[Crudblud]

As some of you will know, for a time I was involved with a fantasy RPG project as writer and composer. Due to issues with an investor I made the decision to leave the project, and my work came with me. I had created quite a lot of stuff, and I didn't want to let it go to waste, so after a while I started writing additional material around it. In January I began publishing this additional writing, along with relevant material from the game, as The World Unbuilt, a weekly series on my blog. Since I know Snupes and Saddam have read some of it, and since I just published a new entry today, I figured why not make a thread here finally.

If you check it out, I hope you enjoy it.

[Cain]

This is some really cool shit.

[Crudblud]

This is some really cool shit.

Thanks! New one coming tomorrow.

[honk]

My Little Hobbit II: My First Fantasy Starter Kit

Stories about wizards fucking things up for the sake of fucking things up are not very interesting, unless you go into why that darn wizard wants to fuck things up.

As I mentioned on IRC, the best example of this trope I've seen is in Lord Dunsany's short story "A Narrow Escape," in which an evil wizard living in the sewers of London grows so annoyed with the constant noise above that he decides to destroy the city.

Mankar Camoran, a devotee of Mehrunes Dagon (no apparent relation to just plain Dagon of the Lovecraftian mythos), through his Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes, really a mediocre acrostic puzzle written in rambling purple prose, seeks to initiate members of the Mythic Dawn, a cult devoted to the summoning and physical manifestation of Dagon in Tamriel. Eventually, you travel to Camoran’s paradise realm, through the use of said Mysterium Xarxes and the magical powers of one Sean Bean, and ask him what the hell he thinks he’s doing. Well folks, it turns out he’s doing something because of reasons. And then you kill him.

<Saddam> Crudblud: Mankar Camoran was a deep, rich character with an interesting motivation
<Crudblud> Cool
<Crudblud> Saddam: But would he be deep and rich enough for a Snyder movie?
<Saddam> What if Mundus really is another plane of Oblivion?
<Saddam> makes you thonk :/
<Saddam> Yes, you understand now. Tamriel is just one more Daedric realm of Oblivion, long since lost to its Prince when he was betrayed by those that served him.
<Saddam> Lord Dagon cannot invade Tamriel, his birthright! He comes to liberate the Occupied Lands!
<Saddam> How could Camoran be an Altmer when both of his parents were Bosmer?
<Saddam> Did Bethesda just think that we wouldn't be able to take a Bosmer seriously as the main villain?
<Crudblud> Saddam: I'm not sure if they still cared what you thought at that point

[Crudblud]

Folks, the new one is here!

As I mentioned on IRC, the best example of this trope I've seen is in Lord Dunsany's short story "A Narrow Escape," in which an evil wizard living the sewers of London grows so annoyed with the constant noise above that he decides to destroy the city.

A tad purple, that Dunsany. Funny conclusion though. Seems like something Pratchett would have been influenced by.

[Crudblud]

The generique fantastique continues here right now!

[Cain]

This is really interesting. Although, The Iqhvadhgh Fragment doesn't really roll of the tongue.

[Crudblud]

This is really interesting. Although, The Iqhvadhgh Fragment doesn't really roll of the tongue.

It was going to be in a very specific place in the game where dialogue with a certain NPC would give some clues as to its nature and origin. I'll be talking about said NPC in a future instalment.

This week, we're hanging (no pun intended) with the executed heretic philosopher Vigilia.

[Cain]

I'm going to get my name changed to Yrinques Asquebateux Serangesse d’Aublix-Gavaque Gent-Myrie.

[Crudblud]

I'm going to get my name changed to Yrinques Asquebateux Serangesse d’Aublix-Gavaque Gent-Myrie.

Definitely a name worthy of a lord, no?

[Crudblud]

Back once again. This week it's back to the Caudex Magnus, where its relationship with reality is explored in four main points.

[honk]

Interesting. Couple of questions for you: Do you know if the plan was for this to be a "full-sized" game, presumably with a sixty-dollar price tag? And did you write any other in-game books besides the ones you've already listed at the end of these articles?

[Cain]

And if it does have a $60 price tag, can we get a discount?

[Crudblud]

Interesting. Couple of questions for you: Do you know if the plan was for this to be a "full-sized" game, presumably with a sixty-dollar price tag? And did you write any other in-game books besides the ones you've already listed at the end of these articles?

I don't really know what the pricing was going to be, but it was a Diablo-like ARPG, so I guess it would be forced to sell at whatever indies of that sort retail for. The project itself began as a single city with a series of progressively harder dungeons underneath, then it was expanded to an open world kind of deal with the original scenario forming the final act of the main story. Originally I wrote most of the books to give a sense of the world beyond the city, intending it as a way for players who were interested to engage with a larger world without actually having to show it. The decision to go open world was made pretty much without my input, but the books were cited as a reason to make a bigger game, since they were (mistakenly) viewed as content rather than context. I didn't like the idea and I argued against it, but that's how it went, so I tried to do my best with it.

There are a few more books, but none of them is worth going into in much detail. As I did this week I might treat them as individual points and bring them together to form a larger article, but they don't necessarily go together in theme or subject matter, so it might be a bit of an awkward read. I intend to post an archive with all the books, no matter how minor, when the series is done. There will also be a quick reference guide, but that might take a while longer, because there are a lot of terms to write up, and it's also difficult to determine whether or not a given term is worth addressing. At this stage I'm also not sure how much longer the series will go on, I have a few more articles ready to go, and there are some others I'm trying to write, though I've been struggling to find the right approach.

[Crudblud]

Cripes! It's time to talk about magic!

[Crudblud]

The generic fantasy continues! This week, it's the story of the scholarly underground and a nation founded by pirates.

We've got a few more weeks' worth of articles to go, but in terms of writing new articles I'm getting to the point where I would have to start talking about things even I don't care about if I really wanted to keep it going much longer.

[Crudblud]

It's the penultimate Wednesday! It's a super short article, and I inserted it here since both the previous and next article run 3500+ words. The subject is companion characters and related content, mechanics etc. A little more gamey than lorey, but still a fair mix.

[Cain]

It's the penultimate Wednesday! It's a super short article, and I inserted it here since both the previous and next article run 3500+ words. The subject is companion characters and related content, mechanics etc. A little more gamey than lorey, but still a fair mix.

I like the title. I love me some jolly coorporation

[Crudblud]

I like the title. I love me some jolly coorporation

sunbros 4eva

[Crudblud]

Well guys, here it is, the final instalment. If lore makes you snore, here's something completely different which nonetheless may also bore. Talkin' 'bout that music.