What makes a good Setting?

[FriarRosing]

I definitely second the "find something that interests you" line of reasoning. I'm personally fascinated by other cultures, human evolution and premodern hominids, so I used that as part of my personal setting. It's not a setting of cavemen, but the idea of neanderthals and homo sapiens coexisting in the same areas is interesting to me, the same with homo floriensis living in relative proximity to modern humans. It was my musings about that that led me to come up with a lot of my ideas on how the different races in the game interact and their own origins. That mixed with Vedic period Hinduism and normal medieval europisms.

I'd suggest going to museums, or, as was recommended, pick up a National Geographic. A lot of times images, art work, clothing and architecture from other cultures can be really cool for inspiration. Same goes for history of other places. I want to do a group in a game sometimes based on the descendants of the Mayans in Latin America: a group of people who are heirs to this great, highly advanced for the period civilization that was crushed out by conquerers, who now are subject to prejudice as they try to hold on to their traditions. I would say just do some research into a subject that interests you and apply that to D&D. Really, I don't think that just goes for setting design, but for everything else too.

 

[S'mon]

I find starting with a theme always works well, eg "A flat world based on Norse myth, with the Wolfen of Fenrir the main antagonists" or "dark ages southern France at the time of the Islamic conquests".

 

[FriarRosing]

I just realized, moments after posting it, that my previous post doesn't address what makes a setting good. For that I would have to say consistency, interesting conflict, interesting peoples and societies, interesting characters and interesting locations make up a good setting. That sounds pretty basic, but I think the best thing you can do when making up a setting--whether drawing a map, naming a kingdom or location, or inventing a society--is to simply ask yourself, "is this actually interesting? Would I, as a person living in this world, want to go there/talk to these people/live in this kingdom?" I have a problem a lot where I realize the answer is no, but you can't let that dissuade you. I try not to.

 

[S'mon]

If you just want a basic map, this fractal world generator is cool:
the demonweb; fractal world generator

 

[Prisoner6]

I find starting with a theme always works well, eg "A flat world based on Norse myth, with the Wolfen of Fenrir the main antagonists" or "dark ages southern France at the time of the Islamic conquests".

That's really good advice. There needs to be something coherent holding your world together - "elves with guns", "Civil War", "kobolds rule", "wild west with fireballs", anything....

After that, the world needs to be filled with opportunities for the players. It's all very well that Prince Noddle of Nalf is madly in love with the blacksmith's daughter, but if the PCs never interact with Noddle or never even come within 1000 miles of Nalf, then there's absolutely no point.

The whole point of the setting is to be played in. Make it playable.

I've found that the best part of any setting is discovery. When the players (characters) start looking around and finding out things about the world - and the setting slowly reveals its details - that's where the real enjoyment is. Dumping a thousand year history on them in textbook format is not enjoyable ... having them uncover pieces of hidden history (or political intrigue, or whatever it is that makes your world tick) is much more enjoyable.

 

[Raven Crowking]

There is an article in the most recent Dragon Roots about making a campaign world that I found interesting.

RC

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

The best advice I can give you is that if some sort of setting-making process doesn't feel right for you than don't use it. I spent too much time up till recently trying to do the "consistancy" thing, but it just causes my brain to grind to a halt. Now I'm engaged in making a setting via putting it together from whatever bits and pieces I like, and I've given myself the guideline of not getting strangled by dweeling on inconsistancies.

 

[avin]

I started small, forced to make an improvised GURPS Fantasy game. It starts on a city... things around were created then a full world...

Now I DM mostly planar games, inserting any cool geographic feature I want. When I got burned we move on to another place.

 

[Afrodyte]

A good world to adventure in is a world that produces adventurers. I know, any world could do that, but some settings are better at logicall producing such people. I just posted an old article over on my blog about just that.

I skimmed your post. Good work! This is the sort of thing I consider when I think about good D&D adventures. Too often, everything becomes Save the World (Again). This puts a different spin on things and can continue to grow beyond the initial plot hook.

 

[Stormborn]

I skimmed your post. Good work! This is the sort of thing I consider when I think about good D&D adventures. Too often, everything becomes Save the World (Again). This puts a different spin on things and can continue to grow beyond the initial plot hook.

Thanks.

Relating the post to the OPs question, I think that a good setting is going to provide a reason for people to be motivated to do the things that adventurers do, an opportunity to do them, and a world that reacts to them doing it.

I had another thought along those lines: an oppressed population long under the burden of a powerful empire experiances something of a cultural revival. The young begin to take on names for themselves, rejecting the Imperial names they were given as children. They begin a very non-specific an unorganzied rebellion. They learn to fight and use weapons normally forbidden to them, they learn secret lore handed down from their ancestors, they worship the old gods. Most of all, they start exploring those old sites of the people and nations they once were. Ancient tombs and cities closed and forbidden by the Empire. Places where dark things have moved in, ancient traps (and some not so ancient) await, and places were long lost relics of power could change the nature of the world.

Of course that kind of campaign has a direction going on, toward a cultural shift of some kind. But it allows for either very heroic campaign or a dirty kind of street level one.

It also speaks to something else, good campaign worlds are just as much about the setting in history as they are a physical setting. You have to have things going on, the kinds of things I mention in that article, to create the right climate for adventuring. Sure, there will always be adventures out there, but in a time of relative peace, prosperty, and stability they will be fewer than in a time of change and conflcit.