Alternative methods of setting creation

[Doug McCrae]

You got me, Necromancer!

I only twigged when I got to barsoomcore's post. Good thread though.

Afrodyte seems to be looking for settings which start with a particular flavour or broad concept that can inform all sorts of people, places and events. In other words, a sort of low maintenance top down. Start with the formula, use the formula to create a universe.

Otoh PoL is a bottom up approach. But also low maintenance.

 

[Afrodyte]

Wondering what the posters here (esp Afrodyte) think of the 'PoL' setting of WotC. Abstract for you?

I like the PoL concept (I hesitate to call it a setting). In few words, it gives me an idea of what playing a default D&D game should be like.

I generally prefer setting books that set a strong mood/feel, like Midnight or Sovereign Stone, over the dry, heavy detail approach like Kalamar. Wilderlands of High Fantasy is great though as it has both.

Same here.

Afrodyte seems to be looking for settings which start with a particular flavour or broad concept that can inform all sorts of people, places and events. In other words, a sort of low maintenance top down. Start with the formula, use the formula to create a universe.

Otoh PoL is a bottom up approach. But also low maintenance.

Precisely. Although, to fine-tune what you said here, it's not low-maintenance per se, but more like high-concept. A lot of settings sort of lose me because they describe more than they show. Going back to nWoD, one of the things that makes the concept work for me is how it's presented. Instead of a lot of specific details, there is a brief, general discussion about what the world is like. Not in generic terms like "our world but darker," but something crisp and specific - dark mystery. Without going into further detail, I immediately grasp what it would be like to play in this world.

But the hook comes from the anecdotes, letters, secret files, academic lectures, diaries, and so on that present the darkness and mystery of the world without saying "darkness" or "mystery." Most RPG settings give far too many facts but do little to personalize it. There is no human face to the events, cultures, religion, and so forth to bring the world to life. The nWoD and PoL are more along what I have in mind.

 

[Connorsrpg]

Does anyone remember a person that posted their setting design as a list of ideas? They gave a great example? I was obviously in another thread (that I have lost ). But it was a great idea I have kind of adapted.

Having tried to turn things around to be moe about the players than 'my setting' i have made a list of cool encounters based solely upon the backgrounds of the characters. Every now and then I roll a random one from that list and bring it into play. Worked well so far, but haven't used many yet.

I realise this is how others 'run' a campaign, but I love randomness and just throwing the odd curveball really brings the player in. Sometimes they are checking back through their own note, "I have what?", "He knew me?", etc.

The free Star Wars Saga adventures I downloaded by Grubman had some ideas like that writen into his adventures. I used one as a starter and now have a list of my own for the current characters.

 

[Afrodyte]

Having tried to turn things around to be moe about the players than 'my setting' i have made a list of cool encounters based solely upon the backgrounds of the characters. Every now and then I roll a random one from that list and bring it into play. Worked well so far, but haven't used many yet.

I would love playing in a game where the GM did this. I like it because it gives the players (aka, me) a way to invest in the setting as a co-creator rather than as a puppet or an empty vessel. A lot of times, I like coming up with places and characters but don't have the right kind of energy for DMing. Sort of like an idea I'm kicking around now that looks like Rob Roy but has magic like Willow in it.

 

[Connorsrpg]

Wow Afrodyte - you would be very welcome at my table. Often I ask for players to create their character's homeland and cultural norms...but alas, most aren't into it. But that is OK too as I get to create more (By create I mean roll on a bunch of tables and then mix and interpret the results ).
C

 

[Afrodyte]

Wow Afrodyte - you would be very welcome at my table. Often I ask for players to create their character's homeland and cultural norms...but alas, most aren't into it. But that is OK too as I get to create more (By create I mean roll on a bunch of tables and then mix and interpret the results ).
C

:-D

 

[S'mon]

On the other hand, people like me, who weren't around the first time, get to read it. And now I have to digest fusangite's mega-post.

Cheers, LT.

Yeah, I'm not annoyed or anything, I just feel a bit silly realising I was responding to posts from 2005.

 

[Afrodyte]

Yeah, I'm not annoyed or anything, I just feel a bit silly realising I was responding to posts from 2005.

Imagine how I felt when I realized I had started this thread in the first place, and clicked on it to read something "new."

 

[TerraDave]

Hey, I posted in this thread!

Random Comments:

I love using something a player put into their background to befudle, confuse, or complicate later on.

PoL is closer to the hyborian model. Not so sure about what the style or theme...except maybe "D&D"....but of course that could be the point.

My recent approach to world building...top down, factual, dry, non-pol, and theme, whats that? Ok, maybe some themes and open places...but to each his own.

 

[WayneLigon]

It's a world full of dinosaurs -- but it doesn't feel like it because I didn't sit down and think "So what does a world full of dinosaurs look like? What do people EAT? DRINK? WEAR? when the primary animal type isn't mammal, it's dinosaur? What do they ride? Keep as pets? How do they defend themselves against T-Rexes?" I STILL don't really have any answers to those questions and it's very disappointing to me. I basically took a typical fantasy world and added dinosaurs, which is fun in a "Hey, dinosaurs!" kind of way, but the world would have been more satisfying had I spent a little more time in thought on stuff.

Have you ever looked at the Dinotopia books?