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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Agback" data-source="post: 253578" data-attributes="member: 5328">I recommend that you try to find the following books: Life in a Medieval City by Frances and Joseph Gies, and How the Greeks Built Cities by R.E. Wycherly.Baths, aqueducts, reservoirs, cisterns, fountain-houses, urinals, public latrines.Bridges.Basilicas, market-places, court-houses, prisons.Brothels, cookshops, shambles, taverns, bakeries, communal ovens, mills.Bull-rings, bear-pits, theatres, amphitheatres.Barracks, armouries, arsenals, walls, gates, a citadel, castles.Baptistries, belltowers, a cathedral, churches, chapels, chantries, shrines, cloisters, chapterhouses, monasteries, schools, scriboriums, deaneries, palaces.Butts, boxing-rings, wrestling-rings, gymnasiums, stadiums.Burial-grounds, burning-ghats, cenotaphs, memorials, gravestones, statues, mausoleums, crypts, potters-fields, lych-gates, churchyards, tombs.Brick-pits, quarries, sawmills.What I find best is to start out with the elements of the stories (characters, conflict, crucible, theme) and to extemporise the actual incidents in accordance with the maxim that incident arises out of character, characters react to incidents. But this style does not suit everyone. And it takes some practice to do things this way well.The danger with pre-made plot lines is that if the plotting isn't tight enough either the PCs will do something not in the script or you will be forced either to railroad the players or make their PCs peripheral characters. And really tight plotting is hard work.That depends how much travel the PCs are going to do, and how much you trust yourself at improvising world detail. I generally start with only very sketchy ideas of the largest features and increasingly detailed ideas of the geographical region, particular country, and actual location of the PCs. And I flesh the rest out as I go. But I find that I have to position the 'bones' first before I can extemporise the 'flesh' consistently.The restrictions that are implied by your basic decisions about your setting.A little of each. Sketch in the major features before you start extemporising detail.If you expect to find it useful, sure. But my best-ever setting didn't acquire a map until late in the second campaign set there.Depends what you mean by basics. If your basics are enough to let your players know what their characters would likely have done during their growing up, what a typical person's daily routine is like, what people in general aspire to, what they hope for, what they look like, that ought to be enough. Otherwise, you will need to add most of those things.But on the other hand it is my habit to provide much more detail than that. I generally distribute a 'player's introduction' to any setting I design, and these are usually 7,000-24,000 words.If you make a map, you might as well distribute copies.Design the major NPCs, and most particularly the PCs' antagonist, as one of the first steps. Lesser and incidental characters can be made up later, or even extemporised.And when you are making up a character, remember that the most important things about him or her are his or her core motivation and his or her social situation. Clothes sense and combat stats can be left until later.I actually put most emphasis on things that you leave out entirely: interactions with NPCs, chase scenes... . But that's a matter of taste. You put in the things you enjoy.Regards,Agback</blockquote>

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