R
Revision
Guest
Original poster
What makes a world builder? Is it the dedication to settings? The realization that the world around a character impacts them just as much as any other character? A love of maps, charts, and or design? It can be any, all, or none of these things. For you, it may be something different. But in the end, it boils down to one thing: World builders like to create worlds. Worlds may not be just planets, but cities, regions, ships, club houses, anything that would be considered the backdrop and background info if this was a play.
World builders may be Dedicated or Casual, may love one aspect of world building and not care for the others, or may be devoted to creating lush realities full of complexity. They may enjoy the artistic aspect or the written, may work from generators and flesh out the results or may do everything from scratch. They can be anywhere in between and any combination of these things.
If you are just getting started as a world builder, then this part of the forum will be a valuable resource for you. In addition, here are some things to keep in mind.
1) No world is ever complete. Even the most detailed of worlds will be changed as the characters act upon it.
2) Find your own design style. The workshops offered here are biased, purposefully. People write about the techniques they know. Thus, the workshops are only meant to be a guide. Feel free to take what you need from them.
3) Don't worry if your first world is a pure flight of fancy. Write what is fun for you!
4) At the same time, if you request criticism, be prepared to get it.
5) While it is sometimes fun to borrow aspects of other created worlds and adapt them, it isn't exactly an upright action. Besides, it is infinitely more fun to create your own worlds, so please don't plagiarize.
6) If, on the other hand, you want to use old legendary components from the public domain, feel free! Just give them your own spin.
7) You WILL get overwhelmed. It is perfectly okay to ask for help or take a break when this happens. It happens quite often, especially with larger worlds. Just take a moment and relax. Play a round of your favorite game and let your mind pick the particular thing it wants to work on in your world.
8) Your world may be very linear in design. This is great! However, many people's aren't and will create chunks of different parts of their world, hopping back and forth and drawing the world together as though lacing a corset. Either way is fine. The way you design, brainstorm, and create is your own pet monster: it may seem harsh or scary to others, but it obeys you. Most of the time.
I hope you are interested in the wonderful experience that is world building. If you are, take a moment to check out the various threads and see what you can glean from them. Participate in discussions, comment on workshops or showcases. If you want, you can even sign up to apprentice to a master. And, as always, have fun!
World builders may be Dedicated or Casual, may love one aspect of world building and not care for the others, or may be devoted to creating lush realities full of complexity. They may enjoy the artistic aspect or the written, may work from generators and flesh out the results or may do everything from scratch. They can be anywhere in between and any combination of these things.
If you are just getting started as a world builder, then this part of the forum will be a valuable resource for you. In addition, here are some things to keep in mind.
1) No world is ever complete. Even the most detailed of worlds will be changed as the characters act upon it.
2) Find your own design style. The workshops offered here are biased, purposefully. People write about the techniques they know. Thus, the workshops are only meant to be a guide. Feel free to take what you need from them.
3) Don't worry if your first world is a pure flight of fancy. Write what is fun for you!
4) At the same time, if you request criticism, be prepared to get it.
5) While it is sometimes fun to borrow aspects of other created worlds and adapt them, it isn't exactly an upright action. Besides, it is infinitely more fun to create your own worlds, so please don't plagiarize.
6) If, on the other hand, you want to use old legendary components from the public domain, feel free! Just give them your own spin.
7) You WILL get overwhelmed. It is perfectly okay to ask for help or take a break when this happens. It happens quite often, especially with larger worlds. Just take a moment and relax. Play a round of your favorite game and let your mind pick the particular thing it wants to work on in your world.
8) Your world may be very linear in design. This is great! However, many people's aren't and will create chunks of different parts of their world, hopping back and forth and drawing the world together as though lacing a corset. Either way is fine. The way you design, brainstorm, and create is your own pet monster: it may seem harsh or scary to others, but it obeys you. Most of the time.
I hope you are interested in the wonderful experience that is world building. If you are, take a moment to check out the various threads and see what you can glean from them. Participate in discussions, comment on workshops or showcases. If you want, you can even sign up to apprentice to a master. And, as always, have fun!
