Worldbuilding with Whoshim - Introduction

Welcome to Worldbuilding with Whoshim! I have been working on building a world for some time now, and I thought I could share some things that I have learned over the years about it as well as share what I am working on. Also, I will add an "Inspiration" section to each post, covering something interesting about our world that I find really cool.

I currently have two games designed around my world, with a third and an rpg in the works. I have submitted one of the two designed games to BoardGameGeek, but it has not been added to the database yet. It will be free to print and play, and it will also have a mod on Tabletop Simulator.

Example Card:

Okay, since this is the introduction, let me outline what I would like to cover:

Worldview/Philosophy of the Creator

I have spent a lot of time reading Tolkien, and his On Fairy Stories essay has made me think a lot about what to include in my world. I think that going through what we believe to be true about this world will help us to create a better 'secondary world', as he called it. Instead of just doing whatever we may think is cool, or adding things willy-nilly to our world, taking the time to think through what is most important in this world will give depth to our secondary world.

Language and Idioms

I believe that language is very powerful, so it is an important consideration when creating a world. Tolkien had a lot to say about language, and there is a really good TED Talk about it. Also, having lived in a number of different countries and dabbled in a number of languages, I am really interested in this topic. For example, my current country of residence, Indonesia, uses, literally translated, "Accept love." and "Same, same." for "Thank you." and "You're welcome."

Places and History

When creating places, making them interesting and making them have a history are both important things. A lot of the "Inspiration" things I will post will be related to places.

Peoples and Cultures

Again, like language, having lived in different places, I think that too many stories assume that most cultures are similar. I think that individuals are basically the same worldwide, but there are a number of unique cultural traits that influence our behavior. For example, in the new Star Wars movie (SPOILERS SPOILERS), The Last Jedi, many people wonder why Holdo did not just set things to auto-pilot. I think that it is reasonable for a culture to have a tradition of the captain going down with the ship. It may not be 'practical', American culture, but it is a reasonable human concept.

Governments

Similar but distinct from the above, putting governments into your story in a reasonable way is important. This was something that I think the new Star Wars movies also do very poorly. Knowing different systems around the world now, as well as historical systems, is important for creating a believable world.

Individuals

Here is a really fun part. Having laid the groundwork of building a rich and complex world, placing characters into the world to live and breathe in it is very satisfying. However, it can also be difficult, as there are so many things (language, culture, history) to keep in mind to make their actions believable.

Things and Miscellaneous

This section will explore artifacts and heirlooms, magic and technology, and anything else that comes along.

So, that is the general overview of where I would like to take this series. If you have any comments, criticisms, or questions, please let me know.

Image by Martijn Munneke

Inspiration of the Day - Underground Places!

In Turkey, long ago, people dug underground cities. The largest is Derinkuyu. It could hold up to 20,000 people and had 18 different levels. There were wells and air shafts, and there was even a long tunnel to another underground city 8 km away!

In Lalibela, Ethiopia, churches were dug below ground level to hide them:

Image by Bernard Gagnon

And, finally, in Malta, there is an ancient structure called a hypogeum. It is believed to have been a temple. It could hold a very large number of people. What is most striking is that, when a man (generally, due to the frequency of the sound needed, women cannot generate the same effect) stands in a certain place in this underground complex, his voice reverberates through the entire structure.

Conclusion
So, there you have it for today. Next time, I will look at Worldviews and Philosophy and will begin to discuss my own world some. Until then, have a good one!

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