The Campaign Builder's Guild

Thanks! Always good to hear people are enjoying it. :)

Culture:
[note]Culture and Creatures are being posted in the discussion thread because they need more formalization/ideas/definition before I'm comfortable putting them in the setting thread[/note]One thing I've been pondering is the impact on overall culture of the world by the Great Old Ones being considered gods - present, physical beings worshipped compounded by the several reduction in the worship of existing religion, especially the Judeo-Christian faiths. Here's what I've come up with so far:

[spoiler]-Decreased sexual repression. Quite frankly and cruedly, the Old Ones don't give a fuck who or how often we fuck, so after 400 years of the gods not caring people are much more sexually liberated/degenerate depending on your viewpoint and the type of changes. In the extreme, polyamory, homo/bisexuality, polygamy, incest, and omnisexuality (a willingness to couple with sentient nonhumans) are not viewed as strongly distasteful as they were in the 1790s or even the modern world, though monogamous heterosexual relationships are still the most common type.  On the less extreme end of the scale, clothing is much less chaste, giving it a mixture of renaissance/early victorian aesthetics with modern standards of modesty.

-Increased women's rights/equality. For many Elder Things and Old Ones, the very concept of gender - or gender roles - is alien and strange, so there's no religiously enforced marginalization of women, and social enforcement is minimal - though a more promiscuous woman is still viewed more negatively than the same trait in a man. Chivalry isn't dead, it was barely born, and its remnants are less men protecting/courting women but rather warriors protecting/courting the opposite sex with less physical prowess. It still lingers more strongly in cultures with a more deeply rooted bias prior to the Arrival, but even there it's less frequent or strong.

-[note=NOT RACIST]A classmate of mine reading over my notes considered this to be a racist/culturalist point of view. I feel the need to defend this -I'm not saying tribal cultures were primitive and ignorant, but that the culture they had was more flexible and more easily accommodated the idea of Old Ones than the more rigid societies we saw in the "civilized" world - in fact, this is an advantage, not a hinderance to them.[/note] Increase technological advancement among tribal cultures, particularly in the area of biotech. This is due to two factors - first, tribal cultures are more likely to be ruled by a Lesser Old One than a Great Old Ones, many who see a greater need to give their followers biotech/wierdtech than the Great Old Ones since the L.O.Os lack the ability to challenge G.O.O's directly, and because the religion and culture of tribal cultures had a much easier transition to the idea of their Gods being physical present and their technology to simply be new lifeforms born from the gods than cultures with more technological advancement prior to the arrival - if most of your weaponry/technology is already based around things you find naturally, it's easier to adjust to seemingly natural technology.

-Increase "domestication"/training of animals and creatures since more "useful" and tractable lifeforms arose - as well as alchemical discoveries that could make such creatures more easily tamed.

-Increased secularism. Ironically, the gods being physical and present has lead to a decrease in dogmatic behavior and zealotry, since one can ask the god or his Servitors for clarification as opposed to relying on human interpretation. Granted, the response will rarely be a coherent dictate if directly inquiring a Great Old One - they do not frequently (ever) answer questions such as "Is this right." However, Servitors do, and are viewed as speaking for the Great Old One - a Servitor has enough of a human mindset to understand what a person means by right and wrong and enough of a connection to their Great Old One to translate what their particular Patron wants into a moral framework humans can understand. However, those who hold on to pre-Arrival religions are even more devout in the face of persecution, similar to what we saw in the Jewish faith and early Christianity during Roman persecution. Paradoxically, observation of the faith/attendance to religious gatherings is still very high, largely due to the fear that failure to be seen as devout could result in god eating you.[/spoiler]

Creatures:
This has always been, easily, my favorite part of setting design, and I've largely ignored it up until now since it's not as integral to Terra Macabre as it is to more classic fantasy/sci-fi settings, or the creatures I initially thought of were much more rooted in Lovecraft's mythos as opposed to alterations of existing lifeforms. However, I had a brain flash and can't ignore it any longer, so here's a number of creatures I thought of that fit the setting - these are mostly terrestrial (though some have the capability of naturally entering the Aether), native to Earth, and lack the sentience needed to be classified fully as Nascent Things. Note that those with names rooted in mythology are due to superficial similarities to the creatures they reference in either appearance or behavior and not an actual case of these creatures being their mythological counterparts - they're simply good analogues and therefore humans found them easy to name.

[spoiler]
Ratweres - though they lack sentience, a Ratwere is a creature that appears as though it should - bipedal rodents, easily 3 feet tall, with rudimentary tool use. However, their tool use is only slightly more advanced than what we see in apes. Rateweres gather in large groups and are considered a menace to society as a whole, since they can breed rapidly and pose a significant threat to Nascent villages and frontier civilizations, though they rarely have the numbers needed to threaten larger societies.

Manticores - Flying creatures mutated from apes, Manticores have an eerily human countenance in their face, a body similar to that of a tree-dwelling ape though much larger, a venomous tip to their tail, and large wings structured like a featherless bird's. They're predatory animals but can be tamed, and on some skyships serve as mounts. Manticores can survive without aid in the Aether.

Howler Bats - despite their name not mutated from bats but rather from Howler Monkeys, Howler Bats are essentially flying apes with their forearms mutated into batlike wings - gaining their name both from their distinctive sounds and the structure of their wings.

Carnequines - also called Hellhorses, Carnequines are horses with sharpened teeth and a predatory diet, competing with wolves for the same ecological niche and often preying upon their herbivorous cousins.

Floatwhales - Whales that developed the ability to naturally refine phlogiston and create "air sacks" that enable them to be skyborn, Floatwhales are lagely docile and used by some cultures/creatures in place of skyships despite being smaller than their mechanical counterparts. Floatwhales can survive in the Aether and many have begun to roam far form Earth.

Drakes - Iguanas given broad wings that resemble those of an insect more than their mythological counterparts "bat wings", drakes lack any sort of flaming breath weapon but, like many iguanas, can exhale huge amounts of air to stun/disorient prey - breath that is typically around 150 degrees F, making it feel like the flaming breath they were ascribed in mythology. One particular breed, much larger than most, are called dragons and prey upon floatwhales, meaning they've taken to the Aether in a case of prey migration, and are the only species of drake capable of breathing in the Aether. All species of drake are considered a menace to ships and villages, though Aqua Drakus, an alchemical substance that can be injected directly into their skulls, have made some into animals as tractable as domesticated dogs.

Hydras - land based snakes, often as large as anacondas with a venomous bite, typically with 3-5 heads that give them their name. Unlike their mythological counterparts, they cannot regrow severed heads - though a severed head will grow a tail and survive as a single, independent serpent if severed close enough to the main trunk.

Krakens - Giant squids that can tear apart ships.

Crovus Rex - A mutated crow bigger than an eagle, Crovus Rex is a highly debated topic because they seem to have a language and culture so may actually qualify as Nascent Things, though they lack tool use and have yet to communicate with any other intelligent life-form. They resemble crows with spinal ridges along their backs and a third blood red eye directly in the center of their skull.

Trolls - Large reptiles with simian bodies and regenerative properties - though not as rapid as in typical fantasy, they still can regrow a severed limb and heal form most wounds given time. Predatory but not highly intelligent, they are tamable enough to serve as guard beasts.

Swampgrasps - an evolved mollusk, swampgraps are unique for their three elongated radula (the tongue of a mollusk) that can extend up to 20 feet to grab prey, sea based creatures that often prey on ships and coastlines.

Glideapus - an octopus with a flattened body and two of it's tentacles flattened to serve as wings, Glidapus can, like floatwhales, naturally refine  phlogiston, though they use it as a means of propulsion instead of gliding, essentially making them jet-propelled areal creatures. The remaining four tentacles drag behind the body, and the glidapus will swoop over prey and grab it, typically snapping its spine from the sheer velocity of the grasp. Glidapus can survive in the Aether.

Parakrill - small arthropods that developed a membranous parachute allowing them to float, they reproduce incredibly rapidly and have become the basis of the aerial ecosystem and are rapidly spreading across the Aether.

Phages - though these creatures are not defined very well, the basic idea behind them are creatures that, instead of having a cellular basis for their biology, are essentially mutliviral lifeforms that reproduce in a horrific, larger version of their microscopic forbearers.[/spoiler]

At sparkletwist's suggestion, minor modification to the last point under culture to explain how this mindset works, since before it implied a G.O.O would give you a straight answer, but that's not the case.

Now comes the big decision that's gonna influence how I make the setting from here - do I offere a detailed description of each country/region, what I'm calling the forgotten realms approach, or do I go the route of only giving one or two towns details as well as descriptions of some major global players and other than that putting setting design for the purposes of the game in the hands of the gm and players, a la the Dresden approach. One requires more work in setting, the other in system, so it's not a matter of lazy but which would be most interesting, thoughts?

I personally aim for an approach that gives detailed descriptions of cultures and countries, because that's my personal fixation - the small details that added to the whole picture make it special. So yeah - that'd be the option I'd choose of those two.

As you are well aware, I'm a huge fan of the FATE approach (since every FATE system I've read places world creation as part of character creation). That being said, it's not really a question that you should be asking us and more a question that you should be asking yourself. With that in mind; do you want to adhere to the previous tropes of FATE or do you want to break the mold and go with an atypical world design for the setting?

The choice is, ultimately, yours.

Quote from: Kalontas
I personally aim for an approach that gives detailed descriptions of cultures and countries, because that's my personal fixation - the small details that added to the whole picture make it special. So yeah - that'd be the option I'd choose of those two.

Out of curiosity, do you aim for that because you have the most fun designing it, or most fun reading it - if it's the former, than the alternate approach would probably make the setting more interesting to you.

Quote from: SabrWolf
As you are well aware, I'm a huge fan of the FATE approach (since every FATE system I've read places world creation as part of character creation). That being said, it's not really a question that you should be asking us and more a question that you should be asking yourself. With that in mind; do you want to adhere to the previous tropes of FATE or do you want to break the mold and go with an atypical world design for the setting?

The choice is, ultimately, yours.

Oh, I know it's mine, but I'm torn between both methods so figured I'd get some thoughts to help me collect my own. :P

What I'm kind of leaning towards is a mixed bag - giving some major players/groups and then a general 3-4 paragraph for each nation, but allowing the individual game masters to do the FATE approach of world creation, kind of a best of both worlds thing, but I'm not sure I could write that vaguely enough to be workable with the FATE style. Hence my request for assistance. :D

To say it plainly:
Dude. Just write the thing. lol

You know, as well as I do, that your biggest problem with the setting right now is going to be finishing. And right now? You're stalling on finishing cuz you're getting close to the end. You've been doing the GM'ing thing for a LONG time and the setting design thing for longer than that. You know what's good and what's cool. You're experience and your knowledge (collectively known as WISDOM) will inform you on how to make the setting awesome.

If you want advice on how to collect your thoughts, I have that ready at hand:
Write down all the stuff you know. Then read that. Decide if you need more. Scribble down some stuff that could be interesting to add, anything and everything to keep your options open. Keep the good, ditch the bad (or keep the great and ditch the not-so-great, as the case may be). When done, let it be done.

I don't mean abandon the project entirely, but at least be happy with the setting as it turns out as a first draft. Finish TM v1.0 and call it a day. You can then expand and tweak and fix all you want. lol

QuoteYou know, as well as I do, that your biggest problem with the setting right now is going to be finishing. And right now? You're stalling on finishing cuz you're getting close to the end.

I feel like I should hate you for knowing me so well.

You're right. I need to get this project first draft complete, which is something I never quite manage. Going to get started on doing so and stop stalling - hopefully will have a big update with all of that, going to spend a good chunk of Thanksgiving break working on that.

Quote from: Xathan Of Many Worlds
I feel like I should hate you for knowing me so well.

You should. lol

But, hatred aside, I wish you luck in the conclusion of your setting. Mostly because I'm ready to start playing in it. lol

Quote from: Xathan Of Many Worlds

Quote from: Kalontas
I personally aim for an approach that gives detailed descriptions of cultures and countries, because that's my personal fixation - the small details that added to the whole picture make it special. So yeah - that'd be the option I'd choose of those two.

Out of curiosity, do you aim for that because you have the most fun designing it, or most fun reading it - if it's the former, than the alternate approach would probably make the setting more interesting to you.

Both, actually. I like settings that feel "real" (because of small details about some weird insubstantial legend, or an intricacy of local politics), both as an author and a reader. I just want worlds I read/create to feel like a world, not just some skeleton of a setting made up for a campaign - and those little things help that feeling.

I'm of the belief that the world builders job is to offer a fully fleshed out world. But not one that is locked up and unalterable. The world builder should offer enough so that the DM can simply take the world and run with it. However, they should leave things open enough that the DM and players can shift things around to fit their own needs and desires.

Part of the enjoyment I get out of players playing in my setting is allowing them to affect and alter the dynamics of my worlds. It's much more satisfying to me to see that, while I fleshed out a full setting for them, they were able to alter it. That for me is the spirit of collaborative storytelling that I seek out in roleplay. In fact part of my plans for the development of Mare Eternus is to run games in areas and use the players experiences to further flesh and solidify those areas (but group setting development on the fly is something I like in games). It might be different for you than me but I love a good story above all else. Of course that may be obvious to you by now since I went and forced you to start fleshing out cities for those maps. :D

Yeah, Nomadic, your view was made pretty clear. :P And just to update everyone as to what's going on here, I'm working on fleshing out individual nations/locations - keeping above the city level for now. I've decided that, to get Terra Macabre to "Beta Complete", I'm going to need to keep the Aether, the World Within, and the Mirrored Paths to one post overviews for now - as much as I love those elements, they are no where near as central as the stuff that happens on the surface of Earth, so those are staying as is (for the Aether) or getting posts as detailed as the Aether post is (for The World Within and the Mirrored Paths)

While I obviously don't have anything to the point where I feel ready to post it yet, I've got a ton of work done on Britain, Spain, Azteca, The Pacific Khanate, Wallachia, Atlantis, and sub-Saharan Africa. Out of curiosity, any particular interest in any of those areas?

Quote from: Xathan Of Many Worlds

Floatwhales - Whales that developed the ability to naturally refine phlogiston and create "air sacks" that enable them to be skyborn, Floatwhales are lagely docile and used by some cultures/creatures in place of skyships despite being smaller than their mechanical counterparts. Floatwhales can survive in the Aether and many have begun to roam far form Earth.

For the record you should probably make a house rule that bans anybody who's read the "Leviathan" books, because if i were a player in this game i would totally harass you into letting me have an airship pilot who has attached some sort of ship hull onto a floatwhale, and has learned to bend it to his will.

Quote from: Newb Colossus Slayer...if i were a player in this game i would totally harass you into letting me have an airship pilot who has attached some sort of ship hull onto a floatwhale, and has learned to bend it to his will.

But Slayer, that would be COOL! Why would you NOT want players to have something that cool? Now that you've said it, I'm sure Xathan will include an NPC who has one if one of his PC's doesn't ask to have one.