Exchange of Realities

World-building may well be the most overwhelming part of writing a fantasy story or prepping for a game. It’s certainly one of the most overwhelming. Between the magic system and the cultures, the maps, the climate zones, the legends, the level to which the legends are accurate, the cultural repercussions of the legends, the class system, the distances between locations, the effect of magic on economics, the political systems, and… why do we go to all this effort to write this stuff, anyway? More importantly, where do we start?

At the beginning, of course.

One of the best beginnings is the general geography. It creates a lot of opportunities; distances and landmarks give us a visualization of the world, and allow us to figure out what’s where and how these proximities might affect the relationships between places. But even that isn’t too specific, as far as beginnings go.

There are two major strategies for map-building. One is to start with the full world map and then build detail from there, the other is to start with a very small place and move outward. How well they work is partly a matter of the kind of story you want to tell. If what you’re looking for is a world-spanning epic featuring fights between major powers, wars spanning continents, long quests through vast amounts of scenery and multiple cultures with highly varied people who glare at each other over their borders, you probably want a world map.

On the other hand, if what you’re looking for is a mystery in a city rife with political confusion, the development of a civilization from a small group of people, or a way to satisfy a group of players that likes to dig deeply into the story behind their surroundings, you might want to start small and get bigger.

A lot of it is also personal style and knowledge. Beginning with a large map tends to work better if you have a basic understanding of geography: Mountains tend to come in chains, volcanoes aren’t usually out in the middle of nowhere, rivers run downhill towards the ocean, hardwood doesn’t grow above the timberline, and if you’ve got tundra next to tropics something’s definitely wrong. That sort of thing. On the other hand, a smaller map can have its own difficulties; city or town layouts involve a number of factors, including the ability to get from point a to point b, how the place was built to begin with and how it grew, and what the place was originally built around.

I’ve found a few tricks and tips during my time world-building. Some of these have to do with finding inspiration, others with making sure the places you design are believable.

One mapping trick, if all you’re dealing with is the contours of the land and you could do with some inspiration, is to use recycled or cloth-based paper, the kind with visible fibers. Tracing those can provide an excellent springboard for your own attempts at map-making.

Similarly, starting with a contour-map may be an excellent way to begin a town, city or region, since you can try to make the general layout fit with the way the land lies. If you’ve got a town or city, don’t forget to make sure there are decent sources of food and water, and if you lack those, make sure there’s a way to get supplies there and a reason to go to that much effort. Even gold in the hills isn’t worth hauling food and water tens of miles, unless you happen to be one well-paid trader.

If you’re doing a large map, watch your distances. Travel wasn’t near as easy without a lot of the inventions we take for granted, and if you need regular communication between two places, making sure that either the distance between them isn’t too absurd or that it’s relatively easy to travel for its length will definitely make a difference. Too far, and you get a bunch of isolated villages with little to no communication; closer together, and you can have a thriving system of trade and interconnection.

Take climate into account. It’s going to make a hefty difference to crops, to how far a from a reliable water source a town can be built and still flourish, to how far apart habitations can be spaced and still keep in contact, and all sorts of other factors. In general, the more moderate the climate is, the less it impedes travel.

Don’t forget the importance of rivers! They’re an excellent source of food and water, and highly beneficial for trade, the spread of information, and general mobility between locations. Look at the fertile Just watch out for those floods.

Of course, the map’s only the beginning. I’ll cover other aspects of world-building in the future; until then, enjoy your cartography!