Cooperative World Building Rules?

[Skyscraper]

Hello,

I'm slowly starting to plan my next campaign as GM, in a couple years. We're starting a new one with another GM now, so I have time

One aspect that I'd like to introduce is cooperative world building rules where players get to build parts of the world/universe, but at least some rules govern this to make world-building a mini-game at the outset of the campaign. I've tried that in one-shots I played in a couple of RPGs, namely Diaspora and Ragnarok (not sure if it was Fate of the Norns) and liked it.

Have you had any experience doing this with these or other RPGs? What are your thoughts on this concept? What RGPs have you tried that comprise this type of ruleset? Or perhaps have you done this on a more freeform basis in your campaigns?

p.s.: for now the ultimate gameplay ruleset is not determined. If I find good world-building rules in one ruleset, I might tag those to another ruleset for actual gameplay once world building is done.

 

[GlassEye]

I've always wanted to do the collaborative world-building thing melded along with a birth of the gods mini-campaign. Then, once that was finished move to a more typical campaign in that created world.

I've been looking at Dawn of Worlds (pdf) and it seems like a good world-building ruleset. Haven't had the chance to use it yet and I don't know what game I would pair it with. I've currently been playing Pathfinder but it seems a bit rules heavy for what I want and am thinking about 13th age.

So, no experience here but I'm looking forward to seeing what other responses you get.

 

[Skyscraper]

Thanks. The PDF you linked to is interesting, and certainly along the lines of what I'm looking for.

(And I'm also thinking about 13th Age for the gameplay ruleset, but it is much too early to decide.)

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I'm bound and determined to start my D&D 5e uber-campaign in 2015. I'd also love something like this to help out. I'll be including pretty much all published campaign settings, with Spelljammer and Planescape as connecting links. I'd like each character to come from a different setting. Since one of the options is for the player to make their own world (which I'll plop into my spelljammer map), it would be useful to have more guidelines for what they can and can't do from the start, rather than them wasting time running stuff past me that I'm not too keen on.

 

[ThirdWizard]

The Dresden Files RPG has this kind of concept in its City Creation rules. Locations and NPCs are created by the group in set ways. You might want to look into that. In fact, the first session of DFRPG is supposed to be dedicated to City Creation.

Dungeon World has collaborative word generation, but it isn't really defined by rules. Still, there are a lot of concepts in there that would probably be thought provoking.

 

[Halivar]

I came up with some world-building rules that worked pretty amazingly (for my group). Here's the (very short) thread about it:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?348702-Collaborative-world-building-exercise

 

[GMMichael]

One aspect that I'd like to introduce is cooperative world building rules where players get to build parts of the world/universe, but at least some rules govern this. I've tried that in one-shots I played in a couple of RPGs, namely Diaspora and Ragnarok (not sure if it was Fate of the Norns) and liked it.

The folks over at Far Away Land have a cooperative world-building book. But what I would do is this:

1) Buy Risk.
2) Get a hex-grid.
3) Play Risk, but each player has to draw and name his own territories. Each player should have his own religion too.
4) Record everything. Turn the conflicts into wars. Make some of the infantry pieces into heroes. Keep playing until you have all the history you need.

 

[Viking Bastard]

The folks over at Far Away Land have a cooperative world-building book. But what I would do is this:

1) Buy Risk.
2) Get a hex-grid.
3) Play Risk, but each player has to draw and name his own territories. Each player should have his own religion too.
4) Record everything. Turn the conflicts into wars. Make some of the infantry pieces into heroes. Keep playing until you have all the history you need.

I love it.

 

[SkidAce]

edit "link removed" no longer valid...

Ray Winninger had a great series of articles on world creation. Titled Dungeoncraft.

Granted, some aspects were secret, so its not totally "collaborative" but the ideas are golden and could be adapted, with the DM developing the secrets based on PC indicators.

 

[howandwhy99]

The Appendices of AD&D DMG are all about generating a world according to the rules.