Category: Volume 2

Depending on the level of prosperity and technology in our world, most people will only have walking as an option. This is one reason people traveled less on Earth long ago. A trip can be arduous and fraught with peril Read More …

On Earth, motorized vehicles come with a speedometer to tell us how fast we’re going. Using navigation systems, which are typically connected to GPS, we can even learn how long a trip will take and get continual updates on that. Read More …

It’s wise to start with the settlement’s location, as this affects everything about it, including layout, climate (and therefore dress), and neighbors, which can include not only other settlements and sovereign powers, but nearby species that live in adjacent terrain. Read More …

If we’re creating a world, or part of it, to tell one story, our focus is clearly on those locales where events happen now or in the past, and which influence our work. Creating full details is advantageous for these Read More …

Inventing secrets for our settlement can be fun but is optional. Waiting until we have a need for a secret is recommended because a secret is, by definition, unknown, and we’ll have no reason to mention it unless characters uncover Read More …

Every settlement tends to be known for something, such as a product, event, or population skillset, like excellent archers. Do they make great wines? Weapons? Are their knights amazing? The wizards? Pilots? Or is the place just run down and Read More …

To create a settlement’s history, it can be beneficial to have already decided the history of the sovereign power to which it belongs. Is it part of one now or has it been part of different powers? Understanding where this Read More …

In fantasy, most settlements will have some archers, swordsmen, knights, and others capable of armed combat, but what we want to look at now is whether large groups of these will exist in a settlement, and why that might be. Read More …

A settlement without defenses is unlikely to resist capture. Here we look at the types of fortifications a settlement may need. Cleared Areas While not an actual fortification, a cleared area devoid of trees often surrounds a settlement to prevent Read More …

This section discuses orbiting and vacuum settlements and how to make them believable.