Being a Dungeon Master Part 2:

As a dungeon master one might tire of the pre-generated worlds of others and feel a wanderlust for places yet undreamed of. Worlds of your own design. Everyone has considered this at least once. Many “Homebrew” worlds (as they are called) never see ink on paper, fewer still reach publication. Perhaps the creator is over protective and will never publish their creation. Perhaps they are too modest and believe what they have wrought is not viable for publication. Whatever the reason for not sharing, I promise from one dreamer to another someone will love what you have created.

Where to start? The logical place would be at the beginning on a large scale with the big bang. You could create a world from conception all the way down to the city or town where the players are starting, designing every blade of grass until you write that first adventure to kick off the campaign. You might find yourself running out of steam before you even finish the creation story and histories. This is unfeasible and insurmountable for one person. This could take a person months or years unless that someone is an unemployed hermit who has laser focus and unbreakable will.

The solution is the same as one would design an adventure. Work backward, start where the players will start and expand from there. Like a ripple in a pond, wrap the world around them as they explore. This may call for some improv if the group makes some unexpected choices. Ask the players where their characters are from, at least one is bound to be “foreign” or at least not from where the adventure begins. Ask them to describe their character’s accent, garb, their homeland, etc. and plug this right into your design. Players will instantly become more invested in a world they helped build.

The next step is to get or draw a map of the settlement and region around it. One can certainly draw this, there are also a plethora of free maps available online. Dyson Logos has a whole bunch of absolutely free maps you can just print and play with. If you do decide to draw one, don’t worry about drawing perfect mountains or if the map makes sense. This is only the area as “they currently know it”. You can revise later as needed. Some things to definitely include though: a river or water source, nearly every city or town is close to or has access to clean water, especially if they do not yet have sewers or indoor plumbing. Roads are also important, very few places are so remote that there is not at least one road leading to it. There is a reason the Romans built roads everywhere: trade. Very few settlements are entirely self-sufficient, and even if they are, who doesn’t want the extra money a trade route brings. Landmarks help the characters orient themselves with their surroundings. Include landmarks even if they are simply geographic features like a swamp. "Stovepipe Mountain? Oh, it’s just north of the Soggy Slop Swamp." "Make sure you take the right fork at the statue of Orias along the King’s Road." Much more interesting roleplaying than asking the group to roll skill checks all the time to make sure they haven’t gotten lost. Related to offering landmarks for orientation and flavor, don’t forget to put places of interest: dangerous dungeons, haunted ruins, vast caves, abandoned castles. Provide places for adventurers to go adventuring!

Next it’s time for an urban area map, again you use an existing map or draw a new one. As with the area map there are some key features not to overlook. This settlement will be the hub of adventure, it will be the place they will likely return to after the dungeon or the first encounter with a powerful villain. Provide places of interaction, shops to buy and sell things, taverns to carouse and rest in, libraries for research and temples in which to pray and receive healing or guidance. Stock these places with notable NPCs so the players will enjoy interacting with them and seek them out when they return to town.

While most of the above buildings are obvious even to the neophyte, another commonly overlooked feature is local governance. Where are the ruler’s offices and what of the NPCs who enforce the law? What municipal buildings are there and who can be found in them? How is the town managed? How do the people feel about their rulers? Are the local guild masters also politicians? Regardless of the actual details of who rules and how, powerful political NPCs can often offer more lucrative work for characters who have proved their mettle.

The clergy also played a huge part in Medieval society, scholars might argue they wielded too much power. This argument aside, every town no matter how small often has a church, temple or sacred place of some kind as they also have a townhall as explained above. Does the church also serve as a townhall? In some rural settlements, this is the case. Does this mean they exert more influence on the secular workings?

Next it’s time to answer some questions to flesh out the design so the settlement feels more “lived in” . These considerations may not have a direct application as far as ensuring there is a building designated as "townhall" but might merit other design considerations based on the answers. For example: a city with a very rigid caste system might have walls surrounding different areas of the city and guards at each gate to ensure that "peasants do not loiter" in wealthier districts.

Society: What is the general outlook of the people? Are they oppressed or happy? Is there a pluralism or do people only concern themselves with their own problems? How does the population derive a sense of community? If a high value is placed on self-determination, some may feel they are marginalized and this might be the cause of corruption in certain areas.

Economy: What do most people do to earn a living? Is there enough labor and wages to support the working class? Prices might be artificially deflated if the working class wages are stagnant. Is there room for advancement?

Government: Who rules and how? Are they doing well or not? Are the people who believe they are in charge really in charge? If not, who really calls the shots? How does the type of government shape the settlement? A confederacy of guild houses might work independently on conflicting goals resulting in partisan ideology undermining even basic infrastructure. Perhaps this is why the roads are shabby or bridges are crumbling.

Religion: How much control does the church have on everyday life? Are there rival beliefs? What god(s) do most people worship? How does it affect other facets of the society? A colony of diabolists might adhere to a very rigid power structure clearly enumerated by law. The only mode of advancement is to undermine those above you at the risk of being usurped yourself as you grab for power.

Guilds: Guilds also held great power in medieval society. The middle class evolved from artisans and merchants cultivating a fine balance of quality and supply to meet value and demand, maximizing profit. Guilds not only control who can make what but also who can buy and sell goods or services. Making an enemy in a guild might mean not being able to do any kind of business until recompense is made.

The players should always have at least one friend in a settlement, someone who always has their back. Likewise they should also have at least one rival or enemy to whose challenge they must rise. Consider this NPC carefully, they will be the impetus behind more of the player character actions than any other NPC. Be sure to check up my upcoming article for making villains that give rise to heroes!