Any HOmebrew worlds yet?

I have been fiddling an awful lot and trying to rewrite an extensive setting that I set down years ago and just recently picked up again. The problem is that I keep getting stuck on the magic system. That of course affects cults and guilds, which in turn affects everything else: economy, other races, govenments, and social systems.
 
I have been using a homebrew world for quite some time, but currently, the only character stats you'll find are for DnD and Tri-Stat. Eventually, like over the next few months to a year, I'll be integrating the Deluxe edition RuneQuest rules into the world.

I'll also be adding in my own magic system, I like the spells from DnD better than the ones from RuneQuest, and psionics system. I've used the psionics system from ElfQuest in my game world in one form or another for a long time. Since I'm headed back to RuneQuest for my rules system, I'll be updating my psionics system to fit.

Check out the link for Wizard Quest in my sig.
 
A while ago, Talmeta www.talmeta.net converted Psionics to RQ 3, it is not difficult to do it with MRQ..

Click on Runequest, then House Rules, then Talquest, there you will find psionics. It does not link directly to that page, so I cannot give the exact link...
 
Oddly I also have a homebrew.

Whether or not it will ever see the light of day as a product, I don't know, but it's what I use as a default setting. I've recently revamped what I hand out to the players. I'll get it posted up to the wiki (when the upload works again).
 
I am running a runequest game at the moment tha tis my own homebrew setting and create bits of the world as I need it. It is not ridiculously detailed, that is to say I have not written much, but I have quite a bit of stuff done, several nations, continents, and maps (albeit crude).

It uses all the races and monsters from Runequest monsters, my own magic items, a conflict between law and chaos akin to michael moorocks books but a bit less predominant or themed. There are a lot of humans on the planet, and human cities, and on some races I have tried to put a bit of a twist.

The gods of this world are based on gods from various ancient myth here,: Egyptian, Scandinvian, Slavic, Celtc, Greek etc.

There is less emphasis on cults and magic.
 
Considering the problems mentioned...

Are your homebrewn worlds generally spinoffs from the rules-systems, or perhaps vice versa?

For myself, I started with RQ, but moved to GURPS when we started to play in my own homebrewn world back in 1992. The reason: flexibility. (In no way do I think GURPS is better than RQ, or vice versa - GURPS was just easier to tailor.)

Around 1996 I had developed a system that fitted the world, and we changed into that. While the system is still the one we use, we've generally slipped into freeform.

The world, Gelearda, is pretty much pseudo-medieval and historically oriented (I graduated in history). As I'm a Finn and the world has been described in Finnish, there's probably little point trying to share it... ;)

-Ilkka
 
By all means go ahead. We can compare and discuss, and I for one am interested, I know little of Finnish culture.
 
Mage said:
By all means go ahead. We can compare and discuss, and I for one am interested, I know little of Finnish culture.

How do you think my fantasies are connected to Finnish culture? :lol:

Here's a map of a little portion of NW Gelearda. I'm afraid that's all I have in digital form, if Finnish texts are not counted.

But... There was a question of perhaps general interest in my posting:

Are your homebrewn worlds generally spinoffs from the rules-systems, or perhaps vice versa?

-Ilkka
 
My world is based off glorantha slightly in regards to using the same races and monsters, but that is it.
 
My most important homebrew world was designed to be played with RuneQuest 3. That is, with the 4 different cultures and 3 different magic systems in the base rules.

I was in love with the rules but I was not very enthusiast with Glorantha at that time (especially because the Gloranthan material I had was too broad to help beginners grasp this world's mood) and felt the need to create my own world to use the rules.

Eventually my ideas changed (especially on how magic works in this world) and I created my own homebrew system (which is still in development phase due to my lack of focus...) and used it for campaigns in this world.

I have no plan for using MRQ in this world, but I think the new Sorcery rules should be better on simulating magic than the old ones.
 
Here's a map of a little portion of NW Gelearda. I'm afraid that's all I have in digital form, if Finnish texts are not counted.

Wow! That is beautiful. Makes my homebrew maps seem kind of lame.

Seems like I have the typical story. I played in glorantha for a while and then I faded away and created my own world when RQ3 came out. I just missed the Glorantha renaissance; guess I didn't hold out long enough.

Anyway, I am trying to make the MRQ magic rules fit into my homebrew and having some difficulties getting the proper feel.

Several things I have attempted with rune magic are:
1. Rewriting the Runes: I wanted something unique and not canned Gloranthian Runes. For instance I broke the beast rune into individual runes for animal types. I realize glorantha magic leaves this more to the divine magic realm, but I liked it as runes. I added runes like vision, Mente (or pyschic),and Enhancement. I am also working on a set of corrupted runes like Unman, Mutation, Decay.

2. Allowing for a great many more Spells for each rune. I do not think this breaks the balence as with most of our campaigns spells are hard to find teachers for. (It seems very hard for characters to renew or relearn any spells the way the system is written, probably because in most of our local games characters have spent a great deal of time in the wilderness). I believe balence will be achieved based on availible teachers for the spells.

3. introducing inscriptions for runes(Idea was scalped from a post here on the forums). These allow characters to use spells up to magnatude 4; but no powers. higher level spells require a the true runes (which are relatively rare).

4. True Runes are dug up from past civilizations and used to create inscriptions. They are not the blood of deities.

I guess this is more like a rules post, but magic seems to be the building block for so many more things: guilds, orders, beliefs, histories, nations. I have had much of this in place, but somehow making the magic fit is a bit of a bear.
 
when creating a setting, I'd definately keep the rules in mind. A year and change ago, I ran an original AD&D (not the watered down 2nd edition) game, largely "by the book", and I used all the quirks of the system in the setting, so it all made sense.
Well, mostly :)
 
So, it seems that rules are seen as an important factor when creating a setting? Personally, I think rules should come after the setting, i.e. the rules should be tailored to the setting. But that's just me. :)

----

Thanks for them kind words of the map, Puck & Banesfinger.

Banesfinger said:
How did you create it? (E.g. with a mapping program, hand-drawn, etc).

It's actually two maps combined, hand-drawn in '95 and '96, before I had any software available. I simply took photos of them and photoshopped them together. Some day I'll scan them, add the SW portion (it's been "in the making" for 10 years now), and combine it all into a really nice whole. Some day... :)

-Ilkka
 
Map is very nice. If you are doing a world with a certain level of heroing, some settings work, others dont. Fuzoin, d20 and runequest are good for most things, but I woul use white wolf's for more high level things.
 
So, it seems that rules are seen as an important factor when creating a setting? Personally, I think rules should come after the setting, i.e. the rules should be tailored to the setting. But that's just me.

Actually the setting has been in place for about 15 years or so. I just blew the dust off it recently though. I thought a lot of stuff needed a re-write so I am trying to mold it to the new MRQ. Problem is, I started a campaign and had to come up with stuff quick that matched the new rules. I tried to use runes as written and the whole thing really came off a bit corny. The three magic systems do not seem to match the orders/cults, magic and history of my homebrew world.
Another problem is that I am not as decisive as I used to be in this world building stuff. I keep rewriting and rewriting and throwing stuff out.
Oh well, it is good fun anyway.
 
Puck said:
Actually the setting has been in place for about 15 years or so. I just blew the dust off it recently though.

Sounds familiar. I've got several long pauses in creating my own main setting. Thanks to Glorantha - and a few other homebrew settings. :)

Puck said:
The three magic systems do not seem to match the orders/cults, magic and history of my homebrew world.

This is precisely the problem I had in mind when asking if homebrew worlds are created with a certain rules-set in mind. In my own experience, any kind of faithfulness to the homebrew creation usually means that at least the magic system needs to be made anew, according to what is "true" in the homebrew setting.

Naturally, accepting from the start on that a certain ready rules-set is how magic works in this homebrew world will make it a lot easier. ;)

Puck said:
Another problem is that I am not as decisive as I used to be in this world building stuff. I keep rewriting and rewriting and throwing stuff out.

Again, sounds soooo familiar. :)

Puck said:
Oh well, it is good fun anyway.

Indeed. The reason to carry on. :)

-Ilkka
 
Here's a map of a little portion of NW Gelearda

Superb map, indeed! It sure fires the imagination!


I'm working on two homebrew settings ( written in french...) at the moment.

The first one is quite an old project ( 4 years already!) : it's post-apocalyptical fantasy set in a imaginary America. The setting book has been finished for a while but I've haven't done much in the rules departement : i'm planning on making a MRQ conversion.

The second projet is just your ordinary ancient-fantasy world. Ijust started it.

Here are the basics:
The sensible world is the imperfect reflect of the Ideas Domain ( Thanks Plato!). The runes are the links beetween the two worlds. A bunch of people known as the Anchorites were the first to understand the nature of the runes and used them to join with the Ideas. The few Anchorites that weren't wise enough to do as their colleagues tried to join with a single Idea and recruited followers to help them in their task. The Cults of the Ideas were born.
After the founders manage to join the world of ideas thanks to their help, the followers started to quarrel among them. Cults died, others were created and the power of the runes were used for many terribles things...
Now the runes are harder to find, and a the edge of the world, the Void is making headway. Some think that the link beetwen the Ideas and the world is weakening : the weaker it gets, the faster the Void will extend.
Basically, the player is supposed to play a RuneQuester resolved to bring back the Ideals to the sensible world in order to stop the world. Some job, hey?
 
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