World Building Roulette

[Jendekit]

First I apologize for any formatting issues, I'm typing this up on my phone on break at work. But onto business, there was a method of world building on the now defunct Dice Pool Podcast that I think needs to be shared here.

The hosts called it, as you might have guessed from the thread title, World-Building Roulette. You take your gaming group, everyone has 3-5 sheets of paper that have something they want in a setting. In a circle, each person takes one piece of paper from the person on their left. Once the entire group has picked something from someone else, the whole group brainstorms a setting that incorporates those ideas.

I have put together a GDoc with 100 different prompts, it can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

As an example, lets say that a group consisting of 4 people decides to do this for their next campaign. Person 1 has four pieces of paper that contain 'magic', 'werewolves', 'gothic horror' and 'no humans'. Person 2 has 'airships', 'fighting shadow creatures', 'a growing desert', and 'beast folk'. Person 3 has 'pirates', 'undersea cities', 'eldritch abominations', and 'runic magic'. The last member of the group has 'demigods', 'hacking', 'fractured world', and 'dinosaurs'.

Person 1 picks 'hacking', Person 2 picks 'gothic horror', Person 3 picks 'beast folk', and Person 4 picks 'pirates'.

So the setting that they are about to brainstorm is a Gothic Horror with beast folk as well as pirates and hacking.

[Galithar]

I actually kind of like this, though personally would rather use it with a group outside of my players. I like to present a new world to them, and then let them effect it through their actions rather then actually have them be party of the creation process.

And as such, would anyone be interested in attempting this here?

[Lvl 2 Expert]

And as such, would anyone be interested in attempting this here?

Person 1:
Swashbuckling
Whitewater adventure
Land-crocs
Swan Maidens

Just as a bit of a forum game, to get a feel for the idea.

[Lacco]

Volunteering for the experiment!

Spoiler: Person 2

Show

Runic Magic
The Last City
The frozen North.
Hidden World

...should I also include my pick from Person 1? If yes, let us buckle some swash! Swashbuckling!

[Tentreto]

Lets have a go.

Person 3:

Reincarnation
The Silk Road
Blood Magic
Interplanetary Travel

And I'll put my pick from P2 here just in case we decide thats the best way to do it:
Hidden World

[Jendekit]

I started this, might as well participate

Person 4:
Growing Desert
Western
Giant Spiders
Dragon War

(the above taken together look like an arachnophobic viking's worst nightmare)

My pick from Person 3: Blood Magic

[Galithar]

Person 5: Blood Magic Bug War
Dragon War Vampires
Floating Cities
Magic is Dying


I just created an entire story outline in my head from my 4 random entries. Rerolled the duplicate entries from others.

And my pick from person 4 is Giant Spiders

So far I'm seeing Swashbucklers combating someone/thing from a hidden world that is summoning or controlling Giant Siders with Blood Magic :P

[Lvl 2 Expert]

And my pick is floating cities.

So...
Swashbuckling
Hidden World
Blood Magic
Giant Spiders
Floating Cities

So one option would be:

There are portals in this world, they lead to a hidden world where all sorts of monstrous giant spiders roam the ground, which is why people live in floating cities, held aloft by blood magic. This has put the mages in a position of incredible power, basically being able to demand blood sacrifices. But small teams of swordfighters, archers, the odd rogue blood mage and maybe a spider rider or two are fighting back. Through missions in the cities, on the ground and through the portals into our world they're trying to Robin Hood the power back to the people.


This actually works pretty well.

[Lacco]

There are portals in this world, they lead to a hidden world where all sorts of monstrous giant spiders roam the ground, which is why people live in floating cities, held aloft by blood magic. This has put the mages in a position of incredible power, basically being able to demand blood sacrifices. But small teams of swordfighters, archers, the odd rogue blood mage and maybe a spider rider or two are fighting back. Through missions in the cities, on the ground and through the portals into our world they're trying to Robin Hood the power back to the people.

This actually works pretty well.

I agree. Works really pretty well - and the prompts are really nice.

I'd go with most of what you wrote - except for "mages in position of power". I'd try different approach.

Flying cities due to giant spiders roaming ground? Check. And most people are content living in their clean flying cities. Protected by the Blood Corps - mages that are trained since childhood to fight off the spiders and protect the cities. They are heroes...

But there is a hidden world behind that. You can see it if you venture too deep - the city is powered by blood magic. Mages are taken from parents when their powers are found, to join the "Blood Corps" - bound since childhood to the city's machinery, powering it. The spiders? Actually friendly race.

So the spider-riding swashbucklers actually save the blood mages.

[Tentreto]

I agree with the Floating Cities, although I'd approach the spiders differently. I'd view the spiders as forming webbed bridges between the cities allowing brave swashbucklers to travel across the webs. I'd say that its an open secret blood magic powers the cities, but its true extent is far more horrific, so much so that they must remain 'hidden' from those on the ground/elsewhere.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

I'd view the spiders as forming webbed bridges between the cities allowing brave swashbucklers to travel across the webs.

Because of the movement of the strands they call this surfing the web. But you have to watch out when you go on line, because you might get in a sticky situation with all sorts of creatures that live on there, like monstrous worms, and lost ancient trojans.

Edit: Oh, and of course there are those who hate the culture of always being connected that the web represents, so they hack into it to try to bring it down.

[Galithar]

Because of the movement of the strands they call this surfing the web. But you have to watch out when you go on line, because you might get in a sticky situation with all sorts of creatures that live on there, like monstrous worms, and lost ancient trojans.

Edit: Oh, and of course there are those who hate the culture of always being connected that the web represents, so they hack into it to try to bring it down.

That was painfully entertaining to read!
+1 internet's for you good sir.

[Lacco]

That was painfully entertaining to read!
+1 internet's for you good sir.

Add in one internet from me!

Now I want to play this...

"You turn around the corner and notice a huge square with a colossal shape protruding from the ground. From where you stand it seems lifeless, without any movement, yet reeking of rot and damp wood. As you try to cross the square, skirting around the sidestreets, more of the shape becomes visible - what you first saw was a top of its head. A wooden horse... no - and elk... and it is slowly starting to stand up... and you see multiple identical elks emerge..."

[Eldan]

"Brave adventurers, I have great need. I am working on a project, but I need cheap, fantastical artwork for it. I need you to find it for me."
"But how do we do such a thing, and why do you need us?"
"Deep in the web, there is an enclave of Deviant Artists. You must find them and steal their most fantastical paintings. But be careful: many of their artworks are twisted and evil and may endanger your sanity..."

[Lacco]

"Brave adventurers, I have great need. I am working on a project, but I need cheap, fantastical artwork for it. I need you to find it for me."
"But how do we do such a thing, and why do you need us?"
"Deep in the web, there is an enclave of Deviant Artists. You must find them and steal their most fantastical paintings. But be careful: many of their artworks are twisted and evil and may endanger your sanity..."

"And beware of the Cult. The Visage Tome cult is dangerous - they will invite you to their farms, but beware - only few return."

"Look out for the Shining Box - it will ruin your life..."

"...and don't let me started on the Fourth... "

[Sizzlefoot]

The hidden world goes even deeper. The blood sacrifices, unbeknownst to all but the highest-circle nobles, really go to an ancient, godlike entity right at the center of the Swarm.

[Wizard_Lizard]

Person 6
Lovecraftian Horror
Gnomes
Gods are absent
Cats rule the world.

[Gallowglass]

Webworld
Somewhere outside the citadel B'lar
Speed: 150 squares a round and accelerating

*Camera spins down and around the silver weave of spider-silk, glistening with dew, glinting with refracted light. As it pulls back we see the entire world is composed of crisscrossing strands of webbing against a diffuse grey background. As we lose focus and refocus, we suddenly get our first sense of scale as we notice something in the distance where the web strands meet together. Not a fly or other insect, no.... but a massive structure, build like a spindle castle, some three hundred feet across and taller than it is long. The webs wrap around the structure, cocooning it, but also connecting it. Barred Gates where the webs meet the structure almost like roads or bridges leading to it.

The webbing under the camera strums and vibrates and suddenly something slides past the camera, dangerously close. A vessel of some sort, sliding down the strand toward the Spindle Castle. Aboard the vessel, pirate rogues raise their cutlasses and fire muskets into the air, yelling out their attack*

This is Webworld. As far as anyone knows, an endless plane of grey wastes with endless spiderwebs filling the void. The webs intersect and attach to a number of floating cities, called the Seven Citadels of the Blood Mages. They are ruthless, powerful wizards who maintain the only bastions for people to live with their floating cities to protect them from the powerful Spiders who create the web-roads. But at such a terrible cost. To live in the citadels is to live under their thumb and to submit to be willing victims for their dark and terrible magic. Magic that demands sacrifice.

But hope is not lost. Living free along the web-roads are bands of pirates. Aboard their slide-ships, conveyances that slide down the webbing at breakneck speeds, able to outdistance the spiders who constantly track them, the Slide-ship swashbucklers raid the Citadels, try to overthrow the evil Blood Mages, and free the people from their evil masters.

Where do these Slide-ship's come from? No one knows for sure. But there is stories of an Eighth Citadel. A hidden Citadel. Somewhere out amongst the webs, perhaps in the very center, where no one dares to journey because the Mother of all Spiders lives there, in the center of the weave of Webworld.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Forget playing, I want to fund Webworld as an epic 8 season television show now.

[Gallowglass]

At the very least, I was hoping for a multi-volume young adult fiction series starring a brave but rash young female lead and her multi-ethnic multi-sexual band of swashbuckler friends.

They'll need an older mentor of some sort. Does anyone have Julio Scoundrel's cell phone number?

[Wizard_Lizard]

At the very least, I was hoping for a multi-volume young adult fiction series starring a brave but rash young female lead and her multi-ethnic multi-sexual band of swashbuckler friends.

They'll need an older mentor of some sort. Does anyone have Julio Scoundrel's cell phone number?

I do, but he isn't answering my calls anymore...

[Gallowglass]

I do, but he isn't answering my calls anymore...

Really disappointed this thread died so quick. So I'll try to start the next round.


Round 1:
Swashbuckling
Hidden World
Blood Magic
Giant Spiders
Floating Cities


Round2:

Wizard Lizard has already started it with

Person 6
Lovecraftian Horror
Gnomes
Gods are absent
Cats rule the world.

I can't access google sheets at work so I can't use the sheet to generate my list so I'll make mine up.

Person 7
Ford Model T and Studebager automobiles
Lasers from Eyes!
Living Trees who travel by boats
Kung Fu
Cakes and Pies

and, from Person 6 I choose "Cats rule the world!"

[Lvl 2 Expert]

I can't access google sheets at work so I can't use the sheet to generate my list so I'll make mine up.

I honestly thought that was just examples or something. This game doesn't seem nearly as fun if you have to pick thing from a 100 item list.

[Sizzlefoot]

Really disappointed this thread died so quick. So I'll try to start the next round.


Round 1:
Swashbuckling
Hidden World
Blood Magic
Giant Spiders
Floating Cities


Round2:

Wizard Lizard has already started it with

Person 6
Lovecraftian Horror
Gnomes
Gods are absent
Cats rule the world.

I can't access google sheets at work so I can't use the sheet to generate my list so I'll make mine up.

Person 7
Ford Model T and Studebager automobiles
Lasers from Eyes!
Living Trees who travel by boats
Kung Fu
Cakes and Pies

and, from Person 6 I choose "Cats rule the world!"

I choose boat trees.

Person 8
Eldritch Abominations
Sentient Undead from the frozen north
Trolls with a complex society valuing sorcerous powers
Spaceships
A corrupted god on the material plane

[Galithar]

I honestly thought that was just examples or something. This game doesn't seem nearly as fun if you have to pick thing from a 100 item list.

I think the list is just examples, though it could also be done with each player rolling on a provided table (the one in the link would obviously be the table we're using here) and getting random results and then each person chooses. I would prefer it to have a random table for example in case someone gets stuck and needs help coming up with an idea, but doing everything else free form.

[Jendekit]

I think the list is just examples, though it could also be done with each player rolling on a provided table (the one in the link would obviously be the table we're using here) and getting random results and then each person chooses. I would prefer it to have a random table for example in case someone gets stuck and needs help coming up with an idea, but doing everything else free form.

That's basically what I intended it to be for, either for those who couldn't think of anything for themselves or just to get the ideas percolating.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

I choose boat trees.

Person 8
Eldritch Abominations
Sentient Undead from the frozen north
Trolls with a complex society valuing sorcerous powers
Spaceships
A corrupted god on the material plane

I'll have the sophisticated trolls.

And let's see, person 9:
Water corrupts creatures towards evil
The sky is on fire
Roaming bands of selkie plunderers
Men of steam and steel encased in living meat sent back in time from the future called "enders" (an oddly familiar series of threatening beats echoes through the thread)

[Lacco]

I'll have the sophisticated trolls.

And let's see, person 9:
Water corrupts creatures towards evil
The sky is on fire
Roaming bands of selkie plunderers
Men of steam and steel encased in living meat sent back in time from the future called "enders" (an oddly familiar series of threatening beats echoes through the thread)

Person 9:
Classic rock music is Magic
Hardboiled Noir
Desert world
Revolution of sentient sloths

I choose Water corrupts creatures towards evil!

[Gallowglass]

Great! If Wizard Lizard chooses one of those four then we'll have a list of five to build on!

• water corrupts creatures toward evil
• trolls with complex society valuing sorcerour powers
• living trees who travel by boats
• cats rule the world

and one of...

• Classic rock music is Magic
• Hardboiled Noir
• Desert world
• Revolution of sentient sloths

Intriguing build options....

[Wizard_Lizard]

I choose revolution of sentient sloths!