A fantasy setting collaboration?

[Oak7ree]

I would like to make a new fantasy setting to be used in RPGs in this forum. I am a bit tired of using other people's worlds, settings and maps. I would need help in brainstorming and coming up with names, mostly, and someone to talk to about the setting. I imagine the setting would primarily used in RPGs.

I have some experience in creating fantasy settings, and I have created one quite fleshed out, but that was for a book project, and I wouldn't like to use in a RPG.

[Rin]

Oh hey, fantasy worldbuilding. I'm down with that.

[Oak7ree]

@Rin Great, a volunteer. Now I don't have "make" volunteers.

Jokes aside, how's your experience with world building so far?

[Gareth]

I'd also like to help.

[Ellri]

even if you have no interest in using any of the numerical systems, we'd recommend looking at D&D 5e dungeon master stuff for worldbuilding... The main book for that has a wonderful guide to making worlds that function.

[Oak7ree]

Thanks for the tip, @Ellri. Unfortunately, I don't have the money for those books at the moment.

[Ellri]

Not sure if the right sections are available as (free) excerpts on the net, but there are at least some segment available, @Oak7ree. If legality is not the issue, we're sure there's more complete sources out there too.

[Oak7ree]

@Ellri I've always thought as a man of legality, but there also other articles on worldbuilding somewhere in the Internet.

[Ellri]

indeed. That is quite respectable.

And there's lots of good guides out there. we just remember when we started reading that guide how wonderful we found the worldbuilding section.

[Andreyich]

@Oak7ree
Interested in helping out, having a Roleplayerguild Homebrew setting could be interesting but the thing is that I doubt people could agree on thins like: gunpowder and other technology, how magic works, the power of gods, etc. and it will only be used for a small fraction of if any RPs, most people probably preferring to just make their own for each RP. If there was a way to streamline the process...

[Oak7ree]

@Andreyich I, for one, dislike using "too much" magic or divine power, as I see human struggle against great odds and moral imperfections very interesting. When ir comes to gunpowder, I don't mind it - if it suits the setting and is explained in-universe how they invented it.

Having said that, I am ready to talk about any of those issues you mentioned.

[Kenaron]

@Oak7ree are you still looking? I have little experience with worldbuilding propper, but I'm always having random ideas, and I have some that could fit nicely in a fantasy setting. That said, I'm also extremely unfocused on my own, and lack the concentration and time to organize everything alone, so I think I'll be better off helping other people that actually have the concentration and would like to brainstorm some.

[ClocktowerEchos]

Might as well throw this in on the basis of Magical Laws for Writing according to Brandon Sanderson:

1. Err on the side of Awesome
2. An Author's abilities to solve conflict with magic in a satisfying way should be DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understand said magic
3. What the magic can't do is more interesting than what it can do
4. Expand what you already have instead of adding something new.

[Oak7ree]

@Oak7ree are you still looking? I have little experience with worldbuilding propper, but I'm always having random ideas, and I have some that could fit nicely in a fantasy setting. That said, I'm also extremely unfocused on my own, and lack the concentration and time to organize everything alone, so I think I'll be better off helping other people that actually have the concentration and would like to brainstorm some.

@Kenaron

Well, I would be interested to start again, as people dropped out soon and I had some real life businesses to attend to. What kind of ideas do you have?

@ClocktowerEchos Do you have interest of taking part?

As a basis for the world, I would like to make a world similar to the Medieval Europe (-1000 points for originality), but of course, it is viable to change. Mostly because I've been reading a few books about Medieval England.

[ClocktowerEchos]

@Oak7ree I might as well. Do you have any set ideas? Would this be on a medieval notEurope or just a notBritannia? Status on fantasy races?

[Kenaron]

@Oak7ree hey, if you already have a base of something, better to start off with that, just not retelling it word by word.

Before the brainstorming, do you have any basics set besides that paralel? Races? Magic? Knighthood? Stuff like that. I would like to know the general direction you are taking, too. Is it a dark and gritty realism or something more lighthearted?

[Oak7ree]

@Oak7ree hey, if you already have a base of something, better to start off with that, just not retelling it word by word.

Before the brainstorming, do you have any basics set besides that paralel? Races? Magic? Knighthood? Stuff like that. I would like to know the general direction you are taking, too. Is it a dark and gritty realism or something more lighthearted?

@Kenaron

Races - humanoids (humans, elves, dwarves, perhaps gnomes and orcs too)
Magic - exists, but extremely rare. Superstition still lives, and magic can be used by the common folk to explain why something happens.
Knigthood - yes. Heavy mounted soldiers? Yes. Title given for bravery and courage? Yes.
Grim or light? Grim.
Realistic? Probably yes.

[Kenaron]

@Oak7ree sounding good, I'm all out for it. Would you prefer everything here or through PMs? Discord please no? Skype?

[ClocktowerEchos]

@Oak7ree Thought I had: What if there was some evil force that was in constant war with good, both are primordial forces in the way of universal balance. These forces are generally at balance to some degree with advantages that wax and wane regularly but whenever one side successfully conquers the other (ie Good triumphs over Evil or Evil triumph over good), the world is destroyed and reborn anew.

In the process, great heroes and person from the previous world will be reborn as gods. Typically only the side that looses will get new gods so if notJesus beats notSatan, then Satanist Cult Master Jim will be reborn as notSatan in the new world but the original notJesus will still be around. I should probably mention that each "rebirth" would be several hundred if not thousands of years apart.

I feel like there should be a catch though that Good isn't saintly and Evil isn't terrible but instead two different aspects of Order and Destruction respectively. Order is needed to build civilization and develop things but at its apex, it will force everyone into a Grand Plan which does not allow for any flexibility while Destruction leads to anarchy and living in danger at its peak but it is also what grants beings free will.

[Oak7ree]

We could make a brief outline here first (either in this thread or by PMs). Also, Google Drive or similar service could an option where we could compile the writings and edit them.

@Oak7ree sounding good, I'm all out for it. Would you prefer everything here or through PMs? Discord please no? Skype?

@Kenaron

In my opinion my biggest problem is coming up with names, and as handy name generators are, I somehow dislike using one.