Thought I’d explore my process a little. Folks wanting to develop their own campaign setting or those with a passing interest in worldbuilding may find this useful. I’ll talk a little about concepts and ideas, worldbuilding, homebrewing, keeping track of progress, milestones and missteps and finally publication.
With worldbuilding, unless you’re passionate about the themes holding your setting together, you’re unlikely to have the passion or motivation to finish it. For Inspirisles, my themes arose from an imaginative childhood spent on the coasts of Cornwall and a fascination with Celtic folklore. The setting is also inspired somewhat by an unfinished novel which I now hope to represent through tabletop gaming. Themes of childhood, coming of age, an unseen world of folklore and superstition, the coast and friendship are at the heart of Inspirisles.
TIP: take some time to think about your central themes. If you can’t define them clearly, you’re probably going to struggle down the road.
Because Inspirisles is based on Dungeons & Dragons 5e, much of the groundwork is already in place. However, with these rules come certain restrictions and my ideas will need to honour and complement the established material. So far, I have closely followed Matthew Mercer’s Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting. Within is all the inspiration you’d need to adapt 5e yourself. The design, layout, the vital elements to make your setting distinctive, and a standard to aspire to. Inspirisles is nowhere near as comprehensive, therefore it’s even more important to present my unique world succinctly.
As this is a solo project (at least for now), I need to play to my strengths. I’m a competent writer and pride myself on imaginative ideas. The visuals however, are a problem. One area I have some experience in is pixel art, having worked on an indie video game for a few years building assets in the vein of a oldschool Legend of Zelda adventure. For now, I can flesh out Inspirisles with pixel art characters and monsters, and create full page placeholders until I secure the services of a professional artist.
HATCHLINGS 