The Homework Never Ends it’s time to throw them into the back seat

How to Start an RPG Campaign Step 5 – Worldbuilding

(Note: This is one of several posts that can be read in any order, depending on how you like to build your campaigns. Don't worry; there'll be a summary post once they're posted.)

As you worldbuild, remember the notes and information organization system you settled on early in this series. Keep track of everything you decide and all the ideas you get so that you can create a rich world for your players.

There are several ways to handle worldbuilding:

Option 1: Let it build itself as needed.

You can set down the genre and a few basic tropes and then just let it play. However, you should at least design the area in which the game will start, e.g. the starting neighborhood or city.

Just make sure you take copious notes about everything you and your players reveal or decide about the world. Players tend to remember clues and expect them to be used later by the GM; don't disappoint them.

Option 2: Use a pre-written RPG  world.

There are many, many existing RPG worlds, mostly fantasy but also for other genres. Even if they're built for a different system than the one you're using, you can usually convert stats like distances and monsters.

Just make sure that you've read over and completely understand the world before playing in it, or else you could contradict yourself down the line.

Option 3: Model your world after a historic setting or  existing fictional universe.

If you're interested in a real-life historical setting (such as medieval Japan or the Wild West) or a fictional universe (such as Star Trek, Star Wars, or the Otori books), you can create (or sometimes find) a world built around it.

Just make sure you do your research and make everything line up with the original, or fellow fans might point out differences and assume that you were sloppy. Then again, you might write your interpretation of the source, but be clear about it before looking foolish.

Option 4: Design a world yourself.

If you want to combine elements from all of the above, you really should sit down and put together a world of your own. There are two ways to do this: From the inside out and from the outside in.

In the former case, start with a small area such as a city or even neighborhood. Flesh it out with details, such as weather, culture, customs, races, economy, and monsters/other problems. Then spread out to describe the rest of the world, usually focusing on how this small area fits into the whole.

In the latter case, describe the world or even solar system, detailing continents, countries, and kingdoms, as well as history. Then move in closer and flesh out cities and areas for the players to actually explore against this backdrop.

For a lot of helpful information on building, see The Harrow's City- and Realm-building instructions, as well as Patricia C. Wrede's classic Worldbuilding Questions.