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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Burrahobbit" data-source="post: 2734094" data-attributes="member: 38471">I think there's a lot to be said for many of the types of world building mentioned here: expansive, detailed worlds that have existed long before the PCs and (as long as they don't mess up too badly) will exist long after them; worlds tailor made for the PCs; worlds being made up as you go...I will say that one of my most satisfying moments as a DM was also one of my first, some years ago; people had come with their characters, no knowledge of the world I had *very* vaguely sketched (nothing much other than the details of the first adventure and the absence of any wacky "hook," and a general understanding that it was in essence the standard 2nd-edition/western Europe/Tolkienesque type feel, though it wouldn't have had to be), no cooperative planning of backgrounds, and yet in a very short time we, entirely off the cuff, had created interesting homelands, legends, and backgrounds that fit what everyone wanted and would have provided all kinds of adventure hooks. Because of circumstances, it was only an adventure or two, and not a full campaign, but I think we were all impressed with how smoothly a barely existing world could be made to fit the players' and the DM's desires...in this case, at least, the players and their imaginations were the world builder's best friends. So, in answer to the original question about what needs to be in place, I would say, sometimes the answer could be "almost nothing."But of course there's a lot of *fun* to be had in dreaming up alternate races, strange histories, prophecies, and all the rest...and there's no limit to that other than your imagination and, alas, time.Anyway, more generally, I second the suggestion made by Woas: the old Dungeoncraft columns by Ray Winninger <sp?> are fantastic.</blockquote>

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