Forked Thread: What makes a good Setting?

[Afrodyte]

JackSmithIV said something really interesting in the What makes a good Setting? thread:

Frankly, I believe that all great settings would be nothing if they're not thematically strong. A lot of people talk about settings having great flavor, but a lot of this is apt use of a strong theme that runs throughout the game world. Game worlds are almost entirely defined by them, even non-D&D worlds:

Eberron: A post-war world with pulp fantasy action, swashbuckling adventure, noir mystery, and magical technology.

Ravenloft: A dark dominion of terror, reminiscent of all classic horror motifs.

Warhammer Fantasy's Old-World: A dark, epic land full of greed, corruption, death, and war.

You could go on forever, but you get the point. No where in there do I talk about people, places, pantheons, geography... any of that. Even the campaign-seed they give you in the DMG (often referred to as Points of Light) is a theme to which you can add whatever you like.

You wanna create a great world? Ask yourself a few questions like this:

How do characters feel in your world, just by living in it?
What's adventuring like in your world?
What is a "hero" like in your world, and how do people think of heroes?
What are the common people like?
What are the rulers like?
How do you attain power in your world?

Answering questions like that will get you much closer to desgning a world than "What are the names of the kingdoms" or "Where are the oceans", because they inspire your imagination, and from there, design will come naturally and easy.

And I thought: Why not have a thread (here) where we create worlds the way JackSmithIV describes?

Any takers? Just jump in!

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Well first off I have to say I completely agree with what JackSmithIV says, I find that Theme and Atmosphere are the first things I set down for a setting. As well as Colour Theme, I find that probably because of my artistic background having a Colour Theme helps to a extreme degree with making a setting. I would also say another good one is; "What mysteries exist in this setting", without something to explore and uncover I find the gameplay/storytelling becomes quite drab.

I am gonna do this for my current 4e Campaign Setting:

How do characters feel in your world, just by living in it?

They feel ostracized from the outside world, and find comfort in the warm hearth, the spiced rum and sweetened pork that resides within taverns. They find religion and superstition as a ever present commodity within daily life. One doesn't feel clean not signing a deal without a crossroads, or feel safe at night without leaving a trail of salt by the front door.

What's adventuring like in your world?

Adventuring in this world is a ordeal to simply travel. The swamps are think and the forests deep. The constant rain and humidity means the wick of your flintlock often goes damp or rust your blade to dullness. Superstition is present here as well. Camping is a practise in covering every factor of supernatural protection, and your weapons and armour are quite often ordained in trinkets and symbols.

What is a "hero" like in your world, and how do people think of heroes?

Heroes in this world are a rare commodity and are not looked upon highly. They disturb the peace and ruffle the feathers of long-dead unrest. The people know things are not what they once were, but they do not know in what way. A hero is someone who delves into that past and it scares the common person.

What are the common people like?

The common person in this place is one of two sides. The first is the public face; they are jovial, outspoken and respect the beliefs of the priests and priestess, they care little for things to change as they are now. The other is the private face; they are scared and feel that things are beyond their control, the division amongst the different faiths cause them worry and sometimes outbursts.

What are the rulers like?

The Governors are almost non existent. They live and reside in their plantation houses, heavily defended by government troops but they have little to know influence on the cities or swamp towns. They true rulers are the merchants that give the people their daily bread and the priest/ess who supply the people with their faith and to those of the religious flock the protection they need from the outside world.

How do you attain power in your world?

The most common route is through the different churches and religious structures, the amount of power obtained of course is dependent on what faith is most powerful in that region. For others it is through controlling the few navigable passes through the swamps and waterways. Finally some seek out the rumoured Loa that still reside in their underwater houses in the swamp (though this rumour is viewed as blasphemous by the faiths and their belief that their Loa are true and only ones).

Now for my two additions:

Colour Theme?

Blacks, Greens, Browns, Reds, spatterings of White and Purple. Hazes of Blue and Green over everything.

What mysteries exist in your setting?

-The truth about the existence of abandoned or renegade Loa living in the swamps.
-That the current Loa aren't real.
-That the leaders of the faith know the truth.
-That there was a invisible invasion hundreds of years ago.

 

[Hawke]

How do characters feel in your world, just by living in it?

The Eladrin empire has taken over the PC's kingdom in the mortal world and have since shifted the economy and all control over. They feel oppressed, with ever more encroachments on their freedoms and without a say in their government. Because the Eladrin are fighting a war in the feywild, they are simply a colony being used and their rulers aren't even local and caring about what is going on locally (as even some absolute monarchs might cause, you know, they live there).

What's adventuring like in your world?

For years traditional adventuring has become rarer and rarer as people try to make ends meet in the oppressive world they live in. The freedoms they have to go off and explore or develop themselves have long since been gone. Players are true shining lights with very few others, and mysteries of ruins, artifacts, and things of magical nature have been likely untouched in decades ripe for them to research, seek out, and loot from lost dungeons.

What is a "hero" like in your world, and how do people think of heroes?

Robin Hood... fighting the Eladrin and standing up for the little guy.

What are the common people like?

Depressed and often the older ones talking about the good old days. The towns have two write-ups... the "now" and the "then" with specifics to shifting economies. Many people are displaced as a town that may have been a trade town previously was found to have a rich vein in grehy metal (a metal that is extremely weak and worthless in the mortal plane, but is extremely strong and powerful in the feywild) and people are near-forced to mine instead of trade. Not very happy about it... and the alcohol ban doesn't help things.

What are the rulers like?

Rulers are of two kinds - the Eladrin captains who are in charge of keeping order and the will of the kingdom in check and the mortals who have sold out to them for money, power, or blackmail. Very few rulers are willing to assist in secret, and those that are outed as rebels are quickly killed and become martyrs.

How do you attain power in your world?

By stealing from the Eladrin or heading out to find some long lost dungeon to grab some artifacts. Since the economy has shifted, traditional finely crafted weapons and armor are more difficult to come by as are those disciplined enough to study magic (only martial and divine in the party) to provide magical items and the like. It makes getting them all the more powerful.

Colour Theme?

Dark browns, tans, greens and a lot of low saturation colors. The maps I've made are all pretty low sat and often have some film-grain like filters applied with some ruined parchment feel. This is intentionally done to indicate the somber mood of the commoners and when I redo the maps as they take it to the feywild, it should assist to give the wild feel to see the vivid colors of that map.

What mysteries exist in your setting?

Why are the Eladrin fighting this war? Who are they fighting? What is the feywild like (no commoner knows firsthand other than myths and the fey creatures that show up in deep woods rarely). And later... as bad as the Eladrin are to those on the mortal plane, is it possible that their enemy is worse? That in the end, they will be fighting alongside their enemies to save not only the feywild but the mortal plane? What do the gods think of this conflict and why haven't they intervened... until now?

 

[Afrodyte]

*pokepokepoke*