Part One: Creating a Sense of Place

World Creation: It's one of the most fundamental steps for a DM. It's also one of the most daunting parts of running a game. Most DMs strive to create a unique sense of place and history for their world (take Tim's extensive work on the history and theology of Saratta, for example). Others pull canned, unimaginative settings out of books or fantasy cliches.

Creating a world is a huge task, but like every big project, you have to break it down into steps or segments to make it manageable. In this case, it's easiest to begin by creating villages or cities and their immediate environments. So how do you make a village unique and memorable? I'm going to take you through the process that I use when I'm building locales for a game, using the village of Climharadh (one of the settings in my current campaign) as an example.

Obviously, everyone has their own approach to the art of creation, and what works for me may not work for you. But maybe you'll pull a few pointers or new ideas from my process.

Step One: Maps

Maps serve as the foundation to my village-building. I usually start with an overarching 'world map,' and then create mini-maps that represent a smaller segment of the world (usually a city and its immediate surroundings). So why do I start with map drawing? Without knowledge of the geography around a settlement, how can you create the culture or society of the village, or start writing the adventures that await your PCs?

Depending on the size of the settlement, I may draw one close-up street map of the village or city, and highlight important locations (taverns, stores, churches) within the city for future reference, and one map that shows the city and the 10-15 miles of landscape around the city.
Often, I'll also do a ground-level drawing of the village to give to my characters, so they have a visual representation of what I'm describing. The drawing allows me to flesh out the architecture and layout of the village.

After I've drawn the maps, I write a brief description of the sociology, geography and economy of the village. This general description is incredibly important in my process. It's often the point when my ideas start to coalesce and take shape. This general description serves as a reference as I delve into the more specific details of the village. Here's what I penned for Climharadh:

Founded by a hardy and swarthy folk from southern Osseros, Climharadh is an independently-minded village situated between the Sheltered Bay and the slopes of two of the highest peaks in the Leptis Line: Baltoro and Karakoram. The people of the city have come to revere the two peaks, which reach upward abruptly from the sea coast. The area around Climharadh is warmed by breezes from the Sheltered Bay, and is very hilly and forested. The slopes around the city play host to a number of small streams and rivers, fed by rains that frequently run up the sides of the mountains. Two of the larger rivers in the area, the Coldstream and Onyx, are glacial meltwater rivers that have their origins high up in the mountains. The small vale above Climharadh is farmed for potatoes, but the true livelihood of the villagers is coastal fishing. The ships the natives use are small outriggers, nimble but difficult to maneuver. The city itself is built from granite and other hardy, volcanic stones, and clings to the cliffs above the ocean like a seagull’s next. Roads form switchbacks down the cliff to the seashore, and ruins dot the hillsides above the city. Traders also frequent the area, as Climharadh sits at the foot of the only gateway through the Leptis Line up into the high plains. The cleft road leads to the Obsidian Staircase –a dwarf-hewn track that leads to the Dwarven waypost of Carven Vale, high in the mountains.

Baltoro and Karakoram: Hidden by the clouds that frequently form around the base of the mountains, the two peaks are omnipresent in the minds of the villagers of Climharadh. The townfolk have constructed an abbey that doubles as a shrine to Alessa and an altar for the two peaks. An almost animalistic religion has built up around the mountains, which are rumored to be inactive volcanoes. Karakoram, to the north, is feared. Villagers consider it a bad omen when the clouds clear around the mountain, and the snow-tipped peak is visible to the land below. Rumors abound about gray creatures with gangly limbs that will snatch up unwary travelers. On the other hand, Baltoro, to the south, is considered to be the silent protector of the village. The villagers see the two peaks as good and evil, vying against each other. A few people in the village can claim that they have scaled Baltoro—a dangerous but powerful feat. Those who have scaled the mountain enjoy high status among their peers below. A rough cemetery for the village lies at the foot of Baltoro.

Next time: people, stores and village culture