World Building 101
28 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
A world is a great, big, wonderful, beautiful, daunting thing to create. For beginner GMs, I recommend starting a game by using a module with a pre-created world and characters to go along with it. This is not to say, of course, that experienced GMs do not or should not use modules. I love modules, they’re a fantastic thing to have, and they are especially good to keep on hand for a quick solution to a proverbial gaming itch. But, for some of us, we just want to make stuff, and the control freak inside wants us to have control over all aspects of the world.
The biggest question of world creation is this: Where the heck do I start?
The following series of blogs will go through various details of world creation and techniques of where and how to start. This is simply what works for me; you may have to tweak things for your own personal style of thinking, pick a few of the suggestions out of order, omit a few, add a few, etc. I change the order up all the time; the main thing is that you have the basic elements to consider to start. The nice thing about world creation is that it’s yours to own – as with anything else in gaming, however, please remember that once you bring it to your players, you begin to share in the ownership. Gaming is about always continuing to create and build upon what’s there in a group.
Step 1: 20 questions.
First things first, let’s make a list of all the things to consider when making a world. Some things are stuff you don’t always consider, or take for granted, so it helps to slow down for a moment and think about little itty bitty detail. You don’t have to fill all that detail in right away, but it is definitely something to go back to as an eventuality. We’re going to do a few questions at a time so that I can give a little explanation of each. I challenge everyone to reply to this post with your own brainstorming, and create a world right along with me — I’m going to use this as an opportunity to get my own creative juices flowing and create something brand new I haven’t done before. Even if you create this world and never use it, it will have given you some valuable practice. So, here goes!
#1. What kind of geography does my world have? – The explanation of this question is fairly simple, but we forget just how much there is to consider when we talk about “geography.” How many continents does the world have? How much of the world is covered in water? What kind of water? What sort of topography is there in each region – mountains, plains, etc? This part of planning takes some time, but knowing all of these details and spending the time to consider them is what will make your players’ experiences in that world tangible and exciting.
#2. What kind of religion exists in my world? – Here is where you consider another slew of information. How many deities? One? Twenty? (none? There’s nothing saying that you HAVE to have any sort of religion. Anarchy is awesome!) Who are those deities? What do they represent? Who follows them? Are they regional? Are all other regions aware of their existence? There are so many things to consider when dealing with religion, this is another topic that will take some planning, but will enhance the overall richness of your world.
#3. How do people get from point A to point B in my world? – Travel is fun! So, what kind exists in my world? Horses? Giant Ostriches (cough, chocobo!)? Airships? Trains? Boats? Dragons? Here is where you can play with all sorts of unique and interesting ideas. Maybe travel varies from region to region. Maybe there is only one way to travel to get from one particular region to another. While this seems like a minor thought, it really puts spice into what the players get to experience.
#4. What is the letter of the Law? – Each region probably has a varied law about it. Or, maybe there is one collective “Law of the Land” that unites the entire world rather than just individual countries. Either way, knowing what is “allowed” or not in your world is extremely important – otherwise, you or your players have no basis for actions and consequences. They’d just be running along blind when, if they are supposed to be someone who lives and exists in that world, they would obviously have an idea of the law. Or once again, anarchy. Anarchy is good.
#5. What kinds of races are there? – Are there races? Is there just one? How did they come to be? How do they feel about all other races? What do they look like? Where do they live? What do their people stand for? What languages do they speak? …I could go on and on about the things to consider regarding race, but you get the idea. There is absolutely no end to the questions and answers to this one. You can have as few or as many races as you want, but make sure you add spice and detail to all of them, or they will feel contrived and flat.
So, yeah, 5 questions that, while they seem simple at face value, are enormously complex. Take some time, think about them, and you can always add more later. You don’t have to complete all of your race ideas before you move on to regional or religion ideas. Hop around, do what works best for you. I usually do a little bit at a time from each section and build until I feel comfortable with where I’m at. In my follow up blog, I will start my own world creation by answering my own questions, then I will add on more questions and things to consider. Again, I challenge you to do this yourself — if you don’t post all of your details here, at least share some of your findings with us!
Now, time for bed…the down side of being on steroids for this pneumonia is that it keeps me up, despite how exhausted I am. The plus side? I can’t stop thinking and being inspired! Now if only I could do that every day on a normal day…
And, just because, here is a quote from an old game of mine that was uttered by a friend:
“I’m not stupid! …I’m just…not intelligent.” -Diane, as Beatrix
Gaming on the fly
26 Jul 2011 1 Comment
You know what they say about the best laid plans, right? ..Ok, so I don’t really know the full ending to the quote either, but the fact of the matter is this: no matter how much you plan, the players will always find a way to screw it up. Nice of them, right?
At some point or another, the players fill up on the bread crumb trail that you leave them and start wandering off on their own to seek new paths, paths you haven’t thought of yet, plans you haven’t laid. When this happens, follow the number one law of the universe:
Don’t panic.
When players decide to venture out and try something new, there are a few ways to handle it. Here are the wrong ways:
- Force them to go where you want them to go. This never works, and only ends up causing your players frustration. It’s a game, they should be able to make their own choices, right? Right — even if that means messing up your plans.
- Kill them. They know too much! This is just an underhanded method to getting your way, and it’s just plain not nice. Don’t do it.
- Use an NPC to take charge and change the course. If it fits the character to be uneasy about walking into a werewolf infested forest, sure, then protest. But if you’re trying to take control and move the players to your whim for no other reason than you’re too scared to roll with their idea, then this ties up into my first point, and shame on you!
There are good ways to deal with (and prepare for) players who are a little more adventurous and have a tendency to go out and try unexpected things. For those of you who know “The Talking Sword Guy”, you know that he’s ruined more than one of my plans before just because he’s about ten times smarter than I am (or, I guess if we’re looking at it in my favor, we can just say he’s a devious jerk, and I’m simply too nice). But, rather than getting mad, I rolled with it, and stuff ended up working out in the end. Some good ways to handle deviations:
- Prepare a few “alternate rooms” ahead of time. Now, let’s face it – if the players move off the beaten path, they’d be none the wiser if you take the snake they were SUPPOSED to meet and move it to where they’re going anyway. This, however, is what I call cheating! Prepare a few back-ups, and if the players start to become bold or adventurous, reward them with a little bit of extra forethought (and possibly even a bit of extra loot).
- Be ready to improvise! Don’t fall so in love with your story that you’ll become upset if it doesn’t unfold the way you wrote it in your mind. Remember that gaming is an interactive experience and that you have to share control of the story’s outcome with your players. So if a player doesn’t fall head-over-heels in love with the NPC you wanted them to, don’t force the issue; let it go, and take another angle.
- Let your players guide you a little. When your players assert their right to “go where they wanna and do what they wanna”, take a small step back and let them lead for a minute. Find out what they’re trying to accomplish by threatening the innkeeper, and then play with them in order to make them work hard for what it is they need. You may not have had plans for that innkeeper, but suddenly, if they take note of him and need something from him, he’s a character, and you’d better roll with it. Enjoy being in the spectator’s seat for a little bit!
There is a lot more to ‘head’s-up’ gaming than I can cover in a single blog post. I’ll certainly talk more about it again; for now, I welcome you to share your personal experiences as players and GMs with situations like this. For now, I’m up too late as it is and I’m going to go force my butt into bed. Good-night!
Distractions in Gaming
05 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
Considering my lack of posts lately, I’m not sure that I’m the best person to be lecturing on about distractions, but I might as well try for the camera anyway. Have you ever had a situation where people bring distracting objects to your games, thereby creating a lack of focus and drive for the entire session? Sometimes not only from them, but from the entire party? I have a few suggestions on what items/activities you should allow, as well as what you shouldn’t – I also have a few ideas for how to control players with ADOS (Attention Deficit — OOOOOH, SHINY!!!!).
There are some things that I have no problem allowing a player to bring to a gaming session. However, there are certain things that are a little too distracting and take away from the experience. Let’s talk about the allowances first:
- Homework. This is my number one “always okay at the table” activity. During the years where I experienced most of my gaming, I was living on a college campus with a bunch of other students. Inevitably, always, we all had homework. I would have much rather had a player bring their homework with them and work on it while participating than skip the session or stay at home (incidentally, if gaming while homeworking is too distracting for them, never ever give a player grief for canceling a session for that reason). Homework is always ok!
- Drawing. I love having artists in my games. It’s really neat to see what their interpretation of a character or scene is. Most often, doodling while participating in another activity (lecturing, gaming, etc) actually helps the doodler focus. Also, drawing is a way for many people to become inspired and get excited about what’s going on. Artists are always welcome at my table.
- Hand-crafting. Knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, jewelry-working, or anything that occupies half the mind and a player’s hands (as long as they pony up for ‘hand check!’) is perfectly acceptable. These sorts of activities lend themselves to being able to allow the player to focus on multiple things at once, so I have no issues allowing them at the gaming table.
So, now let’s talk about what shouldn’t be allowed at the table:
- Portable Gaming Devices. The reason you’re in a tabletop game is to have an adventure. Why would you choose to bring another adventure to the table with you? I view playing a DS or a gameboy as being rude, because I think that all players should be able to focus on what’s happening with each other, not just what’s happening to them at any given time. Now, if you’re taking 3 hours for a first session to roll up characters, help each person individually, etc, that’s a different story — but, if it’s a regular session, no, that just ain’t cool.
- Television. Not only does this distract one person, but it distracts every person. The TV should not be allowed on during game, period. Same goes for radios and other media. This bullet-point requires very little further explanation.
- Texting. This one is kind of tough for me. I think that text sounds should be turned off, and as long as it’s done reasonably, it’s not a huge deal because it’s not distracting if no sound is associated with it. However, if you’re going to just sit there and ignore the world while having a text conversation, it’s not really worth coming to game. So, texting is one of those gray areas.
- Internet Surfing/laptop computers. Wikipedia will eat your soul. So will facebook. And youtube. And any manner of other things. The internet is distracting, and should be off-limits during a game session (unless it is required for homework!). Laptops are ok, as long as they are not used for playing games (solitaire included) and are disconnected from the internet.
If you think of others, please do post your comments here. I will follow later this week with advice on how to control easily distracted players, and how to offer incentives for remaining undistracted. In the meantime, have a lovely week!
Music and Gaming – Part 2
01 Mar 2011 4 Comments
Hi, everyone! Boy, the weekends go by too darned fast. On the plus side, I’ve joined a new game and I’m stretching my horizons with an out of the norm character for me, so it should be a lot of fun.
Now, onto the real topic, which is a continuation of the music discussion from last week. Let’s talk about selecting and building a soundtrack, first.
Know your Characters. Usually, character-specific songs will come to me several sessions into the game, after I’ve gotten a feel for who everyone is and what their goals are. Then I start matching a specific song or group of songs to each character. I usually play these songs during specific and significant moments for those characters (an epic deciding battle, a visit from their past, etc), but that works for my groups.
If your group is a “non-music” kind, I find that people still enjoy knowing that you thought up some really cool songs that fit their character, and your players will be happy to receive these songs on a soundtrack CD. It’s a great way to get them excited and into the mood of gaming from week to week. Even if you’re not playing the music at the session, you can bet the song is running through their head while all of the epic events unfold.
Listen to the Lyrics. I am a fan of words, and music with lyrics is usually the best way to equate a song to a character. By listening to the lyrics, even if the song isn’t that player’s “type” of music, they can still find something to relate to and enjoy.
Try a few methods of implementation. Some excellent points of concern were brought up in the comments of my last post regarding this topic. I’m going to reiterate some of the ideas that were discussed. Music during sessions is not for everyone – some players find it distracting, and some GMs just find that messing with it is too troublesome. But, there are a few ways to try this:
- Make a pre-set soundtrack of music that fits your mood and leave it running on a CD in the background. Keep it quiet, and don’t mess with it – leaving it on automatically means that you won’t have to stop and move stuff around and halt your game.
- Make a playlist on your computer and put songs that are specific to moments you’ve had planned at the top of the playlist. That way, they are easy to access.
- Just have a few songs selected prior to the evening and use them as the moment dictates.
This won’t work for everyone, but these are simply a few ways one could attempt to implement music into your gaming sessions.
I run mostly high fantasy games, so these music suggestions are somewhat specific to that genre, although several of these groups could be used in any genre. Below are the names of some groups I’d recommend to those who are interested in playing with music. Good luck!
- Within Temptation
- The Deviations Project
- Nightwish
- ES Posthumus
- Era
- Apocalyptica
- Bond
I’m sure there are more, and I will add them later. Also, suggestions are welcomed.
Music and Gaming – Part 1
12 Feb 2011 3 Comments
There are lots of ways to enhance a gaming experience, but perhaps one of the simplest is through music. I am forever the advocate of acting, acting, acting! – but, for those GMs who are a bit on the shy side and are looking for a simpler way to get their feet wet in immersive gaming, making a soundtrack for your game is a nice, easy start.
Selecting your music:
Now, you’d think that this is a no-brainer, but I’ve seen this overlooked before: pick music that is appropriate to your genre. For example, if you’re running a high fantasy game, don’t play “Duel of the Fates” from Star Wars. I know the song is cool, and that it isn’t really specific to outer-space, but the music is so well known by everyone that it will take your players right out of fantasy and straight into the famous battle of Qui-Gon versus Darth Maul.
When selecting music for your game, consider your player types. Consider what kind of music will get their blood pumping so that they feel excited during a battle, or what music will help to subdue them so they feel appropriately sad as their favorite NPC dies in their arms (and, if you play this song, you’re just a cruel jerk, but at least you’re a funny cruel jerk).
When I select music for a game, I usually opt for lyric-less songs to play in the background quietly while we play. Make a playlist that is ambient music specific to your genre, music that doesn’t leap out and mean “this is playing because something needs to happen right now.” This allows for an easier transition when you specifically switch the song to fit a particular moment.
When choosing a song for an epic battle, or a life-altering moment for a character, I am a fan of music with lyrics. I try to choose music with lyrics that are specific to a character’s feelings, background, emotions, etc. Here is a good example:
I had a character named Eternia Skyshard that I played in a long-running game with a few friends. I made an entire soundtrack for this game – each character had several songs specific to them. At any rate, the basic thing to know about Eternia is that she had a fear of thunderstorms (for a complex string of reasons) and rain was a recurring theme for her throughout the game and all of my writings with her.
Her song is “Stand in the Rain” by Superchic, and I still think it is appropriate today.
The lyrics make a song more powerful to the moment, to the person. Even if your players have never heard the song before and they can’t listen to what it means until later, they will still come back to you and say, “Dang, that was cool.” People like it when you give specific thought to their character, even if the music isn’t completely within their normal tastes.
I think that music moves our real world – so why shouldn’t it move our made-up worlds, too?
Stay tuned for Part 2: Implementing Music and Building a Soundtrack
