/wbg/ - Worldbuilding Thread

Worldbuilding Thread - Comfy Edition

Some worldbuilding resources:

On designing cultures:
frathwiki.com/Dr._Zahir's_Ethnographical_Questionnaire

Random generators:
donjon.bin.sh/

Mapmaking tutorials:
cartographersguild.com/forumdisplay.php?f=48

Free mapmaking toolset:
www.inkarnate.com

Random Magic Resources/Possible Inspiration:
darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/magic/antiscience.html
buddhas-online.com/mudras.html
sacred-texts.com/index.htm

Conlanging:
zompist.com/resources/

Random (but useful) Links:
futurewarstories.blogspot.ca/
projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/
military-sf.com/
fantasynamegenerators.com/
donjon.bin.sh/
eyewitnesstohistory.com/index.html
kennethjorgensen.com/worldbuilding/resources
reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/books/europe#wiki_middle_ages
reddit.com/r/worldbuilding

Questions:

>What are you working on right this moment?
>What are you worldbuilding for? A novel, a game, a movie?
>What are you having trouble with?
>How much time do you spend worldbuilding in an average week?
>Do you have a map? Show it off!

>What are you working on right this moment?

The intro for my novel

>What are you worldbuilding for? A novel, a game, a movie?

Novel titled Crowned In Lightning, about a socialist matriarchal monarchy fighting against a libertarian state in an art-deco world with schizo tech that's roughly dieselpunk.

>What are you having trouble with?

Actually writing it, damnit

>How much time do you spend worldbuilding in an average week?

Maybe six hours, spread through the week.

>Do you have a map? Show it off!
Pic related

Wasn't expecting anyone to post this early

Hard Mode Questions:

>First, pick a country, any country (or megacity, star system, planet, whatever). Which country is it?
>Fuck that country, now pick another one.
>How are weddings conducted in this country? Describe the ceremony, how long it lasts, and any associated festivities.
>How long is the courtship period? How strict is it? Are marriages usually arranged or does true love (or true freedom, at least) reign?
>Is there divorce? Who has the right to initiate it?
>Is virginity a big deal (for either sex)?
>Is there a bride price paid?
>Describe the manner of wedding attire in these countries.

Dante Must Die mode questions available upon request, of course.

Just gonna dump info about warfare.

As of the year 179, when the novel begins, Skyships are considered by many to be the decisive arm of a military. Their prominence varies, with some countries eschewing them entirely in favor of wet navy ships, others preferring skyships entirely over wet navies, and most in between.

Skyships are similar to but not quite Zeppelins; rather than using hydrogen or helium, Skyships are lifted with hot air, usually heated by nuclear reactors, and propelled by a jet engine which passes air past the nuclear reactor and heats it up to generate thrust. Thanks to the presence of compact, light thorium reactors, these are nowhere near as dangerous as similar real world concepts like Project Pluto.

Since the lack of oil or coal prevents anyone from developing TNT or Picric Acid, the most effective explosives are Poudre B and Dynamite. Dynamite is more powerful, but it's also too temperamental to be fired out of cannons. At the same time, battleship-scale cannons would impart enough energy on a skyship to quite possibly topple it, and even if not that much, the rocking motion from one shot would make getting a later hit all but impossible. Since dynamite can be fired with rockets, and since rockets don't impart nearly as much energy on the firing ship, skyships use rockets as their primary weapons. However, due to the lack of radar or any similar target seeking equipment, rocket trajectories have to be eyeballed(no time to calculate them on the fly in battle) which means that there's always a large percentage of misses. The solution of course is to use banks of rocket pods to put together large broadsides. Since ships can be armored well enough that it takes lots of hits to disable them, actions often consist of broadside based battles that vaguely resemble those of the end of the age of sail, extended into three dimensions.

The four common classes of warship will be detailed in (cont)

>What are you working on right this moment?
Working the beginnings of a sci-fantasy setting. The idea is humanity and its incorporated alien species have colonized a planet, only to discover a gigantic, almost planet-spanning alien ruins. Now teams of scientists and mercs are being sent down to treasure hunt.

>What are you worldbuilding for? A novel, a game, a movie?
Warband skirmish game.

>What are you having trouble with?
Setting is extremely barebones right now. Just started working on it recently.

>How much time do you spend worldbuilding in an average week?
Not a lot, lately. This project is being a kick in the ass to get back into the swing of thing.

>Do you have a map? Show it off!
Nope, not yet.

Destroyers: Small, short air time, but with a heavy throw weight for their size. Used as flankers in fleet engagements. Destroyers are considered obsolete by some, especially the Principality of Astaria, which has abandoned them for LCs.

Light Cruisers: Unlike destroyers, these skyships are able to stay airborne for weeks on end. LCs are larger than destroyers, but less capable in a fight since they give so much volume over to provisions. Often used in commerce protection and/or raiding roles

Heavy Cruisers: A crossbreed between the two above, Heavy Cruisers have the throw weight to serve in the wing of battle, while also having the endurance to operate far beyond their home territory

Dreadnoughts: Larger than a heavy cruiser, it devotes less percentage of its volume to provisions, giving it the short operating span of a destroyer. But a Dreadnought is the single most powerful ship in most country's fleets, the center of the wing of battle. Dreadnoughts are the real accepted measure of fleet strength.

The standard formation for skyship combat is the Wing of Battle, essentially three wedges of skyships stacked vertically, with the points facing towards the enemy. Doctrine dictates that the heaviest ships available(Ideally Dreadnoughts) be placed front and center of the wing, to take the initial shock of battle and do the close-range brawling they're designed to do. Heavy Cruisers fill out the sides of the formation, while the edges are filled by destroyers. Flankers are important because as the wedges collide, the more numerous fleet's flankers will wrap around the enemy's wing, cutting off their line of retreat.

>the lack of oil or coal prevents anyone from developing TNT or Picric Acid
What would technological development look like without coal or petroleum? I figure my world is too young to have either.

>What are you working on right this moment?
Working on a Solarpunky Fantasy world. Technology-wise, the world could be compared to the late 1980s, but most inventions are radically different as neither steam nor diesel were ever really used as energy sources. That's because people found out how to use the magical solar/lunar energy to power their stuff

Even though Magic is very much a thing in this world, except for few adventurers and spiritual individuals, most people don't believe in it anymore, going as far as to think that their solar energy is a natural thing.

The creation myths they have however are very much true and sun and moon are the creator god's eyes and radiate magical energy.

>What are you worldbuilding for? A novel, a game, a movie?
Started worldbuilding for a One-Shot adventure for my group in which they had to steal a country's declaration of indepence (they had a deal with a Lich who made it his phylactery), but liked it much more than I expected.

I am working on a book now that goes in quite a different direction, namely a boy who wants to become a musician in the world's biggest city. It's more of an coming-of-age kinda story.

>What are you having trouble with?
Getting myself motivated to actually write a story instead of simply just worldbuilding. Feels way tougher somehow

>How much time do you spend worldbuilding in an average week?
Dunno, probably about 5 hours

>Do you have a map? Show it off!
Only got a shitty handrawn one, gonna post it when I polished it a little. Have pic related instead, Imperial Boy's art was the thing that inspired me in the first place

How important is elevation? Would there be an arms race to see who can get above the other, or is rocket tech powerful enough that shooting upwards is a surmountable disadvantage?

Are there ships/weapons/tactics specialized for engage from a height advantage?

So I'm having trouble setting up states, namely the racial makeup of them. There's 4 races (humans, elves, fae, and beastmen) with different ethnicities in each race, and I can't figure whats more natural states with lopsided racial makeups, integrated states, or something like large states that are integrated while smaller states/tribes mostly remaining homogenized.

Since rockets follow ballistic trajectories, height is critical and grants a big advantage in combat. But everyone's flight ceilings are about the same.

No plastics, no complex explosives, probably no internal combustion engines, maybe no steam engines. Not that these are impossible, but they all take fossil fuels to be easy, with the possible exception of steam engines.

Let's go back to the beginning, what are the origins of these four distinct species? Do they have a common ancestor between them? Were they magically placed onto the planet/into the realm or did they evolve from some other being? You can really bullet point the thought process for these but it helps me to start from a beginning and works towards and end rather than the other way around when I hit a dead end

I agree with If they weren't magically created, start with how they distributed biologically. Also think about how different ethnicities arose from their distribution across environments. Did the migratory generations strongly prefer certain habitats to settle in? If elves often settled in forests, then national boundaries that include few forests will have a lopsidedly low population of elves.

Habitats change, too. What was once an elf deciduous forest is now an elf scrubland.

"Realism" is a tricky term. You can ask mapmakers in the thread about rivers, and they can tell you all the common mistakes that are made in laying out drainage and waterflow. But then you have things like Lake Ida, which is the only lake in the world to drain into two different oceans. Obviously you don't want to have a ton of exceptions like that, but don't be shy to throw in weird quirks of history if you have a neat idea.

It'd be interesting what would be developed in the place of plastics. Probably Basilisk Ivory or something.
The problem of engines and explosives is solved through magic.

Lack of thermal energy would probably be an issue.
I need to figure out the logistics for an electric arc furnace powered by magic.

>working on
My medium fantasy setting, in which the dogmatic control over the arcane is challenged by the fledgling scientific method, age old religious organizations are thrown off balance by newer like, more modern faiths, and the balance of political power is on the verge of tipping for the worse.
>What for
Myself, really. I plan on running a game of 5e in it if my current party ever decides they want to try something new.
>having trouble with
Nailing down a consistent feel. I want dismal, rainy darkish fantasy villages and cities nestled in the Pacific Northwest inspired inlet province, but the grand capital is an enormous metropolis with lakeside esplanades where fashionable nobles browse boutiques, and bright and dazzling manor houses. The most distinguished and skilled knights ride raptors, but I also want to see wandering arquebusiers. Don't even get me started on races and cultural influences.
>how much time
Its rare that I'll actually sit down and try to set it all in stone; I tried that for a while last year and ended up having to chuck most of it due to the constantly changing nature of my project.
>do I have a map?
I have a roughish map that needs serious changing, but it's not anywhere I can access.

>Which country is it?
Erath, specifically here I'll talk about the remaining marriage traditions of the largely assimilate Nedelvic culture.
>how are weddings conducted
The entire ceremony lasts for at least a full day and night, but generally until people are too tired to continue or otherwise need to return to ordinary life. In the olden days, this would be when dangerous predators such as tyrannosaurs moved into the area. The actual "marriage" is made official by the "Warrior" helping the "Maker" onto their steed (genders here are flexible; man or woman can be either role). In the rare case where two "Warriors" marry, they instead trade mounts.

Myrkalite and Myrkalian wedding ceremonies are highly formal events, a little bit like our Catholic ceremonies.

The first part is a morning service, in which a sermoner reads from religious texts related to matrimony, then gives a short sermon on love and sacrifice (because their faith views real love as a sacrifice for the good of another). He concludes by encircling the bride and groom in a long red ribbon ant tying them together. The groom then cuts this, and the whole congregation moves into an adjacent room where servants have laid out long tables. Strawberries coated in sugar are served always, with other dishes varying by region and personal preference. The guests usually stay until the early hours drinking and talking, but after dinner the lucky couple are escorted out "in secret" by two friends (one for each) so that they can have some alone time.

Courtship is usually at least a year, and sexual activity is heavily frowned on at this time. Most people can marry for love, but some nobles still arrange marriages. Even here, though, the girl is still permitted to refuse.

Divorce is permitted, but frowned upon as an affront to the Missing God and to the somber goddess of oaths. either can initiate it by leaving a large stick in the other's place in the bed.

Both bride and groom are expected to be virgins at marriage, though honor is not lost if you marry one whom another has raped. Such an act is heavily lauded.

Bride prices are very rare.

The bride traditionally wears a white or blue kimono, while the groom wears either a black or blue kimono or a military dress uniform (usually consisting of a long black coat with silver epaulets).

Of course, this all only applies to heterosexual couples. There is a far more informal ceremony for homosexuals, which does not involve the church because of strict laws. The couple simple pledges to love and support each other forever in front of a handful of close friends.

What kind of food do orcs eat? What kind of drinks do they have?

They live in the plains, deserts, and coastal areas in my settings and they're omnivores.

Continued
Common festivities include various riding games and mock combats, singing of traditional songs, and the tribe or town's soothsayer or sorcerer performing mystical miracles.
>how long is the courtship period?
Generally as long as it takes for the couple to prove themselves to eachother, either by technical prowess, bravery, or charm. Despite the slightly extended life of the nedelves, they are quick to love and have an uncanny knack for finding "the one" on the first try. Marriages are seldom arranged, as political ties can much more easily be formed by "blood marriage" (in which two parties become of the same family by drinking each other's blood, often entire families will do this to form super alliances).
>Is there divorce?
It is very rare, but on the rare occasion when a couple feels the need to divorce, there is no real set of rules. Tread carefully.
>is virginity a big deal?
Not particularly; even after the establishment of the Kingdom by human migrants, much of the land was dangerous, especially on the wide Plains and forests the nedelves call home. Thus, enjoyment is taken when it can, even now that things are marginally safer. However, elves in general tend to be much less fertile than humans, and accidental children are rare.
>is there a bride price?
No. The fluidity of role and gender in Nedelvic marriages and society are responsible for that.
>Wedding attire
It is tradition for Makers to craft for their Warrior a fine new riding raiment to be worn for the wedding and ever after into battle. This consists of colourful silks, long feathers, and finely cured leathers. In turn, the Warrior presents the Maker with their finest trophy to be worn as a symbol of love. For Warrior-Warrior weddings, they will pay for a new raiment to be made for one another, and the finest trophies will be traded.

I would imagine they would eat much the same kinds of food as humans would, maybe expanded a bit. For example, I could imagine them eating cacti in deserts which have such plants. On the coast, anchovies would probably be big.

Yeah I think so too, I think they'd have more of a preference towards the nastier foods that most humans turn up their nose at.

When it comes to prepared meals though, what do you think? Stews? Roasts?

Subcultures tend to form based on climate, terrain, and resource availability.

Desert orcs are of course nomadic, a herding culture. They cross the wide dunes on the backs of their great lizards, herds of hardy sand-goats in tow. They drink the milk of the goats, eating them only when they die of natural causes or in the most dire of circumstance. They eat pretty much any food they can get their hands on, including all manner of bugs (which they mash into a paste and let dry in the sun). They are known to concoct a bizarre drink from the aged milk of the goat mixed with cactus juice; it has both intoxicating and mildly hallucinogenic properties.

What do Gods actually do in your world? How do they interact with humans?

God's aren't tangibly real (or ridiculously oversaturated) like they are in many high fantasy settings. There do exist wise men and holy warriors capable of supernatural feats, but many skeptics simple chalk it up to an abstracted kind of sorcery, that remains largely unregulated only due to the ubiquity of faith and the already precarious social view of the Arcane Lodge.

Of course, many believe that God or the Graces speak to them directly. A dangerous example of this resulted in a Valtrusian preacher massing a great army via miraculous display and fiery oratory, starting the Saint's War against Erath. This happened a bit less than 3p years ago, and is the cause of much of the current days call for Gracite reformation and resurgence in Erath.

>Pick a country, area, or other group.
>Tell us about their greatest hero, either real or in folklore.
>What did they do? Why are they famous?
>How is their legacy involved in modern life?
>What are some other little tidbits of info?

Gods do exist in the tens of thousands, but most are limited to a single planet, nation, or even city. They vary greatly in power as well, since "god" is just a word which encompasses a wide variety of beings. In general, though, the more total power and importance a deity has, the less they affect things in particular. For example, the universal-level goddess of royalty does almost nothing in most people's eyes. She grants few great miracles, and she never leaves her palace home. Her subtle influences, however, lead many men who do not even know of her to achieve great things. On the other hand, a "living god" such as Soriah Varha, a goddess of technology and connection between people, lives among normal people and interacts with them daily, granting miracles and using her magic to help her followers and expand her faith. However, she pretty much only has power in a small part of one country on a single planet. Furthermore, several of her non-divine associates could probably take her in a fight if they so chose.

The hero of modern Myrkalians is the great general Turrel Kaint. He was a mercenary, treasure hunter, and adventurer in the time of the Interdiction, 6000 years before. In those days, the Ashkelite Empire was the most powerful force in known space. they ruled thousands of worlds with armies of conscripts, slaves, demons, and the undead. They created their own servant species, many of which existed only to satisfy their perverse creators. the Ashkelites were a race of sorcerers, and their leading political party wished to destroy all gods and take their power for themselves.

In time, Turrel Kaint rose in fame as an adventurer and eventually became a general for the Myrkalite Empire. This empire nd another, called the Old Solar Empire, joined forces with each other and a host of lesser powers to defeat the Ashkelites.

It was a terrible war, but in time Kaint's stratagems led the coalition to besiege the Ashkelite's leader, Malachias Grant the Antitheist, in his greatest stronghold. Legends tell that four angels and four gods tore Grant inside out and made him into a star while Kaint and his armies wiped out the rest of the Ashkelites.

Afterwards, Turrel lived a long and prosperous life as a newly anointed noble. Shortly after his death, though, the empire collapsed and a series of successor states followed up to the present time.

>Campy house like that
Only in the 80s

>What are you working on right this moment?
A late medieval setting that on first glance is barely fantasy, but has a trainload of magic and occult going in the background. So while for most of the people it's just life as usual, desolated areas are pretty much run by magical creatures. And they aren't the nicest or prettiest. But they can pact, if they can see some potential in you or your actions.
Fate is set for good and everything is already decided, but only those few gifted with different forms of insight into the future are even remotely close to realising.
>What are you worldbuilding for? A novel, a game, a movie?
Originally this was done for bunch of semi-related short stories, all happening within the same verse, but always with different characters and in different places.
Then I found a co-writer/player and we focused on single character, threading her fall from royal councillor into twisted monster living on a marshland, in part writing in tandem stories about Ulvene, in part writing them as if it was some sort of text-based game, both running the same PC.
>What are you having trouble with?
For me, the biggest problem comes down to character and places names. I'm a Pole. The setting is anything, but Slavic. All names I can think of are Slavic in nature, or I end up with stuff like Bob. The co-writer helps here A LOT. Her problem? The setting is heavily employing grotesque and body horror and she's very inconsistient at times about keeping it that way - sometimes it goes to extremes, sometimes it goes for glamour, but rarely stays in the middle ground of being simply "off".
>How much time do you spend worldbuilding in an average week?
Roughtly an hour in work week, unless I will be in touch with the co-writer. Then we usually needs our respective spouses to remind us it's time to get home/sleep/to work, since we keep on working in a continous flow.
>Do you have a map? Show it off!
Nope, sorry. Part of the appeal for both of us is lack of any map.

>WHAT WORK ON

Map, once I finalize placement of continent C (the north-west one) I will begin on names of the nations/peoples, the most essential cities then a few other macro things (name of the continents, of religions) before I get to writing. I do not want to fall into the world-building nonstop trap. I need foundational material, then I can get started and work as I go.

>WHAT FOR

Novel.

>WHAT TROUBLE

Need to move continent C closer to A, figure out who inhabits it and who inhabits the far west end of continent B. A is, except for SE coast and pocket in SW filled and figured out. Eastern coast of Continent B is somewhat hashed out to a few options (Western nations). Closer C makes the middle sea into a kind of mediterranean basin for civilization albeit flavor wise more Indian Ocean or South China sea. Could move Makhenai to islands off continent C in order to get them as a potential maritime threat a'la sea people.

Growing partial to the idea of beastfolk (Eastern continent's are more 'civilized' and just look like satyrs) modeled after Indo-Iranian miniatures (Rakshasa) in continent B, maybe C. Not sure where. Possibly Western coast and plateau region, or the Himalaya-like mountains. Have to read into Hindu myth to see if Rakshasa culturally work for me, I'm not big on 100% evil orc all the time.

>WHAT TIME

Do it when I have free time and am bored with nothing else to do.

>What are you working on right this moment?
trying to come up with a few fun character concepts for a pirate crew that has a ship capable of "sailing" the desert including an area where the sand actually behaves like an ocean.

>What are you worldbuilding for? A novel, a game, a movie?
unnamed homebrew setting.

>What are you having trouble with?
organizing everything, timeline, trade/political relations, interesting NPCs, the crushing sense of anxiety that comes from feeling my setting is lame and derivative.

>How much time do you spend worldbuilding in an average week?
less than an hour to suddenly spending several hours once in a while.

>Do you have a map? Show it off!
i know its not pretty but its not meant to be shown. its more for my own sake as tool.

What's the nature of some of these borders? Is there some mountain range between Aquileon and Shoshkepal? Also, is the border between Astaria and Aquileon a river or straight? because that seems an odd location for one, geologically speaking.

Liking a lot of everything else I'm seeing.

>What are you working on right this moment?
More of the geography, figuring out how continents fit together, and where certain countries I've imagined fit in.

>What are you worldbuilding for? A novel, a game, a movie?
A novel, because isn't everyone writing one of those? It's one-half Depression-era hardboiled mystery, and one-half pulpy high-flying adventure.

>What are you having trouble with?
Keeping all these ideas consistent and logically sound. As well as how I'm going to introduce them to the narrative in an approachable fashion.

>How much time do you spend worldbuilding in an average week?
Only a few hours, whenever I can.

>Do you have a map? Show it off!
WIP pic related. These are the northeastern continents. Not sure what the rest of the globe looks like quite yet; like I said, I'm working on that.

I was rummaging my old documents and found two fleshed out worlds and settings I had put down on paper.

Not sure when I did them. I wonder what I could do with them.

Pnp adventure
Short story
Longer story
Poem
Assassinate the archduke of Austro-Hungary
Use pieces of them to make a new world

>Pnp adventure
No one to play with so kinda pointless.
>Short story
>Longer story
Those work. I should just finish my previous novel first.
>Poem
The world has not suffered enough to endure my poetry.
>Assassinate the archduke of Austro-Hungary
I cant, there's still too much heat from my last mission.

What are the goblins in your settings like?

Planning on making them an not!greek/roman bronze age technology using empire spanning across the western coast of an continent in mine. Complete with phalanxes, hoplites and public baths and so on.

>What are you working on right this moment?
Spirits and gods and how they came about in the setting's internal logic. It's going to be a lot of local gods and spirits directly tied to a locale and population similar to pagan/eastern myths and a few organized religions. Most of the existing spirits and gods are man made.

>What are you worldbuilding for? A novel, a game, a movie?
For reasons.

>What are you having trouble with?
AC. The heat is killing me.

>How much time do you spend worldbuilding in an average week?
dunno

>Do you have a map? Show it off!
Still the same old thing that needs to be updated and fixed.

Cursed Orc remnants.
Cursed to not taste like pork so the other races stop slaughtering them for food

>Which country is it?
Republic of Farra
>Fuck that country, now pick another one.
Sure, let's pick another one
>How are weddings conducted in this country? Describe the ceremony, how long it lasts, and any associated festivities.
The wedding is a short, formal affair conducted between the new-weds and with heads of their respective families as witnesses. Surrogate "father" must be still present in case of it being impossible to get the real one. Then a celebration for the rest of the day follows
>How long is the courtship period? How strict is it? Are marriages usually arranged or does true love (or true freedom, at least) reign?
Courtship doesn't exist in any formalised or traditional way, since there is no such thing like engagement. And the marriages can go both flavours - they are arranged as often as conducted out of feelings. Or they are out of feelings and then both families are making a deal behind it.
>Is there divorce? Who has the right to initiate it?
Both parties have equal right for it.
>Is virginity a big deal (for either sex)?
It's the guy who needs to have a clean reputation, so no bastards will show up with their claims or stakes. But it's about not having illegitimate offspring, not virginity.
>Is there a bride price paid?
What is this? Some tribal questionaire?
>Describe the manner of wedding attire in these countries.
The only mandatory element is a coronet of fresh plants for husband and wife, so for obvious reasons during the dry season, weddings are harder to come by, unless someone really wants to break a tradition during such ceremony.

>>What are you working on right this moment?
Well, it's a medieval fantasy setting
>>What are you worldbuilding for? A novel, a game, a movie?
Mostly just for its own sake. Maybe I write something about it one day
>>What are you having trouble with?
I need to make geography make more sense. Also maybe rework naming
>>How much time do you spend worldbuilding in an average week?
I think of it often, I don't dedicate much specific time
>>Do you have a map? Show it off!
I'm going to junk it and redraw it from scartch with various improvements, but whenever I start I get lazy. So here's how it currently looks like.

Goblins are fairly organized, and prone to occasionally birthing artificers of incredible genius. The race singlehandedly invented guns, and while the more basic designs have been adapted by other races, they are the sole race capable of producing advanced firearms. They tend to build fortresses in hollowed out desert plateaus, and defend them with hails of accurate gunfire. Each plateau contains an entirely self sufficient goblin clan, and other plateaus are essentially other countries. Each plateau is prone to sending well armed raiding parties on looting missions, sometimes extremely far from their home plateaus. Goblins are seen as an incredible menace by most other races, but none are able to effectively assault their plateau fortresses.

Fables, limericks and folk tales anyone?

>There once was a lass,
>From a far northern pass,
>What she did see, she did want, she did take.
>Till caught afloat in a moat,
>With another man's goat,
>So the Alderman cried 'To the stake!'

>Though there in the fire,
>Where the heat was most dire,
>The girl was calm as calm could be.
>For the girl she did stay,
>But her clothes burnt away,
>So they hanged her for indecency.

>So she swung from that tree,
>For an hour, and then three,
>Till the rope frayed and the branches gave way.
>A brave knight ran her through,
>With his sword, and then two,
>She laughed on and yet lived through the day.

>>First, pick a country, any country (or megacity, star system, planet, whatever). Which country is it?
For a certain definition of country, let's go with Ilem
>>How are weddings conducted in this country? Describe the ceremony, how long it lasts, and any associated festivities.
A respected elder and a few young men and women must be present. Elder makes a speech and young people take note so they could testify it all happened (Hence they need to be young, so they live long). After groom and bride confirm that they do in fact want to marry, everyone get drunk
>>How long is the courtship period? How strict is it? Are marriages usually arranged or does true love (or true freedom, at least) reign?
It's individual. Marriages are usually arranged, but it's generally thought that anyone is free to defy any authority above them. Just don't expect any support or hospitality if you do.
>>Is there divorce? Who has the right to initiate it?
Being freedom loving people, Ilemites believe that everyone is free to walk away from anything. Initiating divorce is easy but whoever doesn't want to keep their marriage obligations walks away with nothing
>>Is virginity a big deal (for either sex)?
Not really, but getting pregnant out of wedlock is considering bad form for burdening one's family rather then husband with a child
>>Is there a bride price paid?
No. That would be like treating people like property which is generally a taboo
>>Describe the manner of wedding attire in these countries.
Everyone must put on fanciest clothes they have. Men carry personal weapon if they earned right to own any. Bride wears burrowed items to signify support and trust of the village to the whole affair

>Pick a country, area, or other group.
Ok, so we are in Southern Kerstler
>Tell us about their greatest hero, either real or in folklore.
The person was real (as far as a fictional character from fictional world can be real), got turned into folk version.
An army deserter that unintentionally helped create one of the most important military victories of all times within the country's history and allowed to stop enemy invasion
>What did they do? Why are they famous?
The original story went like this: a roaming band of marauders went AWOL from army when things started to look dire and was busy robbing and stealing. Thing is, the troops from enemy army showed up in the area. By bunch of bad luck and random chance, the marauders ended up being in a hot pursuit, recognised as still active military by enemy forces. Eventually they've reached a bridge over steep ravine, decimated and barely holding together. Their leader, a sergeant going as Old Engelhardt, decided to blow the bridge with their pursuiters getting killed in the process. Thing is, he ended up wounded in the process of preparing charges, so he sent what was left of his outfit, while trying to limp away before the whole thing blows. He didn't make it. The bridge destruction took down a squadroon of enemy cavalry and choked remaining troops on the other side. But most importantly, deserters that escaped from explosion, stumbled directly into their original army. Not thinking much and wanting to get their asses covered, they've spinned a story about their heroic NCO doing a secret spy mission and other shit, while giving positions of enemy troops. With no way to move, the enemy was crushed even while holding significant numerican advantage. Due to the importance of the victory, all the deserters were pardoned
Folk version is basically the original lie on massive steroids, making Engelhardt into a noble captain and father to his troops, paying the highest price for the fatherland.
>TBC

>Continued
>How is their legacy involved in modern life?
Well, Engelhardt became one of the national symbols of Kerstler. An unyielding highlander that will sooner die than step aside. He's a hero of few historical novels, an epic war film (first colour one in Kerstler) and a name-patron of the hunting association, the Engelhardt League, that was a prominent player to the road for independence during Alobozzi rule over the Kerstler. There is also a type of felt hat known as engelhardt, with characteristic leather brim - a thing engineered from a scratch by an artist who created the most famous depiction of the hero, the Bronze Highlander
>What are some other little tidbits of info?
It was always more or less known real Engelhardt was no good. Then Southern Kerstler region was taken over due to succession laws by Alobozzi Kingdom. Then two centuries later the nationalist movement used every single bit they could to create from a scratch a "Kerstlerian consciousness", thus they've picked up Engelhardt, white-washed him to the point of knight in shining armour and ever since the ball started rolling. During last war, poster showing Engelhardt with a line of modern soldiers creating wall behind him and words "WE stand" (with high case WE) was plastered everywhere and is now one of the most memetic images in Kerstler.

How can I make it logical for there to be a Finland-like cold climate on the northern island and indochina-like jungles on the southern island?

I've been thinking that I should just fuck it all and make it a flatworld.

Altitude?

Out of question.
And I'm not sure how altitude would help in placing a jungle.

Southern islands are closer to the sun so they have more tropical enviroment. The finlandland is further away so its cold.

Not too hard unless you want to really struggle with it.

Unless you apply some really bizzare altitude changes combined with favourable sea currents, no way to pull this.
And even if you add all logical reason, it will still be extremely jarring, to just knock it out.

Not sure which of you is dumber - the original user or the idiot answering him.

Do you even into Geography, you moron? Don't you even know why there is a jungle in Indochina region? Or how high mountains work? I honestly wonder what they teach in schools around the world if people don't understand such basic things like rain condensation or temperature decreasing with altitude

Its also just magic world building. No need to stress it too bad. If you want one island to be ice and one tropics, go for it.

>handwaving geography as "magic"

>getting this butthurt about it

run your engines on woodgas or alcohol.

Northern islands were ready to explode like Krakatoa so they tried to freeze the ground deep below to block it by magic or heat pumps powered from the mainland delivering the heat to the south island.

Please tell me something, you stupid fuck. Why even bother asking your question, if you are going to boil it down to "wizard did this" anyway? Just why? Go and fucking apply magic.

But never expect from anyone anything else than being chewed for being simply stupid, uneducated trash.

He could as well be asking how to apply magic for it to make sense/be interesting.

I know this is late to respond, but looking at the map of tectonic plates makes things a lot more clear.

Aquileon has mountains along its borders with both Astaria and Shoshkepal. This turns Aquileon's southern reaches into a vast desert reminiscent of the Mojave.

While theoretically possible, the invention of an internal combustion engine is much less likely without all this gasoline on hand. Besides, they have perfectly functional power crystals which can be charged with hydroelectric dams, and they have nuclear reactors too.

>What are you working on right this moment?
Trying to combine comfy with high-lethality gameplay. Sucks.

>What are you worldbuilding for?
Campaign.

>What are you having trouble with?
Providing ways to make a post-apocalyptic fantasyland to be livable, when it's basically Zeno Clash except with western fantasy races.

>How much time do you spend worldbuilding in an average week?

Not much, sadly.

>Pick a country, any country!
Well, the Humans are a race of travelling mercenaries that travel around in caravans, adopt unwanted kids of different races, and try and right wrongs and claim their homeland from-

>Pick another one!

The Elves are a quiet, enigmatic folk that lurk in the forests and possess terrifyingly refined and powerful magic. They are all androgynous, lily white, with throbbing veins all over their form. They speak a foreign, babbling tongue, smile way too often, and occasionally offer strange artifacts to non-elves for laughs. Nobody fucks with the Elves, the Elves fuck with everybody. They live in the deepest of woods, and their nation is either nonexistent, or so well hidden as to be virtually nonexistent.

>How are Weddings conducted in this country?

A woman of another species is taken, silently, into the night.

There seems to be more Elves after such an event, but no one knows for certain.

>How long is the courtship period?

As long as needed in order to figure out when the Elf can get the woman isolated, probably. Some women, before they're kidnapped, receive 'presents' in the form of tiny statues made out of leaves and sticks, poems written on strips of bark, and sometimes very confused looking horses.

>Is there divorce?

The women never show up again, so, presumably not.

>Is virginity a big deal?

Nope. But if the Elf sends you a Unicorn as a gift, and you're not a virgin, you'll probably be gored.

>Is there a bride price paid?

Yes, the bride.

>Describe the manner of wedding attire in this country.

Clothes.

Here I go bois

>What are you working on right this moment?
A WWI era fictional world for a novel I'm writing about immigrants from the enemy country forming their own regiment within the country they are fighting for. Also planning on doing a book series for a D&D campaign me and my friends ran.
>What are you worldbuilding for? A novel, a game, a movie?
It can be fluid. My current sci fi universe that me and my friend made is currently being run as a Traveller setting and my D&D one is the setting that I run all my campaigns in. Also have a low fantasy setting for a trilogy I'm writing as well as an althist mecha setting that I'm using for an AdEva campaign I have planned.
>What are you having trouble with?
Actually writing the fucker. Have all the military organization and stuff figured out, as well as real life influences for the language and culture. Could use some more fleshing out in terms of political systems and culture though.
>How much time do you spend worldbuilding in an average week?
A solid 8 hours.
>Do you have a map? Show it off!
I'm a horrible artist so no.

>How are weddings conducted in this country? Describe the ceremony, how long it lasts, and any associated festivities.
Usually a church-sponsored official event. The party afterwards is followed by a night of celebration (drinking, dancing, and the like) that culminates in the husband and wife retiring to their house (usually bought before the marriage) to consummate their new companionship.
>How long is the courtship period? How strict is it? Are marriages usually arranged or does true love (or true freedom, at least) reign?
It depends on the social class. In the outlying farmlands and among commonfolk in those areas, the courtship period can last any time from a year (in younger couples) to upwards of ten (in more conservative areas and families). However, in the city courtship is a strict affair that lasts a year at most for those of the noble class or those belonging to the church, and six months for commoners and craftsmen/traders. The majority of marriages in the city are arranged and this holds true for about 80% of the population in the countryside, but more lenient communities allow for free marriage.
>Is there divorce? Who has the right to initiate it?
Only the owner of the land (be that husband, wife, or lord) have the ability to divorce, and this action must be sanctioned by the local church.
>Is virginity a big deal (for either sex)?
Yes. Keeping one's sexual innocence is not only important for males, but for females as well.
>Is there a bride price paid?
No, but the husband is expected to give a substantial gift to the bride for her hand in marriage.
>Describe the manner of wedding attire in these countries.
White robes for the male and black for the female, to represent the joining of the forces of the God of Death and the God of Life in their religion. After their vows are taken, husband and wife shed their robes to reveal earth-green clothes, symbolic of the Goddess of the Earth who gave birth to both the gods.

There are certain circumstances where you can go full magical geography without breaking versimilitude.
A personal favorite is continent-shattering war as an excuse to scatter glassed wastelands and strange blast crater lakes.

Stuff like forest growth and the like isn't so easily handwaved.

>Pick a country, area, or other group.
The Mage-Cities of Deia
>Tell us about their greatest hero, either real or in folklore.
Malkath III, the legendary mage-king that unitied the cities and tried to unite the kingdoms of Devia and the Kingdom of Rha'Zhir.
>What did they do? Why are they famous?
They amassed a huge army of both mages and the massive infantry of the dwarves as well as the cavalry of the humans to the north and marched south with his great host powerful mages, wielding a powerful magical artifact, the Shards of the Astari.
>How is their legacy involved in modern life?
While Malkath III's story is mostly forgotten, it was his actions that spurred the mage-cities into their broken state as well as proved to the world the strength of the Kingdom of Rha'Zhir. Now Rha'Zhir controls the entirety of the spice and mining trade in the West.
>What are some other little tidbits of info?
The Shards are keys to not only interplanar travel but also ascention to godhood, a feat Malkath was close to accomplishing before he fell from grace.

There are three types of gods in my setting: the Old Gods, the True God, and the Forgotten Gods.

Before the time that the Church rose to power and united the kingdom, the gods of nature that resided in sacred places across the land walked among mortals, visiting those they deemed worthy and giving them artifacts imbued with their godly power. This age lasted for several thousand years before a sect of the God of the Sun rose to power and started conquering the realm. Over the next fifty years, they would sack cities and destroy the old artifacts that were held by old and prestigious families. When the kingdom was founded three hundred years ago and the church was established as the main religion of the nation, these old and powerful gods (dubbed the Old Gods) started to fade from existence as belief in them waned, until they faded from existence all together, leaving only a few artifacts after the Inquisition War fifty years after the unification of the kingdom. Of all the gods before the True God of Life (previously the God of the Sun) only the Forgotten Gods remain, minor gods who inhabit small holy places that only the most dedicated of followers can find. They are cursed to wander the earth where they are not needed or worshiped forever, eternally weakened by the new church.

>What are you working on right this moment?
In between a TES fanfiction and my world-building project. I love history and historical fantasy, but I have difficulty making a properly believable world.
>What are you worldbuilding for? A novel, a game, a movie?
Game. I've always wanted to DM.
>What are you having trouble with?
For one, any semblance of plot. For all my thinking on politics and economics and drawing parallels between actual events and fictional parallels, I have basically no actual plot to involve player characters in, though I have twenty members of the political congress fleshed out.
>How much time do you spend worldbuilding in an average week?
Basically none, at this point. I get neat ideas sometimes.
>Do you have a map? Show it off!
Picture related.

>Linking to reddit in OP

By not doing so.
There is nothing worse in world building than "wizard did this" and you know it.

Then replace magic with alternate physics or whatever.

>Replace Shitty Excuse 1 with Shitty Excuse 2
You are not listening, are you?

Consider that not every world is gritty realistic or low fantasy.

And that changes what exactly? No, really, explain me how the fact world not being gritty or low fantasy (apparently non-fantasy worlds aren't even a thing for you) means you can get away with just plainly bad world-building, cheap cop-outs and poorly handled reasoning.
What? Magic defeats logic?

why don't you head back to /b/, or another board that actually cares about le site wars

>You can have shit world if you just allow magic run rampant in it!
>Imagine all the possibilities for different fuck-up!
>All those lazy excuses instead of quality work!

Not him, but posting reddit is pretty much a flame fuel and a bait, so how about you learn how to operate on Veeky Forums?

but it's not, dumbass, those links have been the exact same for like 30 threads now. it's also not flame fuel or bait for people that aren't immature babies, like you.

>Not flame fuel
>Actually using it as an argument during pointless quarrel about reddit
Irony is strong in you, son

nope, i'm actually done after this post. I don't waste significant amounts of my time arguing with idiots, I have better things to do.

>y u on Veeky Forums din lol

Is this map based off the Sunshine Coast?

>>What are you working on right this moment?
The roles and relationships between the main races of a setting. I don't like having too many different races or monsters without having a good reason or explanation for them. As such, there are only about three with notable civilizations, most of whom favor different environments. Humans live where humans do, Elves favor deeper wilderness and more isolated regions, while the Goblins live below.

Dark Elves, Orcs, and Dwarves are all the same race as the Goblins, though those labels could be associated with certain cultural divisions and nationalities. Their priesthood is female dominated, military forces are almost entirely male, and there's a human-friendly nation of stockier Goblins who wear long beards. They tend to be technically adept and excellent craftsmen, being one of the more advanced races, and value duty and diligence above all else. Women are a rare sight on the surface, as it's considered more their role to manage properly civilized affairs in the underground rather than contend with savages. Religion plays a major role in their society, believing themselves to be the chosen people, and they view Elves and Fae as unholy and corrupt creatures.

As for Elves, that name kind of generalizes them too much. "High Elves" are properly otherworldly and supernatural beings, not one of the mortal races they often appear to be idealized versions of. Their kind actually mimic a number of creatures, as they see little difference between man and beast, but only the humanoid ones are known as "Elves". Whatever their form, they possess a supernatural grace and charm which even plants and wildlife find irresistible. Those in their vicinity become enamored with them, seeking to serve and please them, their forms changing to better suit this purpose and taking on more Elvish qualities as they're exposed to their power. "Low Elves" were born from such enchanted humans, and they see themselves as blessed.

>What are you working on right this moment?
A setting inspired by Asia in the 5th and 6th centuries. The main focus are the steppe clans and the Chinese-inspired kingdoms, but there are kingdoms based off India, Korea and even Sassanid Persia.

>What are you worldbuilding for? A novel, a game, a movie?
A game, but also short stories and, most importantly, for fun.

>What are you having trouble with?
The "Indiand" kingdoms. I want them to have distinc cultural divisions, and it's being a bit more difficult coming up with reasonable ideas for some of them. For exaple, there is this city-state in the coast, once a military power, now a merchant oligarchy. However, the military caste hasn't gone away, becoming duelist instead, and their military ethos has become a sort of duel etiquette.

>How much time do you spend worldbuilding in an average week?
Practically if I'm not doing anything else, I'm worldbuilding in my head.

>Do you have a map? Show it off!
I don't, but I'm learning to make maps, so maybe in the future.

>implying reddit is bad
It sure is 2012 in here

>Sunshine Coast
What makes you sat that?

I guess I'll post this here because there's no real story/plot help thread

--

it's been a long time since I hosted or wrote a game, but I'm looking to get back into it with the first RPG I ever played, Cyberpunk 2020, 6 years ago now. I've been playing D&D 3.5 throughout these years but I haven't hosted in over 2.

Anyway, I'm learning Cyberpunk 2020 right now and I'm looking for a story thread to begin the campaign. In our first D&D session we began with the old "You're all friends in a tavern and ____ happens...", but I want something a bit more complex here.

The main idea I had which I think would be really cool was to have our first session be a street race, all 4 players in the same race (or series of races) competing for a prize of some sort, and then towards the end of the session, end with the players working for either a rebel group or a private company as mercenaries or henchmen. I just need a few plot thread ideas to tie it together; Why are the players racing? Could something else happen to provoke some combat (I had thought of maybe having the race be fixed, but how do the players find that out?), what events lead to the players being recruited, who are the major players (I don't know much about the Cyberpunk universe, I'm not sure if I should set it in Night City, or my own setting, I was considering setting it in the UK or New York City).

Any and all ideas are appreciated

P.S: If you could recommend me any resources to help me with this, as well as universe stuff like: Vehicles, Weapons, Clothing, Settings and Maps - that would be really cool

Placement of inlets/lakes/coastlines. It's a stretch, but it's sort of reminiscent.

I can definitely see the parallel, but the basic idea was Mediterranean, with geographic features and ecology copped from the Arabian peninsula, Baja California... et cetera.

Cool ideas, man. I love late antiquity, and you've got a good selection of concepts. How are you planning the steppe tribes? Historical, or more fantasy barbarian?

A mix of the two, actually. For the most part, they are realistic. Most of them are nomadic herders, with their assigned territories that they can use around the year. Some of the tribes settled down near rivers, and have become trade hubs (and raiding destination) for the nomads. There are several "nations", as in tribes with a common language and specific culture, each one with their own governing bodies, like clan assemblies, or councils to which only the clan elders or leaders can attend. A bit like the germanic tribes, in fact: They all share general details, like religion, a common proto-language that branched off to become different languages and dialects, etc. From time to time, a clan manages to unify the others in its particular region and starts a campaign to subjugate the rest of the steppe, failing for the most part.

And here comes the fantasy part: The steppe is huge. For the most part, its unforested grassland, but from time to time you can find mountains, hills, lakes, rivers, etc. Some parts are almost like a desert, if you go far enough in certain directions. In the steppes you can never be sure of anything, and strange creatures roam the plains. Ruins of ancient cities, temples and monasteries also appear sometimes, and such places are to be avoided, for the ghost of the old people inhabit them and may or may not be hostile. And then there's the forgotten land to the south of the western steppes, a hostile and dangerous place twisted by the gods in times long past. The steppe tribes are superstitious when it comes to these places, and despise magic in all forms, because they think the bad places of the world are caused by misuse of magic, and magic is always misused in their eyes. Fortunately, magic is very rare these days.

It's not very original and far from perfect, but I think they are good enough for now.

Hey all, quick question, hoping to make a low fantasy setting and a big theme is about how peace is fleeting among different cultures and I'm not sure if it should be like, different races like Orcs and the such, my own OC races, or just different races of humans, like brown skinned, black skinned and the like

I'm leaning towards the last because I'm unsure if people could really sympathize for a different species

Low Elves can be purged of their enchantment, but this results in a nasty withdrawal process. They lose the joy and beauty they had as Elves and many go mad in the process, while others just become miserable and deformed creatures. Many are desperate to go back, or to find any kind of substitute or reason to keep on living. Plants and animals similarly separated from Elven power will usually wither away and die.

The Goblins are derived from such pathetic creatures who turned away or were cast out from that paradise and found sanctuary underground from which to stage their rebellion, and the surface of their homeland has yet to recover from their crusade against the Elves. Only descendants of the hardier lifeforms, or those that escaped Elven influence, and strange things from the underworld live there now.

It's not quite clear what the Goblins found below the earth but they rose from it as fanatics. They revere darkness, fire, and metal for their roles in fighting the Elven blight, and such things are prominent symbols in their religion. Their priestesses sing to the shadows and darkness that shelter them while their warriors purify the world with holy fire. Their Paladins are quite the sight, though they're rarely recognized for what they are by other races who don't share the same views on fire and darkness.

Goblins see other races as beneath them and have little regard for their lives or well-being. If humans are in the way of their goals, they'll trample right over them. Some are even known to abduct humans for experiments, leaving them with a frightening reputation and above average medical knowledge. If it helps save the lives of their own or fulfill their objectives, most don't really care who else has to suffer.

The relationship is a bit different when there's an alliance with a human nation, as the Goblins don't want to complicate things, but even then most humans don't lower their guard or extend any friendship to non-allied Goblins.

>low fantasy
>light-skinned humans, dark-skinned humans, and darker-skinned humans hate eachother
That's not really fantasy, user.

It can be, actually. Just insert magic and non-sapient monsters et voilĂ , fantasy. Or ancient ruins from a race long gone, or strange places that doesn't work according to the normal laws of the Universe, and it's still fantasy.

Oh wait, jokes about racism usually go over my head. Nevermind then.

Hence the low fantasy, in a fake enough world but still logical enough for people to act within the realm of reason
Which is part of the reason I'm on the fence about having sentient, sapient non-human species when us Humans are the only ones on this planet

>Questions:

Why would I answer when I know nobody will care?

The issue you seem to be having is making your humans "Humans".
I've explained Beastmen races in my setting by having Dwarves, Halflings, and Humans all be Beastman races themselves.

So there's a corporation in my world that's doing something really shitty but I don't what to make it. Anyone have any ideas? I don't want something overdone or cliche, I need it to be a little deeper than that. Anyways, I appreciate any help.