Recent content by Drakevarg

Right, I didn't mean to imply that it was a disadvantage they were actively aware of, more just broadly asking how cultures without iron develop compared to ones who have it.

Can't seem to Google this without getting articles on health and microbiology, so I'll broach the subject here. It's fairly well-known that the chief reason for Japan's particular approach to swordsmithing is that the country is fairly poor in iron, requiring the elaborate process of folding...

I've always more begrudgingly accepted epic stakes than ever enjoyed them. As it's my medium of choice, I'm going to use a vidjagame example: Witcher 3. The epic world-ending drama was only something I ever interacted with out of a sense of resigned obligation to continue the story. My favorite...

I like to contemplate alternative realities. Sci-fi doesn't really do it for me most of the time because it's all about exploring what's possible. I prefer fantasy because it comes in admitting "it probably isn't possible, but what if it was?" Much less restrictions there. However, on the other...

Had to give this one its own section because I went over the character limit: Now, how much this will actually help the subject at hand in respects to helping come up with questions that need answering, I don't know. But after a long miserable weekend I was more focused on getting the thing...

Gotta say, this weekend suuucked. Was down with an awful throat bug and probably consumed my weight in tea and medicine. Didn't do a thing in the meantime, didn't want to sit up long enough to process complex ideas. Finally got around to that setting overview though, so I'll show you what I've...

Success isn't a metric of quality. Morons can luck their way into millions despite being complete hacks. Stephanie Meyer for example. Not saying the writers you're listing are, but it's a poor metric to go by. Beyond that, could you please move this discussion elsewhere? It's not what I asked...

I already have the world, the history. I've told stories in this world in the past, I'm just not telling one right now. The question might arise to you "why bother worldbuilding in between stories," but in my mind and in my experience, the more you fill in the blanks and look at the origins and...

Not just the lore community, but the basic approach to the worldbuilding from a development standpoint. Yes, they retcon plenty to justify whatever design choices they need for their central plots, but the in-game books are written as a venue to build the world, not the other way around. "A...

It's more like a hobbyist architect who loves designing castles not caring that a successful builder of skyscrapers thinks that castles are an archaic and useless thing to build. Your experiences are hardly universal. I point at Elder Scrolls again, not to mention Tolkien, whose stories came...

No, what I'm asking is that much like in the real world, you don't write a research paper on the Black Plague by just writing "THE BLACK PLAGUE" on the top of the page and writing down everything you can about the subject. You need a thesis, some kind of point to make or question to answer from...

This in and of itself is something of a seed. Doesn't really prompt me to articulate anything new, but at least it's a reason to compose an overview of basic elements that are obvious to me but not organized in any way convenient to an audience. I was busy today but I'll see if I can't cobble...

I'm in Elemtilas' camp here. Oftentimes worldbuilding can be its own point. Sometimes the purpose of the story is a lens to look at the world, rather than the world being a framework to build the story around. It's inevitably going to sound picky when you come asking for a Goldilocks zone, but...

I suppose I should clarify: I don't need inspiration for ideas, I was referring to the books in Elder Scrolls as an inspiration for how to articulate those ideas. What you're suggesting is just more overviews. Wiki blurbs. I've tried those, they're too open ended to direct any sort of line of...

One of the recurring issues I have with worldbuilding is, frustratingly enough, actually committing my thoughts to text. It's a world I'm building, after all. Worlds are big. Where do I start? I have the same problem whenever I write a review for a sufficiently massive RPG. Too much stuff...