Plant, Animal, Mineral and other Resources of Sundaland

Here are some tables listing various types of resources found in Sundaland. As usual I've compiled lists that you can roll on with common dice types: 1d10, 1d12 and 1d20.

Of course your game does not need to go into exhaustive detail about every fruit or vegetable type that can be found at the local market. But occasionally referencing something like the horrible smell of the Durian will greatly help in creating an interesting atmosphere distinct from the standard fantasy worlds and game experiences.

Food Staples

1. Banana
2. Banteng
3. Fish
4. Game like deer, tapir.
5. Jungle fowl
6. Lotus root
7. Sago
8. Taro
9. Wild pig (see pig types below)
10. Yam

Fruit

1. Asian Pear
2. Bayberry
3. Bread Fruit
4. Ciku
5. Durian
6. Jackfruit
7. Langsat
8. Longan
9. Lychee
10. Mangosteen
11. Noni
12. Pangium Edule
13. Pomelo
14. Pulasan
15. Rambutan
16. Salak
17. Santol
18. Star Fruit
19. Wax Apples
20. Wood Apple

Mineral Resources

1. Gold
2. Silver
3. Copper
4. Tin
5. Lead
6. Iron
7. Mercury
8. Jade
9. Obsidian
10. Stone for sculpture or masonry e.g. Marble

Plant Resources

1. Areca Nut (Psychoactive)
2. Betel
3. Candlenut
4. Cinnamon
5. Clove
6. Eucalyptus
7. Ginger
8. Kencur
9. Lengkuas
10. Long Pepper
11. Mace
12. Nutmeg
13. Sugarcane
14. Piper Cubeba
15. Turmeric
16. Nypa (Alcohol)
17. Lotus
18. Liquorice
19. Coconut
20. Mushrooms

Trade Resources

1. Elephants
2. Feathers
3. Hides
4. Ivory
5. Oils (derived from nuts, plants and animals)
6. Palm wine and other alcoholic drinks.
7. Pearls
8. Precious stones
9. Salt
10. Whale products

Wild Pigs
For some reason there are many types of wild pigs in this area. No idea how this could be useful.

1. Babyrousa Bolabatuensis
2. Banded Pig
3. Bornean Bearded Pig
4. Buru Babirusa
5. Celebes Warty Pig
6. Javan Warty Pig
7. North Sulawesi Babirusa
8. Oliver's Warty Pig
9. Palawan Bearded Pig
10. Philippine Warty Pig
11. Togian Babirusa
12. Visayan Warty Pig

Population: Cities, Town and Villages in Sundaland

I've created a very basic model for calculating the number of cities and population numbers for the Sundaland subcontinent. I've calculated five sets of numbers which will be a useful starting point for a range of time periods or scenarios. My intention is only to arrive at figures that feel right to me. If you have any suggestions let me know.

From what I've read the first cities in Egypt, Mesopotamia and Mexico* had populations numbering in the tens of thousands from around 30,000 to 80,000. So I'm picking 50,000 as the size of the biggest cities in a low population scenario or time. The biggest cities during a Classical Age type of development is 1,000,000 equivalent to ancient Rome at the height of the Roman Empire.

I'm imagining one city for each of the big river systems, South, East and West and one for the big inland sea, so four in total. The definition of a city in this model is loose because I take a lot of inspiration from the Maya and Khmer.

To calculate the number I've used the following rule. For each tier of settlement below the biggest city I double the number and halve the population, rounding up to whole numbers. I do this down to around 100 people which corresponds roughly to Dunbar's Number. So if there are 4 cities with an average population of 50,000 then there are 8 cities with 25,000 inhabitants, 16 with 12,500 inhabitants etc.

Depending on the characteristics of the culture and where it's located these numbers might be for a compact city or town, a spread out settlement or even a roaming band of hunter-gatherers.

*Recent research indicates that civilisations in rain forests were able to sustain larger populations than previously thought. See further below for some research about these fascinating urban environments.

I imagine that the larger population sizes can only be sustained when rice cultivation occurs. For my preferred Bronze Age level of technology for the setting I lean towards cities with a population of up to 50,000.

Population Size	Number	Total
50,000	4	200,000
25,000	8	200,000
12,500	16	200,000
6,250	32	200,000
3,125	64	200,000
1,563	128	200,000
781	256	200,000
391	512	200,000
195	1024	200,000
98	2048	200,000
-	-	-
-	-	2,000,000

Population Size	Number	Total
100,000	4	400,000
50,000	8	400,000
25,000	16	400,000
12,500	32	400,000
6,250	64	400,000
3,125	128	400,000
1,563	256	400,000
781	512	400,000
391	1,024	400,000
195	2,048	400,000
98	4,096	400,000
-	-	-
-	-	4,400,000

Population	Number	Total
250,000	4	1,000,000
125,000	8	1,000,000
62,500	16	1,000,000
31,250	32	1,000,000
15,625	64	1,000,000
7,813	128	1,000,000
3,906	256	1,000,000
1,953	512	1,000,000
977	1024	1,000,000
488	2048	1,000,000
244	8192	1,000,000
244	4096	1,000,000
122	8,192	1,000,000
-	-	-
-	-	12,000,000

Population	Number	Total
500,000	4	2,000,000
250,000	8	2,000,000
125,000	16	2,000,000
62,500	32	2,000,000
31,250	64	2,000,000
15,625	128	2,000,000
7,813	256	2,000,000
3,906	512	2,000,000
1,953	1,024	2,000,000
977	2,048	2,000,000
488	4,096	2,000,000
244	8,192	2,000,000
122	16384	2,000,000
-	-	-
-	-	26,000,000

Population	Number	Total
1,000,000	4	4,000,000
500,000	8	4,000,000
250,000	16	4,000,000
125,000	32	4,000,000
62,500	64	4,000,000
31,250	128	4,000,000
15,25	256	4,000,000
7,813	512	4,000,000
3,906	1024	4,000,000
1,953	2048	4,000,000
977	4,096	4,000,000
488	8,192	4,000,000
244	16,348	4,000,000
122	32,768	4,000,000
-	-	-
-	-	56,000,000

The Roman Empire at its height was estimated to have between 50 and 60 million inhabitants.

Large urban communities in rainforest environments

Recent findings in Mexico and Cambodia indicate that the population that could be sustained in these jungle environments was higher than initially thought (at least for a while). It seems that there once existed sprawling urban communities within the forests. While I'm sure large areas were cleared it is nevertheless an evocative idea that contrasts with the common idea of what a city looks like. The articles linked are short but are great for stimulating the imagination. They also discuss the reasons these civilisations might have collapsed.

In what's being hailed as a 'major breakthrough' in Maya archaeology, researchers have identified the ruins of more than 60,000 houses, palaces, elevated highways, and other human-made features that have been hidden for centuries under the jungles of northern Guatemala.

Exclusive: Laser Scans Reveal Maya "Megalopolis" Below Guatemalan Jungle

It also seems that there was more warfare happening amongst the Maya than was initially thought.

Archaeologists guided by laser images of a remote region of northern Guatemala have discovered 20-foot-high walls, watchtowers, and other evidence that ancient Maya societies waged large-scale warfare over many years. The finds have upended long-established impressions of a civilisation that tamed the jungle and built thriving cities, then declined and disappeared beneath the dense tropical forest.

Lasers reveal Maya war ruins

More Articles

Articles about the city around Angkor Watt in Cambodia which had a sophisticated water management system using canals and artificial ponds and lakes.

Angkor was a city ahead of its time
Revealed: Cambodia's vast medieval cities hidden beneath the jungle

An article about Maya ruins uncovered by LIDAR that contains some great images:
How Lasers Are Utterly Transforming Our Understanding of the Ancient Maya, Bringing Their Whole Civilization Back to Light

Mayan Mysteries: Discusses possible reasons for the collapse of the cities including deforestation and drought.

City Generation Tables

The city walls were as tall as four men and as thick as three, with guards and lookouts posted at intervals all along the top. The main entrance gate had two large doors covered with polished sheets of bronze, cast with the forms of the 12 tigers. Inside the walls the buildings seemed much like others of the area, tightly packed mud brick dwellings built in a continuous complex with only the occasional alley or street between them. But curiously none of them could be entered from the ground level, the only entrance being hatches on the roof. This meant that intruders could be delayed by pulling up the ladders that led to the top. Even the citadel of the elder council was accessible only by large wooden staircases that could be removed when necessary.

- An Account of Sundaland by Alom Takal 

Here are some tables to help generate the details of a city or for when you need a random location.

City Type

1. A decentralised urban jungle, garden city, communal areas with permanent structures
2. Walled city, individual residential units, separate districts
3. One continuous structure, built over a long time, carved into the side of hills and mountains
4. A city built over the water, houses on stilts, causeways connecting islands, floating gardens
5. Mostly underground, long tunnels, caverns, underground water reservoirs
6. Mounds and platforms, rising above the plains

City Areas

Common labourers, artisans, merchants and bureaucrats will account for the majority of the population and take up the largest area. The foreigners and slave areas might in some cases be located outside of the main city walls. Some cities will have inhabitants from different groups living amongst each other while others will have them strictly separated.

1. Foreigners travellers, merchants and mercenaries.
2. Common labourers and enslaved people.
3. Artisans, merchants and bureaucrats.
4. Warriors, soldiers, guards.
5. Religious caste.
6. Nobles or Elites.

City Features

Use this table to identify a particular location. Some cities will have all of these features, some will only have several, some will have multiples of a single type.

1. Fort or walls.
2. Market
3. Temple
4. Plaza
5. Storage building.
6. Residential building.
7. Workshop
8. Flower garden.
9. Palace
10. Aquaduct or fountain.
11. Harbour
12. Vegetable or fruit garden.
13. Animal enclosure.
14. Watch tower or lighthouse.
15. Public bath and sauna.
16. School, academy or training facility.
17. Open air theatre or arena.
18. Barracks
19. Prison
20. Catacombs, underground complex or tunnels.

Type of Residential Buildings

The typical residential buildings for commoners.

1. Wooden houses sometimes raised on earthworks or stilts.
2. Round or oval buildings with wooden or thatched roof and a low stone wall or base.
3. Tightly packed mud brick buildings.
4. Carved into the rock, either above or underground.
5. A single continuous interconnected complex made from stone or mud bricks.
6. On stilts along rivers or in the water.

Unusual Features

1. Extensive waterways.
2. Entry to buildings through the roof.
3. Causeways or raised walkways.
4. Necropolis within the city walls.
5. Terraced city.
6. Extensively planned city layout.

Features Outside the City

1. Nearby quarry or mine.
2. Farm or garden terraces.
3. Ancient megalith site.
4. Numerous or especially large cenotes.
5. Large waterfalls.
6. Independent religious community.

City Scenarios

1. Hidden tunnels are revealed.
2. A new cult is spreading.
3. A rebellious faction is growing in power and influence.
4. A slave or commoner revolt is on the verge of breaking out.
5. Critical infrastructure such as walls, roads, ditches or terraces are neglected and in disrepair.
6. A prominent person is assassinated.

Monsoons and Typhoons in Sundaland

When the winds shift and the rains start to fall the people of Sundaland celebrate the nourishment it brings to the land. They give thanks and offerings to their gods and enjoy festivities with their families. The weeks and months ahead will result in a bounty that is a reward for hard work and preparations made during the rest of the year.

- An Account of Sundaland by Alom Takal 

Monsoon Rains

Unlike Europe and North America the area of Sundaland does not experience four distinct seasons. Instead there are two Monsoon seasons, broadly speaking a warm and wet season and a cool and dry season, with some local variations in timing. The point is that the cycle of dry and wet seasons will be an important influence on the local culture as it is today where there are special festivities to celebrate the coming of the rains. These alternating seasons could be an influence on religion, festivities, ease of travel and war opportunities.

The monsoon rains are driven by prevailing winds which alternate in origin from the Southeast and Northwest directions with a curvature at the equator due to the coriolis force. As I mentioned there are local variations in terms of timing so I won't go into too much detail here. I've linked to climate pages for each of the countries in the region which will help you get an overall picture of the weather.  Remember that the average temperature of the planet was a couple of  degrees cooler during the last Ice Age and that it was dryer compared to now since more water was locked up in ice sheets. This means that rainy seasons are even more important than normal to the people of the central Sundaland plains.

I suggest you do a search for the area name plus 'climate' or 'monsoon' if you want more details. The climate of the central plain of Sundaland will fall somewhere in between the relevant landmasses.

North Australia
Papua New Guinea
Sulawesi
Java
Sumatra
Malaysia
Borneo
Philippines
Cambodia
Thailand
North Vietnam
South Vietnam
Myanmar
Southern China
Taiwan

Read more about the Malaysian-Australian Monsoon.

Typhoons

A typhoon is a tropical storm that develops in the Pacific Ocean and moves towards the west. The wind speed must be greater than 119 km ph / 74 mph for a tropical storm to be categorised as a typhoon. Peak months for typhoons are from May to October but they can occur throughout the year.

The areas most affected by typhoons are where the modern day countries of the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Hong Kong exist.

Besides the high winds other features of typhoons include tidal surges along the coasts and landslides in hill areas.

Real History: 44,000 year old cave painting found in Sulawesi

The cave art found in Sulawesi depicts several Anoa, warty pigs and animal-human hybrids. It is thought to be twice as old as the previously known oldest cave art found in Europe.

Read the full BBC article here: Sulawesi art: Animal painting found in cave is 44,000 years old

Random RPG Faction Generator

This is a set of tables to help you generate the various aspects of a faction for your world or to add to culture you've previously created with the Sundaland Culture Generator. You might already have some of the big picture ideas figured out in which case you can use the appropriate tables to flesh out some of the details.

My tip is to find ways to link the factions in some way. Perhaps one faction possesses a secret or MacGuffin that another aspires to own, or maybe two factions are working against each other to achieve contradictory goals. This will make the setting dynamic and give players ways to engage with it.

It's tempting to create a fully detailed world in every sense but this can inhibit creativity and emergent content. It's better to detail the minimum you need before playing since you don't have to account for every single faction in your setting. Two or three per culture will be enough to start with and some details may not be discovered until later. See my article for more on this topic: Constructing fictional worlds while leaving room for other people's imagination and creativity.

As with the culture generator I advise you to embrace results that seem strange or contradictory, this will help you avoid tropes and cliches and will force you to create an interesting narrative to thread everything together. See also: Creating Culture Shock In Sword & Sorcery Settings.

There are twelve tables, each with six results so you can roll a d6 for each one. I encourage you to vary the order of the tables you use otherwise you'll find yourself thinking along familiar cliches. You could use a d12 to determine the order that you roll in.

1. Caste or Faction Type

Does the faction originate in or from a particular caste?

1. Warrior Caste
2. Priest Caste
3. Scholar Caste
4. Bureaucratic Caste
5. Merchant Caste
6. Casteless, Secret Organisation or Cult

2. Origin 

The age, location or circumstances of the faction's origin

1. Ancient
2. New or Recent
3. Local
4. Foreign
5. Alliance
6. Splinter Group

3. Leadership

The leadership structure of this faction as perceived by it's members or outsiders.

1. A perceived or real otherworldly or higher power.
2. Authoritarian: One person.
3. Elite: A small group of people.
4. Council: Elected, self-appointed or appointed on merit.
5. By Vote: By popular vote or voted in by particular members.
6. Unknown: Not even the members know or understand who leads.

4. Motivation

The faction might have several overlapping motivations but one of them is the most important.

1. Power
2. Wealth
3. Influence
4. Maintain balance or the status quo
5. Revolution
6. Destruction

5. Method

How does this faction achieve their goals?

1. Legal or By The Book: Within the legal framework of the current culture or society.
2. Overt Violence: War, raids, ceremonial or gladiatorial combat.
3. Hidden Violence: Assassinations, secret raids.
4. Bribery and Corruption: With resources or favours.
5. Sow Distrust and Discord: Pit different people or factions against each other.
6. Manipulate or Leverage: Using secret knowledge.

6. Strength

What is this faction's strength?

1. Act Decisively: No hesitation when an opportunity presents itself.
2. Meticulous Planning: Account for all possibilities and outcomes.
3. Decentralised: A network of associations, hard to shut down.
4. Allies: Have supportive and powerful allies.
5. Resources: Own or have access to valuable resources.
6. Fanatical: Will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

7. Weakness

What is this faction's weakness?

1. They have a debt or someone has leverage over them.
2. Overly greedy or ambitious.
3. Corrupt
4. Immoral
5. Disorganised or incompetent.
6. Impulsive 

8. Secret or MacGuffin

This faction possesses or has access to a secret or MacGuffin. This might be the thing the faction needs to achieve their goal or a thing they must keep from another faction. Roll on the extra tables for more details about this secret or MacGuffin. 

1. Artefact
2. Location
3. Person
4. Knowledge
5. Event
6. Resource

8.1 Artefact

1. Idol or Statue
2. Tablet or Scroll
3. Tool or Instrument
4. Treasure, Jewels or Jewellery
5. Urn, Bones or Remains.
6. Weapon, Armour or Shield.

8.2 Location

1. Building
2. Cave System or Underground Complex
3. Island
4. Ruin
5. Settlement
6. Valley

8.3 Person

1. Close Relation
2. Friend or Ally
3. Heir or Claimant
4. Prophet or Guru
5. Reincarnation or Avatar (perceived or real)
6. Traitor, Spy or Informant

8.4 Knowledge

1. Astronomy
2. Biology
3. Geography
4. Politics
5. Crafting
6. Religion

8.5 Event

1. Alliance: Impending or secret alliance
2. Assassination: The target and/or the assassin
3. Astronomical: Foreknowledge of an astronomical event like a comet or conjunction.
4. Attack: Knowledge about the timing, strategy or resources involved.
5. Betrayal: The traitor, spy or informant and who they are working for.
6. Embargo or Resource Restriction: The resources that are restricted and why.

8.6 Resource

1. Animal
2. Human
3. Mineral
4. Plant
5. Tool
6. Weapon

9. Complication

Something is getting in the way of the faction being able to achieve their goal.

1. Running out of time.
2. Need more or specific people.
3. Need more or a specific resource.
4. A spanner in the works.
5. Arousing suspicion.
6. Something is wrong with the secret or MacGuffin.

10. Inner Conflict

There is a conflict within the faction.

1. Disputed Leadership
2. Competing What's: What should they be doing?
3. Competing How's: How should they go about achieving what they want?
4. Competing Why's: Why are they doing what they do?
5. Inherent Contradiction: There is a contradiction between what the faction wants to achieve and how they're going about achieving it.
6. Traitor, Spy, Informant: One of the members is working against the faction.

11. Outer Conflict

There is an outside force that is working against the intentions of the faction.

1. Direct Competition: Another person or faction wants the same thing.
2. Direct Opposition: Another person or faction is trying to stop them.
3. Accidental Interference: Another person or faction in accidentally working against them.
4. Environmental Disruption: Something in the environment, perhaps a natural disaster, is inhibiting them from achieving their goals.
5. Political Disruption: An unintended shift in the political environment is preventing the faction from achieving their goals.
6. Secret or Weakness Discovered: Another person or faction has discovered the secret or weakness and is exploiting it.

12. Moral Compass

How do they make decisions within the faction?

1. Might makes right
2. Discern the will of the gods
3. Let fate decide
4. Strict rule of law
5. Collective will of the members
6. The leaders decide

Why You Should Use The Number 72 In Your Game

There are two pyramids at the centre of the city, one each for the Sun and Rain gods. Located on the North and South sides of the central plaza the red stones of the pyramids crawl with priests and pilgrims that climb up and down the 36 steps of each staircase while reciting prayers and mantras. A broad walkway passes between the pyramids from East to West and there are 72 archways through which, once per year, the rising sun is precisely aligned.

- An Account of Sundaland by Alom Takal 

Something you might have noticed when reading about the myths and religions of ancient civilisations is their use of very specific numbers. For example Osiris wasn't just enclosed in a coffin by several disciples of Seth, there were specifically 72 of them. And in the Viking myths it is said that during Ragnorak 800 heroes will march out of the 540 doors of Valhalla for the final battle. Are these just random numbers or are they significant in some way?

In 1969 Giorgio de Santillana wrote the book Hamlet's Mill in which he posits that an ancient culture discovered the precession of the equinoxes, how the sun rises and sets against a changing background of star constellations in a cycle that lasts 25,776 years (2148 years per zodiac constellation). This is basically what astrologers are talking about when they say that we've recently left the age of Pices and have moved into the age of Aquarius. This ancient culture encoded important numbers into stories, myths and religions in order to ensure the transmission of this astronomical knowledge through the ages.

Decades later this hypothesis has taken on a new meaning in light of the research done by authors like Graham Hancock (Magicians of the Gods) concerning a possible lost civilisation that was destroyed at the end of the last Ice Age, the survivors of which spread out across the globe to pass on their advanced knowledge.

The number 72 is deemed particularly important because if you divide 25,920 years of the Axial Precession by 360 degrees you get 72. (In actual fact 1 degrees takes 71.6 years but that's not a number ancient people wold have been able to convey in a story). All of this of course presupposes that the concept of 12 distinct star constellations and dividing a circle in 360 degrees were invented by the ancient civilisation.

These are some of the main numbers to work from. The numbers on the left are calculated using 71.6, those on the right using 72.

• 12 signs of the Zodiac
• 360 degrees
• 30 degrees per Zodiac Sign / Constellation
• 71.6 / 72 years per degree
• 2,148 / 2,160 years per Zodiac Sign / Constellation
• 25,776 / 25,920 for a complete precession.

You can play around with these numbers with simple multiplications and divisions as I did in the opening vignette. So each pyramid staircase has 36 steps (2 x 36 = 72). Another example would be describing an army in an ancient myth that consisted of 21,4800 soldiers.

Anyway, this is just a fun way for me to add in some flavour to the setting that alludes to the lost civilisation theme.

The below video lays out the hypothesis in a little more depth (length: 18:24 minutes).

More resources:

Wikipedia: 72 in Religion
Wikipedia: Axial Precession
Wikipedia: Equinox
Wikipedia: March Equinox