World in the Playground!

[Leafar]

Like all of you I am here to ask you for help in building a fantasy world. I have had a lot of ideas stirring in my mind for awhile now, but the problem is the execution of those ideas. I will get a good start, but after a time the flow of ideas stop and the creative process stops. So, I'd like to finally finish this world and need some help.

My vision for this world isn't too different from the standard fantasy worlds we all played using the Great Game. Like most of you I grew up playing D&D, so that is where this thought started. However, I played with other systems and I also want something different. I would like a world the mixes different genres like fantasy, sci-fi. horror, westerns and samurai movies. I don't think there is one way for a fantasy world to be presented, so I don't want to restrict this world in any way.

The initial thoughts I have are a fantasy world where magic is real and a special class of people are born with this ability. Sort of like the Jedi/Sith in Star Wars, but not like them. I want there to be all of the fantasy races we are used to, but they don't have to be called Elves, Dwarves or whatever. I want all manner of fantasy creatures, and there have to be dragons. I love dragons, so they must be there in some form. I also like giants too. Also, the tech level doesn't have to be strictly medieval. It would be cool to see a world where magic has replaced technology, and it suggests that in an ancient age technology was used. I have lots of ideas as you can see.

Also, I don't want this world to be created for a certain RPG like D&D or another type of game system. I think the world should be created first without any thought to a game, and then an appropriate RPG can be tailored to fit that world. I do like to write stories when I have time, so this place could even be the stage for a fantasy story. I have no delusions of becoming a fantasy write like Brandon Sanderson or G.R.R.M., but there's nothing wrong with writing as a hobby. I also like to play football, but I realize I will never be a professional football player. Its all for fun.

In addition, I would like help in how to present this world. I have questions like what is the best website platform to present this world? What is the best, and easiest to use, mapping programs? Is there a program for creating or finding cool looking artwork? I can barely draw about stick drawings, so I want this world to be as visual as possible. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :smallsmile:

[Yora]

Sounds like you want a world that is everything at the same time.

However, in my experience, the most interesting and compelling worlds are always the ones that have a clear focus one being one thing with a consistent style. When you try to make everything blend together with everything else, it usually ends up as a mush that lacks a specific character.

Liking lots of things is great, but you can always do only one thing at a time. I find it more useful to have different worlds for different things than to make one world that attempts to be suitable for everything. When you want to introduce someone to a new world, the thing they will want to know the most is "what is the cool thing about this world that makes it different from the other worlds you see everywhere?"

You can start with chosing one thing that you really, really like the most and that you think isn't really getting the full attention it deserves in the other settings that are already out there. Or pick three or four of them. And then build the rest of the world around these cenntral ideas.

[Leafar]

Sounds like you want a world that is everything at the same time.

However, in my experience, the most interesting and compelling worlds are always the ones that have a clear focus one being one thing with a consistent style. When you try to make everything blend together with everything else, it usually ends up as a mush that lacks a specific character.

Liking lots of things is great, but you can always do only one thing at a time. I find it more useful to have different worlds for different things than to make one world that attempts to be suitable for everything. When you want to introduce someone to a new world, the thing they will want to know the most is "what is the cool thing about this world that makes it different from the other worlds you see everywhere?"

You can start with choosing one thing that you really, really like the most and that you think isn't really getting the full attention it deserves in the other settings that are already out there. Or pick three or four of them. And then build the rest of the world around these central ideas.

Wow, Yora, you are 100% right! I wasn't thinking of it that way. That really changes things for me. I am really glad I posted this so I could read this reply. Now I need to find out what I like the best. Thank you! :smile:

[Leafar]

Okay, thanks to Yora I know I need to focus this world, because it can't be all things to all people. I am really liking the idea of mixing up the Old West, Steampunk, and Fantasy into something unique.

I am seeing an Old West town, but it also has fantasy features all around it. I also see a crew of Dwarf-like people walking with their gear to the mountain in the background to work in the mines. I can hear a steam powered train heading into town in the early morning.

How should I now proceed? What would be, in your opinion, the next step? Any help or directions would be appreciated.

[noob]

If you have steampunk you do not need magic in your setting since steampunk and magic are quite redundant.
so I could imagine the fantasy element being the existence of other worlds which starts easy access to new places thus allowing old west phenomenons in the new worlds where people just went recently, still have much to explore and do not have ancient institutions.
Then the savage people would be fantastic creatures living in those worlds.
For making the setting simple we could have only one world which is accessible for the "current state of the world"

[Leafar]

If you have steampunk you do not need magic in your setting since steampunk and magic are quite redundant.
so I could imagine the fantasy element being the existence of other worlds which starts easy access to new places thus allowing old west phenomenons in the new worlds where people just went recently, still have much to explore and do not have ancient institutions.
Then the savage people would be fantastic creatures living in those worlds.
For making the setting simple we could have only one world which is accessible for the "current state of the world"
Thank you for that Noob. Actually, I realize that I have been influenced by the fantasy/sci-fi movie Krull(1983). Yes its not a great movie, but I feel it's underrated. I remember seeing it and I enjoyed it for what it was. It did have some interesting concepts like Twin Suns and The Beast, who lived in a fortress that teleported to a random location each day. I do want to keep it focused, but I still love the idea of mixing genres.

Let's say the world is place that has portals to many other worlds and planes of existence. Then it would not be uncommon to see a wizard next to a robot. After all The Wizard of Oz mixed up genres very effectively in my opinion. If I wanted to go this route how should I proceed? :confused:

[sktarq]

I guess some basic questions...

what kind of stories do you want to tell or be easiEST to tell...small party dramas? thrillers? epics of the gods and great battles? A lot of this will have to do with scale and how players interact with the world rather than genre specific methods.

What kind of feel do you want this world to have, remember certain combinations are easier and other harder (though few are impossible, see Eberron's mix of pulp heroism and noir cynicism and you can mix genre's with better luck if you hold atmosphere theme and tone more consistent or at least planed)

[Leafar]

I guess some basic questions...

What kind of stories do you want to tell or be easiest to tell...small party dramas? thrillers? epics of the gods and great battles? A lot of this will have to do with scale and how players interact with the world rather than genre specific methods.

What kind of feel do you want this world to have, remember certain combinations are easier and other harder (though few are impossible, see Eberron's mix of pulp heroism and noir cynicism and you can mix genre's with better luck if you hold atmosphere theme and tone more consistent or at least planed)

Thanks for the questions, Sktarq. I hate to be all over the place, but liked the epic storyline of Lord of the Rings and I also liked the gritty Conan the Barbarian books and stories. I prefer Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books over GRRM's Game of Thrones book series. BTW I really hope the upcoming Wheel of Time TV series is good. I do want it to be epic, which Jorban's WoT and Tolkein's LOTR were. That would be the main theme for me...classic good vs evil, but with lots of gray in-between.

The feel that I want? I want it to be dark, but with hope. I want to it be varied. I want it to be a mix of fantasy and sci-fi, with elements of horror, western and even steampunk. I want it to be very unique, but still have the familiar elements of fantasy we are used to seeing. There could be an overarching theme of war or an ending of an age, but also stories about relationships and taking down a small town tyrant. I really want it to be able to go in any direction, but in a focused way. I get that part.

That's the direction i want to go. How do I begin? :smallconfused:

[Yora]

This seems to me like a setting in which kings, queens, and other lords play an important role. It's not about single people wandering the world minding their own business, but big threats requiring the efforts of kingdoms and free cities to be dealt with.
I think that's one good place to start. Think about countries and rulers from fantasy that you think would be interesting examples for what kind of countries and rulers could exist in your setting.

Another approach, that I always think works very well, is to pick a handful of creatures early on, which will be playing big roles in the world. Picking the 10 most numerous or most powerful monsters that will be common and major threats or potential allies in campaigns is usually a good number.

For example, a setting in which orcs, goblins, giants, and demons are the primary monsters will feel very different from one in which the monsters are dark elves, gnolls, genies, and mind flayers.

[noob]

This seems to me like a setting in which kings, queens, and other lords play an important role. It's not about single people wandering the world minding their own business, but big threats requiring the efforts of kingdoms and free cities to be dealt with.
I think that's one good place to start. Think about countries and rulers from fantasy that you think would be interesting examples for what kind of countries and rulers could exist in your setting.

Another approach, that I always think works very well, is to pick a handful of creatures early on, which will be playing big roles in the world. Picking the 10 most numerous or most powerful monsters that will be common and major threats or potential allies in campaigns is usually a good number.

For example, a setting in which orcs, goblins, giants, and demons are the primary monsters will feel very different from one in which the monsters are dark elves, gnolls, genies, and mind flayers.

It could also have presidents since steampunk is quite associated with a time period that had democracy.
Also is an adversarial 2 side system a good idea for creature population?
We could also pick some factions and develop more about them instead of having 10 kinds of monsters that gets the focus(the factions could have varied stuff in them or only one kind of thing in it: for example we could have an invasive faction that tries to spread its culture as far as possible that integrate all the people that are willing to take their culture and one faction with only yuan ti that is the main faction that just ignore the invasive faction's culture and so there is friction but no open war because neither side is ready to take the losses then an additional faction that is worrying about quickly exploring all the world before stuff gets overrun by steampunk things which are already well known).

[Leafar]

This seems to me like a setting in which kings, queens, and other lords play an important role. It's not about single people wandering the world minding their own business, but big threats requiring the efforts of kingdoms and free cities to be dealt with. I think that's one good place to start. Think about countries and rulers from fantasy that you think would be interesting examples for what kind of countries and rulers could exist in your setting.

Another approach, that I always think works very well, is to pick a handful of creatures early on, which will be playing big roles in the world. Picking the 10 most numerous or most powerful monsters that will be common and major threats or potential allies in campaigns is usually a good number. For example, a setting in which orcs, goblins, giants, and demons are the primary monsters will feel very different from one in which the monsters are dark elves, gnolls, genies, and mind flayers.

Thanks for the input. Yes, I do see nobility playing an important role. I really like a world with Kings, Queens, Dukes, Lords and other nobles fighting for control. I also like the idea of Presidents, Prime Ministers, and even Governors also fighting for control. There could be a really nice fight between the old world nobles and the new world elected officials. In today's world we still have nobility, like Queen Elizabeth II, and of course Presidents like America's you-know-who.

I do want to have the monsters we are familiar with. I want to have monsters and races like you mentioned, but with my unique twist.

Right now I have been looking at maps of the Old West, and what I like are the various territories. In the east are the American states, which I view as countries, and in the west are the territories. Within the territories are a people who were there before the others arrived. They would be a people who have their own hunting and farming grounds, and new the so called civilized nations in the east as invaders. Lots of tension there.

Thanks for the ideas Yora! Please continue! I will start trying to draw out a crude looking map, and come up with names of places. Then there's religion to consider too...:smallconfused:

[Leafar]

It could also have presidents since steampunk is quite associated with a time period that had democracy. Also is an adversarial 2 side system a good idea for creature population?

We could also pick some factions and develop more about them instead of having 10 kinds of monsters that gets the focus. The factions could have varied stuff in them or only one kind of thing in it: for example we could have an invasive faction that tries to spread its culture as far as possible that integrate all the people that are willing to take their culture and one faction with only yuan ti that is the main faction that just ignore the invasive faction's culture.

So, there is friction but no open war because neither side is ready to take the losses then an additional faction that is worrying about quickly exploring all the world before stuff gets overrun by steampunk things which are already well known).

I like the idea of factions. I remember liking Planescape when it first came out. Yes, I also like the idea of a President of a country in the east. He might be like President You-Know-Who, which would naturally create a lot of conflict for everyone around him. As I write this I see the present happening before the opening of an apocalyptic war among various nations and factions. A powerful, hidden, and primordial evil could be behind it all.

Below is an Old West map that I really. Notice the large area the consists of the Missouri Territory and the Northwest Territory. To the west are the states. This is the image I am seeing in my mind, and I want to expand from that. This map is not what this part of the world looks like exactly. Its just a guide. My initial thoughts are that seven nations are on the eastern border of this great land, and each of them control territories inside that land. The native tribes there have different reactions to them: some welcome them, some ignore them, and some attack them.

https://www.duraglobes.com/wpmedia/wp/sites/3/Missiissipi-territory.jpg

I love how these ideas are coming together. Thanks for the ideas Noob. Keep them coming! :smallsmile: