Original inspirations for the Kingdoms
Thanks for posting this, it's given me some interesting insight into the thought process behind creating Gallidon, but there's something that worries me.
Is Gallidon a fantasy setting or a speculative historical setting?
All of these influences, all of these kingdoms are based on real earth cultures, not a single one of them is either original or based on a fantasy culture or setting, many of which have become well established at this point. It really seems to pidgeonhole Gallidon into a tiny dying niche of historical fiction.
It also seems that the stewards are creating their own personal world that is likely to appeal only to them and not to very many other people.
Now if this is really just a most basic jumping off point, that's not so bothersome, but if writers are going to be bound to real world cultures of the 900's AD, I doubt you'll get many contributors.
Now there seems to be a bit of a fundamental problem here, sort of a catch 22. Under the "play nice" rule, authors are prohibited from making sweeping changes to the world. That's fine. You don't want an author to plunge the whole world into an ice age, because not everyone may want to write about snow. Nor do you want them to introduce invaders from Mars who subjugate the planet. But that being said, you're forcing writers to write within the setting you've created, without allowing them to dramatically change the setting, and your setting is boring.
Where are the floating cities, the flying ships, the ancient gods, the sunken cities, the cultures and settings that aren't based on obscure historical cultures.
Maybe I'm totally over-reacting. I was kind of blindsided by the fact that non-humans actually do make a strong appearance in the final version of Gallidon, since I'd heard much to the contrary in the past few months.
I really have 2 concerns here. First, "play nice" also has to mean "share the world" and it needs to work both ways. I can understand someone wanting to feel like he can write in a human centric setting say something similar to Conan and not have to ever be forced to deal with, say, elves. (or guns). That's fine. Give that guy a nice corner of the world to write in, but he has to share the world, just because he doesn't want elves with guns in his corner of the world absolutely doesn't mean elves with guns should be banned across the entirety of Gallidon.
Actually I guess I really only have one concern and that's it. Gallidon seems really small to me right now, and I'd like to know if it's going to stay small or if there will be room for creators who don't share the stewards own personal tastes and vision.
"non-humans actually do make a strong appearance in the final version of Gallidon"
Wow, I didn't see that part. Where did the stewards say this?
I'm also tending to agree with Richard, just not at the same degree. I don't think it's boring, just a bit bland. I think the concept has lots of potential and it should be easy to resolve the issues, we're still in beta.
RoG isn't like other fantasy worlds. It isn't meant to be.
We believe a major part of what makes Runes of Gallidon unique is how we envision the world being built: one Work at a time.
We do not want, nor do we have plans, to create an up-front detailed world guide that will be a comprehensive reference. As we've said elsewhere, the more brush strokes we make on the world, the less canvas the creative community has to work with.
This approach gives the creative community FAR more opportunities to have an impact on the world early on.
If you want to explore a part of Gallidon or introduce a new element, please do so through a submission. If you're worried that your idea won't be accepted, just ask us. If you have specific questions (i.e., "how do warding lockes work?"), ask us.
This beta stage is all about world building. If you prefer, wait until there are more Works in the world. Perhaps then you'll be more comfortable jumping in.
You seem to see a bland, generic, and empty world. We see powerful building blocks, an opportunity for meaningful participation by the creative community, and the potential for Artisans to put their personal mark on the world.
...all of these kingdoms are based on real earth cultures, not a single one of them is either original or based on a fantasy culture or setting...
It sounds like you're putting the cart before the horse. Most popular fantasy settings are based on mythological, historical or current event inspirations. Rather than leaping off from other people's created fantasy worlds, we decided to go to the original source material and build out from there. They're just starting points, basic backdrop settings as a common point of reference for Artisans to develop and build upon.
Where are the floating cities, the flying ships, the ancient gods, the sunken cities...
We're eagerly awaiting submissions that include some of these types of concepts – common fantasy staples. We're working with some of these ideas in our in-house projects. Much of the world is currently bland – blank canvas – neglected. We've launched the site knowing this (beta). We chose to open it up to anyone who might be interested while we continue to focus on our own individual Works.
Maybe I'm totally over-reacting. I was kind of blindsided by the fact that non-humans actually do make a strong appearance in the final version of Gallidon, since I'd heard much to the contrary in the past few months.
Our submission guidelines state: Gallidon is a human-centric world, please no elves, dwarves, orcs, or gnomes. This rule does not exclude non-humans, the supernatural, mythological creatures, etc. We have no final version of Gallidon. We've created this site to see where the world stories, images, games, etc. will go. We want to be entertained, too.
First, "play nice" also has to mean "share the world" and it needs to work both ways. I can understand someone wanting to feel like he can write in a human centric setting say something similar to Conan and not have to ever be forced to deal with, say, elves. (or guns). That's fine. Give that guy a nice corner of the world to write in, but he has to share the world, just because he doesn't want elves with guns in his corner of the world absolutely doesn't mean elves with guns should be banned across the entirety of Gallidon.
We created this website on the idea of a collaborative fantasy world. This does not mean anything goes. The common thread of all our inspirations for the site (such as the original Thieves World anthologies) was editorial control to maintain some semblance of world-continuity. We have no interest in spending our time and effort (not to mention money) in an anything-goes fantasy site. Walling off a corner of the world that ignores or conflicts with the rest of Gallidon has nothing to do with play nice and share the world.
We appreciate your feedback - sorry if you don't like or see any potential in our offering.
Where are the floating cities, the flying ships, the ancient gods, the sunken cities...
We're eagerly awaiting submissions that include some of these types of concepts – common fantasy staples. We're working with some of these ideas in our in-house projects. Much of the world is currently bland – blank canvas – neglected. We've launched the site knowing this (beta). We chose to open it up to anyone who might be interested while we continue to focus on our own individual Works.
Once again, I think I may have gotten the wrong impression from discussions early on about what would and wouldn't be accepted in Gallidon. I was under the impression a lot of those elements would've been rejected out of hand. I'm glad this is not the case.
We appreciate your feedback - sorry if you don't like or see any potential in our offering.
It's not that I don't see potential. I think there is a great deal of potential, but I'm very concerned that if it's presented to the creative community solely as a blank canvas that many people may simply pass on it. I think Gallidon may need a jump start before it will really take off. If I seem overly critical it's only because I really do want Gallidon to succeed.
Personally, I hope the big things (like flying ships) come out sooner rather than later. If flying ships were introduced a year into the project, then everything prior to that might be out of sync. Why take a three month horse ride when you could take a month flying ship ride, etc.
I like the project, but I'd just like a bit more of starting off material so we know the boundaries and limitations. Things like magic spells, transportation (including lockes), classes (noble/commoner), and religion (spirits) should be loosely defined. If an artisan would rather build a story using the foundation rather than create new items for the foundation, they should be able to do that too and still come out with an interesting story.
Personally, I know that I'll be creating some new stuff in the world, but it will mostly be the same thing that the majority of artisans create: new heroes and villains, new crime organizations/gangs, new places and buildings, etc. I don't plan on creating new magics or technologies or things that may drastically affect the world or other people's existing works. I think that's where I'd like to see the world flushed out a bit before 'gold', so I don't need to worry about rewriting my stories to fit in airships or something new that becomes commonplace in the world.
There are no current plans for some big thing/event that would change the entire world of Gallidon anytime in the foreseeable future.
We're primarily hoping to expand and build upon the foundation. As you've commented on, there is no shortage of subjects needing development: cultural and social norms, magical & technological boundaries and limitations, interactions with spirits, people, organizations, heroes & villains, towns, cities, strange & mystical locations, impacts of weather, volcanos, earthquakes, etc.
The map of RoG is big. With very little on it. Even the kingdoms do not have defined borders. We did this for a reason. You want to introduce a strange new culture, weird creatures or artifacts, a magical monastic order, a violent monster, a haunted stretch of sea, a city that time forgot, mysterious ruins, a lost civilization, a war, etc. -- pick a blank spot on the map and go to town. But avoid introducing concepts that force major repercussions on the rest of Gallidon and its Artisans. Keep it localized, with a decent rationale for why it's localized if necessary.
We believe the key to making RoG work is to focus on smaller areas; place your events on a bit of the blank canvas, don't try to claim all of it. Details and the feel of the world will expand outward from the best of these small paintings. We want to avoid any one Artisan's single creation forcing every other Artisan involved in RoG to make significant changes to their own Works.
Any concept introduced as big (impact-wise) as a flying ship would have to be an extremely rare, isolated device with a severe downside that keeps it from becoming commonplace.
We know this approach is very unusual and challenging. We're facing the same challenges and operating within the same world boundaries in our own Works. We frequently end up in lengthy discussions over new details (warding lockes) as we try to figure out how each one impacts the world and other Artisan efforts. At the end of the day, we're enjoying this approach and believe the potential outweighs the difficulties involved. Runes of Gallidon is just getting started.
Not to play House Vanth with this subject...but I want to be sure for my own WIP.
Is the Rock part of the High Hills or the Middle Kingdom? Politically I'm guessing it's part of the M.K. Socially I am thinking it would have elements of both, but the nobility mostly from the Middle Kingdom. Are those correct assumptions?
What has been established:
The Rock is a fortified port city controlling the straits connecting the Outer sea and the Inner sea. The city is ruled by the Greater Noble House Melanthias, masters of Alchemy.
Its geographical location almost guarantees the Rock would be a cosmopolitan location with influences from all the cultures in the area. The lower noble houses of the Rock could be descended from anywhere in the former Empire.
What has not been established:
Is the Rock independent? Have the rulers of the Rock sworn fealty to House Vanth of the Middle Kingdom, House Nuada of the Isles, Corvus or Lucan of the High Hills, etc.?
The lower nobles of the Rock could have loyalties to any of these political bodies.
Sooner or later some Artisan will get a Work published that establishes the political loyalty of the Rock.
We've gotten several questions and comments about this, so...
Here is a quick summary of our beginning inspirations for the Kingdoms. The goal was to provide a variety of cultures for a starting point but stand them atop one common foundation – the Empire of Gallidon. These were the flavor sources and the leaping-off points. They've all been altered from their historical origins to varying degrees already and will, no doubt, change more as stories are developed and told.
The High Hills
An early North American frontier - Last of the Mohicans, Beyond the Black River - sort of setting. Heavy on shamanistic influences and the idea of a thinly populated wilderness.
The Middle Kingdom
Most heavily influenced by the Mediterranean region prior to the First Crusade. It is intended to provide a setting for intrigue, politics, trade wars, new-found knightly orders, etc.
The Sea of Grass
The Kanem Empire in North Africa around 900 AD prior to the spread of Islam. Nomadic herders and horsemen with a strong reverence for the powerful forces of nature.
The Illuminated Peaks
Early Medieval Japan.
The North Realm
Scandinavians of the Viking Age, around 950AD.
The Isles
The 'Insular' Celtic culture of Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall, Wales, Brittany, and the Isle of Mann projected into a Medieval tropical isles setting.