Points of Light approach to setting

[Fallen Seraph]

It works for Warhammer Roleplay quite well, in fact. I see nothing wrong with letting an Inn, village, whatever fall to evil/chaos, and then letting the PC figure out what to do about it; indeed, I'm thinking the revenge taken by the PCs on behalf of their razed home town would make an excellent bridge to Paragon Tier.

Also I think it would be fun, having the repercussions of the PCs felt, later on. Say two, three sessions later they come back to a town they protected from a corrupt mercenary group. I roll, oh woops, because of that once you left they came back in force and... Well, I think the mayor's body left butterflyed in the town-centre speaks for itself.

 

[Harshax]

Also I think it would be fun, having the repercussions of the PCs felt, later on.

I love games like that, which is why I made a similar comment earlier on. If you wipe out the kobolds, the dragon will be upset because they were the ones appeasing them. If you trail-blaze the old path to reestablish trade between two villages, you'll upset the gnomes who have moved it. You might not see the repercussions immediately, but the next time you visit that town they may be throwing rocks at you instead of flowers.

 

[orangefruitbat]

War=POL

A sustained conflict can generate a POL setting, even when governments theoretically exist. The most dramatic would be a post-apocalyptic setting - think after the magic ritual nukes are used (such as the Rain of Colourless fire in Greyhawk).But it doesn't even have to be that serious. Twilight 2000 had a limited world war, with the PCs being soldiers trapped in Europe after the chain of command broke down.

A POL setting does not automatically mean that the entire world lacks strong governments, only the places were the PCs travel and experience. Imagine being the last Roman Legion left in Britain while the Roman Empire recedes. A vast and hostile territory, with "civilization" remote.

Long-lasting wars could also generate areas suitable for a POL setting. Consider the state of Westros during the latter portions of the War of Kings. In real life, much of Europe could be considered a POL setting during the 30 Years war. Wandering armies, bandits and distant government make the struggle for life very difficult in towns and villages. (If you can track down a copy, the movie "The Last Valley" staring Michael Caine is an excellent model).

 

[Scipio202]

You could also support persistent PoL by keeping the physical world (and the connections between places) from being static:

* Shifting winds/currents between islands
* Desert setting where oasises dry up and spring forth
* Tectonic upheaval/volcanic eruptions opens/closes mountain passes, etc,
* Locations are physically isolated and are only connected by portals or the feywild/shadowfell where the connections shift frequently

Then the BBEGs only have access to the PoL when the DM needs them to.

 

[Intrope]

If I were building an isolated Inn, I'd probably build it where it doubles as toll booth or where it's the last stop before a very dangerous area.

I could see dwarves build an Inn/Outpost that blocks a mountain pass, or halflings building an Inn/Bridge combo or the like.

From what I understand, Texas County Courthouses were originally built about a day's hard ride apart and were built a defensive structures:
They're separated from other buildings on all sides (most other buildings tend to be built in rows with shared sides)
They're 3 stories high for the main structure, and other buildings are limited to two stories (they always have the high ground)
The have taller central towers for lookouts

I could see something like that being common in many PoL towns, especially if the towns were originally the frontier area of a now-lost empire.

 

[Intrope]

You could also support persistent PoL by keeping the physical world (and the connections between places) from being static:

* Shifting winds/currents between islands
* Desert setting where oasises dry up and spring forth
* Tectonic upheaval/volcanic eruptions opens/closes mountain passes, etc,
* Locations are physically isolated and are only connected by portals or the feywild/shadowfell where the connections shift frequently

Then the BBEGs only have access to the PoL when the DM needs them to.

For more magically potent worlds, certain lands could even be 'Shangri-la' type places, that can't always be reached by merely physical means (The Land in the Covenant Chronicles is like this). And likewise, some kinds of terrain could be ambiguous--you may be able to encounter some wastelands no matter where you go (Again, the Covenant Chronicles feature a sea--the Soulbiter--that you can encounter no matter where you sail, if you're unlucky).

 

[Harshax]

Lots of neat ideas (I especially like the info about Texan courthouses. Great post!)

The shifting winds/currents made me think, what if? What if the islands themselves shifted? Set into motion by the Wave Princes, minor deities of the sea. These mini continents move about like very slow ships. A collection of islands are pretty close to each other for semi-regular contact, but there is The Red Island, the Isle of War. An island of utmost savagery that traverses the entire globe, whose motion is rumored to be controlled by The Drowner, The Robber, a horrible deity of death. Every so often, the currents draws this accursed land near the more peaceful core islands. . . . .

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

An idea I've used before that I swiped from a video game though I no longer remember which one was poison mist.

Settlements were islands of high ground thrusting out of the thick poisonous fog that covered the setting. Since it was a poison, higher level monsters could wander through it harmlessly with their high fort saves. Lower level creatures could use potions to stave off the effects for a time to traverse the "shallow" paths linking close communities. The wildlife was unaffected by the poison as it was the revenge of the nature deity for acts of past empires that ravaged and despoiled the land.

Ever watch Pitch Black? I used monsters like those in the movie as well. All settlements were built to fit as tight walled strongholds lit continually by magic devices that had just enough reach to blanket the community leaving no path by which the monsters could breach the settlement.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Oh Crystal Chronicles, could have been a heck of a lot better, with better implementation.

Also, that fits another concept too. Nomads.

I think nomads, caravans, etc. could be considered mobile PoL and the reason why they survive is because they are nomadic and have scouts they can avoid problematic areas, etc.

 

[hong]

So, to summarise, so far we have;

1) Some monsters are restricted to certain areas (the sea, areas that overlap with certain planes etc) and therefore cannot directly attack the PoL.

2) Some monsterous humanoids are just a natural part of the landscape, are migratory only interact with the PoL at very specific times of year; a sort of siege then takes place.

3) Pacts with local monsters can lead to the definition of territories and/or no-go areas and behaviours that become local customs, the violation of which could be a nice thread for some adventures, like in the Village

4) Some monsters could be protectors of PoLs.

5) Monsters might demand tribute for not attacking (a maiden every full moon!).

Do we have any I have missed?

6) The point-of-light in question is not sustainable in the long term, and monsters will eventually come along and overwhelm it. They just haven't done so yet. This is why the PCs are needed, to stop it happening.

A PoL setting is a snapshot in time; it doesn't have to be in equilibrium. In fact, it could be fading into darkness as we speak. (The alternative, that it's slowly brightening, is also possible. In this case, the PCs are still needed, because they're the ones who will do much of the pushing back of darkness.)