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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 6278022" data-attributes="member: 20323">[MENTION=54629]pukunui[/MENTION]I greatly recommend the AD&D Worldbuilder's Guidebook by Rich Baker. It's not available on DnDclassics.com but you should be able to track down a copy elsewhere.One of the things he says in the start of the book is that there are multiple approaches to designing a campaign world, and that if you want a game emphasizing politics and intrigue in a standard medieval setting, then there's little reason to deal with landforms and climate bands. IOW pick the right tool for the job. He goes on to discuss the various approaches to world building...Macroscopic - Birthright was apparently designed this way, looking at a planetary map and using some sort of random generator.Microscopic - Ravenloft, Forgotten Realms, and Greyhawk started with a small area described and then grew from there.Sociological - Al-Qadim and Planescape both were more interested in the cultural and faith aspects rather than environmental mapping.Character-based - Dragonlance is the prime example of a world built around the PCs/NPCS.Situation-based - He offers Dark Sun as an example, but I'm not sure. I guess the definition is suitably vague that any number of approaches based on defining a conflict could fit. For example, Dragon Age with its mages vs. templars theme would be an example of a situation-based approach.Historical - This approach involves establishing at least one major historical event as a setting defining element, or drawing on alternate earth histories. Many of the AD&D books like "Vikings" had historical themes. Eberron I believe had elements of this approach, and Dragonlance definitely did.Literary - This approach involves emulating literature, for example the Lankhmar book.Of course, regardless of where you start, you can mix an match these approaches. They're just a tool to orient you and help focus on the strengths & identifying features of your setting.<img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/glasses.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt="B-)" title="Glasses    B-)" data-shortname="B-)" /> So with your setup, you could come at this from a number of angles: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Macroscopic: focus on the parallel/multiple worlds and the interactions/paths between them.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Microscopic: focus on a small locality to emphasize the feel of a dark dangerous world on insular people who are frightened by what lurks in the darkness over the other side of the hill.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sociological: focus on the ideologies around magic vs. reason, or the old ways and the new religion, and how societies are shaped by where they fall on that spectrum.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Situation: focus on the return/reawakening of magic in the world as an event which is changing everything that people knew or took for granted.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">History: focus on the empire's deeds and their fallout, for good or evil, or perhaps some sort of magical cataclysm that explains the persecution of magic.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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