realistic geography

[Vaxalon]

::cough::

The geography of my world was created by a PhD in geophysics who works for the US Geological Survey.

And I'm pretty darn proud of that!

So there's no magic in it? How boring.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

So there's no magic in it? How boring.

Sorry you feel that way! But what a silly old place this world would be if we were all alike.

Happy gaming!

 

[the Jester]

As long as the geography is consistent with the laws of reality of the world, it's all good.

In Cydra, my campaign world, most oceans are fresh water. The world takes place on the inside surface of a giant air bubble. There's no gravity, surface tension takes its place (being effectively the same in most all cases until you're deep underwater). Where the oceans aren't fresh water there are reasons. There's a plateau surrounded by high mountains that's the result of a huge chunk of a moon being dropped on a continent from high above. There's a flourescent plaid forest.

But, with all that, most rivers run downhill towards the sea (towards the surface tension zone).

I'd agree that rivers that cut across an island cuz the designer doesn't understand what rivers are, are crap. But rivers that run from one side of an island to another _with a reason_ are fine.

 

[alsih2o]

::cough::

The geography of my world was created by a PhD in geophysics who works for the US Geological Survey.

And I'm pretty darn proud of that!

this is funny because i started this thread after my geologist wife lurked ovver my shoulder at my mapping and started with the "that's not right, that doesn't happen, what's that?" thing.

i think your way is cool, and the coincidence is neat. and i did have problems explaining it to the wife in a way that didn't bug her. she kept pointing out that i was basing things on false myths, and i kept pointing out that in D+D myths aren't necessarily false.

i forgive her easily, because her knowledge makes glaze chemistry easier

 

[alsih2o]

All of the divine/magical features of a fantastic geography are great, however they need to be justified, as yours were. A valley carved by a giant snake, a sea created by the wrath of a god on a decadent kingdom now sunk beneath the waves, all of these are great. However, a river that runs all the way through an island from one side to another just because the person who made the map doesn't realize how rivers work is still crap. A river that starts in a lowland plain and climbs up a mountain before heading down the other side, with no magical reasoning behind why the river flows uphill, is still crap.

The magic terrain features are great, but they need to be justified. Otherwise things should default to real world principles of geography --

i strongly agree. reason adn reasoning are very important.

 

[Desdichado]

i notice that many folks strive to make their geography make sense, downward flow of rivers deciding current strength, maountain and plains in appropriate places, land and sea interaction.

this strikes me as odd, in a world where valleys aren't just rumored to be made by 2 giant snakes fighting, but where it is true (!!) shouldn't d.m.'s and game companies be making more geogrphic surprises to keep the players on their toes?

Perhaps it is odd, in such a world. I bet you dollars to donuts (I can't believe I just used that phrase -- I feel like my grandfather all of a sudden) that most campaign settings aren't like that though. A lot of folks, myself included, really enjoy the "verissimilitude" of campaign settings that aren't arbitrary and necessarily even "mythological" but are rather the real world with a dash of fantasy.

 

[alsih2o]

Re: Re: realistic geography

Perhaps it is odd, in such a world. I bet you dollars to donuts (I can't believe I just used that phrase -- I feel like my grandfather all of a sudden) that most campaign settings aren't like that though. A lot of folks, myself included, really enjoy the "verissimilitude" of campaign settings that aren't arbitrary and necessarily even "mythological" but are rather the real world with a dash of fantasy.

well and good, i just think that my option has been overlooked. yours is probably best for most systems i admit, after all it takes no mythos to build it or justify it. i just would like to see some more of mythos as reality, as in the rest of the system.

i am not antireality, just promyth

 

[Utrecht]

It also matters how much suspension of belief that you and your players are willing to walk to table with.

I suspect that for the vast majority of players are happy as long as the world acts like this one unless told explicitly other-wise. After all thier actions have to be based on some sort of preconcienved notion.

Another one that always bothered me are the unreality of culture in D & D - the idea of any universaly Good or Evil nation state just does not sit well with me.

Thus, i am one of those anal folks that create geographies and cultures based off of what I think are realistic. Then those thinks that don't fit get special treatment and become idea generators....

 

[Zappo]

Well, a great deal of D&D worlds have been directly created by the gods. And if Reorx world-forger says that river A flows very fast despite being in a plain, or even upwards for that matter, it bloody well does. You don't really need to explain it.

 

[Henrix]

In Glorantha, the world of RuneQuest and Hero Wars/Hero Quest rivers all used to flow upwards, until the Spike, the mountain at the center of the world was destroyed, and a great big hole was torn in the world, threatening to swallow it all, and all the water gods and goddesses rushed to fill it, forming Magasta's Pool, the great whirlpool.