I'm so glad I found your videos btw. You really make your videos fun to watch while still having a veritable cornucopia, if you will, of knowledge. Started watching your vids about a month ago and I think I've watched damn near all of them at this point. You've really inspired me and I think I'll be having a reply video or two coming up. Keep doing your thing, my main man.
You really have to put your self into that "time". Great point. Looking at things with a mopdern eye is a quick way to make the setting "off" and loses credability. Like having all windows made of glass, of allowing for instant information transfer between kingdoms without the use of magic, and so on. Great video man.
Ethnic certainly can be a source, really anything that creates difference between individuals works well here. Sounds like you have a lot of details in your game world which is great, I'm always pleased to hear when people are putting work into their games.
Sure brother reply videos are always welcome. Thanks, I appreciate you watching most of my videos. I try to engage the audience in an over the top comical fashion with a core of seriousness. I've been gaming for 25 years with the idea that this is not a game but an art form and it was something I could continue to improve upon through examination. Very glad to hear you've been inspired.
Apes with man-like intelligence and the jabronies eating ants. Nice This is probably one of the hardest parts of campaign creation, imho. So many things go into it and sometimes all that work is wasted depending on your players/wants/skills/intellect... My groups only deal with the most basic of concepts, this does not stop me from detailing all the cultures/politics/geography/racial tensions/military... so on. This is a must for long term campaign settings. Affects of time and all that.
the coastal and forest regions both worship ulric and the older country gods and have a strong elvish minority while the prairie provinces worship the newer city gods like sigmar and have a large dwarven population. the forest is inhabited by beastmen while the mountains have orcs to contend with. this gives a huge diversity of regions, peoples and factions just with what games workshop has written and i think is a great example of worldbuilding.
i've had a huge amount of fun making a warhammer fantasy game recently which is looking alot like game of thrones as the empire has 11 provinces, 2 churches and a wizards college. 2 of the provinces are on the coast, 3 are covered in forests, 5 are plains bordered by mountains and 1 is a mix of forests and plains bordered by mountains. i figured they would for distinct regions which usually support each other in the face of the other regions but squabble amongst themselves alot.
My favorite thing about world building is when I find myself putting myself into the world without thinking about it. The first town I ever built ended up being a post-state, Market Anarchist, society I only realized I had done this half-way through creation. lol
@phaedruslive I fully agree, it is a lot of fun to learn most of what's going on (at least as much as you can) through the game, keeping a notebook & paying attention. It helps you build up a great idea of the world, especially if you didn't know much going in. I do enjoy when the pcs can get involved in the political affairs of a world, this usually (but not always) is something that doesn't happen until higher levels.
i would recommend starting with geography and working backwards; steppes produce horses, horses fight best on steppes as horse archers, this makes skills of horsemanship and archery prized, they may worship twin gods of horses and archery, their mages may fire enchanted arrows and summon magical steeds.
@masterofflowers & that's another really good point, you have to look at how magic might change the society. While busters won't have access to magic the rulers well might & that can make the world look so much different than dark ages europe which it is so loosely based on.
@MusicMan53100 See that's a good detail, you've already started it. And although most players won't see them in that fashion at first, you can build a good amount of sympathy fro the serpentines like that which can make the story more complex & rich.
@phaedruslive I think what you are talking about has a lot of merit & can work well but in this video I'm not talking about what the pcs will know but how the world works. Once the DM knows how the world works, the DM can make the game far more believable. It keeps a constant place to tell stories from, that if the pcs ever get to, it'll still make sense. Also, having an idea of who might be going to war, ect, really adds to the game, as the pcs can see it in both countries.
@anotherelvis Could you explain filter a bit? I want to make sure I understand what you are saying here. Glad you're enjoying these videos, I still have about 5 more of them to do for the series, I think.
@woodwwad I found a couple places that run Pathfinder and D&D games and a couple others. I am going to sit in on some of those games and see who shows up and see if I get along with them, if I do I'll ask them to join my Sunday game. ALl the store games are Thursday and Fridays. So it shouldn't conflict with in store games.
@MusicMan53100 Sure, you'll do a lot of that. You'll have loads of ideas & even some of the good ones will have to be cast off, as they won't fit the overall choices you make. It is a lot of fun, but a lot of time, to make a world. It is good to think about nations that have had long terms of wars, & because of it, the people's of those places do not like each other.
@KorumEmrys Thanks brotherman, I totally agree with what you are saying but that's part of the reason I was pointing out that the DM can use this as a backdrop to their game. A place to tell the stories from & furthermore, I'm of the view that we must aim high to help others get to that point where they are doing better in the hobby. Where they are getting it, if you will. So I tried to make teaching how to weave a political landscape easy.
@MusicMan53100 Yes, you can certainly do that, but remember the power behind the throne & the fact that different countries might have totally different gov types.
@anotherelvis there is nothing wrong with the style you are talking about but it can be a bit limited, it can also be the beginning of a world where all sorts of stories are told. Of course this being a different style, it isn't my focus in this series. I've played in games like this, some of them worked really well, some of them came off a little light on detail. But then again that is the key having the details together.if your DM's done that, which is sounds like he has, the game will be fun
Always good to toss in something better than your typical fiefdom hierarchy. Players react in interesting ways when presented with very simple changes. I thought I was going to lose a few players when they were being chastised by a society where women held all political and religious positions of power.
@anotherelvis You're right, but that info might be relevant to a different concept in your group, so it is always better for the GM to have as many details about the world as possible. I totally agree you shouldn't be given more than you'd know. 1 of the big problems with poorly put together worlds is they make skills like local, royalty, history, ect worthless because there isn't any real details on these available. I never start pcs off with more info than they should have, learning is fun.
@Samwise7RPG Absolutely, I really enjoy the political intrigues being added as 1 of the colors of a game, I find the more aspects you involve in a game the more dynamic, fun and interesting it becomes which allows the world to become more fully formed & believable. Tekumel, did you do a review of that? I sounds familiar to me. Is that an Asia style game? Smoke & mirrors is such a full part of politics & can be applied so many ways, great response.
@woodwwad oh sure. I just prefer to feed pc's that information through images and encounters. They learn how things work by witnessing how various groups interact. Now if they were more directly involved in some political group then sure, by all means tell them every thing, but I think most adventurers would have a passing knowlege of events in the realm that weren't directly related to their adventures.
make them all as different and unique as possible within the same culture. i love to use the seven deadly sins and seven holy virtues as starting points but you can also use dnd alignment. i also like to lay out alliances and let the pc's have the power to change allegiances of themselves and others. my players convinced the wizards cabal to align with the temple without knowing the thieves guild is aligned with the wizards cabal, they have knocked over a chain of domino's without knowing it.
@woodwwad It does at timesbut you work with what you have. Its not as noticeable while I am playing the current campaign since most of the work is already done but sometimes wheni am planning stuff out for the next game I stop myself and say " Should I really bother with all this detail?" In the end I put it in just because I like to have a written account for my own records.
@MusicMan53100 Well, then they'll likely be jacked. It is fine to jack players, if the choices they make mean they should be jacked for them, that is good. Even the negative reinforces that their choices are relevant, making choices relevant is something that helps the game seem more real. So don't worry about that, just jack them, it'll work well.
@masterofflowers Yeah, that is hard. I like to make sure I've done as much detailing as possible, so that my players can really have a fully developed game. I hate when I'm playing a game & do something that exposes a DM just didn't think the course through or prepare and area, that lost in the headlights look is terrible & really takes me out of the game as a player. It is good you put the work in. You ever think about looking for more players, maybe on a net site?
each should have their own; dnd alignment, terrain type (farms, steppes, coast, mountains, forests, swamps, tundra, savannah, islands), school of magic, patron god (or saint), sport (fencing, jousting, wrestling, boxing, foot racing, swimming, climbing, hunting, horse racing), weapon, army (knights, horse archers, crossbowmen, bowmen, slingers, pikemen, siege engines, axe fighters, swordsmen) and fighting style
@MusicMan53100 cool man, I'll be playing pathfinder in about 2 hours. Via the planescape setting. When will you be starting? I'm happy for you, it sucks not having a group. Something I've spent a massive amount of time in life to make sure I always have, people to play with.
@masterofflowers Well even if your players don't deal with it directly they could feel many of the ramifications of the web of politics in so many ways. Maybe they go to buy weapons but find they are at 15 times the price because the kingdom of the dwarves has put a trade embargo against the kingdom they are in.
@wargokeith But is 4e really D&D? ;) Monster fighting should only be part of the game, a small part & yes, they spend way too much time on it. You really are right in everything you are saying there, I see it is a big problem. For the campaign setting I'm writing, it is a major thing I'm making sure to incorporate, so you have intense rp that can take place in a political setting, church, royal court, ect, not just exploring or fighting. D&D holds itself back a lot sadly, I try to address that
@masterofflowers Could you explain what you mean by a couple places you pre screen players? Side games can be useful, as they allow the other players to build up xp & get some levels on an additional character that lets you be a little more ruthless to their main characters in the main game, since they already have a quality build up back up, you can slide in as a replacement. But I know what it is like to loose a player do to work that you really need in the game.
I tend to think too many dm's info-dump political information on the players. In a world with very little long-distance infrastructure I would think the goings-on of various religious/political powers would be something of a draconic mystery for the common folk the players would probably be socializing with. Even a priest or bumpkin shirrif would have relativly no knowlege about recent developments in nearby constituencies. I think that mystique can actually draw the players in.
@woodwwad Very much the way I use it. They hear the rumblings and see the results but my players avoid most of things. Just their play style. I like to provide the full array even if they don't use it. They do see eefects since they spend a lot of time creating business ventures.
@masterofflowers Good luck, I've found most game shops have pretty terrible players, you can every once in a while roll that 00% I certainly would caution against taking a group of guys that know each other. Try to find the best of the of lot, you might be able to help raise the game level.
@MusicMan53100 Yes, well, there certainly is something to be said for experience. You'll have to let me know how the game goes. Did you make a character yet?
then think of strengths and weaknesses; strengths; their army moves fast and travels light. weaknesses; horse archers have trouble capturing or defending cities, steppes provide little wood, stone, metal or food.
@woodwwad I have and I have a couple places where I will pre screen some players but I have putting it off working a little more on my weight loss. I had to put my main game onhold to since one of my players now works on game nights. Tough since he is very much the "leader type" in the game and out. I don't want to moth ball the game, they are only half way through and we spent 2 years building it up and 6 years in game time. I did start a side ame with the other players while I figure whats up.
@TabletopTitan Lose them? Do you mean you thought they were going to leave the game? I think changing sex roles is very helpful. There is a race that is female dominated in my game & several cultures in other races that are. It is an easy way to change things up.
me and my freind, have just begun starting to plot a story, if thats the best way to describe it, we have just created 9 houses(more still to come) in a very game of thrones(ish) style, they are House Kildrum,Sylver,Edorin,Grilhu,Forge,Vankrin(based of my character James) and Zuhva, and we are still ploting characters for each family, i was wondeting if you could me some any ideas for said (its cool we have come up with sayings for each of the houses aswell)
@wargokeith My last name is Wood. The screen name is WoodWWAD not woodward (although, I get that a lot). It's me everywhere on the net, basically a take off on WWJD? But why would anyone care about that jabori when they can learn what would Ander do? Once you know that, you need know nothing else ;) I did a vid on the full origin of the name, it is a bit of a story. So, we aren't related to anyone named Woodward & I don't think I have any kin out there.
I HATE common & don't use it. There are two ways I do languages, either they were created by the gods & taught to their people, so everyone speaks the same language all over the world or their is at least a dozen different language for each race. 12 different kinds of goblin, 29 different kinds of dragon, ect. It is highly complicated though which can be a problem. I agree linguistics should be a very important skill in games.
Of course it can, it is a despite not because sort of situation though. My main problem with 4e is it is the worst rpg I've seen yet for teaching new players what the hobby truly is.
me and my freind, have just begun starting to plot a story, if thats the best way to describe it, we have just created 9 houses(more still to come) in a very game of thrones(ish) style, they are House Kildrum,Sylver,Edorin,Grilhu,Forge,Vankrin(based of my character James) and Zuhva, and we are still ploting characters for each family, i was wondeting if you could me some any ideas for said (its cool we have come up with sayings for each of the houses aswell)
