So, /tg/, when you create your settings, what do you make first? The countries? The rules? The religions?
>>43889335
A single village or town, usually. figure out everything that I want in it, then create a world around it that makes sense. usually I'll end up going back into that town and changing things later, but somehow it feels more natural to me than starting with something abstract
Start Dumb Simple OP
"In a World where _____, there's one _____ that can ______"
Ex: In a world where Magic causes gayness, there's one gay man who can stop the faggotry forever.
The waifu/husbando races.
Y, I don't know, just kind of everything at once usually.
I mean typically like bits as and when they come to mind and seem good and then I integrate it all. I don't think I've ever started a game in a 100% finished setting. It's typically okay to leave many things vague or indefinite until the PCs actually encounter them.
>>43889365
In their tongue he is OP:FAGGOT BORN!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N_0K2jphe4
>>43889513
In a world where monsters are spoucfu bait, one normie can save mankind, but at a price...
>>43889513
>being a shitposting faggot
>>43889571
In a world where Shitposting is power, one lurker will find the courage to change the future.
>>43889335
Just dont give a fuk and do what chu want nigguh
>>43889335
Mostly the theme. Like "I want a late renaissance world with crazy powerful but crazy dangerous magic and Cthulhu and shit". And it kinda snowballs from there. I also keep a list of short ideas that I can jam into the first setting that is thematically appropriate.
>>43889653
>>43889335
One specific place that the party starts out in. Then establish the general society. That includes the ruling class as well as religion, or such things as organised crime. Keep it close to the party, don't spent time fleshing out things the party won't encounter, but do flesh out things that directly influence the NPCs the party will talk to.
Then just expand from there.
>>43889335
When I want to create a setting, the first thing I do is decide what I want to use as inspiration. After that, I create towns, then regions, then countries, then continents. And fill them with people and legends and tales of the faggotry of OP.
1. build star
2. build planet
3. evolutionary path of native species
4. decide which species get THE BRAINS
5. decide on mental and physical attributes of favoured species
6. elaborate upon a history that makes sense when observing these attributes
7. decide what tech level "present day" will be at
8. write history up to that point
9. produce a set of nations (or don't)
10. make branching ideologies that still make sense for the species in question
11. etc.
>>43889335
The Theme comes first. What is most contributing to that theme? If I'm doing a good vs evil divine campaign, the religions come first.
{bump>
>>43889335
First, find a bunch of cool pictures. They can be about anything. Knights, landscapes, weapons, characters, monsters, anything is fine, so long as they're cool, have interesting stuff in them and catch your attention.
Then you ask yourself, "how can I put all this awesome shit in one single setting?"
Then you start filling in the gaps. You have all the cool locations and the looks of the important characters, so all you have to do is give them a where, a when and a how.
Where are these things in this setting?
When did this awesome battle happen?
And this dude, should he still be around or just his relics entombed somewhere?
And how does this shit work, anyway?
You don't need to give any detailed origins for all this shit at first, just rough outlines.
This guy was a legendary warrior, he lived a long time ago and is revered to this day because he did this awesome shit.
These islands here are in this general cardinal direction, and they float because MAGIC. or if Magic doesn't really exist in your setting, because SCIENCE.
In depth reasons for floatyness and specific geographical location to be explained later.
This weird shit is in this general region and they aren't common because whatever, but when they appear SHIT GOES DOWN NIGGA.
And suddenly you have a varied setting with lots of awesome shit for your characters to find, quest hooks everywhere and a lot of room to maneouver should your players derail your campaign.
Don't be afraid to outright steal and reimagine stuff from books, games and movies, if someone asks it's just "inspired" by this thing.
>>43890779
This. Bottom Up motherfucker.
>>43889335
I find something unique.
Unless it's generic ass shit, then that shit can just be made up as you go along.
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/5511229/
Get an idea, then THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS.
I know a lot of people don't like Michael Kirkbride, but his method of worldbuilding is, I think, both wonderful and practical:
Tell God's story, then tell the farmer's story, then listen to what the dog has to say.
>>43889535
Pretty much this. Usually I come up with stuff as it becomes relevant unless I feel the need to understand the world more comprehensively before using it.
>>43889653
"Shield ain't actually for pussies" 10/10
>>43889653
>you just a nigga with a garden hose
Every damn time
>>43889335
I work around a central concept. Because I' a huge wizard faggot, this is almost always magic. I'll something I saw on /tg/ for an example.
There's these huge, mountain-sized, totally unbreakable crystals across the world. Wizards can only cast their devastating powers if they're touching these crystals.
So, I build around that. Cities will be centred around these massive sources of power and most likely ruled or partly ruled or in some way regulated by wizards. Next, all the wizards can't take crystals with them or anything, and they can't be touching these crystals all the time, so what do they do? Bind themselves physically to the crystals and astral project themselves into the world so they maintain constant physical contact with the crystals at all time. And this gives rise to a whole economy, people exploring the world for new crystals to set up new settlements and create new world superpowers around them.
Bam, there's the whole basis for the setting. You can start fleshing out individual details after this, really get into the minutiae of it. Stuff like astral projects only last for a certain time, or get weaker unless renewed, or weaker the further from the wizard they get, etc. What's the prevalence of martial armies in this world? They're probably expendable legions if anything. What exactly can this magical power achieve? Complex miraculous events or simply vast releases of energy?
That's how I work, I spiral outwards from a central concept.
