The Many Coloured House: What Ancient Babylon can teach us about World-Building

Philosophy Before the Greeks: The Pursuit of Truth in Ancient Babylonia
By Marc Van de Mieroop, 2016, 301pp

In this essay expanded into book form, Marc van de Mieroop (author of several well regarded books on ancient Babylonia, including A History of the Ancient Near East and King Hammurabi of Babylon: A Biography) describes his hunt for evidence of philosophy (and more specifically epistemology) in Babylonian culture. He presents his case that ancient Babylonian scribes adhered to a system of knowledge that has so far eluded historians and contemporary observers, and in having such a system of knowledge, they therefore were early students of philosophy.

After describing his intent (and discussing a little of Greek philosophy by comparison) He presents three examples to illustrate why he thinks the Babylonians had a theory of knowledge. These examples are:

Lexical lists (lists of words that Babylonians compiled, organized in ways we can't understand but that make sense in a Babylonian context),
Omen lists (lists of omens that could be used in prophecy)
Law Codes (effectively, lists of judgments in legal cases, though these also fixed some prices).

After examining each of these types if lists (two chapters are devoted to each) the author concludes that the secret to understanding systematized Babylonian thought is couched in their writing, and in particular in the writing of lists.

According to van de Mieroop, Babylonians believed that true knowledge was encoded in writing because writing was a gift from the gods and that the writing of the gods existed everywhere in the natural world (in the stars, the liver of a lamb, and so on). The natural conclusion was that, because writing was the purview of the gods - if you could write about it, it was true. If you could encode it in writing so it could be read multiple ways to have meanings that could support one another (for example, if the Sumerian translation and the Akkadian translation were complimentary), then the truth was that much stronger.

Van de Mieroop ends the book by stating that "it is there, [in writing], that we have to look for the Babylonian conceptual autonomy and the key to their philosophy." In saying this, he seems to acknowledge that he's got no smoking gun, but the book presents an idea that points to something bigger..

I found his analysis of Babylonian thought to be quite interesting, even eye-opening. I have to say I wasn't always convinced by the examples, but it seems fairly clear to me that Babylonians had some kind of shared system of knowledge - even if there aren't any period texts that explicitly reveal it. Could that system be hiding in the writing? Possibly. Was there a pan-cultural study of the nature of knowledge? I'm not convinced, but scribal conventions lasted a long time and spread over a wide area, so perhaps there was. We've only scratched the surface of what the Babylonians can tell us – we've translated only a fraction of the total number of tablets so far excavated, and perhaps hundreds of thousands still lie under the mud, waiting to be found. So who knows what more they have to reveal to us?

The book treads heavily on the idea of determination language, but stops shy of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and instead steers us to looking at show script can influence culture, and culture script.

As I read the book, I wondered if there was a lesson in here for game design – or at least for the design of fictional worlds? The thing that stuck with me the most was the idea that a scribe could write something into existence. Gamers and game-writers do this all the time! Do we do it with lists? Hell yes - we love lists! Below are a number of examples from various RPGs published over the years. Before we get to those, though, I'd like you to keep in mind the world-building potential of lists.

Philosophy Before The Greeks offers one particularly stirring example of how lists can reveal how different cultures look at the world; In the book, van de Mieroop drops a quote from Jorge Luis Borges, who is in turn quoting from a 'Chinese encyclopedia'. This is how that encyclopedia classifies animals:

“In its remote pages, animals are divided into:

a. belonging to an emperor
b. embalmed
c. tame
d. sucking pigs
e. sirens
f. fabulous
g. stray dogs
h. included in the present classification
j. frenzied
k. drawn with a very fine camel hair brush
l. etcetera
m. having just broken the water pitcher, and
n. that from a long way off look like flies.”

This reads very much like the table of contents of a fantastic bestiary, doesn't it. As a thought exercise, try to imagine the world that this list evokes - do you see the kernel of a setting?

Compare this to an example from an actual RPG setting - the Creatures Chapter from the Mythic Babylon setting for Mythras, from which I share an extract. We can immediately see we're not in Kansas anymore, and the the logic is askew from what we might expect:

MYTHIC BABYLONIAN CREATURES

BEASTS: Bear, Bovines, Canines (including lions), Elephants, Equids, Felines, Griffin, Insects, Lion-Fish, Primates, Suhurmašu, etc.

HYBRIDS: Scorpion Men, Hari People. Mer-People, Kurgarra, Bull Men, Hairy Hero Men, etc.

DEMONS AND SPIRITS: Animal Demons, Bad News Demons, Demons of Desolation, Underworld Demons, Wind Spirits, Zaqiqu, etc.

MONSTERS AND FALLEN GODS: Asag, Anzud, Forest Guardians, Lamaštu, Pazuzu, Three Horned Serpents, etc.

Considering the various kinds of Babylonian lists, do we have similar lists in Role Playing Games? Do gamers also have a shared means of communication embedded in the making of lists? Turns out we do! Let's compare these to the types of lists van de Mieroop cites in his book.

LEXICAL LISTS (to help us understand the world)

Simple lexical lists are valuable resources for understanding game worlds, too. Here, for example, are two lists that reveal the kind of person one can play in the game of Outremer by Flying Mice Games. These lists are not only tools for describing who you can be in the setting, but they hint very strongly at the nature of play. You may ask – Is it a mystical setting? How much combat is there? In what cognitive era does the game take place? With just these two lists, you'll have a pretty good idea of what the game world is like.

OUTREMER - TABLE OF PROFESSIONS

Actor              Apothecary           Archivist           Artisan
Artist              Barber-Surgeon       Bounty Hunter    Caravan Guard
Courtier         Courier                    Courtesan                Cutpurse
Dancer            Doctor                   Engineer                Fencer
Footpad         Friar/Preacher        Gentleman Farmer    Guardsman
Herbalist       Herdsman                Highwayman            Hunstman
Knight/Faris   Lord                        Mercenary                Merchant
Musketeer Musician               Naval Officer           Playwright
Pirate              Poet                        Priest/Rabbi/Mullah Professor
Sargeant       Smith                       Smuggler                   Soldier
Spy                Street Performer      Teamster                    Thief
Tinker           Turcopole                Yeoman

OUTREMER – TABLE OF PATHS
Esotericist        Magus               Minstrel            Crusader/Ghazi
Kabbalist           Sorceror          Mechanist       Oracle
Dervish           Snake Charmer    Fortune Teller    Healer

Mystic Faqih

Lexical lists in games can also tell us how we can interact with the world. Some games have lists of the things you can buy and sell, or of the kinds of things you'll find in treasure troves. Others tell you exactly how you can engage the world through the game mechanics. Here's a partial list of the talents, skills, and knowledges a character may have in Ars Magica Second Edition. Here you can see what a character can know, learn, and do in the world:

ARS MAGICA – TALENTS, SKILLS, KNOWLEDGES

Exceptional Talents:                Arcane Skills:                   Arcane Knowledges:
Alchemy                                       Certamen                       Hermes History
Animal Ken                               Parma Magica               Hermes Lore
Contortions                                                                           Magic Theory
Direction Sense                       Forester Skills:
Empathy                                   Animal Handling             Casual Knowledges:
Enchanting Music                       Survival                           (Area) Lore
Entrancement                            Track                               Church Lore
Healer                                                                               Faerie Lore
Hex                                            Performance Skills:       Fantastic Beast Lore
Magic Sensitivity                        Acting                               Legend Lore
Mimicry                                       Storytelling                       Occult Lore
Perfect Balance                          Jongleur                       Speak (Specific Language)
Premonitions                            Sing
Read Lips                               Play (specific instrument)  Formal Knowledges:
Second Sight                                                                       Church Knowledge
Sense Holiness & Unholiness    Mental Skills:    Humanities
Visions                                       Concentration                   Medicine

Weather Sense Meditation Scribe (Specific Alphabet)

In games with life-path style generators, we can learn not just what we do and how we do it, but more about how we are by examining our past. For example, this list from the Denizens of the North, supplement for the Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok game reveals how two party members got to know one another and how they feel about each other now:

DENIZENS OF THE NORTH – DWELLER RELATIONSHIPS LIST

Circumstance: State:

Drinking Buddies Mistrust
Were robbed by the same criminal Bound in Purpose
Met at a funeral Rivalry
Made a bet; will travel together until someone wins Greed

OMEN LISTS (to predict the future of our world)

Yes, we have lists in gaming for this, too. Another list from Denizens of the North reveals something of the character's past, and like a Babylonian oracle, points to something in their future, and this brings of to the Omen Lists of gaming:

DENIZENS OF THE NORTH – LIST OF BRUSHES WITH POWER

You met an important merchant that returned from Miklagard. You may purchase a rare item.
While in Ath Cliath you gained audience with King Sitric. He had heard of your great exploits tasked you with hunting his enemy – the Hibernian clans.
Odin the Wanderer has marked you as a promising hero. Since that day your encounters have become increasingly challenging and deadly.

The Artesia: Adventures in the Known World RPG has copious lifepath tables for figuring out who your character was in their past, from birth to maturity. They'll not only tell you about your birth sign, your lineage, and some of the events from your childhood, but they specifically tie these events to your stats so you can see how the world can shape your character:

ARTESIA: ADVENTURES IN THE KNOWN WORLD – LIFEPATH TRICKY OMEN TABLE

An owl watches your birth. You will be blessed with insights no one else will have
                   +1 WIS, +1 PER, -1 MEM
The Evening Star is seen in the night sky. You will lead a life filled with beauty and sensual pleasure.
                     +1 APP, +1 PRE, -1 WILL
A satyr is seen nearby. Your life will be filled with trickery
               +1 IMAG, +1 PRE, -1 WILL
The Conqueror Star is seen in the night sky. You will become a leader of men.
            +1 PRE, +1 WILL, -1 EMP

Just as Babylonian omen lists describe the future, so can the lists found in games. These take the form of random events lists, encounter lists, and adventure generators. Here's an excerpt from list of events from Ars Magica. The list is given numbers in the book so that a random event can be generated. Rolling the die puts the future in the hands of the gods:

ARS MAGICA – EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS FROM ARCANE EXPERIMENTATION (DISASTERS)

1. Explosion
2. Overwhelmed
3. Deterioration
4. Lab Ruined
5. Something Valuable Destroyed
6. Mentally Enfeebled
7. Threat to the Covenant
8. Creation Turns on You

In the Skyrealms of Jorune RPG 3^rd Ed., published by Chessex in 1992, we find a series of randomizable lists which work together to generate encounters. Using these, the Gamemaster (or Oracle, if you will) can quickly determine the species, profession, demeanor, and intent of an encounter – and also the contextual backdrop against which it occurs. Here are a few of the possible results:

SKYREALMS OF JORUNE – ENCOUNTER GENERATOR

A human Durlig puller is encountered in the city while a protest is going on. This well-groomed person wants someone to settle a dispute.
A thivin klade mother is encountered in town during the annual Cletch (taxation), and seems to have an unexplained interest in the party.
A woffen archer is met during the Drenn ceremonies. He chews his gerrig and reveals that he's chasing someone.

Returning again to Outremer for another example, we find similar lists that allow for the generation of missions including rumors to be investigated, adventure locations, the agents behind the rumor, and even some suggestions of 'sweeteners' to convince the player characters to partake. Here are just a few of the possible results:

OUTREMER - PLOT SEEDS RESULTING FROM THE ADVENTURE GENERATOR

Peasants have been disappearing in the Duchy of Acre; Devils are said to be behind the rumor. One reward for the adventure will be a knighthood for a deserving member.

Prodigies were sighted in the Principality of Galilee; The Pope is said to be behind the rumor. The services of a local spy ring will be provided.

A Djinn ruler has asked for our aid in the city of Tripoli; A sorcerer is said to be behind the rumor. Transport will be provided to those who heed the call.

LAW LISTS (to help us understand how the world works

We've seen how lists can describe the game world to us (lexical lists), and how they can even help determine the course of future events (omen lists), but what about the legal lists? Yes, of course, gaming lists also describe the rules of engagement with the world and what kind of judgments a player can expect. Here, from Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies by Chad Underkoffler, is a 'quick list of the steps of a Turn of the Duel':

SWASHBUCKLERS OF THE 7 SKIES - LIST OF STEPS OF A TURN OF THE DUEL

Engage Foes (initiative)
Divvy Duel Dice (plan attack vs defence)
The Charge (declare dice)
The Clash of Steel (attacker and defender roll dice)
The Touch (apply damage if necessary)
Volte-face (repeat steps 3-5, reversing attacker and defender rolls), and
After all combatants have had their attack and defense, go to Next Turn.

(That is, unless someone calls for an impasse.)

IF YOU CAN WRITE IT, IT'S TRUE (World-Building via Lists)

In his book, Philosophy Before the Greeks: The Pursuit of Truth in Ancient Babylonia , Marc van de Mieroop explains how the ancient scribes came to believe in the divine power of writing – in the creative potential encoded in the recording of lists. “If you could write about it, it was true.” Scribes began to pad lexical lists with imaginary, but completely logical, entries. If they could invent it and the gods had given them the signs to encode these things in clay, then surely they could exist. Does this not describe the very act of creating imaginary worlds?

Here's an example of one list that does just that from the blog of my friend John Bell. It's a list of setting elements that can be tossed together to create scenarios. He describes this list as being made from 'regular fantasy stuff', and it'll probably seem like anything but that. But John has a fertile mind and makes both wonderful settings and creative scenarios and campaigns – for him, this is 'regular fantasy stuff'. See if this list doesn't remind you of the list of animals from the Chinese Encyclopedia shared above. If it does, we've come full circle. Lists are the bones of world-building.

LIST OF ADVENTURE ELEMENTS FROM THE RETIRED ADVENTURER:

Ooze-knights on motorbikes
A Cuban communist air-pirate + her air ship
Somebody's specific memory-juice in a reusable thermostat
A twelve-armed demon who is chief marketing officer of an "Uber for dental hygiene" start-up
Cyber-trolls that all started off as one troll
A dog with strong opinions
A cool magic tank that shoots lasers but not from its gun
The prophetic intestines of a guy named "Joseph Blankenwell"
A boiling cloud of acid with a New York accent and a heart of gold
A skeleton rights activist who is also a cleric of the Big Fire
A giant wolf-spider thing who works for an insurance company
A Jacobin golem with wheels
Thousands of obols
Cyberbullying
Schistosomiasis
A nuclear reactor on tank treads with a giant glowing crack
A 33-gallon fishtank with no top that's full of expired fireworks
Six ghost paladins on a holy quest that's kinda sketchy and low-key racist
An EDM dance party club

The colour "red"

The Retired Adventurer: Planning Campaign as Series of Decisions