What are some cool and interesting ancient / medieval cultures to take inspiration from that aren't Romans / Greeks...

Ancient India.

I you don't want Europe, read some middle eastern mythology. There's plenty of stuff to work with. Same for Africa (not only Egypt, but also other Nations from there).

If you don't want Mediterraneans, Anglo-Saxons, Celts, Nords and Germans, try Slavic Mythology. It's kinda vikingish, but has very different flavour

Ligurians, Samnites, Etruscans, Iberians, Thracians, Dacians, Sarmatians, Scithians, Phrigians, Medes, Assyrians, Hittites, Cimerians, Mycenean, Mitanni, Cananites, Phonicians, Carthaginians, Libians, Garramates, Numidians...

Aztecs, Maya, Inca and so on. Don't have to copy them entirely, but Meso-American and South American civilizations had style.

Cool buildings and architecture, somewhat unusual terrain in case of Incas, unusual weapons, bloody sacrifices and pretty great gods.

Pre islam arabia really dose need more play.

You want medieval folks? Alani, the Crown of aragon and they limited thalasocracy with they weird sucess with light infantry (look the Catalan company for ERE bullshitery and greats amounts of fail and win),all the different fuckery than was medieval Italy, the Basques mistery of how they got so much cod to trade (they where in Terranova fishing) or how they started whaling, Kipchaks or Pechenegs and how they allied with more powerful cultures when it was in they benefit, Circassians, Armenians than have remained a very interesting and some what continued culture, the Different Silk Road cultures, the Mongols, the Early Russian and other slave countries...
And even then the fantasy bullshitery is so far apart of the true french and english medieval culture than you could dig them and find lots of gems in weird laws or legends and even aesthetics.

do you have any good sources on that? I'm always interested in taking inspiration from African cultures

The Maori of New Zealand have some good shit.

>changing into a worm, entering her vagina and leaving by her mouth while she slept, he is crushed with the obsidian teeth in her vagina.
I don't think players will appreciate this

The real answer isn't to be a cultural hipster, but take familiar things your players know, or think they know, and put your own spin on them in the context of your setting. Jamming in Maori spirits and Aztec magic just because it's different is not creative.

>Vikings

They are called Norse. "Raiders/traders is what outsiders referred to the vikings as. It's like calling Americans 'The cowboys.'

Try some Polynesian mythology.

youtu.be/q1z19p48lZU

BBC did a whole series of documentaries on Ancient and Medieval African nations
>Lost Kingdoms of Africa
youtube.com/watch?v=dbIFWa1OM0Q
should make a decent starting point for the rabbit hole
they also did one on America

Vikings the TV show pretty much does everything you're talking about

>humans first taking a major place on the world stage, before the elder races even noticed they discovered writing, metalworking and magic and are now expanding at a worrying pace
There's a lot you can do with this. Humans are beginning to explore beyond their own lands but are still vulnerable to the monsters that lurk outside the city walls at night. The elder races are first noticing that humans, previously thought of as animals, are becoming something more - some seek to use them, others to eliminate them before they become a threat. Human gods are beginning to gain the required amount of worship that they can start influencing the world, and gods both good and evil are choosing champions to expand their faiths. Magic has been newly discovered by humans, still rare enough to be shocking when witnessed and no one is really sure what it can do. Would-be wizard kings have already set their plans into motion.

Indian

Yeah yeah, you're a real cool guy for pointing out the weird creepy sex stuff going on in mythology, congratulations. Now fuck off.

phoenicians, if you want to play a people exploring the mediterrenean and parts of the atlantic by ship. later part of the phoenicians would become carthagians, it could be probably be pretty cool to play a campaign trying to destroy the roman empire.

Kalevala

I have a thing for Aztec stuff
so kinda glad that D&D got Planeshift Ixalan

Not who you're replying to, but it really, really doesn't. In every possible regard, that TV show is a disappointing failure at representing Norse society.

>implying all Americans aren't cowboys

I hear that's a bit of hole and can be a bit hairy.

I don't know if that's true or not because I don't know enough about actual Norse culture, but having seen the show it does everything he listed.

>colorful decorative clothes
Check
>well groomed vain warriors who hoard treasure
Check
>court poet skalds stirring up conflict / propping up the king etc
Check
>plenty of prophecy and powerful charms and magic words and curses
Check
>kings have to respect the law / lawmen can mediate conflicts
Check
>kings have no divine right, a competent person can take the throne
This is the entire plot of the first season.

I know it gets the actual historical characters and events wrong and out of order, but as far as what that poster wanted to see it's all in the show. Beyond that idk though

>Colorful clothes
Do NOT imply that the clothing, armor, or hairstyles worn by actors is even remotely historically accurate.
>Vain warriors who hoard treasure
Warriors and treasure? Maybe. Well groomed? Hardly.
>Court poets
Literally never come up. The significance of their services, how sought after they were, feuds between prominent skalds, none of that comes up. There's a mystical wanderer who tells fables and seduces Auslaug, that's pretty much it.
>Prophecy
There's a prophet character, but no other exploration of the Norse religion or its practices regarding curses or magic.
>Lawmen, role of the Chieftain, etc.
EVERY FUCKING TIME the show tries to present some convention of Norse culture, be it a legal proceeding, a Thing, or the nature of a Chieftain's position in that society it's always a ham-fisted attempt that crudely displays an, at best, elementary level understanding. It's like a fourth grader's history report with a really big budget.

The entire plot of the first season makes zero fucking sense, because Ragnar owes absolutely nothing to the Chieftain. If he doesn't like what the Chieftain is putting down, he's welcome to leave and swear fealty to another one. He doesn't even need to leave his property to do this, because Ragnar's property is just that- his fucking property. But somehow, the show makes it look like some pseudo-feudal arrangement where he and his familiy OWES their allegiance to Chief whoever the fuck.

Will continue with another post.

Furthermore, Ragnar and his cronies do nothing wrong by funding their own boat and taking it on their own expedition. The Chieftain going so far as to execute his blacksmith for helping them is ridiculous- as ridiculous as the Chieftain claiming he somehow owns all the spoils from a venture he had nothing to do with, which was undertaken on a ship he owned no share in. Later, the Chieftain outlaws Ragnar and tries to seize his property, despite A) Making no case that Ragnar has somehow broken the law and B) The Chieftain has no fucking authority to do this, anyway.

I'm sure, if I were to re-watch the show and pay even closer attention, I could give you more. I know that the role of local assemblies/things are seriously downplayed, and the entire scene about the 'Lawspeaker' pardoning Rollo is even more moronic.

So no, user, the show doesn't do any of the shit mentioned, and if you want to make a case that 'oh, but they actually did (x) in passing' then I'll adjust my statement and say that the show has never done any of that in an even remotely authentic manner.

Vikings is shit. Its retarded plot is driven by one dimensional characters and a butchered understanding of how Norse society functioned and to even imply it has some form of historical merit beyond mentioning significant names, places, and dates of actual events is fucking laughable.

Do yourself a favor and download some OSPREY books on ancient wars. The Enemies of Rome series is particularly good.

>disappointing failure at representing Norse society

i read an interview with the show's creators and i got they impression that they don't want historical accuracy they just want a decent show

those things are not mutually exclusive

Okay fine touchy touchy, I stand corrected, I guess it doesn't get the particulars down. You shouldn't get so mad about a TV show though, its still leagues better than the portrayal of most cultures in media

tell me one

one what?

youtube.com/watch?v=IBehjjt6V70

This is a pretty interesting video on the subject.

Summary: Yeah, it's more compression of historical events in an attempt to capture the "FEEL" of the age rather than get the exact details right. He states that while Ragnar and his crew don't look a THING like real Vikings, they act like it, and in a more authentic way than most shows and movies depict them.

INDIA
youtube.com/watch?v=oc61wZQMyBw

>there's a city on the statue's ass
How the fuck do people get up there? For that matter, how the fuck do they get up to the piece of land the statues are holding?

Funny, because every place they diverge from historicity makes the show a hell of a lot less interesting, and the show fucking sucks anyway.

>They act like it

I disagree. I really, really disagree, but I've already ranted enough on the subject so I'll drop it.

...

Not that guy, but come on son you did ask

From inside