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Post by Admin Pete on May 12, 2016 14:21:03 GMT -5
Now that we have had the first one page setting contest I would like to pose the question to the whole forum and I would especially love to have everyone who refs (although any can reply) answer the question in this thread if you would please. I am not going to go first because I don't want to bias the results in anyway and I would like Rob to hold off answering/commenting until others have had a chance to respond.
What do you think, what comes to mind when I say create a setting?
When I proposed the contest what went through your mind?
When you think about creating a new setting to game in what comes to mind first?
How do you approach it?
Do you start top down or bottom up or somewhere in the middle?
What things do you think about when you think about creating a new setting and in what order do you think about them?
For you personally is it an organized process or is it random and explosions of ideas?
Is it easy or difficult?
Is it fun or is it drudgery?
Do you start with a map or with a concept or something else?
How do you start?
Please share anything that comes to mind, make this an uncensored brainstorm session of sharing what goes on for you!
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Post by robkuntz on May 12, 2016 14:42:34 GMT -5
All I want is a hammer...  |
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Post by hengest on May 12, 2016 14:52:14 GMT -5
I should say first that I am not actively reffing apart from in my head, but used the contest to focus on some of what I'm preparing in order to run solo adventures and eventually get a new group together (we'll see). When Admin Pete said create a setting, I just wasn't sure what was intended, which is why I asked, and I heard there was no precedent so I should just do whatever.  So I imagined that it meant a corner of a world (an OD&D-friendly world) with some special features that would make interesting campaign hooks and from which one could expand outward. I thought I should aim for a central hub that might be interesting and playable in itself, but didn't feel limited, and suggested a past, a poorly-understood present, and possible futures. The thing I submitted to the contest was based around a dream I had in which a graveyard was flooded and floating away. After that, I just picked at it, figuring out the answers to very basic questions until I had enough for what I hoped was a suggestive but not limiting page of story and hints about the place. I tried to use the story to tell the basics of the setting for players (yes to clerics and MUs (but spells may be limited), yes to humans and dwarves). To me it seemed to make sense to try to build up around a suggestive central image. Maybe I did too much of this, but I wasn't sure how else to handle it. This was not an organized process and I will avoid organized processes in the future, not because I work so well unorganized, but because if I try to work methodically I know the result will be absolutely worthless. I had fun with it. For me the difficult part was not knowing exactly what the prompt was supposed to mean, which I'm looking forward to finding out. |
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Post by captaincrumbcake on May 12, 2016 15:59:04 GMT -5
 All I could think of at that moment was a bunch of amazon women running amok. So I created a plateau world where a bunch of amazon women were...well...there it is.
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Post by robkuntz on May 12, 2016 16:01:28 GMT -5
All I could think of at that moment was a bunch of amazon women running amok. So I created a plateau world where a bunch of amazon women were...well...there it is. ...did any of them have a hammer? |
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Post by bestialwarlust on May 12, 2016 16:46:38 GMT -5
All I could think of at that moment was a bunch of amazon women running amok. So I created a plateau world where a bunch of amazon women were...well...there it is. ...did any of them have a hammer? I would think the dwarven amazon women would.... |
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Post by bestialwarlust on May 12, 2016 16:54:43 GMT -5
I'll give it a shot What do you think, what comes to mind when I say create a setting? A map with few places that sound interesting. When I proposed the contest what went through your mind? How do I come with something not necessarily original but interesting When you think about creating a new setting to game in what comes to mind first? What feeling do I want to have -- sword and sorcery, high fantasy, etc... How do you approach it? with broad strokes Do you start top down or bottom up or somewhere in the middle? bottom up a small area so as to not overwhelm myself or the players with a boring info dump What things do you think about when you think about creating a new setting and in what order do you think about them? How prevalent will magic and gods be For you personally is it an organized process or is it random and explosions of ideas? explosion of ideas Is it easy or difficult? depends it comes and goes in waves Is it fun or is it drudgery? It's fun. When it starts becoming drudgery I stop Do you start with a map or with a concept or something else? maps How do you start? I look for others good ideas and steal borrow them  |
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2016 16:59:48 GMT -5
Dwarven Amazons ... that sounds like a hairy subject.
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Post by Necromancer on May 13, 2016 6:29:13 GMT -5
I tend to think thematically and visually. I might read something (a comic, a history book, a short story of fantasy fiction or whatever) or see something (a movie, a painting, a record cover or whatever) and get an idea. Then I'll take it from there. Thinking about it, twist it around a bit, look for other pieces of inspiration that might fit in. Once I've joined the dots, the image of what I want to achieve turns out a bit clearer, making it easier to elaborate further, incorporating new ideas. Usually I spend a LOT of time just THINKING. I won't say it's a very organized process - I've always got lots of ideas floating around that I keep coming back to. Once I've got a clear enough vision and ideas to support it, I might try to organize it better, writing it down, making maps and illustrations.
It's easy for me to get those ideas - the hard part is to actually make them something more than just ideas...
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Post by tetramorph on May 13, 2016 13:40:06 GMT -5
What do you think, what comes to mind when I say create a setting?
When I proposed the contest what went through your mind?
When you think about creating a new setting to game in what comes to mind first?
How do you approach it?
Do you start top down or bottom up or somewhere in the middle?
What things do you think about when you think about creating a new setting and in what order do you think about them?
For you personally is it an organized process or is it random and explosions of ideas?
Is it easy or difficult?
Is it fun or is it drudgery?
Do you start with a map or with a concept or something else?
How do you start?
Please share anything that comes to mind, make this an uncensored brainstorm session of sharing what goes on for you! This is a very good topic and a good set of questions. You know, I think it is about level of scale for me: 1. Adventure/module: local, periodic, character driven 2. Setting: regional, on-going, tribe, castle and settlement driven 3. World: global (or even dimensional), perennial, empire and wilderness driven So, for me, setting is somewhere midway between an adventure/dungeon module and an entire fantasy world. So when I think of a new setting, I think of a new wilderness area, its main themes and the major borderlands that encircle it. It is fun and difficult. I start with the dungeons I like and a starting tavern. I imagine the nearby wilderness. Then I imagine the world that surrounds it. I have learned the hard way to leave it pretty vague so that the world can evolve through actual play. My favorite thing about especially the first and second prize winners were the way in which they created something open enough for continued growth through play but full of enough "hooks" to get the ball rolling for a long time. |
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Post by Von on May 15, 2016 11:00:55 GMT -5
What do you think, what comes to mind when I say create a setting?
"Make an imaginary place to tell stories or play games."
(OK, I lied. What actually comes to mind is "don't tell me what to do, Mr. Perilous, you're not the boss of me", but I didn't think that'd be terribly helpful.)
When I proposed the contest what went through your mind?
"Nah. I work at my own pace and to whatever length I fancy. Deadlines are for paid work."
When you think about creating a new setting to game in what comes to mind first?
"What kind of game do I want this to be?"
How do you approach it?
By thinking about how players are going to experience the setting. That which is not germane to play is seldom worth detailing unless it is a grand subtle phenomenon which will influence play indirectly.
Do you start top down or bottom up or somewhere in the middle?
At the top and the bottom, working inwards. Here's what the setting feels like, what I think is cool and should be included. Here are the mechanics by which the game experience will be curated to emphasise and evoke the top level stuff.
What things do you think about when you think about creating a new setting and in what order do you think about them?
1. Where's the fantasy? What's cool and exciting and different? How do I ensure this stuff is at the forefront?
2. What do I have to do to the game to make sure that stuff is apparent?
3. Who could I run this game for? (IMPORTANT NOTE: when I'm preparing a game I generally start with "who am I running this for?" and work from there, but you asked about going setting-first, which I seldom end up doing...)
4. What do I have to do to the game to make it palatable for them?
For you personally is it an organized process or is it random and explosions of ideas?
Random. I do have the discipline for organised processes but again, I save that for paid work.
Is it easy or difficult?
Easy until the analysis paralysis sets in. After that, even easier, because doing nothing but fret is the easiest thing in the world.
Is it fun or is it drudgery?
Top level stuff is fun. Mechanical tinkering is fun. Pre-designing adventure material is drudgery. I am used to playing fast and loose and using real world locations (blame all that Vampire) and haven't made any dungeons in years. If I am using random generators I am generally using them for street layouts and dungeon interiors because those are the things which bore me. This is also the bit where I have to stay the hell away from the computer because of the effect it has on how I think and work.
Do you start with a map or with a concept or something else?
Generally I start with an adventure hub (a city, or a large village with several wilderness adventures nearby) and populate that with NPCs. The NPCs have goals and relationships - they are generally opposed to one other NPC, allied with another, and connected to one PC. The 'plot' of the game unfolds as players tug on particular strings and follow up particular connections: these are emphasised and gradually take centre stage. I also introduce some sort of wild card - an indecipherable ritual of which three copies exist and one is definitely a forgery (players invariably make another forgery), a mysterious vigilante, a war taking place just off the horizon - which serves as a spur to player activity. "Get a shift on or someone else will be using that ritual and then who knows what'll happen..."
How do you start?
By collecting images, music and quotations which evoke the setting in my under-utilised brainbox.
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Post by mormonyoyoman on May 15, 2016 11:27:11 GMT -5
Pyrotechnics, fireballs, panic, mass destruction, and.... Oh I'm sorry. I thought you said CREMATE a setting.
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Post by Admin Pete on May 17, 2016 12:18:43 GMT -5
All I want is a hammer... I believe I saw another post where you found a hammer, but you did not say where. When Admin Pete said create a setting, I just wasn't sure what was intended, which is why I asked, and I heard there was no precedent so I should just do whatever. That is why, I left it vague, I could have been very specific and that would have homogenized the entries and I did not want that. This was not an organized process and I will avoid organized processes in the future, not because I work so well unorganized, but because if I try to work methodically I know the result will be absolutely worthless. I had fun with it. For me the difficult part was not knowing exactly what the prompt was supposed to mean, which I'm looking forward to finding out. The prompt just meant to do anything you wanted as a setting. I tried to avoid giving too much direction. All I could think of at that moment was a bunch of amazon women running amok. So I created a plateau world where a bunch of amazon women were...well...there it is. ...did any of them have a hammer? I would think the dwarven amazon women would.... , Necromancer, tetramorph, Von and mormonyoyoman thank you and those above for your responses, good feedback is great to get. What do you think, what comes to mind when I say create a setting?
(OK, I lied. What actually comes to mind is "don't tell me what to do, Mr. Perilous, you're not the boss of me", but I didn't think that'd be terribly helpful.)  Glad you reconsidered! |
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Post by Admin Pete on May 17, 2016 13:59:49 GMT -5
Here is what I think of when someone says create a setting, How do you start?, When you think about creating a new setting to game in what comes to mind first?,
How do you approach it?, Do you start top down or bottom up or somewhere in the middle? What things do you think about when you think about creating a new setting and in what order do you think about them? :
For me the first thing that comes to mind is an image of the universe/multi-verse and an infinity of worlds stretching out in every direction and I am drawn to one and I see it there rotating in my minds eye, oceans continents, islands, glaciers, deserts, volcanoes etc. all laid out before me in full color. It could be small with only a few continents or even no continents or huge with a huge number of continents or massive oceans with many strings of islands and volcanoes or lots of other things. If I was an artist and possessed enough time I could draw a 1:1 scale map of the planet. This is the stage where I can write down a lot of the behind the scenes stuff that I will use but the players will not see much of. Or if they just went thorough a portal into this new world, I will just carry the top down stuff in my head. If I writing it down, I only go as far as I need right now.
The next thing I think about is what type of world is it. Does it have multiple sentient races or only one. Are any of them like the races that make up the party or complete different, or is this world vacant of sentient races? Is the world young or ancient? And dozens of other things that are decided in some cases in less than a minute or quite a bit of time, if available. Then I move right to the bottom up, either the start of the campaign or where the players just went through a portal. I start describing where they are, what they see, what they hear, what they smell, touch and taste. As they start to explore this new world, hooks are exposed, options are revealed and new and interesting things are created with the synergy between the players and the ref.
For you personally is it an organized process or is it random and explosions of ideas?
Random and an explosion of ideas.
Is it easy or difficult?
Easy
Is it fun or is it drudgery?
Fun
Do you start with a map or with a concept or something else?
With a map. The one I can see in my minds eye, and then my best approximation on paper.
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Post by Crimhthan The Great on May 20, 2016 10:48:41 GMT -5
What do you think, what comes to mind when I say create a setting?
A living breathing full blown world ready to adventure in.
When I proposed the contest what went through your mind?
Sounds like fun, but not something I would do at my age.
When you think about creating a new setting to game in what comes to mind first?
Make a general map (rough sketch) of the planet surface and locations, sizes and shapes of the continents.
How do you approach it?
I map a rough sketch of the map, decide where on the planet I want to place the party and then start building from that point.
Do you start top down or bottom up or somewhere in the middle?
Yes!
What things do you think about when you think about creating a new setting and in what order do you think about them?
A very long list of things that I carry mostly in my head.
For you personally is it an organized process or is it random and explosions of ideas?
Yes!
Is it easy or difficult?
Easy!
Is it fun or is it drudgery?
Fun, never drudgery.
Do you start with a map or with a concept or something else?
With a map, always.
How do you start?
Answered above.
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Post by hengest on Apr 5, 2022 16:59:05 GMT -5
All right…lessee…
What do you think, what comes to mind when I say create a setting?
I think this means “create enough of a picture with at least suggestions of history and future and some suggestion of dynamism so that a ref can blow it up into adventures or a whole world, as desired.”
When I proposed the contest what went through your mind?
I no longer remember. But if I try to close off my current campaign and just think starting from scratch…I think of a single young dwarf, alone in a valley. Why is he the last of his people? And why does he work no gold?
When you think about creating a new setting to game in what comes to mind first?
An image, then justifying and supporting it.
Do you start top down or bottom up or somewhere in the middle?
Something visible to a normal person. I don’t think of continents or subatomic particles. A figure, a town, a valley.
What things do you think about when you think about creating a new setting and in what order do you think about them?
I don’t have a menu or a set list. I just think about it until I think that thinking about it more is going to make it worse, then I stop.
For you personally is it an organized process or is it random and explosions of ideas?
Pretty random, but few explosions. Not much like an explosion at all, more like water leaking out of a hose after you close the spigot.
Is it easy or difficult?
Is it fun or is it drudgery?
Easy and fun. (Why would anyone do this if it was drudgery??)
Do you start with a map or with a concept or something else?
An image, usually, often of a person with some memorable features.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Apr 6, 2022 11:54:39 GMT -5
My comments above where from when I was the Admin. I would add that, for me, the top down part is mainly behind the scenes for me as the referee, so no big info dump for the players. The bottom up stuff is for the players and has a slight interface with the top down at this point, but the players seldom see any of that.
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So I imagined that it meant a corner of a world (an OD&D-friendly world) with some special features that would make interesting campaign hooks and from which one could expand outward. I thought I should aim for a central hub that might be interesting and playable in itself, but didn't feel limited, and suggested a past, a poorly-understood present, and possible futures.
Glad you reconsidered! 
