Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
Good world building guide
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Wik" data-source="post: 6681093" data-attributes="member: 40177"><p>Second (or third?) World Builder's Guidebook. Had it for almost two decades now, and whenever I start up a new world, it's a resource I turn to. There's a bunch of tables to consult if you don't have an idea for what to put in an area. It usually leads to some weird stuff that, if you put a bit of thought and work into, becomes fascinating and interesting. We're talking stuff like high tech, mercantile gnolls with an arabic vibe, sky vikings with a fascination for settling near rivers, and theocratic halflings that subjugate dragons.</p><p></p><p>All of those are results that can easily happen if you just go full bore on the random tables... and to me, all of those are AWESOME. And if you don't like random tables, there's a bunch of other essays that give advice on building societies or terrain or pantheons. It covers the logistics of mapping a campaign, putting together interesting calendars or deities, and everything else.</p><p></p><p>I'd also recommend that you look AWAY from RPG products for the best advice on world building. Read some history, geography, anthropology, geology, or whatever it is that interests you. The more you read, the more ideas you'll get that can be dropped into your game. I know I've used everything from WW2 art's use of the "heroic scale" to an indepth knowledge of Cicero in my own games. My current campaign has drawn upon the Reformation and the rise of Protestantism (a current subplot), crossing the Roman emperor Hadrian with Joan of Arc, and weird weather systems that happen in archipelagos. Basically, I took as many real-world topics that interested me, twisted them, and put them in my campaign.</p><p></p><p>The other plus side about this is that you're broadening your interest in the real world. While RPGs are great and all, it's nice to be more well rounded as a person. My two cents, at least.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Wik, post: 6681093, member: 40177"] Second (or third?) World Builder's Guidebook. Had it for almost two decades now, and whenever I start up a new world, it's a resource I turn to. There's a bunch of tables to consult if you don't have an idea for what to put in an area. It usually leads to some weird stuff that, if you put a bit of thought and work into, becomes fascinating and interesting. We're talking stuff like high tech, mercantile gnolls with an arabic vibe, sky vikings with a fascination for settling near rivers, and theocratic halflings that subjugate dragons. All of those are results that can easily happen if you just go full bore on the random tables... and to me, all of those are AWESOME. And if you don't like random tables, there's a bunch of other essays that give advice on building societies or terrain or pantheons. It covers the logistics of mapping a campaign, putting together interesting calendars or deities, and everything else. I'd also recommend that you look AWAY from RPG products for the best advice on world building. Read some history, geography, anthropology, geology, or whatever it is that interests you. The more you read, the more ideas you'll get that can be dropped into your game. I know I've used everything from WW2 art's use of the "heroic scale" to an indepth knowledge of Cicero in my own games. My current campaign has drawn upon the Reformation and the rise of Protestantism (a current subplot), crossing the Roman emperor Hadrian with Joan of Arc, and weird weather systems that happen in archipelagos. Basically, I took as many real-world topics that interested me, twisted them, and put them in my campaign. The other plus side about this is that you're broadening your interest in the real world. While RPGs are great and all, it's nice to be more well rounded as a person. My two cents, at least. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
Good world building guide
Top