It seems to me that playing a game in a weirder setting (and I think Athanor does qualify as a bit weirder than average) should focus on keeping it weird. That is, the settings and situations of a weird fantasy should emphasize what distinguishes it over what is similar to other games. That weirdness can help emphasize a sense of immersion for players and build something unique about the setting.
So, when looking at Athanor, I think I need to consider what makes the setting unique. Here's my list of Things to Emphasize:
- Arid, dying land.
- Ochre, lichen-covered seabeds.
- Dinosaurs.
- Post-apocalytpic ruins filled with high-tech artifacts.
- Fungus forests.
- Airships.
- Non-standard races.
- Two moons.
- Vog-Mur the Necromancer.
- The Overlord of Zamora and his "children."
- A semi-ruined domed city with lawless ruins at the borders.
- Firearms.
- Rare but present sci-fi artifacts.
My goal is to keep these things in mind when playing the game and designing adventures. Maybe I need to put the list in the front of my campaign binder.
Looks good.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're absolutely right. What every setting designer needs to consider is; what are the Iconic Elements that define your setting? Boiling that down to a list of 8-12 elements that you always keep in the forefront of your mind while writing your setting material will help keep your setting clearly defined.
I'm curious about the two moons... is either of them inhabited? Do either of them still have and use the advanced tech?
ReplyDeleteYou know, David, I never thought about those questions. I have intentionally kept the world sketchy, and liked two moons because it looked alien and invoked Mars. But lunar inhabitants are so appropriate to the genre. I would say that one of them would be inhabited by creatures with advanced tech, but not humans. Terrible things that would enslave and destroy humans. Think mind flayerish creatures. Alien. Things of myth. Things that act only in the shadows and have their own hidden agenda....
ReplyDeleteThe other moon should have a race of freakishly tall pale humans that wear silver togas and live in high tech dome cities playing psychic harps and writing million word poems.
ReplyDeleteIt's the evil moon's farm.