Thorn Throne

[kgauck]

Discussion thread for Thorn Throne (http://www.birthright.net/brwiki/index.php/Thorn Throne). If you would like to add a comment, click the Post Reply button.

[kgauck]

It can be tempting to create a link for every noun, but unless we have specific BR terms to describe, we end up just being a dictionary.

Rey, what do you intend to link to from arboretum and palace, or forest, oak, maple, evergreen, settlement, rolling hills, foothill, mountain, marsh, and lake from the Tuarhievel page? Do these terms have a Birthright meaning that justifies a link, or are they just nouns?

[Rey]

I don't know, ask Sorontar.

[kgauck]

He's not creating links for common words that don't have special BR content.

[Rey]

Wanna bet?

[kgauck]

Yeah I do, because I pay attention to the rest of the Wiki. Most of the common things that linked are entries in the SRD. If there are game stats for something, like D20:Forest Terrain (Rules), or D20:Boar (Creature) then it can be linked to.

There is a method to the links.

[Rey]

So, what's so special about this taiga and not tundra or forest?

http://www.birthright.net/brwiki/index.php/Taiga

And what about that oak?
No problem, I can remove those links and let somebody else play with them.

[kgauck]

Putting up brief definitions of terrain types easily found elsewhere, like Tagia is not our purpose. I've seen the Tagia page, it should probably be tagged with a message to work this information into realm page text, or to include BR specific information, such as encounter tables, some interesting locations, descriptions of how Rjurik or Vos peoples interact with and so forth.

If there is a page you can imagine that would include palace rules, or build rules with a section on palaces, or a list of palaces, or something BR specific, then defiantly keep the link, or refine the link. If its just a block of text you could find on wikipedia or the dictionary, its better removed.

Same thing regarding the Oak. If its just a description of real word oaks, let people go to wikipedia, or link to wikipedia, or just don't use a link. If you imagine a special oak, it should probably be described on the page where it occurs, like

"As the only wooded province in Stjordvik, it is also famed for its particular breed of oak, the taelish aik, which is better adapted to the climate than Anuirean oaks."

If you have a lot of content on your special oak, then do make a page, and include the cool stuff.

[Rey]

Roger that, I know what you think. It was not my intention to link them and I never did, until I saw some edited by Sorontar and since he's an administrator here, I figured he knows what he's doing. And I excepted the practice.

[Thelandrin]

Not all the moderators agree on all the same things at all the same time, you know :) Sorontar does an excellent job, linking all sorts of words in dozens of articles - don't feel you have to match his standards!

Incidentally, "excepted" means "excluded". The word you were looking for is "accepted", but it's an easy mistake to make! :)

[Sorontar]

"taiga" is a term I am not familiar with. We don't use it in Australia. When I originally saw it, I thought it might be specific to Aebyrnis, so I linked it. Normally I wouldn't give links for common nouns but I felt this was a special case because (to me) the word is so uncommon. So I eventually added the page and described it (using wikipedia I think) in Cerilian terms.

The oak has particular importance to the Rjurik community, so that can possibly be expanded upon. If there is nothing more to say about, then remove the links.

Things like "forest" etc I wouldn't write pages on unless the published stuff defines what types of trees etc are commonly found on Cerilia, and if any of them were unique to Cerilia.

Sorontar

[Rey]

Not all the moderators agree on all the same things at all the same time, you know :)
Absolutely true.

Sorontar does an excellent job, linking all sorts of words in dozens of articles - don't feel you have to match his standards!
Sorontar's like a busy bee. Every time I put something on wiki, he's there to check it out and correct. Nice job, S! :thumbsup:

Incidentally, "excepted" means "excluded". The word you were looking for is "accepted", but it's an easy mistake to make! :)
Correct. I was a dead man typing when I wrote it, couple of mins before hitting the bed.


"taiga" is a term I am not familiar with. We don't use it in Australia.
I guess desert would do it likewise for me.
I got a bit carried away with linking. I was expecting you to charge in and do it yourself, so I wanted to give you less work. :D


Things like "forest" etc I wouldn't write pages on unless the published stuff defines what types of trees etc are commonly found on Cerilia, and if any of them were unique to Cerilia.
Well, actually, come to think of it after a good night sleep, all those terrains could have importance not only to Cerilia, but Aebrynis as a whole, too.
Terrain is important to sources, and forest, for example, in that case is a valid link. Because it's not the same to draw source from forest and elven forest.
And also about terrain (maybe together with weather) comes the movement of troops.

How does that sound? Terrain types for movement of troops and source holdings.

[AndrewTall]

I'd say that a page for any word is fine - as long as the page is more than just wikipedia / a dictionary. I did a page for gold and another for silver, why? Because some PC's want to know if they might have mining potential in their realm, and the metals traditionally had mystical properties. Some day I might do iron, various jewels, etc.

Several people on br.net have waxed lyrical about wine and glassmaking - again although this sort of information could be researched, it has a game use, is not readily to hand for many of us, and it is easy to add br-specific stuff to liven it up.

So for example linking oak is fine - mention the different varieties in Anuire and Rjurik, mention the way that the best mistletoe only grows in certain oak trees, that cudgels made of oak are efficacious against wraiths when blessed, etc, etc.

Anyone for a page on mice that contrasts the harvest loss in Khinasi and Rjurik? The ecological impact of eliminating wolves on the mice population and therefore harvest income? Show the PC's the downside of killing the entire pack to get to the werewolf alpha-male...

Or perhaps someone could calculate the ?-year locust cycle along the Zhainge Valley?

I'd be interested - and find a game use for it...