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Just saying hello
Just wanted to introduce myself... I've been playing around on OP for a couple weeks now, slowly building my campaign page, scanning through the forums for useful ideas and formatting tricks.... So i figured I'd finally jump in seeing how I'm actually on this site pretty consistently, any comments on my Fairly fresh campaign site are welcome...
I did have a question, has anyone actually used OP to simply build a game setting. I know this question most likely sounds kinda silly considering the point of OP, but I meant has anyone just built up a game setting (possibly even without Players) to create a sandbox setting and then had players (or even multiple game groups) populate it? When I started building this game just over 2 years ago (mostly preliminary work, and major plot/metaplot planning), this was my intention and so I was hoping to see if anyone had, so I could look over the approach they've taken in building their setting here on OP...... If this a normal thing, let me know and tell me to shut up =) and read some bloody campaign pages... =p
Thanks y'all
I did have a question, has anyone actually used OP to simply build a game setting. I know this question most likely sounds kinda silly considering the point of OP, but I meant has anyone just built up a game setting (possibly even without Players) to create a sandbox setting and then had players (or even multiple game groups) populate it? When I started building this game just over 2 years ago (mostly preliminary work, and major plot/metaplot planning), this was my intention and so I was hoping to see if anyone had, so I could look over the approach they've taken in building their setting here on OP...... If this a normal thing, let me know and tell me to shut up =) and read some bloody campaign pages... =p
Thanks y'all
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Comments
Some people absolutely have used OP as a world building tool. My most recent campaign The White Wastes of Aultha was built on OP (though not to too great a detail, because Ive been pretty busy) first and then became the home for our game.
Happy gaming!
DarkMagus
As to your question, I'm actually doing that myself, and I know of a few others who have done so as well. Here's a link to my "Age of Legends":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/age-of-legends campaign setting. Also, check out Duskreign's "Wyrmshadow Campaign Setting":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/wyrmshadow and Gaaran's "Melekar Chronicles":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/melekar. I've found the wiki-system here at the Portal the ideal tool for fleshing out a setting. Prior to that I used to just create extensive notes on the World's geography, history and notable people. The notes grew so lengthy that I eventually developed my own Index to keep track of names etc. This is a much less cumbersome system. Create an entry on topic A, and then when you need to refer back to it, just insert a link to it in B, C or D. Simple. So yes, I do recommend using the OP to flesh out your campaign setting.
Cheers,
-Arsheesh
*edit* thank you also arsheesh, I already like this community y'all replied faster tan I had time to reply to just one user.. and I posted this not too long ago and was checking it on my phone
Thanks again for the friendly hello, and lemme know watcha think when you get the time =)
Also, for everyone's convenience, I've included I link to your campaign: "Rekuna Dreams":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/rekuna-dreams/wikis/factions
So far, your campaign is looking pretty good, sounds like a very interesting setting to play in!
Hopefully I will slowly but surely add more information and start filling in secrets that can only be learned by reading entrees ( like the fact the parties ranger contact is actually only one of four ranked at his level, my players died when they figured that out)....
Okay well I'll stop rambling...
Talmeth out
The Portal is a great place for managing campaign information, whether you're actively playing or not. World-creation can be its own reward, plus putting your ideas here can generate feedback from other users.
Looking forward to seeing where your campaign ideas go.
Mike aka Black Vulmea
"_Le Ballet de lAcier_":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/le-ballet-de-l-acier - swashbuckling adventure in the age of the Three Musketeers and Captain Alatriste
We also do pretty much all our world-building stuff on OP, though we also play around in the world as we're building it so it's not really a "sandbox" type thing. Hopefully someday when it's fleshed out enough someone else will come to us and say, "hey...can I play in this world, too?" but realistically, that'll be a while.
Anyway, see you around OP.
I can say that I have designed my campaign totally on Obsidian Portal. I joined in November 2009 and designed most of the campaign from scratch before taking up "Ascendancy" in May 2010 to be able to start running the campaign with my players in September 2010.
My Campaign, "Shimring":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shimring , was based on an idea I had originally conceived in 2nd Edition but all I had was a map and a couple of pages of notes. I started out everything from the "Main Wiki Page":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/shimring/wikis/main-page and developed everything from there in the way I observed on the Video Tutorial that first caught my eye.
I found that one of the best ways to do things was to put a couple of ideas and general wiki pages in the main section but to create the actual dungeon details from wikis started out from the DM Only sections. If for example, you look at my "Greyhawk":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/shimring/wikis/greyhawk page, you will just see two WIKI pages - "Introduction" and "First Task Completion" but in the DM Only section below (if you had access) you would find two Wiki Pages - "Ziggaurat" and "Dungeons" - each of these ramifying into various sections and detailing rooms, characters, monsters and treasure that only I can see.
The other thing I did (which helps me but may not be useful to you) is that I copied all pages into word documents, stored these on my own hard drive and printed every page off so that I basically have two thick black reference books, which I take to the games when we play. This may not be necessary, and I did it mainly because the place where we play has no Wi-fi, but in retrospect, having the book, all kept in chronological order, really helps me in referencing stuff when I can't remember which WIKI page certain information is on.
I hope these notes are of some use when you are building your camaign, and if you have any other questions relating to how I did mine, I am happy to answer any questions.
twiggyleaf
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member
And when I get around to building a world I intend to keep for more than one campaign, I will build it here too.
Mind you, one "snag" you may encounter as you create campaigns set in your world built here is that it's a little more complicated to link from the ongoing campaign to the world-building wiki. Moreover, you may not want to - taking the time to copy and paste data from one wiki into another does ensure that you have a "clean backup" of world data in one place, and can still chronicle any changes your PCs' actions wreak during the campaign. (If you restrict your copypasta to data that your PCs actually acquire, this should be manageable - you needn't import all the data on the Dwarven Kingdoms of the East if your players haven't left the West Coast yet.)
Other than that potential difficulty, though, I think OP is a great place to build. And let's face it - the PCs are building your world with you as they run around inside it, so really, world-building in OP is inevitable! =)