One pitfall I can think of is what I'd call "Writing for a System." While a system ultimately can inform a campaign world, it shouldn't be restricted or beholden to a specific system. I ran into this when I was developing a world I'd initially started for a 5e game and tried coming up with an explanation for almost everything that system had to offer and how it'd function in my world. Then realized I disliked 5e and would have rather played something else, so I needed to course correct and develop something that could be translated into a playable, preexisting system, but wasn't obeying what had already been developed for another game for a different context.
Agreed! I'd add to your great advice that writing things to be flexible also helps adapting stuff into other medias: let's say you have comic book artist friends in your party that would like to adapt one of your campaign arcs in a short 8-pages comic, for example. If you have a flexible world, not strictly tied to the rules of a single game, you will have an easier time adapting the world into the narrative because it doesn't have "strangely game-ish" restrictions!
Great post. I agree with talking about your setting online. The feedback I've gotten has always been usefull to me. Often the idea of "being bold" and not overthinking it comes through.
Nice list! I personally relate with the never ending disease and perfectionism. I have a project that has a fun setting I've been working on for 8 years now. And ill keep working on it until I feel its done. But for all my other projects I put my perfectionism to the side a bit and only worldbuild the essential stuff and im getting them done much faster. Feels good to publish small projects while continuing to polish the big one. Also a lot of the scrapped ideas from the big one have been recycled into others.
I would only add one small advice: if you are looking for a publisher, especially one of the most popular, you should be ready and aware that an editor may ask for some changes, so that the comic better suits their editorial direction.
If you are going to publish independently or through an indie publisher, throw this advice out of the window and change absolutely nothing!
Very well thought-out post and I agree on all accounts. I kind of did this when I tried to start my Starforged playthrough; I spent weeks perfecting everything but then, I felt like there was so much stuff in the lore and the political landscape (that I myself had created!) that I needed to take into account, it was just… too much. The world is still there but I only started the first session, lost interest halfway through and never got back to it.
Yes, exactly! It's easy to get lost into the fun of making stuff up for the world (and there's nothing wrong with that), but we should also keep in mind that players won't have the same time to learn these things that we spent on writing them. So yeah as you said, sometimes less is more!
One pitfall I can think of is what I'd call "Writing for a System." While a system ultimately can inform a campaign world, it shouldn't be restricted or beholden to a specific system. I ran into this when I was developing a world I'd initially started for a 5e game and tried coming up with an explanation for almost everything that system had to offer and how it'd function in my world. Then realized I disliked 5e and would have rather played something else, so I needed to course correct and develop something that could be translated into a playable, preexisting system, but wasn't obeying what had already been developed for another game for a different context.
Agreed! I'd add to your great advice that writing things to be flexible also helps adapting stuff into other medias: let's say you have comic book artist friends in your party that would like to adapt one of your campaign arcs in a short 8-pages comic, for example. If you have a flexible world, not strictly tied to the rules of a single game, you will have an easier time adapting the world into the narrative because it doesn't have "strangely game-ish" restrictions!
Great post. I agree with talking about your setting online. The feedback I've gotten has always been usefull to me. Often the idea of "being bold" and not overthinking it comes through.
Thanks! Glad we are on the same page about it!
Nice list! I personally relate with the never ending disease and perfectionism. I have a project that has a fun setting I've been working on for 8 years now. And ill keep working on it until I feel its done. But for all my other projects I put my perfectionism to the side a bit and only worldbuild the essential stuff and im getting them done much faster. Feels good to publish small projects while continuing to polish the big one. Also a lot of the scrapped ideas from the big one have been recycled into others.
A quick primer of writing... ask questions....dont assume things.
Does this apply to writing comics? I think it kinda does so thanks for the insight, really helpful
I would say that it applies to comics, yes!
I would only add one small advice: if you are looking for a publisher, especially one of the most popular, you should be ready and aware that an editor may ask for some changes, so that the comic better suits their editorial direction.
If you are going to publish independently or through an indie publisher, throw this advice out of the window and change absolutely nothing!
Thanks for the insight, really appreciate it ☺️
Very well thought-out post and I agree on all accounts. I kind of did this when I tried to start my Starforged playthrough; I spent weeks perfecting everything but then, I felt like there was so much stuff in the lore and the political landscape (that I myself had created!) that I needed to take into account, it was just… too much. The world is still there but I only started the first session, lost interest halfway through and never got back to it.
Sometimes, less is more.
Yes, exactly! It's easy to get lost into the fun of making stuff up for the world (and there's nothing wrong with that), but we should also keep in mind that players won't have the same time to learn these things that we spent on writing them. So yeah as you said, sometimes less is more!
Great post of things to avoid in creating a setting
Thanks!
You're welcome.
Great article!
Thank you RP! Glad you liked it!
Great post
Thanks!
I read somewhere that is better half maded than nothing made at all.