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This is something I have used twice before. Once to get a new job and the other time to promote an event. Now I want to use it for fantasy world creation. Today would be considered Day 1, tomorrow Day 2, and so on until the goal is achieved. It has worked in the past because it holds you accountable. Everyday you need to post something about what you are doing to achieve your goal. You might miss a day or two, because s**t happens, but you make up for it.
By the way, why post it on here? For advice obviously, and maybe some really rude responses. In the past it has been better to post something online rather than leave it on a Word Document. If something is hidden away it tends to disappear.
This is Day 1, and the only thing I have is a hook; this is my Last World. That's the tone I am looking for here. It is what is inside my head. I thought it would be like "Final Fantasy", but the Last World is pretty definite. What does that tell me? I really am looking for finality here. Also, if there is a game system, it will fit into this world. I will not fit this world around D&D. I have a really altered version of D&D or something completely different.
Anyway, this is a start, which is better than nothing.
This is a beginning...
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I have been playing around with the idea of a world based on such sites as Neopets and Wizard101 where there are distinct, thematic areas.
More specifically, I was thinking of starting a world that is set around the late stages of the Industrial Revolution (or its equivalent), so around 1820-1840.
This would, to some degree, have steampunk. There would be flying ships and trains, but I'd like there to be parts of the world that are still unexplored.
Additionally, I'd like to incorporate some things that come from beastiaries that could make interesting flavor. For instance, having agates have the extraordinary ability to find pearls. Maybe include creatures like the muscaliet that tend not to get used.
I've been (slowly) trying to develop my own gaming system. I may post some of it tomorrow.
Farael, are you looking for any particular advice or help?
Farael, are you looking for any particular advice or help?
This is what I am looking for. Stuff like this. Mainly ideas and concepts to work with. The hook being "the last world" everything should filter through that. Some of my ideas so far:
It’s the last world on an infinite chain of worlds. A godlike being has been chased by all-powerful, primal evil demon-devil gods since the creation of the universe. He came here to hide, because it’s literally the last world he can go to. He has been here for thousands of years, but very soon they will find him. When they do catch him, they will destroy the world.
Its like the edge of civilization. It’s a world on the edge of a vast frontier. It has the feel of a western town.
I am seeing wide, open regions. Vast plains of grass. Great mountain ranges. Its like the world before Humans arrived.
Maybe it’s a post-apocalyptic world. The last world of a once great, galactic empire. It’s a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, because this world has magic in it. Maybe rifts in reality bring in the magic. Each world has been destroyed, so this is the last world on the list.
Maybe this world once had a high level of technology, but then it all fell apart. Its fun to note that "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" is actually a post-apocalyptic setting. This is why you have technology and magic all in the same place. That would be fun to base a world on.
These are just ideas to think about, and its just day 1.
I was thinking 'Last world' as in - there has been a series of the world building up to vast and impressive civilizations, falling apart due to catastrophe and starting over - this is the last time before Armageddon, the 'final countdown' the end world before the status of all in the afterlife is determined. The seventh game of the Deific world series.
'The Last Chance to See."
I really love Steampunk. The style of dress and everything about it is so cool. The last battle between good and evil could be a backdrop. Very much like Lord of the Rings, but really all fantasy is. Unless its fantasy before The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Steampunk + Mad Max?
Maybe throw some Railsea and Half-Made World and Snowpiercer influences in for zest? It can be an icy lost world with woolly dinosaurs or heavily feathered behemoths or animated petrified fossils lumbering around the rails?
This is what I am looking for. Stuff like this. Mainly ideas and concepts to work with. The hook being "the last world" everything should filter through that. Some of my ideas so far:
It’s the last world on an infinite chain of worlds. A godlike being has been chased by all-powerful, primal evil demon-devil gods since the creation of the universe. He came here to hide, because it’s literally the last world he can go to. He has been here for thousands of years, but very soon they will find him. When they do catch him, they will destroy the world.
Its like the edge of civilization. It’s a world on the edge of a vast frontier. It has the feel of a western town.
I am seeing wide, open regions. Vast plains of grass. Great mountain ranges. Its like the world before Humans arrived.
Maybe it’s a post-apocalyptic world. The last world of a once great, galactic empire. It’s a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, because this world has magic in it. Maybe rifts in reality bring in the magic. Each world has been destroyed, so this is the last world on the list.Maybe this world once had a high level of technology, but then it all fell apart. Its fun to note that "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" is actually a post-apocalyptic setting. This is why you have technology and magic all in the same place. That would be fun to base a world on.
These are just ideas to think about, and its just day 1.
It could be Residuum, the World that Remains or Olio, the Patchwork World or even Bastion the Final World. Perhaps it acts like Rifts, the game Perhaps bits and pieces of the destroyed worlds have congealed here.
Perhaps other good deities have come here as well so that the last battle can be held. Maybe it is a trap for the demons. Perhaps it is a world where there are multiple stable dimensional portals to Inner and Outer Planes. Perhaps it is the Keystone World - the one that holds the universe together and, once removed, will cause the universe to fall apart. It could be the alpha and omega - first and last.
Steampunk + Mad Max?
Maybe throw some Railsea and Half-Made World and Snowpiercer influences in for zest? It can be an icy lost world with woolly dinosaurs or heavily feathered behemoths or animated petrified fossils lumbering around the rails?
This is Daily World Creation Day 2
I don't want it as bleak as Snowpiercer , but parts of it probably are. That was a very interesting movie. I need to look up Railsea and Half-Made World, because I am not familiar with them. It would be interesting having a train on this world, fueled by steam of course. I like the Steampunk + Mad Max vibe. Yes, there will be a train in this.
I am writing down everything I want in this, and I am still trying to decide if this will be a D&D gamer world, a world for another system, or just a world for fun. I hope it is fun, because if not what is the point of it? I can see myself writing out general guidelines for D&D, and perhaps giving characters possible levels.
I am also playing around with the hook title The Last World. I like the title (and it is the name of a German book written in 1988, but its okay to use titles. I am not a plagiarist) and I am working off that. What is this the last world of? I can take that in multiple directions. It will be the last world for me.
Edit: I looked up both Railsea and The Half-Mad World-this book I really want to read. Both have very interesting ideas that could fit into my overall concept. Keep the ideas coming!
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Is it the Last World or the Lasting World? The world that will persist after all the others have fallen? Is the world the tail-end of the Ouroboros and about to be devoured by the First World? Is the Ouroboros a world-spanning train?
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I've always been fascinated by the idea of artificial worlds like Dyson Spheres or Ringworld. The idea I'm currently working on is a binary planetary system: Two Earth-sized worlds tidally locked. I haven't decided on names for either world yet, so for now I'm calling them Alpha and Beta
Alpha was designed by the gods to be a perfect global garden/hunting ground. A massive geodesic sphere has been erected at about 10 miles above sea level. This crystal sphere acts as a literal greenhouse, trapping heat and keeping the lower atmosphere at a constant, warm temperature.
However, as gods are always likely to do, they feel into conflict and one of them transported a second planet into the system in hopes of causing the two to collide. The other gods barely managed to avoid the destruction of both worlds, but only by trapping Alpha and Beta into being locked together, spinning around their common centers of massive.
As a result, Beta's tilt has been altered, putting it into the beginnings of an ice age while Alpha has begun to experience rising temperatures.
Meanwhile, the beings who could fix the problem, the gods, have been stripped of their power and forced to live on one or the other world as immortal wanderers.
Is it the Last World or the Lasting World? The world that will persist after all the others have fallen? Is the world the tail-end of the Ouroboros and about to be devoured by the First World? Is the Ouroboros a world-spanning train?
This is the start of Day 3:
My hook is [b]The Last World[/]. At this point in the World Creation process I am trying to find that out. The hook has a double meaning:
1) It is the last, fantasy-type world that I will ever try to create.
2) It is the last world in this fantasy-type world concept. That could mean a lot of things.
At this point point I am really liking a concept that has some Steampunk, some post-apocalyptic, and even some He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Basically any idea that forms around the hook.
Also what is the Ouroboros? My belief is that the First World is our Earth, because this is where it all begins.
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Is it the Last World or the Lasting World? The world that will persist after all the others have fallen? Is the world the tail-end of the Ouroboros and about to be devoured by the First World? Is the Ouroboros a world-spanning train?This is the start of Day 3:
My hook is The Last World. At this point in the World Creation process I am trying to find that out. The hook has a double meaning:
1) It is the last, fantasy-type world that I will ever try to create.
2) It is the last world in this fantasy-type world concept. That could mean a lot of things.
At this point point I am really liking a concept that has some Steampunk, some post-apocalyptic, and even some He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Basically any idea that forms around the hook.
Also what is the Ouroboros? My belief is that the First World is our Earth, because this is where it all begins.
An Ouroboros is a snake that eats its own tail so that if forms a circle. It begins where it ends or ends where it begins.
Visionaries could help with the post-apocalyptic theme as could Thundarr the Barbarian. Then too there's Cadillacs and Dinosaurs.
b'daught
An Ouroboros is a snake that eats its own tail so that if forms a circle. It begins where it ends or ends where it begins.Visionaries could help with the post-apocalyptic theme as could Thundarr the Barbarian. Then too there's Cadillacs and Dinosaurs.
I will use the Ouroboros as a symbol for a religion or eternity, something like that. I do remember watching Thundarr the Barbarian. That was an awesome post-apocalyptic cartoon! I wish it would be remade. My world is an alternate Earth, part of an infinite wheel of alternate Earths. This world is where it all ends.
Also, I am seeing a continent on this world that initially reminds me of 19th century America. In the East are civilized nations, empires, kingdoms and other political states. In the middle are various territories governed by other groups or companies. Finally, in the Wild West are barbaric regions, savage domains, lost cities and broken lands. Its very much a Steampunk vibe.
b'daught
Sorry, but I need more here.
b'daughtSorry, but I need more here.
He is just dotting the thread to read it later.
A few weeks ago, I had an Ookla the Mok Porter at a local brewery. Pretty good! :-D
This is the start of Day 4:
As I further pondered The Last World I came up with some ideas I want to develop more.
* Some time in the distant past there was some sort of apocalyptic war. It left a highly advanced civilization in ruins, and it opened the portals to more magic. Over the millenniums people have found these ancient artifacts and some of them figured out how to use them.
* The Steampunk ideas would be these people starting to bring the technology back, but they are also keeping the magic too. There would also be an organization steadfast opposed to technology in any form, and they would seek to destroy those items.
* The D&D Races are there, but they are different. The Elves of this world are not actually real Elves. Long ago the True Elves passed on to other higher planes of existence. The Elves that are currently here were once Humans who used a mixture of technology and magic to alter themselvbes into Elven form.
The True Elves were immortal and capable of casting epic spells and calling for epic miracles. The Elves of today are like they are in the PHB, but they do have true Elven blood. A few of the True Elves stayed behind.
* Really all of the Races in the Game can be included, but they would just get a "Last" alteration. Just something about them to reflect this world's atmosphere.
* When it comes to the Gods, this world has religions much like Earth's. There's one that resembles the Catholic Church. It has a lot of power, influence, and worshipers. It is also very corrupt and many of it's Priest are not following the tenants of their faith. There are many gods available, but they would not be stereotypical, D&D gods. Its complicated.
* Alignment is more of a guideline than a steadfast rule. Plus, there are three additional alignments to chose from.
Okay I had some stuff on the last dragons, the last giants and others, but I am running out of time. Let the ideas flow from the Force...
This is the start of Day 5...
The main continent is starting to take shape. I am looking at modeling it initially after Europe, but I want the continent to go from east to west. I have some ideas for various nation type states. As we go further west the nations become more like territories and then after the Last Stop it goes completely nation-less. More later today...
Basically I took Europe and turned it around. There are various domains, nation, and city-states I want there. Most of the nations are linked by railways.
Then for the next part I will model it after the Old, American, Wild West. There are fewer railways there, and many territories owned and controlled by various powerful people.
Finally, there really is a town called Last Stop, and that's is where the railways end. A train stops there and then it goes backwards. A good way to imagine it is the town Tombstone from that great movie with Val Kilmer.
Okay, then the third part is all really broken, savage, unsettled lands. Got to go for now...
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Definitely check out "The Half-Made World" by Felix Gilman. Its east end is a "civilized" European-esque 19th Century-esque and separated from a "wild west" area by a huge mountain range with just a few mountain passes that are accessible by rail.
The "wild west" area has 3 major political areas, the most significant is dominated by infernally empowered engines. The workers work FOR the trains! There are also some independent towns that are kind of under the sway of gunfighters with superpowers from their demonic pistols. Another, smaller democratic country broke free of them in the recent past.
West of there, the world is still being created. If you travel far enough west, the laws of physics break down.
There are also elfish, orcish aborigines that are often enslaved.
There is also a cult, or philosophy, called Smilers, who smile a lot and generally try to be cheerful and good.
This is Day 6...
SmiloDan, it sounds like "The Half-Made World" is what I am looking for. I will absolutely read that book.
Some thoughts I have are that something close to a nuclear war happened thousands of years ago. The result was that the western part of this continent was devastated. The survivors were forced to migrate east, where they was little fallout from the bombs. They had to start over from the stone age to the Industrial Revolution-like society we have now.
I am drawing the eastern part of this continent now...
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Now the bits about being post-nuclear and medieval can be found in Mark Lawrence's Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns, Emperor of Thorns, Prince of Fools, Liar's Key, Wheel of Osheim series. Very brutal (especially the first 3), but fun.
This is day 7:
The following is a conversation between the mysterious Mr. X and the Creator/Destroyer of all things at his apartment somewhere on the First Earth:
This world has been created and destroyed for an unknown number of times? MX
Yes it has. I don’t know how many times exactly. CD
Why do you keep doing this? Why not just stop and do something else? MX
I don’t know. I really want to stop, but I can’t. It’s like an addiction. I feel like it’s a major waste of time. When I feel lonely, alone, or bored I start creating a world. At first I am excited about it, but then it all just comes apart and I get bored with it. CD
In your mind, in your imaginations, untold numbers of living beings have been born and then destroyed due to your addiction of world creation and destruction. MX
But they aren’t real. It’s just make believe. None of that is real. CD
What if I told you it was real? What if I told you that your imaginations become real in another universe? What if I told you that you had been creating and destroying entire universes since the dawn of time? MX
That’s insanity! You are just making this up. You are a figment of my imagination. None of what you are saying is real. It can’t be…it can’t… CD
“You are wrong, Creator and Destroyer. You are very wrong. I came from one of those worlds you made and destroyed. I saw everyone I knew and loved killed. Only I was able to escape. I have been traveling across countless worlds looking for you. Finally I found you. MX
What are you going to do? CD
I’m going to help you end this cycle of creation and destruction. It’s the only way this will ever stop. I am going to help you make your Last World. Do we have an accord? MX
Yes. Yes we do. I want this to end just as much as you do. But why are you helping me? Don’t you want to punish me? CD
No, I want something else from you. If you give this to me, then there will be no need to punish you. I want you to bring back my world. I want to go home again. MX
Day 8:
I realized what the issue was to my world creation dilemma. It wasn't necessarily a fantasy, D&D world I wanted to create. It was a story I wanted to write. The world would be created as a result of that story.
As I write it out on another document I am not saying it is a great story or even a good one, but it is my story, and that's all that's really important. I will try to keep you all updated as I write it out. This is the creation process at work...