So, the idea of this thread is really very simple: I want to get a group of creative roleplayers with solid writing abilities that want to build a setting cooperatively. Everyone works together to make something that will be fun for other roleplayers - and themselves, of course - to play in. Pretty straightforward concept.

Now, while the concept is simple to understand, there are certain details that need to be made clear. So, I'll explain those details through a series of hypothetical questions.



Well, I want to run a roleplay in a unique and enjoyable world, but I want to do so in a setting that other players have helped me make. I find cooperative world building to be very fun, even if it can be slow. Since RPers often love playing in a setting they've helped create the history and lore to, well... Why not invite people to work together with me?

I want this to be very clear: We will not be RPing in the thread we create the world in. Creating the world is its own thread. The RP itself will be a separate thread made once the setting is finished. I'll talk about that in a later section.

NOTE: You do NOT have to RP in the second thread if you help build the world. If you just want to help build the world, that's fine.



Yeah, it's important to know the method of how we're going to do things, isn't it?

We'll start with a blank map (which I will draw with that ever-so-impressive program we know and love called MS Paint). Its size will vary depending on the amount of interest this idea gets. There will be seven basic categories of things you can create:

* Nations / City States / Villages / etc. - The bread and butter of most settings, these are places where people live. They can be built just about anywhere based on who lives in them: in the mountains, on a volcano, around a lake, in a forest, whatever. There will be certain limitations, but we'll talk about this soon.
* Races - Every setting has different races in it. Sometimes these races aren't bound to any one place. They might be monsters for killing or something you intend to be playable in the future. Either way, you can write up a race - even if it's just dwarves or elves or kobolds - if you like.
* Terrain Features - Perhaps you want to talk about a certain mountain range, forest, or river. Perhaps there's a wetlands area that's been floating around in your head that you want to write about. Or, perhaps, you want to make something more fantastic: a crystal lake, a wall of obsidian, or floating sky islands. Stranger things have existed before, so why not make them here?
* History - Sometimes, the past is more important than the present. Maybe you don't want to add something onto the map, but instead want to talk about something that happened in the distant past. Was there a great war between the dwarves and elves? Were the orcs once a proud civilization that was rumored to have been ruled by an almighty wizard-king? Why is that ruin in the woods abandoned...? History is part of world building.
* Adventure Sites - These are places that people can go and explore. Dungeons, dark forests, forgotten tombs, strange portals - whatever would make for an interesting story. When writing these places, DO NOT spell out everything in these places; instead, be vague and talk about what the history and what the denizens might be.
* Important Characters - Important characters are people that have impacted the world in huge, powerful ways. This might be an elusive wizard that's spoken about only in legends, a legendary hero - either past or present - that has slain not one but three dragons, an ancient ent that has been around since the dawn of the world... etc. NOTE: Do not use this to make a character you want to play. Characters made in the world-building stage are NPCs ONLY.
* Important Organizations - Again, these organizations are important to the world in some way. Religious sects, the fantasy equivalent of the Illuminati, a secret demon-worshiping cabal, a thieves guild that spans several cities... Etc.

So, everyone makes this sort of stuff. People, monsters, civilizations, old ruins, whatever; you and I will make stuff and submit it to the thread.

However, there is something you should know: I am the GM. I have the final say in what is allowed in the world and what I do not want. If I refuse a concept or say it needs editing, you have to either make those edits or accept that it won't be a part of this setting. If you want to participate, you need to understand that one of your concepts may be refused. I have themes in mind that I'll discuss shortly.

As stuff is finished and approved, I will add it to the relevant posts in the Characters section. With luck, enough content in all seven categories should be added over time until we have a large, fun-to-explore world in our hands.

Please remember: You are creating a world for yourself and others to play in. Don't make something because you want to see the halflings wiped out by dragon-men - make something because it would be interesting and engaging to interact with. Don't just make races and cities you want to play - make races that you want to fight, places you want to explore, or mysteries that you think others would like to solve. Do NOT "play to win." Instead, "play" to make the world a more interesting place.

* Medieval Fantasy - Swords, axes, bows, crossbows! Dragons, manticores, wyverns, hydras! This is a world where mortals face off against each other and fantastic creatures with medieval era equipment.
* Points of Light / Fallen Empire - Our world stands upon the ashes of a once great empire. Much of the world is unexplored and dangerous. Bandits wait in ambush along the roads; dragons hoard gold in ancient halls; the restless dead rise from haunted battlefields. Still, civilization clings on; though the old Imperial Highway may be difficult to traverse, people yet live in city-states and small realms scattered about the continent. Nobody travels alone in these days: adventurers form companies, merchants travel in well-guarded caravans, and anyone that wants to settle a new village is careful to make sure they settle near other villages for defense. Wars are waged between neighboring city-states as they vie to procure new lands, but the threat of a monstrous invasion lurks in the back in the minds of the rulers of the frontier kingdoms...
* Magic Users Are Rare - Wizards are not a dime a dozen. Wizards are, in fact, incredibly rare and powerful beings, similarly to how rare they are in the Lords of the Rings series. Mages are famous people that wield considerable power and strictly are not playable. You should feel free to make them as characters, but don't expect to play that mage. Furthermore, remember that mages are incredibly powerful, moreso than mortals, and some may even be worshiped as deities.
* We Must Have Faith - There are no clerics calling down the wrath of the heavens. The Gods themselves do not walk the land, nor do their avatars. No: much like in the real world, a person that believes in a God must simply have faith that they exist.
* One Continent - Everything we're building will be on one subcontinent. There may be other continents out there, but we don't know where they are or what exists in them. We're sort of backwards like that.
* Hope - This is not a grimdark setting. Yes, the world is pretty awful. Yes, the mortal realms are ruled by self-serving monarchs; there are bandits and monsters; even the dead cannot always seem to find rest, as proven by how they rise from tombs and graves at the beck and call of some supernatural force. Still, we press on. Still, we keep our eyes to the sky, hopeful that a better, brighter future awaits out world. The world may be against us, but adventurous heroes can make the world a better place. They have to.

A world builder is never early, nor is he late. He finishes precisely when he means to.



Whenever the world building is done. Seriously, I dunno.



They will be assured of the opportunity to roleplay, but they can lose that opportunity by presenting a character in the roleplay that I just can't believe is so awful, wow.

For instance: let's say Me, Lee and Susie build this world together. I'm the GM, so I'm playing no matter what, suckers. Susie and Lee both want to join the RP now that the world is done, so they both present some characters they want to play. Lee decides he wants to make a super-duper assassin that wields magic cards that explode people and he can go invisible whenever he wants and is super edgy and stuff. Susie designs a humble farmer-turned-adventurer that fits the parameters of characters I'll allow. Our strawman, Lee, will NOT be allowed to play. Susie, however, will, because her application to the roleplay itself fits my guidelines, and even if I like other characters more than hers she WILL be a part of the game because she helped make the world.



Depends on how much interest I get. I'm planning to let this interest check sit for a week. The more interest I get, the bigger the world has to be, so the more I have to sketch on a map. Hooray for me, right?



Nope. I'm all done. Feel free to express interest or utter disdain for the concept. Go hog wild.

From what I've read so far, this sounds very intriguing. I am very interested to be apart of this project!

Great to hear. If you have any questions, be sure to shoot them at me and I'll answer as best I can.

What a kowinkidink. I'm building my own world right now, and this seems like a fun place to build a foil along with it. I'll be interested.

Count me in.

Hey, I'm an ancient user around here, was mainly active on the old site. I mostly lurk nowadays, but this got my attention. Even though you have no proof of my writing skill, could I join?

EDIT: For what it's worth, I'm also a decent illustrator!

Anyone's allowed to participate. Essentially, as many people can join the world creation phase as they please. However, if I think someone writes up something poorly, I'll just refuse their work.

So yeah: join on up! I'll be making the OOC on Monday or Tuesday.

If at any point someone writes something I think is below the level of quality I'm looking for, I'll just tell them so. I don't make any judgements based on how many posts someone has or the like, though, only on what they bring to the thread once it starts.

Alright, can't wait then!

Does gunpowder exist in the setting, with primitive muskets and arquebuses?

I'm interested!

Does gunpowder exist in the setting, with primitive muskets and arquebuses?

I thought about that and I was tempted to include that. Indeed, "Medieval Fantasy" was originally "Dawn of Gunpowder." If others besides yourself want to include that, I'll let a vote go for it in the thread (aye or nay).

I'm pretty neutral to gunpowder honestly.

Although, regarding firearms in fantasy settings, I'm always tempted to replace gunpowder with something more 'arcane'. As in, why would they use gunpowder when they can make firearms that fire magical bolts and bullets.

Food for thought I guess, we could include both.

The arcane guns thing irk me mostly because it means mages are into mass production, which doesn't make sense by me (I prefer my mages as people too deep into the arcane to care about matters of the world, and from what I've understood this setting also has this going). Economically speaking, gunpowder makes sense, though, as you can build an economy around it.

Arcane weaponry, for the most part, will be a no-no in this setting, as an aside. This is a setting where such weapons would be treasures. As noted...

Wizards are not a dime a dozen. Wizards are, in fact, incredibly rare and powerful beings, similarly to how rare they are in the Lords of the Rings series. Mages are famous people that wield considerable power and strictly are not playable. You should feel free to make them as characters, but don't expect to play that mage. Furthermore, remember that mages are incredibly powerful, moreso than mortals, and some may even be worshiped as deities.

So, there will be magic, but it won't be something an economy can be built around. Rather, magic will be something that is either A) invoked by rare, powerful beings or B) caused by broken oaths and such things with symbolic meaning. You won't see as many magical weapons so much as you'll just have incredibly well crafted weapons forged from a wondrous material. When there are magic weapons in this world, they will stand out.

Feel free to discuss gunpowder if you wish. I have an opinion on whether it should be included, but I'll reserve that the OOC vote.

If you want my opinion on gunpowder, I say nay, or aye as long as they super-duper rare and at a very early stage in terms of technology.

I support gunpowder as long as it's matchlocks newly making their way into armies.

I just love the whole pike-and-shot thing.

You must have misunderstood me, I wouldn't suggest that magical firearms should be a normal, everyday thing in the setting. Quite the opposite really. Although, if enchanted weaponry is off the table, then I don't like the idea of gunpowder. It seems out of place to me if things like enchantments and magical engineering are non-existent. Don't have a good reason why, honestly.

Enchanted weaponry isn't completely off the table, but it should be rare enough that it won't "replace" gunpowder if gunpowder doesn't exist. It performs a very different function in this setting: it's the stuff of legends and is only available to the lucky few, not something that changes how the world works (as gunpowder did).

The feel I'm aiming for as we create this setting is one where magic actually feels magical. In most settings, magic is sort of passe. Some guy gets a magic sword and everyone shrugs. A mage enters the room and casts a spell and people treat it like they've seen it a thousand times.

For this setting, I want every magical item to be unique. I want them to be special. When the RP itself starts after we finish world creation, I want whoever finds a magical axe, for instance, to notice immediately just how much better that weapon is than others. A magical throwing axe that flies with the speed of thunder? A sword whose glow banishes creatures of the dark? A bow that sets every arrow it fires aflame? I want these things to be items with a story behind them, not something you sell to a vendor.

Anyway: magical stuff is out there. It's just not common at all.

Gunpowder? Like I said, I'm going to wait until the OOC thread is made before I weigh in at all, and probably after everyone else has voted, and only if there's a tie. I'd rather hear whatever cases someone has to make for it, since I was pretty much on the fence about the matter originally.

Also...

Before I draw the base map, is there any sort of terrain feature someone really wants included? Normal terrain, that is. You guys can invent whatever you like once we start the OOC on Tuesday.

The map won't be fancy. I'll be drawing a map in MS paint and it won't be impressive. I may pay a friend to make a better rendering of it after the world creation stage is done.

Alright, thanks. I guess I'm a bit slow, but I understand where you want to go with it now.

As for map features, just remember rivers. All major cities tend to be built by rivers!

I might give the map a go after you've drawn it up. As I said, I do illustration from time to time!

If you'd like to, that'd be nice. I'm a horrible artist.