Design Approach

World building can be approached in many ways, but it fundamentally comes down to a simple preference. Do you start at a high level and zoom in, or do you start small and build up? This section outlines a largely top-down approach, but you can design from the bottom up simply by starting at the end of this section and working backward. Either way, you might find yourself skipping between sections as inspiration strikes—and that's OK! When building worlds, there's a risk of becoming overwhelmed by the sheer number of decisions to be made. Remember that you don't need to make every decision for every aspect of your world all at once. Focus first on the elements you need for your story and the game, then add as much of the rest as you'd like. You'll also want to allow room for input from your players—gaming sessions are more memorable and engaging when the storytelling experience is shared between everyone at the table (Narrative Collaboration has more information on players contributing to the narrative). Before you decide anything else, however, you should establish your concept and your goals. Do you envision a bustling port of call in Near Space? A star system where magic comes from quarreling regional deities who each control a separate warring planetoid? A low-tech moon unknowingly isolated from the rest of a high-tech system full of starships? Are you designing a whole region of space for a multi-year campaign, or a single settlement on a world for a fast-paced one-shot adventure? Having an idea in mind will help steer your choices as you build your worlds, and knowing your goals will help you focus on building what you need. Campaign Reference Before the campaign starts, you might want to begin the outline for a campaign reference: a living document that you can easily review and annotate during gameplay and that records the planets, factions, history, characters, and plots central to your campaign.