A Dash – to the En[d] (of the year)

It's 31st December! And I'm sad. Sad because I have left it far too late to produce a something like this or even something like this. 

Instead, I'm here to talk about this:

—

...but also, this:

–
!

Solo Blueholme: Second Delve (Part 2 of 3)

This continues the previous post:

https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2025/12/solo-blueholme-second-delve-part-1-of.html

Illustration by Alec Sorenson

City of 100 Gods Pt. 6, Traders Wake: The Ocean Lord (37), He Who Distributes the Grain (38), He Who Prospers (39); The Temple of Bread (40)

An ongoing project to map a Neolithic proto-Megalopolis, one ward/god at a time. This particular post closes out the city's Breadbasket, poetically known as Traders Wake due to the two major canal basins and grain market. Here is where the tendrils of the city's extensive reach gather the blood they have leached from the land, and here the denizens suck at its acrid teats for sustenance.

The Destruction of Sodom Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) 

Part 1... City Limits

Part 2... Gates and Ladders
Part 3... Further Along the Ladders

Part 4... The Last Ladders

Part N.... Navigating the City

Part  5... Traders Wake

Variation of a Giving Game (sketch)

 

Photograph of a Rai Stone, unit of currency in pre-colonial Yap (an island in Micronesia)

In a recent post I described a procedure or system for modelling a sort-of domain-level play element for Pariah. It uses a heavily abstracted "labour as time surplus" mechanic that I've tested multiple times and (while I continue to tweak it) works effectively while also being fun! 

I understand fun is subjective and-while Archons Court has found some value in the previous post-the trading rules that follow might not be for everyone. I'm attempting to create a gift-giving and feasting game that:

• ...models gift economy and "prestige giving"
• ...acknowledges scarcity of supply and culture-driven demand
• is actually a GAME where players make CHOICES 

Bear in mind that a) this has not been playtested and b) this grew out of playing (and actually enjoying) an almost endless string of cargo runs in Classic Traveller (solo). 

This is also just a sketch of some ideas, the beginnings of a game. You have been warned.