Campaign books. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Campaign books. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
OneEye589
02-28-07, 09:28 PM Hello everyone.

I have been thinking about making my own campaign setting and world, and I was wondering if there were any good books out there (d20 or otherwise) that are good for helping with this. Mostly what I am looking for is:

- Something that sort of... takes it step by step on how to build a world. Preferrably in a d20 standpoint.
- Something that goes through cultures and things along those lines.
- Geography kind of books that would help create a believeable map with geographic features.

I do not usually DM, but I am going to get the DM guide soon. If I am not mistakn, it contains some material on creating your own campaign setting, or at least your own campaign.

I am also thinking about buying the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, which would probably help me by having an example of how to organize my ideas.

Any help is appreciated, and thanks ahead of time.
Rhineglade
03-01-07, 04:00 PM Hi OneEye,

If you are looking for just one source for all the answers I'm afraid there isn't one. That would be nice though wouldn't it? Speaking from my own experience, I tend to use several sources for inspiration. I am a BIG fan of mythology and history so I tend to use a lot of books from those areas and just pick out bits and pieces that appeal to me.

There are a couple of World Building resources but none of them are that great as far as I am concerned. They often tend to be too generalized or rely too much on statistics for my preference. Therefore, I prefer to take a look at some of the published worlds out there just to get a base to start from. Certainly Forgotten Realms is a good start. I also like World of Greyhawk for inspiration.

My main suggestion would be to just take a look at one of the worlds that appeals to you the most. Ask yourself what it is about that world that you find so appealing and start from there. Also, notice how that world in question presents its information. Is it laid out in a coherent manner that is easy to follow and understand? Does it sound logical or "realistic?" You can then take those templates and use them when creating your world.

If you are a first timer, the main key is to start small so you are not overwhelmed. A lot of newbies will try to tackle too much at once or try to shape a complete would around the latest craze (a video game, a movie, etc) and then burn out as they find there is just not enough material to make the game stimulating enough. A good rule of thumb is "If you find it difficult coming up with enough decent ideas for your world, then it probably is not the right world for you at this time."

The most important rule though is to make it fun and interesting for the players. If you can't keep the players interested, then there will be no game. Good luck!
OneEye589
03-01-07, 08:46 PM Thanks a lot for the input!

I was looking for just as many books as I could find. I do have a nice big mythology book and I'm going to pick up one of the campaign setting books.

I havbe a lot of ideas, a treasure trove, but I was just looking for a book that might help me organize them into a good form to make a campaign world.

I've found several sites online that are somewhat helpful, but really, it would be nice to have a book or two that has a format in d20 for these types of things.
taradusis
03-01-07, 09:22 PM Paizo,com is supposed to sell a "gamemastery"book that you can fill out,I haven't seen any body praise it yet?I reccomend starting with a "homebase",a small town,and work from there?Stick to a very basic world at first,consider allowing only one oddball race or class at a time into the campaign till you're sure your players aren't going to abuse them.
krichaiushii
03-01-07, 09:29 PM 2d edition had the World Builder's Guidebook (http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=1708).

Lots of interesting bits about realistic mapping on a global scale, complete with winds, currents, why certain climates are not normally found together, etc.

I found some use of Aria: the Canticle of the Monomyth, but only as idea-fodder.
OneEye589
03-02-07, 08:36 AM Ooooo, that Work Builder's Guidebook is something along the lines I was looking for. Though, after reading the reviews, it doesn't seem like thety did it really well. I will most likely buy it anyway if I find it for a good price.

It has a lot of things I was looking for; climate, terrain, culture, history, things of that nature. It looks like a good thing to get started with.

The Aria book looks interesting, as well, though I'm not sure about getting it or not. If you only get it for inspiration... I dunno, that's a maybe.

So there's one, the World Builder's Guidebook. I'll buy the Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk campaign setting books (probably Forgotten Realms, my group hasn't done Greyhawk, and I've personally heard better things about Forgotten Realms) and that'll make two. The DM guide has a bit in it, and it's got all the city stuff, like population and stuff, so that's three. Perhaps I could pick up a book about map-making and geography to help a bit more, so that's four.

That looks like a good list for now, in my opinion. I already own Complete Arcane and Divine and Races of Stone, Destiny, and the Wild. Those will help a bit with adding magic and religion, along with some societies in cities, the mountains, and wilderness. The long things on elves and dwarves and things will really help me flesh out their culture.

Thanks for all the help guys, it's very greatly appreciated.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
OneEye589 02-28-07, 09:28 PM	Hello everyone. I have been thinking about making my own campaign setting and world, and I was wondering if there were any good books out there (d20 or otherwise) that are good for helping with this. Mostly what I am looking for is: - Something that sort of... takes it step by step on how to build a world. Preferrably in a d20 standpoint. - Something that goes through cultures and things along those lines. - Geography kind of books that would help create a believeable map with geographic features. I do not usually DM, but I am going to get the DM guide soon. If I am not mistakn, it contains some material on creating your own campaign setting, or at least your own campaign. I am also thinking about buying the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, which would probably help me by having an example of how to organize my ideas. Any help is appreciated, and thanks ahead of time.
Rhineglade 03-01-07, 04:00 PM	Hi OneEye, If you are looking for just one source for all the answers I'm afraid there isn't one. That would be nice though wouldn't it? Speaking from my own experience, I tend to use several sources for inspiration. I am a BIG fan of mythology and history so I tend to use a lot of books from those areas and just pick out bits and pieces that appeal to me. There are a couple of World Building resources but none of them are that great as far as I am concerned. They often tend to be too generalized or rely too much on statistics for my preference. Therefore, I prefer to take a look at some of the published worlds out there just to get a base to start from. Certainly Forgotten Realms is a good start. I also like World of Greyhawk for inspiration. My main suggestion would be to just take a look at one of the worlds that appeals to you the most. Ask yourself what it is about that world that you find so appealing and start from there. Also, notice how that world in question presents its information. Is it laid out in a coherent manner that is easy to follow and understand? Does it sound logical or "realistic?" You can then take those templates and use them when creating your world. If you are a first timer, the main key is to start small so you are not overwhelmed. A lot of newbies will try to tackle too much at once or try to shape a complete would around the latest craze (a video game, a movie, etc) and then burn out as they find there is just not enough material to make the game stimulating enough. A good rule of thumb is "If you find it difficult coming up with enough decent ideas for your world, then it probably is not the right world for you at this time." The most important rule though is to make it fun and interesting for the players. If you can't keep the players interested, then there will be no game. Good luck!
OneEye589 03-01-07, 08:46 PM	Thanks a lot for the input! I was looking for just as many books as I could find. I do have a nice big mythology book and I'm going to pick up one of the campaign setting books. I havbe a lot of ideas, a treasure trove, but I was just looking for a book that might help me organize them into a good form to make a campaign world. I've found several sites online that are somewhat helpful, but really, it would be nice to have a book or two that has a format in d20 for these types of things.
taradusis 03-01-07, 09:22 PM	Paizo,com is supposed to sell a "gamemastery"book that you can fill out,I haven't seen any body praise it yet?I reccomend starting with a "homebase",a small town,and work from there?Stick to a very basic world at first,consider allowing only one oddball race or class at a time into the campaign till you're sure your players aren't going to abuse them.
krichaiushii 03-01-07, 09:29 PM	2d edition had the World Builder's Guidebook (http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=1708). Lots of interesting bits about realistic mapping on a global scale, complete with winds, currents, why certain climates are not normally found together, etc. I found some use of Aria: the Canticle of the Monomyth, but only as idea-fodder.
OneEye589 03-02-07, 08:36 AM	Ooooo, that Work Builder's Guidebook is something along the lines I was looking for. Though, after reading the reviews, it doesn't seem like thety did it really well. I will most likely buy it anyway if I find it for a good price. It has a lot of things I was looking for; climate, terrain, culture, history, things of that nature. It looks like a good thing to get started with. The Aria book looks interesting, as well, though I'm not sure about getting it or not. If you only get it for inspiration... I dunno, that's a maybe. So there's one, the World Builder's Guidebook. I'll buy the Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk campaign setting books (probably Forgotten Realms, my group hasn't done Greyhawk, and I've personally heard better things about Forgotten Realms) and that'll make two. The DM guide has a bit in it, and it's got all the city stuff, like population and stuff, so that's three. Perhaps I could pick up a book about map-making and geography to help a bit more, so that's four. That looks like a good list for now, in my opinion. I already own Complete Arcane and Divine and Races of Stone, Destiny, and the Wild. Those will help a bit with adding magic and religion, along with some societies in cities, the mountains, and wilderness. The long things on elves and dwarves and things will really help me flesh out their culture. Thanks for all the help guys, it's very greatly appreciated.