Looking for a critique on a Campaign Setting Introduction

[aco175]

I like the concept. I would think most campaigns would take place on the border in the 'Goldilock's Zone'. There could be some cool ideas for raids onto each side.

Maybe the moon, from an earlier posting about were-creatures, has a regular cycle in which it travels with partial and full moons on the dark half, and monthy eclipses that travel accross the light half. This could be tied into many cool plot ideas.

The biggest problem I have with a world that does not spin is weather patterns. This can be blown off in the name of DM fiat and most would not care much. I would think that weather patterns would shift slowly if much at all. The heat from the sun would cause the air to rise, but with no spin of the world the air and moisture would cool and rain mostly in the same place. Near the day/night border cold air from the dark half could get brought into the light half and push the mass. The whole half of the planet is always being heated though, so maybe it would just cause sort of air waves that blow back into the dark side and snow constantly.

A cool idea is to have some sort of magma vent near the border and the snows and ice melt there forming a river that flows into the lit half. There could be battles for control of this power source. Another idea is raids into the dark half for ice and snow to be used in the drier regions.

 

[Glade Riven]

Thanks, Steeldragons, that helps a lot. A few minor adjustments ("youthful" instead of the prepositional phrase "still young," for example).

Welcome to a world of eternal day and night, where civilizations flourish on the border between the two. The realm of eternal day has blazing deserts, tropical forests, and sun-scarred savanna. The realm of eternal night is dominated by a harsh frozen landscape, condemned to the horrors of darkness. The realms of the border lands house much of the world's youthful civilizations. Even the realms of the gods exist in the mortal world, if one is brave or foolish enough to seek them out.

The elvin empire is splintered by cultural divisions and steeped in bureaucracy. Human and orcish tribes have joined forces to throw off the shackles of the over-extended dwarven naval empire. The gnomish kingdom shattered in the iron grip of the dwarves. Revolutionary half-elves seek the rise of industry while others maintain the secret traditions of magic. Nomadic drow ride mammoths through the dark wastes on great migrations.

Ironbound: Chains of Phaetos is a campaign setting set on a world tidally locked. One side of the planet always faces the sun. Challenges arise for all who dare the day side's ever-burning sun or the night side's endless darkness while nations vie for supremacy.

Now a few details that will be expanded upon:
Timekeeping: Phaetos circles a typical yellow sun (although on the edge of twilight it looks red in an eternal sunrise/sunset). A gas giant circles the sun a lot closer, with a 24 hour orbit. The eclipse happens on a daily basis, and the shadow (while not nearly encompasing the solar disk) of the gas giant is noticible. On the Dark Side, this effected is noticed in a disruption of the great aurora (magnetic poles equal to solar north and lunar south). Phaetos's orbit is slightly eliptical, which is what allows for seasons.
Habitable zone: the habitable zone is not a narrow band, thanks due to ocean and air currents. While tidally locked, the planet is techtonically active, so there is plenty of vulcanism. Glaciers are constantly melting and being renewed.
A broken planet: One deity, Axios, is trying to fix the problem of Phaetos not rotating on its access. His "holy city" has two sides: the one on the surface appears to be a giant blueprint for a machine. Far underground, he is actually working on the (broken) machine. He is the deity of most civilized orcs.
Vegitation on the Dark Side: I was thinking of something fungal based. Forests of tree-like mushrooms, etc. Kinda like Underdark vegitation, only it can survive the cold temperatures.

Oh, hey, Google-fu found my old thread. And here's the Dwarven Empire thread, and the theocracy of Axios thread (Westralia is kinda a stupid name - I need to think up something better).