Sept 22nd, 2020
We have already talked about Inside Out and Outside In, now let's talk about something that exists somewhere in the middle. Only much more abstract than the previous methods.
***
The Seed Method
This method of creation is markedly different than the previous two. It starts similarly to the Outside In method as it requires a map, I recommend a relatively large map, not necessarily a world map but region size or larger should be about right.
Once you have that information laid out, you need some 'seeds' or story ideas. You only need a general idea of what these seeds are; you don't need to know names of the capital city, but you do need to know there is a capital city. That would be your first seed: 'capital city," Put that one aside and come up with a couple more; ancient forest, wizard tower and treacherous coastline all work well in this regard. What they are is less important than you have them.
Now, armed with your handful of seeds, you need to have your map handy and spend some time really looking at it. When you find a great spot for the capital city, put it there. Make the little dot and write the name beside it (if it has a name at this point) and then stop for a second. How do major city's come to be? What needs do they have and where can they be fulfilled?
Well, all cities, in our world or in fantasy ones, need a few common things:
1- Food and Water - most living creature eat and drink and will not survive without these things. So, a source of food and a source of fresh water are of tantamount importance. So now you create a seed labeled 'fresh water' and plant it somewhere near the city. This could be a rich aquifer beneath it for deep wells to reach or a wide river teeming with fish. That would be the food part. It could be arable lands for bountiful farms, or it could be an abundance of wildlife in the forests nearby. There are many more seeds: 'arable farmland' and 'abundant wildlife.' Take it a step further and make a seed that is 'large forest' then plant all these somewhere around your city.
2- Economy - as with the real world, most fantasy worlds have money. And if they do not, they likely still have barter and trade. Regardless of what method the economy takes, there needs to be one. Think of some good resources and make them the next seeds you plant. Maybe the coast nearby is think with a type of seaweed goof for eating and weaving. Maybe the woods nearby have the perfect growth for timber mills and mushroom groves. There are so many things that can sustain an economy so long as they are necessary, or at least convenient, for life in the area.
3- Safety - this can come in the form of that plentiful timber mentioned earlier being great for construction projects. Or it could be a thick stone wall circling the city, maybe a narrow causeway is the only way into the city. Regardless of what it is, this seed needs to deal with the how and why the people here are in less danger than being out on their own. This can even be a seed planted here that grows into a martially focused populace who are always armed; this carries other issues but would make the people safer. Or at least more dangerous for outsiders.
4- Infrastructure - this is a tricky one. In our real-world examples, this could be highways or bus lines. And in a fantasy setting, this can be true of roads or carriage companies as a direct corollary. But more importantly these seeds should refer to what lies around the city. Those arable farmlands likely provide most of the food for the city. The river brings trade and the wall provides toll gate income for the city itself.
Up to this point we have been focused on this one example city. But what lies beyond it?
Now its decision time.
Those farmlands cannot go on forever, what lies beyond them? Maybe drop the seed of a vast swamp in one direction, with annual floods that wash between it and the sea every autumn with the rains. Perhaps the other direction holds a mountain range that rises from the plains and runs off the distant north, maybe these mountains hold dwarves that need to trade their ores with the farmers to keep their people fed.
So now you have three or more areas; the coastline, the swamp, the plains, and the mountains. Your world is not growing necessarily, you already drew the map after all, this is more like colouring in the blank spots with ideas and linking them together.
Over the mountains you could throw the seed of red stone mesas and beyond that the wide barrens leading to high desert. Beyond the mountains to the north lay ice floes and an endless winter.
When you work this way, try not to worry too much about making the geography make sense, these are just ideas to flesh out later with some techniques from the other methods. Once you have an idea about what the land looks like, its time to make some different seeds. These ones are necessarily a little more abstract.
What seed would need to grow for a civilization to thrive in those mesa badlands? Magic cowboys with guns? Wild west techno-mancers? Hmm, excuse me for a moment, I need to make notes about something. Just ignore me, keep reading.
What could survive in those swamps? Will it be a tribe of kobolds worshipping the ancient bones of a black dragon? Maybe villages along the fringes scour the swamp for resources like bog iron, peat, or medicinal herbs. And if you have never heard of bog iron before, there's a link at the end. It blew my mind that that was a real thing when I learned about it.
Maybe the capital has had a long history with raids from a sort of pirate faction. This may call for the seed of a hostile kingdom across the sea. What history do these two nations have? Has it always been hostile or is it a more recent falling out? Sow several seeds here along with 'kingdom across the sea' such as 'bad blood,' 'economic competition' or 'religious differences' and you can see how his relationship can help define what happens in your campaign.
I think at this point I've given enough examples, so I will wrap this all up.
***
Each of these three methods can be used in conjunction with each other once you get used to how each one works and can benefit you. Ultimately, these methods are only a starting point, find ways to break or ignore these ideas; it will always work out better when you chart your own path.
One of the quotes, and one I can't really place with who first said it, is:
"Before you break the rules, know the rules."
On that note, I hope you enjoyed these three articles, tell me about how you make your worlds and campaigns and how you come up with your ideas in the comments below.
Eric
Here is the bog iron link:
And in for some more learning I googled 'creating your own campaigns,' here's what came of it:
Comments