[center][h1][b][color=99CCFF]The Idea[/color][/b][/h1][/center]

So, the idea of this thread is really very simple: I want to get a group of creative roleplayers with solid writing abilities that want to build a setting cooperatively. Everyone works together to make something that will be fun for other roleplayers - and themselves, of course - to play in. Pretty straightforward concept.

Now, while the concept is simple to understand, there are certain details that need to be made clear. So, I'll explain those details through a series of hypothetical questions.

[center][h2][color=99CCFF]Why Build a Setting?[/color][/h2][/center]

Well, I want to run a roleplay in a unique and enjoyable world, but I want to do so in a setting that other players have helped me make. I find cooperative world building to be very fun, even if it can be slow. Since RPers often love playing in a setting they've helped create the history and lore to, well... Why not invite people to work together with me?

I want this to be very clear: We will not be RPing in the thread we create the world in. Creating the world is its own thread. The RP itself will be a separate thread made once the setting is finished. I'll talk about that in a later section.

[b]NOTE: You do NOT have to RP in the second thread if you help build the world. If you just want to help build the world, that's fine.[/b]

[center][h2][color=99CCFF]How Will We Do This?[/color][/h2][/center]

Yeah, it's important to know the method of how we're going to do things, isn't it?

We'll start with a blank map (which I will draw with that ever-so-impressive program we know and love called MS Paint). Its size will vary depending on the amount of interest this idea gets. [b]There will be seven basic categories of things you can create:[/b]

[list][b]* Nations / City States / Villages / etc.[/b] - The bread and butter of most settings, these are places where people live. They can be built just about anywhere based on who lives in them: in the mountains, on a volcano, around a lake, in a forest, whatever. There will be certain limitations, but we'll talk about this soon.
[b]* Races[/b] - Every setting has different races in it. Sometimes these races aren't bound to any one place. They might be monsters for killing or something you intend to be playable in the future. Either way, you can write up a race - even if it's just dwarves or elves or kobolds - if you like.
[b]* Terrain Features[/b] - Perhaps you want to talk about a certain mountain range, forest, or river. Perhaps there's a wetlands area that's been floating around in your head that you want to write about. Or, perhaps, you want to make something more fantastic: a crystal lake, a wall of obsidian, or floating sky islands. Stranger things have existed before, so why not make them here?
[b]* History[/b] - Sometimes, the past is more important than the present. Maybe you don't want to add something onto the map, but instead want to talk about something that happened in the distant past. Was there a great war between the dwarves and elves? Were the orcs once a proud civilization that was rumored to have been ruled by an almighty wizard-king? Why is that ruin in the woods abandoned...? History is part of world building.
[b]* Adventure Sites[/b] - These are places that people can go and explore. Dungeons, dark forests, forgotten tombs, strange portals - whatever would make for an interesting story. When writing these places, [b]DO NOT[/b] spell out everything in these places; instead, be vague and talk about what the history and what the denizens [i]might[/i] be.
[b]* Important Characters[/b] - Important characters are people that have impacted the world in huge, powerful ways. This might be an elusive wizard that's spoken about only in legends, a legendary hero - either past or present - that has slain not one but [i]three[/i] dragons, an ancient ent that has been around since the dawn of the world... etc. NOTE: Do not use this to make a character you want to play. [b]Characters made in the world-building stage are NPCs ONLY.[/b]
[b]* Important Organizations[/b] - Again, these organizations are important to the world in some way. Religious sects, the fantasy equivalent of the Illuminati, a secret demon-worshiping cabal, a thieves guild that spans several cities... Etc.
[/list]
So, everyone makes this sort of stuff. People, monsters, civilizations, old ruins, whatever; you and I will make stuff and submit it to the thread.

However, there is something you should know: I am the GM. I have the final say in what is allowed in the world and what I do not want. [b]If I refuse a concept or say it needs editing, you have to either make those edits or accept that it won't be a part of this setting. If you want to participate, you need to understand that one of your concepts may be refused.[/b] I have themes in mind that I'll discuss shortly.

As stuff is finished and approved, I will add it to the relevant posts in the Characters section. With luck, enough content in all seven categories should be added over time until we have a large, fun-to-explore world in our hands.

[b]Please remember:[/b] You are creating a world for yourself and others to play in. Don't make something because you want to see the halflings wiped out by dragon-men - make something because it would be interesting and engaging to interact with. Don't just make races and cities you want to play - make races that you want to fight, places you want to explore, or mysteries that you think others would like to solve. Do NOT "play to win." Instead, "play" to make the world a more interesting place.

[center][h2][color=99CCFF]What Sort of Themes Are We Working With?[/color][/h2][/center]

[list][b]* Medieval Fantasy[/b] - Swords, axes, bows, crossbows! Dragons, manticores, wyverns, hydras! This is a world where mortals face off against each other and fantastic creatures with medieval era equipment.
[b]* Points of Light / Fallen Empire[/b] - Our world stands upon the ashes of a once great empire. Much of the world is unexplored and dangerous. Bandits wait in ambush along the roads; dragons hoard gold in ancient halls; the restless dead rise from haunted battlefields. Still, civilization clings on; though the old Imperial Highway may be difficult to traverse, people yet live in city-states and small realms scattered about the continent. Nobody travels alone in these days: adventurers form companies, merchants travel in well-guarded caravans, and anyone that wants to settle a new village is careful to make sure they settle near other villages for defense. Wars are waged between neighboring city-states as they vie to procure new lands, but the threat of a monstrous invasion lurks in the back in the minds of the rulers of the frontier kingdoms...
[b]* Magic Users Are Rare[/b] - Wizards are not a dime a dozen. Wizards are, in fact, incredibly rare and powerful beings, similarly to how rare they are in the Lords of the Rings series. Mages are famous people that wield considerable power and [i]strictly are not playable.[/i] You should feel free to make them as characters, but don't expect to play that mage. Furthermore, remember that mages are incredibly powerful, moreso than mortals, and some may even be worshiped as deities.
[b]* We Must Have Faith[/b] - There are no clerics calling down the wrath of the heavens. The Gods themselves do not walk the land, nor do their avatars. No: much like in the real world, a person that believes in a God must simply have faith that they exist.
[b]* One Continent[/b] - Everything we're building will be on one subcontinent. There may be other continents out there, but we don't know where they are or what exists in them. We're sort of backwards like that.
[b]* Hope[/b] - This is not a grimdark setting. Yes, the world is pretty awful. Yes, the mortal realms are ruled by self-serving monarchs; there are bandits and monsters; even the dead cannot always seem to find rest, as proven by how they rise from tombs and graves at the beck and call of some supernatural force. Still, we press on. Still, we keep our eyes to the sky, hopeful that a better, brighter future awaits out world. The world may be against us, but adventurous heroes can make the world a better place. They have to.[/list]

[center][h2][color=99CCFF]How Quickly Will This Move Forward?[/color][/h2][/center]

A world builder is never early, nor is he late. He finishes precisely when he means to.

[center][h2][color=99CCFF]When Will the Roleplay Itself Start?[/color][/h2][/center]

Whenever the world building is done. Seriously, I dunno.

[center][h2][color=99CCFF]Will world builders be assured of a spot in the roleplay?[/color][/h2][/center]

They will be assured [i]of the opportunity[/i] to roleplay, but they can lose that opportunity by presenting a character in the roleplay that I just can't believe is so awful, wow.

For instance: let's say Me, Lee and Susie build this world together. I'm the GM, so I'm playing no matter what, suckers. Susie and Lee both want to join the RP now that the world is done, so they both present some characters they want to play. Lee decides he wants to make a super-duper assassin that wields magic cards that explode people and he can go invisible whenever he wants and is super edgy and stuff. Susie designs a humble farmer-turned-adventurer that fits the parameters of characters I'll allow. Our strawman, Lee, will NOT be allowed to play. Susie, however, will, because her application to the roleplay itself fits my guidelines, and even if I like other characters more than hers she WILL be a part of the game because she helped make the world.

[center][h2][color=99CCFF]When Does the World Building Start?[/color][/h2][/center]

Depends on how much interest I get. I'm planning to let this interest check sit for a week. The more interest I get, the bigger the world has to be, so the more I have to sketch on a map. Hooray for me, right?

[center][h2][color=99CCFF]Are You Going to Keep Writing These Dumb Questions?[/color][/h2][/center]

Nope. I'm all done. Feel free to express interest or utter disdain for the concept. Go hog wild.