Madlibs Worldbuilding
This is a worldbuilding method originally written by Ironclad_Penguin. The idea is to come up with a campaign setting that the players each have a stake in, but still something unpredictable.
The Method[edit | edit source]
Assuming your groups is standard five players + GM. Each player is assigned one aspect of the world being created, and each player will privately describe that part of the world before all the players share their answers. The answers should be short, 1-3 sentences, and written down on paper. It helps to use comparisons to keep things succinct (i.e.: 'politically convoluted just like old Byzantium')
If there are fewer than five players, 'Era' can be decided by the group before starting, and 'Theology' can just be dropped.
- Era
What is the genre for this game? What is the technology level? What form do supernatural powers (magic, psi, etc) take?
- Peoples
What people make up the top three dominant societies? Name a geographical feature that the first one corresponds with. What is the social status of non-dominant societies? (this one is weak, needs to be replaced. --NotBrandX)
- Politics
What are the political/government systems of the top three dominant societies? Name a geographical feature that the secondmost corresponds with. What are their relationships to each other?
- Culture
How do the top three dominant societies view art, science, & spiritual/supernatural? Name a geographical feature that corresponds with the thirdmost society.
- Theology
How many gods are worshiped in the world? Are their different pantheons for different societies? Are evil gods openly worshipped? Are the gods real? If so: do they interact with people?
After each player presents their answers the GM gets to answer her assigned question, with feedback from the players. This answer should also be written down, so everything's on paper for the GM to work with later.
- Upheaval
What major recent event has upset the balance of the world? Who was involved in the event? Who is trying to fix things, and who is taking advantage?
This gives plenty of material for a GM to build a world and plot.
Links[edit | edit source]
- Original blog post by Ironclad Penguin