Campaign World, I started writing this what do you think Options

[Cryptkeeper]

The silver curtain = a water fall, its width spans numerous kilometers. behind this curtain lies the city of ___________ which is woven into the large rock face. almost a kilometer from the waters edge. The large water falls torents of water crash into the large spanned lake several hundred metres from the shore closest to the city.
The curtains source of water is a large cylinder shaped downpour from the heavens 120kms away from the edge of the plateu from where the water comes. A large temple has stood around the edges ( but of safe distance ) of the continuous downpour for an age or more as a site of respect for who provides thier world with water.

any suggestions comments etc welcome.
i started writing this for another system tonight.

[TinkerGnome]

Interesting... I once had a campaign world similar to this where a great river flowed from an ancient temple or some such. It was something like two years ago that it ran, but you can take a look at the archieves here. Along with some maps and the like, but I'm much more savy with world design now than I was back then ;)

[JongWK]

I assume there is a water-related deity?

By the way, which system are you using?

[Adam]

It doesn't answer the one question that I think any campaign/world writeup should: "What the hell do your characters do?"

[Cryptkeeper]

1: Adam, the characters have nothing to do with a world description, first you make the world and then using the world you have created you make adventures using different things.

2: JongWK, Its using the gurps system only becuase it allows me to make anything i damn want to without much hassel at all and it also allows me to introduce my players to it easily becuase of the free gurps lite rules. I currently own the GURPS Basic Set Rule Book (HCover)


As you can tell with the ___________ i havent worked out what i'm going to call the city becuase i'm not that great with names and yes there is a water- related diety.

[Adam]

I don't agree with that approach at all -- a game world is a place for characters to do stuff -- it's not a place for political statements, wonderful prose, endless locations, or anything like that. It may have all of those, but primary it's a playground for characters and players.

The setting may sound interesting, but it doesn't hook me, because I'm left wondering "So.. what am I doing?" Am I playing some mystical guard of the waterfall? Am I an alchemist trying to poison the water supply of the world? Am I an adventurer who has learned of the alchemists plans and needs to convince the city guard that it's a real problem? Why am I here? What's within the realm of possibility?"

I'm obviously not saying that you have to define all the possible character types and throw in a dozen plot hooks, but if you look at the back cover copy of virtually any RPG you'll see statements like "Play the hero -- defend SuperCity from the evil that lurks, or turn to the dark side and attempt to control it all" or "On the streets, you are a shadowrunner -- a criminal for hire." or "Are you brave enough to delve into the deepest darkest dungeon?" [all of these statements are made up, but based on easily recognizable games/genres.]

IMO, that's how you sell a game. "You are doing this" not "You are here." Your mileage may vary -- good luck with your campaign.

[Cryptkeeper]

you play what you want, its a campaign setting used to write adventures for based on the enviroments and locations. and whats wrong with political statments? i mean different areas of a world and thier politics may conflict bring turmoil etc.

anyway besides this being for a rpg i'm also going to use it to write stories based in it.
I write fiction as a hobby as well so this world has a double purpose.

Thanks for the comments,

more are most definatly welcome :)

[Adam]

[Cryptkeeper]

The city isnt actually built on solid rock, (*sighs* now this is going to be hard to explain and get across what i mean) The inside of the cliff face has no rock floor the city is built in a (hmm oh i know how to get a picture in your minds.... think of kilika out of final fantasy 10 except not so primitive and its inside a very large cavern behind the waterfall.
As you will notice with the town of kilika the houses are not built on solid ground the town is built it seems mostly over the water. if kilika isnt really like this correct me but my interpretation of kilika is what i want my city to be like. Except not as low tech. This campaign may be fantasy but it isnt medievil fantasy by any accounts.
The townsfolk use personal type submarines (well not so much personal, more like large enough to hold a couple of people) to get to the main land on the other side of the lake.

[Cryptkeeper]

The submerines resemble small blimps with propellers that house up to 5 people.

[Cryptkeeper]

Here is a more detailed version of the description so far........

The silver curtain is a massive waterfall taht in width spans kilometres. Its source of water is from the water temple a site where the water diety; Goddess Andala Manifests by pouring out her heart on the mountain. The water temple was originally built by the residents of the city of Kanubia around the site of the downpour from the heavens. The city of Kanubia lies behind the silver curtain in a large cavern. Its roads are of polished laquered wood built over the water and stretch from home to home. These walkways are lines by lights, lighting the way of passage and lighting up the cavern. Kanubias homes are unlike any in the rest of Seura. Some are built with half thier structure into the walls of the cavern and the other half extending out onto the water and leading directly onto the walkways. Other homes are completely built out onto the water itself on supports that have been filted deep beneath the caverns rocky floor. Becuase of the amount of people living in Kanubia the walkways often are not suited for travelling to one side of the city to the other. The towns members travel from one side of the city to the other via small, blimp shaped submarines. Only the rich can afford to own thier own one, so there are many Mini Sub taxi services throughout Kanubia. The subs also probide transport from thier homes to the mainland on the other side of the inland sea called the "Watered Heart" by the elders who watch over the water temple.