Table of Contents

WHAT’S THE GENRE OF YOUR WORLD?

Knowing the genre(s) and general technology/magic level will help you set expectations about your world, and keep your world feeling cohesive.

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HOW DOES THE WORLD FEEL (PLAYER/READER EXPERIENCE)?

Do you want your world to feel mystical, or terrifying - or both? Should your audience be afraid or moved, filled with wanderlust or wonder? Awed by the past, or by the future? Your world will have a general feel to it, even if the specifics of tone vary from story to story.

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WHAT IS THE CHARACTER AGENCY LEVEL LIKE?

Character agency describes how much power the main characters or player characters have to change the world, and how long-lasting that change might be.

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WHAT IS THE TONE OF YOUR WORLD

Is your world dark (e.g. Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica, The Witcher) or bright (e.g. original Star Trek, the Princess Bride, My Little Pony), or somewhere in the middle (e.g. StarGate, Harry Potter, Shannara Chronicles)? How pleasant or difficult is it to live there, in general? Do horrible or wondrous things happen to ordinary people?

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===== WHAT ARE THE RECURRING THEMES WHICH REINFORCE THE GENRE, TONE AND FEEL OF YOUR WORLD?

A few recurring themes can help anchor your audience in your tone and genre, and establish your hook. What three motifs/scenes/themes capture the world you’re trying to create?* These motifs are a great way to help reinforce the feeling of your world, despite the different pacing and mood of locations or scenes within your story or campaign. They do not need to feature in every single session or scene.

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