Wednesday 28 November 2012

The Secret Purpose of Setting

Psst! Come closer. This is a secret.

I designed the regions of Into the Odd's setting to rather sneakily act as Signposts for the core stuff a player needs to know.


The Sister States

Rosevine is a city in the middle of a chaotic Revolution. The only remaining monarch we hear of is in the middle of being overthrown. Oh, and she might be a shape-shifting reptoid.

Bastion is a truly modern, Industrial city. Canals connect it with the rest of the world and it sits on vaults filled with weird stuff.

Starfall is a city built on the ruins of Astral Visitors. It's filled with star cults, universities and weird places to explore.

Now the reader know that this is an Industrial world, filled with Revolutions and the lingering influence of Astral Visitors. 


The Frontiers

The Islands demonstrate the reach of the Sister States as a Colonial power.

The Golden Lands are mostly unknown to the Sister States, showing just how Vast the world is.

The Polar Ocean acts as the ultimate Mystery for any explorer.

Now the reader knows that, while the Sister States have the reach of a Colonial power, the world is Vast and Mysterious, leaving lots of white space on the map and potential rival powers.

1 comment:

  1. I love your style. I'll note this technique to use it in my setting!

    ReplyDelete