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Merged WotC setting search winners/losers thread
- Thread starter Kai Lord
- Start date
NoOneofConsequence
First Post
I was going to post mine, but after reading just the ones here, I can see why mine didn't stand out. At least three have nearly the same core ethos sentence as mine, and my "Who are the heroes." has been split across a couple of other peoples' as well.
So, you know, like...bummer!
So, you know, like...bummer!
Zappo
Explorer
Bummer. Well, here's mine:
Fantasy Setting Description
Core Ethos Sentence. A world where new forces battle for the first time, and where new heroes fight to bring back the balance.
Who are the heroes? The heroes are warriors from the fortified cities, wizards who try to understand magic, clerics of the new gods, explorer rogues, or even sorcerers struggling to keep their sanity. They are people who want to take their world back from chaos.
What do they do? They explore a world which has changed beyond recognition, searching the ruins of the old cities for artefacts, battling monsters, establishing new travel routes.
They fight the demons which try to conquer the world, discovering their plots and stopping possessed sorcerers.
They try to stop wars between neighbouring settlements, engaging in politics and diplomacy. They attempt to settle religious disputes between the clerics of different gods, or overcome suspect and prejudice between the races. They save magic users from witch hunts. Or, they take a side in any of the above and do what they must to support it!
Threats, Conflicts, Villains. A powerful demon lord has spotted this world where magic is quickly growing, and it is waiting for the moment when it will be able to summon an army of fiends to conquer it. Meanwhile, his minions corrupt the minds of those who display an exceptional affinity for magic.
Monsters keep growing in number, preying on undefended settlements.
Then, there are the new races that have appeared after the arrival of magic. Some of them, such as orcs and goblins, are extremely aggressive and perpetually at war, but even the most peaceful ones, such as halflings, are suspicious of foreigners.
Nature of magic. The source of magic is unknown, and it is the most important debate among scholars. There are dozens of theories, and it is likely that they are all wrong. Very few things are known for sure about magic.
Raw magic is dangerous. Sorcerers, those few who can directly access magic, shaping it through their will, almost invariably go insane. However, there are other, safer ways to the use of magic: wizardly magic, for example, as well as the power granted by gods to their clerics.
What’s new? What’s different? Telsa (working title) was a technological world until about 300 years ago. Then, magic appeared for the first time and technology quickly ceased working for no apparent reason. The world was plunged back forcefully into the middle ages, while monsters and mad sorcerers constantly increased in numbers. The population was decimated. Today, the people of Telsa have almost completely forgotten science and have turned themselves to the new gods, powerful beings which appeared about a century ago. The main themes are the mystery of magic, the slow rebuilding of civilization in a shattered world, and the conflicts between new races, new religions, and new factions, none of which has much experience in the field of getting along peacefully.
First of all, Telsa is a world where magic is relatively common, but which at the same time hasn’t had the time to grow used to it. Everyone fears it, many hate it, and only a few are beginning to think it could be used to help rebuilding the world. Even the most powerful magic users are scared of their own power.
Religion is central to the life of many. The gods are present in the world in physical form, and can be found and even talked to in their temples. Holy wars between followers of the new gods are common, as well as witch hunts against magic users and conflicts between races.
There are no reliable communications, because the roads are infested by monsters. Exploration and expansion are very important: people are in need of resources.
Fantasy Setting Description
Core Ethos Sentence. A world where new forces battle for the first time, and where new heroes fight to bring back the balance.
Who are the heroes? The heroes are warriors from the fortified cities, wizards who try to understand magic, clerics of the new gods, explorer rogues, or even sorcerers struggling to keep their sanity. They are people who want to take their world back from chaos.
What do they do? They explore a world which has changed beyond recognition, searching the ruins of the old cities for artefacts, battling monsters, establishing new travel routes.
They fight the demons which try to conquer the world, discovering their plots and stopping possessed sorcerers.
They try to stop wars between neighbouring settlements, engaging in politics and diplomacy. They attempt to settle religious disputes between the clerics of different gods, or overcome suspect and prejudice between the races. They save magic users from witch hunts. Or, they take a side in any of the above and do what they must to support it!
Threats, Conflicts, Villains. A powerful demon lord has spotted this world where magic is quickly growing, and it is waiting for the moment when it will be able to summon an army of fiends to conquer it. Meanwhile, his minions corrupt the minds of those who display an exceptional affinity for magic.
Monsters keep growing in number, preying on undefended settlements.
Then, there are the new races that have appeared after the arrival of magic. Some of them, such as orcs and goblins, are extremely aggressive and perpetually at war, but even the most peaceful ones, such as halflings, are suspicious of foreigners.
Nature of magic. The source of magic is unknown, and it is the most important debate among scholars. There are dozens of theories, and it is likely that they are all wrong. Very few things are known for sure about magic.
Raw magic is dangerous. Sorcerers, those few who can directly access magic, shaping it through their will, almost invariably go insane. However, there are other, safer ways to the use of magic: wizardly magic, for example, as well as the power granted by gods to their clerics.
What’s new? What’s different? Telsa (working title) was a technological world until about 300 years ago. Then, magic appeared for the first time and technology quickly ceased working for no apparent reason. The world was plunged back forcefully into the middle ages, while monsters and mad sorcerers constantly increased in numbers. The population was decimated. Today, the people of Telsa have almost completely forgotten science and have turned themselves to the new gods, powerful beings which appeared about a century ago. The main themes are the mystery of magic, the slow rebuilding of civilization in a shattered world, and the conflicts between new races, new religions, and new factions, none of which has much experience in the field of getting along peacefully.
First of all, Telsa is a world where magic is relatively common, but which at the same time hasn’t had the time to grow used to it. Everyone fears it, many hate it, and only a few are beginning to think it could be used to help rebuilding the world. Even the most powerful magic users are scared of their own power.
Religion is central to the life of many. The gods are present in the world in physical form, and can be found and even talked to in their temples. Holy wars between followers of the new gods are common, as well as witch hunts against magic users and conflicts between races.
There are no reliable communications, because the roads are infested by monsters. Exploration and expansion are very important: people are in need of resources.
Zappo
Explorer
A couple comments on my submission. It was really hard to fit it into a single page. It has been designed from scratch, and has never been developed further. It was designed to have lots of ideas for any type of game (TCC, CRPG, RPG, wargame, boardgame) as well as novels.
Additionally, Telsa has many ages which can be used as a setting, though I was forced to only describe the most interesting one of them. The techno age, where there is no magic, is basically a sci-fi/cyberpunk setting, except that there are elves and dwarves, so it couldn't be submitted. The transient age, those few years when magic is appearing and technology is not-so-slowly ceasing to work, is IMO the coolest, but it's technofantasy and can't be submitted.
Then there's the age described in the submission. It's like the end of the dark ages - conflict, yeah, fear, yeah, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel: the heroes. And then, there's the time when the demons will actually begin their invasion (you see, the light at the end of the tunnel was actually an incoming train
) - a fairly dark, yet high-magic setting, though I felt it was a bit too cliche.
Additionally, Telsa has many ages which can be used as a setting, though I was forced to only describe the most interesting one of them. The techno age, where there is no magic, is basically a sci-fi/cyberpunk setting, except that there are elves and dwarves, so it couldn't be submitted. The transient age, those few years when magic is appearing and technology is not-so-slowly ceasing to work, is IMO the coolest, but it's technofantasy and can't be submitted.
Then there's the age described in the submission. It's like the end of the dark ages - conflict, yeah, fear, yeah, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel: the heroes. And then, there's the time when the demons will actually begin their invasion (you see, the light at the end of the tunnel was actually an incoming train
) - a fairly dark, yet high-magic setting, though I felt it was a bit too cliche.
Mouseferatu
Hero
Well, in case anyone was curious, I'm living proof that working in the industry didn't give you an unfair advantage (darn it!), 'cuz I wasn't selected either.
I may or may not post my submissions here in a little while. Need to see if I'm going to be able to pitch them to any of the other companies I'm working for first. (I will find my unfair advantage somewhere, dammit!!)
I may or may not post my submissions here in a little while. Need to see if I'm going to be able to pitch them to any of the other companies I'm working for first. (I will find my unfair advantage somewhere, dammit!!)
mroberon1972
First Post
Re: Re: Well, guess this means I did NOT make it...
Actually, the original did not have that... That seems to be the message board board spelling checker? Strange...
mmadsen said:
Actually, the original did not have that... That seems to be the message board board spelling checker? Strange...
Bummer...
Here are both of mine...
Pent
"In a dead world's Bible it is said that their world was made in seven days and their Creator rested on the seventh. We made Pent in five and haven't stopped working since."
1) Pent is a fantasy Alamo in the heart of reality where heroes battle to survive by pillaging the finest elements of the surrounding worlds before they fall- the last stand against the encroaching stagnation and destruction of the multiverse.
"Five was the frame and we would hang it all from that. Most worlds are a terrifically complex system of planets, moons, alphabets with corresponding numbers generating the power behind numerology, astrology and magic. Pentagrams and pentagons of mythology, philosophy, and geography cross the continent, suspended in the core of the ever-shrinking face of reality.”
2) Heroes are found among the travel-weary cross-planar immigrants, survivors of dead worlds or Pent-born locals, often oblivious to their home’s origins and the struggle around them. Pentads struggle to find the artifact, the hero or the philosophy that might save the dying multiverse. Some say that so much power was invested in the number five during Pent’s creation that the upcoming fifth generation will have extraordinary destinies, unknown to even Pent’s creators.
“Some have to be shown the math, others have to be shown the prophecy. Then the five questions, ‘Do you truly accept that your world is on the brink of destruction? Do you know what is destroying existence? Will you help us? What of your world do you want to save as a final testament? How can we get your final testament safely to Pent?’”
3) The Pentads are explorers, working their way through the planes, hoping to salvage what they can. Sometimes they save entire societies, and sometimes they come away with nothing more than a epitaph to place on a world’s tomb. Propheseers look to the people, hoping to find a messiah, an inspiring leader or an Arcane Prodigy. The Order of Final Knights is a collection of select soldiers from across reality. Plane-runners sail creation’s tides, importing and exporting; hoping to turn a profit before the worlds end.
“The knowledge of our struggle is a burden, yet it brings out both the best and the worst in all of us. We fear what might happen if everyone were to know. Some might join the effort but others might simply give in to despair.”
4) Doomsayers float in their citadel, distributing mercy killings to entire worlds. Even members of the Pentads grow disenchanted or greedy, pillaging or collecting ransom from the many worlds they are trying to save. The destruction that has left worlds upon worlds a rotting wreckage remains a faceless villain, seemingly a force of nature.
“From the Troll-infested Bridge Cathedral of Heimdall to the arcane theocracy of Arcaith, enough drama and villainy exist to make sure that only the finest heroes are initiated into the Pentads and the deadly business of scavenging worlds for hope.”
5) A precarious balance of destruction and creation, made all the more potent by Pent’s base number five, sitting at its foundation like a powerful seed, await Pent’s Wizards. As the multiverse unravels, magic has become increasingly powerful, dangerous and unpredictable.
6) Pent insists that its Dungeon Masters and Players utilize the vast resources of d20 system. The world encourages and demands its owners to incorporate their favorite Prestige Classes, Magic Items or N.P.C’s from the myriad of settings on the shelves of every gaming store and to dust off the home brewed worlds in every gamer’s imagination.
Anthropa
1. Anthropa is the fantasy world of anthropomorphic Animals, Magical Beasts and Aberrations struggling in their newfound society as remnants of humanity’s civilization crumbles around them.
2. Animals, Aberrations and Magical Beasts of the Monster Manual walk on two legs. Examples of heroes found in Anthropa are the Psionic Ape Councilors of the Feathered Serpent, the Griffon Barbarians of the Black Glass Mountains and even the Rat Rogues, who skulk under the haunted cities of extinct humanity looking for hidden artifacts or just some chow. The hunter who looks for more than just a meal and a mate, the herdsman yearning for something more than merely safety and green grass, or in the Magical Beasts who rise up and fight against the Aberrations all heed the call of heroism.
3. Unicorn Paladins take up sword and shield against the thousand knives of Carrion Crawler Assassins. Dire Lords struggle to feed an empire of carnivores. The Feathered Serpent to the south rules a jungle empire from atop his Golden Pyramid. Beasts act out the primal drama of their former four-legged existence while struggling with their newfound humanity. Deer arm themselves against Wolf pack violence with the very bows and arrows that hunted their stags in the old world. The line between hunter and prey has become complicated. Tomb-like cities contain magic, remnants of a lost age, clues concerning mankind’s extinction.
4. Nightmare Blackguards conspire with Yeth Hound Sorcerers on moonless nights. The Dire Lords mercilessly hunt Herdsfolk for food as they did when they walked on four legs. Aboleth use their stolen memories of the old world to scheme and enslave. Driders and the Panther-like Displacers pour out of the Underdark reaping sacrifices for their Spider-Queen. Beasts twisted with an evil lust for power gather in their rotting fortress, Tarrasque.
5. There still exist provincial herdsfolk who foolishly believe that Unicorns are tales told by drunken Horses and that Dragons are myths. Nonetheless, former Wizards’ familiars teach the magicks of their now dead masters. Some say this Arcane meddling is unnatural and will bring the Doom of the Humans upon all of Beastkind.
6. Anthropa allows its players to bring their favorite mundane or mythical animals to vivid life. It is a fantastic world of high adventure that invokes the work of Brian Jaques’ Redwall, Robert Adam’s Watership Down and Stan Sakai’s Yusagi Yojimbo while putting their textures and themes in a high fantasy context. Sword and sorcery meets hoof and horn.
Here are both of mine...
Pent
"In a dead world's Bible it is said that their world was made in seven days and their Creator rested on the seventh. We made Pent in five and haven't stopped working since."
1) Pent is a fantasy Alamo in the heart of reality where heroes battle to survive by pillaging the finest elements of the surrounding worlds before they fall- the last stand against the encroaching stagnation and destruction of the multiverse.
"Five was the frame and we would hang it all from that. Most worlds are a terrifically complex system of planets, moons, alphabets with corresponding numbers generating the power behind numerology, astrology and magic. Pentagrams and pentagons of mythology, philosophy, and geography cross the continent, suspended in the core of the ever-shrinking face of reality.”
2) Heroes are found among the travel-weary cross-planar immigrants, survivors of dead worlds or Pent-born locals, often oblivious to their home’s origins and the struggle around them. Pentads struggle to find the artifact, the hero or the philosophy that might save the dying multiverse. Some say that so much power was invested in the number five during Pent’s creation that the upcoming fifth generation will have extraordinary destinies, unknown to even Pent’s creators.
“Some have to be shown the math, others have to be shown the prophecy. Then the five questions, ‘Do you truly accept that your world is on the brink of destruction? Do you know what is destroying existence? Will you help us? What of your world do you want to save as a final testament? How can we get your final testament safely to Pent?’”
3) The Pentads are explorers, working their way through the planes, hoping to salvage what they can. Sometimes they save entire societies, and sometimes they come away with nothing more than a epitaph to place on a world’s tomb. Propheseers look to the people, hoping to find a messiah, an inspiring leader or an Arcane Prodigy. The Order of Final Knights is a collection of select soldiers from across reality. Plane-runners sail creation’s tides, importing and exporting; hoping to turn a profit before the worlds end.
“The knowledge of our struggle is a burden, yet it brings out both the best and the worst in all of us. We fear what might happen if everyone were to know. Some might join the effort but others might simply give in to despair.”
4) Doomsayers float in their citadel, distributing mercy killings to entire worlds. Even members of the Pentads grow disenchanted or greedy, pillaging or collecting ransom from the many worlds they are trying to save. The destruction that has left worlds upon worlds a rotting wreckage remains a faceless villain, seemingly a force of nature.
“From the Troll-infested Bridge Cathedral of Heimdall to the arcane theocracy of Arcaith, enough drama and villainy exist to make sure that only the finest heroes are initiated into the Pentads and the deadly business of scavenging worlds for hope.”
5) A precarious balance of destruction and creation, made all the more potent by Pent’s base number five, sitting at its foundation like a powerful seed, await Pent’s Wizards. As the multiverse unravels, magic has become increasingly powerful, dangerous and unpredictable.
6) Pent insists that its Dungeon Masters and Players utilize the vast resources of d20 system. The world encourages and demands its owners to incorporate their favorite Prestige Classes, Magic Items or N.P.C’s from the myriad of settings on the shelves of every gaming store and to dust off the home brewed worlds in every gamer’s imagination.
Anthropa
1. Anthropa is the fantasy world of anthropomorphic Animals, Magical Beasts and Aberrations struggling in their newfound society as remnants of humanity’s civilization crumbles around them.
2. Animals, Aberrations and Magical Beasts of the Monster Manual walk on two legs. Examples of heroes found in Anthropa are the Psionic Ape Councilors of the Feathered Serpent, the Griffon Barbarians of the Black Glass Mountains and even the Rat Rogues, who skulk under the haunted cities of extinct humanity looking for hidden artifacts or just some chow. The hunter who looks for more than just a meal and a mate, the herdsman yearning for something more than merely safety and green grass, or in the Magical Beasts who rise up and fight against the Aberrations all heed the call of heroism.
3. Unicorn Paladins take up sword and shield against the thousand knives of Carrion Crawler Assassins. Dire Lords struggle to feed an empire of carnivores. The Feathered Serpent to the south rules a jungle empire from atop his Golden Pyramid. Beasts act out the primal drama of their former four-legged existence while struggling with their newfound humanity. Deer arm themselves against Wolf pack violence with the very bows and arrows that hunted their stags in the old world. The line between hunter and prey has become complicated. Tomb-like cities contain magic, remnants of a lost age, clues concerning mankind’s extinction.
4. Nightmare Blackguards conspire with Yeth Hound Sorcerers on moonless nights. The Dire Lords mercilessly hunt Herdsfolk for food as they did when they walked on four legs. Aboleth use their stolen memories of the old world to scheme and enslave. Driders and the Panther-like Displacers pour out of the Underdark reaping sacrifices for their Spider-Queen. Beasts twisted with an evil lust for power gather in their rotting fortress, Tarrasque.
5. There still exist provincial herdsfolk who foolishly believe that Unicorns are tales told by drunken Horses and that Dragons are myths. Nonetheless, former Wizards’ familiars teach the magicks of their now dead masters. Some say this Arcane meddling is unnatural and will bring the Doom of the Humans upon all of Beastkind.
6. Anthropa allows its players to bring their favorite mundane or mythical animals to vivid life. It is a fantastic world of high adventure that invokes the work of Brian Jaques’ Redwall, Robert Adam’s Watership Down and Stan Sakai’s Yusagi Yojimbo while putting their textures and themes in a high fantasy context. Sword and sorcery meets hoof and horn.
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