Top down, or bottom-up?

[der_kluge]

When creating your homebrew, did you

A) start with a specific area and grow outwards (I think Greyhawk basically started like this)

or did you

B) start with a concept and design the setting, and work your way downwards to the details? I would imagine that Planescape was created in this fashion.

or

C) something else entirely.

 

[balrog62]

A Mix of Both

I used a mix of both. I had a general overview of what the world was about with such things defined like low magic, old world, active gods. And then I started at the local level and built the area based upon the general overview which made NPC interactions more consistent since I had their general view of their world understood.

 

[alsih2o]

I came up with an idea for a crafters square. From that I jumped to the problem of non-human crafts. That lead me to creating 8 conflicts. Then I stole a map and modified it.

As an artist I have spent a lot of time studying the creative process and I have to say- "No clue."

I know certain exercises can help with creativity and that certain methods exist. But as for ideas, I still have nothing as to where most of them come from.

 

[DaveMage]

When I've done homebrews, I generally start with a campaign plot, then fill in the details around it. However, while I'm doing this, I'll map the world, just so I know where the nearest swamp/forest/mountains, etc. are located so I can plan the types of creatures I want.

 

[painandgreed]

I started with the creation myth and worked my way up through the history till current. Then got a map and started detailing the countries. In the process I picked out the couple of spots that would be good to run campaigns in.

 

[el-remmen]

I created large geographical areas defined by political organization and/or culture and with a general idea of what the interactions of the places will be like and then drilled down with a generic overview of what features towns and places had in common and then flipped it and built outward using the broader guidelines to provide consistancy.

For example,

Thricia

Magocracy - heavily influenced by the Academy of Wizardry, with appointed watch-mage's ruling towns and villages - and councils of a watch-mage and local respected community leaders taking care of the logistics of the large cities. Religious Freedom and General open-mindedness, but recent war with the Kingdom of the Red God of the West makes that religion unpopular. Sometime ally of the Kingdom of Herman Land to the east, but heavily dependent on reciprocal trade with that place. Large number of non-human settlements in the northwestern and central frontier that do not recognize the Thrician government has having authroity over them.

So then, I began to create the town, villages and cities - I knew each one needed a watch-mage (and council for the cities - and creating the council gave me an idea of what churches and organizations were powerful in the city (often making these up for the first time) - and determining how the non-human settlements interact with the government.

Towns near the Red God border tended to be more cautious about strangers and more aggressive to the religion - while those town on the eastern shore of the eastmost island were heavily involved in trade and had some cultural aspects of Herman Land.

So basically, when I create I try to remember that everything is interconnected - so when creating one thing you need to be concurrently creating and re-creating other places. When just building out from one point it is harder I think to have a wide-reaching view of interdependence of the world.

 

[Piratecat]

I started with a town and nearby villages, roughly sketching out the country and adding neighbors for political tension. I never detailed anything until I knew it would be needed a session or two down the line in the game. Eventually I got motivated and drew a big map of a thousand miles or more, but most of that was blank until campaign happenings filled it in. Interestingly enough, a major campaign arc was for no other purpose than to get the PCs traveling; I finally wanted them to see the world!

Thirteen years into the campaign, I still don't know what's to the far north or south or across the sea. Those areas exist in potential form, sort of like Schrodinger's Campaign. They'll morph into something fun once I need them.

 

[Woas]

I do both, but more like a 70/30 split. 70 being bottom up stuff, 30 being top down stuff.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

I started with a small area, a large town and the surrounding kingdom. I know where the seat of the kingdom is, where the nearby mountains, plains, and swamps are, and what the closest villages are. Other than than, it's pretty vague, and I fill it in as need be. I've got a rough map sketched out of a few hundred miles, but thats about it for now, as the campaign is still new. I know there is a large desert several weeks to the south, and in the far north is a huge range of mountains. There is also another continent over the sea to the west somewhere. There is potential for lots of different things, it'll be fleshed out as my players make decisions where to go and where my ideas lead me.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I'm a big advocate of bottom-up. First, because it's fun to say the word "bottom". Second, because I've seen DMs run out of steam during the creation process far too many times. They end up having all these gods and kingdoms but they don't know where the silly village is where the players start. If you run out of steam when going from the bottom, it's surprisingly easier to add in the gods and kingdoms later.