Let’s jump right into two projects that are currently holding my attention: The Black Land and Terra Incognita. Both are campaign worlds, or for those not in the know, backdrops for D&D adventures and campaigns. While similar, these settings have been designed very differently and have different purposes.
The Black Land, or TBL, represents a gestalt of my all-time favorite literary influences and genres. It is in your face, sword and sandal goodness. Elric meets Sampson - the Lost World meets the Golden Voyage of Sinbad - 1001 Nights meets Jon Carter of Mars. From top to bottom it is over the top, pulpy, and exciting. It’s the setting I’d love to play in, and represents ideas that have been percolating for years.
TBL will also be my first stab at publishing. With the advent of Lulu and the OGL, I can create and sell my own gaming products. This is not a money venture, it’s a chance to experience the publishing process and to create a professional grade product. I’m extremely excited about it. The goal is a sparse, but evocative, rules-free (or light), setting, that I can expand and revisit when I feel like.
Terra Incognita will be the setting for an infrequent game with some of my old gaming buddies. Our lives have taken us in very different directions though we remain friends. After a few drinks one night, we decided to give gaming another shot (mostly for kicks.) They might not have the passion that I do, but by god their going to get a top-notch experience with the benefit of all I’ve learned since we last played in highschool.
Terra Incognita is also a chance to employ and evaluate some of the techniques and design philosophy I’ve researched online. The so called “sand-box” experience is a hot topic right now, and its very different from how I’ve played in the past. The two guiding principles of the sand-box are 1.) Total Player Freedom and 2.) The Story Writes Itself. Sand-boxes evolve through random dice rolls, player decisions, and spontaneous improvisation.
To maintain a true sand-box, you CANNOT detail too much - there must be room for growth. You still need to prepare hooks and details for the players to consider and possibly latch on to, and that’s what I’ll be focusing on. Even a sand box needs interesting things to do and see or it will get old fast. I’ve got a lot to go on already (hopefully not too much), and I’ll be organizing it and posting in the next few weeks.
Look for more details in upcoming posts.
Chaz
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