So you want to build a new world for your fantasy campaign. This guide will help you do just that.
One of the first things you must do even before you start world building, is to get a general idea on what you want to do. What kind of world do you want?
I have classified the different campaign worlds into three types. Generic, Specific, and The Kitchen Sink.
The Generic World.
Generic Worlds are your average run of the mill fantasy settings. They tend to be huge and have alot of options. Such settings like the Forgotten Realms, and Greyhawk I consider to be generic worlds. They have the run of the mill elves, dwarves, gnomes and halflings. Basically everything you find in the players handbook. Generic worlds are high fantasy settings full of adventure, and bad guys. Sometimes events in one part of the world has little or no effect on another part of the world. These worlds are pefect for adventure for adventure sake, and have no uber-story line that effects the setting as a whole. Not that it cant happen, cause it can depending on what you want to do with this world.
Specific Worlds.
Specific worlds have themes and are narrow in scope, usually focusing on one part of the world, usually a single continent. Dragonlance, and Eberron are specific settings. They have unique features that are found only on that world, and have a well defined history, backstory, events, characters, and what not. Usually when an event takes place, it has a profound on the entire setting, and can have massive alterations on the campaign setting, changing it for ever. Dragonlance is guilty of this.
The Kitchen Sink.
These worlds have everything you can throw in it, including the kitchen sink. If you have a book then the material in that book is in this world somewheres. I have no specific worlds for this, although the forgotten realms does come close, and can be considered to be a kitchen sink world. These worlds offer the most in the terms of player options for races, classes, spells, and prestige classes.
Combination worlds.
The three types of worlds are not the be all, end all, of world types. I'm sure there are others out there, but the three i have written up, are just broad catagories. Some worlds can be a combination of all three. You can have a generic high fantasy setting with every race from the various race books, have a well detailed background, and story for the world that is setting specific.
Once you decided on what kind of world you want to build, this next step is one of the most important things you can do before you begin crunching on the world building. You want to come up with a concept.
What kind of world do you want to build? Does it have a victorian age feeling? Steampunk? High Magic where everyone has magic in some form? Low Magic? The concept like the world types can be as generic and specific as you would like it to be. Just a few short sentences to describe what you want in the setting is good enough of a start. This concept will be the foundation for everything else to come.
Now, before pulling out our library of books, you need to get a notebook(or what ever you want to write on that best suits you) and writing instrument. What i do is i take my concept and begin to jot down my Idea List, based on the concept. Set a time table, and think to yourself what do you want in this world, and then begin to jot down ideas. One idea with maybe a sentence or two to desribe it.
Here is an example.
World type :Kitchen Sink
Concept: High Fantasy with many different kingdoms, races, and classes from various sources. Full of oppertunities for adventure.
Idea List
Elves - The elves of this world are masters of Incarnum magic. They have a massive empire that is at odds with neighboring human kingdoms, and often times go to war with the humans who keep encroaching on their lands.
Dwarves - Dwarves are a sea faring race. They live on a series of small islands, and are master shipwrights, and traders. A common saying is that a Dwarf can sell water to a fish.
The Crescent Kingdoms - Several small human kingdoms located on a crecent shaped sea coast. These kingdoms rarely get along, and often go to war with each other, as well as the nearby elven empire.
Band of the Red Hand - A powerful mercenary company who sells its services to the highest bidder. Many adventurers join the Band of the Red Hand for gold and glory.
Write down everything that comes to mind, and keep it on a list. You will be expanding on this list as you continue to world build. And the most important part of the idea list is that, do not throw anything out. You may not use it, but you may eventually find a place for it. It may not be in the current world, but you might find use for it somewheres else. Who knows one day you might end up building an entire world from discarded ideas.
I will have more to come in the coming weeks. If anyone have any ideas to add feel free to add and post them. Everyone is different, and what i do for world building may not be your way. This is just how i go about it. Enjoy
Slaunt
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