Character creation 100, 000 BC

Yes, the language barrier would have been a big deal, and translators would have been valued.

Given the rate at which schoolkids deliberately codify their speech for the express purpose of excluding outsiders, I'd say just about every family would have it's own language.

However, given the universality of facial expressions, tones of voice and other nonverbal cues, I think communication would be easily achieved, if there was motivation for doing so.

As to properly learning a distinct, new language, which I think would have been as rich and complex as any today, it would require true immersion and was therefore probably a specialty of kidnapped women.

If we roleplayed a diverse group, I would rule that an easy form of language would develop within one year. But, as I said, I imagine our ancestors to have been much more patient and dilligent than us.

"Ever since man first crawled out of his cave and discovered his neighbour, with his new language and new way of looking at things, he's had a dream: To kill him so he wouldn't have to learn his language or his new way of looking at things."
-Zap Brannigan.

Ps - On the other hand, maybe groups were centred around related females, while males roamed around waiting to depose kings and move in on the women. Maybe different groups had different models. I guess anyone could be multilingual over time.

 

What about the name-giving for the tribes and people? I am not quite sure how far they were in that time when it comes to naming things.

PS: Sorry, that it took so long to post here.

 

Well, it was so far back that there is no knowing what was said, thought or done.

I think they were in between ice ages, as we are now, so probably there was a lot of localised population booms. Anything could have been possible.

We know that modern tribes with ancient traditions have incredibly rich vocabularies and are replete with specialised knowledge about their immediate environment, eg, different species and behaviours, so that answers your question, again.

I'll say it once more: Language was as advanced then as it was now.

 

It's only a theory, but experts think that our distant ancestors had trouble discerning dreams from reality, which would lead to a much richer and more vivid natural world. I think this is "evidenced" by unexplained humanoid and animal shapes on cave paintings, and perhaps by the thought that at that stage in our history our cognitive reasoning didn't advance far beyond that of a 5 year-old's (as shown by CT-scans of neanderthal and cro-magnon brain cases at various stages of development). Perhaps on that token, a modern person might think the ancients didn't have as developed a linguistic system, but that person's probably an idiot; five year olds are naive, not stupid. They've got some of the most creative, unadulterated minds on the planet. Add in that there's a whole population that can't separate dreams from the waking world and you have the most fearsome, self sufficient psychonauts that ever lived, who tend to think of things like children might.
One thing is certain, however;
We're much weaker today, and our brains were about 12% larger back then on average. Imagine losing a baseball-sized lump of brain-matter. That happened.

 

So there you go.

Three out of three autistic nerds agree... Cavemen are cool.

Any normies interested in playing? Or shall Arthgon, Gross and I just sit around regurgitating National Geographics at each other?

Go Team Assburger!

 

Can I be Nightwing?

 

No. What about Captain Caveman?

 

Would I have a shield?

 

*time delay on social skills*

Er, no offense intended, Gross and Arthgon.

Have an emoticon as a token of my good will

 

I know that the coffee still needs to kick in, but what was offensive then?

 

Offended? No, it's phonetically accurate. Also, relevant to a recent episode of Southpark, titled Ass Burgers.
If our ancestors could make pitch from tree sap back then, I'm pretty sure they knew how to make shields from animal hides and branches.
When can we start this exercise in primitive culture?

 

If everyone is ready then we could start.

 

I'm not ready.

 

I was apologising for referring to you (and myself) as 'autistic nerds'.

Hurry up and prepare your pine-resin-kevlar nightwing-caveman then, Zanza. :monkey: :thumbup:

Post a starting character like so:-
EXAMPLE
Name: Zanza [lit. 'foolish monkey']
Gender/Age: M/10
Genus species subspecies: Australopithicus australis vulgaris.
Region: South-east asia.
Territory: A mountain of peaches and flowers.
Tribal Background: For the last ten thousand years, they have been fermenting fruit and marrying their cousins.
Personal Background: Omega male and tribal clown.
Special Attacks: Mock; Distract; Steal Cocktail.

 

I'll probably just use that character.

 

Name: Maga Otro Litha [lit. 'Wise Burning Lefty']
Gender/Age: M/28
Genus species subspecies: Homo neanderthalensis
Region: Europe
Territory: The future site of the Schwarzwald
Tribal Background: Otro's people came to the black forest while hunting Auroch and traveling mammoth herds. Everyone in the tribe has at least two names, some have three, and very few have four. The second name is given at birth, and is the most noticeable trait at the time. In Otro's case, it's his hair. The first name is given upon a display of aptitude, and Otro is gifted in tool making, hunting, and cave painting. The third name is normally a descriptor of unusual handedness, so basically anyone who doesn't need to use their right hand gets a third name. The fourth and rarest type of name is given upon ascension to some form of tribal leadership, be it spiritual or political, and even less often this last name is given when a tribe member does something nobody thinks is possible at the time and people are there to see it. The last person to get this honor was Hongen Rifa Juho Liroi-Jankinz [lit. 'Slow Pretty Ambidextrous Solo Mammoth Killer']. The last name had to be made up because there wasn't a word for what just happened. She got tired of the rest of the group strategizing and bum rushed the herd. And they called her stupid.
Personal History: Broke a leg on his last hunt, tried to solo an auroch after it toppled the rest of the hunting party. He killed it, but now he's unable to go out with the rest of the group unless the mammoths are moving nearby, considering he can still scare a few off of cliffs. He's an expert tool maker and cave painter, and still advises the hunting party on prey's travel patterns due to his knowledge of constellations and plant growth throughout the year.
Special attacks: Spear thrust, smash with a rock, paleolithic knife fight

 

Nice start, here's mine:

Name: Maharshinago [lit. great sage snake] Male, 22yo.

Subspecies: Homo sapiens sapiens.

Region: East Equatorial Africa.

Territory: The Five Plateau Empire.

Tribal Background: The heirs to the territory and cuture of the first modern humans for hundreds of thousands of years. They are racist, ruthless and dishonest. More than any other subspecies, they are expert liars, traders, performers and politicians. The economy is based on future-hunting-hours but is skewed by witchdoctors and tallismongers selling curses and protections. They are ruled by a council of matriarchs who levy taxes and command a militia of Lost Boys - basically every orbiting/exiled unmarried male who wishes to win the right to marry.

Personal Background: The Amazing Snake Wizard, as he calls himself, is no great hunter or warrior or trader or politician. He makes his living by selling the idea of the spirit-world, an invisible jungle of curses, countercurses, predators and prey. A good solid curse costs a month of hunting while a countercurse costs three months. It's a living.

Special Attacks: Extravagent Curse; Insupportable Claim; Call on Invisible Allies; Bluff & Bluster.

 

Name: Animagus [lit. One with the animals]

Gender: Male

Age: 20

Subspecies: homo neanderthalesis

Region: Europe

Territory: At the far north region of some low lands.

Tribal Background:

Personal Background: Even being raised by some wolves, he still has some way to live with his tribe. Because being raised by wolves he has a very close bound with them. While his tribe comes to him to know how they hunt and live they fear him somehow. Thinking of him more of a half-animal than human.

Special Attacks*: Wolf knowledge. Bite and claw. Tracking and hunting. Spear (if only he wants to)

Edit: I am still working on it. So that means there will some edits here.

PS: Happy birthday to me.

*that is what the others call it.

 

In other words, dead. A perfect choice.

:thumbup:

 

I shall change it into 20. I wrote 36, because it was my birthday yesterday.

No. You really have known that they are no actually magic abilities or any super powers. Just something that he is good at. He just has a good connection with animals and has a great knowledge about them.

Or should I change some of the things?