Sky Islands

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Author: Vince

Last revision: 28 May, 2020 at 23:20 UTC

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Description:

The ice age is coming to an end…the glaciers are receding back towards the poles¹… and in their wake the world is changing…becoming warmer². The forest³ that once stretched unbroken across this region is gone. The connections that it maintained are lost to the past, replaced by an endlessly flowing sea of sand⁴⁻⁸. However, the desert⁹ is not without refuge. Islands, still wild with lush grasslands, alpine forests, and snowy mountains, create a mosaic in the dunes¹⁰⁻¹⁵.

Your people¹⁶⁻²³ have called this unique place home for thousands of years, their cultures inspired by the richness and diversity of plant and animal life around them. Now it is your turn to lead. Venture forth from your emerald island in the sky…brave great distance and inhospitable climate…rediscover the beauty of this land…reconnect her people.
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Explore a landscape inspired by the Madrean sky islands of North America in this tiny-sized scenario for 4-6 players (6 recommended).

Starting positions are random. Players begin on one of several “sky islands”, i.e., regions with climates (tile types) and resources (luxury & bonus) different from the surrounding desert landscape and rich in water/food/production.

Players that expand beyond their easy-to-colonize starting areas will discover additional sky islands, a diversity of natural wonders, and a wealth of luxury and strategic resources.

Beware! This map has a lot of open terrain and a high land to water ratio; these conditions favor barbarian generation. There will be numerous roving barbarian hordes in the desert for most of the game. Defend your cities and your civilian units!
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Please explore the following material at your leisure. References include a mix of media and written content that illustrate and further explain the topics introduced above and examine in-detail the cultural features of the peoples from this region. Additional links to more in-depth reading on the Madrean Sky Islands are included below as well. All referenced material is publicly available; please contact me via direct message or comment below if you cannot access these sources.

References:

1. Animation of ice depth during the last glacial cycle.[polarmet.osu.edu]
2. Climate in North America during the last 150,000 years.[www.esd.ornl.gov]
3. Land cover at the Last Glacial Maximum (21,500 years ago).[polarmet.osu.edu]
4. Land cover 18,000 years ago.[www.esd.ornl.gov]
5. Land cover 13,000 years ago.[www.esd.ornl.gov]
6. Land cover 11,000 years ago.[www.esd.ornl.gov]
7. Land cover 8,000 years ago.[www.esd.ornl.gov]
8. Land cover modern (if there were no agriculture).[www.esd.ornl.gov]
9. Introductory material on desert biomes.[pubs.usgs.gov]
10. Brief description of the Madrean sky islands.[www.fs.fed.us]
11. Plant communities vary with elevation on sky islands.[www.fs.fed.us]
12. Overview of basic Madrean sky island biomes.[www.nps.gov]
13. Ecoregions of Arizona (poster front); see Biomes 79a-e.[pubs.usgs.gov]
14. Ecoregions of Arizona (poster back); see Biomes 79a-e.[pubs.usgs.gov]
15. Ecoregions of Arizona (map only); see Biomes 79a-e.[ecologicalregions.info]
16. Society – Hopi. Related databases and eHRAF culture summary links in top box.[d-place.org]
17. Society – Tohono O’odham.[d-place.org]
18. Society – Zuni.[d-place.org]
19. Society – San Carlos Apache.[d-place.org]
20. Society – White Mountain Apache.[d-place.org]
21. Society – South Tonto (Western Apache).[d-place.org]
22. Society – North Tonto (Western Apache).[d-place.org]
23. Western North American Indian Database; contains information for more societies from this region.[d-place.org]

Further Readings on the Madrean Sky Islands:

• S1 Scientific Publication – introduction to Madrean Sky Islands.[www.fs.fed.us]
• S2 Scientific Publication – Madrean Sky Islands I symposium report (1994).[www.fs.fed.us]
• S3 Scientific Publication – Madrean Sky Islands II symposium report (2004).[www.fs.fed.us]
• S4 Scientific Publication – Madrean Sky Islands III symposium report (2012).[www.fs.fed.us]
• S5 Find more information that interests you! – USDA search for publications on “sky islands”.[www.fs.usda.gov]
• S6 Find more information that interests you! – Google Scholar search for publications on “sky islands”.[scholar.google.com]

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