hello - help with my Campaign Design Questionnaire?

[Erebus]

Greetings - I'm new to the forums here and have thus far been impressed with a lot of the material I've seen here in the various ideas sections.

I was wondering whether you could help me flesh out some questions I want to ask myself when creating a new campaign setting.

Here is the theory:

1. I don't like to keep using the same elves, dwarves etc ecology in campaign settings as my PC's are so familiar with that it doesn't hold much wonder for them.

2. At the end of a campaign I wish I'd known everything about the world I now know at the start!

3. I find a lot of info in published campaign settings to be redundant and of little practical use in game play.


Anyway - it's far from perfect but here are the questions I have drafted for consideration in designing a campaign setting.   I welcome ideas on other questions that ought to be considered.  Thanks.


What are the three core species of the World?  (suggest chose untypical races - preferably from independant publishers such as Sword and Sorcery)


What geographical features support/compliment the dominance of these species?



Who are the major factions within the PC’s species?




What apparent threats exist as part of the natural environment?




What apparent threats exist as a result of sentient activity?



What secret threats exist?



What possibilities exist for unique exploration – between worlds?  in astral form?  after death?


Do God's exist?  How involved are they in mortal affairs.


~ I welcome other ideas for questions - thanks, Erebus.

[Agar]

This is a good topic and one you seem to have fairly well in hand. I also applaud you for being able to spell sentient correctly, I use spell check and still take about 5 minutes.

Maybe instead of flesh it out, you could post this in the Articles/ Essays thread? I'm sure others here have a similar kind of questionare they go through as they create new worlds. *nudges Moonhunter*

I can't think of anything constructive to add to your list and look forward to seeing your other thoughts.

[MoonHunter]

Some tips on how to better build a world...

http://www.openroleplaying.org/tools/tips/search.cgi?t=A+ruler+and+some+tape

http://www.openroleplaying.org/tools/tips/search.cgi?t=the+march

Other tips can get achieved at http://www.silven.com 's ezine and soon at gamecraft.rpgcitadel.com

I can not find my list on the net, so in the next few days I will pull up a list of things to consider when making a world.

[Erebus]

Thanks for your supportive comments - I'm hoping that by starting with lead races - which will be chosen for their interesting ecology - that many other ideas and themes will arise and - hopefully - fall into place!

[Strolen]

Stumbled across this in one of Moonhunter's lists.

http://www.io.com/~eighner/world_builder/world_builder_index.html

Asks some good questions to force some answers about your world. I know I found a text document full of this stuff but haven't stumbled across it yet.

[Strolen]

Ah ha, just never spent the time searching for it.

http://www.sfwa.org/writing/worldbuilding1.htm

Great list of questions and thoughts for you while you build up your world.

I compiled the thing and printed it and have highlighting all over it. Now just need to sit down and use it

[MoonHunter]

Now that we have split off the "I don't want to change Elves/Dwarves and Common Sucks thread", I felt I should bump this thread so it can get back on topic.

[MoonHunter]

The important things to consider when creating a game environment are: Terrain and Weather, Flora/Fauna, Resources, Races and People, Cultural Overview, Calendar and Holidays, Standards of weights and measures, Institutions (Religions, Governments, Guilds, Large Businesses), Laws and Morals, Family life, Social Classes, Political, Economics, Religion, Technology, Transportation, Arts/ Literature, Shadow (Criminals and those in the shadows of society), Power (Magik, psionics, etc), Paranormal (beasties, monsters, etc), History of the area, and Rule Modifications to accommodate the game environment.  

Each game environment be it a continent, country, city, temple, village, or dungeon/ place of adventure, needs these areas addressed.  

Any "sub area", a smaller region in the larger one, needs to keep the larger area's answers in mind.