HYPERBOREA / Hyperborean races based on real world races?

**Posted by deathknight4044** 2/12/2020 5:30 am

Can anyone tell me what the analogs are between the hyperborean races and real world races? I have a pretty good idea for most of them besides the Kimmerians.

**Posted by Handy Haversack** 2/12/2020 8:44 am

There are no real-world races, let's not forget. Only cultures. That's what I'd use on my AS&SH char. sheet were I ever to design one.

But AS&SH cultures best align with those found in the writings of Howard, Smith, and Lovecraft rather than anything from regular boring old earth.

**Posted by BlackKnight** 2/12/2020 12:04 pm

I guess you could consider that the following "races", come from Old earth: (yes I too believe in Ethnic grouping as we are all one race)

Viking = Norse Culture (Scandinavia as a whole, not specific like Norwegian, Swedish, etc)
Pict = Pictish (The Irish/Scottish culture in the Bronze age)
Kelt = Celts (Iron Age Ireland, England and most of Northern/Western Europe, This includes Gaul (primarily Germanic) cultures)
Esquimaux = Eskimo peoples (Aleut, Inuit, and Yupik peoples)

Beyond those, the others are more fantasy and considered and. may in some cases be considered more of a "Race" due to their specific evolutionary body changes.

I've personally opened up Hyperborea to other cultures in my games, as one of my characters (NPC) has a mother that came through a portal from Old earth to Hyperborea and she was a Nubian Huntress, fell in with a Viking Ranger and had my NPC, Sven Svensson, a Black Skinned Viking that bridges between the Nubian and Norse cultures via his parents. I'm open for other cultures to come in also, I could see a portal opening for the Mongols, or other eastern/Asiatic cultures to find a way into Hyperborea. Maybe some South American/Native American cultures as well.

In another post, someone was looking at Barsoom and the Writings of Edgar Rice Boroughs and incorporating Mars and the cultures on it into Hyperborea, and I'd say go for it (Though I'd stay away from PCs as Green Martians, leaving PC with the standard "races" only). There are always other worlds to explore that are already in the Hyperborean universe, Saturn, The Moons, Other planetary bodies, etc. Remember, there are lost technologies of the Atlanteans waiting to be discovered!

Remember in all things, You are the GM, its YOUR world to create...

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 2/12/2020 1:49 pm

You can bring in all sorts of cultures.

The adventure in the Compleat 2 book has Romans coming to Hyperborea.

I have a WW2 ranger patrol show up in my campaign.

I played in a buddy's con event where an old norse god was trying to make a comeback on Hyperborea. Well, we didn't deal with the god, just he cleric.

You can make a campaign as weird or mundane as you like.

Same buddy has run stuff in Lankhmar using ASSH. He tosses out all of the spell casting classes. It works great because of the healing mechanic. Not that there probably isn't any spellcasters, they are most likely gonna be NPCs.

**Posted by rhialto** 2/12/2020 7:01 pm

deathknight4044 wrote:
Can anyone tell me what the analogs are between the hyperborean races and real world races? I have a pretty good idea for most of them besides the Kimmerians.

The Kimmerians appear to be based on the Cimmerians/Kimmerians of ancient Earth; maybe Scythian or Sarmatian, if you want to generalize classical era nomads from the area north and east of the Black Sea.

Not to belabor the race question, but there's a least one PC race (human), and probably another two (Atlantean and Hyperborean), based just on the stated "sexual incompatibility" described in their listings.

**Posted by deathknight4044** 2/12/2020 11:41 pm

>"The Kimmerians appear to be based on the Cimmerians/Kimmerians of ancient Earth; maybe Scythian or Sarmatian, if you want to generalize classical era nomads from the area north and east of the Black Sea."

Understood thanks. I'm surprised to see no greek or Roman equivalent in the game.

**Posted by Blackadder23** 2/13/2020 12:55 am

deathknight4044 wrote:
>"The Kimmerians appear to be based on the Cimmerians/Kimmerians of ancient Earth; maybe Scythian or Sarmatian, if you want to generalize classical era nomads from the area north and east of the Black Sea."

Understood thanks. I'm surprised to see no greek or Roman equivalent in the game.

There's a strong Hellenic flavor to several of the cultures (including the Amazons, Atlanteans, Hyperboreans, and even Kimmerians). So in a sense there are Greeks (or at least Hellenized barbarians) present; they're just not called by that name.

**Posted by Handy Haversack** 2/13/2020 8:22 am

There's no reason to assume the Hyperboreans and Atlanteans are sexually incompatible for any biological reason. There's also no reason not to. I'm just saying there's no default position here.

Viz. https://hyperborea.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?id=519

If they are biologically sexually incompatible, the word we're looking for is "speciation" -- in Myperborea, Atlanteans have ovipositors and cloacas. Certain bargains had to be made with science and the gods of the sea. Which makes them a different but related *species*.

Hyperboreans are clearly just moody jerks.

**Posted by BlackKnight** 2/13/2020 12:04 pm

Handy Haversack wrote:
Hyperboreans are clearly just moody jerks.

I ROFLOL'ed

**Posted by francisca** 2/13/2020 1:39 pm

Handy Haversack wrote:
Hyperboreans are clearly just moody jerks.

Lol. Ennu-ridden drama-lhamas, lamenting a lost past they will never regain.

**Posted by mabon5127** 2/13/2020 2:08 pm

Handy Haversack wrote:
Hyperboreans are clearly just moody jerks.

They would consider relations with other races detestable.

Last edited by mabon5127 (2/14/2020 9:37 am)

**Posted by rhialto** 2/14/2020 6:43 am

Handy Haversack wrote:
There's no reason to assume the Hyperboreans and Atlanteans are sexually incompatible for any biological reason. There's also no reason not to. I'm just saying there's no default position here.

Fair enough.