Essential books for world building

[jpwic]

Hi there this question has probably been asked but what books would you people say are most useful for world builders? i have heard good things about magical medieval society, and I have seen the Gygaxes world building books in my FLGS, but any and all suggestions would be welcome

John

 

[Buttercup]

It really depends on what sort of world you want to build. If it bears even the slightest resemblance to medieval Europe, then Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe is probably the most important book for you to own.

There are lots of other sourcebooks that might or might not fit in with your ideas. For example, if you need help with a pantheon, Book of the Righteous might be helpful. If, on the other hand, you need some cities and towns, ready-made, Seven Cities might be just the ticket.

Can you give us any details on the feel you are hoping to acheive? High magic, low magic, hordes of illiterate barbarians roaming an untamed wilderness or lots of effete aristocrats manipulating each other in a string of large, decadent cities?

 

[jgbrowning]

I guess it's time to start shilling our new book, A Magical Society: Ecology and Culture. It'll be out in April. A long section on how to make a good and pretty realistic world map, a section on ecology and climate, and a section on culture.

It's a synthesis work that should shave off a lot of time for anyone world-building.

joe b.

 

[Hand of Evil]

There are a number of web site for it.

http://www.hut.fi/~vesanto/world.build.html

http://www.io.com/~eighner/world_builder/world_builder_index.html

 

[MarauderX]

HoE has some great links there. I use the old OD&D gazeteers for certain realms I want to create, or at least the feel of them, and spit up the rest in an icky furball of ideas that I have to sift through to find the one good one.
Look out....

<---- *hahaaaackk-patooey!*

Now I gotta get my brain dirty and filter out the muck.

I am patiently awaiting Fields of Blood to put some solid numbers to the feel of my homebrew. Players may not like numbers in the real world, but they use them like crazy for comparisons, and I would like to give them a better feel when they travel from one village to the next how big it might be and how often those villages come along.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Click on the links in jgbrowning's sig.

If Magical Medival Society: Western Europe had been out when I designed my world, it would have shaved off six months off my development time. No lie.

Based on that book I will buy "Ecology and Culture" without stopping to read reviews or the like. I am not affiliated with Expeditious Retreat Press, but for what it's worth, I fully reccomend their books.

 

[Sir Whiskers]

If you're looking at the micro level (vs. macro), then consider these two pdf's:

City Guide
City Guide 2: Coffer of Coins

Each has full write-ups for numerous town shops, including owners and staff. Saved me a ton of time when designing several small towns for my last campaign. Both are available at RPGNow.

 

[Olive]

I guess it's time to start shilling our new book, A Magical Society: Ecology and Culture. It'll be out in April.

Will it be out as a PDF first? Or both?

 

[Eosin the Red]

Personally these are my druthers for worldbuilding;

Fields of Blood
Magical Midevil Society
Book of the Righteous
GURPS Religion
---something on mapping if it ain't all in your head---
Magical ideas - magic tends to be the most defining element of fiction.
History books for relavant real world counterparts.

That is what I use.

 

[Eosin the Red]

I guess I will have to stop making fun of people fwhen they double post.