One problem which every serious Gamemaster (GM) faces is creating his own world for players' characters to saunter through. This is far from an easy task. Most GMs spend hour upon hour trying to put together a land mass full of believable people, monsters, legends, and cultures. There are several basic points which you must consider in the making and maintaining of a world. of course, there are the questions of whether or not this mountain range can be here and why this island is here. The making of a world deals with much more than just a physical map, though. There are people and societies to consider. Making these factors believable will add to your campaign much more than a logically placed mountain will. Below are some ideas on how to get started and stay started in the manufacturing of a fantasy world.
The first problem you must face is the deployment of human and humanoid people into realistic societies and cultures. It is necessary to first set a definition for culture. Culture can be considered as a group of people's way of life and thought. Culture encompasses everything about a group of people. in considering a way of life, you must likewise consider the environment and physical make-up of the people in question. Without such distinctions there would be no fundamental difference between a group of elves and a group of dwarves. of course, the game which you are creating the world for will have some basic ideas about the mental workings of the various races. They do part of the GM's job for him or her. The rest must be decided according to the individual GM's ideas and preferences.
To begin this quest into the mentality of the race in question, you must first decide why the race is there. Are there mineral resources? Waterways? Fertile lands? Remnants of an ancient culture? All of these are reasonable purposes for civilizations. After considering a general purpose, determine how the group deals with the basic needs of food, clothing, protection, and shelter. in more advanced cultures, these needs may have become extremely ritualized. Nomadic and lesser cultures have basic needs and are easier to deal with. Once you chart a group's basic purpose for existing, you must add in the colorful additions which really make a culture. You will have to consider religion, choosing a pantheon of gods and religious heroes out of some written source, or by concocting your own creations. Consider the values of the newly formed culture. How do they spend their free time? How and what do they teach their children? You will have to consider government types. Since most fantasy games tend toward a romantic view of our own medieval years, feudal governments and societies abound. Remember that there are other forms of government which might add something to a culture. There is a helpful list of possible government types in the Dungeon Master's Guide in the AD&D system. One important factor of government is leadership. Certain leaders or groups will have vast effects on government. Once you consider government, you will need to decide upon the country's defense and military. Not every country has a large standing army, or even an army at all. Make notes of whom the people perceive as enemies and whether these factions are a threat. Lastly, throw in several weird customs and habits which make the culture individual and different. Most cultures have habits about everything. By designing a few for your culture, it will seem more realistic and lifelike. It will also teach your characters to be mindful of their words and actions.
Once you have set up a basis for a culture, you should consider the economy in that particular culture and in the entire world. The economy of the world will deal largely with your treasure displacement. it is unrealistic to have first level characters running around with hundreds of gold pieces while the average peasant has only a few coppers. It would be too easy for a few peasants to get together and do the same thing a player character did. To avert this problem you must either modify your method of awarding treasure or have a high fatality rate among low level characters. The former will allow for a better overall game. Oftentimes, however, GMs are not at fault for poor economic considerations. The game itself may require some reworking.
There are several important things to consider if you're planning to rework a game to a more realistic point. First, there hasn't been a civilization to date which has successfully based its economy on gold. Gold is simply too scarce. Silver, and copper, for poorer societies, are much more realistic economic bases. Keep in mind also that currencies were rarely usable in more than one place. Money-changers were often among the richest in a society because they could charge a great percentage to transients.
The basic needs of a society are food, clothing, and shelter, not weapons, armor, and magic items. Few people, particularly in feudal societies, could allow themselves to become specialists in a particular field. The peasants were simply too busy making food. Considering such realities and the laws of supply and demand, it is not unreasonable for a vendor to charge outrageous prices in areas where there is less need. Note the method in which things were bought. The system most used at the time was based on haggling and bartering. Few of the common people could afford to take their meager life savings with them wherever they went. Vendors, also needing to eat, would likely accept foodstuffs in return for merchandise. To peasants, money was not as important as food. Haggling was also an everyday occurrence. Vendors would purposely mark merchandise with elevated prices, so when they were haggled down they didn't lose much.
Monsters and their placement are essential to your gaming world. Purpose is essential to monster placement, as with cultures. Every monster must have a purpose for being where it is. While this need not be any more complicated than abundant food and water, it is still important to specify it. Monsters fall into two categories, natural and cultural. Cultural monsters are intelligent monsters which are likely to exist in large groups. They should be treated as any other culture. Natural monsters are those which exist solely in an ecological chain. For placement of natural monsters, keep in mind their habitats. Monsters must have a food source, even monsters hidden away in a dungeon! This will be the driving force behind nearly every natural monster.
For ease, it is useful to chart the locations and numbers of all monsters. Formulate a birth and death rate for each monster group each year, and make corrections. This way you will be able to locate monsters for particular adventures easier.
Magic poses a problem and a solution for most fantasy role-playing games. In case you hadn't noticed, fantasy literature is classified as writing which allows the use of magic.
Magic has the ability to alter reality. In this way, you can put things on your world which are not physically possible in our universe. But to keep magic under control you must limit its users. Magic, particularly the powerful reality altering sort, should be rare and legendary. Ordinary people in most societies would have little or no direct exposure to magic or wizards.
One example of a magical mistake in many worlds is the "magic store." As with all other businesses, a magic store, should you even allow their existence, must make a profit. To make a profit, the store must appeal to a large market or audience. How many people need to move silently or invisibly? A magic store of this sort just does not make economic sense. A realistic magic store might have such popular magical items as love potions, healing potions and salves (as diseases and accidents were common), and an occasional wimpy magical weapon.
Many Gamemasters, falling into the Monty Hall syndrome, give players too much power in their world. This will upset your beautifully balanced world. instead, keep players relatively powerless. For starters, players do not fit in with the mainstream of people. They are strange outcasts, leaving homes and farms to go adventuring. Few people are going to be likely to accept them. Therefore, most players will lack the popular support necessary to elevate them in social class. If you likewise limit their economic resources, players will remain powerless in your world, being shaped by the winds of change rather than altering them.
Many Gamemasters attempt to use fantasy literature as the basis for their world. This can be a drastic mistake. There are very few fantasy authors who play role-playing games. They simply do not write from a gamer's standpoint. As a result, the characters and civilizations become too intricate for any gaming system to handle. Magic is also a problem. if you try to base your world on books which your players have read, they are likely to become bored with their extensive knowledge of the world or infatuated with reliving the story. if you do decide to adapt a book into your world, find a game that will suit the book rather than trying to force your book into your current system.
With these thoughts in mind, it is time to brave a new beginning. Get up early next Saturday, or stay up late next Friday, and initiate your world. Two last pieces of advice: write everything down; no one's memory is that great. To avoid being overwhelmed by your project, start small, preferably with a small land mass like an island continent.
If you use these thoughts and guidelines and fill in the holes with your own imagination, you should be well on your way to creating a world you can be proud of. The more power to you.
Jason Bock is the assistant editor for Dark Elf magazine. He also publishes Zephyr Press.
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© Copyright 1985 by Dana Lombardy.
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