Actually, I'm not thinking too much about Christmas. No one ever asks me what I want anymore (well, my mother does sometimes...).
Instead, I'm thinking about my D&D campaign setting. That is, the setting for my next D&D campaign...which, of course, I haven't yet started seeing as how I have neither players nor the time/means to play at the moment.
Thing is, that little roadblock (not having a game going)...well, I've decided that doesn't matter all that much. Really, it doesn't. World building is its own type of play, after all. And establishing a world, preparing a world, is good mental exercise. And it's fun...and it can be challenging, too.
For example, I'm still worried about how to build a fantasy economy. But I've decided I prefer the challenge of that to giving up my idea of updating the equipment list to include different pieces of armor. Actually, it's not even that I "prefer the challenge;" it's just that I don't care (at this point) about how terrible any fantasy economy I come up with happens to be. Because no one (at this point) is seeing what I'm writing anyway.
Same with my full intention to steal shit from other sources. I have no desire to build a campaign setting from our real world, but I definitely plan on stealing ideas and concepts from our real world history. I definitely plan on stealing some of my favorite concepts from fantasy fiction (even though I have no intention of setting the game in Krynn or Melnibone or Darkover or Middle Earth or whatever). And again, I think I can do this without a care to judgment for any perceived "lack of originality," because I'm the only one who's going to be seeing this.
I think that what I really want for Christmas is just a new, fresh notebook: something to write down ideas and concepts and (personal, subjective) justifications of rules and systems I want to continue using. I don't want to start another Word document or Excel spreadsheet...I've got plenty of those going already for various projects. I want something a bit more personal and portable that doesn't require a power source to use. Once the notebook is filled, then I'll go about transferring the info into an electronic format...a document or wiki page or something.
Yeah. That's what I'm wanting right now. Everything else (including players) can come later. Hopefully Santa delivers.
It's really good to be reading your posts again. I can't help but wonder where you are with your thoughts on Middle Earth as a setting?
ReplyDeleteHave you looked at Adventures in Middle Earth? The books are beautiful and the mechanics reflect a popular take on M.E. (Personally, I like my Tolkien a bit darker and more magical, but to each his own.) Felice Navidad, amigo!
@ Fred:
DeleteThanks...it's good to be back.
I HAVE had a chance to look through the AiME players guide. Despite being a beautiful book (it is, it really is) I was pretty unimpressed by the direction they decided to take with it.
I still have my notes from my ideas for a "B/X Middle Earth" campaign setting, and I'll try to get them posted (though probably in January). I'm not sure I can ever see Tolkien as truly "dark" (I mean, The Children of Hurin has some pretty sad/depressing subject material, but even that isn't THAT dark of a book)...I actually like ME for its epic/mythic scope of fantasy.
I'm very hopeful I'll find a Barnes & Noble gift card in my stocking (when I return from Mexico), as I'd really like to pick up The Fall of Gondolin.
: )
I hope you get what you want. And a surprise of something you didn't know you wanted.
ReplyDeleteWorld building is something I love to play at. Even if no one is going to see it. I used to do that a lot back when I worked two jobs and went to college. If I did play back then it was to play not to GM. But that never stopped me from creating villages, NPCs, and all the dungeons I wanted.
Have a great holiday and shape that world of yours.