Ramifications of a land world?

[VirgilCaine]

Even parts of the Atacama where rain may only happen every couple years have life beyond lichens.

The longest stretch of dry weather [not having precipitation] was in the Atacama desert. ~400 years or so. So maybe make that "it rains only every couple centuries."

Also, cool thread.

 

[Aristotle]

Also, cool thread.

I know I'm finding it useful. I really love that we have a resource like this community for just this sort of thing.

I just wanted to thank folks, again, for replying. I sat down this evening and tried to sketch a map for the world I'm thinking of in my head, and I realized how alien a mostly land world is to me. I can't quite wrap my head around it when I try to put it on paper... I'm used to coastlines and such giving me natural boundaries and such. I know I can use rivers, mountain ranges, and so forth to the same affect but it just feels odd to me for the time being. I'll keep working on it!

 

[willpax]

If your operate from Gaian assumptions, you could be much more flexible: the flora and fauna have developed into a self-regulating system. The earlier idea of organisms that process the salt buildup is one example of this kind of thinking. The coloration of the plants could make the planet have a more favorable albedo, as well as create a virtuous atmospheric cycle.

Perhaps all the organisms are much more resistant to temperature extremes and low moisture. You could create a world where even the "humans" have some basic resistances, and other creatures are even stranger. The plants might be huge, like baobab trees, with massive root systems to store food and moisture.

 

[LGodamus]

You have all missed the biggest ramification of all ...........with very little water................there wont enough pirates, and you know what that means




deprived of any natural foes to keep their numbers down NINJAs rule the world with a shadowy iron fist.....flipping out and chopping heads off

 

[Rel]

I know I'm finding it useful. I really love that we have a resource like this community for just this sort of thing.

I just wanted to thank folks, again, for replying. I sat down this evening and tried to sketch a map for the world I'm thinking of in my head, and I realized how alien a mostly land world is to me. I can't quite wrap my head around it when I try to put it on paper... I'm used to coastlines and such giving me natural boundaries and such. I know I can use rivers, mountain ranges, and so forth to the same affect but it just feels odd to me for the time being. I'll keep working on it!

One thing to keep in mind is that there may be some significant natural boundaries in the form of subduction zones (assuming you retain some form of plate tectonics). A lot of the areas on our planet where one plate slides under another are under the ocean. Not so on your world. This will be heavy volcano/earthquake area. Not to mention may well be overrun by Salmanders and Earth Elementals. They may have entire kingdoms of their own.

In contrast, there will also be a number of large mountain ranges where plates are ramming against each other like the Himalayas. Land of the Frost Giants there. Or maybe there are heights that even they can't live at due to oxygen deprivation. Up there are the Ice Elementals or maybe a haven for escaped constructs?

I also like the idea of some vast salt flats that have rivers feeding into them. They could take the place of some of your oceans and you could even set up sail powered runner-vessels to cover some of you large scale shipping (though due to friction these would only get so large - but they would be comparatively fast).

If you go with any sizable deserts, I came up with a campaign once that was centered on a city in the desert where there was essentially a Teleportation Circle bringin in water, all day every day. It was a Magocracy Water Monopoly where the Cabal ruled with an iron fist. If you pissed them off, they could turn off the water.