[gurps] [Worldbuilding] Intriguing concept

[Rupert Boleyn]

On 4 Jul 2006 at 18:25, midnightwind at comcast.net wrote:

> Hmm, my thoughts:
> 
> 1. If based on a truly Amazonian culture, then warrior prowess will be
> prized.  Survivors of the most recent battle will be granted the most
> desirable men for reproductive purposes, and incentives to have many
> children (particularly females) will be available.  I suspect a
> regimented social heirarchy as a result.

Why restrict access to good studs so much? Unless there's a sense of 
ownership of men, they can be shared quite widely. Mind you, the very 
best studs (in whatever sense) will probably be a limited resource (and 
therefore possibly a source of wealth and/or status).

> 2. This is in contrast to the possible more peaceful matriarchy, where
> reproductive prowess is still valued, but warrior prowess may not be. 
> Attributes of intelligence, etcetera will also be cultivated.  Beauty,
> ironically, may not be.

Or the prevailing definition of beauty could be one somewhat different 
from ours today. prowess as a warrior and reproductive fitness will 
both promote symmetrical features and good bone structure, which are 
fairly universal measures of beauty, but an amazon warrior culture will 
value broad shoulders and obvious muscle development in women in a way 
modern western cultures do not.

> 3. Also along the lines  of a more "peaceful" matriarchy, keep in mind
> the way teenage boys fight and the way teenage girls fight.  Boys join
> fisticuffs easily.  Girls are more apt to resort initially to social
> embarassment/ostracism.

But how much of that is simply the tactics of the 'weaker' sex? If 
women are social superior and also do the fighting (even if the culture 
is relatively peaceful) I suspect girls will resort to physical 
violence more readily (though still not as much as teenage boys do in 
our society).

-- 
Rupert Boleyn <rboleyn at ihug.co.nz>