fools-pyrite

computer toucher; RPG enjoyer


I'm going to play a worldbuilding game with some coworkers next week, and will probably be kicking off an RPG campaign in the resulting world. Anyone have any suggestions?

(below the fold a little more detail)


At least one player in the group tends to be a little uncomfortable with off-the-cuff free RP, and we're starting pretty much from scratch. I want to have a game that will be fun and engaging in its own right, and also help kick off some kind of fantasy adventure campaign that will run for a little while.

The games I'm already considering:

  1. The Quiet Year - while it could work, I think TQY deserves to be played as its own thing (rather than beholden to a followup campaign)
  2. Microscope - like a lot of Ben Robbins's work, it's tightly designed but a little hostile to players uncomfortable with free RP
  3. i'm sorry did you say street magic - prrrrobably too tight in scope (again - I think it would work best to be played on its own, rather than to lead into a campaign. hope I get a chance someday!)
  4. Grasping Nettles - I've been meaning to read this but the blurb sounds like it would work well for what I'm looking for, probably?
  5. The Ground Itself - I listened to Sangfielle so I'm aware of TGI, but I really have no idea how it plays. let me know if it would be a good fit I guess?

You must log in to comment.

in reply to @fools-pyrite's post:

I'm actually working on a game right now that has a world building subgame that you play before you start your game. It is not published yet but I could share it with you. (Normally I'd be super hesitant to promote my own, unreleased game, but a lot of groups have played it and it's generally been going really well. The game it lays the foundations for is more in the realm of urban fantasy, but I've used it as a tool for building big fantasy regions for other games.

I kicked off a scifi game by playing Beak, Feather, and Bone. It was really good for building out factions and larger scale world elements, but required (a) a map and (b) cursory knowledge of the world we wanted to play in. Might not exactly suit what you're looking for, but otherwise is very good.

The Ground Itself uses a random timescale to talk about the gaps between "rounds" (days, weeks, years, and millennia if I remember correctly?) which means it can create a fun world really well, but some of those gaps are better suited to different worlds than others. If you choose that one, I'd recommend that you either choose the timescale that will work best for your group and world, or have a conversation about the world at the start of the game, before you start playing at all.

Best of luck!