small question

[RPGnet Columns]

Post originally by NotMousse at 2004-10-14 09:22:54
Converted from Phorums BB System

I know this is a column, but are you asking for input from others, or just posting the results of what you and your friends decided to make up for your game world?

[RPGnet Columns]

Post originally by Matt David T at 2004-10-14 11:07:45
Converted from Phorums BB System

Yeah, I'm curious about that too. Is this column an open invite for everyone to contribute to what you and your friends are up to? Or is it just an interesting description of what you've done already, and what you're about to do?

Also, why did you go with such a dated hook? So many medieval fantasies with dragons have them as politically influencing creatures, behind the scenes of the world. It's just been done. I'd have preferred the time-travel one.

[RPGnet Columns]

Post originally by james bierly at 2004-10-14 21:39:17
Converted from Phorums BB System

Yeah, I'm a little surprised that's what the players voted for too. If they wanted a world of Draconic influence, why not just go with Dragonlance or Eberron? Kind of seems to defeat the purpose of creating their own world. The perils of democracy, I guess :-)

Anyhow, this looks to be an interesting column. Kind of like Hack For More only focusing on world design instead of game sessions. I look forward to future installments.

Matt David T wrote:
-------------------------------

Also, why did you go with such a dated hook? So many medieval fantasies with dragons have them as politically influencing creatures, behind the scenes of the world. It's just been done. I'd have preferred the time-travel one.

[RPGnet Columns]

Post originally by Charlie Dunwoody at 2004-10-15 03:58:09
Converted from Phorums BB System

I'm open to discussions from anyone reading the column. However, rpg.net needs three columns up front to get a new column started. So I won't be able to incorporate any of your suggestions until at least column four (January 2005). At rpg.net's suggestion, I created my own network of world builders, at least to start, in case no readers posted here.

I was actually surprised that the world of dragons and draconic influence was picked as well. However, that is one of the exciting things about this column. I don't even know what will happen next! I could have done a lot of work myself, but I didn't think that would be as interesting as a shared world.

One thing we, the current world builders, discovered (but don't get to until column four) is that the hook is too generic. With a lot more input, we've come up with quite an interesting world background.

The first three columns actually represent only a week of e-mails and discussion. So you're going to see a lot of thinking and brainstorming before we get down to specifics.

I'll post our updated hook here, and invite feedback from the readers. That way, you can get involved if you'd like as I work on the next few columns. And thanks for your interest!

Charlie

[RPGnet Columns]

Post originally by Ace Calhoon at 2004-10-15 13:23:53
Converted from Phorums BB System

Hey,
Well, there's a couple of things about that. The first thing to be aware of is that Charlie first asked what we wanted to see in a campaign setting (then asked for it to be phrased as a one-sentence hook). The second thing is that most commercial hooks you see are condensed from a much larger story-base (paragraphs or pages in length)... The detail this gives them is where they get most of their punch.

What I *wanted* to see in a campaign setting was a creature type that "looked like" dragons, but were significantly less powerful (and possibly not intelligent), so that they could be integrated into the party (as special mounts, familiars, animal companions, or even characters... Sort of like the dragonnel, only cool). It sounds generic because it only details a very small part of the world but is phrased as though it details the whole thing...

Of course, democracy is a weird thing. This hook's gone in the opposite direction I had intended... But the finished world should still be pretty interesting.

And why play Dragonsuns over Dragonlance or Eberron? Well, it's hard to compare a developmental amateur world to completed commercial worlds, but it all comes down to the nuances. Let's face it: these are all generic fantasy worlds, based on the same concepts. To a large degree they're all the same... The differences are in the details.