Blog - Hello World

Let's have at it.

I figure this first post should be about what this blog is about. I also figure I'll be able to write some kind of summary somewhere and I'll be wanting to update the description at some point, probably more than once if this project lives long enough.

I'm making up a new world.

It's a world meant for stories and adventure and roleplaying and other fun make-believe stuff. This blog is so that I will have somewhere to note things down so I just don't forget about them, which tends to happen a lot.

What's the deal with this world then?

For a long time I've been musing on why the technological evolution in many fantasy worlds seems to have stopped somewhere shortly after the catapult was invented. I may be incorrect but you'll know roughly what I mean. There are knights in shining armor and there are fancy swords and axes and castles with towering spires and all that jazz.

...and that's it. These worlds may have intricate and detailed histories spanning thousands of years but, the technological, social and political evolution over that time is negligible.

What if that wasn't the case? What if the world moved on? Monarchy gives way to democracy. Swords give way to guns. Castles built of stone and rock give way to mansions of concrete and steel. Filthy little towns with no sewage drains and a thieve's guild give way to filthy large cities with sewers and gangsters.

But the people and the magic stay the same. The elves are still slender, beautiful and elusive. Dwarfs are still digging tunnels and brewing the best beer around (without actually being farmers). A fireball is still a fireball whether you're sporting a pointy hat and a staff or a bandana and fashionable shades.

...and the humans, well, they'll still mess things up for everyone and everything, including themselves. What would a world like that be like?

And that's it...

That's what this blog is meant to be about. Creating that world. Before I can write stories for it, or create adventures set in it for my friends to role-play in I need to know what the world is like.

It's not just: "It's the real world, except with elves and magic." It could be. It's all my readers or players need to know, but that's not enough for me. In order to make the world believable I need to know how it works. I'll be starting from scratch, or somewhere in the middle, or wherever I feel like it.

I don't honestly expect to ever be finished, but it's an interesting topic to muse on. A few things have made it to the "rough idea" stage. These currently include: Things that need some more thought: I plan on expanding on the things in the "rough idea" stage over the next couple of days, but this will have to be enough typing for tonight.
 * The planet.
 * The origin of the dwarves.
 * The origin of the elves.
 * The origin of the humans.
 * One major human religion.
 * The availability of natural resources as sources of energy (oil)
 * Everything - included what's listed above.