

                     Topics You Should Cover

Now I don't claim to be any WorldBuilding Expert, but in case
you're stuck for ideas, or just don't know how to begin, let me
suggest a few questions you may want to ask yourself when
designing a world.

Religion: What role do the Gods (if any) play? How did they come
 about? Did they create the respective races and/or the world,
 and if so, why? To what extent do they intervene in the affairs
 of mortals, and for what reasons? To what extent do they effect
 the lives of average commoners? Do all the Gods exist in a
 hierarchy or are there multiple opposing/cooperating
 hierarchies? Do the Gods each have a sphere of influence, and if
 so, what is the extent of their influence? Does the interaction
 between deities carry over into the mortal realm? If so, why?
 How do the Gods get their power? How regular and identifiable
 are miracles? Do Gods sneak around in disguise and occasionally
 have human offspring? Do different cultures have completely
 different sorts of Gods, or does the same God go by different
 names in different areas? Do Gods patronize specific types of
 people, and if so, why? Do Gods have "truenames" which can be
 used against them?

   Various Paradigms mentioned by Mary Kuhner
   (mkkuhner@genetics.washington.edu):

   - mortals are descended from the gods, and thus valued by them
   - mortals allow the gods to act in ways they are forbidden to
     act directly (the Gloranthan paradigm)
   - gods need worship (the Primal Order paradigm)
   - the gods do not give powers on purpose; powers are wrested
     from the gods by mortals (GURPS Madlands)
   - divine power is wielded by mortals via divine possession
     (GURPS Voodoo) and the god derives some form of pleasure
     from being embodied
   - some greater power has constrained the gods to obey certain
     structures, including granting powers
   - a mortal won a bet with the gods and they must live up to
     their end
   - being like the god in some fashion directly allows a mortal
     to access the god's power; the more similar, the more power
   - the gods grant power in return for something, such as
     service or sacrifice
   - the gods wish to see what mortals will do with the power
     (curiosity, malice, or parental lesson-teaching)

Magic: How powerful are mages in the campaign world? How many
 exist per X population? How difficult is it to become a mage?
 How rare are magic items? Are they common conveniences or items
 of wonder? How often is the commoner's life touched by magic?
 What is the commoner's attitude toward magic and mages?
 Assuming there are priests, what is the church's attitude
 toward mages? Are there any peculiar natural wonders such as
 floating islands, lighter-than-air metals, forests full of
 spirits and so forth? What about man-made or god-made wonders?
 What is the origin and explanation for magic? Are there multiple
 types and sources of magic? Is it dependable, like a science,
 or chaotic, making it risky and dangerous?

Civilization: How civilized in the world overall? Are there great
 cities by the score, or is humanity at the relative mercy of
 various monsters which roam the land? Are there powerful armies
 which scour the countryside, destroying monsters and bandits?
 Are there paved roads with numerous inns at regular intervals
 which allow comfortable travel from place to place? Or is every
 journey a difficult one fraught with danger, people only
 traveling in caravans of a hundred or more if they are wise?

Politics: Is humanity (or the dominant PC race) wrapped up in a
 single empire or republic or confederation of states? Or are
 there many small and independent nations, each with their own
 governments and rulers who answer to no one save themselves and
 their respective populations? Are there any lingering tensions
 or good feelings between neighboring nations over particularly
 noteworthy incidents in history, either ancient or recent?

    Tip from John Novak (jsn@cegt201.bradley.edu):

    No matter what the precise nature of your political setup
    always try to include _two_ dimensions of political swing.
    If there's only one spectrum, things get boring pretty
    quickly, because you can always figure out who wants what,
    and which side they're likely to be on. But include two
    dimensions, and you can have shifting alliances, temporary
    coalitions, and manipulations behind the scenes causing
    strange bedfellows.

Races: Which are the most dominant races? How well do they get
 along? Have they warred with each other in the past? Do they
 worship different Gods or simply different aspects of the same
 Gods? Do they keep to their own countries, or do they mix freely
 within single states? Are there any lingering tensions or good
 feelings between specific racial groups over particularly
 noteworthy incidents in history, either ancient or recent?

Technology & Progress: Has gunpowder been mastered for use in
 cannons or helium for use in balloons? Are lead or copper pipes
 used for plumbing in large cities, bringing water and sewage
 service directly into the home? Are books common? Libraries?
 Universities? What is the percentage of literacy? Has the world
 been mapped relatively well, or are there large areas where no
 explorer has ventured? Have birds been domesticated and trained
 to carry messages from place to place, or is magic utilized for
 sending important messages over a long distance, or is all
 communication held to the speed of horse or ship? Are mass-
 production techniques utilized in any of the major industries?
 Are there banks from which a commoner can both deposit money and
 borrow? Is paper currency utilized? How many people can one-
 hundred farmers feed (aside from themselves)?

Miscellaneous: Are there any unusual forms of currency? Are there
 unusual or magical types of weather? Are there any unusual laws
 of the player characters' homeland which the players should know
 about? What about religious rituals? Customs?

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