I'm Working on the first of several planned expansion packs for the Broadsword setting from Deep7 games.
This first pack will include a small campaign setting for the game. I posted a proposed map here at the Lair a few days ago. Today I thought I'd give you all a glimpse of the format I'm planning to use to present the kingdom and nation data.
I took a tip from a marketing class I took in college. It's called a S.W.O.T analysis, and is used to map out the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats to a company or business plan.
Below is a sample excerpt from the Gazetteer. Let me know what you think.
Al-Khalid
Al-Khalid is a major trading city of the southern continent. It’s located at the foot of the Drujistan Mountains. Raids from Jaga and Morgal tribesmen in the Mountains are plaguing the city's spice farms. Spices and exotic opiates are the main exports of the city. There is a fairly large slave trade because of the proximity to the jungles to the west. Slavers from Al-Khalid often brave the large jungle and raid villages in the interior for slaves.
Al-Khalid is a major trading city of the southern continent. It’s located at the foot of the Drujistan Mountains. Raids from Jaga and Morgal tribesmen in the Mountains are plaguing the city's spice farms. Spices and exotic opiates are the main exports of the city. There is a fairly large slave trade because of the proximity to the jungles to the west. Slavers from Al-Khalid often brave the large jungle and raid villages in the interior for slaves.
S.W.O.T Analysis for Al-Khalid
Strengths
Location: Al-Khalid has no close neighbors. Any state thinking to invade it must cross a great deal of territory to lay siege to the city. The lack of farms and pastureland means that any invading force won’t be able to do much foraging for supplies. Any invaders will need a large logistics and support system to keep their soldiers fed during a siege.
Resources: The area surrounding Al-Khalid is one of the few in the world with the right combination of weather and soil conditions to produce a wide variety of rare and valuable spices and opiates; as such Al-Khalid is a very rich city.
Weaknesses
Defense: Militarily, Al-Khalid is weak. Their navy is small and only concerned with policing their immediate coastline. The army is manned by paid mercenaries that patrol the spice farms and try to keep mountain raiders from disrupting production and attacking caravans. Military expeditions into the Drujistan Mountains to eradicate the tribes have all failed miserably.
Opportunities
Tribal wars: Two of the major mountain tribes; the Morgal and the Jaga are in a fierce territorial war right now. There are factions among the guilds that support the funding of one side in the hopes of gaining concessions from them once they defeat the other. Another faction advocates letting the tribes bleed themselves dry and then funding an army to destroy the surviving tribe, ending the problem for good.
Threats
Tribal unification: more than anything else the people of Al-Khalid fear the possibility of a leader rising from amongst the mountain tribes, a leader with enough strength and charisma to unite the disparate tribes and bring them down upon the city in a frenzy of blood and steel.
I've toyed with using a SWOT analysis for my church,as well, but not for a marketing plan.
ReplyDeleteI do like how you've incorporated it in your gazetteer. It gives you a nice, concise overview of the area in question.
Bravo!
I wouldn't use "S.W.O.T. Analysis" as a heading, because it's not necessary and a little confusing if you don't know what it is and are glancing at the text. Otherwise, the actual SWOT categories are great. A really nice idea for keeping the entries short and focused.
ReplyDelete"the cities spice farms" should be "city's"
"I wouldn't use "S.W.O.T. Analysis" as a heading, because it's not necessary and a little confusing if you don't know what it is and are glancing at the text."
ReplyDeleteThat is actually a very good point. I originally included it to keep myself straight. But you are right it adds nothing to the text and can be confusing. Thanks for the help David.
It's a great mechanic though ... SWOT. I'll have to remember that. It's always good to apply some kind of parallel organizational structure that makes sense, rather than just writing down whatever you think is important. The SWOT mechanic makes sure you think of things you might not have otherwise.
ReplyDelete