Is my world over-written?

Mollisol

Mollisol

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Hi y'all. I'm wondering how to tell when my worldbuilding is and isn't covering interesting subjects and being necessary for RPing. In other words, if it's over-written.

For context to this question:

I've got a roleplay in the works, designed for four player characters (each of the four "roles" has a specific way of interacting with magic, and that's as much as I pre-define them). The setting is fifty years after the "apocalypse" of a futuristic planet. The apocalypse was brought on by a psychic "vortex"* descending over the planet, causing a period of extreme weather, breaking technology, mutating animals, and bringing about widespread and unexplained mental health disasters. After this happened, the world was able to rebuild somewhat, scraping together technology in a world of scarce resources. Some people can also interact with the vortex to do what's basically magic.

That is the basic idea of the setting. The additional worldbuilding I have includes:
  • Three main continents for the planet (each is continent is one country, for simplicity; the four characters start out on one and are trying to get to another to fulfill their epic quest)
  • Climate and unique resources for each continent
  • A basic overview of the languages (there's a "common" language, plus a native language for each country)
  • Culture for each of the countries, with some information about the pre-apocalypse world and some about the remnants, including:
    • General values
    • General sound of language
    • Naming conventions
    • Materials, colors, and general look of clothing
  • How government, economic systems, and religion present themselves after the apocalypse
  • What technology is available
  • How each role/profession interacts with the vortex and what effects they can produce

The more I write about it, the more my gut says "this is too much; you're weighing down your game." I just am not sure what I should cut out.

*yes, this is based on Apocalypse World, but it diverges from it a fair bit
 
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I think you have a great worldbuilding process in mind and you can never write too much! Just keep expanding and making things greater!
 
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I find the best way to look at it is whether you're writing it like a history book... or a textbook on history. If the subject matter within your worldbuilding is interesting and you're offering information that's pertinent to the roleplay itself, then length isn't so much an issue. You just have to watch that you aren't watering weeds. If something feels extraneous, delete it. Don't get too wrapped up in details that won't matter to the overall story. :)

And from what I'm reading, I wouldn't say you're overdoing it at all.
 
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Every little bit contributes to the overall feel of the story. From what I'm seeing, you're doing a fine job. It's always a good idea to know the different details that make your world what it is, but sometimes people can be overwhelmed by too much information.

Cultural and language outlines are an excellent idea if the characters are going to be from these various nations. The more information they have, in this case, the easier it will be to make a fitting character. Detailed naming conventions are definitely a good idea here as well. You're on the right track!

Overall, just be wary. Like in a book, you want to present just enough information to bring the world to life, but not enough that the mystery is lost. If a part of your world would be better in the 'shadows' so to speak, then so be it! Let the characters and players discover it for themselves.
 
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Dipper said:
Every little bit contributes to the overall feel of the story. From what I'm seeing, you're doing a fine job. It's always a good idea to know the different details that make your world what it is, but sometimes people can be overwhelmed by too much information.

Cultural and language outlines are an excellent idea if the characters are going to be from these various nations. The more information they have, in this case, the easier it will be to make a fitting character. Detailed naming conventions are definitely a good idea here as well. You're on the right track!

Overall, just be wary. Like in a book, you want to present just enough information to bring the world to life, but not enough that the mystery is lost. If a part of your world would be better in the 'shadows' so to speak, then so be it! Let the characters and players discover it for themselves.
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Elle Joyner said:
I find the best way to look at it is whether you're writing it like a history book... or a textbook on history. If the subject matter within your worldbuilding is interesting and you're offering information that's pertinent to the roleplay itself, then length isn't so much an issue. You just have to watch that you aren't watering weeds. If something feels extraneous, delete it. Don't get too wrapped up in details that won't matter to the overall story. :)

And from what I'm reading, I wouldn't say you're overdoing it at all.
Click to expand...
Elle Joyner said:
I find the best way to look at it is whether you're writing it like a history book... or a textbook on history. If the subject matter within your worldbuilding is interesting and you're offering information that's pertinent to the roleplay itself, then length isn't so much an issue. You just have to watch that you aren't watering weeds. If something feels extraneous, delete it. Don't get too wrapped up in details that won't matter to the overall story. :)

And from what I'm reading, I wouldn't say you're overdoing it at all.
Click to expand...
Katori said:
I think you have a great worldbuilding process in mind and you can never write too much! Just keep expanding and making things greater!
Click to expand...

Thanks, y'all. This helps a lot.
 
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If you're trying to get a really streamlined version of your world info (it's fine for you as the Gm to have tons of extra notes for yourself) you need only ask two questions:

Is this relevant to the present story?
Is this information most of the characters would have?

If the answer to both is yes, include it. Remember that you can always supply details on an as-needed basis.

For example, let's say you have pages and pages on an underground cultish religion. If it's not super well known, then all you need to put in the general info is that it exists, it's super shady, and it's got something to do with devil worship.

If a player decides their character has an affiliation with this cult, they may request more info since a member of the cult (or someone who know people on it, was kidnapped by them as a child, etc.) would know more details about what they do, how they work, and who their key figures are.
 
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Minibit said:
If you're trying to get a really streamlined version of your world info (it's fine for you as the Gm to have tons of extra notes for yourself) you need only ask two questions:

Is this relevant to the present story?
Is this information most of the characters would have?

If the answer to both is yes, include it. Remember that you can always supply details on an as-needed basis.

For example, let's say you have pages and pages on an underground cultish religion. If it's not super well known, then all you need to put in the general info is that it exists, it's super shady, and it's got something to do with devil worship.

If a player decides their character has an affiliation with this cult, they may request more info since a member of the cult (or someone who know people on it, was kidnapped by them as a child, etc.) would know more details about what they do, how they work, and who their key figures are.
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Very useful! Thank you. I don't have a lot of specifics like that, but it does help if I want to create those.
 
I don't see any issue with including more lore than what is needed. All of it can add to the immersion of the world as a whole -- making it feel more fleshed-out than just a generic apocalypse-verse. Worst case scenario, you wind up including some stuff that the players don't really use. But that makes the situation really no different than if that extra lore wasn't included. So, you might as well include it, for the possible benefits. There really isn't much to lose.

The only possible drawback I can think of to including all this extra info, is that some players might be scared away by information overload. But some players do like seeing a lot of lore, and, if you're only planning on a four-player RP, then I don't think you'll have to worry about not having enough players. BUT if you're still concerned about it, perhaps it would be best to make sure the essential info is organized separately from the more extra info in your OOC. Like, "here's what you need to know in order to be in the RP", and then "here's a bunch of extra stuff that's kind of cool to know but not as important", just so that players don't feel like they need to read all the info in the RP just to understand the premise well enough to make a character and participate in the OOC.

Does that make sense?
 
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Kagayours said:
I don't see any issue with including more lore than what is needed. All of it can add to the immersion of the world as a whole -- making it feel more fleshed-out than just a generic apocalypse-verse. Worst case scenario, you wind up including some stuff that the players don't really use. But that makes the situation really no different than if that extra lore wasn't included. So, you might as well include it, for the possible benefits. There really isn't much to lose.

The only possible drawback I can think of to including all this extra info, is that some players might be scared away by information overload. But some players do like seeing a lot of lore, and, if you're only planning on a four-player RP, then I don't think you'll have to worry about not having enough players. BUT if you're still concerned about it, perhaps it would be best to make sure the essential info is organized separately from the more extra info in your OOC. Like, "here's what you need to know in order to be in the RP", and then "here's a bunch of extra stuff that's kind of cool to know but not as important", just so that players don't feel like they need to read all the info in the RP just to understand the premise well enough to make a character and participate in the OOC.

Does that make sense?
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Alright, that does make sense :)
 
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