[Gaming] Inventing a Mythology
If I look back at my various D&D campaigns, fantasy setting designs, fantasy game designs, and so on, I can start to see the ripples of an idea forming. Today, the small waves of those ripples have synched up and are magnified and it's pretty clear what I have been trying to do: invent a mythology.
My Quest
Building a fantasy setting is hard enough. Just assimilating a bunch of ideas and making them work together and documenting the mo-fo takes a ton of work and creativity. But doing something original? Next to impossible.
I am trying to invent a mythology, a complete fantasy setting that is a collection of original thematic ideas that resonates with people.
Here are some thoughts on settings other people invented. Forgotten Realms is a great setting but I don't think it's a mythology. It collects standard fantasy tropes, adds its own twists, and packages it neatly. Rather, FR is just a variation on the existing fantasy gaming mythology. Eberron is harder to pin down. It is a great setting but I'm tempted to toss it into the "variation on fantasy mythology" bucket. The invention of the warforged race, however, makes me pause. Magically-constructed, sentient warriors trying to find a new purpose now that the war has ended -- that is new mythology, and it's too bad they're not front and center of this setting. Eberron is a "kitchen sink" setting, so it doesn't really put any one aspect front and center.
The Dark Sun setting, on the other hand, has a unique mythological feel to it. Everything about it screams of originality, and all of its original aspects cohere. That's the kind of thing I want to create.
I'm sure some of my friends are scratching their heads and saying, "But isn't Firan original mythology?" I think it has a bunch of original bits in it, but the setting isn't the kind of overarching original mythology I want to invent. It's pretty much a stock fantasy world with a few twists: early iron age instead of medieval; Greco-Roman flavor; clans instead of countries; a burgeoning Republic; occasionally-meddling deities; a smattering of weird magic. The Dream World is a pretty neat bit of the Firan mythology and I've been GMing some stuff that explores that realm a little more. Still, I think Firan isn't the kind of mythology that people can point to and say, "This here is really different from anything I've ever seen before." Don't get me wrong, as a total game experience, Firan offers something that makes a lot of people say that, at least in the narrow niche realm of text-based MMOs.
My Mythology
Again, I can hear the echoes of something resonating in my past attempts at world creation. When I collect them together, the result is a fairly weak and pale mythology.
Here are some of the elements:
As I said, it needs a lot more work. I'm starting to see something form there, though. For flavor, I might throw in Meso-American culture.
My Quest
Building a fantasy setting is hard enough. Just assimilating a bunch of ideas and making them work together and documenting the mo-fo takes a ton of work and creativity. But doing something original? Next to impossible.
I am trying to invent a mythology, a complete fantasy setting that is a collection of original thematic ideas that resonates with people.
Here are some thoughts on settings other people invented. Forgotten Realms is a great setting but I don't think it's a mythology. It collects standard fantasy tropes, adds its own twists, and packages it neatly. Rather, FR is just a variation on the existing fantasy gaming mythology. Eberron is harder to pin down. It is a great setting but I'm tempted to toss it into the "variation on fantasy mythology" bucket. The invention of the warforged race, however, makes me pause. Magically-constructed, sentient warriors trying to find a new purpose now that the war has ended -- that is new mythology, and it's too bad they're not front and center of this setting. Eberron is a "kitchen sink" setting, so it doesn't really put any one aspect front and center.
The Dark Sun setting, on the other hand, has a unique mythological feel to it. Everything about it screams of originality, and all of its original aspects cohere. That's the kind of thing I want to create.
I'm sure some of my friends are scratching their heads and saying, "But isn't Firan original mythology?" I think it has a bunch of original bits in it, but the setting isn't the kind of overarching original mythology I want to invent. It's pretty much a stock fantasy world with a few twists: early iron age instead of medieval; Greco-Roman flavor; clans instead of countries; a burgeoning Republic; occasionally-meddling deities; a smattering of weird magic. The Dream World is a pretty neat bit of the Firan mythology and I've been GMing some stuff that explores that realm a little more. Still, I think Firan isn't the kind of mythology that people can point to and say, "This here is really different from anything I've ever seen before." Don't get me wrong, as a total game experience, Firan offers something that makes a lot of people say that, at least in the narrow niche realm of text-based MMOs.
My Mythology
Again, I can hear the echoes of something resonating in my past attempts at world creation. When I collect them together, the result is a fairly weak and pale mythology.
Here are some of the elements:
- Towers. If my mythology has a symbol, it is the tower, which represents civilization, government, reaching out to others, and reaching for the stars.
- Crowns. Every fantasy mythology needs iconic magic items. Lord of the Rings has its rings. My setting has crowns, which symbolize leadership, legacy, and struggle for power. They also look like the tops of towers...
- Jungle. I don't want to create another setting in European forests. My world is equatorial. Hot, sticky, rainy, and covered with jungle forests. River travel is the norm because cutting across the jungle is too dangerous and too slow. The jungle stands for untamed wilderness, chaos, and uncontrollable threat.
- Spirits. Replace the standard panthoi of a dozen or so gods and goddesses with hundreds of local spirits. Real deities are very powerful and it's rare that a hero would interact with one. Spirits, however, are commonplace. Heroes interact with them all the time. Some become companions and guardians, or at least allies one can turn to in times of need.
- Cataclysm. I admit that I love Atlantis stories, especially those that talk about an antediluvian world where a few remaining Atlantians travel the world to find and nurture the remains of civilization that survived and warn them of the mistakes they made and the devastation still to come. My mythology is post-cataclysm, too.
- Relationships. This is a world where connections are important. The loner, the independent, the orphan -- these are people at a serious disadvantage. Having a network of friends and allies is essential to surviving in this dangerous world.
As I said, it needs a lot more work. I'm starting to see something form there, though. For flavor, I might throw in Meso-American culture.