Creating A Homebrew Setting

How many people out there have made homebrew settings? How did you go about making them, and did they turn out as good as you wanted them. I'm just curious, because I am in the process of making one, and was just wanting some pointers before I get really in depth with it.

I'm momentary working on my second 3e/d20 setting, and my third all in all. I usually start with an idea (Hismar - Roman empire meets Machiavelli's Italy; Untitled - Steampunk/renisance), then just start to scribble a map. The Map then gives me ideas for the history, which leads to the region description, which in turn leads to...

It all runs on autopilot with me. Ask Dougal - I once did a whole Umbral realm for Werewolf in one hour...

-Alla

I have made eight or nine homebrew settings that got played, two or three that got played intensively, and dozens upon dozens that never saw the light of day.

For some, I make the map first. For some, I make one small location for the PC's to start in and worry about the rest of it later.

For some, I make the cosmology first. For some, I outline a cosmology and worry about the details later.

For some, I make a theme first, and put in cosmology and maps and all to make it work.

I inherited a setting. Basically it was one a friend had made that I started running games in. Then he had to move but he let me get all his notes. We've had 4 campaign in it so far. Baisically, started with a map defined some countries and a basic history and then let the game go forward and the world slowly took shape.

I've made several homebrew worlds and contrubuted to friends worlds as well. I usally like to start with some kind of twist that will make the over all setting interesting and unique. Then i make my map, set up history, cosmology, cultures ecctra.

Oh yeah and u should use Ray Winnigar's rule, always include some kind od seacret about the world.

I've created one setting with a friend, some years ago. Thus far, nobody has played in it, though it was the setting of a novel.
Might be time to finally use it for something.

In answer to your first two questions, follow the link in my sig. I had a concept (many years ago) and developed it with help from my brother. It is not the same setting that it was when I first conceived it, but it certainly has turned out better than I could have imagined. Except that I'm still working on it. And I always will be, I suppose.

As for your pointers, I recommend:
a) make your setting distinguishing in some way
b) read Ray Winnigar's Dungeoncraft articles, as Sir Osis mentioned, above
c) check out the following threads (all by mmadsen):

The first ones may be somewhat useful, depending on what you want to do.
Traps (Esp. Ancient Traps)

D&D for a Younger Audience

What do your heroes do when they're not adventuring?

Magic Weapon Names

The following threads will definately be useful, especially the last one!
Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering

How to Twist Plots

Compelling Encounters!

What's Your Monster Palette?

Little Changes with Big Flavor

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

Since I started using 'worlds' I've gone hombrew (when I started RPing it was just a series of adventures) Just started exploring Greyhawk this year.

For me it starts with an idea - maybe inspired by something (eg REH Solomon Kane inspired a Dark Elizabethan setting in which the Seelie Court had returned to Scotland and Ireland, Britain is attached to Brittany (France) and Northern France has come under the control of the Holy Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell (who survived his sickness). Witchery thrives in Eastern Europe (with Lycanthorpes and Vampires), the Ottoman Empire (Griffons and Gargoyles) occupies Araby and North Africa and threatens the Levant where the Grand Inquisitor has replaced the Pope as head of Catholic Southern Europe (Demons).

This combines with an On Stranger Tides (Tim Powers) inspired Carribean (a pirates and voodoo/zombies setting) which I merged with ideas from The Pirates of Darkwater cartoon, Pasquales Angel (McAuley) inspired the addition of Steampunk Reneisance to the setting

As am Anthropologist I like to develop culture regions and have had a homebrew Afrika (an ancient antediluvean setting based around the shorse of the Great Sea Basin) in which Kem (Egypt) is a small city-state at the head of the El-Gez delta marsh.

My current setting is Mythic Polynesia

So to Summarise
1. An Idea
2. Outline the overall theme ('Culture')
3. Add 'cool bits', sites of wonder, Extraordinary occurances
4. Build the history and relationships between items in 3
5. Hide the secrets and twists

Next
1. Decide in the SMALL defined bit you will start 'playing in'
2. Define it
3. Give the PCs a reason and start exploring

Complete Setting

I came up with this guideline last year to help a collaborative design effort. The whole thing failed, but it was more a matter of different gaming/DM styles than the ide for the world. Perhaps you might find this file to be useful...

-Fletch!

Just in case you need the link to the Dungeoncraft articles, since nobody has posted it yet despite a couple of referrals:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dragon/dungeoncraft