The latest episode of my free grimdark fantasy serial can now be read on my blog. In ‘Prize Fighter’ the company’s second-in-command is attempting to assess a new recruit, but his efforts are hampered by an impromptu wrestling match.
One of the coolest #worldbuilding things you can do is write 3 versions of a legend, then weave 2 of them together, keeping even contradictory and repetitive parts. This is kind of how the oldest parts of the Bible were written and leads to some very cool and authentic effects.
Years ago, I played a profoundly insecure wizard; he just had layers of walls between himself and those around him (the dismantling of those walls as his friendships developed were the fun part of playing such a broken creature).
Anyway, he spun endless bullshit about how his magic worked. Just, outrageous garbage. Total fibs.
All these years later, some of the forms of magic described in #Hammondal are based directly on some of his bullshit. So that's been fun. 😅
Everyone who does FRPG #WorldBuilding dips into history, to varying degrees, and applies or ignores it, to varying degrees. Specific interests exert heavy gravity:
History: "He led the expedition with twenty armed valets and two-dozen crossbowmen."
Me: Cannot possibly give a shit SHUTTUP WITH THIS BORING CRAP.
History: "Innkeepers often took responsibility for elder care in their neighborhoods, even to the extent of --"
Me: OMFG YES GIMME GIMME MINE MINE MINE.
#worldbuilding prompt 3/6/24
12 BCE. Augustus , Emperor of Rome, is named Pontifex Maximus, head of the Roman state religion. What nations in your setting have a state religion, and are they explicitly theocratic? Is th secular gov or religion dominant? #ttrpg
Did you know I have a YouTube channel with lots of #worldbuilding, #ttrpg , and general geek content, including ttrpg humor, poetry and music? Did you know I'm sitting at 999 subscribers?
It's a great way to support me and my work without having to spend a red cent! https://www.youtube.com/@OfGodsandGamemasters
#worldbuilding prompt 3/1/24
This day in 509 BC, Publius Valerius Publicola celebrated the Roman Republic's first Triumph over the former King of Rome. When was your world's greatest fallen empire or extant nation's founding, and is it celebrated to this day? #ttrpg
#worldbuilding prompt 2/29/24
It's Leap Day! Does your world have a custom calendar? How do you track time? Do you track moon phases, seasons, weeks? Is there something like leap years or leap days, or do you not need them? #ttrpg
I made this back in December and I'm still fond of this. First isometric drawing even and i found it really relaxing. Hope i can have time next month to do some more of those (and add colour to this!)
#worldbuilding prompt 2/28/24
Is there an evil empire or Dark Lord (TM) in your setting? How do they conform to the tropes, and what makes them interesting or different? #ttrpg
#worldbuilding prompt 2/27/24 International Polar bear day. Bears are so terrifying they have been referred to only by euphemisms for millenia. We name the Arctic and Antarctic after them. What creature is that significant in your world? #ttrpg
#worldbuilding prompt 2/26/24 It's Victor Hugo's birthday. Who are some famous authors, poets, or dramatists, in your world? Is there an equivalent to Hugo? To Shakespeare? #ttrpg
Combining multiple dimensions of wealth, demographics, and occupancy in a similar image using color, borders, and secondary borders. I could (and will) add more with overlay patterns or patterns within the colors, etc. Since maps like these aren't for publication, they can get real ugly and confusing in the name of information density, and they turn a lot of vague heat-maps and broad design choices into a quilt of useful specifics I can treat as fresh clay.
Mapping out the vacant and abandoned structures of #Hammondal
I went lighter on these than I might have ... A kind of fantasy-world compromise, with a fistful of in-world reasons, but a lot of the real-world places that inspired Hammondal would have nearly twice the number of shells if mapped this way.
Same disclaimer as usual: This is just development-process stuff. The book won't be nearly this explicit (entries for only 40 or so).
I'm not sure why this 11-year-old blog post has been getting a pile of hits this week, but the idea holds up.
Observation Creates Reality.
Using this idea in an RPG sense, a player asking about a specific detail forces its creation in the game world while telling everyone else at the table what interests them. Sock color is a terrible example of this, but it still works.
#worldbuilding prompt 2/15/24
I was busy with my partners on Valentine's Day. Does your setting have a day set aside to celebrate romantic love? Is it the feast day of a god or saint of erotic love? #ttrpg
#worldbuilding prompt 2/13/24
Today in 1692:the Glencoe Massacre, when Royalist troops quartered among the MacDonalds, and thus under hospitality, slew 30-80 people. What famous acts of treachery happened in your setting at the command of the government? #ttrpg