# Does World Building Scare You?



## Twook00 (Jun 22, 2012)

I've been thinking about World Building a lot lately and I've decided it scares the heck out of me.  The sheer variety of things one must know in order to create civilizations and cultures and creatures boggles my mind.

I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I would need to read up on history, biology, weapons, science, anthropology, biology, religion, economics, geography and on and on and on before I could ever consider creating a functional, believable world.

Otherwise, I fear that anything I come up with will be shot down or considered hodge-podge compared to such worlds as Westeros or "Randland".  

Is this wrong?  Should I just sit down and start making stuff up and hope it all comes together?  Where do I begin?


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## Chilari (Jun 22, 2012)

You only need to go into as much detail as the story requires. If you don't need to know the marriage ceremony of the city over there, don't bother with it.

That doesn't mean that you only need to know as much as the readers know. You should know your world fairly well, and the readers should know only a fairly small proportion of it, but what you should know should be relevant. You readers, for example, might not need to know the fifteen annual festivals that take place in the city of Blargyton, but they might be something you need to know. If the populace measure the passage of the year by the festivals, then you need to know what they are in case you have to mention them. If your main character is the high priestess of the goddess to whom one of the festivals are dedicated, then it would be a good idea to have a solid idea of what the festival entails, allowing you to use it in the story. If an invading army comes along and occupies the city, they might replace the festivals with some relating to different gods, or if they worship the same gods they might make one festival in particular the main festival of the year and expand the festivities over more days with more rituals and celebrations, and meanwhile relegate the others to lesser festivals.

But you don't need to know the nitty gritty details of every festival on the list. The same goes for every aspect of worldbuilding. A good idea of what a state produces, what it exports and what it imports, from who, would be useful in a story with lots of politics, but in a hero's journey tale, simply knowing that all the gold mines in the country are owned by the king might be enough, if it's useful to the story.

So really, judge what your story needs, what you need, and for the rest you can gloss over it if it seems daunting.


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## Androxine Vortex (Jun 22, 2012)

World building can seem like a very intimidating task, but I think only because you might be looking at it the wrong way. You don't have to know every single detail, custon, culture, name, etc. of your world before you can start writting. If you think in the mindset of, "Oh man I have to create an entire world all by myself!" then it will seem like a monumental task. Try breaking it down into smaller pieces.

It really doesn't take a lot to create a culture or society, but the more details you give then the more color it will have. And also keep in mind that you don't have to present your reader with a history lesson. They don't need to know every single detail, and neither do you. 

Always try to stay positive when you write. If you feel intimidated while you're doing something, chances are it wouldn't be as good if you were feeling more confident. And a here's a tip from me that I use: Let's say that a character is going to be staying in a city for a while, or the story takes place in that city. It is not mandatory (nor is it a good idea) to tell the reader about every single detail in one spot. They will feel bombarded with details. While your writting, spread out the details. Also what I like to do is randomly sprinkle details around. Suppose the character is walking through an old building. Give some historic details about the building too add to it's importance. Make the details you tell relevant to where the character, and the reader, is. And again, you don't have to have all of these details set in stone. Just get the main details made first and then you can jsut make them up as you go if you wish.

Good luck!


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## Twook00 (Jun 22, 2012)

Good points from both of you.  I tend to think of it backwards;  Instead of the story coming first, then the world around it, I am creating a world first and then finding stores to tell within it.  I'll open a word document and start filling it up with random creatures and characters and city names and so on, then I feel pressure to expound on all of the items.  Lore and legends, history, world origins, magic system, etc.  Just so many decisions to be made when you do it that way.


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## SlimShady (Jun 22, 2012)

World building doesn't scare me at all.  World building is and always will be my favorite part of the genre.  The sheer scope of what you can create and how you influence your own world's creation is fascinating too me.  Their are so many ways you can take your creation that it is unfathomable how many choices you have.  

  But, just remember that you don't have too come up with everything on your own.  So much in the fantasy genre is based on history that this is just a given.  My suggestion would be to read up on history and any other subjects that you might find useful.  (Perhaps the ones you originally mentioned?)  Implement these in your world and you will only increase it's realism tenfold. 

  I myself did quite a bit of studying for my world.  I read up on medieval history, medieval warfare, medieval medicine, etc.  It really helps you craft believable societies.  Not into medieval history then just pick another period.  Also, I always try to write a few short stories while I'm world building as well, just to make sure that I haven't forgot about the writing part.


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## Alex97 (Jun 22, 2012)

As long as your prepared to spend some time researching relevent infomation you'll world will be covincing enough.  Try basing it on something you allready have an interest in.  For me personally world building is one of the most rewarding aspects of fantasy writing because it allows me to make something entirely unique and spend time researching my favouite eras in history so don't let it intimidate you.

I know it's allready been said but you only need to include certian details in your story.  I usualy do a lot of world building and then just use what is needed but it means I have a load of notes to refer to later in writing or in another project.


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## writeshiek33 (Jun 22, 2012)

i learned to do things as i write whenever i come inpass ain the story iresearch certain things right now i am stuck because i am resaeching something that i need to know at least basics of then expand as i go on


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## Saigonnus (Jun 22, 2012)

It doesn't really scare me at all and actually I quite enjoy the challenge of building something new. I tend to start simple, one kingdom at a time; and layout the basics for the area. The following are things I consider when making a kingdom or region. 

Government Type: Republic, Monarchy etc..
Primary Religions: If relevant to the story of course.
Goods produced/ daily staples
Transportation: Canals? Roads? Airships? Balloons?
Weaponry and armament:  

Military Disposition: What percentage of the population is under arms? How are they broken into units? What type of units are they?
Cavalry? Infantry? Pikeman? Archers? Monks? Engineers? Priests? If they are on campaign, how do they feed the soldiers? How quickly can they mobilize their forces if needed?

Magic: if is exists, how does it work? how does it affect the society?

Typical Construction for homes and ordinary buildings: Adobe? Stone? A hole in the ground like a hobbit? Wood?

Trade: What resources would they have for trade with neighbors? What would they trade for?  

Population centers: Cities? Towns? Castles?; I rarely worry about villages (unless it's important for the story) since they are generally in close proximity to a larger communities by necessity and if not, can basically be placed anywhere as needed for the story. How large are the communities and what is the disposition of that population? I normally just assign a percentage instead of a specific number. (42% humans, 17% Elves, 22% Dwarf, 19% Orc) 

What defensive aspects do towns/cities have: Palisade? Curtain Walls? Baileys? Towers? Barracks for troops?  

Flora and Fauna: Only where it is important to the story (like deer hunting, eating birds etc.)
Magical creatures: Yes? No? What kinds? How do these critters interact with the other races?

Sentient/intelligent humanoids: Orcs? Goblins? Humans? Elves? something else? How do the races get along? Racial details could be important (i.e. how long they live, average height & weight, weaponry and capabilities, intelligence, basic alignment (evil, neutral, good) 

Basic Crime and Punishment: What are the laws? What are the punishments for said crimes? Where are prisoners kept? What sort of "Police force" does the kingdom have?

"In-State" Communication: Couriers? Pigeons? Magical Devices? Standardized "mail" system? Bonfires? (ala LOTR)

Geography: I usually make a map for the area (usually by continent) with mountains, rivers, lakes, forests and what topographical information I think is important.

There may be other things to consider and it may seem like a lot, but with a bit of practice you'll get accustomed to it. Research doesn't hurt either, especially if you are hazy on a particular subject.


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## Penpilot (Jun 22, 2012)

Screw fear. Don't let it stop you from writing your story. Don't be intimidated because you don't think you know enough to build your world. Before you start writing, you should think about your world a bit and do some research, but don't let it consume you. Put some broad strokes down and start writing. As you write and explore your plot and your characters, you'll also be exploring your world too. You'll discover new details as you go. They may make sense, they may not, but you can always fix that by researching later... if they need fixing at all. 

Don't be afraid to make mistakes and screw up in a world design. You'll learn from those screw ups and be better for it. Knowing and researching real world facts and stuff is important in world design, but just as important is knowing when to ignore them and do what ever the hell you want because it's telling a good story.


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## Twook00 (Jun 22, 2012)

Thanks everyone for the great responses.  And Saigonnus, that is an awesome little template you've got going there.  Some stuff I would not have thought of.  Thanks again!


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## Hans (Jun 22, 2012)

I actually like worldbuilding. A world is useful for so much more than one single story. (For example, two stories.)
What I like most is the diversity and versatility that you seem to fear. One method to put it to an advantage: Ever sat through a class, meeting, lecture, speech or similar that threatened to bore you to death? Ask one simple question: How can I adapt this to my world and suddenly it might become interesting.
This probably does not work for everyone, for me it has worked often enough.

Of course that does not mean you have to include every world detail in your stories or show of with knowledge on topics no one else is interested in. But I know from experience that on strange ond obscure topics worldbuilders tend to be the persons who still know something about that.


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## Ankari (Jun 22, 2012)

Not at all.  I love world building.  In fact, its the most enjoyable part of the writing process.  I always address world building from a macro to micro process.

*World(s):* What are the physical and metaphysical laws of your world?  Do multiple planes of existence exist?  How many moons, suns, days, hours, continents, etc, etc do you want?

*Races:*  How many races do you want?  When you create a race define them by the climate they have evolved within.  Make sure they are races and not just different cultures within the same race.

*Religion:*  For me, this is where it gets fun.  From religion you can sprout so much social structure and conflict.  How many deities?  What are the major tenets of faith?  How does it explain the creation of the world and people?  Is it inclusive or exclusive?  What makes up the hierarchy of faith?  

*Magic:*  I love building magic.  I've created more than 16 magic systems for my world (many of which will not make a debut for quite some time).  I try to use _logic_ when creating magic systems.  Where is the magic drawn from?  What laws bind the magic?  Is it mental based or physical based?  How does it affect the caster?  Is it genetically inherit or learned?  

*Nations:*  How was the nation formed?  Is it a racial nation (ex. all elves) or is it a multiracial nation?  Why?    What system of government do you want to use?  major resource(s)?  Placement of the country on the map (which should be part of world building).  What is the population?  If the nation has extensive resources then don't forget wars.  How has the wars shaped the nation?  Alliances?


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## ethgania (Jun 23, 2012)

I'm far less scared about building the world than I am about getting it across clearly and concisely in the writing.  It's such a complicated thing that I'm dealing with that I'm afraid it's too complicated to write (dealing with way more "races" than necessary... basically a sole unifying culture, but the creatures take on different forms with regards to their responsibility and rank in the world... it gets overwhelming!), but I don't necessarily want to cut it down either, becase that means reworking the whole system.


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## Penpilot (Jun 23, 2012)

Ethgania, if you don't rule your world, it'll rule you. What I mean by that is don't bend your story to fit the world. Bend the world to fit your story. Find the simple basic essence of your story and fit the pieces of the world onto that like meat and muscle onto a skeleton a little at a time. One scene at a time. It will make things less daunting because your only dealing with bits and pieces instead of the whole.


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## writeshiek33 (Jun 23, 2012)

curious where to start  suddenly forgeten how to start world building very strange my mind is blocked  for some reason arggh i think have writers block rarerly happens but for me but now just when want to write drawing blank


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## Eeirail (Jun 23, 2012)

Twook00 said:


> Thanks everyone for the great responses.  And Saigonnus, that is an awesome little template you've got going there.  Some stuff I would not have thought of.  Thanks again!



Here, I just made my creatures and such from scratch, I constructed everything from nothing, it made alot of the research un-needed, and as for some other things, I have concepts of other things but as it stands I think making your own things would be easier and more creative.


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## ethgania (Jun 23, 2012)

Penpilot said:


> Ethgania, if you don't rule your world, it'll rule you. What I mean by that is don't bend your story to fit the world. Bend the world to fit your story. Find the simple basic essence of your story and fit the pieces of the world onto that like meat and muscle onto a skeleton a little at a time. One scene at a time. It will make things less daunting because your only dealing with bits and pieces instead of the whole.


True.  Part of my hesitation is that my husband came up with more of this world than I have, so it's like messing with his territory.  He's more of the ideas guy and I'm more of the writing type than he is.  It all works, it's just proving that it works that's going to take all that time and skill.


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## Saigonnus (Jun 23, 2012)

Eeirail said:


> Here, I just made my creatures and such from scratch, I constructed everything from nothing, it made alot of the research un-needed, and as for some other things, I have concepts of other things but as it stands I think making your own things would be easier and more creative.



I have made creatures from scratch also, constructed worlds from nothing, that experience is where my template comes from, and a bit I picked up here. Generally, when it comes to research, I only do it on a subject if something sounds off or inaccurate about something I wrote; not really about every little thing I don't know. Those little tidbits are things you tend to remember and each one gives you more knowledge and experience to draw from when writing.

Usually those things I research are perhaps common construction methods for a rock wall or how to shear a sheep using medieval tools... whatever basic stuff I am relatively unfamiliar with. Those things you create are wonderful, but if you create every little aspect of every little thing your character sees and does it could get tedious since you have to describe each thing the reader would be unfamiliar with.


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## Eeirail (Jun 23, 2012)

Saigonnus said:


> I have made creatures from scratch also, constructed worlds from nothing, that experience is where my template comes from, and a bit I picked up here. Generally, when it comes to research, I only do it on a subject if something sounds off or inaccurate about something I wrote; not really about every little thing I don't know. Those little tidbits are things you tend to remember and each one gives you more knowledge and experience to draw from when writing.
> 
> Usually those things I research are perhaps common construction methods for a rock wall or how to shear a sheep using medieval tools... whatever basic stuff I am relatively unfamiliar with. Those things you create are wonderful, but if you create every little aspect of every little thing your character sees and does it could get tedious since you have to describe each thing the reader would be unfamiliar with.


True, honestly. I like the idea, I use all the basic crafting things, but I have never actually researched into them, maybe that will help the awful writers' block I seem to have, I must give my gratitude for this.


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## Anders Ã„mting (Jun 23, 2012)

Nah, I ain't scared of world-building, but then I have a very laid back approach to it: I just figure I can add the details as required and imply the rest. No need to waste creative energy on things that aren't actually going to show up in the story, after all. 

Besides, first drafts and all that.


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## Benjamin Clayborne (Jun 24, 2012)

I love world-building; it's great fun.

The trick is to not spend more time on world-building than you do on character- and story-building. Those are the important parts.


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## Saigonnus (Jun 24, 2012)

Anders Ã„mting said:


> Nah, I ain't scared of world-building, but then I have a very laid back approach to it: I just figure I can add the details as required and imply the rest. No need to waste creative energy on things that aren't actually going to show up in the story, after all.
> 
> Besides, first drafts and all that.



I tend to think if you make a whole world (or continent etc.) that opens up the options on what you can do with your story. Get stuck with a story, look at the map and perhaps think of a side quest in a spot you've already made; you've got the names, details of the place so you don't need to build up the world some more. 

Your character finds himself in a kingdom after being exiled from his own; what kind of kingdom is it? Who rules? What do they trade in when he finds he has no weapons, gear or anything but the clothes on his back? these things can always help carry the plotline along if you don't have to stop and think of all these at the time you are writing. I think MOST writers do at least a little planning on the background of an area so they don't have problems.


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## Graylorne (Jun 24, 2012)

If you've problems with world building, at Elfwood there are some useful tutorials: Fantasy Writing Tutorials and Technique Resources.
Especially 'Creating Fantasy & SF Worlds' is very handy.


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## Steerpike (Jun 24, 2012)

I find that it is good to have balance. Too much world-building becomes a _de facto_ means of avoidance and procrastination for many fantasy writers I know. They spend months or years working out the most minute details, far more than a reader will ever need to know, or even than they need to know as author (and they need to know more than the reader). The end result is that their stories never get written because they are always tinkering with world history, world maps, and the like. If that's what one finds interesting and a source of fun, then that's great, but if you're really serious about writing stories and your world-building keeps you from doing so, it is a problem. 

The second problem I see with too much world-building is that it is too rigid, and as a result the author has to some degree confined her story before writing it. I've had a couple of times where I've talked to people who were at a real roadblock in their story, and the author's answer to some of the more obvious suggestions to getting around them were "Yeah, but that won't work because in my world...." That is great (and even necessary) as far as internal world logic and consistency goes, but in this one case in particular I think the author spent so long working on the history, politics, religion, ecology and so on of the world that he simply wasn't open to changing any of it. He literally spent years on it, and the story became slave to the world that was created, instead of the world serving the story (the latter being how it should be, in my view).

Personally, I like to have more general ideas of the world, as well as the people, places, and creatures in them. A general sense of the history, mythology, and so on. By keeping it general, I feel I have greater freedom when writing, and the world is more malleable to my needs as an author. 

Of course, everyone should approach this in the way that works best for them. But the two pitfalls I mentioned above are the ones that I most frequently see as negatives for authors who exhaustively create their worlds.


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## Caliburn (Jun 26, 2012)

"Does worldbuilding scare you?"

Yes.
I have no idea what I'm doing.
In fact, I'm pretty sure no one does, but some people seem more confident at fumbling around in the dark.
Me, I can't decide on anything. Nothing!!

*throws hands up in the air*

Some people on this site are more interested in making fantasy roleplaying game settings than writing novels. I'm one of those people. Building RPG settings is a lot like playing with LEGO, which was something that came naturally to me as a child (though even then I wanted to follow the instruction manuals for constructing the set, then place the characters myself to make an interesting scene).
That said, I'm still not very confident in building RPG settings either.
Additionally, working up the interest to write stories is hard and presents even fewer ways to find your bearings. It can feel a lot like being lost at sea. One of my friends thinks that's the best place to be as far as writing is concerned--it means you're probably breaking rules and covering new ground--and I can see where she's coming from. I guess I'm still a landlubber who hasn't found his sea legs


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## J. S. Elliot (Jun 26, 2012)

Actually, I love world building. I can spend months upon months building the background to not one, but impendingly countless stories. One of the things I really like about it is, in the act of creating such a lush background, I usually end up with anywhere from a small to very large amount of additional ideas. Some are on a large scale, whilst others are on a much more personal level. 

But since I'm one of those people who feels they should know their world before they start, it takes me a while to get going on a story set in a new world. However, once the background is fully painted ... It'd be rather easy to get started. It may take longer, but it's worth it in the long run. ^^


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## Saigonnus (Jun 26, 2012)

Caliburn said:


> "Does worldbuilding scare you?"
> 
> Yes.
> I have no idea what I'm doing.
> ...



Fumbling in the dark is pretty accurate in many cases, but in others completely inaccurate. I would like to think that many writers (like myself) have a good grasp on what their world looks like (in the halls of their own mind). They know what they want to accomplish and what kind of "ambience" their world has. There are many tools out there for world building and many posts here about things to consider when building a world that is at least mostly realistic. 

I used to play with legos myself (one of the few toys I actually did have) and loves building things. I created vast worlds on paper (my primary world was twelve 2x2 sheets of graph paper drawn by hand and a binder full of information just about the basics of the world (city names, populations etc.) Later I used those same maps in my head for gaming campaigns in my teens and twenties so I have some knowledge about the subject. 

You can use alot of different things to world build, and one I use is *sims 3* (insert laugh here) for building particular things I need to SEE so that I get a better grasp of what works and what doesn't since it's laid out in front of me. That is probably more detailed than most people go for world buiding, but I usually only build those places I am specifically using for the story.

There are TONS of ideas out there for making worlds and I think you should think about the different aspects of what works well together and what seems merely cobbled together. Start simple, one kingdom and outline it with the basics as you could always add more to it later. Then think about that kingdom's neighbors, or is wilderness? what kinds of creatures live there and in what capacity? One thing at a time and pretty soon you'll have a fairly fleshed out world with just a bit of time and practice.


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## Caliburn (Jun 29, 2012)

That Sims 3 thing is quite a novel solution to planning Saigonnus! (especially since Lego is so expensive these days).

I'm fairly into my pet project at the moment. I feel like I have slightly more of an idea of what I am doing, with certain rules of thumb popping into my head when I need them. I also feel less inclined to be eccentric for its own sake, which is a big reason why I feel like I know what I'm doing and why I'm doing one thing and not another.

For instance, to get a rough idea of how many cities or territories are in my setting, I start by taking each race and assigning them a territory and assume they have at least one city (though one of them doesn't have any city or territory). But how many races should I have? Well in terms of playable races, I have all seven or so of the traditional ones (which I love, especially half-orcs), then an equal number of non-traditional or new ones. That ensures that I have a good number of interesting 'new' things, while at the same time keeping things from becoming too weird or wacky. The traditional races also help to show off the newer races, because I have specifically made those races to fill in holes left by the traditional ones. Example: there are three small races (gnomes, dwarves, halflings), but only one big race (half-orcs). Why not have two more big races? 
Having more than just the stock races also makes it seem like I'm not just grasping at the low-hanging fruit (eww...) 

Other considerations for races: I wanted at least one race for each of the six stats I use (the usual ones cos I love 'em), I want a good race and an evil race, I want at least one race that is overtly strange, and I want my own version of dragon-dudes because I have a dragon fixation (like all good people).

Ultimately its all about similarities and contrasts for me, both in terms of the people and the lands they inhabit. No need to be super-sophisticated right out of the gate. I find the little details and curiousities suggest themselves to me while I am busy working on the core essentials. For example one of my races are golems created by an inventor, because I like golems and I like robots so why not? I then realised that DnD's Eberron setting already has the Warforged but I really like robots and I find the Warforged to be too beefcake for me so I wanted to have slender, ceramic robots with chiselled facial features meant to look very human but squarish at the same time--a more elegant robot, almost designed as a foil to the Warforged. Then the idea suggested itself that their creator should be obsessed with machinery and spent his entire life trying to turn his entire homeland into a mechanised replica of nature (trees and all), then another idea popped up that his most prized robot should be a replica of his fiancÃ©e who left him, which he keeps in a special container like a sleeping beauty. The inventor has long since passed away and his creations are without a master, but his beloved replica is presumably still locked away.

So that's an example of how I get the ideas flowing. I start with what I like and what already works and try to build from there.

Edit: Typing this post gave me the idea that the golems could be like 'living' statues--works of art, more delicate than practical (low constitution). His fiancÃ©e replica could be posed like a statue in some secluded vault. Once activated, she could become a party member.


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## Jabrosky (Jun 30, 2012)

Steerpike said:


> The second problem I see with too much world-building is that it is too rigid, and as a result the author has to some degree confined her story before writing it. I've had a couple of times where I've talked to people who were at a real roadblock in their story, and the author's answer to some of the more obvious suggestions to getting around them were "Yeah, but that won't work because in my world...." That is great (and even necessary) as far as internal world logic and consistency goes, but in this one case in particular I think the author spent so long working on the history, politics, religion, ecology and so on of the world that he simply wasn't open to changing any of it. He literally spent years on it, and the story became slave to the world that was created, instead of the world serving the story (the latter being how it should be, in my view).


I've definitely bumped into this problem. I love world-building, but overdoing it can indeed limit your storytelling wiggle room.

Another challenge is knowing exactly what I want in my world. This is especially a problem if I'm doing a whole world and not simply one province or region.


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## Saigonnus (Jun 30, 2012)

I vaguely remember playing with "tinker" gnomes... cousins to regular gnomes, but their craft revolves around "tinkering" with the various disciplines (alchemy, engineering, smithing etc.) and often to funny or dangerous ends (scorched eyebrows, smoking beards etc.) I remember them making clockwork creatures that ran off of magic for a "battery"... or having them make a character a chemical grenade (like greek fire only worse) that were easily thrown for fire damage, heck they "forged" something like a cannonball with the concoction inside for a siege we planned and executed. 

I agree that world building can be overdone if you like to flesh out every tiny iota of the world, though I believe I don't have that issue, I learned early what works and what doesn't... because a gaming campaign (I ran quite a few) is much like telling a story in many ways and having rigid "scriptures" of every little thing can restrict the characters and ultimately lessen the enjoyment of the game. It bad enough when the players are "rules lawyers" (i've never cared much for playing with them) much worse if your rules cover every aspect of the game.


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## Caliburn (Jun 30, 2012)

I guess its important to define what people mean by "every little detail". How much is too much exactly?

Detail is great. Wonderful in fact. But detailing EVERYTHING? Well, for one, that's impossible. It also adds a whole bunch trivial information that readers/players generally don't need to know. A little bit of trivial information can be spicy, but too much will distract from your narrative or from the more salient aspects of your world.

It depends on what is more important to you: if you are a worldbuilder with a heavily simulationist bent (you want the world to seem as realistic as possible) then *play to your strengths*, choose a world-size that is practical to your needs or partition a larger realm into smaller chunks and work on each one in turn so you'll be able to have finished parts ready sooner rather than later. People of this persuasion typically have a huge arsenal of facts and details at their cranial disposal as well as a preoccupation with research as a hobby and not just something they do for their novel or project.

If you are more into story or, in the case of RPGs, the design of the game itself, then focus on those and only give details importance if they add to the story or game design (or to give those elements a realistic twist).
For me personally, having a synthesis of story and gameplay where both aspects play into each other is one of my holy ideals. I find design is very much like architecture in that aspect--needing to be functional yet beautiful at the same time. 
Details aren't my strong suit so I don't bother with them too much except where they play into my strengths.


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## Fluffypoodel (Jul 10, 2012)

I would say hop right in. so what if your world isn't any good. I have mapped out a lot of worlds, some of them have been ripped off from other worlds but it is the act of world building that makes them better. nothing you make is ever set in stone (unless you're published! and even then you can still fool around) I have found that the more you world build the better the world will become. you can cut and paste things around all you like to see where your world is coming too. I find that my later Ideas require me to redo a lot of my original ideas, thus giving me a better world. so don't be afraid and go for it!


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