Let's make some history!
I <i>love</i> timelines. They're a great way to summarize history and a wonderful way to stimulate sociological creativity.
Using timelines to outline historical development is a technique I first saw discussed in <i>Dragon Magazine</i> as a way to make the game world more "real". The writer used it to great effect in an example from a post-apocalyptic game called <i>Gamma World</i>. He sketched out a timeline that made a small tribe seem more three-dimensional because they had a history. I think a lot of culture is history, or, perhaps a lot of culture is the result of history.
In any case, I've messed around with timelines for some time. In my search for ideas, I came across a little program that would, given a few parameters, generate a timeline for you. Sure, it was random and simple, but it had enormous potential for creativity. So, of course, I had to steal it. Well, at least, "co-opt" it. So, now, I have a simple, web-based version available for free.
Y'all enjoy the new <a href="http://www.fantasist.net/timeline.shtml">Timeline Generator</a>.
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