World Building for Novices

Middle-Earth. The Expanse. The Forgotten Realms. Westeros.

Characters don’t exist in a vacuum. The world they live in impacts, and sometimes even drives, their stories. A memorable and believable world will keep readers and players coming back again and again. So how do you build a world that will enthrall your audience, and no matter how fantastic the setting is, suspend their disbelief?

Game masters and authors face a daunting challenge building their first worlds. Where do you start? What’s most important for what you want out of your world? What are some of the pitfalls and traps to avoid while world building?

Jon R. Osborne, a veteran game master and international bestselling author, gives novices the basics of world building. Whether you want to forge your first setting as a game master or craft a world for the novel you itch to write, this book will set you on the path of world building.

Let there be write!