, bleeding Tarkos of much-needed troops for the war in the west.
Well, the surprise factor would have added a lot in crippling the Aiodill. Not to mention the Tarkos Navy, whcih isn't needed in the war against the Sulia.

Figuring with much of the Tarkos, Dzil-naa, and Zergadii navies bashing the Aiodill we'd crack them sooner or later. Divide the Straits and cut off the southern colonies. smash the Northern side and deal with the southern at our lesiure. :D Plus the Zergadii had a lot of troops, more pressure on them to fight and it would make my job easier later. ;)

[Othniel]

Hey, I did plan it all out. I even drew up a map of the defenses of Kinzhon Province.


Well, the surprise factor would have added a lot in crippling the Aiodill. Not to mention the Tarkos Navy, whcih isn't needed in the war against the Sulia.

Figuring with much of the Tarkos, Dzil-naa, and Zergadii navies bashing the Aiodill we'd crack them sooner or later. Divide the Straits and cut off the southern colonies. smash the Northern side and deal with the southern at our lesiure. :D Plus the Zergadii had a lot of troops, more pressure on them to fight and it would make my job easier later. ;)
And if Scarecrow would have pulled out?

[Diamond]

Plus the Zergadii had a lot of troops, more pressure on them to fight and it would make my job easier later. ;)
But OTOH, then you would've been fighting hardened veterans with their backs up against the wall and no allies, so nowhere to retreat, so they would've fought like mad dogs...

Damn, I wish we would've kept it going. :(

[Othniel]

But OTOH, then you would've been fighting hardened veterans with their backs up against the wall and no allies, so nowhere to retreat, so they would've fought like mad dogs...

Damn, I wish we would've kept it going. :(
Rabid badgers.

[Othniel]

Tarkos was all about expanding the glory of the Empire and regaining 'lost' provinces - namely Sulia and Aiodill. They wanted the Shining Cities too, but those could wait. Tarkos had a secret alliance with Dzil-Naa; we were going to try a three-pronged invasion of Aiodill and Zergardii after Tarkos had dealt with Sulia.

Sulia was desperately seeking allies. Unfortunately, no one wanted to help 'em. :( They probably would have fallen to Tarkos, but then it would've been followed by decades of guerilla warfare in the mountains...

The Shining Cities wanted colonies, first and foremost. All they had was a relatively thin strip of land south of Tarkos (they had broken away from Tarkos centuries earlier), with no real room for expansion. As they were all independent city-states, their territorial ambitions would've been disorganized and probably wouldn't have amounted to much unless some Great Man came forward and united them. (That's what I was planning.)

The Azrit had been preyed upon for years by the Shining Cities, Tarkos, and the Seehdin, and they were getting sick of it. I'm not sure what I would have done with them, but it would have been cool. Yeah, cool. :)


*sigh*
Inverse Earth...

We should try it again, but start fresh, in a different region.
Acualty weren't your guys part of my empire, as we decided early on before the game?

[Diamond]

Acualty weren't your guys part of my empire, as we decided early on before the game?
Did we? :D I thought it'd be a neat twist if both nations claimed the other had been part of their empire at one point, back in the mists of time, breeding a kind of eternal rivalry of who had the most glorious ancient empire. :)

[Psychomeltdown]

But OTOH, then you would've been fighting hardened veterans with their backs up against the wall and no allies, so nowhere to retreat, so they would've fought like mad dogs...

Damn, I wish we would've kept it going. :(
Precisely. It was a war for the Gods. ;) the harder the enemy fought, the harder the warrior, the more honored the Gods would have been with the sacrifice.

PLus I'd be merrily burning everything Aiodill and shoving the surviving populations toward the Aiodill held areas. let them feed them and starve themselves. :D

[Othniel]

Did we? :D I thought it'd be a neat twist if both nations claimed the other had been part of their empire at one point, back in the mists of time, breeding a kind of eternal rivalry of who had the most glorious ancient empire. :)
We did, I held the Eastern part, but it broke up, and then Tarkos forcefully reunited it.

[Psychomeltdown]

Acualty weren't your guys part of my empire, as we decided early on before the game?
I think the Diyiin-maz valley was conquered and ruled by the Old Empire. But the Dzil-naa were late comers and basically a new force over the last few hundred years.

[Diamond]

If we ever do another Inverse Earth, here's an idea I've been thinking about that would provide a nicely meshed background and would avoid most of those annoying inconsistencies:

After all the regions had been claimed,
1. A random-order list of the players would be created.
2. The first player would flesh out a complete history for his region, using facts and tidbits from the other player's areas if he needed to.
3. Player two would then do the same, but he'd have to build on what player 1 already had.
4. Player 3, player 4, so forth.

At the end, you'd have a reasonably well put-together common history.

[DuQuense]

My land of the two rivers, was going to expand along the California, and across the sea to the Brazil, Argentine Area, and even explore the Antarctic ocean. I was thinking of a cross between the Egyptian and the British-trade Empires.

My Buffalo People in the England Lakes area, were going a-roving. Fear the Buffalo Ships--when they come out of the Fog.

[Psychomeltdown]

Yeah, I've been thinking too much on this lately...

Figure we could cobble together a bunch of stories, no? Make it Turtledovesque style, detailing various going ons from various POVs across IE Caribbean, but we all agree on a singular plot-line and work toward that. Then afterward edit it all together to make a story out of it.

Figure it could be about the War That Never Happened and the Conquest of Aiodill. Toss in a little Northern War, Seehdiin Unification, Sulian War, and other good stuff in for flavor and to show other parts of the world. ;)

Say two POVs per nation? that'll be about 16 POVs? :D Don't all have to be military types, just views that would give a general feel of what's happening in a nation and how things are, etc. Don't really want overlapping POVs and all.

Here's the plot line I've been thinking about:

Part One: Rumors of War
Basically intro of the characters and the Diplomatic going-ons. The first Northern Kings Treaty which banded the Middle Lands together against the Dzil-naa, the Aiodill and Kings Alliance, the Dzil-naa breaking up the Treaty and making secret Alliance with the Zergardii.

Part Two: The Drums of War
The battle of Reidolan Cape and the Dzil-naa declaring war upon the Northern Kings for sinking one of their ships. The preemptive strike against the Aiodill Protectorate (barbarian land) and the revelation that the Zergardii and the Dzil-naa had been plotting a war against the Aiodill for some time now.

Part Three: The March of War
the Tsalaa Campaign - D take Makaro and DZ take Jinyaka, Z begins the long siege of Ruul.
the Northern Raids (N. Kings) - kicking D navy's ass and raiding up and down the coast. take Islands west of Asheekapi and raid from there.
the Siege of Riedolan (Zergardii) - Zergardii navy and a bit of soldiers lay siege to the Aiodill outpost.
Kinzhon Stalemate - Aiodill and Dzil-naa forces staring at one another over the fortifications along their common boarder.
the Sulian War - Tarkos and Sulia fighting a slogging war.
Feelers to the Tarkos from the Dzil-naa for a secret alliance against the Aiodill.

Part Four: Men of War
the Tsalaa Campaign - DZ take Tsalaa River, Ruul still under siege, Aiodill sending larger army to deal with the DZ
the Northern Raids (N. Kings) - NK agents burn Asheekapi ships.
the Siege of Riedolan (Zergardii) - NK navy smashes Z fleet and uses Riedolan as a base of ops in the war against the DZ.
Kinzhon Stalemate - Aiodill and Dzil-naa forces still staring at one another over the fortifications along their common boarder.
the Sulian War - Tarkos and Sulia fighting a slogging war.
Eastern Aiodill - The Tarkos stab the Aiodill in the back and begin invading.

As in all Turtledove stories, this'll be the first year. Nothing going on in the Seehdiin until year 2, then the Unification War begins.

[reformer]

I just realised something: IE achieved exactly the stuff that ME is always trying: rediculously complicated diplomatic intrigue.

I've started my work, but so far have only worked at introductions to my own islands. Physco, I love your Turtledove idea. Multiple POV is the only way to do this story justice. We never should have killed this game. I mean, think about how much we've talked about this game after the fact. Of course we should never try IE2 again, but we really should do something with the grand original.

[Psychomeltdown]

I just realised something: IE achieved exactly the stuff that ME is always trying: rediculously complicated diplomatic intrigue.

I've started my work, but so far have only worked at introductions to my own islands. Physco, I love your Turtledove idea. Multiple POV is the only way to do this story justice. We never should have killed this game. I mean, think about how much we've talked about this game after the fact. Of course we should never try IE2 again, but we really should do something with the grand original.
I think most of the later talks derive from the fact that a lot of effort was put into thinking up a completely different world, from geography, to societies, etc.

The turtledove style POVs would probably work best, since there's a lot of ground to cover as in what's going on in the world.

[reformer]

Well, this book has been brought up again, so I think posting here is ideal.

I love IE, and would love to get a chance to do something with it. However, I don't think it would work as four books. We'd never get nearly enough material. I do agree however that it has to be done in a Turtledovian style with multiple POVs.

[Diamond]

If you and/or we actually make this into a book, it might be a good idea to revamp the map a little. What I mean is, keep the basic shapes of the bodies of water, but change things here and there to make them more organic and logical. (Come on, you know I of all people would bring up a map. :D )

[DuQuense]

Come on post a few chapters [or even partial outlines], in the Writers forum and whe will all help flesh them out.