So, last week Shane Ward started an interesting thread in the Pit, posting a reorganization of an article written in 1975 by Gary Gygax himself. The PDF splits Gygax’s steps on creating a setting in a challenge, with a part of the world to be prepared each week. I started 7 days ago and this is my first week.
The first week is about working on a concept and preparing the sources.
Step 1: Get/create a notebook
I’m writing on whatever I find out and then I’ll wrap everything here, so this is done. If you want to take a look at my “notebook” you can find it here:
Step 2: Develop your pitch
- Magic is unpolite, and so is adventuring. Nobody with an halfway decent education would ever allow themselves to be dragged in some crazy and deadly trip outside the borders of civilization. Walls, social structures and armed guards stand between the good, law abiding citizens and whatever madness might crawl from the Wyrdlands. (1,4,6)
- Obviously, the Wyrdlands are inhabited by beasts and superstitious savages. Expanding the civilized areas should be very easy. It’s a pity that most of the dwellers of the Wyrdlans think that civilization harbours weak fops, who would be easy meat. A small incident is all that takes for the Wyrd to spill in the life of civilized people or for the Law to extend its steely grip over the wyrdpeople. (1,3,4)
- The past has a long arm. You cannot hide what you were, no matter how long you run or how much money you got: when you least expect it, your past will find you. (2,5)
- The world is old. Ancient, in fact. A lot of things happened and many of them left traces on the world nobody really remembers or can comprehend. (1,4).
Step 3: Gather your sources of inspiration
- Dracula
- The Count of Montecristo
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show
- The Hobbit (especially the beginning and the end)
- They call me Trinity
- Magicpunk
Extra credits: Moodboard
I suck at creating moodboards but I really feel that I’m going to need one for this project. So, here we go.
Also, I know that a soundtrack is not exactly a part of a moodboard, but whatever. I’ve got this song stuck in my head from day 0 of this project, so it’s getting linked here.
So…I think that’s all for this week. See you in seven days with part two, the surrounding area