world design – Jeremiah Robert McCoy

Setting Project: The People of Ballad

Published by Jeremiah McCoy on February 17, 2020

Now that I have described humans on Ballad, I think I will tackle the other races. The people of Ballad are pretty diverse. The longer lived races tend to have a large on the 1000 kingdoms. Monarchs who rule for a thousand years with no succession wars just tend to be more of a stabilizing influence.

That said, the shorter lived races tend to be more numerous and their societies tend to be more dynamic. When you don’t personally remember when the traditions and rules were made, it is sometimes easier to see why you should change them.

Let’s dig in.

Setting Project: Redefining Humanity for Ballad.

Published by Jeremiah McCoy on January 16, 2020

This is my second article exploring the world Ballad. I am going to dig into the thing that started me thinking about the setting in the first place. I started with the notion of a setting where humans were rare and treated with distrust. This would not be unlike how Drow or Tieflings were treated in other settings. What would that kind of setting look like? A thread started by my friend Rabbit over on Twitter certainly contributed to that line of thought.

Before I dig too far in, let me address the history here.

Fiction: When the Gods Came Pt 1

Published by Jeremiah McCoy on February 20, 2018

This is the first part in a novel I have been working on. I am sure it will go through rewrites and revisions but I am posting some of it here. This is the story of how my post apocalyptic setting came to be. I am trying to be more comfortable about sharing my fiction. That is easier said than done.

The story is told in an epistolary version. It just seemed to be the right way to go. I am comfortable writing that way. That may have to do with writing a bunch of game text. I will post the second part next month.

The Kingdom of Durnam

Published by Jeremiah McCoy on January 24, 2018

This post is an experiment. I will do a second part soon. My favorite gaming supplements over the decades have been the ones with an in character commentary. This is my attempt at that sort of thing. Here is a travelogue style bit from a scholar traveling through the Kingdom of Durnam. I have included a random encounter table at the bottom, and some other game information. I also made sure there are some story hooks in there.

This is set in the post-apocalyptic setting I have written about in the past. It is hundreds of years after the giant Space Gods came and reeked enormous havoc on the world. The Hollow Mountain Library, found in what is now Cheyenne Mountain sent our narrator out to survey distant lands and see to the state of the world now that civilizations begin to reform out of barbarism.

Setting Idea: the God Thrones

Published by Jeremiah McCoy on September 26, 2017

Okay, so I had a crazy idea pop into my head. This actually happens a lot, but I try not to let myself get to taken by them. Sure, I probably could make an excellent dread overlord, but I am unwilling to spend time making the robot army of Pippi Longstockings. Think of the overhead!

Where was I?

Oh right! Crazy idea.

Different Rules for Death.

Different Rules for Death.

Published by Jeremiah McCoy on September 23, 2017

Why I am I talking about death on a blog dealing mainly with games? Well, games handle death differently. In many video games, you simply…

4 Grand Thieves Guilds

4 Grand Thieves Guilds

Published by Jeremiah McCoy on July 22, 2017

Large Scale Thieves guilds The thieves guilds are an integral part of the standard generic fantasy worlds in which D&D takes place. This is partly…

SciFi 5th edition experiment part 3 fun with Aliens

Published by Jeremiah McCoy on December 6, 2016

A few things. First, you can find my earlier posts on this Science Fiction 5e thread here, and here.

Second, let me know if you like these. I will keep writing them if people are getting anything out of them.

Third, sorry it took a day or two longer to get this out. Writing races is not as exciting and writing classes. I also had some other issues going on, but real life is like that some times. I did briefly consider doing my own artwork for these, but remembered I am not a great artist.

Science Fiction Game in 5th edition part 2 The Problems of Setting

Published by Jeremiah McCoy on November 29, 2016

So, I started out with the notion of making a 5^th edition Scifi game. This was spurred by the idea of exploring what you can do with the 5^th edition system framework. All fun and games, until you realize how much work it can be. Oh well, we continue the madness.

The problems with setting

The question of game design is one of experience. What stories are the players going to have here? What experiences do you want them to have? The original role-playing games, proto-D&D and its ilk, were extensions of war games. They were changed because the players wanted a different experience from what they were finding in the wargames. The rules grew out of that desire for a new experience.

Defining worlds for the game

Published by Jeremiah McCoy on December 19, 2012

Do you ever look at a TV show or a movie, and think to yourself, I could absolutely play in that world? Plenty of gamers do. I suppose it is the same sort of inspiration that fan fiction writers get. There is something about looking at a well-formed world, that makes you want to play there.

Tag: world design