The Deck of Ages is inspired by Starfinder’s Deck of Many Worlds, but is not the Deck of Many Worlds.
Traits define aspects of the age. I outlined the nine traits I’m using, to start, and as expected that’s changing.
Traits are key elements that describe an age. These are tendencies, not hard definitions, and there will be exceptions to these tendencies. For example, ‘low magic’ means magic is not common, it does not mean powerful wizards don’t exist.
In the trait descriptions below, I’ll give examples of what high and low traits mean. These may be representative but not exhaustive: there can be other interpretations.
Core Traits
I’ll start with traits from Starfinder’s Galaxy Exploration Manual. These will probably be common across ages, but not all ages will have all of them prominent.
- Accord describes how well people work together. High accord indicates people generally work well together, or at least there is not much disruption due to disagreement. Low accord means people generally don’t get along, and anyone can be an threat.
- Good/Evil describes the general attitude toward the well-being of others. Good tends to be more benevolent, evil more malevolent.
- Law/Chaos describes the general attitude toward order and disorder. Law tends to like conformity and predictability, chaos likes individuality and surprise.
- Magic describes how much effect magic has on the world. High magic can mean it’s well-integrated or just that an mighty wizard has conquered the world. Low magic can mean ‘only low-level spells’, but it’s as likely to mean magic is just uncommon.
- Religion describes how much effect religion has on the age. High religion can mean deities walk the world, or maybe they have left but their worshipers are still devout. Low religion can mean there are or never have been deities, or maybe mortals don’t care.
- Technology describes how advanced an age is in a relatively mundane sense. High technology has advanced technology commonly available. Low technology can mean only crude materials and construction.
Expanded Traits
After this, I’m expanding the list of traits. Originally I’d added three traits, and I see more coming. Some of the traits seem to expand on or are more precise versions of others. I’m pretty okay with that, absolutely okay for this early in the process.
- Civilization (or maybe ‘settlement’) describes how well-settled an age is. High civilization means there are many settlements, and there is enough infrastructure to support it. Low civilization means settlements are small, few, and far between.
- Climate describes how generally livable the age is. Arability is a major element, but general comfort and other resources also can be. High climate ages have readily available food and building materials (or little need for shelter). Low climate ages have food shortages or much time and energy need to be spent on shelter.
- Elemental Traits Initially I thought of having Air/Earth and Fire/Water, but it doesn’t have to be so. Fire and water are different, to be sure, but can be combined to make steam.
- Air (Wind?) is a notable feature of the age. Whether storms or stillness, stagnant or clean, air helps define the age.
- Earth (Stone? Land? Mountains?) is a notable feature of the age. Mountains, earthquakes, new lands appearing, lands disappearing, even just a defining land form, earth is important.
- Fire (Heat? Cold?) is a notable feature of the age. Whether hot (high) or cold (low), fire affects much.
- Water (Seas/Oceans? The River?) is a notable feature of the age. Excessively humid, bone-acheingly dry, or major bodies of water (or their lack).
- Life/Death was initially going to be a dichotomy, but I can see a difference between ‘low life’ and ‘high death’.
- Life is a notable feature of the age. High life suggests great fecundity and verdant growth. Low life indicates less fertility, even sterility.
- Death is a notable feature of the age. High death suggests death is common and hard to avoid, or even welcomed as the next step to immortality! (Or at least, continued existence as undead.) Low death suggests long lifespans or a dearth of undead.
- Planar describes how much interaction there is with other planes. High planar ages have thin veils between the worlds, many portals, many summoned creatures. Low planar ages have little interaction between the planes.
- Xenoculture (open to another word) describes the ‘humanity/inhumanity’ (worse words, IMO) of the age. Medium alien is probably your regular D&D setting: mostly human and ‘humanoid’/’demihuman’, with some aberrations in the shadows. High alien means the prominent species/races are alien. Low alien means there can be other intelligent species, but they are still fairly close to humans.
Together, this gives me 16 traits.
How to Apply in Deck of Ages
I realized the other day that truly, I don’t need 90 cards to use this. The Deck of Ages needs only one card per trait.
Instead of having 90 cards with permutations of two positive, two negative, and two neutral, just have one per trait. Draw and place in order: first two are positive, second two are neutral, last two are negative. If there were nine traits total, the remaining three do not describe the age. (I make a distinction between ‘neutral’ — actively defined as ‘normal’ — and ‘irrelevant’.)