* * * Wizards Community Thread * * * -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Thread : How many of you have built your own worlds? Started at 05-11-04 12:20 PM by Gandalf_Istari Visit at http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=237457 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 1] Author : Gandalf_Istari Date : 05-11-04 12:20 PM Thread Title : How many of you have built your own worlds? I'm curious as to how many people actually go through the process of building their own worlds from the ground up for their campaigns. Back in my youth, I made alot of maps and wrote alot of ideas down, but never really put anything together. Often times I ran campaigns out of the Greyhawk setting (thats a great setting for D&D IMO) or once in awhile Forgotten Realms (not as good a setting as Greyhawk IMO). Mostly I used Greyhawk to run all of the classic module series, like A1-4, GDQ, S1-4, T1-4, etc., as those modules series fit so nicely into the Greyhawk world. However, now I'm older (and maybe a bit wiser :rolleyes: ) and I'm considering creating my own world, mostly for now as a hobby as I have no players to get together with anyways (all the guys I knew from college graduated, :tantrum: ) , but I figure the more I get done before I get some players the better the campaign will be in the long run. So, as I'm in the process of coming up with maps and starting to think about the historical background for my world, and what to put into it, I was curious as to how many other old timers out there have put together their own worlds, or instead use something like Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, whatever. If you did make your own worlds, what kind of resources did you use in its creation? Were there articles (from Dragon etc.), books (stuff put out by TSR specifically on world building, etc), mapping tools (remember the Core Rules 2.0 mapping tool?), literature, history, etc. you used to draw ideas from or to help along the way, or did you wing it? How deep did you develop your world? How customized was your world in terms of the rules, races, classes, etc. that are in the "official" game? Why did you want to make your own world instead of using a pregenerated one? What were your motivations? -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 2] Author : kengar Date : 05-11-04 02:19 PM I've homebrewed more settings than I've used out of a book. Not all of them have seen a great deal of play, but most of them were fleshed out enough that they could have been run at any time. My current B/X campaign is an online game in a homebrew world. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 3] Author : Yorlum Date : 05-11-04 02:32 PM Whenever I gather a group for a game that is intended to be a campaign of a year or more, I take the time to design the world from the ground up. I figure that given the investment of time and effort we all are making by playing, I owe it to the players and myself to have a well-thought and interesting world. While I enjoy city-level 3rd party products, I find both modules and campaign settings invariably cramp my style too much to be of real use or value. A city [Lankhmar and CSIO spring to mind] is just right, in that it provides some color without taking over the game. I am not bound by it and can freely add or edit on the fly without having players carp about Harpers, Iuz, or whatnot... -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 4] Author : Rian Lightblade Date : 05-11-04 02:32 PM To date I have created dozens of homebrewed settings for short adventures and mini-campaigns, but only 3 fully developed Campaign Settings, all at 300+ pages, one of which is a homebrew Conan (Based off the original R.E. Howard Conan(90%). If you're looking to start creating a world I suggest that you try to find a copy of "The World Builder's Handbook"one of the best DM resources ever published by TSR. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 5] Author : Gandalf_Istari Date : 05-11-04 03:18 PM Originally posted by Rian Lightblade If you're looking to start creating a world I suggest that you try to find a copy of "The World Builder's Handbook"one of the best DM resources ever published by TSR. This the one you're talking about? http://store.yahoo.com/svgames-store/tsr9532esd.html -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 6] Author : Coldpenguin625 Date : 05-11-04 03:35 PM Yeah that's the one, it's pretty good too. Especially the last chapter that focuses on History and Mythology and the chapter on world hooks and approaches. As for me, I'm creating a homebrew for my next campaign right now, I'm basically developing what I need to make the setting seem realistic like religions, peoples, starting area and I'll create the rest as I need it. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 7] Author : Klaus van der Kroft Date : 05-11-04 04:26 PM I have been working on my homebrew world/setting for about ten or eleven years, and it has been a constant evolution and revision of ideas. Although I do not entirely remember how exactly did I began working on it, I do remember that during the very early begginings it was all little more than a set of maps, a few short stories and some ideas I had never developed well enough. All of it had little to no relation with the rest, so it would be mistaken for me to say it was "one world". To say it better, it was a group of mini-settings I used for campaigns, stories or just made it because it was fun. At the age I began (8-10 years), most of the influence I had was based on Tolkien, Dragonlance and a few Nes/Snes RPGs (mostly the Zelda series), so it was a quite convulted set of projects, few of them with tail and head. But time later I began realising that all this work could be mixed together to start building something big, something interesting, something that could, once advanced enough, start creating itself, to say it somehow. But all that is how it began, which has practically no relation to how it is now, or how I work on it now. First of all, I have the main setting divided into four time sets: -The Warlord's Tales: This time setting is the longest and most comprehensive one of them all, as well as being the original source from which branches derivated into the rest. This part covers all the pre-creational, early creational, late creational, post-creational as well as other 16,000 years of storyline. Since each stage is quite massive, both on scope and deepness, I have had to create many sub-settings that treat with the various ages, main events and regions in order to make work easier to organize and to play. The setting is, enviromentally speaking, the most similar to D&D, although I have strived to make it as different from anything else as possible. -Blood & Iron: This is the "next part" in timeline terms. I originally grouped this time set with The Warlord's Tales, but later realized that the different type of flavor and enviroment was enough to make it a micro-setting by itself. This is a mostly steamtech setting, that deals with a world ravaged by a millenia of brutal rulership and dissasters trying to recover, where technology managed to fill the gap left by the massive fuge of magic. Although it is much shorter in time terms than The Warlord's Tales, it is extremely intrincate and full of detail and events, as for it goes through a period during which the entire world is reshaping itself. Blood & Iron is also the logical effect of me wanting to insert a mixture of victorian and gothic flavor, without interfering with the more medievalistic, high-fantasy theme of TWT. -Magitech: This is the result of when I began experimenting with the "what would happen" question. I took both The Warlord's Tales and Blood & Iron and began delving on how would they look and turn if they evolved. This is a futuristic setting, although I do not belive it could be treated as Science Fiction. I prefer the term Scientific Fantasy, since it stands on the base of magic and technology coexisting and working together ofr new goals, unlike the previous two time sets, which worked over the issue of Magic vs Technology, with only a few counted exceptions. The name pretty much explain the main flavor of the micro-setting: Magitech, or Technology Driven by Magic. This time set gave me the workspace to unload all my science fictional projects and ideas, while giving a very nice result by mixing it with fantasy, myth and legend. As I usually say, this is The Warlord's Tales with new gadgets, as for most of the original flavor is keept. -Crumbling Empires: My most recent area of work, Crumbling Empires deals with the last breath of the world, doomed by a serie of events that had been slowly developing through the other three settings. The line between science and magic has been completely erased, creating the so called Tek Branches, a new form that goes beyond the boudnaries of magitechnology. This all develops in a dying, pre-apocalyptic world (pre-apocalyptic since you can not have a post-apocalyptic world), ravaged by dissasters of such magnitude that no hope for restoration could be found. This time set is the culmination of the setting, a point where everything else gathers. The storyline at this point becomes very twisted and strange, but it is a good place that I use to try ideas that would not fit anywhere else. The main issue, however, is not "how the world is destroyed" but "how the world is undone". In other words, here is where the clock starts running backwards. And it has given quite interesting results, I have to say. I refer to the whole setting as The Warlord's Tales, simply because that is the part of the story that defines it as whole. The resources I have used to build the world are many, but none of them are used directly. I rarely have a fixed idea of what exact thing I want to do next. In most cases, they just come: Be it from a book, a movie, a game, hystory, real life events, etc. These things usually spark not an idea per se, but inspiration to build one up. Then I develop it, working over the idea and seeing how it can be combined with others. Since I never write down an idea until it has taken shape, the final result is generally quite different from the original concept. This process serves to "paint" the idea, if you understand what I mean. Then, if good enough, I see how it can be attached to the skeleton of the setting, making changes here and there, until it is wholy incorporated. I have been repeating this process for at least eight years already, the time I have been commited into making a "true" setting. Of course, I must admit that I may use only about 5% of it all during roleplaying games, since much of the material is either too daunting or too complex to fit inside an adventure, no matter how long the campaign is. I keep working on it, caring little if someone will ever read or know about most of it, doing it just because I enjoy it tremendously. How deep did you develop your world? As deep as I have been able to. I like to work on every possible detail, although it becomes a hard task at times. Since the setting works over many different aspects and places -not only the main world, but also a complete new cosmology and a second "sibling world", all of them through a very long timelijne of events-. The fault is of course mine, since I like having lots of everything everywhere. How customized was your world in terms of the rules, races, classes, etc. that are in the "official" game? On the topic of rules, it varies. I try to make all the material as compatible with D&D as possible (AD&D 2E and v3.5), although sometimes it is impossible not to build entire new rules. How the alignement works is an example, since I have never been too happy with the "Good, Evil, Law and Chaos" model, that I find a bit too restrictive. A different system, based on several Capital and Cardinal Virtues and Sins, as well as philosophical maximas, is what I have been developing to allow a more flexible, unique method. I have found that this is the only truly good way to define Absolute Evil or Good, as for there is a wide range of variations on each side. About the "official elements", such as races and classes, the only thing I do not allow in the setting are Orcs and derivations. It is simply because there are no orcs in the world, since I never liked them much. On the other hand, all other "base races" exist, although they differ in several aspects from the ones placed in the PHB. My settng also tends to differ on lots of aspects with the general D&D lore, specially on the topic of Cosmology -D&D cosmology is very entertaining and interesting to read, but I do not like mixing a homebrew cosmology with mythology of other fantasies and myths-. I found that making an entirely different cosmology forced me to rebuild several other aspects of the world, such as how deities work, what exactly are creatures such as angels and demons, how planar mechanics work, etc. It has not been easy, but it is satisfying to see it works. Why did you want to make your own world instead of using a pregenerated one? I have been mastering through most of my roleplayer life, and I have always had the idea that a DM must run his/her own material. Thus, I never use pre-generated modules or campaigns, although I must admit that I have read some quite interesting ones. However, it has never been my style as DM, and I find it harder to run an adventure that has been made already than making a new one by myself. Furthermore, I have the world ready to be used, and I know it better that the palm of my hand, so why not use it? It gives me more freedom when running, and I can build and adventure very quickly, since the base material is already done. What were your motivations? That would be a harder question to answer, since I am unsure if there is one main motivation for me to keep working on this world of mine. I suppose that, above anything else, my fascination with fantasy and the impossible is so grand that I must unload all that somewhere, and making a world is the best system I have found. I enjoy writting and designing whatever I can more than many other things, and having this thing that I can call "mine" makes me always feel better with myself. It is one of the accomplishments I feel most proud. It may not be much, it may not be incredible, but it is perhaps the best thing I have ever done. So, Gandalf_Istari, my point in this post is quite clear: homebrewing worlds is a great things to do, at least in my opinion. I absolutely advice anyone to try it whenever they can, even if they belive they have no skills for it. You do not need any skill to start: Work on it and you will learn. That is why I say that the world reaches a point where it starts creating itself. Of course, some knowledge on the issue is always welcomed, since ideas can not just appear. Good books, be them fictional or historic, will grant you the tools to start working, and will lend you help in the way. But, above anything else, you must try your ideas. Originality is not just about making a something from a group of other somethings. It is about taking that new something and using it in ways it was not done before. It does not matter if it seems "strange" when compared with the mayor fictional trends, dominated in this case by D&D. Start a whole new trend of fantasy if needed. It is not as hard as it sounds. It just requires a bit of courage, and a crazy mind. After all, we are all insane in the eyes of mad. Should you ever need any support on your work, I will be always ready to help with whatever means I have. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 8] Author : Thailfi Date : 05-11-04 04:36 PM The very first time we thought about developing a world other than just running adventures was when the 1st printing of Dieties and Demigods came out. We created a world (including maps that we laminated) where every pantheon in the book had its own country and the heroes of the book populated the world. We eliminated Cthulu because it had a different feel than the other realms. The campaign ran its course and culminated with the destruction of Elric and the forces of Melnibone, by a united force of heroes and the forces of Newhon and Britain. As proof that I am not a munchkin, my character possessed Stormbringer and Mournblade at the same time. My character, as a devoutee of Odin, destroyed both artifacts. After this we moved these characters to the epic world layed out in the dungeons Death's Ride and Into the Maelstrom. Then Dragonlance came out and we were done with our created world. I think my DM still has the map. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 9] Author : Gandalf_Istari Date : 05-11-04 04:52 PM Originally posted by Klaus van der Kroft Should you ever need any support on your work, I will be always ready to help with whatever means I have. I appreciate that, as well as your well-thought out post and your candor. Its very interesting to see the directions people take in sketching and detailing a work of the imagination. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 10] Author : Gandalf_Istari Date : 05-11-04 04:57 PM Originally posted by Thailfi The very first time we thought about developing a world other than just running adventures was when the 1st printing of Dieties and Demigods came out. We created a world (including maps that we laminated) where every pantheon in the book had its own country and the heroes of the book populated the world. We eliminated Cthulu because it had a different feel than the other realms. This is actually a somewhat loose idea I am considering using in the creation of my campaign setting. I'm a history buff, and there is simply a ton of potential in ancient cultures like the Greeks, Egyptians, Persians, etc., and I've been pondering creating my setting using different real world cultures as the basis for them. On the other hand, I may just start from my own ideas and go from there. I haven't fully decided yet. Hmmm, maybe I'll work on two campaign settings :angel: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 11] Author : Coldpenguin625 Date : 05-11-04 05:17 PM Gandalf: There is a Homebrew board on this site if you haven't already looked at it. You'll find plenty of homebrewed worlds to look at there and plenty of people (myself included) willing to help you if you post anything on you're world there. You can also take a look at my homebrew-in-progress entitled Genesis Campaign Setting (needs a better name). It should be on the first page. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 12] Author : Gandalf_Istari Date : 05-11-04 06:18 PM Originally posted by Coldpenguin625 Gandalf: There is a Homebrew board on this site if you haven't already looked at it. You'll find plenty of homebrewed worlds to look at there and plenty of people (myself included) willing to help you if you post anything on you're world there. Yes, I have looked at the Homebrew board; however, I was trying mostly to generate some discussion amongst the old "fuddy duddy's" :D here and see if people preferred making their own worlds or using premade ones, and the reasons people chose to go one way or another. Mostly I posted on this board because I wanted to get the perspective of people who are playing the OOP editions, as I do not care for 3.xx very much. Thanks for your reply though. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 13] Author : Coldpenguin625 Date : 05-11-04 06:47 PM Well as for "old fuddy duddys" playing older editions, I'm 16 and use 2nd Edition. And my homebrew was based on 3rd edition but we switched since learning the new edition just ate up too much time we could've spent playing. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 14] Author : Algolei Date : 05-12-04 12:16 AM Over the years, I've built many worlds, starting with my first one in high school. My current favourite is based as much as possible on real-world history, set in the starting year 1400. I've used The World Builder's Handbook for the basis of two worlds, it's pretty cool. I've also drawn one huge major amazingly detailed world map using Campaign Cartographer I (I never upgraded to CCII). Both are fun and useful, but I gotta say, most carefully crafted hand-drawn maps are equal to any mapping program I've ever seen, so why bother buying software if you're willing to do the detail work anyway? I highly recommend A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe (http://www.exp.citymax.com/page/page/351668.htm) if you're looking for information about building a medieval society. Their other books look very interesting too, especially A Magical Society: Ecology and Culture, although I haven't seen it yet personally. The also offer a free download of part of the first book, calling it A Magical Medieval City Guide. BTW, my nephew used The World Builder's Handbook to make a very interesting world in which the climate was much hotter than normal, and the "tropical" regions were dominated by demons and devils--in other worlds, in his cosmology, hell was at the equator. Alas, we never played in that world, cool as it was; but that's because my nephew sucks bum at DMing. (He's a pretty lousy player, too, come to mention it. ;) ) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 15] Author : Gandalf_Istari Date : 05-12-04 02:41 AM Originally posted by Coldpenguin625 Well as for "old fuddy duddys" playing older editions, I'm 16 and use 2nd Edition. And my homebrew was based on 3rd edition but we switched since learning the new edition just ate up too much time we could've spent playing. No disrespect was intended I assure you. If you have switched over from 3.xx to OOP stuff, then all I have to say is, "Welcome to becoming a "fuddy duddy"!" :cool: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 16] Author : Tenzhi Date : 05-12-04 03:04 AM I've only created one world, and it's based loosely around (my understanding of) Norse mythology. The entire world is basically a disc-shaped chunk of land (Midgard) and water sitting on the back of a gi-normous serpentine dragon coiled around the base of an equally gi-normous tree. The lower canopy of the tree's moss-covered branches create Alfheim, the land of the elves. Residing in the upper canopy is Asgard and the wooden halls of Valhalla. It's a rather fantastic world that I've left unfleshed out enough to be able to plop almost any adventure into it somewhere - and I've even changed the entire culture of it whilst keeping the basic world structure. I created it with a little help from the World Builder's Guidebook (mostly thanks to the sheets of mapping accessories it came with), and a good deal of imagination. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 17] Author : jasper Date : 05-12-04 09:21 AM oh ohoh Mr. Kotter me. My world has parts of greyhawk, realms, and judges guild and an huge dash of my stuff. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 18] Author : diaglo Date : 05-12-04 09:26 AM my homebrew world contained bits and pieces of whatever i could find. of course, it began before they ever published a map for most of the material currently in use. so i could draw in whatever i want, wherever i wanted and not feel like it wasn't canon for those settings.;) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 19] Author : Coldpenguin625 Date : 05-12-04 03:23 PM Originally posted by Gandalf_Istari No disrespect was intended I assure you. If you have switched over from 3.xx to OOP stuff, then all I have to say is, "Welcome to becoming a "fuddy duddy"!" :cool: :) Thanks for the welcome! I feel mature now that I'm a fuddy duddy. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 20] Author : Gandalf_Istari Date : 05-13-04 01:20 AM Originally posted by Coldpenguin625 :) Thanks for the welcome! I feel mature now that I'm a fuddy duddy. BTW I did go and read your link to your world. Interesting stuff. You seem to have a decent bit fleshed out already, good luck with the rest. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 21] Author : Capn Charlie Date : 05-14-04 06:30 AM Way back in the day I crafted my own world. I decided to take a moe regionalized view on building it and expanded outward as the campaign progressed. As it grew I tacked in little cities and maps out of adventure modules, and conversions of places that cought my fancy from novels. IT had a lot in common with the old greyhawk setting, and the conan worlds, influenced perhaps most heavily by the old greyhawk adventures novel series and the many conan novels. THe biggest impact of being influenced by novels was the sense that if the players weren't going over that hill anytime soon there was no reason to spend too much time developing it. Free form, seat of th4 pants adventuring was the norm, and frequently cities wer left behind, the guard hot on heels, and never returned to. 'Twas a good, good world. Dark, gritty, and almost patchwork, for indeed it was. Later I took another stab at world building for a new campaign, with grander notions of making an entire world from the get go, all based off of a particularly intrigueing map I found online. But like the former it was doomed to failure, as I just never had the time and resources to properly develop it. So I made the switch over to the realms, and never looked back. Well, except when I think back on the things I have written and sometimes reminesce about what could have been, but will never be. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 22] Author : Gandalf_Istari Date : 05-14-04 01:11 PM Originally posted by Capn Charlie IT had a lot in common with the old greyhawk setting, and the conan worlds, influenced perhaps most heavily by the old greyhawk adventures novel series and the many conan novels. Those Gygax novels set in Greyhawk were fun. They certainly weren't Shakespear, and Gygax really needed a good editor for those books as the writting style and vocabulary was often atrocious, but they gave a good feel for D&D adventures. I always thought. A bit outrageous at times, corny, silly, but fun nonetheless, and a good intro into the kinds of adventures a character could run into during a campaign. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 23] Author : Capn Charlie Date : 05-14-04 03:43 PM Well, I like to think that the vulgarity in the opening chapters of the first Gord the Rogue book(Saga of Old City) was quite measured and intentional. However I am also forced to admit that they are a bit rough around the edges, novel wise. I really see it ias a representation of the game at the time. Rough around the edges, a little edgy, some half naked women lounging on every surface that it is halfway feasible to have them on, etc. But while not the best work, as could arguably be said of a lot of the very earliest game modules and products, as people figured out what the hell they wer edoing it smoothed out considerably. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 24] Author : dndgameupdate1 Date : 09-10-04 05:14 AM Thread Title : Home Brew World I've been fleshing out my home brew World of Skell since 1984. I suppose it will never "truly" be completed simply because we continue to play in it to this day and I have to come up with new NPC's, organizations, etc., for each new story line. Sometimes I revisit the places I've lifted from published works like everyone else does but the unique stuff seems to resonate more with the gamers. To check it out, see my signature! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 25] Author : RobertFisher Date : 09-10-04 05:10 PM If you did make your own worlds, what kind of resources did you use in its creation? Were there articles (from Dragon etc.), books (stuff put out by TSR specifically on world building, etc), mapping tools (remember the Core Rules 2.0 mapping tool?), literature, history, etc. you used to draw ideas from or to help along the way, or did you wing it? Yes, all of those, including winging it. :) I've never found a mapping tool I really like. I just use generic drawing applications when making maps on a computer. How deep did you develop your world? World creation for me has typically had two parts: (1) Creating worlds for my own amusement & with the idea of using it with roleplaying as an excuse. (2) Creating worlds for campaigns I'm actually running. The two connect, but they ended up being different. In the first case, there would be a lot of depth, but it would be haphazard & incomplete. In the second case, I'd steal stuff from the first case & augment it with player input & winging it. One thing I regret is that every time I've started a new campaign, I've created a new world. I may recycle a bunch of stuff, but it never has really been the same world. For the next fantasy campaign I run, I hope to create a world that I do reuse in future campaigns & build a history. Also, I'm trying very hard to spend more time working on going deep in the areas that will enhance the game & not going deep on areas that are unlikely to enhance the game. How customized was your world in terms of the rules, races, classes, etc. that are in the "official" game? I used to always try to fit games to my worlds. These days, I'm trying to fit the world to the game more. I can't help but change some things, though. Why did you want to make your own world instead of using a pregenerated one? What were your motivations? I guess just because I enjoy creating worlds. I guess I also often find that published settings spend a lot of time on stuff that doesn't get used in play & not enough time on stuff that I could use. If its missing the stuff that I could use, why not just create it myself? I have used published settings on occasion though. I ran a LotR game not long ago. I've used Greyhawk in the past. The key to using a published setting, for me, is to treat it just like a homebrew. Say, this is my Greyhawk. It doesn't have to conform to anyone's idea of canon. Indeed, I'm actually thinking of using the Known World as a starting point for my next campaign setting. If I do, I'm going to make big, huge, massive changes; so that it is effectively a homebrew, but using the X1 map & a handful of ideas therefrom. One of my favorite campaigns as a player combined Greyhawk, Lankhmar, Kara-Tur, & the Forgotten Realms all on the same planet. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 26] Author : Plunderer_of_the_planes Date : 10-09-04 11:50 AM The first world I created was when I first started the game. We didn't have alot of money or product availability so we created our own world out of TSr catalogues. Yeah you read that right. There was a city called Greyhawk and on the coast was Waterdeep. There was a literal spot on the map called The Forgotten Realms, and a castle called Ravnloft. Yeah cheesy I know but it did teach me alot about world building. Right now I am helping on one that is very eastern Europe and I started with the basic legends, one village and a dungeon and have expanded outwards. Sometimes your best sources are not RPG ones but historical or mythological. I don't know how many times in my current project that Cornell universities website has came in very useful.... -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 27] Author : dndgameupdate1 Date : 10-09-04 05:58 PM Yeah cheesy I know but it did teach me alot about world building. I would be willing to bet that many of us, dare I say most of us have plucked published works and made them our own. That's what they are for, isn't it? Besides, normally the boxed sets like Greyhawk City, Raven's Bluff, etc are really well done and what player wouldn't enjoy going to a city where the DM can give descriptions with a quick look and find. Some of us DM's enjoy creating our own cities, that's true, but I also enjoy reading through using a city that has some name recognition. It's always fun to hear how another DM used the same NPC or scene and sometimes you can get some good ideas out of them as well. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 28] Author : hieroot underwood Date : 10-11-04 09:19 PM Thread Title : yep I have created a whole world in 3 months, each town, each island, and ect. It was my funnest 3 months ever :whatsthis I spent many long nights doing that. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 29] Author : Plunderer_of_the_planes Date : 10-11-04 10:22 PM I would be willing to bet that many of us, dare I say most of us have plucked published works and made them our own. That's what they are for, isn't it? Besides, normally the boxed sets like Greyhawk City, Raven's Bluff, etc are really well done and what player wouldn't enjoy going to a city where the DM can give descriptions with a quick look and find. Some of us DM's enjoy creating our own cities, that's true, but I also enjoy reading through using a city that has some name recognition. It's always fun to hear how another DM used the same NPC or scene and sometimes you can get some good ideas out of them as well. Oh yeah I'll admit I did. Now though, after a few years of experience I use most of the setting books more for guidelines now. The best method I have found is to start with the major details and work down. Get a general idea, play a few sessions to get a feel and go from there. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 30] Author : Aliquid Date : 10-13-04 07:14 PM This is actually a somewhat loose idea I am considering using in the creation of my campaign setting. I'm a history buff, and there is simply a ton of potential in ancient cultures like the Greeks, Egyptians, Persians, etc., and I've been pondering creating my setting using different real world cultures as the basis for them. If you are thinking of using a historic period for your base, focus on your interests when you develop your campaign world, and steal from real world history for stuff you are less interested in. For example: If you are working with an Egyptian theme, and you don't have that much patience for creating a city, track down some maps of ancient Egyptian cities, and copy them. It is unlikely that your players will notice. It will save you a lot of time that you can use on developing the history and culture within your world. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 31] Author : Lord Ikrik Date : 10-21-04 04:12 AM Although I'm no longer actively DMing (sob sob, my players have been dispersed to the four winds :( ) I do work sporadically on a 1st/2nd Ed world. Its nowhere near "finished" but could contain small adventures. Some resources used range from ideas from the original boxed sets, old Dragon magazines, PHB 2nd Ed, DMG 1st/2nd Ed, Monster Manuals, real world history, fantasy novels etc although the bulk of things are from my own imagination which will one day eclipse the universe (maybe I should get out more..). It will always be in progress as no one can claim to finish creating a world in our short life spans. Mapping is by my own hand on a very basic large scale map with more detailed parts created when needed, especially for towns, cities etc. I wouldn't call it deeply developed, at this stage its more of an overview than anything. I probably spend too much time on the things I enjoy most eg. NPC creation, fortifications/labyrinths and unique creature creation. Many classes etc are official with unique classes in the works. Motivations ; I guess I just wanted something different to the official worlds. Thinking about it I've only ever played/DMed once in an official setting which was the original boxed sets. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 32] Author : psycowarriormage Date : 10-31-04 10:25 PM Thread Title : Rookie Player Needs Help! Im using a pure homebrewed worldset, but need major help in making a pantheon and geography. It is somewhat based on the Wheel Of Time series by Robert Jordan and the Sword Of Truth by Terry Goodkind. I found the "create your own class" rules in the 2e DMG and have, to date, created hundreds of useless classes. If anyone could help me with the world I nedd a LOT of "god ideas". thx for any help u can send. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 33] Author : TheDungeonDelver Date : 11-03-04 11:27 AM Hey Gandalf... Believe it or not, I'm actually doing a little "world building" for a B/E game I'm going to run next week; just a little thing, really. I may end up publishing the adventure, but not until after the WGH series and the UCM (Under-City Malestrom) series are finished. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Downloaded from Wizards Community (http://forums.gleemax.com) at 05-10-08 08:16 AM.