OR: Ten Guideposts of Worldbuilding Within Lasair
In an effort to help keep my own writing focused on the important pieces of writing for Lasair, I'm putting together this "vision document". Its intent is to lay out the things that give Lasair its specific flavor and feel, and are important to keep in mind whenever doing creation within the world. These will be items to keep in mind when writing or creating art or other design elements. These are not hard-and-fast rules that must be followed or else but it should be a deliberate choice when they are deviated from.
Note that these guidelines are for those involved in direct worldbuilding. It is not meant to hamstring players or limit what they are capable of. In fact that's the first commandment:
1. The Players Matter
The world of Lasair is one in which the actions of players must matter in some way. The state of the world must be built in a way in which it can be changed or affected by player action and choice. This is a role playing world which is built to be a sandbox for players.
2. The World is Not Static
While the world is designed as a playground which the players can affect, they are not the center of the universe. The world exists around them, and institutions, organizations, and individuals will continue to exist and pursue their goals regardless of the players' existence or actions.
3. Each Area Has Distinct Character
The physical design of the world was laid out to provide a top-down feel to each macro region. This overall feel should inform the design of elements within that region and the character of the beings and wildlife there. Use that character to create consistency and an expectation (which can then allow for expectations to be subverted).
4. The World Moves in Ages
The Age of Titans. The Age of Wild Magic. The Imperial Age. The Dragonscourge. The Compact Era.
History in Lasair moves tectonically. Ages are defined by a dominant species or organization or conflict. The shift from one era to another is often cataclysmic, but with a slow build towards it. Signs and Portents will be plentiful as an age change approaches. Use this when writing history, or when writing about the long-term outlook for the current age (hint: the Dragonscourge ended almost a thousand years ago, and Magic
loves big round numbers).
5. Powerful Mortals - Not Deities
Whether or not gods have had an influence upon the world is an open question, but if they did exist openly at one point, they have retreated well beyond the ability to have an impact upon this world. True world-moving power now lays within the hands of powerful mortals - or simply the randomness of nature. World-changing events are the culmination of long-sought efforts by mortals with goals, not the random capriciousness of the divine.
6. World Decisions are for Style, not Gimmicks
World building decisions should be made to serve the overall purpose and style of the area you are building in. If a decision is being made simply to create a cool thing that doesn't fit where it is, consider whether or not that is the right place for it. Create locations, races, regions to serve the world. Build everything as a whole, or at least think about what seed you're planting.
7. Break the Rules for a Purpose
Similar to number 6, decisions that change the core understanding of the world or of the basic assumptions of D&D fantasy should be made with a purpose in mind. Players will come into the world with expectations, both from past D&D experience and from what they are taught by game sessions in this world. Those expectations help them navigate unknown worlds and give a GM something to play with. Diverting from expectations creates exciting moments for players - when it is done sparingly.
8. Feel Free to Borrow
Fantasy is full of homages, influences, references, and straight-up ripoffs. Don't do the latter where possible, but don't force originality when you can accomplish a good result by reskinning an idea you're fond of from another source. Document where you do so (there's a
World Influences article for a reason) and see where it can evolve into its own thing in time.
9. Magic is Not the Answer (Except when it is)
Magic is controlled by the
Mages as a way to keep wizards from just running all over the place and nuking the world. Wizards and clerics are part of hierarchies with rules and a bunch of other wizards and clerics who will come kill you if you step
too far out of line. The line is not "doing evil things" (plenty of Mages are of an evil alignment) but "turning the world against us" - and ensuring that if any one Mage gets too much power, the others will be certain to stop them. Magic is used as a tool to figure out how to solve problems but will rarely solve a problem entirely on its own - short of exploding the end boss of an encounter.
10. Look For the Next Rule
When writing, keep in mind that there are only nine commandments. Think about where there might be room for a tenth (or an eleventh or a twelfth) or where one needs to be erased. These are guideposts, a map. Maps can be redrawn as a world changes. As you draw lines in the world,
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