Editorial Guidelines (Merveilles des Morte)

These are the editorial guidelines for the Merveilles des Morte community timeline. Please familiarize yourself with these rules before editing the timeline. Because of the vast universe that Merveilles des Morte takes place in, it is important to maintain continuity and article quality by following this simple editorial system.

Merveilles des Morte is loosely inspired by the map game Merveilles du Monde, but unlike the map game has a number of editorial differences. In map games the comings and goings of players makes for a unique experience in which different nations rise and fall, and this timeline originally sought to explore one such possibility of if things had gone differently, primarily from the mid sixteenth century onward. This timeline is not in opposition to MDM, but rather a what if scenario that incorporates parts of the lore already established by the game. This timeline also seeks to improve upon the plausibility of MDM and maintain a level of realism prior to the point of divergence, without sacrificing creativity or uniqueness. As such no revenge-seeking, extensions of in-game feuds, nation wanks, harassing or bullying of past or present MDM players, or disregard for background information from the game without discussion is allowed.

This timeline should be written mostly in chronological order (although not strictly), however, it does not follow a strict one day equals one year time frame or operate like a map game. Additionally, all contributors should de-link the association of each person corresponding to one nation; anyone can write for any nation, and no one should think of themselves as a nation, especially if you previously played in MDM. Decisions will be made through group discussion and consensus and will ultimately be up to the moderators to have the final say on if there is a strong disagreement.

General Principles

• This timeline seeks to be as realistic as possible, and as a result all articles will be examined for plausibility and should be free of ASB elements.
  • ASB ("Alien Space Bats") is defined as something happening or someone conceiving of something with no logical basis for doing so. This often manifests itself in the form of the writer using their hindsight/modern knowledge to make an historical figure act a lot more forward thinking or lucky. For example, suddenly having a historical figure decide to invent a piece of modern technology, even if that technology is technically possible to build at the time, would be ASB, especially if the inventor has no technological foundation to stand on or no realistic reason for conceiving of such a thing in the first place.
  • Keep in mind that historically societies were very culturally different with different goals or ideals in mind compared to our own, and historical figures do not necessarily act in such a way that is beneficial or wise from a modern perspective.
• Creating nation wanks is prohibited. A wank is defined as a nation that has been exaggerated, expanded, or otherwise empowered to the point of absurdity.
  • Although a few nations have stood out as near "superpowers" throughout history, these nations faced numerous issues and had weaknesses that although perhaps clear to modern historians, would not necessarily be evident or possible to fix for the people at the time.
  • No nation lasts forever, and as such you should expect nations to rise and fall and be replaced as history goes on. Rather than seeking to create the most powerful nation by the modern day, or crafting a history that seems like a fairly linear progression from small to large, focus on creating a compelling and realistic "arc" for any nation.
  • If a nation falls from grace and is destroyed, don't think of it as that creation now being destroyed in the timeline; the history up to that point can't be taken away and will have influence on the rest of history. Priority should be given toward making a richness of lore and creativity, not toward expansion or power. Of course nations will expand, but this should further the goal of creating an interesting and realistic timeline.
• Writers should think of the timeline as a series of causes and effects. Rather than envisioning an end goal and writing to reach it, start with the point of divergence and think what the most realistic result of that change would be, and so on. As a result the timeline should mostly be written in chronological order, although not strictly.
• All contributors should mentally separate themselves from any nation they create. Do not think "I'm England", but rather "I am one of the writers for England". This is to prevent a map game mentality where contributors are acting competitively and self-serving, rather than in the interest of realism and the timeline as a whole.
  • As such individual contributors can take the lead on certain areas, but should be open to contributions from all writers.
• There should be no revenge-seeking, extensions of map game feuds, harassment, or bullying within or as a result of the timeline. Acting uncivil can be grounds for removal from the timeline if one's antics negatively affect the collaborative, creative, and open nature of the timeline.
• Decisions will be made through group discussion and consensus and will ultimately be up to the moderators to have the final say on if there is a strong disagreement.

Footnotes