An epic fantasy writer from RR and Scribble looking for serious discussion

[AdiofBali]

Hello everyone. I arrived here from the web novel communities because I frequently find myself struggling to find in-depth discussions about epic fantasy worldbuilding. While I enjoy those platforms, the focus often stays on tropes or progression mechanics. I prefer to be completely serious about the historical and technical logic of a secondary world.

My current project follows an 80 year old god who maintains the appearance of a 19 year old. He managed to rescue Rome from its historical decline and transform it into the largest empire in his world. I am particularly interested in discussing how he accomplished this through administrative reform and infrastructure rather than just physical power. I was wondering if this is the correct community for that level of detail. I hope to learn from all of you and find people who share an obsession with the microscopic logic of an epic setting.

 

[Genly]

Welcome!

And yes, there are people in this group who might be willing to discuss these issues at that level of detail.

 

[skip.knox]

Welcome. You should consider posting over in the Worldbuilding forum and there put specific questions. You could say what you have so far and where you have particular questions or ideas.

 

[AdiofBali]

Thanks, guys. I'll go talk to them!

 

[ThinkerX]

Welcome!

I suggest the Worldbuilding forum.

Most of my books are set in a tottering quasi-Roman Empire-type nation on another planet.

Have you published any books?

 

[AdiofBali]

Welcome!

I suggest the Worldbuilding forum.

Most of my books are set in a tottering quasi-Roman Empire-type nation on another planet.

Have you published any books?

Yo! I'm doing the same thing, bruh! But mine is strictly epic fantasy in nature, so it's whacko as hell in its worldbuidling.
And yeah, I upload my first volume chapter by chapter on Royal Road and Scribble Hub.
I'm still thinking about what to post tho? Like, with so many options to talk about, I'm kinda paralyzed for choice.

 

[ThinkerX]

I used the old 2E AD&D 'Historical Earth' books as a base. Rome. Ancient Greece. Celts. Dark Ages. Vikings. Others. Mashed together to make a sort of warped (very) late-era Roman Empire.

After a lot of back and forth, 'Magic' mostly became 'enhanced PSI,' genetically imbued into select humans and others by now vanished aliens. (Who also imported humans and others as test subjects and servitors.)

Goblins/hobgoblins are other races imported by the aliens. There are elves and dw arves, but they are 'physically related' to humans (Alin experiments gone weird). Cat-like Raschasa are another race.

Lovecraftian abominations lurk in odd corners. The tales are set in the wake of the 'Demon War' against these entities and their mortal puppets.

A dozen books, plus the omnibus of the main series.

 

[AdiofBali]

I used the old 2E AD&D 'Historical Earth' books as a base. Rome. Ancient Greece. Celts. Dark Ages. Vikings. Others. Mashed together to make a sort of warped (very) late-era Roman Empire.

After a lot of back and forth, 'Magic' mostly became 'enhanced PSI,' genetically imbued into select humans and others by now vanished aliens. (Who also imported humans and others as test subjects and servitors.)

Goblins/hobgoblins are other races imported by the aliens. There are elves and dw arves, but they are 'physically related' to humans (Alin experiments gone weird). Cat-like Raschasa are another race.

Lovecraftian abominations lurk in odd corners. The tales are set in the wake of the 'Demon War' against these entities and their mortal puppets.

A dozen books, plus the omnibus of the main series.

Wow, a dozen books? That's a lot!

It sounds like we are playing in a very similar sandbox, but coming at it from two completely different, fascinating angles. I love the twist of transforming "magic" into genetically imbued alien PSI mechanics, it gives your quasi-Roman empire a really distinct, hard sci-fi backbone. Blending that with Lovecraftian cosmic horror in the wake of a "Demon War" sounds absolutely wild in the best way possible.

My setting, Chronicles of the Savior, leans heavily into a gritty, alternate dark-age fantasy kingdom-building logic rather than sci-fi. Instead of alien genetic engineering, my MC is an actual immortal deity who signed himself into dealing with the absolute nightmare of 6th-century macroeconomics, agricultural collapses, and barbarian mercenary mutinies. I wanted to see what would happen if you took a classical autocrat and forced him to actually solve the systemic, grinding logistical bottlenecks that historically caused the Western Roman Empire to collapse.