Talk:Book:Pyramids

Pyramids dates itself to the Century of the Cobra (i.e. well over a century before the present) and there isn't much to connect it to the Century of the Fruitbat. The point that Djelibeybi participated in the expedition to subdue Omnia suggests that the story probably predates Small Gods; under Dios they wouldn't likely have emerged from their private universe. However, the faculty of the College of Assassins contains members still found in the C. of the F. and even the Anchovy (e.g.Mericet and Cruces.)
Since the place had been re-cycling time for 7000 years, perhaps it has local anomalies in addition to the general problems of Discworld history, or maybe nobody really knows what time it is any more. Even Dios admitted he didn't remember events, just the rituals. --Old Dickens 15:52, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

Hmmm. On the other hand, though, the very first occassion where Teppic discovered he was superfluous to practical requirements was when the emissaries from Tsort and Ephebe were formally presented to him in the throne room. Here, he discovers that Dios has already dealt with whatever diplomatic negociations were needed, and all he's expected to do is be there and act as ceremonial figurehead. This would suggest that Dios actually does have some sort of practical grasp on the realities of the world outside Djelibeybi, even if it operates on a condescending "barbarian nations" level.

Dios, as keeper of the people of the Djel, might also have an awareness that, regrettably, at this time the Empire is weak and cannot prevent its two powerful neighbours from walking all over it if they fancy a nice little war on somebody else's turf. His prime directive might well be to accept this regrettable state of affairs - for now - and negociate to prevent the destruction of Djelibeybi in someone else's war, until such a day as Djelibeybi is strong again and its armies can repay this moment's indignity with some righteous smiting and grinding underfoot of enemies underneath jewelled sandal and chariot wheel, et c.

If the events of Small Gods are several hundred years before the consensus "present", then Dios might well have had more substantial armed forces to deploy. Ther same survival tactic that leads him to negociate with armies he cannot beat might well have operated then, in the face of a barbarian enemy such as Omnia, which even he will have noticed has suddenly and catastrophically overthrown barbarian Ephebe and altered the whole balance of power. Hence Djelibeybi's participation in the alliance that sets out to destroy Omnia, lest Vorbis turn his eyes on destroying the Djel valley, its gods, and its priesthood, next. I vaguely recall from the text of Small Gods that the Djlibeybian admiral is aware of having not much of a fleet, though, and his feeling a bit dissappointed at this. (And when Om press-gangs the other Gods into sending a storm, the ships, of course, are first to suffer. Would Djelibeybi have been able to rebuild its Fleet, or would money for pyramids take first priority? Is the High Priest an Offlian?)

Also, I wouldn't mind betting that two dictatorially-minded High Priests like Vorbis and Dios, neither of whom would have brooked the other's way of worship for an instant, would have been very aware of each other's existance and sooner or later a conflict would have arisen. Think Hitler versus Stalin...)--AgProv 10:44, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

Do you think the Men in Saffron may have borrowed a little (or a lot) of time from an endless resource of it, and made a botch job of repairs (if, for example, an untutored spin-driver [I forget the real name] panics and has to dump somewhere)? --Knmatt 18:29, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

If Pyramids happened in a previous century, well, Mericet is in Pyramids but Teatime also mentions being taught by Mericet in Hogfather. Lordloss210 20:20, 3 July 2012 (CEST)

Another marketing tie-in

Ye great drats. The Dibbler in me has just stirred again. On the Exclusive Possession page I wondered what the Ankh-Morpork monopoly board would look like (I'd better get on with designing one, as I had the idea first).(1) Well, second...

Now another great Roundworld boardgame has just surfaced in my head with a Discworld twist... Diplomacy, the one where seven players each take the part of one of the power-blocks of Europe in 1907, and by exploiting fast and easily broken alliances, seek to come out as unchallenged regional superpower. Circle Sea Diplomacy, anyone? (The corresponding Discworld idea was that four or five Circle Sea countries, who mormally would have hated each other's guts, and none of whom would have been strong enough to do it on their own, were forced into a short-lived coalition with the express aim of wiping out Omnia as too dangerous to be allowed to survive. In the game of Diplomacy, similar brief coalitions may be forced on the players to eliminate or cut back one who gets too powerful. The coalition would have been forced out of mutual hatred for Omnia, not out of a sudden flowering of brotherly love between, say, Tsort and Ephebe. This is how the game of Diplomacy works)

You may play as Klatch (Turkey?), Ankh-Morpork (Great Britain?), the Unholy Empire (Germany or Austria?), Quirm/Sto Plains States (France?) Omnia, Ephebe, Tsort, or Djelibeybi on a map of the Circle Sea region.... you saw the idea here first! --AgProv 14:21, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

Hmm, as Italy is also a player in Roundworld diplomacy, add Brindisi/Genua as a playing state? which makes nine possible contenders as opposed to Roundworld's seven...--AgProv 08:19, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

(1) There's this one: Discworld Monthly - Issue 133, May 2008. Arie de Groot <arie.degroot@obanhigh.argyll-bute.sch.uk> writes: At the last two CLARECRAFT symposiums I was the Monk of time, the maker of the Discworld Monopoly board and the Rat King shield.
Diplomacy is better, anyway. --Old Dickens 01:35, 19 August 2008 (UTC)