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If you could change anything about ASOIAF's worldbuilding, what would it be?


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1 hour ago, Jaenara Belarys said:

Do you realize how much food it would take to feed that many people? You'd have to spread out over hundreds of miles, supply lines are shitty since the roads are shitty. Plus, the North simply can't support that number since they don't have good viable farmland, they already have problems with feeding their current population. 

Actually they can support this number, I looked up a bit on Europe and it's history and I found out that Russia , despite its harsh climate had a massive army. 

1 hour ago, Jaenara Belarys said:

Robb came south to relieve the Tullys and make Joffrey pay, he didn't come south to wreck the Riverlands which he would have to do to feed his army if it was as large as you want it. 

His army did wreck the riverlands. 

The reason why I want such big armies is because in medieval times, armies compromised 4 percent of a country's population while in westeros they compromise only 1 percent

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It seems to me the societal effects of long summers and long winters are only barely touched upon. A year is still a year rather than based around the seasons, it's just implied food is stockpiled for winter and so forth. It almost seems like long summers would have long runs of societal productivity, followed by years long winters where a whole culture virtually hibernates. You might see different social structures around that too. Migration patterns and what not. 

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1 minute ago, Daenerysthegreat said:

Actually they can support this number, I looked up a bit on Europe and it's history and I found out that Russia , despite its harsh climate had a massive army. 

 

Russia's also pretty damn massive. And before you say anything about climate, no one's going to live in a place with no game and no growing opportunities. 

2 minutes ago, Daenerysthegreat said:

The reason why I want such big armies is because in medieval times, armies compromised 4 percent of a country's population while in westeros they compromise only 1 percent

As you say, Westeros has a larger population so that 1 percent is probably going to be bigger than a IRL 1 percent. 

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2 hours ago, Daenerysthegreat said:

Actually they can support this number, I looked up a bit on Europe and it's history and I found out that Russia , despite its harsh climate had a massive army. 

One reason why medieval Russia was so easy prey to Mongols was that Russians could NOT raise huge armies. Or those massive Russian armies did not exist when Russia was ruled by similar system than Westeros.

But after that Mongol occupation feudal Russia became Imperial Russia where everything and everybody was owned by Tsar.  Or at least in theory Tsars had total power and owned everything. So nobody could had any means to resist their orders. After all Imperial Russia had national army and Tsars could hire and fire all civil servants.

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1 hour ago, Loose Bolt said:

One reason why medieval Russia was so easy prey to Mongols was that Russians could NOT raise huge armies. Or those massive Russian armies did not exist when Russia was ruled by similar system than Westeros.

 

 

Wasn't serfdom existing in Russia till 1860s and they had a massive army then as well. 

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I always thought it was odd just how small most of the major houses are. The Starks, despite being the most powerful and influential dynasty in the North, and being ancient to an absurd degree, consist of only eight people, only three of whom are adults, and one of those wasn't even born a Stark. The Baratheons consisted of only "six" people, though three of them are bastards of another dynasty. The Martels consist of only FOUR legitimised members. This is just ridiculous. Most houses should be like the Freys, or at least the Lannisters. They're far more realistic, considering Martin was inspired by medieval European history.

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2 hours ago, WhatAnArtist! said:

I always thought it was odd just how small most of the major houses are. The Starks, despite being the most powerful and influential dynasty in the North, and being ancient to an absurd degree, consist of only eight people, only three of whom are adults, and one of those wasn't even born a Stark. The Baratheons consisted of only "six" people, though three of them are bastards of another dynasty. The Martels consist of only FOUR legitimised members. This is just ridiculous. Most houses should be like the Freys, or at least the Lannisters. They're far more realistic, considering Martin was inspired by medieval European history.

Exactly, this ticks me off. 

4 hours ago, Lord Lannister said:

Mereen's existence. <_<

God I hope she doesn't settle in Volantis or Pentos when she moves westwards

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13 hours ago, WhatAnArtist! said:

The Starks, despite being the most powerful and influential dynasty in the North, and being ancient to an absurd degree, consist of only eight people, only three of whom are adults, and one of those wasn't even born a Stark. The Baratheons consisted of only "six" people, though three of them are bastards of another dynasty. The Martels consist of only FOUR legitimised members. This is just ridiculous.

I think this is because the Starks were annihilated by Aerys. He killed Brandon and Rickard and Lyanna died. Also the Baratheons are famously fertile but Stannis doesn’t enjoy sex and Renly is homosexual so…. And yeah Martells are super promiscuous but they have no legitimized children. Like why couldn’t Oberyn just marry Ellaria??

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5 minutes ago, Brynden"Bloodraven" Rivers said:

Like why couldn’t Oberyn just marry Ellaria??

I suppose because 1) she was a bastard 2) neither of his siblings' very different marriages seemed to work

Martells are also a small family because their uncle Lewin became kingsgaurd but they still seem to have cousins like their Martell castellan 

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On 10/22/2021 at 8:32 AM, Daenerysthegreat said:

Wasn't serfdom existing in Russia till 1860s and they had a massive army then as well. 

1860's Russia had already some railroads and steel/steamships. So those made feeding large armies easier. Also during that time Imperial Russia had standing army, navy and large bureaucracy that collected supplies that those armies needed like food, weapons, ammunition, clothes, boots ...

Westerosi have neither railroads nor steam powered ships and their their government is minimal compared to 1860's Russia. For instance Starks rule land size of Europe with staff including maester, castellan, steward and 200 thugs. So they should NOT be able to feed as large armies than 1860's Russia.

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2 hours ago, Loose Bolt said:

For instance Starks rule land size of Europe with staff including maester, castellan, steward and 200 thugs

This was always funny to me. In the show it was especially funny how Winterfell seemed to consist of only one muddy courtyard that showed up in every single scene. It made the Starks and Winterfeel seem so small and insignificant compared to other parts of Westeros. 

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2 hours ago, Loose Bolt said:

1860's Russia had already some railroads and steel/steamships. So those made feeding large armies easier. Also during that time Imperial Russia had standing army, navy and large bureaucracy that collected supplies that those armies needed like food, weapons, ammunition, clothes, boots ...

Westerosi have neither railroads nor steam powered ships and their their government is minimal compared to 1860's Russia. For instance Starks rule land size of Europe with staff including maester, castellan, steward and 200 thugs. So they should NOT be able to feed as large armies than 1860's Russia.

Ok but Peter the Great or like Cathrine the great or Alexander (not the great lol) led Russia with its massive army without railroads and steamships, (and maybe some without shoes too)

Speaking of Mongols, they ruled the size of,  whatever, with hardly anybody. (The Russians had a larger army then the Mongols)

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I would give the Ironborn a much bigger homeland. I always feel my toenails roll up when I read how many ships they build and support out of the tiny Iron Islands. Come to think of it I would cut the Ironborn down to size and not give them this prominent role in the story in the first place. Theon is enough. Asha is already not really needed. Euron and Victarion are cardboard cutouts  who lower the overal quality of the story.

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3 minutes ago, Hugorfonics said:

Speaking of Mongols, they ruled the size of,  whatever, with hardly anybody. (The Russians had a larger army then the Mongols)

Not quite accurate to say that the Mongols "ruled" these places. In most cases (especially further west) they just demanded tribute in the form of wealth or manpower, and left those places alone other than that. If they didn't receive tribute, they'd show up and kill a bunch of people until they became submissive. Rinse and repeat. The Mongols had no desire to become administrators and bureaucrats. They just wanted to conquer and get tribute.

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24 minutes ago, WhatAnArtist! said:

Not quite accurate to say that the Mongols "ruled" these places. In most cases (especially further west) they just demanded tribute in the form of wealth or manpower, and left those places alone other than that. If they didn't receive tribute, they'd show up and kill a bunch of people until they became submissive. Rinse and repeat. The Mongols had no desire to become administrators and bureaucrats. They just wanted to conquer and get tribute.

The westerners didn't go as hard as Kublai and his dynasty true (Kublai loved a good bureaucracy) but there was just so little of them and so far away so it's hard, but no I'd say they ruled and I think so would their subjects.  

There were full fledged rebellions to kick the Mongols out in the centuries to come

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For the Ironborn, I’d have some houses, such as Harlaw, question the logic and ideals of the Old Ways, and whether it’s brought them more harm than good over the years. Have Rodrik Harlaw hear about the proposal Theon brings from Robb Stark, and decides to break away from the rest of the Ironborn along with some followers. Having the Ironborn divided in two would add an interesting conflict, since everyone there just seems to stick to the Old Ways without question originally.

Create coats of arms for the houses that don’t have one yet (ex: Crannog houses except for Reed and Fenn, Longthorpe and Torrent in the Vale, Weaver and Ironmaker from the Iron Islands). Maybe give some sigils to noble families in Essos and other nations.

More families in Dorne. Seriously, they have less houses there than anywhere else! They have 9 houses that are currently extinct.

Not have the Targaryens be on the verge of extinction? Maybe they have a legit cadet branch that’s in another part of Westeros?

A bit of a time gap between some of the books; AFFC and ADWD happened at the same time, I heard.

Spare Dontos Hollard and maybe give him a chance to become a better knight.

Feature the Skagosi. I really, really want to hear more about them, and whether they’ll help the North.

More female characters, too.

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1 hour ago, Hugorfonics said:

Ok but Peter the Great or like Cathrine the great or Alexander (not the great lol) led Russia with its massive army without railroads and steamships, (and maybe some without shoes too)

 

I also did a bit of research on china. In the 8th century. China had an army of 500000 and that was when the country was divided in civil war

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