Saturday, February 25, 2012

Post Number One


This blog is an experiment in fantasy world creation. Actually, it’s about the creation of a world that I have been exploring in my mind for quite a long time. However due to circumstances, I’ve never actually run a game in it. For many years, I simply fell out of gaming, and now that I’m back in, I have only have so much time. Also, I’ve never really decided on what game system to use to run a campaign, which is kind of important. Finally, I don’t want to force a campaign on my gaming group, since we’ve got several awesome campaigns running now. So I can wait. But in the meantime, I’m going to try using this space as a whiteboard for my ideas.

The idea for this world came about well over a decade ago as I was sitting and watching the fog roll through a valley in Vermont. What if this mountain I was sitting on was actually an island, surrounded by fog? And so the idea came to me of a mountainous world that is bounded by an impenetrable mist. Perhaps it’s toxic clouds, perhaps monsters live there—I don’t think it really matters: no one goes past the Land’s End.

The world evolved from there. Gradually, it became more rugged, less like rolling hills. It became populated with places and plot hooks. At some point, the world became rather dangerous, making it very difficult to live outside of a handful of cities. I’ve had to stock the place with creatures and monsters, but without any player characters, it has pretty much lacked people. The challenge has been to paint a rich setting full of adventure while keeping it an open world where the players can explore freely and make their own stories.

So, this blog is a place for me to lay out ideas and watch them evolve somewhere other than a sub-folder on my hard drive. Many of my ideas have shifted over time, often changing dramatically. I make no promises that what appears here will be what actually shows up in any future game, but I will try to be consistent. Also, don’t expect any spoilers here. This space is for describing the setting, and anything that shows up here could probably be considered common knowledge for characters. So, while I may mull over interesting plot hooks and devices, there will always be something else behind that. Check out an introduction here. I hope you enjoy exploring.

2 comments:

  1. Very pleased that you are getting these ideas out there. And when you have spare moments while tending to the soon-to-be-here baby, a world building exercise can keep your creative mind busy through all the diaper changing.

    I'd lay in this setting. The obvious question is, what system?

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  2. What system indeed...

    I've never quite decided, although I've imagined how different systems would fit. I've thought about it as D&D (both 2E and 3.5), as FATE, GURPS, and even as Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying because that system has some cool "social battle" mechanics that I'd like to incorporate. The hang up is always the magic system, which I haven't addressed in a post yet. Nothing quite seems to fit right. But I'm not against trying just about anything with the right crowd. Risus, perhaps?

    To me, the setting pretty much stays the same, but a lot of the tone and feel of the game is impacted by the system. The stories are the stories, after all; the system is the medium for telling them. Ultimately, it will be determined by the players at the time and place of game one...

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